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Author Spotlight: Domino Finn

Author Spotlight
Domino Finn

Author Interview Questions

 

1: Hi, and thanks for joining today. In your own words tell us about yourself, not you the author, but just you!


A: I grew up consuming and loving stories. In games, in TV, in books. I’m that guy that needs to watch a bad movie to its conclusion just to see if there’s anything redeeming about the writing. (Spoiler: Usually there isn’t, but I’m a slave to the craft.)
2: Why did you decide to become an author and what’s the best part? Yeah, it’s a double-whammy of a question. So unexpected!
A: Aside from my childhood aspirations, I actually forgot about the author thing. I worked at a successful video game developer as a programmer for a decade and was doing well for myself, but there were parts about my career that didn’t bring me enough satisfaction. I contributed to story and design elements whenever I could but game dev is often very design-by-committee. It didn’t fully scratch my itch.
When I left the company and rediscovered writing, it seemed like my purpose in life came flooding back to me. And that’s the best part of being an author, I’d say. Being fully in charge of your creation. Being the one on the hook if something works or not. I love the crushing pressure of it.
3: So, tell us about your work. Sell us on it! Why should we read it and why it will capture us?
A: I’m a plot junkie. My work doesn’t have the don’t-worry-it’s-just-action hand-waving that you see in so many stories these days. I’m not after a quick book. I take time plotting, make sure every character has a believable motivation, and do my best to keep the reader guessing. I want to knock your socks off, but I want to do it in a way that feels like I didn’t pull a fast one on you. There’s no sleight of hand with my books. Every shocking twist has deep meaning.
4: Why did you choose the genre you write in over others to start your publishing career? Did others appeal to you more and you chose this? Was there a bit of choice weighing or was it rather simple?


A: Fantasy was a no-brainer. There’s such a rich tapestry to draw inspiration from, and human emotion in the face of the impossible fascinates me. That said, I’m a big fan of crime novels and police procedurals and action-adventure movies ranging from Indiana Jones to Jason Bourne. I like to think my work mashes all of that together.
5: So far, what would you say has been the hardest part of being an author?


A: Brutal self-assessment. If you’re gonna be your own boss, you need to point out your own failings and figure out how to improve. If you don’t advance you fall behind. This business is competitive and takes a lot of motivation and savvy. You need to be that boss or teacher you hated but in hindsight realized helped you become a better person.
6: Now for the ever-so-shocking follow-up question. What’s the best/easiest part, if there is one?
A: I feel like you already asked this question in the double-whammy above! A triple whammy!
7: Tell us about what your experiences in the author life have been like. I don’t mean the writing aspects. I mean the daily human life. Tell us what it’s like to live the day life you do and be an author at the same time. What’s it like when people in your life and, the people you come across, find out you’re an author?
A: Everybody that finds out what I do is incredibly interested. It’s great. A lot of the people I know are creative professionals so I guess it’s natural. That said, living the author life is a little lonely. I get out of the house and see groups of friends less often. One of the downsides to working at home is you need to then work to find downtime.
8: Writing is a hard craft and a harder career. What are the things that keep you going, both in improving the craft and enduring the downs/lows of the career?


A: I think a lot of authors make it harder on themselves by trying to keep up with the Joneses. I mean, there will always be someone writing faster, better, making more money, getting more fan love, etc. The business requires you to be aware of similar authors and books and fan bases. That’s fine. Study the market, but don’t hold yourself hostage to it. Everything else needs to take a back seat to focusing on your personal author journey. Trust me, that’s the part of this gig that’ll give you the most satisfaction.



9: What do you love about the genre/s you write and what others appeal to you?




A: My tagline is “Fantasy is serious business.” I love exploring deep and complex themes in the face of magic. I go dark, too. If everything was all unicorns farting rainbows then the genre wouldn’t appeal to me. I blame the influences of noir and crime fiction.
10: Tell us about the plans for your series and body of work.

A: Black Magic Outlaw is my hit series and it’s basically a necromancer in Miami’s revenge story as he protects his family. It’s like Taken and The Count of Monte Cristo rolled up into one (except with double-dealing supernatural baddies). I’ve constructed a world that I intend to revisit with spin-offs and other series. That said, I’m not trying to connect all my books together like Stephen King. If I need to write something else, something disconnected, so be it.
11: The writing and publishing world has changed a lot. Self-publishing, small to medium presses popping up, and things like becoming a hybrid between indie pubbing and traditional. What are your thoughts on that? Any predictions on what the future might hold? What would you like to see, both as an author yourself, and, as a consumer/reader?
A: I’m a do-it-yourselfer so I love the fact that I don’t need approval to write books. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if indie author collectives started forming, like minds pooling their resources and power to play on a bigger field.
12: The always done and asked question. Who are your favorite authors? What are you favorite books? What are you reading now? Tell us. Tell us!

A: Style influences would be Michael Connelly, Robert Crais, and Jim Butcher. Growing up I read a lot of Weiss/Hickman and Piers Anthony so that stuff is sort of stamped on my soul. And (perhaps surprisingly) I’m a fan of Victorian contributors like Arthur Conan Doyle, HG Wells, and HP Lovecraft.
13: I’ve got to know…what’s your favorite word to use. Every author has one. What’s the word you catch yourself using a lot? We’ve all got those as well. What’s your favorite word just to say? Something where you like the way it sounds. What’s your favorite curse worse, if you’ve got one and or use them?
A: Real writer talk here. I probably use “just” too much and I strip out as many instances of “that” as I can. I like making up verbs like strobed and steepled, spell check be damned. As far as curse words, I’m an equal-opportunity profaner. And yes, I fucking use them.

14: Tell us about your latest release. Or, when can we expect your next one? What are we in store for?!



A: FIRE WATER is a great release for me because it closes the 5-book story arc that birthed the Black Magic Outlaw series. Questions: answered. Mysteries: explained. Plot Threads: tied up. You don’t get a lot of closure in urban fantasy these days. It’s been an amazing ride and I’m so proud to see it out there in the world, standing on its own.
15: Lastly, where can we find you? Facebook? Twitter? Website? Links to your material. Go on, don’t be shy. Share!

A: You can’t go wrong with DominoFinn.com. That’ll give you links to my books in digital, print, and audio.
Follow me on Facebook here:

https://www.facebook.com/DominoFinnBooks

 

And if you just want a shortcut to Amazon, check out my Black Magic Outlaw series at:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06WRNXZFF



It bears pointing out that Domino Finn is the man behind the innovative and now widely used first person blurbs by many in the urban fantasy genre, at least as far as I am aware. Prior to him, I’ve never seen an urban fantasy character narrate their book blurb. And you know what? It works. They may be all over the place, but this is the man with the genius behind it. A true innovator. If you haven’t checked out his works, you might want to.

And the first two novels in the series are on sale at this moment for 99 cents. Here’s the blurb to book one with links below to those as well.

Book 1: Dead Man ($0.99) – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B019ROIX8U

Book 2: Shadow Play ($0.99) – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C8MLH5O

I’m Cisco Suarez: necromancer, shadow charmer, black magic outlaw. Sounds kinda cool, doesn’t it? It was, right until I woke up half dead in a dumpster.

Did I say half dead? Because I meant 100% dead. Full on. I don’t do things halfway.

So here I am, alive for some reason, just another sunny day in Miami. It’s a perfect paradise, except I’m into something bad. Wanted by police, drenched in the stink of dark magic, nether creatures coming out of the woodwork, and don’t get me started on the Haitian voodoo gang. Trust me, it’s all fun and games until there’s a zombie pit bull on your tail.

I’m Cisco Suarez: necromancer, shadow charmer, black magic outlaw, and totally screwed.

Bio:Domino Finn is an entertainment industry veteran, a contributor to award-winning video games, and the grizzled Urban Fantasy author of the best-selling Black Magic Outlaw series. His stories are equal parts spit, beer, and blood, and are notable for treating weighty issues with a supernatural veneer. If Domino has one rallying cry for the world, it’s that fantasy is serious business.
Take up arms at DominoFinn.com

Author Spotlight: Tom Leveen

Author Spotlight
Tom Leveen

Author Interview Question

1: Hi, and thanks for joining today. In your own words tell us about yourself, not you the author, but just you!
A: I’m a guy who was born and raised in the Phoenix area who has been writing and telling stories since second grade, either on paper or on stage. I’ve got a wonderful wife of 10 years, a five year old son and a new daughter on her way this summer. I’ve finished a marathon once upon a time, and sometimes re-read chapter books from middle school.
2: Why did you decide to become an author and what’s the best part? Yeah, it’s a double-whammy of a question. So unexpected!
A: I decided to become an author while working a sh*t job. (I think a lot of people make life-changing choices while working sh*t jobs, as well they should.) Of course, deciding something doesn’t always make it so, but I my goal initially was to get one book published an available on a bookstore shelf. That was it. That was seven novels ago. The best part for me getting to teach writing classes to younger students, before the big bad world gets ahold of them. High school visits are one of my favorite things to do.
3: So, tell us about your work. Sell us on it! Why should we read it and why it will capture us?
A: HELLWORLD in particular is a great horror novel for fans of the genre, with a unique interweaving of past and present timelines showing how hell is unleashed on earth; some cool Lovecraftian beasties (I hope), maybe a smattering of zombie-esque baddies…lots of fun to be had there. BUT, thematically, this is a novel for anyone who is at the end of their rope, who don’t see a silver lining or a light at the end of the tunnel. This is a novel inspired by a family member’s Alzheimer’s disease–a worse fate I cannot imagine for any family. It’s a horror novel about monsters and hell and science and religion, yes. But thematically it is asking the question, What do we do when we know tomorrow is only going to be worse? So on that front, I think it will speak to a variety of readers who maybe wouldn’t make horror their first choice.
4: Why did you choose the genre you write in over others to start your publishing career? Did others appeal to you more and you chose this? Was there a bit of choice weighing or was it rather simple?
A: It chose me! I happened to land an agent just as the genre now called “contemporary young adult” was starting to land, and I happened to be writing about teens and the issues they are facing (sans vampires or death matches), so that’s where my book landed. I have an affinity for the genre, but I am also looking forward to getting into some urban fantasy and horror, and I’ve been using some of my YA novels (SICK; SHACKLED; and now HELLWORLD) to do that.
5: So far, what would you say has been the hardest part of being an author?
A: Realizing that you’ve never “arrived.” It’s never over. There is no destination. There is no metric for success, because it’s always shifting. Whether that’s creatively or financially, there’s always something new to go after.
6: Now for the ever-so-shocking follow-up question. What’s the best/easiest part, if there is one?
A: For me the easiest part is writing the new stuff. A brand new Word doc, a blinking cursor, and very hot coconut milk mocha, and I’m about as Zen as I can be.
7: Tell us about what your experiences in the author life have been like. I don’t mean the writing aspects. I mean the daily human life. Tell us what it’s like to live the day life you do and be an author at the same time. What’s it like when people in your life and, the people you come across, find out you’re an author?
A: If they are a reader, it’s great. There’s an element of respect there that is always nice, and you can tell when it’s authentic. Readers are Readers because they love books, period. So even if it’s not a genre they read, they respect it. Non-readers don’t really get it. The only books they know about are the ones that became big movies like Hunger Games. Which is fine, we need those big hits to keep the little guys like me gainfully employed. Day to day, author lives are the same as everyone else’s. Our kids don’t care if we’re bestsellers or not, they want us to play Legos. The IRS just wants you to make sure you account for any royalties and don’t care how many reviews you got on Amazon. The car still breaks down, the dog still gets sick. Writing is the best job I’ve ever had, but it is still a job just like everyone else’s.
8: Writing is a hard craft and a harder career. What are the things that keep you going, both in improving the craft and enduring the downs/lows of the career?
A: I like to keep attending classes whenever I can at conferences or conventions or bookstores. It is good to keep learning craft in this businesses, or I think I’d risk getting stale.  Even just recently I took an online class from a friend of mine and it totally changed how I outline books and test ideas. And then other times, honestly, it just comes down to this: Yeah, it was a bad day for Reason X, but hey, were you in a cubicle today? No? Then it was a good day.
9: What do you love about the genre/s you write and what others appeal to you?
A: I love YA because I love origin stories, and all of young adulthood is exactly that. That high school/early college age is where Peter gets his spider powers, where Clark starts to understand how much power he has, it’s when Bruce is focused on his training. There’s a reason for that. In the American high school, we are learning our powers. Our skills and talents. And starting to decide how or if we’re going to use those powers to influence the course of history. It’s heady stuff. No one wants to read about a forty-year-old guy who pays his mortgage on the dot. As for other genres, I grew up reading and writing horror and I’m anxious to get back to it because it has such thematic value. There are stories you can tell in horror that are more impactful because of the genre they are couched in. Telling them in contemporary terms just sounds preachy, but horror and thrillers can teach us things on a gut level sometimes. (Pun not intended, but,  we’ll leave it in.)
10: Tell us about the plans for your series and body of work.
A: It’s not so much a plan as a hope: To keep working in contemporary YA because I still have some novels written and in process that I want to share with that readership, but also hopefully to land at some nice adult publisher with my adult genre stuff. I’m also starting to learn screenwriting because I know I don’t know anything about it, so there’s a shiny, glossiness to learning something totally new that really appeals to me, and I’m also tired of sitting around waiting for a filmmaker to call me. They won’t. I have a history of doing storytelling myself, so, the hell with it, I’m gonna return to that model again.
11: The writing and publishing world has changed a lot. Self-publishing, small to medium presses popping up, and things like becoming a hybrid between indie pubbing and traditional. What are your thoughts on that? Any predictions on what the future might hold? What would you like to see, both as an author yourself, and, as a consumer/reader?
A: Zero predictions. I have no idea. I was on the anti-Amazon train there when it first started happening, but now I am a believer in the potential of hybrid and self-pub. I’ve tiptoed around it a bit, but haven’t really committed to it. I think that will be changing this year. I like that there’s something out there for everyone. One thing I do fear – and other authors might feel the opposite – is now that we are SO close to our fans, that our work could suffer Death By Committee. It’d be one thing to get a legit great idea from a fan; it’d be another for 100 or 1000 of them to gang up on you and demand that X ends up married to Y, or whatever. That would be scary. But overall, I think the market has stabilized between traditional, indie, and hybrid, and there’s room for everyone.
12: The always done and asked question. Who are your favorite authors? What are you favorite books? What are you reading now? Tell us. Tell us!
A: Currently reading NOS4A2 for my book club, SciFridays, which I joined specifically to get exposure to stuff I hadn’t read before. Also reading Brat Pack America, which is a lot of fun. Recently started Guns, Germs, and Steel. I usually keep three to five books going at any one time because who knows what mood I’ll be in at any given time? I still love older Stephen King stuff, like The Long Walk, which is damn near genius. I highly recommend the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson which is more than 10 years old now but which helped launch contemporary YA as we know it today. Also Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, although for that one, I love the audiobook more. John Ritter was the narrator, and he was such an influence on me back in the Three’s Company days that it’s sort of bittersweet to hear him narrate such a great, tender YA novel that is itself also bittersweet. I’m also listening to a book on the history of Delta Force, and also Blubber by Judy Blume. Because that’s how I roll.
13: I’ve got to know…what’s your favorite word to use. Every author has one. What’s the word you catch yourself using a lot? We’ve all got those as well. What’s your favorite word just to say? Something where you like the way it sounds. What’s your favorite curse worse, if you’ve got one and or use them?
A: Colossal. My characters use that a lot, usually sarcastically, like, “colossal chub.” For cursing, virtually any combo is good. I’m always on the lookout for new incarnations of “fuck.” Privately, I pretty much still talk the same way I did in high school. Honestly, I can’t even bring myself to share the shit I say in the car. I’m going to hell.
14: Tell us about your latest release. Or, when can we expect your next one? What are we in store for?!
A: Hellworld comes out March 21, and my next one, Mercy Rule, lands January 2018. Hellworld has this great pacing even though it is in many ways a slow burn; it veers more toward dread than terror, but when the terror pops up, man, it’s nasty. It’s not so much “Don’t open that door!” as “You went and opened the goddamn door, didn’t you? Shit, here we go…”
15: Lastly, where can we find you? Facebook? Twitter? Website? Links to your material. Go on, don’t be shy. Share!
A: facebook.com/AuthorTomLeveen
@tomleveen
and  www.tomleveen.com



Blurb:
In an effort to put her family back together, a teen struggles to discover what happened to her mother who disappeared during a ghost hunt in this haunting new novel from the author of Party, Sick, and Shackled.
Five years ago, Abby Booth’s mom, cohost of a ghost hunting reality show, went missing while filming in a ‘haunted’ cave in Arizona.
Since then, Abby’s life has all but fallen to pieces, most notably because of her dad’s deep depression and how they’ve drifted further and further apart.
But now, at seventeen, Abby has decided that things will change. She plans to go to the same cave where her mom and the crew went missing and to find out, once and for all, what happened there.
With the help of the cohost’s son Charlie, and two of his friends, Abby sets off on a quest for answers…but when the group ends up finding, what they stumble across in that dark, primordial cave in Arizona, is nothing they could have ever imaged.
Abby was investigating a possible haunting…she never expected that there could be something worse.
The link: http://a.co/1bIn6Fy

 Bio: Tom Leveen is the author of eight novels with imprints of Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Abrams. He has also teamed up with Todd McFarlane writing Spawn, the comic book series, and released two independent books: A how-to guide for writers on the subject of dialogue, and a horror novella based on real events.
Currently an early literacy specialist with Phoenix Public Library, Tom has six years of previous library work experience. He also has 22 years of theatre experience as an actor and director, and has been the Artistic Director for two different theatre companies.
Tom wrote his first story in second grade and has been writing and telling stories ever since. His first horror novel, Sick, won the Westchester Fiction Award and the Grand Canyon Reader Award. His novel ZERO was a Best Book of 2013 (American Library Association/Young Adult Library Services Association).
A frequent guest speaker and teacher, Tom has taught, paneled, and/or keynoted for SCBWI, RWA, Desert Nights Rising Stars, Phoenix ComiCon, AzLA, NCTE, TEDx, People of Color Network, Western New Mexico University, Arizona State University, Arizona Reading Association, Kennesaw State University, multiple schools and conferences throughout Germany, AETA, the Los Angeles Teen Book Fest, and many others.
In addition, apropos of absolutely nothing, Tom:
Finished a marathon (in six and half hours), earned a blue belt in Tae Kwon Do, co-hosted a public access comedy show, directed 30 plays and acted in 30 more, ran a theatre company out of his backyard, met almost all of his literary heroes except for Stephen King, played in a punk band live in front of actual people (once), prefers the Hero System but nevertheless runs a warlock minotaur and storm cleric elf when time permits, trained at the Utah Shakespeare Festival Actor Training program for five sessions, was Best Masque & Gavel Member in high school, lettered in Speech, has a rock in one finger from a pretty bad bail on his (now stolen) Tony Hawk, was the safari train driver for the Phoenix Zoo for a short time, worked in the stock room for Forever 21 for an even shorter time, completed a Spartan Sprint with three friends, and spent twenty years earning his Bachelor of Science degree.
So if there’s something you want to do, go do it.

Thank you all for checking this out. If you’re interested by Tom’s work, the links are provided to it. Take a look. And thank you for supporting this as always. Please leave a comment.

Author Spotlight: Steven Savile: Parallel Lines

Author Spotlight
Steven Savile
Book Launch! Parallel Lines

Author Interview Questions

 

1: Hi, and thanks for joining today. In your own words tell us about yourself, not you the author, but just you!

A: Hey , thanks for the invite. Me? I’m a 47 year old Brit exiled in Sweden, and like most English men I’m a huge football fan (that’s the one where all the players can kick the ball, not the one where they wear loads of padding), and a budding chef. I obsessively collect vinyl records and gave away most of my book collection to the prisons in Ethiopia and Sweden. Yeah, that’s random enough for now.

2: Why did you decide to become an author and what’s the best part? Yeah, it’s a double-whammy of a question. So unexpected!

A: It was a conscious decision when I was maybe 16 years old. It was the summer vacation between school and college and I’d fallen in love with reading for the first time in years, and came downstairs into the garden and told my stepfather and his dad ‘Hey, I’ve finally decided what I want to do… I want to be a sports journalist…’ The transition to novelist took a few more years and didn’t really take hold as an ambition until I discovered horror. Before that I was a compulsive fantasy reader, but it was when I started reading horror novels I started to think, hey I could do this… What’s the best part? I’ve been full time for eleven years now, it’s been my only form of employment and I get paid to create these mad flights of fantasy. It’s brilliant. We get one life, and to get to do what you love, that’s priceless.

3: So, tell us about your work. Sell us on it! Why should we read it and why it will capture us?

A: Oh god, I hate this question. I always say stupid stuff like ‘don’t’ because I’m your typical self-deprecating Brit. I was told once I needed to get an ego. Okay, let’s talk about Parallel Lines, my brand new crime novel. It’s been brewing in my head for maybe fifteen years. It started out as a glimmer of an idea, which matured and changed and became something completely different. I was interviewed on tv last night and the guy asking the questions said, ‘I noticed that the plot, the situation, despite being a crime novel could easily have worked as a Doctor Who episode or a Stargate episode…’ and I had to chuckle. I explained that, for me, that’s because the plot is secondary when it comes to the creation, it’s all about the characters, and characters are universal. So one set of characters, really orchestrated well, could indeed tell a compelling variant of the story in any of a number of genres or universes. I guess what I’m say is, for me, it’s all about the lives of the characters who are put into these situations rather than the situations themselves. The rest, that’s the magic…

4: Why did you choose the genre you write in over others to start your publishing career? Did others appeal to you more and you chose this? Was there a bit of choice weighing or was it rather simple?

A: I didn’t consciously choose, not really. I chased an idea I had, which ended up being sort of horror, sort of crime, sort of fantasy, and really hard to categorise as an actual genre. Then I went and wrote a huge horror novel, and after that a weird crime novel. No one ever said, hey you can only write x so I ended up following lots of ideas and genres until I ended up doing two series for Warhammer and the fantasy novels with Slaine, and suddenly I had six mass market fantasy novels of the shelves of bookstores in the UK without ever consciously setting out to be a fantasy author.

5: So far, what would you say has been the hardest part of being an author?

A: With fifty novels under my belt, across four or five pseudonyms as well as my own name, it was the transition from art to job, and realizing there couldn’t be days when I don’t feel like working, because if I don’t write I don’t eat. It’s a great motivator.

6: Now for the ever-so-shocking follow-up question. What’s the best/easiest part, if there is one?

A: I don’t think there is an easy part. I love seeing artists interpret my work. I get a thrill seeing the book on the shelf. I love the challenge of the blank page and wondering where the next book will take me. But for me, every day is harder than the last, because quite simply I want to be a bit better than the day before. And after twenty years publishing that means I’ve got a lot of getting better under the hood. I think if I ever got complacent and simply thought ah, I can do this, I’ve done it fifty times before, I’d probably quit and go and open a coffee shop. I want to be better. Always.

7: Tell us about what your experiences in the author life have been like. I don’t mean the writing aspects. I mean the daily human life. Tell us what it’s like to live the day life you do and be an author at the same time. What’s it like when people in your life and, the people you come across, find out you’re an author?

A: I tend to write in coffee shops. There are five in the village and I move from one to the other. Everyone pretty much knows what I do and who I am here. For a start I’m the English guy in a village of 12,000 Swedes. Add to that I’m always in the cafes and yeah, it’s hard to be anonymous. I had a complete stranger last week come up and ask me how the new book was going. I tend to be cheerful and chatty when people approach. I’m a very quite guy. I spend a few hours a day walking in the woods with my dog when I’m not alone in the coffee shops writing. Some days the only interaction with anyone other than my wife is those couple of minutes when I’m ordering my coffee and cake. It’s an isolated life, but as I said before, we’ve only got the one life to live and getting to spend it doing what you love is as good as it gets.

8: Tell us about the plans for your series and body of work.
A: Tuesday March 14th sees the launch of the book I never thought would happen. That’s the day after tomorrow. And why is it’s existence such a surprise to me? Okay, time to get a little personal. This idea has been inside my head for a long time. A very long time. Actually going back to my divorce in 2003, really, just a little before. I used to have a long train journey in to the school where I worked – a couple of hours a day, rattling along with nothing but books to read and thoughts to think. My career as a writer was in the toilet. I’d come pretty much to the point of giving up. I’d written and published a couple of kids adaptations of big films in the late 90s (Jurassic Park 2: The Lost World and Return of the Jedi) but I’d also done a load of stuff that went nowhere, a couple of pre-teen romances, one called Castles in the Sand, the other I can’t even remember now, I’d done a kids guide to the internet, and I’d written and failed to sell three horror novels. I’d put all my eggs in one metaphorical basket, writing a book called The Bones of Dominion, which was a big fat fantasy… I spent a couple of years working on it, and then submitted it to my agent, who loved it, and sent it out. Within a week he had a phone call from a major UK editor saying whatever you do, don’t let anyone else buy this… so we both thought huzzah, this is it… this is going to happen… but it didn’t. The rejection came along eventually saying it was too grim. Too dark. (funny how tastes change, it probably would have sold today…)

After that I was pretty much done. A wave of depression so dark hit I ended up getting very ill, my marriage combusted and I quit writing. I was done with the heartache of always been so close, and so close being no cigar…

I think it was about six months without writing a word when I saw a woman on the subway and wrote a scene in my head that ended up in Parallel Lines 15 years later. The thing is, suddenly, seeing her, I wanted to do something again. So I went home and wrote a list of names. This isn’t how I work, not ever. But I wrote down these names, and beside them wrote a line about who they were and how they fit together. It was a mosaic. There were lines like ‘The Goldilocks Whore’ and ‘The Robin Hood Bank Manager’. It was pretty fevered afternoon. I ended up with 13 names and an elaborate grid of connections and enthused, sat down to write my first non-genre book. And it was shit. I mean shitter than shit. It was awful. So I threw it away, threw the idea away and went back to thinking I was through.

Something like five years zipped by, stuff happened. I moved out of my home, with my soon to be ex-father-in-law helping me back and move. During the endless lifting and carrying  of boxes I noticed his little finger was twitching. He explained he was due to go in for surgery on a trapped nerve. I’d just finished reading Michael J Fox’s Lucky Man and really hated what I saw, because this guy was one of the best men I ever knew, and the idea of it being anything other than a trapped nerve killed me. The surgery revealed it wasn’t a trapped nerve. The degenerative process was pretty fast after that. A year later we were sitting outside  a local pizza place in Stockholm and the waitress had cut up all the pieces of his pizza and he was eating it with a spork because he couldn’t control his left hand when he told me the diagnosis. ALS. Lou Gherig’s Disease. From that day to his death was no more than 2 years. I was in Croatia when the call came that he’d died, due to fly to LA the day of his funeral, and had just started working for Warhammer and was writing properly again for the first time in five years.

I’m not sure quite how or why, but I picked up that old list of names and released what was missing – our way in, our point of view character – our hero. And I wrote Adam Luke Shaw – ALS – on the paper and a note beside it Bank Robber. Simple as that. Suddenly I had a man with a disease made so much worse by stress, holding a gun he had no control over once he really started to panic… and like the old saying says, the gun in the first act has to go off in the third…

So again I tried, and I wrote a first chapter which I loved. It was brilliant. The best thing I’d ever done. And the computer crashed and I lost it. That was about 2008. I couldn’t believe it, and couldn’t bring myself to go back and rebuild what I’d done… so gave up on it again.

Until around 2014 when I was in London with my friend Jane and she said, ‘Tell me a story’ when we were walking. No pressure, right? So for some bizarre reason I started to tell her the story of Adam Shaw, the bank robber with ALS that I knew had no end. About ten minutes into the telling I jumped up and pretty much shouted “That’s not the story!” and knew there and then it wasn’t about robbing the bank at all… it was about a good man in an awful situation getting away with murder… because that gun has to go off.

So, it was there, the full story. I wrote it up during the night of the Brazil Germany world cup match where the Germans put 7 in the net, as my parents had come over to Sweden to stay with us that day, and emailed it to my editor at Titan thinking well, it’ll take her months to process the pitch, it’s all good. I woke up at 9am, less than six hours later, to the email saying she wanted to buy it. It was the quickest sale of my life and the longest, too, in that it took six hours of waiting from pitch to sale, or sixteen years if you think of first word to last…

9: The writing and publishing world has changed a lot. Self-publishing, small to medium presses popping up, and things like becoming a hybrid between indie pubbing and traditional. What are your thoughts on that? Any predictions on what the future might hold? What would you like to see, both as an author yourself, and, as a consumer/reader?

A: I’ve always been career-focussed, and to that end, I’ve loved the idea of exploring all avenues. Right now I’m writing a campaign for a major roleplaying game, a few years ago I wrote the storyline of one of the biggest computer games of the year, I love stories in all forms, and any way to communicate my stories with readers and gamers, that’s got to be a great thing.

10: The always done and asked question. Who are your favorite authors? What are you favorite books? What are you reading now? Tell us. Tell us!

A: It tends to change, but there are a few that always survive when I make a list, so we’ll do them. David Gemmell, Paul Auster, Graham Joyce, Stephen Lawhead, Stephen Gallagher, Stephen Laws, Clive Barker, Jonathan Carroll, Tim Powers, David Eggars, Michael Chabon, Glen David Gold, Nick Hornby… there you go.
11: I’ve got to know…what’s your favorite word to use. Every author has one. What’s the word you catch yourself using a lot? We’ve all got those as well. What’s your favorite word just to say? Something where you like the way it sounds. What’s your favorite curse worse, if you’ve got one and or use them?

A: Hmm, that’s an odd one. I’m not really sure I have an answer for any of those. I mean there are great words like nictitating and mellifluous, maleficence and moribund that just sound lovely inside the mind, but I don’t think I have favourites. As for curse words, I tend to like them blunt. Fuck works. Cunt works. There’s still power to them.
12: Tell us about your latest release. Or, when can we expect your next one? What are we in store for?!
A: The publisher blurb: How far would you go to provide for your child? 

Adam Shaw is dying, and knows he’ll leave his disabled son with nothing. His solution? Rob a bank. It’s no surprise that things go wrong. What is surprising is that when another customer is accidentally shot, no one in the bank is in a hurry to hand Adam over to the police. There’s the manager who’s desperate to avoid an audit, the security guard with a serious grudge, and the woman who knows exactly how bad the victim really was… Eight people, twelve hours, one chance to cover up a murder. But it’s not just the police they have to fool. 

15: Lastly, where can we find you? Facebook? Twitter? Website? Links to your material. Go on, don’t be shy. Share!

A:  facebook.com/stevenrsavile
twitter.com/stevensavile
the website, http://www.stevensavile.com




Click the book cover to be taken to the amazon page to buy, or click the link below:

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Parallel-Lines-Steven-Savile/dp/1783297913

Bio: Steven Savile has written for Doctor Who, Torchwood, Primeval,Stargate, Warhammer, Slaine, Fireborn, Pathfinder, Arkham Horror, Rogue Angel, and other popular game and comic worlds. He won the International Media Association of Tie-In Writers award for his novel, SHADOW OF THE JAGUAR, and the inaugural Lifeboat to the Stars award for TAU CETI (co-authored with International Bestselling novelist Kevin J. Anderson). Writing as Matt Langley his young adult novel BLACK FLAG was a finalist for the People’s Book Prize 2015. His latest books include SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE MURDER AT SORROWS CROWN and PARALLEL LINES a brand new crime novel from TITAN, as well as GLASS TOWN and COLDFALL WOOD, forthcoming from St Martins Press in 2017.

Thank you for stopping by, sharing and reading. If you have any comments or questions, please leave them below!

A Faerie Good Night: New Short Story.

A Faerie Good Night
R.R. Virdi
Copyright 2017

 

Rain hammered the windows like the percussive beat of a million minute drums. Two pairs of wooden blades, green and black, blurred above. Their discordant colors were drowned out by the yellow tinge from the ceiling-fan light.
Tofflepotts found a small measure of relief in the brightness. It made it easier to spot monsters and, slay them. He craned his neck, straining his muscles as he looked up at the edge of the bed.
A child lay curled at the lip of the bed. He was bent into a shape only possible by humans of his young age. One leg close to dangling off of the end, another folded back—heel pressed to his bottom. A pudgy hand was held against his mouth, brushing his lips up like he’d pressed them to a window. His black hair was a static-charged frenzy. Parts of it splayed out against the pillow as more rogue strands tried to reach into the air and fail, creating mini arcs.
The young boy, Samuel, was a mess. But, he was Tofflepotts’ mess. His charge. To be protected from nightmares, things that nibbled on feet in the night and, of course, the irritating mass of fur the family had been duped into caring for.
Samuel pawed at the black satin mask covering his eyes.
Tofflepotts sucked in a breath, hoping the child did not remove the obscuring piece of fabric. Guardian faeries were to operate unseen. His fingers trembled as he ran a calming hand through his shock of electric-aquamarine hair. Strands as fine as cotton fluff broke apart in his grip, taking to the air.
He didn’t mind. They’d grow back to full length by the next morning.
Samuel burble. A pool of saliva frothed at one corner of his mouth before inflating with air. The bubble hung in place, refusing to burst.
Tofflepotts fought the smile inching across his mouth. The toothpick-sized faerie found delight in the tiny human oddities.
Another bubble formed on the child’s face. It emanated from his right nostril.
Tofflepotts found his delight tempered a bit.
Something scuttled along the ceiling. The coin-sized mass of inky-black raced across the walls.
Tofflepotts tracked its movements as his jaw hardened. He brought two fingers to his lips and released a piercing whistle.
Samuel squirmed in his bed, causing the tiny faerie to hold his breath once more.
Mortals were not supposed to be able to hear the tiny folk’s voices.
Perhaps he had whistled wrong?
His lips pressed together as his mouth pulled downward. Tofflepotts didn’t have the time to linger on the question. Rows of vibrant colors crept out from the dark places in the room. The scene emerging from under the bed reminded Tofflepotts of the brightly colored sticks of wax young Samuel colored with.
Countless faeries scrambled out of the dark. Each faerie’s hair was unlike any other’s within eyeshot. The closest, a bronzed male, waved at Tofflepotts.
Tofflepotts did not return the wave.
The approaching faerie wore a tattered collection of taupe rags.
Tofflepotts shut his eyes, recalling where he’d seen that color and material before. The family curtains in the living room. His frown deepened.
The drapery-wearing faerie stopped inches from Tofflepotts, snapping to a salute that shook his mess of fine, burgundy hair.
Tofflepotts returned the salute, eyeing the faerie’s shaggy haircut that fell to his eyes. It most certainly did not fit regulation. His own hair was exempt from the rules by the nature of his rank of course.
“General Tofflepotts!” The faerie quivered in place as his arms fell to his sides and his posture straightened.
More faeries pooled from behind the monstrous bookshelf, which towered to the same height as the child’s bed. It was like watching a neon washed rainbow flood the room. They ran towards him, a faerie carousel of color.
Each dressed in odd bits and bobs plucked from the house they guarded. One wore thin sheets of paper adorned in flowery print and held together by clear tape. Another was wrapped tight in a clear plastic with bulbous protrusions containing air, that if subjected to pressure, would pop to many faerie’s shock and delight.
Tofflepotts counted four dozen faeries. It was quick and easy math. All one had to do was total up the number of differently colored heads of hair. It was made easier by the fact Tofflepotts couldn’t in fact count. But four dozen seemed right to him.
And I’m always right, even when wrong, most especially right then. A short-lived smile broke over his face before it hardened again. He pointed to the ceiling.
“Look, soldiers.”
All eyes honed in on his finger.
He stamped a foot, grinding it against the smooth polished wooden floor. “Not at my finger fluffle brains. Look!” He pointed again to the ceiling. “At that—that black ominous bulb of vileness!”
The faeries fixed their eyes to the darting arachnid. They gasped in unison, some raising a hand to cover their mouths. Seconds later, their faces mirrored Tofflepotts’. Each set their jaw and glared at the intruder.
General Tofflepotts snapped his fingers. “Formations!”
Four dozen or so—possibly less—faeries formed a sharp line.
“We all know how young Master Samuel feels about the icky bugs that nibble and feast on fingers and toes in the night, do we not?”
Faeries bobbed their heads in agreement. The bronzed, burgundy-haired one raised a hand.
“Yes, Puffle?”
“Arachnids,” said Puffle.
Tofflepotts blinked. “What?”
“Spiders are arachnids, not bugs.”
Tofflepotts took two steps forwards and jabbed a finger at Puffle’s chest. “Spiders are spiders, don’t you know? And, they bug Samuel. And bugs are bugs, isn’t obvious? It is so!”
The line of faeries nodded once again.
Puffle pursed his lips, titling his head. A second later he smacked the base of his fist into the open palm of his other hand. “Of course, it makes complete sense. This is why you’re in charge.”
Tofflepotts puffed his chest and harrumphed. He fixed his glare on the spider, which had stopped above Samuel’s head. The faerie general sucked in another breath. “It goes for his face! His face, his face!”
A chorus of angry faerie cries filled the air. They rushed to assemble.
“Quick-quick-quick, to the bed, to the bed!” Tofflepotts jabbed a finger several times in the direction of where young Samuel slept.
Faeries followed the order, sprinting towards it. They huddled together, locking hands and arms, forming a tight ring. Several faeries clambered atop them, adding to the formation. The process continued until a small, wobbly tower of little folk reached the lip of the bed.
Tofflepotts covered the distance to the tower of faeries as fast as he could. He came to a stop, his chest heaving as he looked for an old friend. “Where’s Savore?”
The teetering tower of faeries shook harder as countless little folk chittered an incoherent response.
“Here!” piped a voice.
Tofflepotts turned.
Savore stood at attention, posture rigid, hands to her side. The faerie wore a short dress made from royal blue fabric, clearly pilfered from the dining room tablecloth.
The family would hardly notice the missing section.
Savore had pressed gold sequins to the dress, giving it a shimmering flair as well as much needed armament.
Always practical. Tofflepotts grinned at his lieutenant.
She tilted her head, eyeing him quizzically. “You called?”
He shook his head and sputtered nonsensically for a moment. “Urhm, yes! I did that.” Tofflepotts lost his train of thought as he stared at the object on her head. “What is that?”
She blinked several times. “What is what?”
The faerie general pointed to his head. “This, that!”
She squinted, leaning towards Tofflepotts. “That’s your head…”
“Not mine, yours!” Tofflepotts pointed towards her.
“That is my head, general.”
He sighed. Working with faeries was difficult. Most were not well equipped to handle the level of intelligence he possessed. He pointed again. “Not your head, on your head.”
“Why didn’t you say so?” She shifted her posture, balling her hands and placing them on her hips.
“I did, I did in fact, just now!”
She rolled her eyes. “That, this, is my hat.”
Tofflepotts’ eyes widened. “What’s a hat?”
“This.” She pointed with both index fingers to the object sitting atop her head.
He squinted at it. “It’s a thimble…”
Savore puffed up as if she’d been greatly offended. “It’s a hat for battle.” She gestured at it once again.
Tofflepotts stared harder at the object. It had been painted a soft, dark purple like eggplant dusted with sparkling diamond dust. A small ribbon of iridescent sapphire sequins wrapped around its base. They reminded him of dragon’s scales. A lone, bent brass pin protruded from one side. It clung to her head by way of a thin rubber band that went under her pointed chin.
The general found himself perplexed by the oddity. “What does it do?”
“It protects my head.” She wrapped her knuckles against the object.
His eyes swelled further. “Really?”
She nodded.
“I require one of these.”
Savore eyed him askance. “I don’t think the great general needs to protect what’s in his head.”
He pursed his lips and thought on that for a moment, coming to the same conclusion. Tofflepotts nodded. “Of course. My head is most safe as is what’s inside it.” He paused, licking his lips. “What’s inside my head?”
Savore folded her lips and looked away before turning back. “I think we’re forgetting something.”
The faerie general stared blankly. “Are we?”
She pointed up.
He fixed his eyes to her finger.
Savore stomped a foot. “Not my finger, what I’m pointing at!”
“Of course, I knew that. How any faerie could make that mistake is beyond me!”
Several faeries in the towered murmured in agreement.
Tofflepotts followed the finger and screamed before composing himself.
Savore gawked at him. “Did you just scream?”
He puffed his chest once again. “Of course not. You heard it didn’t you? It was a battle cry. War on the spider! Bring death!”
“Bring death!” shrilled the small army of faeries.
“Come-come!” Tofflepotts beckoned with a hand as he scrambled atop the first tier of tightly bundled faeries. He clawed his way higher, his heart leaping in his chest as nearly missed a step. He struggled for balance as his foot plunked down on a most strange surface.
“Oi, watch it, bumble brains—eeek—sorry, General Tofflepotts.” The mustard-yellow-haired faerie had the grace to look apologetic as Tofflepotts’ foot sat planted over most of his face.
“Kee, why is your face in the way of my foot?”
Kee had no answer for that.
“Ai!” Tofflepotts shook as a fist-sized area of his bottom blossomed in dull pain. He looked down.
Savore hung just below him, staring at him with her eyes narrowed. “Move!”
“Did you just punch me, your commanding officer?”
She shook her head. “Of course not. I would never strike such an important, clever and inspiration faerie leader.”
Of course not. No one would strike me! The logic held as far as General Tofflepotts was concerned. Hitting him was ludicrous.
“You must have imagined it, sir. The spider is real, however.”
“Right, right. Haste-post!” He scrambled faster and higher.
Savore sighed. “Post-haste, sir.”
“That too!” he called as he climbed closer to the top of the tower. Tofflepotts unceremoniously planted his feet atop the faces of a few more fae. The faerie general drowned out their disgruntled sounds as he dug his fingers into the fabric of the bed. His feet beat against the cushiony material as he struggled for better purchase.
Savore scrambled behind him.
Tofflepotts paused his ascent to glance at the spider.
The spindly-legged monstrosity hung from the ceiling, suspended by a silver, almost translucent line protruding from its rear. Its body sank almost the full length of a faerie. The creature juddered as it descended once more.
Tofflepotts’ jaw hardened and his hands shook.
“We’ll stop it, sir.” Savore followed his gaze, staring hard at the spider.
“Yes. We will.” Tofflepotts put two fingers to his lips and released a piercing whistle. Faerie bustled below to make their way to the bed’s surface.
A sound like hail striking a window rang clear over the pouring rain.
Tofflepotts and Savore turned towards the source.
It came from above the white shelf beside Samuel’s bed. Sitting atop it, legs dangling off the edge, was another faerie. His heels drummed against the faux wood with almost woodpecker-like speed. He waved a hand fast enough to cause Tofflepotts worry. Any faster and the limb would surely come off.
The general saluted the newcomer. “Ho, Gama!”
Gama, brushed his hands against the closefitting, rubber-like material clinging to his skin. The drumming ceased and he planted his heels against the shelf before pushing off.
Tofflepotts groaned.
Gama tucked his knees to his chest, tumbling through the air before straightening. He bent his knees and hunched, crashing into the soft base of the mattress. The faerie used his momentum to carry himself forward in a roll to absorb the impact. He sprung to his feet, turning around and bowing at the waist with a flourish.
“Show off,” Tofflepotts and Savore muttered in unison.
Gama dismissed the gripe, cricking his neck to the side and appraising the situation. He brushed a finger against his thick, dark mustache as he gazed at the spider. “Plan?”
Tofflepotts’ mouth twitched and he held his stare on Gama’s odd clothing. “Yes, we have one. What are you wearing? Why is it lavender?”
Gama’s eyes remained fixed on the descending spider. “Made it from a glove—rubber glove—very tight, comfy, and waterproof!”
Savore and Tofflepotts exchanged glances.
“Good for diving.” Gama made it sound as if it were obvious.
Tofflepotts didn’t think so. “Diving? Where, why?”
“Bathtub. Dangerous thing. No stopper, big trouble.” Gama twisted his torso like he was loosening his body. He bent at the waist, reaching for a sliver of metal pinned to his calf with a tiny zip tie. The latex-clad faerie plucked the sharpened piece of metal free and thrust it into the air in a gesture of challenge.
“Oh no. Gama, what do you think you are doing?” Tofflepotts raised his hands in a gesture of calm. “Think carefully, soldier.”
Gama ignored him and turned to face the bedroom wall closest to the descending spider. “Yip-yip!” He threw back his head and shrilled incoherently and charged the wall. “Yip-yip-yip-yip-yip-yip-yip-yip!”
Tofflepotts turned to Savore, wide-eyed and quivering. “Do something!”
Savore blinked, looking from the charging Gama to the spider. She yawned, particularly disinterested. “Oh no. Gama, don’t. Come back…” Her hands went to the brim of her hat, adjusting it.
Gama closed in on the wall at a ballistic speed, threatening to break through it. He released a final, “Yip,” and leapt. His legs kicked as he hit the wall and raced up it.
Tofflepotts’ jaw hung open.
Savore fiddled with her hat, unconcerned with Gama’s hasty, and reckless ascent.
“Yp-yip-yip-yip-yip-yip-yip!” The faerie yipped with each step he took and narrowed the distance between himself and the spider.
Tofflepotts sputtered a series of indiscernible words and jabbed an angry finger towards Gama. “Savore, what’s he doing? What are we going to do? I had a plan. He’s going to steal my, my…something!”
“Glory?” Savore wriggled her nose as she weighed the situation.
“Yes, that. Faeries, go, do the thing!” Tofflepotts pointed to the sleeping boy’s face.
The rest of the faerie warriors traded quizzical glances, unsure of what their orders were.
“Make sure the spider doesn’t land on his face and bite him, or worse!”
The faeries nodded, racing towards the boy’s feet. Several of them surrounded one of the child’s feet, protruding from his blanket. One fae clambered atop another, using her newfound height to reach for the tip of the boy’s loose, blue sock. She grabbed hold of the fuzzy piece of clothing and tugged hard. The sock inched its way up. A final tug cleared the sock from the child’s foot, the momentum sending the faerie tumbled back and off of her partner’s shoulders. She crashed to the bed with an oomph, buried under the garment.
The faerie scrambled free, taking hold of one end of the sock as other little folk grabbed additional bits of it. They raced with it atop the blanket, stepping as lightly as they could.
Tofflepotts directed them in with hand gestures in silence.
Gama pushed off of the wall, releasing a shrill war cry as he pirouetted through the air. The spinning faerie cast the metal sliver into a wide arc towards the silken thread suspending the spider. Gama’s scream reached its height and the blade severed the strand of webbing, sending the spider tumbling down and away from Samuel’s face.
The arachnid’s legs thrashed in the throes of spasmodic terror.
Tofflepotts threw his hands to his mouth, hooting several times. He raised a hand, extending his thumb before turning it upside down, hoping Gama caught the gesture.
The airborne faerie noticed the command and inverted his body, following the spider as it fell. He thrust his tiny blade out, angling his body to better follow the spider’s fall.
“Time it right.” Savore pointed at the spider, tracing its descent with her index finger. “Get ready…”
The spider closed on the bed.
“Now!”
The faeries stretched the sock out, shuffling in place in the hopes they had gotten it right.
“Death to the spider!” Tofflepotts drew his thumb across his throat.
“Death to the spider,” echoed the faeries.
The arachnid impacted the sock, bouncing once and writing.
Gama readjusted his body, leaning back and bringing himself to an upright position. He reversed the blade in his grip and cried out. “Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi!” His sword turned away most of the weak bedroom lighting, but managed to catch a glint before it plunged into the back of the spider. Gama’s feet struck the sock, sending him back into the air. He clawed at the fiend, fighting to grab hold of its legs.
He failed.
“Mount rescue!” Tofflepotts jabbed a finger at the spider.
The faeries abandoned the task of holding the sock, sending Gama and the spider falling the last inch. They rushed to Gama’s aid and surrounded the thrashing arachnid. The faeries pummeled the spider without mercy. They bludgeoned it until its frenzied movement ceased.
Gama sprung to his feet, pulling his sword free. Viscous and gelatinous fluid clung to the weapon’s edge. His face pressed tight in disgust as he shook the ichor free of his sword. Gama tilted his head, eyeing the spider. With a flick of his wrist, he cast the sword into a tumble that cut clean the creature’s mandibles.
Tofflepotts and Savore exchanged a quick glance. “What was that for?” they said in unison.
Gama bent at the waist, snatching one of the fangs. He gave it a waggle. “Trophy, spoil of war, souvenir.
Tofflepotts eyed Gama askance. “Urhm, well, yes. Excellent. You…keep that why don’t you. Highly unsanitary, but, well earned.”
Gama snapped to attention, bringing the mandible to his forehead in an awkward salute.
Tofflepotts blinked before turning to address the rest of the crowd. “Well done, soldiers. Today, you have not only shown brave bravery, you have shown tremendous courage!”
Savore nudged Tofflepotts with an elbow and leaned in close. “Sir, brave bravery is redundant. Courage is the same thing.”
Tofflepotts’ mouth twitched. “Yes, well, they don’t know that do they?” He pointed a finger to the smiling faeries. “Let them enjoy their victory.”
Savore pursed her lips, but said nothing. Her gaze drifted to the far wall near the door into the room. “Victory is often short-lived.” She reached over and prodded General Tofflepotts, gesturing to the wall.
He turned, eyes ballooning at the sight.
A flat, black mass formed on the wall. It spread like a nebulous cloud of darkness. The blackness morphed across the wall like it aimed to cover every inch of it. After expanding without stop, it contracted, pulling into itself and taking shape.
Tofflepotts stammered incoherently, taking a step back while ushering Savore forward with a shove of his hand.
She stumbled a step in front of him, casting a glare of her shoulder. “That was most uncalled for!”
Tofflepotts pointed a quivering finger at the shadow. “Assess the situation, faerie!”
Savore tilted her head, eyeing the mass and taking a cautious step back. “It looks like trouble.”
Tofflepotts squinted. “Well, you’re not wrong. It is most troublesome looking.” Something black flashed by the edges of his vision.
Gama stepped to his side, waving the recovered spider mandible. He thrust it towards the shadow. “Yup, trouble.” He blinked as if considering something, then turned to the general. “We should stab it.” He gripped the mandible tight like it were a dagger.
Tofflepotts placed a hand on the excitable faerie’s shoulder. “Gama, I don’t think you can fight a shadow with a piece of a spider and your sword.”
Gama tilted his head, staring at the general as if he were speaking another language. “Why not?”
Tofflepotts blinked, taken aback by the question. He turned to Savore, giving her a look that asked for help. “Yes, why not?”
Savore rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the shadow.
It’d taken a form much like that of a young boy. Most boys however did not sport a pair of horns sprouting from their forehead. Nor did a ridgeline of spikes race down their backs like minute, jagged mountains. The shadowy creature hunched over like it couldn’t hold itself upright. Its arms lengthened as did its fingers, becoming like the ends of a rake.
Savore swallowed audibly. “I think, sir, it’s a Nightmare.”
Little Samuel shivered once in bed as if the word alone had disturbed his sleep.
The Nightmare managed to turn its flat head and give the faeries a look like it could see them.
Tofflepotts found that an interesting feat for a creature with no eyes to pull off. “I don’t like this.” He recoiled another step, his attention turning to young Samuel. The faerie general realized he had no choice.
Duty trumped personal desires. It was a call to something greater—higher than oneself. He wasn’t in charge for the sake of being in charge. He had his position because he was trusted to do what was best for the young boy under his care. The same went for the faeries he led.
He inhaled deeply and puffed up his chest. “Aaatenn…shun!”
None of the faeries moved to obey, still reveling in their victory and unaware of the growing threat.
Tofflepotts quivered, letting his fury flow into his extremities. The tiny faerie vibrated in place and worked not to lose his head. “Attention, fuzzlebrains!”
Every faerie turned and raced to form a line. They snapped to a salute in robotic unison.
Tofflepotts clicked his heels together before spinning towards the wall. He thrust a finger at the shadowy monstrosity. “Faeries, the enemy comes to us in the form of a Nightmare.”
The faerie army gasped, some going as far as to lifting hands to their mouths. They stared wide-eyed at the wall.
Tofflepotts watched them quiver in place. He shifted his gaze to the wall without turning.
The shadow crept along, moving at a pace reserved for a worm. Every move came in a disjointed, spastic fashion like the creature couldn’t control its body properly. Bits of its mass trailed behind before snapping to follow the rest like it was made from stretched rubber.
The faerie general fought his body’s desire to shake. He had to set an example. Tofflepotts imagined an iron rod going along his spine. He snapped straight and pulled his shoulders back. “Do not fear, faeries.” He jabbed a finger at the shadow. “The enemy wants you to fear. That is what a Nightmare feeds on. It takes and twists the things you do not understand. It shapes the little doubts and fears you carry into larger ones. Do not let it. That is why they come in the night, why they lurk in the dark.” Tofflepotts put his hands to his mouth. “Coward!”
Savore and Gama exchanged a quick glance, catching onto what Tofflepotts was doing. They followed his lead, shouting out after him. “Coward!” Their cries echoed along with the general’s, showering the monsters in taunts.
An uproar reverberated in the spaces around the trio. The rest of the faeries joined suit, screaming at the monster in defiance. Their shouts washed over one another and prompted their skin to tingle.
The faerie general’s mouth split into a wide and feral grin. “Fear has no real power of us. It is a dirty trick. Something meant to shake us of our duty, our resolve. We will not have it!” He stomped a foot.
A thunderous stomp echoed back as the entire army mimicked his gesture.
“Fear is like a weed. It takes root and spreads. Once it does, it’s hard to beat back. So we pull it out. We tear it free. We tear free our fear. We conquer it, and the monster!” Tofflepotts threw his head back and let loose a roar of defiance.
Every faerie shrieked in unison.
A mass of white fur darted by the bottom of the bedroom door, slipping in as if in reaction to the faerie war cry.
The white, cotton ball-like feline bounded into the room and stopped halfway to the bed. Its hackles rose. The cat turned and glared at the shadow, letting out a spiteful hiss that managed to go unheard by the sleeping Samuel.
Tofflepotts breathed a sigh of relief. Faerie voices were magically obscured from the little ears of children, cats were not.
And they could be rather loud and raucous creatures.
“Hsst!” Tofflepotts beckoned to the creature with a hand wave.
The cat turned, its large chatoyant eyes gleaming. It stared at Tofflepotts and its pudgy mouth looked sunken as it tilted its head.
“Hsst. Yes, yes. You.” Tofflepotts waved. “Come here, beast.”
The cat snuffled and shook its head.
“Oh, don’t you play daft with me, you bloated uppity fluff brain.”
The cat’s eyes narrowed and it bared its teeth.
“Don’t you dare you fuzzle-faced-snortle-puff!” He pointed to the shadow, which had neared the edge of the first wall. “That is the enemy, not me.”
The feline seemed nonplussed.
Savore leaned in, putting a hand to the side of her face to muffle her speech from the cat’s keen ears. “Try being nice to it. They’re fickle things. Use its name.”
Tofflepotts blinked and looked for help. “Does anyone know what the human family calls that razor-clawed cotton puff with a stubby tail?”
The faeries murmured, but no one answered.
“Very well, then I shall name it.” Tofflepotts hollered at the creature, calling it close.
The cat approached gingerly, eyeing him as it drew near.
“Oh move on already. Hurry.” Tofflepotts moved to the edge of the bed, flashing Gama a wink. “I think it is time to take a page from your book.”
Gama’s lips pursed and he gave Savore a questioning look. “I don’t—we don’t—that is to say, sir, it’s dangerous.”
“I laugh in the face of danger!” The general threw his head back and cackled like a madman.
Gama and Savore’s faces went flat. They eyed Tofflepotts as if he’d lost his mind.
The cat sat at the foot of the bed.
Tofflepotts leapt. “Huzzah!”
Savore and Gama gasped and raced to the end of the bed.
The cat released a pained mrowl before settling itself.
Tofflepotts clung to the fur of the back of its neck. “There, there, calm. We are friends now, and for that, I shall name.” He pursed his lips, running his tongue around the inside of his mouth as if trying to identify a new taste that had graced it. “I shall call you, Emila Fuffletuff Von Snarklepuss de Pawsington.”
The cat shivered and bucked as if the sheer mention of the name caused it discomfort.
“Erhm, Emily for short?” Tofflepotts gave the feline a gentle and reassuring pat.
The cat agreed, settling and releasing a soft rumble.
Tofflepotts held tight and booted the sides of the animal’s head. “Very good then, Emily.” He raised a hand, chopping vertically through the air in the direction of the shadow. “Charge!”
The cat scrabbled against the floor, fighting for purchase before it made its way to the wall.
Tofflepotts held tight as they approached. He watched the shadow turn its attention to the oncoming pair.
It ceased moving towards young Samuel, instead jerking in place like it was being pulled apart by a million unseen hooks. Black particulates pulled into every direction before snapping back into the main mass. The creature seemed to be at odds with itself, fighting its own being.
The cat paused, rearing up and hissing in defense as one of the creature’s hands peeled away from the wall.
Tofflepotts stared in horror. The monster had pulled itself free from its two-dimensional confinement. He swallowed. “Well, that is rather unfortunate.” He gave Emily a gentle prod with his heels. “Come on now, no need to be a scaredy-cat.”
The cat bristled at the comment.
“Well, you are in fact being one. Charge the fiendish fiend, or stay put. The decision rests with you.”
A low burble formed in the cat’s throat.
The shadow shuddered, peeling its other arm free.
“Decide faster, please, little furry one.” Tofflepott’s eyes went wide until a chorus of angry cries filled his ears. He looked over his shoulder.
His faerie army had climbed down the bed, charging towards him.
He smiled, digging his heels into the cat. “Onwards you fuffle puff!”
The cat mrowled in a grumble of agreement and leapt towards the shadow.
Ink-like black unstuck itself from the wall, taking physical shape. It towered over the feline-riding faerie pair. The creature stood close to the height of the child, Samuel. It may as well have been a dark reflection of a human child. The Nightmare carried none of the light nor happiness that surrounded mortal children. Devoid of any facial features save a sinuous mouth that parted to reveal rows of needle-like barbs.
Emily hissed and lowered herself in challenge.
“Yes, yes, scare the scary thing back!” Tofflepotts leaned back as if shying away from the monster.
The Nightmare spread its hands wide and lunged, threatening to grab hold of the cat and faerie general.
Emily pounced to the right of the creature and deftly avoided its raking hands. The cat lost no momentum, coiling as it hit the ground and bouncing off again. She landed behind the shadow and jumped at the back of its leg.
“Yes, attack! Exactly as I planned, feline.” Tofflepotts pumped his fist, cheering the cat on.
Emily grabbed hold of the Nightmare’s leg, burrowing her claws into the dark mass.
The creature opened its mouth, a dry and hollow rasp left its lips. It shook and stumbled.
A faerie war cry rolled over him. The hairs on the back of Tofflepotts’ head stood on end. The subarctic chill went under his skin and prompted him to push the cat further. “Bite it. Bite the Nightmare!”
Emily obeyed, opening her jaws and sinking them into the back of the Nightmare’s knee. She wriggled her head and tore at the shadow.
The creature shuddered and released another hollow-sounding cry that echoed through the room.
Young Samuel jerked once in reaction to the noise. He settled a moment later.
Tofflepotts pressed his lips together and mused. The longer the battle went on, the more chances for the Nightmare to stir Samuel up and ruin his sleep. Worst, should they fail, the Nightmare would plague him all night.
Nightmares had a nasty habit of lingering with a child long after a night had ended. Gone unchecked for too long, they’d never let go of a young human’s mind. They’d cling, fester and grow over the years until profoundly changing a person.
Tofflepotts ground his teeth against one another. His fingers dug into the cat’s hair until his hands balled tight. He refused to allow that to happen to little Samuel. “Tear it apart, little foofle beast!”
Emily was of the same mind. The cat climbed up the shadow’s body, raking its mass in a frenzy.
The shadow thrashed and stumbled forward. Its hands went wild, swiping at and over its body in a failed attempt to bat the cat.
And then the faerie army descended on it.
They hollered and swarmed the creature’s legs.
Tofflepotts shook and fought to hold on as the cat clung to the Nightmare. He watched his faeries pull, claw, and tear at the shadow-monster’s feet.
The creature released a low drone before falling to a knee.
Seeing the dark monster fall invigorated the faeries. They shrilled and plucked at it like they were possessed.
“Tear it apart, housecat!” Tofflepotts jabbed a finger at the creature’s back.
The cat obliged and shredded its claws against the broad of the shadow’s backside. It tore lengthy furrows along the Nightmare’s body, digging through the black mass. Emily refused to relent, running her paws along the creature like a dog upheaving the earth.
Strands of former shadow fell to the floor like bits of black hair. Only, they riled and undulated like living worms. They flailed on the ground without stop as the faeries and cat continued to shred the Nightmare.
Tofflepotts eyed the stringy masses warily. Something felt odd about the Nightmare’s remains. He watched as a faerie broke off from the main body of the attack to address a thrashing strand of shadow.
It was Gama.
The overzealous faerie raced over to the piece of Nightmare and raised a leg.
“No, watch out!” Tofflepotts reached out with a hand as if almost desiring to pluck Gama away from his position.
Gama stomped on the on strand of shadow without pause. “You uppity, murfle, mumble, grumble, piece of—ayii-yooo!” Gama flailed in panic as the shadow took umbrage at his assault and fought back.
Dark matter flattened under the faeries foot before snaking out and coiling around his leg.
Gama shook his limb furiously in the hopes of freeing it from the shadow’s grip. “Get off me.” He dug his fingers into it and pulled.
The creature would not be deterred.
“Get off, this is my leg. You go find another.” Gama fumbled for his blade, snapping it out in a short slash that cut through the strand.
It parted into two slivers, thrashing before lashing out again.
“Oh no.” Gama leapt back.
“Emily, to his rescue.” Tofflepotts hooted and pointed to Gama.
The cat released its hold on the deteriorating Nightmare and landed on all fours. She scurried the short distance to Gama and raised its forepaws. Emily fell on the wriggling strands, flattening them to keep Gama safe.
The little faerie breathed a sigh of relief before looking up at the large beast. “Um, General Tofflepotts?”
“Yes,” said Tofflepotts.
Gama wriggled his mouth as if thinking before pointing to the cat. “I want one.”
Tofflepotts blinked. “Maybe after the battle.”
Gama saluted, bringing his blade a hair’s breadth from his forehead. He completed the gesture and leapt back into the fray.
It didn’t last long. The Nightmare fell in on itself, unable to hold together from the damage. Countless ribbons of black shadows rained to the floor. They wriggled and lashed out, reaching for the nearest faerie.
Every faerie scrambled away from the grasp of the living shadows.
The dark tendrils pulsated like liquid sloshed through them before contorting. They contracted into black balls that shook violently.
The faeries stood in silence, watching and on guard.
Spindly legs sprouted from each of the black balls. A set of eight ink-black eyes followed as did mandibles.
Spiders made from the remains of a Nightmare.
A cold chill went through the faerie general’s spine. “On guard! On guard! They might be like the Nightmare itself. Keep your distance!” He rubbed Emily’s head and leaned close so only she could hear him. “Stomp them all. Every last one of those foulsome things!”
Emily purred in delight and leapt towards the closest spider, flattening it. The cat went on a rampage, beside herself in pleasure at chasing down the scuttling arachnids. She batted one into the dresser before squishing it into a splotch of black.
The spiders ceased chasing the fleeing faeries and turned on the cat.
Tofflepotts wondered if they’d realized their mistake.
Emily pounced onto each and every one of them, occasionally flailing wildly with her front paws and squishing countless spiders. It wasn’t long before every bit of the former Nightmare had been pressed flat.
The puddles pulsed once like a last act of defiance before going still. Seconds later, the faded from sight.
Every faerie stood panting. Gama looked at his leg like he still harbored concern as to whether it was fine.
Tofflepotts exhaled and composed himself. The threat was over…for tonight. “Well done, faeries. That is one night concluded. But tomorrow is another morning to rest and recover, for tomorrow night brings new dangers. The night is scary and monsters will lurk in it. They will attempt to harm our charge. But will we let them?”
“No!” the faeries cried.
“No we will not. We will fight tomorrow night, and every night till the day Samuel no longer needs us. That is how you conquer fear. That is how you beat back the terrors. You fight every day and night until you no longer have to.” He pumped a fist into the air and the faeries mimicked him, echoing his cry as well.
One night complete.
Countless more to go.
And they would fight each and every one of them to keep Samuel, and children across the world safe and tight in bed.

I hope you enjoyed it.

 

 

 

 

 

Author Spotlight: Best-selling Author Shayne Silvers

Author Spotlight
Shayne Silvers

Author Interview Questions

 

1: Hi, and thanks for joining today. In your own words tell us about yourself, not you the author, but just you!

A: I’m a huge nerd. I love all things Marvel, magical, and mystical. I’ve always been a huge book nerd, and even jump into video games that follow this theme. God of War, Tomb Raider, Assassin’s Creed, Darksiders, you name it. I’ve been in martial arts since I was 12, and have two high-ranking black belts. When not nerding out, I’m drinking wine, playing pool, throwing darts, or discussing philosophy with friends around a campfire.

2: Why did you decide to become an author and what’s the best part? Yeah, it’s a double-whammy of a question. So unexpected!

A: I decided to become an author when I came to the point that the existing books weren’t quite doing it for me. Sure, they were good, and fun, and all that, but I found something missing. So, I decided to take a stab at what I would want to read. It seems to have resonated with many thousands of readers across the world, which is incredibly humbling. I’m just a guy behind a keyboard, talking to myself and my imaginary friends. Who knew insanity could feel so good? The best part is the fans. Too many authors are locked away in an ivory tower, and are unapproachable. I spend a large amount of my time directly speaking with my fans – via Social Media, email, and even phone in some situations. It’s great!

3: So, tell us about your work. Sell us on it! Why should we read it and why it will capture us?

A: My work has been described as Gandalf meets Tony Stark, or Dumbledore meets Deadpool. I cowtip the Minotaur in the first chapter of the first book. My hero (trying to become one, anyway) was raised as a silver-spooned wizard, and has to learn that the world doesn’t always work out the way he thinks it should. He’s snarky, egotistical, but with a solidly strong moral compass. He has flaws aplenty, and one of those is a blatant lack of respect for all the gods, monsters, and legends we’ve heard about since childhood. Stealing Death’s motorcycle, Giving a whooping to the Brothers Grimm and Rumpelstiltskin, snarking off with Van Helsing and Baba Yaga, and openly mocking the Fae. But he’s learning that his arrogance has consequences. He also rides around with a crew of other ‘Freaks’ who try to keep him in line as best as they can – which is quite humorous at times.

4: Why did you choose the genre you write in over others to start your publishing career? Did others appeal to you more and you chose this? Was there a bit of choice weighing or was it rather simple?

A: I’ve always loved fantasy, but I’ve always loved modern-day thrillers. So I decided to mesh the two. This is not a new concept at all. Many authors are Titans in this genre – Jim Butcher, Kevin Hearne, Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs – and I look up to them as Gods. I’m just little old me, trying to add a deeper, snarkier, more comical sort of series into the mix. Not better, just a new flavor in the mix. Something fresh. I think it’s working!

5: So far, what would you say has been the hardest part of being an author?

A: Time management. I’m juggling the job, 2 asylum patients (toddlers), a beautiful wife, and the many aspects of writing that I hadn’t ever thought about: the business side – accounting, marketing, advertising, production, distribution, and event planning.

6: Now for the ever-so-shocking follow-up question. What’s the best/easiest part, if there is one?

A: The writing itself is by far the best and easiest part for me. I have a very warped and twisted imagination. I don’t pretend to understand how or why it works the way it does, but it just does. I can start a story with 3 completely different goals: Ganesh, a Circus, and a kidnapping – and it always seems to connect itself in the most beautiful, fitting ways. Almost as if all orchestrated by some master plan (looking up at the heavens, warily).

7: Tell us about what your experiences in the author life have been like. I don’t mean the writing aspects. I mean the daily human life. Tell us what it’s like to live the day life you do and be an author at the same time. What’s it like when people in your life and, the people you come across, find out you’re an author?

A: It’s pretty incredible. Especially now when the books seem to be doing so well. Before, it was more a subtle mention of a shameful hobby. Now, people go and look. Or ask how they can get copies. Or better yet, tell me they’ve heard of me before I can say a word. Completely mind blowing. But the best part is simply speaking with my readers. Not some form letter, but literally asking about their lives, what they liked, what they didn’t, getting to know them. Empathizing with them. It is what makes my stories more real, because I use these interactions when writing. My readers literally fueled me.

8: Writing is a hard craft and a harder career. What are the things that keep you going, both in improving the craft and enduring the downs/lows of the career?

A: Social interaction with my readers keeps me going. But also, I would be doing this even if I was the only reader. After all, it’s why I started writing. To tell myself a story. That others like it was just a happy coincidence. Writing is fulfilling to me on a deeply personal level.

9: What do you love about the genre/s you write and what others appeal to you?

A: I love the angle that magic can exist in our modern world, and may just be the cause of some of those unexplainable events we frequently hear about. It’s finding magical answers to the world’s current problems, tying it into our modern world that is so much fun. Combining the old legends and the new technology. It’s like a drug to me.

10: Tell us about the plans for your series and body of work.

A: I will have at least 15 books in my Nate Temple Series. I’m also working on a female heroine based series that inhabits Nate’s world – just with an entirely different female character steering the ship. It’s hilarious, funny, romantic, and deadly. And eventually her and Nate will cross paths…

11: The writing and publishing world has changed a lot. Self-publishing, small to medium presses popping up, and things like becoming a hybrid between indie pubbing and traditional. What are your thoughts on that? Any predictions on what the future might hold? What would you like to see, both as an author yourself, and, as a consumer/reader?

A: I think Indies are going to take over the publishing world. I respect the traditional model, but they have been the gatekeepers for too long. Sure, Indies are going to unleash some truly terrible writing on the world, giving us all a bad name, but once readers see that these books have 2 reviews, and there are no other books in the series, they will eventually fade away. It’s a free market system in action. Readers will buy what they want to buy, rather than only having a select few to choose from. I would like to see the two models – Indie and Traditional – merge into one big happy family, like the Brady Bunch. And I think it’s coming sooner than anyone expects.

12: The always done and asked question. Who are your favorite authors? What are you favorite books? What are you reading now? Tell us. Tell us!

A: Jim Butcher, Patrick Rothfuss, Robert Jordan, Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs, Kevin Hearne, Mark Dawson, Russell Blake, and a whole slew of others.

13: I’ve got to know…what’s your favorite word to use. Every author has one. What’s the word you catch yourself using a lot? We’ve all got those as well. What’s your favorite word just to say? Something where you like the way it sounds. What’s your favorite curse worse, if you’ve got one and or use them?

A: Haha. I probably shouldn’t use my favorite curse-word, but I definitely use quite a few of them. But in every book I try to make fun of the absurdity of magical creatures, and how I describe them. For example, Ganesh is in one of my books, and he’s, you know, a big elephant-headed god who believes in ‘Om,’ or oneness, supreme peace, etc. He has a tattoo on his belly that says ‘Om Life,’ just like Tupac had ‘Thug Life’ tattooed on his belly. I try to make my descriptions as fun and crazy as possible. A vampire in my series suddenly starts feeding off sunlight, so my character starts calling him ‘Count Sparkula.’ Things like that.

14: Tell us about your latest release. Or, when can we expect your next one? What are we in store for?!
A: Beast Master comes out March 2nd, and it’s book 5 in the series. Beta Readers are saying it’s by far the wildest one yet. An emotional rollercoaster. Even my very judgmental – and loving – wife thought it was the best book she had read in a long time. She hasn’t ever said that about any of my other books. Sigh. I also have 3 more full length novels coming out this year, as well as 3 novellas – all in Nate’s world.

15: Lastly, where can we find you? Facebook? Twitter? Website? Links to your material. Go on, don’t be shy. Share!

A: You can get Beast Master – the newest book in the series here:

http://www.shaynesilvers.com/l/279
Nate Temple Boxset – #1-3 and Bonus Novella
http://www.shaynesilvers.com/l/190
Or, you can go to http://www.shaynesilvers.com/l/127 to get the first two books in the series for free to see if you like them before getting any of the others.
I’m on Social Media, too. Primarily the Nate Temple Fans Facebook Group. These guys and gals get all my stuff ahead of everyone else, and regularly post inappropriate memes, jokes, and discussions on Nate’s shenanigans. You can join here:
Facebook: http://www.shaynesilvers.com/l/276

Bio: Shayne Silvers is a man of mystery and power, whose power is exceeded only by his mystery. In other words, a storyteller.

He currently writes the Amazon Bestselling Nate Temple Supernatural Thriller Series, which features a foul-mouthed young wizard with a chip on his shoulder attempting to protect St. Louis from the various nasties we all know and fear from our childhood bedtime stories. Nate’s been known to suckerpunch an Angel, cow-tip the Minotaur, and steal Death’s horse in order to prove his point. His utter disregard for consequences and self-preservation will have you both laughing and cringing on the edge of your seat.

Shayne holds two high-ranking black belts, and enjoys conversing about anything Marvel, Magical, or Mythological. You might find him writing in a coffee shop near you, cackling madly into his computer screen while pounding shots of espresso.

 

Author Spotlight: Saoirse O’Mara

Author Spotlight
Saoirse O’Mara

Author Interview Questions

1: Hi, and thanks for joining today. In your own words tell us about yourself, not you the author, but just you!

A: Hi, and thanks for having me J I’m a language nerd and a gamer, a cat mom, wife, teacher, student, and a spoonie. I love music, I play computer games and pen & paper RPGs, I drink too much coffee (and sometimes fall asleep because of it—yeah, I’m weird like that) and love chocolate. And pizza. And sushi. But enough about food, I’m making myself hungry writing this XD

2: Why did you decide to become an author and what’s the best part? Yeah, it’s a double-whammy of a question. So unexpected!

A: The decision to become a writer was actually made in kindergarten. Like, right the moment I was able to read. As to the best part of being an author? I don’t have to get the voices in my head to shut up, I just have to get them to speak one after another instead of all at the same time. And I have to keep up writing down the stuff they tell me.

3: So, tell us about your work. Sell us on it! Why should we read it and why it will capture us?

A: If you’re a five-year-old and absolutely love dragons, then Miro the Dragon is a must-have for you. Like, really, I’ve got feedback from quite a few parents telling me that after they read the book to their kids, every dragon became Miro to them. Because he’s awesome, and he makes new friends, and he overcomes his fears, and all that is pretty great stuff for a tiny dragon.

Then there’s my A Rogue’s Tale series, which was greatly inspired by both Enid Blyton and Agatha Christie. The series contains three stand-alone mysteries set in a fantasy world, with the overall story progression tying them together. I got a one-star review on Amazon for the first book stating that it’s a great pre-teen mystery, so there you have it. You can’t get a better recommendation than that. But honestly, the series is geared towards middle grade readers but I’ve got feedback from a lot of readers who enjoyed the series as adults as well, so if you’re looking for a quick and fun read and you like mysteries, pick them up.

4: Why did you choose the genre you write in over others to start your publishing career? Did others appeal to you more and you chose this? Was there a bit of choice weighing or was it rather simple?

A: I started out writing fantasy and then kind of slid into mystery because I love Agatha Christie’s mysteries so much, so I just combined elements from both genres for A Rogue’s Tale. Writing for a younger audience wasn’t initially planned but I really enjoy it, and I enjoy the honest reactions you get from children. Reading for a bunch of five-year-old kindergartners is still one of my fondest memories as an author. Plus, I just naturally tend to write short-ish stories, and most adult readers like their books to be longer, so writing for children and middle graders seems like a good way to turn this into a strength instead of it being a weakness.

5: So far, what would you say has been the hardest part of being an author?

A: Marketing myself. Flat out, no need to consider my answer, sir. I have no problem helping other authors promote their books by sharing or recommending them, but I always feel kind of guilty and salesman-like sharing or recommending my own books.

6: Now for the ever-so-shocking follow-up question. What’s the best/easiest part, if there is one?

A: Also a no-brainer: I live my childhood dream. Back in kindergarten, I had exactly two things I wanted to be/know when I grow up: Be an author, and know how to play the guitar. I’ve been playing the guitar since I was twelve, and I’ve published my first book at age 21, I think.

7: Tell us about what your experiences in the author life have been like. I don’t mean the writing aspects. I mean the daily human life. Tell us what it’s like to live the day life you do and be an author at the same time. What’s it like when people in your life and, the people you come across, find out you’re an author?

A: Most people seem to be surprised, in a positive way, when they learn I’m an author. I still remember one of my professors at university jokingly mentioning something about writing fiction books in a lecture, and when I sent in my summary a week later, she saw my email signature with links to my published books, and told me later that that really made her laugh, like, realizing she actually had a published fiction author in her class (she went on to be one of the profs grading my BA thesis, and we kept in contact afterwards because we can talk for an hour over coffee and be sad that the time went so fast).

I’ve recently had to quit teaching due to my chronic illness so I’m back home most of the time, which gives me more time to write again. I’m also a full-time student of linguistics and will go on studying after I finish my BA in linguistics because I love learning so much, so for my next project, I’m actually combining my knowledge about ancient cultures that I gained through historical linguistics with the conlang I created for my BA thesis (yes, I found two professors who allowed me to create a conlang and write a grammar for it as my BA thesis^^).

8: Writing is a hard craft and a harder career. What are the things that keep you going, both in improving the craft and enduring the downs/lows of the career?

A: I’ll be honest, sometimes it’s hard to motivate myself since my sales are really low most of the time. But I love writing and I’m proud of the books that I’ve published. The biggest motivation, however, are probably the memories of happy children, like the one girl who was super excited and pretty shy once she learnt I was the author of Miro, and immediately begged her grandma to allow her to buy the second book (which is only out in German, I’m afraid). My books are touching lives, they inspire children, and they make children smile. And that’s what keeps me going.

9: What do you love about the genre/s you write and what others appeal to you?

A: I love that in fantasy, almost anything goes. I can dream up the most fantastic stuff and make it seem totally normal, and play with it. With mysteries, I love the guesswork along the way. I love planting clues that will make sense in the end, and that may allow a good detective to figure out the mystery before it’s finally solved. And I love hiding life lessons inside my stories that might inspire children to be better people.

10: Tell us about the plans for your series and body of work.

 

A: Like I mentioned earlier, my newest project combines my conlang and my knowledge on ancient cultures. It will be a time-travel adventure featuring two young gnomes who are too curious and excitable for their own good. The first book will bring them to the ancient Hittite kingdom in Asia Minor, which is pretty fascinating and deserves to be more widely known.

11: The writing and publishing world has changed a lot. Self-publishing, small to medium presses popping up, and things like becoming a hybrid between indie pubbing and traditional. What are your thoughts on that? Any predictions on what the future might hold? What would you like to see, both as an author yourself, and, as a consumer/reader?

A: I’m afraid my crystal ball needs cleaning so no predictions from me, but what I would like to see is a newfound respect and valuing of artists. Art may be fun to create, but it’s also hard work, and this mentality that art should be free, or that everything that’s online is free to take for everyone, is hurting us artists big time. An ebook may have no physical cost to multiply, but the work and money that went into creating the final file that is being multiplied is overlooked by many of those who complain that ebooks are too expensive. I’ll gladly pay four or five dollars for an ebook if I expect to enjoy reading it, and I think they’re well worth the money.

12: The always done and asked question. Who are your favorite authors? What are you favorite books? What are you reading now? Tell us. Tell us!

A: This is a very hard question. Two of my all-time favourite authors are Agatha Christie and Enid Blyton, both of who have influenced my own writing a great deal. I’m a proud potterhead (Ravenclaw, in case you were wondering), and I love Trudi Canavan’s and Licia Troisi’s work. I like Julia Beylouny’s books (paranormal romance), I adore Jane Austen’s stories, and I’ve read quite a few great indie books in the past couple of years.

Right now, I’m mostly reading academic books (partly research out of interest, part for university). I want to read the Epic of Gilgamesh soon, the oldest epic we have written records of, some 4,000 years old.

13: I’ve got to know…what’s your favorite word to use. Every author has one. What’s the word you catch yourself using a lot? We’ve all got those as well. What’s your favorite word just to say? Something where you like the way it sounds. What’s your favorite curse worse, if you’ve got one and or use them?

A: I think I use “so” a lot to start sentences, which is a habit I need to keep an eye out for. I also catch myself using “really” a lot. As to my favourite word, I wouldn’t be able to name any one word. I love languages, and now and then, a specific word may catch my interest or tickle my funny bone, but not in a way that I would say this or that word is my absolute favourite. Also, it would kind of mean playing favourites with languages

Larry Correia has my books!

Monster Hunter International’s Real CEO Has My Books!

Oops, forgive me revealing the true face behind the merc group that puts monsters on the front of expired milk cartons.

Yes the site post has a purpose, I’m getting there. I’m also sick, hence why this took a bit longer to pop up than the shorter post on my website. As you may have seen above in the title, woot, NYT Best-selling author, Larry Correia, was nice enough to accept copies of my books (delivered by my kind friend, Molly) at a writing seminar. Some of you may remember the recent post where Jim Butcher, Dean of Urban Fantasy, also took my hardcovers and made years of dreams come true.

He was excited about seeing them, checking out the covers, blurbs and more. That made my freaking, well, everything. And now, another top dog and nice guy of urban fantasy has done the same.

Picture it from their point of view, guys like Larry probably get this all the time.

*Insert beaming hopeful new author with star eyes*

Ahem, Sir, Mr-sir!? Um…can I have like a moment…if that’s cool, of you know…uh…your ever-so-busy time? …Maybe?!

Imagine that happening to you a lot. Probably wears a bit on your nerves. And yet, here’s another author and top name not only in the industry, but my favorite genre that I love with all my heart and, he’s the nicest guy. Look at his face! He’s got a wide grin plastered over it at accepting the books and taking a picture for me. Remember, I wasn’t even there. Both people could have just gone, “Yep, he’s got the books. Take our word it. Talk to you later, peace!.”

Except, they made sure I saw this, that I saw he’s happy about checking out my works. That’s so much dream fuel you have no idea.

For me, it’s just continued awesomery to see and experience. I’ve often been told writing is so Hollywood. It’s a cutthroat and rude business at times. People will let you down and discard you.

Maybe. Maybe. But see, I haven’t experience that. In fact, I’ve seen nothing but love and support from fans, friends, fellow authors (trad and indie) fighting to make it and from those already at the top (like shown here). I’ve personally been on the receiving end of untold amounts of kindness from authors who are buried in work no doubt. They’ve got deadlines, multiple projects, heck, entire brands to continue building and market. Not to mention, personal lives. But, each and every time I, piddly ole me, bump into one or have a friend recommend me, they give up their time and do it with a smile.

Heck, last year after the first ever Dragon Awards, Larry encouraged me with personal excerpts about his journey from indie to best-seller, and just overall motivational stuffs about writing. He won the same award I was nominated for, so, you can imagine how encouraging that really was. This is a dude doing “THE THING!” And he was talking to everyone on the Facebook feed, thanking people, digitally shaking hands (if that’s a thing) and congratulating the other nominees. That’s pretty darn cool.

Another reason that resonates with me is because, well, there were a lot of sour pusses about the awards after it, which kind of sucks. But whatever, positivity away!

Look, my point is, good things happen. They do. And more to the point, OTHER people can and do make them happen. No really, they just do. And you’ll be surprised at who-who (yes that sounds silly, deal with it) does it for you at times. Like again *points to picture at the end of this post* that is a best-selling, award-winning author in my favorite genre (whose books I have) holding my books back now. That’s so awesome and is another one of those (Omg, I can do this, I am doing this) moments!

I’d like to think that he knew/knows that when he does things like this for other authors, because he was a new author too at one point. And him taking the time to do this is just epic. It’s another one of those, good people pay things forward sort of things you know?

It’s a gesture, to some people small, sure. Not to me. This is someone on the top of the mountain pointing to me and going, “I see you.”

This is something that keeps me going.

Because remember, this isn’t a competition, it’s a marathon. You just need to keep running and finishing your own race. And the cool part is this, people will cheer you on from the sidelines, and, and, the finish line. Guys like this who are way ahead of you will turn around, run backwards, and do things to cheer you on.

Yes, I may have a cold today, which blows, but this is one of the things cheering me up.

I can only hope he enjoys my stuff. I think that’s a fair hope, yeah?

And, somehow if you come across this Mr. Correia, thank you so much for this. As mentioned above, this means a great deal to me. I’ve been writing since 2008, publishing since Christmas of 2013. I’m pretty darn young in my journey, and I admit, I’ve let the pitfalls get to me a bit more than they should have. I struggle with suicidal depression, but, things like this really do mean a ton to me. They keep me going. They remind me that it’s not just family and friends that care, that people who have climbed the top will and do make time for us still trying to find our footing and make the climb.

Thank you for accepting the novels and taking a pic with them!



See, lookit how happy he is! Which in turn, since I’m a dork, and prone to fan-boying, makes me happy!

Worst case scenario is he decides to use Dangerous Ways (a nearly 600 page novel in 6×9 trade paperback format) as a club to thwap those that irritate him. I mean, that’d be cool too. I can live with that headline. Famous author knocks out someone with paperback novel.

Um, all publicity is good publicity?

You can tell I’m on cold meds…

Anyways, thank you all to my supporters who continue to tolerate me, support me, love me, some of you who stalk me…and yeah. Have a great weekend!

By their powers combined: Brandon Sanderson, Jim Butcher, Kevin Hearne, and Robert Jordan!?

New Glowing Dangerous Ways Review.

Hey-o my ever-so-awesome and oh-so-cultish-like fans! Hi. Guess what? I got a new, and awesome sauce review/feature for Dangerous Ways!

You’d like to read it? Really? Oh capital! Let me fix my monocle. Feast your google beans on this right here. This is a quote from the full review.

— Let me just sum this up for you in a sentence, in case you’re in a hurry. Dangerous Ways is what you would get if Jim Butcher, Kevin Hearne, Brandon Sanderson, and Robert Jordan (Rest in Peace) could write a book together.

Whoa. Did you see that? My brain pan is doing somersaults! Please consider checking out the full review (link posted below or you can click the cover image) and seeing for yourselves, eh?
Link: Dangerous Ways blog feature.

 

Jim Butcher making dreams come true.

Jim Butcher, plus ten to awesome!

Okay, so I guess I should disclaimer this whole blog post with this: Fanboy flail alert!

Some of you know that recently I was fortunate enough (due to the kindness and generosity of my friends and fan club) to attend writing seminar with a panel of NYT Best-selling authors, agents, and editors. It was an amazing experience, and not the first time for me there.

But hold on and let me crank up the time machine so I can dial it back and explain why this year was more special than before.

*Time machine sounds and 80’s visual effects*

There I was, 2008 and 18 years old having decided I was going to be a writer! I was going to follow the footsteps of my greatest literary hero, Jim Butcher. Naturally…I started writing fantasy instead of following my love of mythology and working on urban fantasy. Makes total sense.

I was 18…not a whole lot added up to what would be called sense.

Any who, for those that know me, I also tried to take my life around this point because I struggle with suicidal depression.

Okay, fast forward time to the better stuff because this is a positive post.

I started my first fantasy and it was wonderfully horrible. Awesomely so. How so? Awesomely. And as a new writer who obviously knew everything, I made sure to tell you on every page how awesome my fantasy was with the nauseating overly prosey prose of prose… If that novel was a scent, it’d be teenage overuse of Axe body spray. The writing could’ve choked you out.

*Presses fast forward harder*

It’s a few months after Jim Butcher releases Ghost Story in The Dresden Files. I’m feeling low. My writing isn’t going anywhere. I haven’t been submitting because, well, I feel like I’m crap. I’m looking for a personal sign from something in and out of life.

Tysons Corner mall, Barnes and Noble, big ole face and sign plastered along the wall. Jim Butcher will be there in December of that year (I believe…hard to remember the month) signing copies of Ghost Story.

Ay dios mio! Pardon my French. Erhm…

Well, if that ain’t a sign, I don’t know what is.

*Pushes FF button harder* *Weird speed up windy noises* < That’s a thing from before DVDs. There used to be something called VHS…for you kids out there.

Boom. In line and grumbling along because how dare an army of people stand in line before me to see my hero.

Then I start talking to people and realize, “Holy crap!” He’s not just my hero. His works have positively affected a metric buttload of people. From bringing cheer through hard times, to lifting them up and and strengthening them, to everything in between. His writing has literally inspired, changed, and saved lives. Something that, yes, can be said about and for a lot of writers and their work’s effect on their fans. But, every fan has their hero, and this was ours.

*Fast forwards harder*

My turn is almost up, I’m cracking jokes about the magical qualities of his hair while I’m in line. Saying things like, “It’s like a Loreal Buddha, if you stroke his hair, you get good luck.” Simple, silly things that make a few people, including Jim, chuckle/chortle. Was worth it. Now it’s my turn. He signs Ghost Story to me and I tell him about struggling as an author and my suicide attempt.

You’d probably imagine some weight fell and silence filled the immediate space. It’s a pretty weighty thing to tell someone.

Nope.

He didn’t miss a beat in telling me to keep writing and the only person that could kill my dream was me. If I stopped, I’d never know and that’d be a waste.

Just like that.

He knew what to say.

He could have given me a platitude.

He could have shrugged it off with an, “I’m sorry, next.”

He didn’t.

It was simple. It was honest and sincere. And it helped.

*Fast forwards so hard!*

It’s 2013 and I’ve written Grave Beginnings, book one of my paranormal investigator series, The Grave Report. See what’s happening here? I’m back to my roots and love for what I grew up with, urban fantasy. From the early Hellblazer comics. Television shows and movies focusing on or with mythology, to, yes, my first urban fantasy novel series I read, The Dresden Files. I’m doing what I love.

Christmas of 2013, boom, Grave Beginnings is published. Many of you who follow this little blog know how that novel’s gone on to do. Best book read of 2015 by A Drop of Ink Reviews. Selling so well in fact that I don’t need a day job atm.

Indite Interview. The Author Notebook Aiming To Up Your Game!

Indite Interview

Indite Interview

Hi, thanks for being here and doing this interview. Before we get to Indite and just how much it can do for authors, tell us about yourself. Anything you want us to know. Let us get to know you!

Thanks for letting me do this interview. It’s always a little weird for me to be on the other side, I run a podcast called Startup Burgh where I have entrepreneurs starting businesses in Pittsburgh on my show. But it’s kind of fun I think! I am a self-described ‘builder’ of things. I’ve spent the last 10 years in the start-up world. First, I ran marketing and sales for a medical device company that scaled from 5 people to more than 150 and go acquired in early 2016. After that, I started a consumer products business where our aim is to disrupt the online razor / shaving business with a truly different product. But I have always had a “side-hustle” so to speak. And the INDITE notebook is my current side hustle. I’ve been a hobby writer in my downtime for the last couple of years, and I saw a need for myself that I’m hoping others see as a useful tool. I’m really excited about it as a project, and hope that I can get enough interest to fund the initial production run.

So, Indite, the Writer’s Notebook. It looks great, clean, and well laid out. Tell us about it in your words. What’s it do? Why should authors hop on it?

Thank you for that feedback. I like making clean, simple products. My goal with the INDITE notebook is to be a companion tool for creative writers. I envision it serving as a tool throughout the brainstorming, writing and editing process; and then as an archive of your process as a writer when the work is done (or after you hit pause). I really like the idea of, and the order inherent in, a single-project notebook that becomes a reference resource the more you work in it.

Personally, I do my writing on my computer. But I ALWAYS have a notebook with me when I have bursts of inspiration, or thoughts that will slip away unless I write them down. I also like to workshop characters and plot on paper because there’s something so tactile about pen-to-paper, and the freedom of a page allows for more organic brainstorming than the structure of a page in Word.

What prompted you to create and follow through with this?

I thought it would be a fun project, and one not technically challenging from a production standpoint. The design is simple, and was fun to do. And I found an amazing manufacturer in Germany, which coincided with a trip I was taking last summer. So meeting them in person, and going over my thoughts around the notebook provided me enough confidence I could produce it to the quality I wanted.

Finally, I enjoyed working with my friend Helen on the concept. We’ve gone through 16 revisions of the content on the inside, and I fully expect to continue to make it better based on feedback from users!

How do you think it will benefit the grand variety of authors out there? People who plot? People who don’t? Some with ADHD who have issues focusing, and the detailed oriented laser-eye focused people?

Everyone has such a different process, don’t they? I’m pragmatic enough to know that a physical notebook isn’t for everyone. But I did try to build in enough structure, and enough unstructured space so that it could be versatile. I think that INDITE will serve new and seasoned writers effectively, and will conform to their style. Not only that, but I firmly believe everyone can benefit from a little structure and method for productivity. The only way to call yourself a writer is to write, and jogging your memory after time away – or reminding you that it’s been 2 weeks since you’ve written a word help people get back to what’s important: writing.

A lot of detail and forethought clearly went into this, most evident in how the book is sectioned off. You’ve got places to plot and craft a story. You have a place to free write ideas as they come, as we all know they do oh-so-randomly, and an area to keep us, the authors on track with goals and To-Do lists. Why did you choose that layout when many notebooks either give you a full book of nothing but prompts, or just free writing? You gave us it all.

Yes, great question. I always believed that the best inventions come from necessity. What I found myself doing with my writing was carrying around blank notebooks. And I would play with structure that I’d build into them. After a while, as I worked through a few different stories, characters and methods I found myself repeating pages over and over again. I’d bring in a pen and a ruler and section of pages to guide myself.

Suddenly, I thought – why don’t I just make this section standard and printed on the page! We’ve shown it to a bunch of different writers and they all had really great feedback.

The only way I can bring this to the world is if other writers want to use it. And so I wrapped it in the very best notebook I could. It has an amazing cover, completely different from the traditional boring old black notebooks. The cover is 100% recycled material and feels awesome. Because there are multiple sections, I included 2 integrated ribbon bookmarks. There aren’t a lot of frills, but the build quality is very high quality. This thing will last you!

What are your hopes for the Indite Notebook? What do you want to see it accomplish as a product?

I want it to do what every great product does. Find an audience. In a perfect world, I get a few hundred people backing our Indiegogo campaign who are really interested in it as a tool And I learn from those people. I’d love a community around this notebook, because community is the best way to make better products. I have a whole host of ideas for the writers brand fromes indie-writer focused products, marketing-based guides and workbooks, reading and editing aids and more. But while my ambition may be large I know we need to start at square one. This is the flagship.

This may be a bit of a loaded question, but as an ADHD author myself, what advice do you have for authors who may have organization or focusing issues? How best to go about using Indite? Because, I have lots of notebooks and…they’ve always been one extreme or the other. Free writing, or telling me what to do all through the book. Indite looks like it wants to work with me. It wants to help! So, what advice do you have for an odd duck like me?

Hah! Yeah I have a little of that in my life too. All over the place. That’s why I like notebooks with a little structure. You know, I build similar structures in all my notebooks for different purposes. For me, it’s calming and focusing. There are a lot of unusual productivity hacks you can employ to help focus your writing. One for me is this awesome program that shuts off my internet for a pre-defined period of time. It locks me out! I love it. I can focus on the task at hand and minimize distractions.

I brought that theory to the notebook. It guides but not forcefully. Mostly, I want to give you a creative space and room to play because writing is an art not a science. Random Prompts of Writing are sprinkled throughout to surprise and delight. So maybe those can help feed into your ADHD, right? You find yourself working on something then you encounter a writing prompt and it gives you a focused outlet to switch gears and do something different for ten minutes. Then you can return to your writing.

What’s the long term goal for Indite, not just as an author tool, but overall? Will be seeing expansions? More notebooks to come? Side/other tools? Or…is this something you can’t spill, which is cool?

I think I answered this a little a couple questions earlier, but YES! Step one for the product line is to see if people are into the idea. This notebook is on Indiegogo right now for the next month or so, and if enough people pledge to help me get it funded then it will go forward.

Beyond that, I have a bunch of designs for other products. All of them are stationary products but with varying form factors. Pocket notebooks, larger form factors, planners, guides, marketing tools and so forth.

The big one. Where can we find out all about the creators and minds behind Indite? Where can we find, support, and buy Indite. Tell us! Share the links and info we need.

Yes! I can’t express enough my appreciation for you and your audience. Your support means a lot. Right now, the INDITE notebook is on an Indiegogo campaign and early-bird pricing is available. The link is: https://igg.me/at/indite www.adamsimone.com or www.linkedin.com/in/adamsimone. My partner on this project is Helen Savore, she’s an indie fantasy writer working on some great pieces! You can find out more about her and her writing at www.oberonsforgepress.com.

We’re on twitter @atom_and_ink as well.

Images from the Indite Kickstarter Page.