Across the Beer Bar With A.L. Parks
Today I welcome self-published author and New Adult reviewer/blogger A.L. Parks to the beer bar
Welcome to my beer bar. What can I pour for you to start? Well, I better try the house specialty while I’m here – Gulo Gulo, please.Aw…so cute when they suck up. Here ya go. My favorite, I will join you…whoops! I can't. I'm going alcohol free for at least a month. My liver was complaining too much at the end of the year.
So, self-publishing...tell us about that choice. Do you recommend it for everyone? Why or why not?
I ventured into self-publishing a bit impulsively. I wanted to publish, but was very disheartened by the process of traditional publishing. Specifically, I hate writing query letters, and waiting months to be rejected. I had a fellow author and friend help me learn the ins-and-outs of self-publishing, so I went for it.
Would I recommend it for everyone? Not just no, but hell no. It is a lot of work. Self-publishers are responsible for 100% of all aspects of publishing; cover design, book formatting, finding a reputable editor that shares your vision, what outlets to publish through, purchasing paperbacks and then selling them. The worst part for me is marketing. I hate marketing. It takes up a huge part of my day. I feel like I am constantly on Facebook and Twitter. My daughter helped me set up Instagram, which I like because it posts to FB and Twitter – two birds, one stone. I would love to have a marketing department that reminded me a couple times a day to post something on all the social media sites, find blogs and reviewers for my books, just generally get the word out. Until that day, I am trying to keep up.
There is also that little dream I think all authors have – walking into a bookstore and seeing your book on the shelf. Not going to happen with self-publishing, as it stands right now. Some smaller, indie booksellers may take a chance on self-published authors, but the biggies (cough – Barnes & Noble) will rarely look at a self-published author until an author is picked up by a publisher.
There are benefits – you are in control of everything - when to publish, what to publish. And it is seriously fun to hit the PUBLISH button. You also get 100% of the profits.
Yes, well unless you are Hugh Howey I guess. I still don't quite get how that guy's series got so much play and then picked up, big time. Anyway…trust me when I tell you that "a publisher" is no answer either. Having a small publisher definitely helps with some of the back end editing/formatting/uploading/therapy/blog tours/reviews work but you are still 100% on your own with marketing and reminding yourself to tweet and otherwise annoy people with your non-stop promoting (I know this for a fact).
Tell us a bit about your first book.
I published Strangers on my 45th birthday, this past September. It originated from a prompt challenge that I participated in last January (and am doing again this year). I cannot remember what the prompt was, but Abby and Bryce came to life and never really let me go. It went from a 300 word prompt to a 3,000 word short story, then to the full-length novel. I added about 23,000 words two weeks before it published. Nothing like getting it in just under the wire.
The story deals with how two people grapple with tragic loss in their lives. Abby’s fiancé was killed in a car accident on their wedding day. Nightmares of saying good-bye to him in her blood soaked wedding dress are a near-nightly occurrence, even after four years. She meets Bryce, who lost his wife to cancer, and is still grieving for his soul mate after five years. Abby and Bryce understand each other’s grief, and help each other through the ups-and-downs of daily life. It’s not long before they become best friends, and, inevitably, start to develop deeper feelings for each other.
That leads to other issues of guilt and fear, and how they navigate those waters.
Oh look! empty glass, what can I pour for you next? ‘Tis the season…better go with the Wolverine Winter.Sorry, we're out of that. But I have this lovely version of same, aged in bourbon barrels.
You also have a blog where you review "new adult" books. You and I have had some discussion about this concept before. Do you consider your books "NA"? If not, what genre are they? What is the whole "NA thing" anyway, to your mind, based on the reviewing and interaction with authors you have had?
My books are more contemporary romance, and do not fall within the New Adult/Coming of Age genre. Strangers would probably be the closest novel that would fit in that category, because they are the youngest characters I have in my current stories. But that is about as close as it comes to being a new adult novel. The characters are hardly coming of age, at thirty. And I do not have an over abundance of sex scenes. In fact, I was told by one editor that I needed more sex in it – I think she made that suggestion in every chapter.
And, unfortunately, I fear that is what is beginning to define the new adult genre. What was once a promising sub-genre of romance seems to have morphed into “first love erotica.” I think there are still some excellent authors that hold true to the original format of the new adult novel. Amy Harmon’s newest release, Making Faces, blew me away. It was a coming of age that had intense sexual tension, and engaging intimate moments – but the characters never actually have sex through a graphic sex scene. I was amazed at how powerful the story was, and never once missed the lack of three or four pages of sex scenes. Don’t get me wrong, I’m good with 3-4 pages of sex in a book. But when the book is just one sex scene linked to the next with a story thrown in every once in a while, it can get a bit repetitive. There are only so many ways to have an orgasm before the reader is bored and skipping over it. My best friend skipped half the sex scenes in the last two “Fifty Shades” books. According to her, there are only so many times you can read about how they had the most earth-shattering orgasm, at the same time.
I think in the future there will be another shift in New Adult, perhaps a sub-category of New Adult (because that wouldn’t be confusing at all) that will separate the traditional NA from this new hybrid of borderline erotica for the young adult. I think there are many authors that write the coming of age novel as erotica, but do not want to be labeled as an erotica author. That is what we are dealing with now – this unknown of what type of NA the reader is actually going to get when purchasing a book. Is it a coming of age novel, or does it skirt the erotica line?
Who are some authors who inspire you and why?
I love no-nonsense, no apologies authors. They write the story they want to write, give the good with the bad, and make the reader love and hate and love their characters. They also make the reader question where the lines of acceptability are, as they are usually blurred. Leah Raeder, Unteachable, scared the crap out of me, because I have a daughter who is a senior in high school – and of the age of majority. I wasn’t sure if I could handle a teacher/student romance, but she did a phenomenal job. Amy Harmon, as explained earlier. I also like Ryan Winfield’s style, and never thought I would become so engaged in a “cougar” storyline, but Jane’s Melody was a truly beautiful story of a woman grieving her daughter by learning about how to love again – with a man her daughter’s age. Again, not something I thought I would have enjoyed, but loved it. And, of course, you fall in that category (really not trying to blatantly kiss up). I read Paradise Hops, and after I got over wanting to kick your ass, I could appreciate your style of story telling. You were different than any author I had read (up to that point), and the first author I ever contacted for an interview. Again, no-nonsense, no apologies, take it or leave it. Probably why Good Faith didn’t make me want to kill you or myself.
well, you redeemed yourself at the end there, I won't kid you…kidding! (maybe)Oh, and I love a decent cougar story myself.
And your most recent release, what is that about?
The Return was released on December 6th this year, and is a Christmas romance. It has now become a three-book series. I actually wrote this last year, and dragged it out of mothballs, re-worked the crap out of it, and published it in time for Christmas.
The characters are older, and have had life experiences. There are a ton of books out there that deal with first love in the twenty-something sect. I barely remember my twenties, so I write about characters I can relate with, and hope I can find a market for them.
The Return takes place in Colorado over Christmas. Eve has returned to the family vacation home in the hopes of selling it. It is the place where she and her husband would take their two daughters every year to celebrate the holidays. It is also the place where she found out that he was leaving her for a younger woman. Her children are grown, and no one seems to want to travel to Colorado any longer, so she decides to sell.
While there, she meets Jake, her handsome neighbor. The two discover they have a great deal in common, and become involved. The problem is – Eve does not believe in love or happily ever after, and plays the relationship off as a fling. Jake believes he has found “the One” and tries to convince Eve to stay in Colorado. Both of their insecurities and demons of past failed relationships rear their ugly heads, and make it impossible for them to see what the other is saying.
I think that is life. We are all self-absorbed, and sometimes fail to see what others are dealing with, or have the ability to truly understand what they may be going through that makes it impossible to move on. Jake is so wrapped up in feelings of never being good enough, that he cannot see that Eve feels she is unworthy of love. This is just their journey through those murky waters of issues leftover from divorce.
Ok, nightcap time. What's your poison?
In honor of Jake Wright from The Return, I’ll have his favorite - two fingers of Macallan 25. Damn. And you were doing SO WELL! Remember, NOTHING BUT BEER HERE. Have some water, you should hydrate anyway.
Thanks so much for having me. It has been great spending time with you and your readers.
About A.L. Parks:Born and raised in the Rocky Mountains, A.L. Parks has spent the last 25 years moving all over the United States. Married to the Navy - well a man in the Navy - Parks has lived in various places throughout the United States. Now she resides in the Washington D.C area, and loves every minute. She has four children, and one spoiled German Shepard.
2013 marked her debut in publishing. Her first novel, Strangers, released on her 45th birthday. She was amazed at how many people fell in love with a story about two people dealing with grief, and finding love again. Abby and Bryce were the perfect couple to introduce Parks as an up-and-coming author.
Her second novel, The Return, released in December 2013. A wonderful Christmas romance, it is the first book in a series. Book Two is set to release in Spring 2014.
Links to find her:website: www.alparksauthor.comFB: www.facebook.com/ALParksAuthorTwitter: almparks2012
Buy links: AmazonStrangers: http://goo.gl/UyYM0mThe Return: http://goo.gl/Pg0TA0
Carry on folks. Liz
Welcome to my beer bar. What can I pour for you to start? Well, I better try the house specialty while I’m here – Gulo Gulo, please.Aw…so cute when they suck up. Here ya go. My favorite, I will join you…whoops! I can't. I'm going alcohol free for at least a month. My liver was complaining too much at the end of the year.
So, self-publishing...tell us about that choice. Do you recommend it for everyone? Why or why not?
I ventured into self-publishing a bit impulsively. I wanted to publish, but was very disheartened by the process of traditional publishing. Specifically, I hate writing query letters, and waiting months to be rejected. I had a fellow author and friend help me learn the ins-and-outs of self-publishing, so I went for it.
Would I recommend it for everyone? Not just no, but hell no. It is a lot of work. Self-publishers are responsible for 100% of all aspects of publishing; cover design, book formatting, finding a reputable editor that shares your vision, what outlets to publish through, purchasing paperbacks and then selling them. The worst part for me is marketing. I hate marketing. It takes up a huge part of my day. I feel like I am constantly on Facebook and Twitter. My daughter helped me set up Instagram, which I like because it posts to FB and Twitter – two birds, one stone. I would love to have a marketing department that reminded me a couple times a day to post something on all the social media sites, find blogs and reviewers for my books, just generally get the word out. Until that day, I am trying to keep up.
There is also that little dream I think all authors have – walking into a bookstore and seeing your book on the shelf. Not going to happen with self-publishing, as it stands right now. Some smaller, indie booksellers may take a chance on self-published authors, but the biggies (cough – Barnes & Noble) will rarely look at a self-published author until an author is picked up by a publisher.
There are benefits – you are in control of everything - when to publish, what to publish. And it is seriously fun to hit the PUBLISH button. You also get 100% of the profits.
Yes, well unless you are Hugh Howey I guess. I still don't quite get how that guy's series got so much play and then picked up, big time. Anyway…trust me when I tell you that "a publisher" is no answer either. Having a small publisher definitely helps with some of the back end editing/formatting/uploading/therapy/blog tours/reviews work but you are still 100% on your own with marketing and reminding yourself to tweet and otherwise annoy people with your non-stop promoting (I know this for a fact).
Tell us a bit about your first book.
I published Strangers on my 45th birthday, this past September. It originated from a prompt challenge that I participated in last January (and am doing again this year). I cannot remember what the prompt was, but Abby and Bryce came to life and never really let me go. It went from a 300 word prompt to a 3,000 word short story, then to the full-length novel. I added about 23,000 words two weeks before it published. Nothing like getting it in just under the wire.
The story deals with how two people grapple with tragic loss in their lives. Abby’s fiancé was killed in a car accident on their wedding day. Nightmares of saying good-bye to him in her blood soaked wedding dress are a near-nightly occurrence, even after four years. She meets Bryce, who lost his wife to cancer, and is still grieving for his soul mate after five years. Abby and Bryce understand each other’s grief, and help each other through the ups-and-downs of daily life. It’s not long before they become best friends, and, inevitably, start to develop deeper feelings for each other.
That leads to other issues of guilt and fear, and how they navigate those waters.
Oh look! empty glass, what can I pour for you next? ‘Tis the season…better go with the Wolverine Winter.Sorry, we're out of that. But I have this lovely version of same, aged in bourbon barrels.
You also have a blog where you review "new adult" books. You and I have had some discussion about this concept before. Do you consider your books "NA"? If not, what genre are they? What is the whole "NA thing" anyway, to your mind, based on the reviewing and interaction with authors you have had?
My books are more contemporary romance, and do not fall within the New Adult/Coming of Age genre. Strangers would probably be the closest novel that would fit in that category, because they are the youngest characters I have in my current stories. But that is about as close as it comes to being a new adult novel. The characters are hardly coming of age, at thirty. And I do not have an over abundance of sex scenes. In fact, I was told by one editor that I needed more sex in it – I think she made that suggestion in every chapter.
And, unfortunately, I fear that is what is beginning to define the new adult genre. What was once a promising sub-genre of romance seems to have morphed into “first love erotica.” I think there are still some excellent authors that hold true to the original format of the new adult novel. Amy Harmon’s newest release, Making Faces, blew me away. It was a coming of age that had intense sexual tension, and engaging intimate moments – but the characters never actually have sex through a graphic sex scene. I was amazed at how powerful the story was, and never once missed the lack of three or four pages of sex scenes. Don’t get me wrong, I’m good with 3-4 pages of sex in a book. But when the book is just one sex scene linked to the next with a story thrown in every once in a while, it can get a bit repetitive. There are only so many ways to have an orgasm before the reader is bored and skipping over it. My best friend skipped half the sex scenes in the last two “Fifty Shades” books. According to her, there are only so many times you can read about how they had the most earth-shattering orgasm, at the same time.
I think in the future there will be another shift in New Adult, perhaps a sub-category of New Adult (because that wouldn’t be confusing at all) that will separate the traditional NA from this new hybrid of borderline erotica for the young adult. I think there are many authors that write the coming of age novel as erotica, but do not want to be labeled as an erotica author. That is what we are dealing with now – this unknown of what type of NA the reader is actually going to get when purchasing a book. Is it a coming of age novel, or does it skirt the erotica line?
Who are some authors who inspire you and why?
I love no-nonsense, no apologies authors. They write the story they want to write, give the good with the bad, and make the reader love and hate and love their characters. They also make the reader question where the lines of acceptability are, as they are usually blurred. Leah Raeder, Unteachable, scared the crap out of me, because I have a daughter who is a senior in high school – and of the age of majority. I wasn’t sure if I could handle a teacher/student romance, but she did a phenomenal job. Amy Harmon, as explained earlier. I also like Ryan Winfield’s style, and never thought I would become so engaged in a “cougar” storyline, but Jane’s Melody was a truly beautiful story of a woman grieving her daughter by learning about how to love again – with a man her daughter’s age. Again, not something I thought I would have enjoyed, but loved it. And, of course, you fall in that category (really not trying to blatantly kiss up). I read Paradise Hops, and after I got over wanting to kick your ass, I could appreciate your style of story telling. You were different than any author I had read (up to that point), and the first author I ever contacted for an interview. Again, no-nonsense, no apologies, take it or leave it. Probably why Good Faith didn’t make me want to kill you or myself.
well, you redeemed yourself at the end there, I won't kid you…kidding! (maybe)Oh, and I love a decent cougar story myself.
And your most recent release, what is that about?
The Return was released on December 6th this year, and is a Christmas romance. It has now become a three-book series. I actually wrote this last year, and dragged it out of mothballs, re-worked the crap out of it, and published it in time for Christmas.
The characters are older, and have had life experiences. There are a ton of books out there that deal with first love in the twenty-something sect. I barely remember my twenties, so I write about characters I can relate with, and hope I can find a market for them.
The Return takes place in Colorado over Christmas. Eve has returned to the family vacation home in the hopes of selling it. It is the place where she and her husband would take their two daughters every year to celebrate the holidays. It is also the place where she found out that he was leaving her for a younger woman. Her children are grown, and no one seems to want to travel to Colorado any longer, so she decides to sell.
While there, she meets Jake, her handsome neighbor. The two discover they have a great deal in common, and become involved. The problem is – Eve does not believe in love or happily ever after, and plays the relationship off as a fling. Jake believes he has found “the One” and tries to convince Eve to stay in Colorado. Both of their insecurities and demons of past failed relationships rear their ugly heads, and make it impossible for them to see what the other is saying.
I think that is life. We are all self-absorbed, and sometimes fail to see what others are dealing with, or have the ability to truly understand what they may be going through that makes it impossible to move on. Jake is so wrapped up in feelings of never being good enough, that he cannot see that Eve feels she is unworthy of love. This is just their journey through those murky waters of issues leftover from divorce.
Ok, nightcap time. What's your poison?
In honor of Jake Wright from The Return, I’ll have his favorite - two fingers of Macallan 25. Damn. And you were doing SO WELL! Remember, NOTHING BUT BEER HERE. Have some water, you should hydrate anyway.
Thanks so much for having me. It has been great spending time with you and your readers.
About A.L. Parks:Born and raised in the Rocky Mountains, A.L. Parks has spent the last 25 years moving all over the United States. Married to the Navy - well a man in the Navy - Parks has lived in various places throughout the United States. Now she resides in the Washington D.C area, and loves every minute. She has four children, and one spoiled German Shepard.
2013 marked her debut in publishing. Her first novel, Strangers, released on her 45th birthday. She was amazed at how many people fell in love with a story about two people dealing with grief, and finding love again. Abby and Bryce were the perfect couple to introduce Parks as an up-and-coming author.
Her second novel, The Return, released in December 2013. A wonderful Christmas romance, it is the first book in a series. Book Two is set to release in Spring 2014.
Links to find her:website: www.alparksauthor.comFB: www.facebook.com/ALParksAuthorTwitter: almparks2012
Buy links: AmazonStrangers: http://goo.gl/UyYM0mThe Return: http://goo.gl/Pg0TA0
Carry on folks. Liz
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