Meglena Ivanova's Blog, page 11

Oh! The smell of a new book!!!

Oh my gosh!!!!

I just got the email yesterday that Susan Wingate’s book – Sacrifice at sea, had been sent out and here it is in my hands today!!!! The tea water is on, it’s a rainy day, DH (dear husband) is out of town…..I have a perfect evening in house!!!!! Wish I had time to read the first chapter before I wrote this one but know everyone is as excited as I. I haven’t got it out of the envelope yet, just had to say yea!

Thank you Susan for such a beautiful book!!!

Wow!!! I can’t wait to sit down with a cup of tea and read it!! So, far it looks incredibly wonderful just looking through the book!!!! Thank you!!!!

Soon I will post the interview with you!!! When I finish reading – Sacrifice at sea, I will also write a review!!!

If anyone wants to know more about Susan Wingate and her books, here is her website!!!

Everybody is welcome to comment or share any opinion on this book and other books by Susan!!!

3 Course of Meal….

Today I will talk about one of my favorite things to do, which is cooking. In order to give you an idea of how tasty Bulgarian cooking is, I will share a couple of my favorite meals that I grew up with.

Bulgarian cuisine is tasty, healthy, and nutritious. Cooking traditions in Bulgaria are centuries old and a lot of the dishes are prepared according to recipes handed down from generation to generation.

Here are my three course of meal and a few recommendations for what you can try if you ever happen to visit Bulgaria.

Shopska salad

For the first course I would like to suggest you a Salad. Some of the most popular salads in Bulgaria are shopska, which is the national salad and my first recommendation, potato salad, snejanka with yogurt, and cabbage with carrots. When combined with drinks, Bulgarians can spend hours eating salads.

Why shopska salad? Shopska salad is really the best loved dish in Bulgaria. It is basically made by combining diced garden tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, raw or roasted peppers, feta cheese (Bulgarian white cow cheese) and parsley with a light dressing of sunflower oil and red wine vinegar.

Meals with pork are my second recommendation following the great and amazing Shopska Salad.

Rolled, or stuffed, cabbage leaves and vine leaves, as well as stuffed bell peppers…

Pork is the most widely used meat in Bulgarian cuisine but fish, chicken, and lamb are also eaten regularly. Beef and veal are less common as most cattle are bred for milk production.

Rolled, or stuffed, cabbage leaves and vine leaves are made in every Balkan country, as well as stuffed bell peppers, grilled meat, and pastries with cheese filling. Stuffing for cabbage and peppers can include cooked grains, chopped carrots, onions, beans, rice, or ground meat. Some Balkan countries use pickled cabbage leaves, while others use steamed cabbage and sauerkraut.

Kozunak

For the final course I would recommend is the traditional bread named Kozunak. Kozunak is prepared in Bulgaria for orthodox Easter and it’s a slightly sweet yeast-raised bread with raisins that crosses the line between bread and coffee cake.

Sometimes we served Kozunak at Christmas and for other special occasions. I like it with Raspberry jam!

Hope you enjoy my three course of meals and you will share your favorite menu with me and my readers…  

Interview with me at Effrosyni’s Blog…

Effrosyni Moschoudi

Meglena Ivanova

Effrosyni Moschoudi wrote The Necklace of Goddess Athena, and asked me If I wanted to answer a few questions about my book and myself for her Blog, and of course I said yes.

So here is the interview we have put together!

Hope you will enjoy reading it!!!

Introducing Meglena Ivanova, Author of The Legend of the Moonstone!

P.S. I told Fros, that I wish to give a little gift to her readers! Anyone can enter! Just send me an email with “Meglena Ivanova ” in the subject line, mention that you have read my interview on “Effrosyni’s Blog” and I will send a FREE COPY of the e-book to the first 10 readers who email me! You can find my email of the end of the interview.

Thank you so much Fros for the interview and the chance to read your book! It’s been amazing getting to know you! Soon I will post a review of your amazing so far book – The Necklace of Goddess Athena.

Guest Post by Effrosyni Moschoudi

Introducing “The Necklace of Goddess Athena” by Effrosyni Moschoudi

Today, I am pleased to welcome Effrosyni Moschoudi, author of the urban fantasy, The Necklace of Goddess Athena. As of February 1st, the eBook is available for download exclusively on Amazon in Kindle format. Join us as I ask her a series of questions in order to find out more about her and her writing!

Welcome Effrosyni – pleasure to have you here today!

Pleasure is all mines, thank you Meglena!

Why do you write?

A writer writes just like a singer sings and so on. Each person is built in a certain way and I believe it is for a reason but we can’t justify it. Perhaps it’s our life’s purpose, who knows? When I write, it gives me tremendous joy. It’s the only thing I do that makes me lose track of time. They say that when you find that one thing in your life that makes you do that, you should never let it go and of course I don’t intend to.  I have been writing ever since I was a little girl. I didn’t reason then and I don’t reason now. It is a compulsion. This is simply how I am built regardless of what talent I may possess. I think it is the same for every writer.

So, what have you written?

I wrote a lot of poetry in Greek as a child and teenager, then I switched to English in my 20’s when I wrote lots of poetry and song lyrics. I had some poetry published in England back then but only on a very small scale. At some point in my 20’s, I started writing my debut novel but I kept it in the backburner as I worked full time and focused greatly on my career. Once I became unemployed in early 2010, I found the time and the inclination to finish it. Having had my share of rejection letters from literary agents, eventually I took the road of indie publishing last September. I also started blogging one month after that as it soon became clear to me that a blog is one of the most powerful tools an indie author can ever have.

Give me an insight into your main character from your novel. What does he do that is so special?

One of the main characters of The Necklace of Goddess Athena is Phevos. His father used to time travel for Goddess Athena in order to protect Athens from enemies throughout the centuries. At the beginning of the novel, Phevos arrives in modern day Athens from antiquity with his sister, Daphne. Neither of them knows why their father has sent them there. In the beginning of the story they are both confused and worried. Phevos is driven by his love for his mother who disappeared mysteriously when he was a little boy. He is hoping that his father’s secret purpose for sending him in modern day Athens involves finding her. He becomes intrigued by the mystery and he takes the reader away with him on this journey, as his father’s secret purpose is gradually revealed.

What sparked the idea for your book?

I wanted to write a book about Greece and its people. It soon evolved into a story that was all about the famous Greek triptych: “Country-God-Family”. Ask any Greek and they will tell you that their whole life revolves around these three. I guess what drove me was my desire to try and explain what it feels to be Greek, why we remain so resilient and faithful in the face of disaster and tragedy, where we draw strength from. Once I had Efimios fully formed in my head, all the other characters and their situations derived from there effortlessly.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

On the aspect of writing, my advice is simple: ‘Follow your instinct’. We shouldn’t be thinking what others will say when they read our book. We should write for ourselves. This is where passion and truth lie and without them, the text can never come alive and become emotions that will sweep readers off their feet.

On the aspect of promotion, first of all, I advise authors to do a thorough research – there is an abundance of resources out there – know your tools! Also, approach other authors with courtesy and be helpful. Don’t seek to be helped before you become useful yourself. People respond to kindness and thoughtfulness. Concentrate on Twitter and Facebook for your promotions, especially the first! Last, blog at least 3 times a week but don’t just talk shop! Speak also about you as a person! In my own experience, people respond mostly to useful tips and personal accounts/feelings from the author’s personal life.

Do you read much and if so, who are your favorite authors?

Up until last year I used to read a lot of historical fiction, thrillers and chicklit. These days, I concentrate on assisting fellow indie authors so I read their books, mainly in order to review them. Some of my favourites among famous authors include Dan Brown, Kate Morton, Rosamunde Pilcher, Steven King, Catherine Webb and Rachel Hore.

What do you do to get book reviews?

I am still in the beginning but so far, all the reviews I got, I got them painlessly. They came either from readers who bought my book and then contacted me to talk about it, or they were fellow authors who agreed to read each other’s books in return for an honest review. It is really easy to approach an indie author and ask them that and when I expressed this desire, I got more offers that I could take on. There are of course sites that accept applications for books to be read by a reviewer and also a couple of book clubs spring to mind that will get your book reviewed by their members if you care to give a free copy or if you are willing to read some books yourself. Last, some authors list other authors on their sites who take on books for reviews. It’s pretty easy to find takers whichever way you decide to go!

How can readers discover more about you and your work?

Effrosyni’s Blog page!

I welcome your readers to visit my blog where they will find articles on a variety of subjects.

There are travel articles, book reviews, author interviews, tips for authors as well as some inspiring articles about some personal experiences in my life.

As previously mentioned, I share with my readers the real person that holds the writing pen! If you are an author and struggling with getting new followers, try it but speak in all honesty – people respond to the truth more than anything else.

Introducing The Necklace of Goddess Athena by Effrosyni Moschoudi

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Suitable for: All ages

Blurb

IN ATHENS, THE GODS STILL DWELL AMONG THE MORTALS.

Efimios is an ancient Greek and an unsung hero of Athens. He has saved the city countless times by undertaking time-travelling missions as instructed by Goddess Athena herself. Now an elderly man, he sends his son Phevos and his adopted daughter Daphne on a time-travelling quest to modern-day Athens. Mysterious as always, he only advises his children to look out for the signs without offering any explanations. Mystified, yet eager to obey their father’s will, Phevos and Daphne settle down in this new world, having been offered assistance by two orphaned siblings: Ksenia and Manos. New friendships and romantic love change their lives while their father’s covert purpose is gradually revealed. As the youngsters continue to unravel the secrets of their family past, inevitably they get caught up in the ongoing conflict between two Gods, one of which becomes their protector and the other, their worst nemesis. Who will prevail when the rival Gods meet again and will the mortal bystanders survive to tell the tale?

Bio

Effrosyni Moschoudi was born and brought up in Athens, Greece. She has a BSc in Computer Science and has worked for large companies for twenty years, mainly in the hotel and airline business. Her work background has been diverse and has mainly involved computer support, customer service and aircraft material purchasing. She has been writing since childhood. She lives in a quaint seaside town near Athens with her husband Andy and a naughty cat called Felix. She is passionate about books and movies and dedicates sufficient time on her weekends to enjoy a bit of both.

On Effrosyni’s Blog (aka The Public Diary of a Greek Dreamer), the reader will find posts on various subjects. There are tips for authors, travel articles, inspiring personal accounts, references to the Law of Attraction, book reviews, author interviews and cover reveals.

Effrosyni’s debut novel, The Necklace of Goddess Athena, is an urban fantasy. It is about two time travelers who arrive in modern-day Athens with a purpose that is secret even to themselves. As of February 2014, the book is available for download exclusively on Amazon in Kindle (.mobi) format.

The novel has received a perfect 5-star rating by the Fantasy & SciFi Network website. An excerpt of the book’s first 2 chapters is currently available for download FREE of charge at Goodreads.

Currently, Effrosyni is writing The Lady of the Pier, a historical novel with a paranormal twist that is set in Brighton (England) in the 1930′s and in Corfu (Greece) in the 1980′s. It is a haunting, tragic love story that highlights the immense popularity of the West Pier in Brighton back in its heyday, before its regrettable decline that began after WWII. The novel will be published in two parts. The first part, The Ebb, will be published in the summer of 2014. Effrosyni is currently penning the concluding part, The Flow, which she hopes to publish too by the end of the same year.

Connect with Effrosyni:

Blog: http://www.effrosinimoss.wordpress.com
FB Book page: https://www.facebook.com/Necklaceathena
FB Author page: https://www.facebook.com/authoreffrosyni
Twitter: https://twitter.com/frostiemoss
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7362780.Effrosyni_Moschoudi
Google +:https://plus.google.com/+EffrosyniMoschoudi
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/effrosyni-moschoudi/82/347/a01
Book Trailer: http://animoto.com/play/HdtpGSSDjn7cEO84w1z98Q

Purchase Links:

Amazon (US): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I5GXHCO
Amazon (UK): https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00I5GXHCO

Reviews:

5 star review on the Fantasy/SciFi Network
4.5 star review on Alllthingsbookie

A MOMENT TO SHARE with Ewan Scott

I’m truly grateful to have Ewan Scott as a Guest Author for this week’s blog to interview. Ewan leaves in Scotland! He loves to write and have so many ideas for future stories. Million Dollar Monkey is his first published story and it is the first in a series featuring Cormack Sharp and his band Six Million Dollar Monkey who have been described as not the worst band in Scotland, but not far off! Hope you enjoy his interview!

Ewan Scott

So, Hi Ewan, thank you for agreeing to this interview.

Tell me a little about yourself and your background?

I was born in Scotland and I’m still in Scotland! I currently live in Edinburgh but I’m been all over, north to south. I like it here, the drizzly weather suits me.

What were you like at school?

I was one of the smallest kids in class and so I got picked on quite a bit at first. Luckily, I was blessed with a special gift, no not some kind of magical power, I was a very fast runner. When gym class came around and there was anything involving running I just ran rings round my tormentors and they soon left me alone. I ended up on the school athletics team and even though I was still a shortly I didn’t get hassled!

Were you good at English?

Yes, but pretty useless at all other languages.

What are your ambitions for your writing career?

I’d like to sell more books that Dan Brown! Seriously, I’d like to write just one really good book that people would want to read. It’s a simple ambition but it may take a lifetime.

Which writers inspire you?

I love to read anything by Haruki Murakami. A Wild Sheep Chase is such a funny book but it has the touch of a genuine master.

What was your life like before becoming an author?

Scott’s Website page!

Exactly the same!

Which comes first? The character’s story or the idea for the novel?

The idea first, that sets the scene then the characters start to turn up!

When did you decide to become a writer?

I’ve been scribbling away for years but 2013 was the year I decided to try and get something finished.

Why do you write?

Why not! I really like to get my stories out of my head on onto paper (or screen). It makes it a lot easier to sleep at night.

So, what have you written?

Million Dollar Monkey is my first published story available on Amazon and Smashwords. It is the first in a series featuring bass player Cormack Sharp and his band Six Million Dollar Monkey.

Where people can buy or see them?

Available at Amazon and Smashwords!!!

What sparked the idea for your book?

Having been in a number of bands myself I had the phrase “The worst band in Scotland” kicking about in my mind. I wondered what the name of that band would be, what they would be like and how far they would go to try and make it big. Everything else developed from there. There were no monkeys at the beginning of the idea but quite a few by the end …

How do you market your book?

I must admit to being pretty clueless about marketing. I’m not big on self-promotion. I’m like the anti-beiber, I’ll run if anyone asks me to sell myself. I do think there’s a separation between something you write and yourself though, like Jekyll and Hyde, or so I tell myself that when I’m telling people to buy my book.

Do you have any advice for other authors on how to market their books?

Scott’s Smashwords Page!

Honestly, I’m not in a position to tell anyone how to do it.

All I’d say is that the most important thing is the writing and if you’ve written something that connects with other people then I’m sure there will be an audience for it.

What do you do to get book reviews?

They’ve been pretty thin on the ground so far! Everybody is welcome to write review.

What advice do you have for someone who would like to become a published writer?

Write something brilliant!

How can readers discover more about you and your work?

Blog: http://iscotblog.blogspot.co.uk/

Twitter: @escott999

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00GHVY1F6

Smashwords: http://bit.ly/1izKdDk

Amazon: http://bit.ly/1ccHB5u

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/iscot

It was a great privilege for me to get to interview Ewan Scott, who has inspired me in many different ways. Thank you Ewan!!! Good Luck with everything!

The most amazing YOUNG reader I have ever had the pleasure to meet…

Here’s what you’ve been waiting for! I had the chance to meet Aubrey Joy. She is a young woman who leaves her unique and honest life. There are a few things that struck me about Aubrey‘s experiences. First, she likes being a dancer and reader. The most two amazing things for me on her age. Second she is interested in almost everything. She is good at a lot of her school activities and she loves doing all of them. Aubrey have many interests,  and she is great at all of them, because she is passionate about all. This amazing girl agree to share with me and you guys her story and why she start her amazing blog – YA Book Reviews.

“If one cannot enjoy a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.” ~Oscar Wilde

So, here is her guest post! Hope you will enjoy it!

Hey there! My name is Aubrey Joy and I’m a 14-year old and am a freshman in high school.

Aubrey with her best girl friends Kaitlyn and Lauren!

I live in a small town in Iowa on a farm. My dad is a farmer and he drives trucks for a local company and my mom is hair dresser and nail technician. My brother is a seventh grade student at the local middle school and he’s in dance, football, and soccer. He is in tap, jazz, modern, and ballet for dance and he claims he doesn’t like it, but he does. I’m at the dance studio 8 hours a week doing ballet, Pointe, lyrical, modern, tap and jazz.

Dancing and reading are some of the most important things in my life as of right now. When I grow up I would like to be a professional ballet dancer at a small ballet company. I would like to travel the world and help over the summer with building houses or something of that nature.

After being a dancer I would love to do something with reading. If I ever got a great idea I would possibly write a story, but as of right now I would love to be part of a publishing company. I would love to get to edit stories that already are there, but add something to it.

Aubrey’s Blog Page!

I started my blog in December of 2013 because I wanted to have a blog or YouTube channel all about books. I decided to have a blog because you can be more prepared for it and it doesn’t matter if you sound scripted. I like the way my written words sound as well. I’ve been a reader for as long as I can remember.

My mom used to read my younger brother and I the books I Love You Like Crazy Cakes and The Kissing Hand. I recall reading Junie B. Jones and The Magic Tree house in early elementary school, and then starting to read Nancy Drew in fourth grade. The book that got me really into reading, though, was Esperanza Rising. That was my favorite book all through elementary and I read it 5 or 6 times. I didn’t really understand it all that well because some of it was in Spanish, but I continued reading it because I loved the story.

During fourth grade, my teacher read our class one of my favorite books of all time, Tuck Everlasting. We watched the movie right after we read the book and I remember all my classmates saying how much better the movie was than the book, but I was pointing out all that the movie did wrong. By the beginning of middle school I had started reading the Harry Potter books and that definitely kick-started my reading. I only read up until number four, but plan on continuing on with the series for sure. Eighth grade was when I discovered The Mortal Instruments books which soon became my favorite series. After reading The Fault in Our Stars, it quickly became my absolute favorite book of all time. I read this wonderful John Green novel at the beginning of my freshman year.

Aubrey with her best friends Mark and Kaitlyn!

When I read books, I get absolutely immersed into the story’s world. When I’m stressed out or in need of a break from my life, I pick up my book. When I’m mad or irritated with my friends or my family I pick up my book and become part of the story. I buy way too many books because that’s just what I do. For gifts all I ask for are different books, it’s kind of a problem actually…

Like I said above, I have a blog that I started in December of last year. One of the main reasons I started a blog in the first place was because none of my friends really cared when I told them they should read a book. They kind of disregarded my recommendations because they aren’t really readers. I wanted to post my opinions online because I thought it would be fun to connect with people who enjoy the same things that I do.

Thank you so much for wanting me to post on your blog! It was wonderful getting to know you!

P.S. If you have any questions to ask, Aubrey would be glad to answer all of them, me too.

My question are - What you guys think of Aubrey’s journey and her experience with reading books and writing book reviews? Do you think more young people /kids/ should read as much as she did, or no? Do you believe that kids form small towns and communities are more open to books, sports, dancing and etc.?

Tell me what you think, I would love to read your comments, discuss and try to see from your point of view… Happy Sunday! 

Please Help a Fellow Author Who Has Suffered a Serious Stroke

Please Help a Fellow Author Who Has Suffered a Serious Stroke.

Posted on January 21, 2014 by Cate Russell-Cole

The greatest gift blogging and social networking has given me is the people I have met, some of whom are very dear to my heart. This post is an appeal to help Rags Daniels, a fellow Author who has suffered a stroke. He is in his early seventies and has a long road to recovery ahead. Obviously, he is offline, so I am asking all of you to help out by sharing / tweeting about Rags’ books and/or buy some to help him with the medical costs his family are undoubtably inundated with.

Rags is one of the few proper gentlemen left! He has the heart of a lion and has become very special to me in the months I have known him. He has given generously to charity work over many years and has also taken a child into his home to care for. If anyone I know deserves the help, he does. You just have to look at the love left on his Facebook wall to see that he’s gained a special spot in more hearts than mine… and he is an awesome writer with incredible life experience from which to draw his novels!

Please share his books on your social media accounts and/or buy a book… or two! For those of you so inclined, I am sure prayer would be welcomed. Please go to Amazon in your country and search for Rags Daniels. His book descriptions are below with links to the United Kingdom site. They come in Kindle and paperback and are perfect for crime lovers.

Lallapaloosa: October 8, 1967, ‘Che’ Ernesto Guevara was executed… Or so the world believed. Inspired by a true sequence of events, ’Lallapaloosa’ tells in flashback the story leading up to the betrayal and ‘capture’ of the worlds most famous revolutionary and master of disguise. Original, fast moving, and atmospheric to the last whiff of a Partagas cigar, it begins thirty years after the event with a series of sinister murders against a fraternity of retired mercenaries who, having fought alongside ‘Che’ in the Congo, grouped for one last mission in the jungles of Bolivia. For thirty years, Richard Strang, thought he shared the worlds best kept secret with no one. Then one summer evening, the tap of a blind man’s cane, and a nose for the toasted Cuban leaf, changed all that.

Click on image to go to Rags’ Amazon Author page.

Write a guest post. Gain tons of traffic!!!

I’m currently Accepting a Guest posts!!!!

Everybody is welcome to write a guest post to my blog if follow those three rules: 

Write me e-mail with a little information about you and minimum 3 suggested topics;
Include links to a couple of your gust posts as writing samples to give me a glimpse of how you write;
Tell me why you want to write a guest post at my Blog!

I promise I will get back to you shortly with my answer.

Now back to my post on how guest posts are bringing more traffic to our websites and blogs!!!

It can be frustrating when you’re doing everything right but you’re only reaching a limited audience. You know you’ve got a great story to share with the world, and now you just need the right spotlight to show it off.  

So what’s an easy way to do that? Writing guest posts! How does guest posting help your blog? Keep reading to find out.

I’d love to share with you my advice on how to get the most out of your guest posts and really make a big impact. Leave me a comment if you have any questions and let me know what you’d like to know!

Reach a wider audience. Build a portfolio. Challenge yourself. Network.

Those are the 4 rules to GAIN TONS OF TRAFFIC from your work!!!

Reach a wider audience – Sharing a guest post is a great way to put your words in front of another audience. Now that you’ve identified that you do want to guest post and you do need some more traffic, you need to work on the question about how to reach a wider audience. One of the things you’ll likely have to do when you get started is to say “Yes” to almost every opportunity. After all, you need to build a reputation, you need to start honing your craft, and you need to build relationships online. You want these publications to start counting on you and you can use them as building blocks. So, you start with something that has a smaller audience, you establish yourself as an expert, and then you use that as a stepping stone to get other places to post.
Build a portfolio - Next, let’s talk about how you get publications to say “Yes.” If it’s a media site and they already have some area on their site that says they accept guest posts, that’s a great place to start. And I’d do a simple email introduction. You can see a example here . Two cans media is incredible website where you can find lots of great information! Working with big names like them will help you to build credibility and work on your portfolio simply by doing what you’re already doing.


Challenge yourself -  So now you’ve gotten someone to say “ Yes .” And this is where the real works starts, because you want to create an epic post. You don’t want to withhold your best stuff for your own site, you want to write your best content for someone else’s site. Unless you’re a famous blogger, you really need to build that credibility. I would start by reading the content on the target site so you really understand the feel of how the content is, how they talk to their audience, and then you can figure out the topics that resonate. You can search for popular posts there and tailor what you’re crafting so it’s really a good fit for that publication. 
Network – If you’re investing time into guest posting, it’s likely that you see the value in other content marketing strategies, such as sharing high-quality content on social networks. Finding blog posts and other content that is not only worth sharing but that also fits directly into your larger marketing plan can be tough – unless you writing that content yourself and arranging for it to appear all over the web.



P.S. Stay in contact with the publications that you have written for. Even if you don’t write that often there, keep them on your radar, connect with them on social media, and slowly, as you’re creating more guest posting opportunities, ratchet it up. There’s no reason why you couldn’t have a guest post in a local newspaper, for example. The key here is that you need to be consistent.

Check out these 7 great tips on how writing guest posts on other blogs can help you grow and promote your business.

Guest posting is a win for everyone – great for the host to get fresh, new content, great for the guest to get exposure to new readers and great for the readers, too.
Let me know what you think about that!

A MOMENT TO SHARE with Ashley Fontainne

People meet Ashley Fontainne! She is the guest blog host this week.

Ashley Fontainne is the author of Accountable to None (Book One of Eviscerating the Snake), Zero Balance (Book Two of Eviscerating the Snake), Adjusting Journal Entries (Book Three of Eviscerating the Snake), Ramblings of a Mad Southern Woman (Poetry and short story collection), Number Seventy-Five (novella, winner of the BRONZE medal at the 2013 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards, fiction/suspense. Currently in production for a feature film), and The Lie (Coming 2014: Empty Shell).

Ashley Fontainne

Hi Ashley Fontainne, thank you for agreeing to this interview.

Tell me a little about yourself and your background? What were you like at school? Were you good at English? What are your ambitions for your writing career? Which writers inspire you?

I adored English and Science. Weird combination yet it worked for me. Those were the two classes I excelled in from the moment the first book was cracked and science experiment performed. Reading, especially classical literature, became a means of escape into worlds and places my young mind absorbed with gusto.

Then, in my teenage years, I discovered the masters of modern literature: James Patterson, Stephen King, Sandra Brown, Dean Koontz and Mary Higgins Clark. It became a challenge for me to discover at the beginning of a novel which character was the killer or bad guy (or girl) was before I finished the book. I was hooked from that point forward in the mystery, suspense, thriller and horror genre.

What was your life like before becoming an author?

Normal?

At the age of 42, I decided to return to college. My goal was to obtain a degree in science to fulfill my dream of becoming a registered nurse. I tackled the hard classes first then realized I needed a few elective courses to finish out my degree. I can only draw stick people, on a good day, so art was scratched off the list. Music and theater were crossed off as well, since my taste in music is not the same as my taste for classical literature, and theater? Forget it. So, creative writing won out.

Ashley’s Blog Page!

Expressing my emotions on paper is something I’ve been doing since early childhood, but it was a personal release, not anything I imagined I would ever share with anyone other than close friends and family members. That all changed after Creative Writing I & II—thanks to an incredible instructor by the name of Melody Berning.

Accountable to None was my semester project for Creative Writing II. When I turned it in to Ms. Berning in March of 2011, she encouraged me to publish it, and in April of 2011, I uploaded the electronic version on Amazon just to see if she was right: people would enjoy my writing. After a few hiccups and pitfalls, Accountable to None hit number 1 in suspense in December of 2011 in the Kindle store.

Nursing went right out the window at that point, and although I did graduate with a degree in science, a new and previously hidden passion emerged: writing.

Which comes first? The character’s story or the idea for the novel?

It depends upon what I am working on. For the Eviscerating the Snake series, the character of Audra came first, and the rest of the story and the characters fell into place around her.  Number Seventy-Five is about the dangers of online dating. The story came to me first, then the characters. My latest novel, a suspense/thriller entitled The Lie, was a mixture of both. The idea for the story hit me one day and within an hour, the entire book was in my head.

Why do you write?

My muse for penning the Eviscerating the Snake series was The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. The revenge on all those who hurt and betrayed Edmond Dantes and the incredible rollercoaster ride his journey takes you on intrigued me. My love for this book is what sparked my desire to write Accountable to None. With a modern setting to the tale, I wanted to delve into just what lengths a person is willing to go to as they attempt to seek justice on their own for heinous acts perpetrated upon them.

The second novel in the series, Zero Balance focuses on the cost and reciprocal cycle that obtaining revenge has on the seeker. For once the cycle starts, where does it end? How far will the tendrils of revenge expand? Adjusting Journal Entries answers that question: far and wide.

So, what have you written?


Accountable to None: (Book One of Eviscerating the Snake)
Zero Balance (Book Two of Eviscerating the Snake)
Adjusting Journal Entries (Book Three of Eviscerating the Snake)
Ramblings of a Mad Southern Woman (Poetry and short story collection)
Number Seventy-Five (novella, winner of the BRONZE medal at the 2013 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards, fiction/suspense. Currently in production for a feature film)
The Lie

NEW******!!!!!! Coming 2014: Empty Shell!!!!! NEW******!!!!!!

Where people can buy or see them?

All of my books are on Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Kobo and Sony (electronically) and can be purchased anywhere in the world. Also, they are available direct from my website in .epub, .mobi or PDF at www.ashleyfontainne.com

All of my works are on sale until the end of 2013 for only $0.99!!!!

What sparked the idea for your latest book?

Ashley’s Facebook Page!

One Saturday I was getting ready to go out for the evening with my husband. It had been a particularly stressful week between work and writing. While downstairs drying my hair, I started thinking how crazy I was for deciding to write. There are extreme highs and devastating lows. After the week I’d just experienced, I wondered why I was torturing myself.

It is a heavy burden trying to corral the thoughts inside and express them in not only a cohesive way, but in such a fashion that others enjoy the words. How strange it is to suddenly have stories fill your head that drive you to the brink of insanity until you release them. Then, the thought hit me: but what if the words rambling around in your head were not creations of your own? What if they were put there by some entity for dark, sinister purposes? So, in less than a half hour, The Lie was born.

Are there any character traits in your book that are based on someone you know? Even if the whole character isn’t based on them?

I think all fiction writers use a montage of character traits from real people. Friends, family, celebrities, a random stranger in the vehicle next to them — they all are potential characters in the writer’s next novel.

What advice do you have for someone who would like to become a published writer?

Hire a professional editor and, unless you are a computer whiz, a graphics design team to create your brand, covers and format your books correctly. It truly makes all the difference in the world.

How can readers discover more about you and your work?

Ashley’s Website Page!

Accountable to None, Zero Balance and Adjusting Journal Entries, Number Seventy-Five and The Lie are also available electronically at these retailers.

You can also visit my website and download e-books of your choice (.epub, .mobi or .pdf) for an even bigger savings.

Website: www.ashleyfontainne.com
Twitter: @AshleyFontainne
Blog: http://ramblingsofamadsouthernwoman.blogspot.com
Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/ashley.fontainne

Book trailers (YouTube):

Accountable to None: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtUdJHC_uqk
Zero Balance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht0AIFiLHSs
Adjusting Journal Entries: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLvyEs7dgr0
Eviscerating the Snake – the complete trilogy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmGUXKrmwjM
Number Seventy-Five:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQM_Tk8bAa0
The Lie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCStAXHphPM

It was a great privilege for me to get to interview Ashley Fontainne, who has inspired me in many different ways. Thank you Ashley!!! Good Luck with everything!

A MOMENT TO SHARE with Rob Guthrie

I’m truly grateful to have Rob Guthrie as a Guest Author for this week’s blog to interview. Rob Guthrie author of Blood Land, Ink: Eight Rules To A Better Book, Money Land (A James Pruett Mystery) (Volume 2), Black Beast: A Clan of MacAulay Novel, Lost: A Clan of MacAulay Novel (Volume 2), Detective Bobby Mac Thriller Trilogy, Reckoning: A Detective Bobby Mac Thriller (Volume Three), Rod and Staff (A Short Story), A Letter to Brody, and Dark Prairies.

Rob had been writing since college – mostly fictional romps – short stories, partially finished novels, and even one micro-story. He has also written a few song lyrics. One of his short stories placed 11th out of – 2000 in a national contest. Another (a Halloween short-short) took 1st place in a Southern California newspaper contest.

Rob S. Guthrie

Hi Rob, thank you for agreeing to this interview.

Tell me a little about yourself and your background? What were you like at school? Were you good at English? What are your ambitions for your writing career? Which writers inspire you? Or something that you feel you need to share?

I always got good grades in all subjects, so English never stood out to me as a class I was better or worse at, however, in elementary school my 4th or 5th grade teacher sent a story I wrote off to a contest in NYC, where it received an Honorable Mention. I was a fairly voracious reader, so I think that’s from where the drive to write fiction ultimately emerged; that and by then I had noticed that my writing was receiving more attention than my physics lab results. I was inspired first by the late John D. MacDonald, who wrote the Travis McGee series (21 books). McGee was a classic hero/protagonist, but most of the books written in that series were in the 60s and 70s, so a little cheesy. MacDonald is still considered one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century, having written over 70 books.

What was your life like before becoming an author?

Not a whole lot different than now. I mean, unless you’re Stephen King or J.K. Rowling, it isn’t like fame and fortune are crashing through the door. I think it’s more of an internal change. I don’t simply write what an artist might call “doodles” any longer. If I am writing, it’s work. Trying to finish the next novel, or putting out a blog, or doing an interview. I now really have to maximize the time, because the biggest surprise is, by far, how much marketing and branding and promoting it takes to sell books.

Which comes first? The character’s story or the idea for the novel?

I am 100% character-driven, so I almost always see my characters (at least the main one or two) first. I feel what they are going through. And when I write, other than an overall idea of where the story may end up, I tend to write my character’s scenes and timeline the way life unfolds: unknown to us.

I figure if I am the writer and I don’t know exactly what’s coming next, it should provide the reader with some nice twists and turns and a bit of the unexpected (and sometimes a LOT).

When did you decide to become a writer?

When I was in college I had a typewriter, but PCs were just hitting the scene. Of course, no one could afford one (least of all most college students) so i would spend my time in the computer lab writing fiction. So I knew then I would be a writer. I suppose you could argue I was a writer at that point, but I mean a published writer who actually gets his or her work out there for the public to read. I didn’t do that until a few years ago. Until then it was a contest here, a contest there, but mostly just a lot of “doodling”.

Half-finished short stories, the first paragraph or page to a novel that never materialized, etc.

Why do you write?

I feel like I have been granted a gift, and I know there are a lot of people who don’t know what they want (or what they would do if they could choose), so part of me feels obligated to use the gift. Of course I love doing it, so what is it Ben Franklin said? If you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life? I do it because I love to do it; it honestly makes me whole.

So, what have you written?

Wow, it would be easier to list the things I haven’t written. I’m not a poet by any stretch, but I’ve taken creative writing courses where one section is on poetry, and it can be such an abstract area without rule, so to speak, so I’ve done a little of that. I have written lyrics to a dozen songs, but I’m not a musician, so the composition part leaves them far from being completed as “songs”.

A lot of short stories. Now I focus primarily on novel (or at least novella) length projects. I am working currently on a short story (10,000 words) for an anthology and for the first time I am co-ghostwriting with another writer.

So really I think I have tried just about everything…

I have written a short, “just the facts” type book for writers to write better books and plan to follow that up with a longer non-fiction work on writing.

Where people can buy or see them?

My books are available in most e-formats, in most major online retailers!

Give me an insight into your main character. What does he/she do that is so special?

I’ve written two different Mystery/Thriller series. The first, for now, is done (a trilogy); the second has at least one more book coming before I consider it finished for a bit. Both main characters are similar at their cores. I believe in writing real characters with real problems. I think readers want to relate. The only exception is perhaps Fantasy or Sci-Fi, but even a robot ends up mattering to us more when he or she begins to have human qualities, frailties, challenges, etc. I’ve written only male protagonists, although there have always been strong female characters in my books. One of these days I want to try my hand at writing a female lead. That will be as much of a challenge as it will be fun.

What sparked the idea for your book?

The first series actually grew from a few chapters I had begun ten years earlier on a writing retreat, but the second—and closest to my heart—is a series I always knew I needed to write. It takes place in small-town Wyoming, where i grew up, and I was always amazed at the “big world” things that happened there, thinking “people would love to find out that even small towns have all the elements of great stories”. And the people up there, well, there aren’t any like them in the world. It’s no surprise to me that the first book in that series, Blood Land, has already begun to win awards. It comes straight from the heart, as any decent writing should.

How do you market your book?

Rob’s Website!

I took a year where I wrote 3-4 more books and spent the rest of the time promoting, tweeting, etc.

Social media has obviously been huge, as has blogging and doing interviews on blog radio, written blogs, and just about anywhere people are interested in listening to an author babble about his work, his thoughts, and his history.

Do you have any advice for other authors on how to market their books?

Yes: your name is your brand. People need to have a level of familiarity with you and even a kind of trust before they will buy your books.

Free promotions can be great (I like them because I want to say: I know you’ll like my work; try the first free—the problem there, of course, is you need more than one book, so Rule Two is write more books).

Seriously, though, it’s tough with only one book out there. Not as many options.

What do you do to get book reviews?

Nothing. I rarely solicit reviews, although I think every writer has to, to an extent, in the beginning. I do have a dozen or so writers that I believe have the integrity to give honest reviews of my books when they first come out (the most important time to garner reviews because a lot of advertising sites won’t allow you the privilege of advertising your book if it doesn’t have enough reviews). So I will most times let them know a new book is out and, lucky for me, they are also fans of my writing.

What advice do you have for someone who would like to become a published writer?

Realize that there are a few simple things you can do, like never having enough proofreaders! Readers are very unforgiving of mistakes in unknown writers (self-published, or “indie) books. Make sure your product is READY. And if you can’t perform the tasks to format the manuscript (download Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords, free e-book on formatting) — but if you can’t, it pays to have someone who does a good job, because readers are also unforgiving of ill-formatted e-books.

Beyond that, if you really want to write a better book, you could do worse than to check out my only non-fiction book, INK. It’s received rave reviews from writers who say it has changed their work (for the better).

Is there anything else you would like to add that I haven’t included?

No, you have done a fine job and I really appreciate it when bloggers/other writers take their own precious time to include an interview of R.S. Guthrie.

Honestly. That’s another piece of advice: we’re all in this together — help other writers, they’ll help you, and the combination of the two is not something you can purchase.

And ON that note: thank you so much again for this wonderful opportunity!

How can readers discover more about you and your work?

My website is http://www.rsguthrie.com and should always at least have my current books out there. One of these days, there is a non-fiction book inside me, and it will be quite autobiographical, if not an outright autobiography.

Website: http://www.rsguthrie.com
Blog: http://robonwriting.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rsguthriebooks
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/rsguthrie
Lnkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rsguthrie
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/rsguthrie
Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/RSGuthrie
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/rsguthrie
Book Links: B&N Nook Page: http://bit.ly/NOOKRSG
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/RSGUTHRIE-GR

It was a great privilege for me to get to interview Rob Guthrie, who has inspired me in many different ways. Thank you Rob!!! Good Luck with everything!