Author Interview – Robert Davies @ahundredstories

Can you tell us about your main character?
His name is Silas Stanley, as I wanted an old classical-sounding name that alliterated. Don’t ask me why, but it felt important at the time. His name was one of the first things I’d decided about the whole story. He is quite emotionally unstable, which at first is no bad thing as he’s quite childlike and impulsive. However as the pressures of life and having a family start to mount, this instability begins rocking him more violently in and out of some pretty dark places. He’s essentially a good and gentle person, whose almost naïve lack of pretence and self-control set him up for some nasty falls when things go wrong.
Who designed the cover?
Since I’ve had some positive feedback about it, I’ll admit to creating the cover myself. Somehow I’d always seen the colour of this story as a reddish-purple, odd as that sounds. I find myself randomly seeing things as a certain colour, so I wanted to reflect that with the cover. I also wanted it to be quite subtle – is that a sunset or a nuke on the horizon? I’ll let the readers decide that one.
Why did you choose to write this particular book?
Many impulses converged toward writing this one – although my first novel had a dramatic climax, I somehow felt it wasn’t dramatic enough. What could be more dramatic than a backdrop of the whole world ending? The possibilities that afforded me were endless, and as I walked back to a packed caravan site one evening with my dad and brother after a few pints of ale, my unsociable nature naturally led me to imagine the spectacular scene of the whole field lit up and burning like a pyre at night. That image was the first thing that prompted me to start thinking up an apocalyptic storyline, and five years later it was finally born.
Will you write others in this same genre?
I hope so. I’d always wanted to write something apocalyptic about the world ending, and now that I’ve done so, and read other stories in that ilk, I’m hooked. Watch this space for more cheery tales of civilisation crashing to a horrific end!
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Not intentionally, as I didn’t start out with one, but overall the theme is one of redemption. The idea is that true love often stays, no matter how clouded it gets with the darkness of the world. It usually takes a shock or a loss to unearth it, and in this case the world itself had to end before the protagonist could start to make sense of it all, but no matter how many loose ends he had left, they simply untied themselves. He didn’t have to go back and fix them all, he just had to remember who he was before he’d created them.

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Genre - Apocalyptic fiction

Rating – PG

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Website http://robertdavies.co

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Author Interview – Ian Truman @iantruman

Do you have an organized process or tips for writing well? Do you have a writing schedule?

I don’t have a schedule but I give myself a minimum of 800 words a day. 800 is bare minimum. Sometimes I manage to squeeze in 1200 before the shift starts. If I’m really into it, it can be more. But 800’s a decent average.

That said, in order to get these shorter segments into a novel, I have to have a fairly precise outline. I do spend quite some time on the outline because it will define my work for the coming months.

First I have to have this story in my guts that I feel I need to tell. If it doesn’t hit me in the guts, I don’t bother with it. But then I have to figure out if that gut feeling can be translated into 90 000 words. So I sit down and see if I can make it work. I usually outline 70% of a complete novel. That gives me the wiggle room I need to put in scenes that will come to me as I write it.

Sometimes it’s so hard to keep at it – What keeps you going?

I usually have more than one project going on at any given time. It can be visual arts, drama, events, novels, movie scripts, etc… If I run out of inspiration for one project, I can keep working on another. There’s always a point where I sit down and get a lot done on one project, but then I need to let it sit there for two or three weeks before editing it. So I do something else during these two or three weeks. Over time, that’S how I get to keep releasing books or setting up events.

I guess what keeps me going is that I’ll only work on something if I feel it in my guts to start with. It’s very Bukowski, it’s very Nietzsche if you’re into philosophy, but that’s the only way I know how to work.

Have you met any people in the industry who have really helped you?

Not in the publishing industry. I’ve become friends with a few good Montreal artists, but if you know anyone in Toronto, New-York or London that could be interested in my shit, send them my way because I do not know anybody.

What do you hope people will take away from your writing? How will your words make them feel?

I really don’t hope for anything. I write because I feel it’s there. I know some people like the way I write and some people really, really hate it. Which means I’m doing something wrong. I guess that like most artists, I enjoy provoking a strong reaction to any audience (good or bad). As long as it feels pertinent to me, it’s valid.

What’s your favourite meal?

Go to Dear Garden (corner of René-Levesque and St-Laurent in Montreal- closed on Tuesdays.) No. 118: noodles with cooked vegetables (Ask “with tofu”)

Anything at ChuChai is also incredible but it’s so fucking expensive, so fucking expensive.

What color represents your personality the most?

I don’t really know. I guess I’d say gray. It sounds boring but gray is actually a lot of things. It’s the color of ashes but also of the concrete that supports our buildings and structures. It’s also shadows and subtlety, you know? It’s almost darkness but it’s also light… (I like dichotomies a lot.)

What movie do you love to watch?

I guess that it would be Whedon’s Serenity. It’s entertaining and smart. I like cinema in most of its forms and from places all around the world (especially Japan) and I have a decent collection in many genres and languages. But say it’s Saturday afternoon and I just feel like watching a movie for the fun of it…It would be Serenity.

How do you feel about social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter? Are they a good thing?

Not a big fan. I use Facebook every day but I try to keep my friends list to people I actually met or had a significant interaction with. I have a “page” set up but I don’t really use it and I should focus on that, I guess. I hate twitter. I gave it a shot a while back and one of my editors said I needed to get on twitter a lot more but I can’t do it. I mean, Facebook you can actually set up events, chat with teammates, use it to send files…you know, work. You can use it only for memes and pictures of cats, but it’s possible to use if for work which makes it valid to me. Twitter is probably the most useless thing ever invented if you ask me. It encourages compulsive behaviours that I find really strange.

Goodreads is cool if you’re into books and I also love WordPress. Of course it’s a blogging tool, but it’s very well built and there’s just enough interaction with readers to make it useful while keeping it minimal.

If you could do any job in the world what would you do?

Besides the artistic projects I work on, there’s this one thing that I’d really wish I could get into. Basically it would be setting up and running some sort of artists/youth center (a little bit like City Kids in NYC) but mine would be in Montreal, of course. There was this place called L’X room that I used to go to a lot when I was a kid, and it plays a significant role in A Teenage Suicide as well. That room has sadly been closed a few years ago and the Church of Scientology had since bought the building the room was in and aren’t doing anything with it as far as I know.

So if I had (enough) money, there are two buildings left for sale east of downtown that are located in the only place I feel my project could work. I’d set up an all ages music venue in the basement, an independent arts gallery at street level and some workshop rooms on the upper floors. I’d like to host a few social groups, creative companies I like or NGO’s that deal with drug prevention if there would be room on the third of fourth floor and I’d just run that place, I guess.

What are you most passionate about? What gets you fired up?

All things creative, from music to art to writing and film. I read a selection of newspapers/news websites every day to keep up with current events. Political science and philosophy are both very important to me. I think my favourite art form is “moving image” in all its formats.

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Genre - Literary, Coming of Age

Rating – PG13

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Website http://www.iantruman.com

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Author Interview – Nadine Ducca @NadineDucca

Sometimes it’s so hard to keep at it – What keeps you going? I’ve always been a very hard-working and persevering person—except when it comes to sports. And math. Sorry all you track lovers and algebra devotees! My mind just shrugs and says “no way.”

What keeps me going while writing is my desire to see the finished project. Writing my first novel was a daunting experience, and sometimes I felt overwhelmed and I almost quit. Well, more than quit, I sometimes said to myself that I would leave it for the future because I wasn’t ready yet. But then a little voice in my head said “you procrastinated long enough!” and the voice was right. Fear is an aspiring author’s most largest hurdle. To really follow through such a life-consuming project such as a novel, you first need to work on overcoming your fears.

What’s your favorite meal? My favorite meal is barbecued lamb chops! MMMmm! They’re absolutely delicious with toasted pagès bread with tomato and allioli! “Allioli” is Catalan for “garlic and oil”, and that’s exactly what this is: a creamy sauce made with nothing more than garlic and olive oil.

What color represents your personality the most? I might look smiley and cheerful on the outside, but deep inside I’m a dark person with dark emotions. I think my color is tarnished gold with black splotches.

What movie do you love to watch? When I was a teen, I loved the thrill of a good terror film. But then The Ring came along… You know the one: the girl crawling out of the well…the cursed video… I was already in college when I saw the TV commercial for that movie—and I had nightmares two nights straight. Just from watching the commercial. Not even the trailer. Ridiculous. That was when I decided to only watch movies that would make me feel good.

My favorite is probably Chocolat. I could watch it over and over, and still smile at all the same moments. It’s a feel-good movie with villains who are not as bad as they seem. That’s what I like most about the film: even the antagonists are real people with real worries and self-doubts.

If you could do any job in the world what would you do? I’d love to have Sir David Attenborough’s job! You’ve all probably heard his voice on television; he’s a world-renowned broadcaster and naturalist. He’s presented hundreds of natural history programs, and he has traveled all over the world filming the wildest animals in their natural habitat.

This is something I would love to do! The mosquitoes might devour me alive, but it’s a price I’ll happily pay to be able to travel around the world learning and teaching about wildlife conservation.

What makes you angry? Any type of animal cruelty makes my skin crawl. Animals, just like children, are defenseless, so it’s our duty to take care of them and protect them. In Spain, bullfighting is still a national sport, and it’s appalling. The Catalan government (the province where I live) have declared themselves anti-bullfights, but the central government just can’t evolve. This type of torture show for pleasure should not be permitted by a member of the European Union.

Unfortunately, there isn’t much I can do to stop bullfights. I can, however, protect animals on a smaller scale, and that’s what my boyfriend and I recently did. We knew a family who was keeping a kitten whose little eye had literally burst and its entire head (eye socket, ears and nose) was filling with pus from the infection. You’re lucky you didn’t see the poor creature!

We took the cat away from this family and rushed him to the vet, who was shocked the critter was still alive. He immediately performed surgery on the poor kitten and took out what was left of his eye, and cleaned up all the pus. The kitten was by then 8 months old, but physically he looked about half his age because of severe malnourishment.

To make a long story short, my boyfriend and I refused to return the kitten to his former owners. The vet sided with us and made a formal statement saying the kitten could not live in the conditions that family had him. The family stalked our home for days. They knocked on our door and rang our doorbell for hours—no matter what time of day (yes, they actually came to our home at midnight one night). In the end, we were forced to call the police. They listened to our story, to their story, they inspected our house and inspected the kitten, and then told us to keep it and microchip it right away.

And that’s how we saved an animal’s life and ended up with cutesy patootsy Pirate!

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Genre –  Science Fiction/Fantasy

Rating – Adult

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Website http://nadineonwriting.blogspot.com/

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Author Interview – George A Bernstein @GeorgeBernstein

Do you have any advice for writers? As I said earlier, learn the craft. Don’t think, because friends tell you how good you are, that you’re ready to be a published author. In the world of self-publishing, and especially now with little or no expense to publish an e-book with Kindle or Smashwords, there is a lot of poorly written stuff out there. If yours is one of those, it will cloud your reputation in the future.

Again, there are few better places a neophyte, or even an experienced writer, can get expert help than by attending good writers conferences. Many are attended by agents and editors to whom you can pitch your story. But understand, very few authors are actual signed at these conferences. Agents have admitted they go more to network with their peers than find a hidden gem. The main thing is attend the writing classes. You’ll find more than you’ll have time for, including sessions about promoting your work, and how to query agents and editors. There’s a lot to learn about what makes good ACCEPTABLE writing, and you aren’t going to discover it on your own.

And finally, write because you love it. The odds of making a real living as a novelist are minimal at best. Non-fiction authors , with a real platform and strong bona fides, have a much better chance at making money at writing… if they put in the work they need to promote themselves. And you need to be lucky.

How do you feel about self-publishing? Self-publishing today gives the debut author a never before opportunity to get recognized. As I’ve said, you have little chance to be taken on by a literary agent or book publisher. Most large presses won’t even accept submissions from unagented authors. Then there are the smaller, indie presses that mostly rely on those who can’t make it with agents or big publishers. And of course, there are the vanity and POD publishers, whose only requirements are that you can pay their fees.

And that’s the major problem with much of self-publishing. For print, the POD publisher will accept whatever you send them, as long as it’s properly formatted. They make their money from fees they charge you for formatting, cover design, printing and distribution. Actual book sale (other than those sold directly to the author) provide very little of their gross income, and the typical self-published book rarely sells even 100 copies. Of course, you can avoid much of the out-of-pocket expense by only e-publishing with Kindle, Smashwords, etc., but the results are usually the same.

Too few self-published authors spend the time and money to really learn the skill, and for professional  editors, and their work shows it. Critique groups can help, but are no substitute for a professional. Nor do these authors often work with experience graphic artists on cover design. And that’s why self-publishing has acquired a shady reputation. For many, I think being able to say they are a “published author” is the end game, and that’s okay, if that’s all you seek.

What books did you love when growing up? When I was a pre-teen, I loved all the dog books by Albert Payson Terhune: “Buff, a Collie,” “Ladd of Sunnybrook Farm,” et al. As I teen, I loved sea adventures, especially based around our Revolution and the War of  1812. I especially like the adventures written by Edison Marshall, like “The Viking.”

If you could have a dinner party, and invite anyone, dead or alive, who would that be? Baseball great, Ted Williams; fly-fishing industry great, Leon Chandler; and my dad.

I was an avid fan of Teddy Ballgame, both because I admired is great ability, amplified by his intensity, and because he was a great fly-fisherman. I actually met Ted in the 1970’s, as we were flying into the same northern Manitoba fishing lodge. He invited me to fish with him one day, and showed me the thrill of fly-fishing for big pike… and I’ve become an expert at that. He lost 6 prime years to the military, fighting wars… not playing sports as many of his ilk did… and was, I believe, the greatest hitter of all time.

Leon Chandler was a friend who also took me under his wing during a Federation of Fly-Fishermen conclave in the 1970’s. We fished together many times, and he was a gentleman and giant of the sport.

And my dad, because we were always too busy with work to really spend much quality time together. He was a great role model on how to live life as an honorable person. I miss him.

What is your greatest strength as a writer? How immersed I get in the story and characters. I live their joy and suffer their pain. And I’m ready to change their direction as the story proceeds. I start with an outline and the main characters, but it’s always in flux as new challenges occur enroute to the climax. I still get emotional during certain scenes of my first novel, Trapped, and especially reading the ending. The same with a scene near the end of A 3^rd Time to Die, when the two lovers discover the truth about the lives together.

My other strength is my willingness to consider editing suggestions. Dee Burks, my editor at TAG Publishers, made several suggestions to improve TRAPPED, like doing the entire novel from the single viewpoint of Jackee, the protagonist. I also expanded the ending (Denouncement) at her suggestion. The editors at GnD Publishing LLC also had several insightful suggestions that improved A 3^rd Time to Die.

But I “stood by my guns” by resisting changing how Trapped actually ended, which was a good thing. The most frequent comment I get from readers is that they love the ending.

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Genre – Romantic Suspense

Rating – PG13

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Author Interview - Ava Zavora @avazavora

What is your greatest strength as a writer?
Most positive comments seem to fall into two areas. Readers are drawn to my lyrical writing style and/or they remark about my unexpected endings.
How did you come up with the title?
Since I knew the novel was going to be in a semi-epistolary format utilizing e-mails (as well as chats and texts), Dear Adam came to me very early. I love the title for its simplicity and symbolism.
Can you tell us about your main character?
The titular character of Adam is a mysterious Englishman with a shadowy past. He’s a man’s man who likes Hemingway, whiskey, cigarettes, and Frank Sinatra. Lured by Adam’s enigma and seduced by his sexy voice, my heroine, Eden falls in love with him sight unseen.
How much of the book is realistic?
Since many people are living their lives on social media (Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc.) the events in my book can happen to anyone. Even if one is not part of an online dating website, forming a deep online connection is easier to do more than ever, and I suspect, more commonplace than people realize.
Have you started another book yet?
I am deep in a fantasy manuscript about a historian who becomes ensnared in centuries-long quest to unearth Alexander the Great’s deadliest secret, one that will release untold evil into the world.

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Genre - Contemporary Romance

Rating – PG-13

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Quality Reads UK Book Club Disclosure: Author interview / guest post has been submitted by the author and previously used on other sites.

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Author Interview – Harriet Hodgson @healthmn1

If you were accidentally locked into a store, what store would it be and what department?

Since I love to cook, I would like to be locked into a major department store, such as Macy’s, and be in the cookware department. That department would include kitchen tools, mixing bowls, tableware, linens, and cookbooks. I read cookbooks like some people read novels. The cookware department would have a hot pot of coffee on the counter, with a large mug just for me.

How long have you been writing?

I’ve been a freelancer for 36+ years, am the author of hundreds of print and Internet articles, and 33 published books, some of them short and some of them long.

When you’re not writing how to you relax?

I relax with cooking, decorating, and reading. There’s nothing like a good mystery to get me relaxed and eager for the next page.

Sometimes it’s hard to keep at it. How do you keep going?

I’m a disciplined writer and write every day. Not writing would feel strange to me, so I don’t have to force myself to sit down at the computer. Other writers and would-be writers ask me about “writer’s block.” To be honest, I don’t have time for “writer’s block,” I have to keep practicing my craft and producing good work.

What is your favorite meal?

Because I love to cook I have many favorite meals. One of my favorites, roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, represents my British heritage. Yorkshire pudding is a popover recipe cooked in a pie pan or other large pan. Sometimes I make Yorkshire pudding with half white and half wheat flour. I also use a combination of whole eggs and egg substitute to reduce the calories.

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Genre – Non-fiction

Rating – G

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Website http://harriethodgson.com/

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Author Interview – Vanna Smythe @Vanna_Smythe

What are you most proud of accomplishing so far in your life? At this point I am most proud of having written and published two books, Protector and Decision Maker, Book One and Book Two of my fantasy series Anniversary of the Veil. I’ve always dreamed about being a writer when I grew up and now I guess I am

How has your upbringing influenced your writing? I moved around a lot as a child, which has given me a wide perspective on the world and the different cultures living in it.  I think this has greatly enhanced my own writing and made the characters I create feel more alive.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated? Not exactly. Even before I could write I was fascinated by books, and I loved when my grandparents and parents read to me.  According to my grandfather, I had all the stories he would read to me (Disney’s Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty,…) memorized after the first couple of times he read then, so he could never skip ahead in the story without me knowing

When and why did you begin writing? I began writing in Middle School and got a little more serious about it in High School. But I didn’t start writing with an aim to be published until after college. As for why, I just don’t know, it made me happy to write.

What inspires you to write and why? Lots of thinks ignite my imagination, a bit of a conversation, a random idea, the way the light glistens off a lake.  I’ll see or hear such things, then imagine a character being the one hearing and seeing them, and a story will be born.  I also like to listen to music while I write; classical music is great, as are those sounds of nature recordings. They really help me get into the story.

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Genre – Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

Rating – PG13

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Website http://vannasmythe.com/

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Author Interview – T.G. Ayer @TGAyerAuthor

Can you tell us about your main character?

In FIRE (the Hand of Kali #1) Maya Rao just wants to be normal, the all-American girl. She’s tired of being different and just wants to fit in. What she doesn’t know is that she is the furthest from normal that she could possibly be.

Who designed the cover?

My cover artist Eduardo Priego

Why did you choose to write this particular book?

I’d written Norse mythology for my first YA so I thought I would play around with a different mythology and chose Indian because as far as I know it has never been done this way before in YA

Will you write others in this same genre?

Yes, definitely. I love writing YA and I especially love mythology. I already have a few stories to look at in terms of what’s next on my project list

Can we expect any more books from you in the future?

Definitely. There is no reason to stop writing.

Dead Chaos – book 3 in the Valkyrie series will be out end of Sep 2013

Blood and Time – books 2 & 3 in the Kali series will be out Dec 2013 and mid 2014

Lost Soul and Second Chance – books 2 & 3 in the Darkworld series will be out late 2013 and mid 2014

Have you started another book yet?

I’ve started Lost Soul- #2 in my Darkworld series and I’ve outlined the plot for Blood, the second book in my Hand of Kali series and I’m looking forward to finalising that and getting on to writing it as soon as Lost Soul is written.

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Genre – YA Fantasy/Paranormal

Rating – PG13

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Website http://tgayer.wordpress.com/

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Author Interview – D.A.& M.P. Wearmouth @dampwearmouth

When you get free time on the internet or you go to the library – what do you want to read about?
M – Science and Environment.
D – I love to catch up on all of the daily news from around the world. I don’t like going cold turkey, I have to have my daily fix.
Do you find the time to read?
M – Yes I always find time for new and interesting books.  I read at night generally to wind down.
D – Mostly on holiday or when traveling with work. I try to read a couple of books a month.
Last book you purchased? Tell us about it.
M – The secret life of trees.  I am a volunteer for the Woodland Trust and also have to deal with trees in my subsidence business.  This book was fascinating and examined the genealogy of each species.
D – Fractured by D.J Molles. He’s an indie author with a great series ‘The Remaining’. This is his fourth book and he’s done a first rate job. Check him out if you haven’t already.
Who do you admire?
M – Usain Bolt
D – James Anderson, he’s an English cricketer who is currently the best in the world at what he does. I’d love the ability to bowl like him, but his sort don’t come around that often.
What is your favourite quote, by whom, and why?
M – One life.  It’s a simple mantra to remember.
D – “Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.” By Winston Churchill. What he says rings true for me. You can’t force your way to potential or try to think your way there, it’s a long road full of hard work.
What’s your favourite place in the entire world?
M – Harrogate
D – Milford Sound in New Zealand.

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Genre – Horror/Science Fiction

Rating – R

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Website http://dampwearmouth.com/

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Author Interview – Christine Locke

What books did you love growing up? I read C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series and Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series so many times, I lost count.  As I got into high school, I started to read the classics.  I settled on Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald by senior year.  It’s fun to watch people get interested in the literature of the 1920’s and ‘30’s again.  It seems like it’s coming back in a big way.  I think there’s a lot about that period that speaks to us and teaches us right now.

What book genre do you adore? I’m enjoying paranormal young adult fiction set in the American south.  I know that’s a very specific “genre,” but I think I see a trend developing with the popularity of Beautiful Creatures and the success of some other series I’m following.  I wrote about this trend recently in a blog post.

Location and life experiences can really influence writing. Tell us where you grew up and where you now live.  I was a Navy brat growing up.  I really liked moving every two years or so: I always felt like it was a fresh start and an opportunity to redefine myself.  I also wrote a LOT of letters growing up, keeping up with family and friends in the places we left behind.  I think that’s part of the reason it feels natural to tell stories now.

How do you develop your writing? By writing.  It’s true: I still go back to old manuscripts that I have not yet published and edit them.  It’s humbling and tedious, and, yet, I think it makes me stronger.  And, it can also be cool to see errors that were once common in my writing that I now know enough to avoid even in a first draft.

Every writer has his/her own idea of what a successful writing career is.  What does success in writing look like to you? People reading my stories and engaging with them.  I don’t necessarily want all my readers to love the books; I’d rather that my stories make you think.  Some of the stories that I have found most thought-provoking were books I would not care to read again.  Others I love to revisit, over and over.  Of course I want some readers who re-read my stories, but it’s ok with me if not everyone likes them that much.  What I would hope is that even if you didn’t care for my story, you found something in it that you had not seen before.

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Genre – Young Adult

Rating – PG/PG13

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Website http://christinelockebooks.blogspot.com/

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Author Interview – Keira Michelle Telford @mylostanddamned

Do you plan to publish more books?

Plenty! The next book will be SILVER: Lex Talionis. It’s the eighth book in The SILVER Series, and also the first book in The Outlier Trilogy. Additionally, I’m working on the second book in The Prisonworld Trilogy, The Procuress, as well as a new series of (erotic) paranormal romance novelettes, The Nightside Stories.

Tell us about your new book? What’s it about and why did you write it?

In an over-populated, post-apocalyptic city on the brink of internal collapse, Silver is a banished Hunter with a grudge. Accused of crimes she didn’t commit, branded a traitor and left for dead, she’s spent the last six years struggling to survive in a prison district filled with murderers, thieves and rapists. Biding her time, reluctantly earning a living for herself as an executioner, she finally seizes an opportunity for redemption when a prolific serial killer evades capture.

I didn’t intend to write dystopian SF, it just sort of happened. I thought I was writing an adventure romance … then I realized, hey, there are monsters (Chimera) everywhere, and the world ended three hundred years ago … umm … holy crap, this is science fiction!

Do you have any tips on how writers can relax?

Get a couple of guinea pigs.

What contributes to making a writer successful?

Tenacity.

How often do you write? And when do you write?

I write every day, from 3pm to about 5am most days. Sometimes I lose track of time, and don’t stop writing until I see the sun come up. Those are the best days.

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Genre – Dystopian Sci-Fi

Rating – 18+

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Website http://www.ellacross.com/

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Author Interview – Voicu Mihnea Simandan @vmsimandan

What’s The Matrix and the Alice Books about and why did you write it?

The book that I’m virtually touring now is an intertextual study of the film The Matrix and the books Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll. The initial research for the book was done as part of my two-year master’s degree studies in Bangkok. I have probably seen The Matrix trilogy over one hundred times and having the book in my hands has brought my longtime obsession with The Matrix and the Alice Books to a satisfactory conclusion. Now it’s time for the world to read it and dive down the rabbit hole and explore a world where the boundary between dreams and reality is blurred by some of the most remarkable and memorable fictional characters ever to appear on the pages of a book and on the screen of a TV.

What books did you love reading when you were growing up?

The world Lewis Carroll created in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass had a great impact on me and, as a child, I often found myself slipping down my own rabbit hole under a pillow-made castle, joining Alice in her wonderful adventures. Jules Verne’s adventure novels, especially Around the World in 80 Days, instilled in me a strong desire to see the world and Verne’s great explorers, men of arms and scientists soon became my heroes in whose footsteps I hoped to follow. Now, in my mid-30s, after having published a postgraduate study about the Alice books and having made a new life for myself in Asia, miles away from my home country in Eastern Europe, I do believe that the books I grew up with have made me the man I am today.

If you could have a party and invite anyone, who would it be?

Now, imagine the tea party from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland where, alongside Carroll’s usual suspects, the March Hare – who is no longer hosting, as it’s now my own party! – Alice, the Dormouse and the Hatter. I would also invite Neo, Morpheus and Trinity who will hail in their shiny outfits from the real world of the Matrix. What a great party it would be, with Morpheus suggesting sending the Dormouse to the Oracle to find out why he kept falling asleep, and with Neo explaining to the March Hare that there’s nothing to fear as there’s no such thing as Time and so the Hare couldn’t have murdered it, regardless of what the Queen of Hearts declared.

Alice and Trinity would have a great time, sitting next to each other at the tea table, chatting away about the fun they had jumping from one world to the other, chasing white rabbits and being chased by sun-glassed agents of the System. Then, just when the Hatter starts asking his riddles, as if having all of them at the same table wouldn’t be enough of a riddle, out of thin air, the Cheshire Cat makes her appearance and informs all of us to down our cups of tea and put them back on the shelf as Agent Smith was on his way, ready to smash to smithereens every piece of china clay pottery he would come across. Agent Smith would seem very upset that Neo freed him from the bounds of the Matrix and, above all, that I did not invite him to the party!

What specific genre of books do you like?

I have various intellectual interests, from history to anthropology to linguistics, so I tend to evenly balance the number of non-fiction and fiction books that I read. Recently, I have started reading more and more science fiction, delving into the works of the classics that have established this genre. However, I also read literary fiction, fast paced mysteries, and books of fiction written by expats living in Thailand – which I then review for a Bangkok-based monthly magazine.

What’s your favourite meal?

Although I live in Thailand, I am not a gourmand but I rather believe in what Dozer in The Matrix told Neo during his first “real” meal on the Nebuchadnezzar, after Neo was unplugged from the Matrix. Referring to the rather disgusting-looking goo everyone was eating for breakfast, Dozer explained: “It’s a single celled protein combined with synthetic aminos, vitamins, and minerals. Everything the body needs.” So, as long as my food is healthy, not spicy and doesn’t have a strong smell (another oddity of mine, as Thai food is famous for its spices), I eat anything. Having been brought up in Communist Romania, where food was not something you could pick and choose might also have something to do with me not having any specific favourite food.

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Genre – Non-Fiction/Movie Studies/Literary Criticism

Rating – G

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Website http://www.simandan.com/

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Author Interview – Sarah Daltry @SarahDaltry

Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?

I don’t. I sort of wish I did because I love to travel, but on the other hand, I am painfully shy and would likely have a panic attack if I had to speak to a group of people I didn’t know!

What books have most influenced your life?

As an English major, I read a lot of the classics. I struggle still to leave that behind, because no one wants to read classics anymore. I simplify my writing a lot, but it’s still not simple enough for some people. The most influential book for me is Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises. I know that in romance, there must be a HEA and I try to write those. But his book is realistic and it’s the most beautifully heartbreaking book I have ever read.

What contributes to making a writer successful?

Never giving up. If you write fifty books and none of them sell, write the 51 the one that makes you successful.

Do you have any advice for writers?

• Don’t give up. Keep writing no matter what.

• Ignore the criticism. Remember that your favorite book of all time got one star reviews.

• Editors are helpful, but don’t let them write your story. Trust your instincts.

• Smile. You wrote a book. You actually WROTE an entire book.

What do you do to unwind and relax?

Shoot things in video games. Search the internet for funny pictures of cats. Drink wine.

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Genre – New Adult Erotic Romance

Rating – X

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Website http://sarahdaltry.tumblr.com/

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Author Interview – Karolyn James @karolynwrites

Location and life experiences can really influence writing, tell us where you grew up and where you now live?

I came from a small town and I love in one now! I love it. I love the small communities and how everyone knows each other and helps each other. It reflects in my writing too… the guys from Chasing Cross come from a small town in Virginia and everywhere they end up (and in love!) they’re in small towns!

How did you develop your writing?

I just kept writing. I wrote anything I could think of. There are thousands – yes, THOUSANDS – of printed pages that will never see light of day because the writing isn’t good. But it led me here.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

From life! I like to look at life, read the paper, talk to people, watch people, and just imagine how romance can play into everything.

What is hardest – getting published, writing or marketing?

Marketing. I’m not good at it. I hate talking about myself – lol. I don’t think I’m interesting… but my books are!

Do you plan to publish more books?

Of course! I have to finish the Chasing Cross books and then the Brothers of Rock series will continue into 2014 with another band! And I’m hard at work with more western romance books.

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Genre – Romance

Rating – PG13

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Website http://karolynjames.wordpress.com/

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Author Interview – Mark LaFlamme

What are some of the best tools available today for writers, especially those just starting out? God, the internet. Don’t you sometimes sit back and wonder how we ever got along without it? I mean, I started out with a manual typewriter and I stuffed more than my share of self-addressed stamped envelopes. That seems like the dark ages now. Email for sending out queries? Oh, and how about when you’re writing at 2 in the morning and you need to know the capital of Wyoming (it’s Cheyenne. I just saved you ten seconds of research) for a scene? Back in the day, we’d have to stop everything and scramble for an encyclopedia or worse, run to the public library. It still blows my mind how much has changed. But as tools go, there’s something new every day. With the social networks, you can reach more and more readers all the time. Sites just for readers – Goodreads, for example – are a great resource. There are services such as fiverr.com, which presents a huge variety of ways to promote your work for cheap. You can automate everything with ifttt.com and there’s all kinds of software that will physically yank your internet connection and not give it back until you’ve written for an hour or two. I used that one myself for a while. Very helpful when you need discipline, and who doesn’t from time to time? Also, Evernote. Keep track of your ideas, your editing notes, correspondence with agents and publishers … Of all the cool stuff out there, Evernote is probably the handiest of them all for a writer.

What contributes to making a writer successful? Talent first, of course. But perseverance is right up there, too. You have to wonder how many potentially great authors threw in the towel after their second, or tenth, or fiftieth rejection letter. That ego-busting hell is a fire we all must walk through. Anybody who overcomes the tidal wave of rejection earns any success he or she gets, in my view. You need a thick skin to thrive as an author, especially today when everybody and their cousin Lou is doing it. A talent for self-promotion is key, as well. Although, I like to think that if your work is up to snuff, some of that promotion will come naturally.

Do you have any advice for writers? The only advice I ever give on the matter is to keep writing. Write every day no matter what. Got the sniffles? Tough. Grab some tissues and sit down to write. There’s a “Walking Dead” marathon on AMC? Too bad. Have someone record it and go write instead. And so on. Sometimes I think the best time to write is when you really don’t feel like it, same as working out, same as anything that requires discipline. It’s important that you keep writing even if the rejection letters have been coming fast and furious. If someone tells you what a heartbreaking craft it is and tries to steer you away, write twice as much that night. It’s amazing how quickly you can get into a groove where NOT writing would feel unnatural. Write like you’re on fire through the first draft. You’ll have a chance to pretty it up later, during the many, many, many rounds of edits and revisions.

Do you have any specific last thoughts that you want to say to your readers? No. Well, yes. Maybe just this one thing. And that is that if there’s any one thing cooler than hanging out with other writers, it’s hanging out with readers. Some of the best conversations I ever have involve books, my own or those written by others. When you start talking with an avid reader, it doesn’t matter if he or she is a perfect stranger. When you start yammering on about plot twists, characters and climax, it gets lively. I love that. Every now and then, some reader writes me out of the blue to say he enjoyed one of my books. They always seem to do it timidly, as if its an intrusion. It never is. I had this woman contact me late at night once to complain about a character I’d killed off. We ended up talking it over into the wee hours and we became friends. It’s just the coolest thing when people come together to talk about books. It sounds like some sort of lame library slogan, but it’s utterly true.

What do you do to unwind and relax? I ride a dual sport motorcycle (which means I can ride on the road or in the woods) named El Mechon. Some of the best story ideas I’ve had came while I was plowing through the puckerbrush on that beast. When a plot gets knotted up and I can’t figure out how to shake it loose, I go for a long ride. It works almost every time. It’s so fun getting a “eureka!” moment while you’re rumbling down a trail at 20 mph. You get so excited, it freaks out the birds and squirrels.

What dreams have been realized as a result of your writing? You know, I spent most of my childhood writing stories and then immediately resigning them to a trunk. I mean a literal trunk that was never opened by anyone but me. For the first few years of writing, I don’t think I showed a single person one of my stories. I always wanted to, of course. When you write something that really pops, what you want more than anything is to share it. When that day comes, it’s remarkable. It’s at once exhilaration and terrifying, but mostly the former. I think the grandest moments for me came with my first published novel, “The Pink Room.” Just holding that book in my hand was amazing and sort of unreal. At my first book signing, there was a line of people winding all the way out the door of a little mom and pop bookstore. One by one, they’d come up to me and say, “I just started your book. I’m on chapter three.” In weeks to come, I’d hear from people who had finished the book. Talk about nerve wracking. They always seem to pause before revealing whether they loved it or hated it. Those silent moments are brutal, but of course, it’s also part of the fun.

Jack Carnegie has developed a head for numbers – a true savant who was just an average teenager a day before. Jack Deacon builds things, from self-propelled drones to goggles that can see through walls.

Jack Van Slyke awakes with an ability to speak a half dozen languages.Jack Gordon discovers he is a master of the martial arts, just when he needs it most.

All over the country, young men are finding that they have special skills, areas of expertise that appeared out of nowhere. They’re confused. Baffled. Maybe even dangerous.

And they’re all named Jack.

After experiencing adventures on their own, the Jacks will come together in the deserts of Arizona. There, they will set out on the quest to find out what has happened, becoming a multi-talented task force with not a single clue why.

But answers are coming – chilling revelations about their own minds and about new terrors that imperil the world. Together the Jacks will have to make a decision: drift apart and return to being careless teenagers? Or band together and fight a rising evil that threatens not just the Jacks, but the world.

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Genre – YA / Thriller

Rating – PG

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Featured Author - Sarah Martinez

Tell us a bit about your family. My husband is a complete studmuffin. If it were not for him taking the girls so I can hole up and work, I doubt I would be this far along. He is incredibly supportive. Not a big reader, but supportive in every other way. He is a great partner for physical activities like dancing and running. I have always been impressed with his ability to just jump up and go when I start something new.

My girls are beautiful and smart and remind me all the time that there is an entire world waiting for me when I come back from dreamland, or promoland, or studying or editing or whatever. My oldest is a runner and a writer (she has done Nanowrimo with me for two years) and reads everything just like I did at her age. Her younger sister is a big ball of emotion and also likes to sit and flip through books and even though she isn’t actually reading them though that doesn’t stop her from carrying the books around everywhere she goes. Just yesterday I also caught her filling up the pages of a lined notebook with very detailed scribbles. I remember doing that as well, I was trying to imitate my mother’s cursive.

Both of them are High School Musical fans, and if I play songs from that movie in the car they will both sing at the top of their lungs. That makes me really happy.

What is your favorite quality about yourself? My enthusiasm. I have gotten quite a lot done just by diving in before really considering the work involved. My close friends cite my enthusiasm as something they appreciate about me so I am glad it is rubbing off.

What is your least favorite quality about yourself? My enthusiasm. I take on too many tasks. Some eventually don’t get completed though they are just as important as the others. This causes me stress and I don’t like being disappointed in myself.

What is your favorite quote, by whom, and why? I have an entire page on my website dedicated to quotes I love under a tab I labeled “Inspiration.” Several people from Jonathan Franzen to Marilyn Manson have said things that I use to keep me motivated. I also included several quotes in Sex and Death in the American Novel.

A quote that crystalizes a mindset and a feeling that I am channeling for the novel I am working on now comes from Rush Limbaugh.

“Feminism was established to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream.”

I have lived with this sense of the way the world works my entire life, and grown out of it to some extent, but this quote has done the most to give me something to speak to. I was extremely grateful when I found this quote because it succinctly put into words something I am compelled to work against.

What is your favorite color? Red. I was married in a red gown. My husband even painted the living room in our last house red for me.

Most people know me for my red lips. Blood is red and symbolizes life, vitality and energy--nourishment and sustenance.

What is your favorite food? If I had to choose one I would say Chicken Biryani. This is a spicy rice and chicken dish that isn’t too hot. I told my husband that on my deathbed I don’t care what the doctors say, I want something from our favorite Indian place.

What’s your favorite place in the entire world? Montana.

My parents were both born in Montana, and I plan to end up there eventually. I spent the largest amount of my childhood there. Mountains, lakes, skies that go forever…I even named my website after those skies. Storms blow through that last only minutes and then the sky returns to blue. There is a hopeful example in that. I miss it.

How has your upbringing influenced your writing? My mother was very strong and very creative. Through the last years of her life people started calling her a “character.” She never let details stop her from doing what she wanted. Though I do not want to follow in her footsteps (she was a Pro-Life activist, and could get into a good deal of trouble at times.) I do feel like her example of spending time away from us kids to do something she thought was important probably influenced the way I began to make my writing a priority while I still had kids at home. Especially in the beginning, there was a lot of guilt for taking time away from my family to do something that was just for me. Now I remember her and believe I am showing my girls an example that will serve them when they are adults.

Both of my parents encouraged college, both by example and by letting us know they expected us to go. Our house was filled with books and they each read all the time. My father was big into science fiction and horror and that was what I grew up on.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated? With Edgar Allan Poe. I would memorize stanzas from “The Raven” and loved the way those lines made me feel. His stories wrapped me up so completely and set up a very specific mood. I wanted to be able to create a world and make people feel in that specific way.

What inspired you to write your first book? My first book was all about a boy who was born in Argentina in the 1970s. Since I started dancing the Argentine Tango and reading about the country and its culture, I found out what an interesting place it was. The history is exciting and there are some awful parts as well but so much to learn from all of it. These are people have all-night bookstores and this rich literary tradition producing writers like the well-known Julio Cortazar and Jorge Luis Borges plus these fun weird ones like Roberto Arlt.

There is also a dialect they call Lunfardo which seemed very novel when I first learned about it. History is evident in everything from their architecture to their dances to the many languages that are spoken and beyond.

I used the main character to explore some of the more fascinating aspects of that culture and history and also used the setting as an excuse to rewind my life and see what I might have done differently if I had made different choices as a young person.

That was my first book, so mostly it was a big excuse to fantasize and do research!

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Genre - Literary Erotica

Rating – X

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Website http://www.mywildskies.com/

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Inevitable by Tamara Hart Heiner

What was the hardest part about writing this book? I made a mistake when I started the book. I thought I could write a romance. So I wrote the book as a romance. When I finished, I thought the whole story was boring and rather flat. I didn’t want to read it, so why would anyone else? I decided I better stick with thrillers, because that’s what I’m good at. And I threw in a serial killer. It took a lot of work but I’m extremely pleased with the book now!

Will you write others in this same genre? I’ve had enough people threaten my future as a writer if I don’t write more books for this main character that I’ve decided to make a series of the book. Rather exciting, actually. I have an additional four books plotted, but it will be the kind of series where each novel is a story in and of itself, not dependent on the others. Like the Stephanie Plum books.

How much of the book is realistic? The book takes place during modern times in a normal high school with a normal girl. There’s a serial killer, which could very well be realistic. But it also revolves around Jayne’s psychic powers and her more-than-mortal bloodline. Definitely not realistic.

Have you included a lot of your life experiences, even friends, in the plot? No, not at all. At least not in this book. My PERILOUS series has lots of life and friend experiences in it.

How important do you think villains are in a story? Extremely! In fact my villains are usually so multi-faceted that they deserve their own story. No book is complete without a villain!

Can we expect any more books from you in the future? Of course! I’m a writer. It’s not what I do, it’s what I am. I couldn’t stop if I wanted to.

Have you started another book yet? Which one would you like me to talk about? I just started the next adventure for Jayne, the MC in INEVITABLE. Hopefully it will be out in about a year!

Young adult romantic suspense novel.

Visions of death plague Jayne, who thinks watching her boyfriend die is the worst that could happen to her. But when she witnesses a murder, Jayne finds herself caught up in a dangerous world of intrigue and suspense.

As it turns out, she is not the only one doing the stalking. The killer is on to her, and all of her visions of the dying don’t reveal how her life will end. Somehow, she must stop the murderer before he arranges Jayne’s own inevitable death.

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Genre – YA

Rating – PG

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Blog http://tamarahartheiner.blogspot.com/

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Author Interview – Samantha Warren

What other jobs have you had in your life? Aside from milking cows? I sat in the drive-thru at Mickey D’s (the grease totally eats at your shoes), I was a professional babysitter (that job was pretty awesome. Miss you Felicia and Sam!), I was an editor at my school’s newspaper, and I did customer support for a company that developed software for auction houses.

If you could study any subject at university what would you pick? I actually have a Bachelors in English. It took me several tries to get there. Chemistry, Early Childhood Ed, Secondary Ed, Computer Science, and somehow I finally got the right one. If I could go back, just to take random classes, I would want to improve my French.

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? My dream is to retire to England and live in a little village somewhere outside of London. I want a house that looks like Kate Winslet’s in The Holiday and I want to be known as the crazy American lady who makes great cookies.

How do you write – laptop, pen, paper, in bed, at a desk? I get my best writing done on my laptop, curled up in bed.

How much sleep do you need to be your best? Any less than 7 hours and I’m a total zombie. But if I sleep too much, then I go through the day in a fog where all I can really do is stare at the screen and be unproductive.

Is there anyone you’d like to acknowledge and thank for their support? Jennifer L. Oliver and Merry Farmer are both very close friends and crucial supporters in my writing career. They’ve kept me sane, and I like to think I’ve helped them do the same. Jennifer writes dark fantasy and Merry writes historical romance. Both are fantastic writers.

Every writer has their own idea of what a successful career in writing is, what does success in writing look like to you? I want to be able to live off my writing. I don’t mean I want to be rich, but I want to be able to pay all my essential bills with a little left over without worrying each month if I’m going to make ends meet. Though it would be really awesome to have one of my books made into a movie. I would consider that a huge success.

It is vital to get exposure and target the right readers for your writing, tell us about your marketing campaign? Most of my marketing is what I call “passive promotion”. Talking to people, getting to know them, chatting on Twitter, Facebook, etc. People are more willing to check out your books if they know that you’re a decent, fun person to begin with.

When you are not writing, how do you like to relax? All writers I know relax by reading. You can’t be a good writer without being an avid reader. Nothing is more relaxing than curling up in a comfy chair (or my prefered hangout – the hammock) and reading a really really really good book.

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Genre –  Paranormal Romance

Rating – PG

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Website http://www.samantha-warren.com/

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