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She reads books as one would breathe air, to fill up and live.
– Annie Dillard |
Bradley Campbell is a tattooed sci-fi enthusiast, hopeless romantic, fiction author, and self-proclaimed geek who is on a lifelong mission to inspire his readers through the infinite power of suspenseful, paranormal, dramatic, and oftentimes love-infused storytelling. In addition to being a multifaceted word weaver with a lifetime passion for creative expression, he has had the opportunity to work as a motorcycle mechanic, lawyer assistant, certified HVAC technician, and fitness model, to name a few. He even crafts his own music and roleplay writes. When he doesn’t have a pen in hand or isn’t binge-watching his favorite TV shows (i.e. Luther and Misfits) on his trusty iPad, you will probably find Bradley spending some quality time with his two awesome children who inspire him every single day. Where do you get your ideas for your books? Who or what inspired your idea? B.C. Honestly everything around me is a canvas. The book I’m working on now has a character in it based on someone I met on the beach. How did you develop the plot and your characters? Are your characters based on anyone? B.C. Honestly it was a natural progression of little ideas coming together. It was like puzzling together a newspaper from the future. Yes, One character is based off a girl I mused over for to long. Do you write when you're inspired? Or do you have a schedule you keep to? B.C. I write constantly. Either ideas or plotting together something I haven’t finished. I like to live in the flames of passion. Do you have any advice for aspiring authors? Maybe a piece of advice that stuck with you from your adventure into the world of publishing? B.C. “You can’t edit a blank page” Tell us a bit more about yourself. How did you know you wanted to be a writer? Who or what inspires you to write? B.C. I had a teacher who put a book in my hand because I wouldn’t sit still. The rest is history. How much of yourself goes into your writing? Or do you keep yourself separate and base the character on someone else entirely? B.C. No tears for the writer no tear for the reader. What has helped shape and improve your writing? B.C. I Read like a vampire! What are you reading right now? Do you recommend it or have any other recommendations? B.C. Kelly Parsons “Doing Harm” unsung Masterpiece Do your novels carry a message or do you feel it's subjective? B.C. Yes, Multiple messages that are meant to be enjoyed by reading subjectively. Check out their Book!Genre: Short Story, Thriller, Mystery, Romance Publication Date: March 22, 2019 Publisher: Self-published Pages: 42 Add to GoodReads Buy: Amazon New York City Detective Tristan Andretti crosses swords with deadly enemies in the hardest puzzle of his career.
With a beautiful fiancée and a promising, lucrative career in law enforcement, Detective Tristin Andretti was living the American dream. But like all dreams, it will come to end sooner or later. Only in his case, it ended in a nightmare when the unexpected happened, and he lost it all when a horrifying act of violence compels him to leave the force with an ashy, bitter taste in his mouth. With his life crashing down around him, Tristin finds himself distracted both by his new client, Lucia Trenta—a spoiled, up-and-coming pop star with a skewed, narcissistic view of the world—and a dangerous situation that puts her life in danger.
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A Montanan Native living in Idaho. Writing, Reading, Music, and Theatre are his passions, he is also rather fond of delicious food and drink. He lives with his wife and twin girls. Myrrendryl is his first book. Where do you get your ideas for your books? Who or what inspired your idea? KL: Dreams and a little life experience. How did you develop the plot and your characters? Are your characters based on anyone? KL: The characters build themselves, they tell me what is going to happen, sometimes even I'm surprised. Do you write when you're inspired? Or do you have a schedule you keep to? KL: Mostly when I'm inspired, but I do try to write 1k a week. Do you have any advice for aspiring authors? Maybe a piece of advice that stuck with you from your adventure into the world of publishing? KL: Don't be afraid to kill off your characters. Don't judge yourself too harshly, others will do that for you. Tell us a bit more about yourself. How did you know you wanted to be a writer? Who or what inspires you to write? KL: I just picked up a pen and the movie reel took over. How much of yourself goes into your writing? Or do you keep yourself separate and base the character on someone else entirely? KL: A little or a lot of me goes into all my characters. What has helped shape and improve your writing? KL: Critiques and Practice. What are you reading right now? Do you recommend it or have any other recommendations? KL: I am reading the 6th Book in The Matthew Corbett series by Robert McCammon. I would absolutely recommend it and this author in general. I am also reading Galilee by Clive Barker, in my opinion, his weakest novel. Do your novels carry a message or do you feel it's subjective? KL: Definitely subjective. What works best for you: Typewriters, fountain pen, dictate, computer or longhand? KL: I write everything on my cellphone. Title: Myrrendryl Genre: Fantasy Publication Date: January 18, 2019 Pages: 400 Add to GoodReads Buy: Amazon The curtain, the veil, the void, the abyss. So many names for the mystery of the beyond. People spend a good part of their lives just wanting to lift the heavy canvas of the circus tent and take a peek inside. Eventually they’ll know, in the end, we all know, but mankind is an impatient beast. Sadly, for most, if they ever could pull aside that curtain, they would spend the rest of their lives trying to forget that they ever had.
Myrrendryl tells the tale of four seemingly unconnected youth bound to one another in a way none of them could have guessed and knowing would threaten to shatter their very existence. The hands of fate appear to play them like marionettes, but are they truly controlled by fate? Or are they their own masters? A story that questions what is real, and what is the sands of dreams. A story ultimately, about the human condition and what deep down, we are willing to sacrifice. Genre: Fantasy, Adventure Publication Date: December 14, 2018 Pages: 273 Add to GoodReads Buy on: Amazon, Patreon Follow Peter and Fi as they work together, each searching for something uniquely special to them through the four kingdoms of their known world. It’s a tale of fantastical beasts, peculiar characters, remarkable settings, and a unique brand of biochemistry-based magic. A story that focuses on meaningful character interactions, delicate world building, and intense action battles. Hi, my name is Kelvyn Fernandes. I'm a Canadian author with a Bachelors in Biochemistry. I use all the knowledge I gained in that field to fuel the magic system in my fantasy world. I enjoy going on adventures, especially back-country canoeing in Algonquin Park! Where do you get your ideas for your books? Who or what inspired your idea?
KF: I've always had a running magical adventure ongoing in the back of my mind since I was a child. Peter and Fi is the one that stuck and the one I wanted to share with the world. The characters grabbed hold of me and dragged me along with them, I'm just documenting the situations my imagination puts them in! How did you develop the plot and your characters? Are your characters based on anyone? KF: I derive inspiration from all walks of my life. From my friends, my family, myself. From movies, video games, books, and anime. Everything is an amalgamation of my experiences or my own take on how I'd tell someone else's story. Do you write when you're inspired? Or do you have a schedule you keep to? KF: Both! One necessitates the other. I used to wait for inspiration, but I soon learned that once you push yourself to start writing without, the inspiration comes naturally. Do you have any advice for aspiring authors? Maybe a piece of advice that stuck with you from your adventure into the world of publishing? KF: Just write. You can't know if you'll be good, or if you'll be successful, or even if you suck, if you don't try and write. Keep it to yourself if you need to, for as long as possible. But then share it with your friends, family, and strangers and let them help you grow! Tell us a bit more about yourself. How did you know you wanted to be a writer? Who or what inspires you to write? KF: I love telling stories. I love experiencing others' stories. I greatly enjoy critiquing and giving my take on how I'd tell another's story better. And I decided to try it out myself! How much of yourself goes into your writing? Or do you keep yourself separate and base the character on someone else entirely? KF: Everything about me is presented through the lens of my characters. I pick and choose which aspects I want to present, but the souls behind the characters are based on all of my thoughts and experiences. What has helped shape and improve your writing? KF: Reading! All genres, not just fantasy. Learning to read and appreciate stories from all walks (history, mystery, thriller, non-fiction, biography) can all have a major effect when writing in your own genre What are you reading right now? Do you recommend it or have any other recommendations? KF: I, Claudius by Robert Graves. I can't say I'm enjoying the way he presents the story, but the story itself is funny, suspenseful, and full of unique and interesting characters. Definitely worth the read. Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction Publisher: Daw Books Publication Date: September 10, 2019 Pages: 384 Add to GoodReads Buy on: Amazon, Chapters, Barnes & Noble Shawna Keys has fled the world she only recently discovered she Shaped, narrowly escaping death at the hands of the Adversary who seized control of it...and losing her only guide, Karl Yatsar, in the process. Now she finds herself alone in some other Shaper's world, where, in her first two hours, she's rescued from a disintegrating island by an improbable flying machine she recognizes from Jules Verne's Robur the Conqueror, then seized from it by raiders flying tiny personal helicopters, and finally taken to a submarine that bears a strong resemblance to Captain Nemo's Nautilus. Oh, and accused of being both a spy and a witch. Shawna expects--hopes!--Karl Yatsar will eventually follow her into this new steampunky realm, but exactly where and when he'll show up, she hasn't a clue. In the meantime, she has to navigate a world where two factions fanatically devoted to their respective leaders are locked in perpetual combat, figure out who the Shaper of the world is, find him or her, and obtain the secret knowledge of this world's Shaping. Then she has to somehow reconnect with Karl Yatsar, and escape to the next Shaped world in the Labyrinth...through a Portal she has no idea how to open. Where do you get your ideas for your books? Who or what inspired your idea? EW: Ideas come from everywhere. For example, my science-fiction novel The Cityborn began with a mental image of a towering city, squatting over a canyon filled with a massive garbage dump, in which there are people scavenging to survive. My YA science-fiction novel Andy Nebula: Interstellar Rock Star came out of an exhibit at the Saskatchewan Science Centre about how memory works, combined with a news item about teenaged Japanese pop stars who were one-hit wonders. In the book, there are aliens whose memory works differently, and Andy is plucked off the street to become a one-hit superstar—it’s drugs, rock and roll, and aliens for teenagers. For Worldshaper, the trigger was wondering what it would be like if the creators of fictional worlds could actually live in them. So, it can be a mental image, something I've read, or simply sitting and thinking, "What if...?" How did you develop the plot and your characters? Are your characters based on anyone? EW: My process of developing a story is to ask myself questions. In The Cityborn, for exampe, I asked myself, "Who are those people living in the garbage dump? Why are they there? Why has this city been fouling its environment for so long? Where did it come from? Who lives inside it?" Conflict, and hence plot, arises from the answers to those questions: the people in the garbage want into the city. What would they do if someone from the top of the city, where the rich people would logically live, ended up down in the garbage dump? Every answered question presents other questions that must be answered. I typically write writes a synopsis of maybe ten pages, not a chapter-by-chapter outline, just a rough description. I don't follow that synopsis particularly closely, though. The overall shape of the book is there, but the writing process may take me in a very different direction. For instance, in Terra Insegura, sequel to Marseguro, a character introduced only because a viewpoint character was needed in space while everyone else was on the surface of the planet became so important that I had to replot everything about two-thirds of the way in. A lot of this happens organically. I write fast, and the process feels seamless--things come out of my had through my fingers into the story. One sentence leads to another, which leads to new characters, new problems, new solutions. Characters arise from the story. Who'd be hurt? Who benefits? How are they in conflict with each other? Sometimes there are purely technical reasons for a character to be introduced (like the one mentioned in Terra Insegura, above). In Worldshaper, much of the story is written in first-person, but there were things I needed to reader to know my first-person character couldn't know, so I wrote a few third-person scenes, as well. Do you write when you're inspired? Or do you have a schedule you keep to? EW: I write all the time. If I'm not working on fiction, I have non-fiction to work on. So I write every day, but I'm not necessarily working on a novel every day. I type a LOT. Do you have any advice for aspiring authors? Maybe a piece of advice that stuck with you from your adventure into the world of publishing? EW: My advice to writers is always the same: read a lot, write a lot. You have to read (especially in your chosen genre) to understand how stories are put together, and to discover how other authors have solved the same problems you're trying to solve, of plotting and pacing and dialogue and description and more. And then you have to try to put it into practice. You learn to do by doing; you learn to write by writing, and by letting people read what you wrote (so you can find out if it's working or not) and then by revising and writing more. Try to make everything you write better than the last thing you wrote. Being a writer, someone once said, is like having homework every day of your life for the rest of your life. Tell us a bit more about yourself. How did you know you wanted to be a writer? Who or what inspires you to write? EW: I decided to be a writer in high school (where I wrote three novels, after having written shorter things before that). It came out of my voracious reading. I wanted to tell stories that would entertain and move other people the way my favorite books moved and entertained me. My other interests were music and art and science, but by about age sixteen I knew I wanted to be a writer. I went into journalism out of practicality: I figured I would be writing and getting paid for it, even if it wasn't the fiction I wanted to write, and then could write fiction on the side. Eventually, I quit my job and became a full-time writer. I still write as much non-fiction (or more) than fiction, because I have to make a living. It's all of a piece: using words to communicate with other people, to put your ideas into someone else's head. It's quite magical, when you think about it. How much of yourself goes into your writing? Or do you keep yourself separate and base the character on someone else entirely? EW: All my characters contain a piece of me because I'm the only human being whose inner workings I have access to. That said, I've never been a fifteen-year-old girl with magical powers or an alien with wings or a woman genetically modified to breathe under water, all of whom I number among the characters I've created. Still, at core, the only reason fiction works is that human beings are human beings. I start with the human being I know best, me, and then imagine how I might be different if I were an alien or a magical girl or a genetically modified mer-woman. What has helped shape and improve your writing? EW: Reading, as mentioned. Insightful editorial comment from the many editors I've worked with. And conversations with other writers (as in my podcast, The Worldshapers--one reason I started it). What are you reading right now? Do you recommend it or have any other recommendations? EW: I'm currently reading The Core, the final book in Peter V. Brett's Demon Cycle. I recommend that series highly, as I do the books of all the authors I've talked to in my podcast (currently, my fiction reading is largely dictated by which author I'm interviewing next, since I like to be prepared). Do your novels carry a message or do you feel it's subjective? EW: Messages arise organically from the fiction. I never preach, but of course my view of how the world works infuses my stories. But the message readers take from a work can be different from what an author thinks he or she put in there, anyway. What works best for you: Typewriters, fountain pen, dictate, computer or longhand? EW: I write on a laptop computer, but when I started, I wrote on a typewriter. I don't miss it. Edward Willett is an award-winning author of more than sixty books of science fiction, fantasy and non-fiction for readers of all ages.
Born in Silver City, New Mexico, Willett moved to Saskatchewan from Texas with his family when he was eight years old and grew up in the small city of Weyburn. He returned to the States to study journalism at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas, then came back to Weyburn as a reporter/photographer for the weekly Weyburn Review, eventually becoming news editor. In 1988 he moved to Regina, Saskatchewan, as communications officer for the Saskatchewan Science Centre, and in 1993 he became a fulltime freelance writer. He still resides in Regina. Willett's science fiction novel Marseguro (DAW Books) won the 2009 Aurora Award for best English-language science fiction or fantasy book by a Canadian author. He has also won a Saskatchewan Book Award for his YA fantasy Spirit Singer. He has been shortlisted for the Aurora Award and Saskatchewan Book Awards multiple times. Most recently, his short-story collection Paths to the Stars (Shadowpaw Press) was shortlisted for two Saskatchewan book Awards. His novel Worldshaper (DAW Books) has been long-listed for Canada's Sunburst Award for speculative fiction, in the YA category. Other novels include SF novel Lost in Translation (DAW Books), Terra Insegura (sequel to Marseguro, DAW Books), Magebane (DAW Books, written as Lee Arthur Chane), and the young-adult science fiction novel Andy Nebula: Interstellar Rock Star. In the works, in addition to the next Worldshapers book: a dark-fantasy YA novel, featuring shapeshifters, for ChiZine Publications. Willett's non-fiction titles run the gamut from science books for children on topics as diverse as Ebola Virus and the Milky Way to local history books like Historic Walks of Regina and Moose Jaw for Red Deer Press, awarded a Municipal Heritage Award by the City of Regina in the education category and A Safe and Prosperous Future: 100 years of engineering and geoscience achievements in Saskatchewan, published by the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan (APEGS). He's also written biographies for children of Janis Joplin, Jimmy Hendrix, Johnny Cash, Andy Warhol, Orson Scott Card, J.R.R. Tolkien and the Ayatollah Khomeini. You can find Ed online at www.edwardwillett.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter @ewillett. He is represented by literary agent Ethan Ellenberg (www.ethanellenberg.com). Besides being a writer, Willett is a professional actor and singer who has performed in dozens of plays, musicals and operas in and around Saskatchewan, hosted local television programs, and emceed numerous public events. He hosts The Worldshapers podcast (www.theworldshapers.com), featuring conversations with other science fiction and fantasy authors about the their creative process. He's married to an engineer, and has one daughter. Genre: Historical Publisher: Medina Publishing Publication Date: January 19, 2020 Add to GoodReads Buy: Medina Publishing In the early 1920's, immaculate gentleman, Jacques Doucet descends into the world of anarchist art, the occult and the dark turmoil of his past - involving the death of his beloved Madame R. A disastrous journey leads the couturier and patron of the arts to confront the celebrated bohemians of the city, including Max Jacob, André Breton and Pablo Picasso. When troubled Doucet acquires the world's most dangerous painting, it causes him to hack at the root of Picasso's darkest secrets. Doucet showcases a fabulous art collection with such frenzied energy he destroys himself. Unwittingly in the process he discovers modern art's incredible genesis. Where do you get your ideas for your books? Who or what inspired your idea? CF: My dad Ray is an inspirational person who has worked on a wide range of amazing projects and I have worked alongside him for many years. He is a polymath, practical as well as academic. He wrote a thesis on the great collector Jacques Doucet in the eighties. Every now and again a story comes along that is so powerful it has to be told and this is one of them.The subject propelled us into working on it for more than 10 years firstly as a screenplay and then as a novel. For a time Ray was a collector of art deco furniture - reaching great heights with his acquisitions and exhibitions of items by top French designers. The quality and value of French furniture from around this period is staggering. Ray discovered that the strand of art deco commissioned by and designed for Jacques Doucet, was prized above all the rest. Doucet was also the first buyer of 'Les Demoiselles d’Avignon', known as the first cubist painting and this is the focus and most fascinating part of our story. How did you develop the plot and your characters? Are your characters based on anyone? CF: Our characters are taken from real life. We have tried to follow true history as far as we possibly can. Certain characters, most particularly Picasso is so well documented that it is imperative to stay faithful to what is known and recorded, to a high degree of 'accuracy.' Where there are blanks in the history we have attempted to fill them in. Do you write when you're inspired? Or do you have a schedule you keep to? CF: We bounce ideas off each other all the time. There has been times when our creative discussions last for hours and it becomes a really meditative thing, so that we barely stop for breaks even. We work regularly together during office hours and separately at home the rest of the time but inspiration is fickle beast and can come day or night or not at all. Do you have any advice for aspiring authors? Maybe a piece of advice that stuck with you from your adventure into the world of publishing? CF: Just keep writing. Really don't worry about the quality of it if you are in practice mode. Give yourself freedom to explore. When writing for others raise your game and be as fastidious as you can bear to be. Tell us a bit more about yourself. How did you know you wanted to be a writer? Who or what inspires you to write? CF: I have an identical twin . She and I shared everything as children - classes, hobbies, friends as well as being room mates.The only thing that distinguished us was the day that I was selected to attend 'the Rosebuds' - a group of elite writers. This changed my relationship with the world and made me wonder if I was a writer. How much of yourself goes into your writing? Or do you keep yourself separate and base the character on someone else entirely? CF: There is for me a big part of myself in it. You wouldn't necessarily recognise me though. Sometimes I am presenting a self I explore rarely, or aspire to being, or used to be. My compatriots are there too; my children pop up, as well as friends, relatives and acquaintances. What has helped shape and improve your writing? CF: Masses and masses of reading (in my youth particularly ) and writing practice. Careful critical consideration of anything and everything I have written previously. A fascination with poetry and song lyrics. Being a child of the sixties helped. It was a very creative period. An early inspiration for me was Bob Dylan, who led me into exploring loads of different writers and poets. What are you reading right now? Do you recommend it or have any other recommendations? CF: 'Selling Hitler' by Robert Harris. Yes its a great read. It is fascinating to see in microcosm how much people will believe if they really want to, especially when large sums of money beckon. Do your novels carry a message or do you feel it's subjective? CF: Most stories have some kind of moral premise, 'Picasso's Revenge' too. It wasn't especially intentional but ours developed around the notion that money and talent cannot necessarily buy you happiness. Also that you can search in all the wrong places for love and find it may be there under your nose all the time. There are others in there too but I must not give too much away. What works best for you: Typewriters, fountain pen, dictate, computer or longhand? CF: A combination. Largely the computer these days. I fractured my hand during the writing of the novel and discovered dictation to the computer is very user-friendly these days. I am an author, playwright and teacher and have worked alongside my father Ray Foulk on various projects in art, environment, screenwriting and architecture. In recent times we have written a play and published two memoirs. We are soon to release our first novel, 'Picasso's Revenge.' Contact AuthorsGenre: Science-Fiction, Fantasy, Romance Publication Date: April 5, 2019 Pages: 324 Add to GoodReads Buy: Books2Read SynopsisFor centuries, Earth has served as the battleground for a secret war between a reptilian alien species and the clandestine human organization dedicated to eradicating this extraterrestrial threat. But when a single woman becomes the focal point of this brutal conflict, the fate of the planet alters forever... Life hasn't been easy for Riley Anbar since her grandmother's death. Between struggling to run the family business, dealing with troubling psychic visions, and puzzling over unanswered questions about the parents she never knew, Riley is doing her best just to get by. After a pair of chance encounters with two mysterious men, Riley finds herself thrust into danger as both human and alien forces converge on her once-ordinary life. But in this war, there is no clear boundary between good and evil. Both factions are determined to use Riley for their own ends, and they're willing to endanger everyone around her to achieve their goals. Caught between the two men who have captured her heart and the secrets of her own past, what choice will Riley make when she discovers neither side is in the right? Interview1. Where do you get your ideas for your books? Who or what inspired your idea? While aliens, the weird and unexplained, tend to be our topics, we often inspire each other. Michelle has a love of science while Amanda heavily researches conspiracy theories. Then we put our heads together, bouncing our ideas back and forth until something sticks. 2. How did you develop the plot and your characters? Are your characters based on anyone? Our characters are like real people in our heads. For Amanda, Riley was the first to appear. She popped up in her metaphysical shop and two very different men wanted a reading. Of course she fell for both of them. Even though this never made it to the final cut of the book - we've developed these characters from this inception. 3. Do you write when you're inspired? Or do you have a schedule you keep to? Michelle- I write when I can get a moment to breathe without the children using me as playground equipment, but typically when I am inspired and have a good jam playing. I'm NOT good at schedules. Amanda- Both! I'm inspired all the time. I tend to have multiple manuscripts in different stages of development, but it's a matter of sitting down and scheduling. I try and clear big chunks of time to sit and write, even though having three kids makes that hard, I prioritize writing as a necessity in life. 4. Do you have any advice for aspiring authors? Maybe a piece of advice that stuck with you from your adventure into the world of publishing? Amanda's advice- I'm not big on giving other advice. Everything you do in life only works because you want to make it work. If you want it so bad, then what are you doing each day to build towards your goal. Writing is one of those things that has to have other elements around it other than the actual writing. For me, its eating healthy, making sure I get off the computer, finding new music, reading widely, and making sure I spend heaps of time with my family. If I neglect these things, then I find my writing falls short and flat. So having a balance lifts me up and the writing becomes rewarding. Michelle- Keep writing. If it sucks. Write it again. The first draft is never great, and even the 30th will need polishing. Just. Keep. Writing. 5. Tell us a bit more about yourself. How did you know you wanted to be a writer? Who or what inspires you to write? Amanda- I've always been an artist. Growing up I painted everything - bedroom walls, old furniture, whatever I could get my hands on. But when I became a mom, my art was too hard. A friend gave me a book to read - Twilight! By the end of the series, my dreams changed - I was dreaming of stories that I could write myself. Michelle- I started out by doodling on every blank space of paper I could. Homework...doodled. Notebooks...doodled. I drew, colored, painted, and apparently (discovered recently) was writing stories even before I knew it was what I wanted to do 'when I grew up.' In my teens I wrote poetry, probably wouldn't want them to see the light of day now though, and still drew on every edge of paper I had in sight. I suppose I have always wanted to be a writer, but it wasn't until I sat down and wrote my first novel for a client as a ghostwriter that I realized I could actually do it. 6. How much of yourself goes into your writing? Or do you keep yourself separate and base the character on someone else entirely? Amanda- that's a hard question. I tend to not put myself into a character. But is there clear separation? Hard to say. I find that I follow the characters in my head a clearly as I see them. Or perhaps they are just personas of my subconscious. Michelle- The characters decide for themselves. I just write their stories. Do I sometimes see myself in my characters? Probably. I have one character that is a vegan...and I am a vegan...so there is that? lol. 7. What has helped shape and improve your writing? Amanda- Michelle! having someone by your side pointing out the good, the bad and the ugly parts of writing has made me jump from pretending to be a writer to an actual writer. And I'm just so lucky to be able to have a book out there with her. Michelle- Amanda has been a great soundboard, cheerleader, and soul sister from across the planet. I think that just like language, writing is ever evolving. It's a living entity and I don't think I will ever stop working on improving my writing. And the only way to keep improving the writing is...writing. This book wouldn't even be if it wasn't for her pushing and motivating me to keep going and encouraging me when I wasn't at my best. 8. What are you reading right now? Do you recommend it or have any other recommendations? Amanda- I recently just finished The Discovery of Witches. But generally I read lots of non-fiction. Currently I'm in the last chapter of Chariots of the Gods by Erich von Däniken. Michelle- Oh jeebus. Okay. Asunder by Liz Steinworth. Always Darkest by Jessica Flaherty. Storm Front by Jim Butcher. Eye of the World by Robert Jordan (second reading). And whatever new gems I find at the Library my next visit lol. 9. Do your novels carry a message or do you feel it's subjective? Amanda- Not intentional. Michelle researches so much of science whereas I heavily research in conspiracy theories. I guess if the reader doesn't know these fields, they might take messages out from the book, although this is unintentional. Michelle- I want to write novels that carry a message of my own devising, but I haven't decided on what message to send. Writing with Amanda, we definitely aren't sending a message intentionally, but it could be there. Writing on my own...well, I am a romance writer by nature, so I guess my message is love. 10. What works best for you: Typewriters, fountain pen, dictate, computer or longhand? Amanda- I tend to go back and forth between computer and long hand. Sitting on the computer for most of the day can be a drain, so I like to get out, into the sunshine and write by hand. All of my summaries, and research is done by hand, but if my brain goes into overdrive, then I have to be at a keyboard to keep up Michelle- Definitely my Chromebook. My handwriting is atrocious. I can't even decipher that scratch. I would love a typewriter, but I feel my patience level wouldn't be able to stand it. Also, I love having the internet at the ready for anything I need to look up mid writing. About the AuthorsMichelle Crow & A. A. Warne are soul sisters living on the opposite sides of this planet. Writing speculative fiction and researching the odd and esoteric, Michelle specializes in the lighter side of life, while Amanda tends to go dark. When they aren't binging coffee and having their noses buried in books, they're writing them! Mothers to three little kidlets each, they also have fur babies, and wonderfully dedicated--and supportive--husbands. Connect with MichelleConnect with AmandaGenre: Fantasy, Young Adult Publisher: Riversong Books Publication Date: November 15, 2017 Pages: 295 Add to GoodReads Buy: Amazon SynopsisSixteen-year-old Niena wants nothing more than to attend an elite bardic college, but when the dragon that shattered the empire awakens again she finds herself on the run, through the fey realm of Fairhome, to the city where she was born. On her trail are her army veteran grandfather, thrown into a commander's role he doesn't want, the lord of the fairies, trying to steer her to his own ends, and the husband she won't meet for fifteen years. If she kills the dragon, she'll save everyone she holds dear. But if she kills the dragon, she's cursed instead to become it. About S.D.Stephen Reeves was born in 1980 in Huntsville, Alabama, but grew up in a small community just on the edge called Madison. His writing career began during a boring math class in college and has blossomed over the last couple of decades into something decidedly not boring. His works have been published in numerous zines including The Blotter, Chantwood, Yellow Chair Review, and The Writers Drawer. Stephen has also reviewed books for Oxford University Press, including Micheal Newtons Victorian Fairy Tales. Curses of Scale is his debut novel, written over the course of four years in the inspirational country of Switzerland, where he now resides with his wife, two cats, and an obsessive Pomeranian. InterviewWhere do you get your ideas for your books? Who or what inspired your idea? S.D.R: Seems to be rather a mishmash of things. Characters? Often are inspired by people that stand out to me. Locations? Moving to Switzerland has definitely helped with inspirational landscapes. The city of Shenan for instance, is loosely based off the Bellazona. As far as the plot, part of me wants to be silly here and say 'Alcohol,' but the reality is usually the development of the characters drive the creation of my plot. How did you develop the plot and your characters? Are your characters based on anyone? S.D.R: It may sound a bit strange, but I tend to have conversations with my characters. Imagining them to be real, flesh and blood beings helps me to get to the meat of who they are. Thankfully my wife is around to keep me from being locked away. Beyond that, they have pieces pulled from regular folk I encounter, and my own madness. Marny for instance, was based off one of my wife's friends whom I met during a early Empire period (1805) re-enactment, his particular personality of the old-gruff-captain just struck me. The plot just, sort of develops along side. Sure, I often have a general idea of where I am going, but how I get there is a bit of a journey. Do you write when you're inspired? Or do you have a schedule you keep to? S.D.R: Most of the time I write when I feel like it, however lately I've been writing a lot during my lunch breaks where I work. Do you have any advice for aspiring authors? Maybe a piece of advice that stuck with you from your adventure into the world of publishing? S.D.R: I have found when trying to market my book that while researching similar novels was helpful, it always came down to trial-and-error. So keep that in mind when you get emails promising to help you sell thousands of books, and what not. Tell us a bit more about yourself. How did you know you wanted to be a writer? Who or what inspires you to write? S.D.R: This is a bit harder to explain. I just feel a need to do it. Some writers will say that they have so many stories they want to tell. For me, it is a bit different. I have some many characters I would like to put to a story. How much of yourself goes into your writing? Or do you keep yourself separate and base the character on someone else entirely? S.D.R: I try to keep myself separate, but there is always going to be some cross over. What has helped shape and improve your writing? S.D.R: Reading critiques, not of my own writing, but of others. Beyond this I would say writing, has helped my writing. What are you reading right now? Do you recommend it or have any other recommendations? S.D.R: Right now I am reading a piece of literature for another author. Can't say that I would recommend it yet, but I am very picky. Personally I would suggest "The Bear and the Nightingale," by Katherine Arden, if you like historical fantasy. Do your novels carry a message or do you feel it's subjective? S.D.R: My novels tend to not carry a specific, singular message. At least not intentionally. What works best for you: Typewriters, fountain pen, dictate, computer or longhand? S.D.R: A laptop, with a mechanical keyboard if I can. Connect with S.D.Dennis K. Hausker was born and raised in Michigan. Now retired, he and his wife love to travel. He is a prolific author, plays golf, and follows his Michigan State University Spartans. "I was aiming at an audience that likes battle sagas, but also I wanted to explore the aftermath." Where do you get your ideas for your books? Who or what inspired your idea? DKH: I just enjoy writing. How did you develop the plot and your characters? Are your characters based on anyone? DKH: No, they're fictional. I'm a story-line oriented writer. Do you write when you're inspired? Or do you have a schedule you keep to? DKH: I'm retired so I write on no particular schedule. Do you have any advice for aspiring authors? Maybe a piece of advice that stuck with you from your adventure into the world of publishing? DKH: Don't give up when facing the challenges of publishing your work. Tell us a bit more about yourself. How did you know you wanted to be a writer? Who or what inspires you to write? DKH: Basically, I started writing after retirement when I had time at last. I have concerns about the sorry state of our country so those concerns tend to bleed into the stories to a certain extent. My characters aren't sanitized, but I try to humanize them with all the normal human frailties. How much of yourself goes into your writing? Or do you keep yourself separate and base the character on someone else entirely? DKH: I don't try to relate any of my books to personal history other than a little of having been in the Vietnam War. What has helped shape and improve your writing? DKH: Dealing with various editors from the publishers and attending a writers conference in New York. What are you reading right now? Do you recommend it or have any other recommendations? DKH: Michele Obama's book. My favorite author has always been Michael Crichton. Do your novels carry a message or do you feel it's subjective? DKH: I tend to write possibilities. In many cases, I write in a way to allude to behaviors of characters where I leave it to the reader to choose. Did the woman do this, or not? All of us are flawed, so I write characters accordingly. What works best for you: Typewriters, fountain pen, dictate, computer or longhand? DKH: Computer. Thank you to Dennis for providing us with this interview! Don't forget to stop by and check his book Echo Three Tango (links and synopsis below!). Genre: Military, Science Fiction, Romance Publisher: Strategic Book Publishing & Rights Co. Publication Date: 2018 Pages: 242 Add to GoodReads Buy: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo SynopsisEcho Three Tango, E3T, is dropped into a war zone on a new planet facing a savage foe capable of destroying all life forms. Surviving the forced retreat of their E3T corps, Bret and a small band of his Federation soldiers are stranded and left behind to create a new society. Contact DennisGenre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Almond Jones LLC Publication Date: July 31, 2018 Pages: 476 Add to Goodreads Buy on: Almond Jones | Amazon | B&N Synopsis Celeste Bonalee is anything but average. In fact, she's one of a kind - a highly skilled courier pilot with dreams of owning her own hangar. One last delivery is all she needs. There's only one thing stopping her... World War II. When Celeste is shot down over Paris in 1940, it'll take more than she ever expected for Celeste and her dreams to survive in a world that is falling apart. Can Celeste and her wingmen make it back home in one piece? Or will war consume her generation and its aspirations? WINGMEN is the story of us all and the lessons we have yet to learn. Grab your Free Chapter of Wingmen Interview Where do you get your ideas for your books? Who or what inspired your idea? AJ: I write because I have a story to tell. My ideas come from stories that need to be told. We live in a time where there is a strong need for people to understand each other. That is a large part of this story. How did you develop the plot and your characters? Are your characters based on anyone? AJ: No, my characters aren’t based on anyone. I pull them from my imagination. Once I know my characters, I know their story and what they will and won’t do. Do you write when you're inspired? Or do you have a schedule you keep to? AJ: I write consistently. If I’m working on a project, I write a little bit everyday. If I’m starting a new project, depending on what it is, I do the character work first. Then I can write. Do you have any advice for aspiring authors? Maybe a piece of advice that stuck with you from your adventure into the world of publishing? AJ: Write the story. Figure it out. No one is going to tell you how to do it or how they did it, so get to work. Tell us a bit more about yourself. How did you know you wanted to be a writer? Who or what inspires you to write? AJ: I didn’t know I wanted to be a writer. In fact, I tried everything I could not to be one, but God had other things in mind. It was something that took years to figure out. So, I’m just getting started. How much of yourself goes into your writing? Or do you keep yourself separate and base the character on someone else entirely? AJ: I separate myself from all my characters. They react differently than I would and make different choices. It’s difficult to write about myself, so I make sure my characters are their own person. What has helped shape and improve your writing? AJ: Getting an editor and other industry professionals to proof my drafts. They can tell me things about my writing that will help me write a better draft and get my projects to where they need to be to proceed to the next phase. What are you reading right now? Do you recommend it or have any other recommendations? AJ: I lean toward nonfiction in my personal reading times. I finished reading Redefining Moments in Black History: Reading Between the Lies by Dick Gregory a few months ago. I’m looking for my next good read. Connect with Almond Jones
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy Publisher: On the Fly Publications Publication Date: March 5, 2018 Pages: 440 Add to Goodreads Synopsis SHADOW IS AZH’NAHN, A POWERLESS MAGE born into a culture that prides itself in sharing the earth’s powers. When he chooses a life of voluntary exile to preserve his family’s honor, Shadow receives a mysterious call to witness the unearthing of kotrakoy, treacherous telepathic beasts with four wings and four rows of teeth. As he watches their unholy resurrection with great horror, kotrakoy open their minds to his and offer a glimpse into what life would be like wielding a mage’s powers. As Shadow races to warn his people of the impending threat, he stumbles into an unexpected romance, an unwanted leadership position fraught with treachery, and the creepy Mists of Ishmandool. Soon a superstitious tech race begins bombing his people and magic evolves, leaving Shadow’s people crippled and defenseless. When he announces that he's unlocked the secret to the new magic and the key to defeating enemy troops, few are ready to listen. To be fair, his solution suffers a few fatal flaws, the least of which is that it risks the complete annihilation of his people. Worse, it’s unprecedented and UNPROVEN. Where to Buy About the Author Drew explores what happens when technology clashes with magic. He’s been compared to Ursula LeGuin (Harry Potter’s biggest influence), Elaine Cunningham (queen of dark fantasy and Forgotten Realms), and Fydor Dostoevsky (godfather of Crime and Punishment), but he takes his greatest pride in the fact that he can juggle more balls than any other author on the planet. His books feature post-apocalyptic genetically engineered humans joining forces with magically empowered aliens (Moon 514), superstitious steampunk societies warring with a magical society temporarily deprived of its magic (Unproven), high-tech assassins trying to distinguish memory implants from reality (Assassin Hunter), drug enhanced magic systems (Slice), psionically gifted dragons, telepathic griffons, symbiotic vampiric vines, and entrancing world building. He aims to deliver thriller pacing a la Dan Brown and tightly outlined Brandon Sanderson-esque plots all while exploring deeply personal character growth. He accidentally found himself a bestselling author in YA SFF Steampunk (#1) and Action & Adventure (#2)(Unproven) and SFF Anthologies (#1)(5 Blades) and a Top 5 Author at SciFiFantasyFreak.com (Moon 514). Currently, Drew’s working on a screenplay for Unproven (as a teen animated series) and Sea Dragon Apocalypse (a technothriller-epic-fantasy-mashup). Connect with Author Interview Where do you get your ideas for your books? Who or what inspired your idea?
DB: I find ideas everywhere (books, movies, advertisements, history, science articles, etc.) but often, the most inspiring ideas for me come from fantasy art. The first scene from Unproven came from a painting I found where a group of people come across what appears to be dinosaur bones but they are intact as if on display at a museum - but they are half buried. I started asking myself questions about the painting. Who were these people? What were they searching for? Are those dragon bones? Why are they intact but half buried? About the same time, I came across an article about microraptors that really inspired me and voila, I began writing a story about the unearthing of kotrakoy, the cursed beasts of Ali'ikiswan. How did you develop the plot and your characters? Are your characters based on anyone? DB: I attended FantasyCon. An editor there complained that no one was writing about conflicts between tech societies and magical societies. I spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about that and researching a tech society that wouldn't overwhelm a magical society if they were at war. By surprise, I ended up writing about a steampunk society warring with a magical society, but that wasn't creative enough for me. I wanted something more interesting than a simple political conflict so I started looking for a character I hadn't seen in literature I'd read before. Brandon Sanderson thinks like this so I took a page from his book, so to speak. I ended up with a self-exiling, powerless mage who stumbled upon the scene I described above, which in turn became one of a few precipitating events to begin a war between the two societies. My characters are often based on someone. I usually pick a few of my own traits to create a foundation for my main character. I find this allows me to more intuitively know how he or she will react to events and it allows me to write more authentically. All of us have several character traits so it is easy to choose a few and rotate for each book. I took a course by David Farland about character development that helped me tremendously with Unproven. I spent time with each character, asking myself who they were most like (using people I know). Then, I asked questions about how they felt about what the main character was doing, how loyal they could be to the main character, how their motivations aligned with the main character and how they might run into conflict with the main character's aspirations. After exploring these and many similar questions, I ended up with characters that were fairly well flushed out and with subplots that made the story much more interesting. Do you write when you're inspired? Or do you have a schedule you keep to? DB: Both. When I can write every day, I usually feel very inspired and happy to write. The only times I'm not inspired to write are when something bad is happening in my personal life that keeps me from being able to slip into fantasy land ... and frankly, that takes a lot. So, I try to keep a schedule. When I'm not on a schedule, I find myself getting more and more anxious to write so when the time arrives that I can sit down to write, I'm more than ready and the juices are flowing. Do you have any advice for aspiring authors? Maybe a piece of advice that stuck with you from your adventure into the world of publishing? DB: There are many things required of authors in today's society. Even if you find a traditional publisher, you'll likely need to learn how to market on your own or else your sales may lag. My advice is to take a step back, look at the big picture, and learn everything there is to learn about the industry, whether that is how to write an engaging query letter or how to use effective keywords on Amazon or how to avoid using too many plot cliches while keeping your story grounded in familiar tropes that audiences are looking for. Everyone has their own unique weaknesses so don't be afraid to find yours and tackle it. For me, that's been marketing and not writing too high brow. For others, it may be writing a story that is truly unique. Whatever it is, don't allow yourself to be blind to your weakness or to use excuses that allow you to remain in that weakness. Tell us a bit more about yourself. How did you know you wanted to be a writer? Who or what inspires you to write? DB: I took a creative writing class in high school and realized that this was something I really enjoyed. As life's journey progressed, I found myself telling bedtime stories to my children and wanting to write them down so I wouldn't forget. Then, I started writing on Wattpad with my daughter to support her efforts. By surprise, I found myself #2 on Wattpad and writing furiously to publish at least one chapter per week to keep fans happy. That was it. I was hooked. I don't know what inspires me to write. I could say art or stories or other things that inspire stories in me but what inspires me to want to write in the first place ... that is too deeply philosophical for me to answer. What makes you like chocolate? I don't care for chocolate but many people are really passionate about it. I've written a dozen books. I literally have five or six others in progress (some non-fiction as well as fiction). I focus on one to ensure it gets finished but others are very close to my conscious mind, begging for their turn. I don't know what makes me like that. DNA. Spirit. OCD. All three. Who knows? How much of yourself goes into your writing? Or do you keep yourself separate and base the character on someone else entirely? DB: Both. What I relish the most about writing is putting myself in someone else's head and trying to think like them. Even when I base a character on myself, I give him/her traits that are very different from me and I put them in situations I'd never be in so I have to think like they think. For instance, I'd never really think, "which spell will help me get out of this situation safely?" but when I'm writing, I think those thoughts frequently. I first realized this was a very enjoyable thing about writing when I wrote a chapter from an aging black dragon's perspective. That was probably the most engaging chapter I've ever written from an author's point of view. It changed my world. What has helped shape and improve your writing? DB: Masterclasses and the Great Courses and other writing course. I'm constantly taking new courses to hone my skills and to make me think from a different perspective. What are you reading right now? Do you recommend it or have any other recommendations? DB: Tagana. I'm not sure if I'd recommend it or not. It's a best seller so it must have something worthy of attention but it's a bit slow moving right now. I know better than to give up on a novel like that (though I did give up on Name of the Wind because it didn't feel like it had a plot after 100 pages) so I'll keep reading but so far, it's only okay. A few months ago I read This Mortal Coil. That was a fun read and it was mostly very creative. Bonus Questions: Do your novels carry a message or do you feel it's subjective? DB: My novels definitely carry messages, though I don't always plot them out. Unproven, for example, deals with mental illness as a subplot but I never planned that. It just happened. My wife had been recently diagnosed with a severe mental illness so it was hounding my subconsciousness, I guess. Other themes can similarly be unintentional. Usually, I discover them while doing a broad edit and enhance them so that they are more meaningful and usually, I try to keep them subtle anyway. What works best for you: Typewriters, fountain pen, dictate, computer or longhand? DB: Scrivener. Hands down. Genre: Horror, Supernatural, Anthology Publisher: Troubador Publication Date: February 19, 2016 Pages: 144 Add to GoodReads Synopsis The ‘Wakeful Children’ anthology by S P Oldham showcases eleven short tales of the horror and supernatural genre. There’s something for everyone’s taste here, providing you are looking for a scare! Ranging from the mildly spooky to the outright graphic and gory, these highly original, imaginative stories, finely scattered with a touch of dark humour, are definitely not for children. Grown-ups only please, though be warned, even you may want to keep the lights on whilst reading... via goodreads About the Author S P Oldham: I live in the Sirhowy Valley in beautiful South Wales, UK. I have been writing stories and poetry since childhood. My first success was a poem called ‘Pegasus’ which I was thrilled to have accepted for publication by the village newspaper at the age of 12. Since then I have been published in various anthologies, calendars and eZines, greetings cards and other media, as well as having a short story broadcast on Rutland Radio’s Sunday Night Story. I only ventured into the world of Self-Publishing in February 2015. I write primarily in the Horror and Speculative Fiction/ Supernatural genre. I currently have five horror fiction books available on Amazon and am in the process of writing a sixth. Connect with the author Interview Where do you get your ideas for your books? Who or what inspired your idea?
SPO: The inspiration for my stories comes from all sorts of places, often unexpected and sometimes unexplained. It can come from an overheard snippet of conversation, something I have seen in passing and so on. A good example is an especially vivid dream which became 'Sleep, Think, Die,' a story about the zombie apocalypse. This story ended up being a trilogy. Another example is when I overheard a young child mispronouncing 'Madagascar' as 'Mad Gasher.' He became a prominent character in the first book of the trilogy. How did you develop the plot and your characters? Are your characters based on anyone? SPO: I try not to base my characters on people, although I may borrow a trait or a characteristic. I often think that writers subconsciously create characters that my be based in part on 'real' people. Speaking for myself, I don't do this deliberately. Do you write when you're inspired? Or do you have a schedule you keep to? SPO: I write when I am inspired, in the main. This can often mean in the wee small hours, when everyone else is asleep. I know this is a cliche but in my case, for reasons I won't bore you with here, it is true! Usually with my little Cocker Spaniel for company. The only schedules I have to keep are self-imposed in the main. I try to be disciplined but it is not always easy! Do you have any advice for aspiring authors? Maybe a piece of advice that stuck with you from your adventure into the world of publishing? SPO: Don't give up! Learn from your mistakes, take on board constructive criticism and professional advice whenever you are fortunate enough to receive it, and learn from it. Don't let the detractors and nay-sayers stop you. No matter the size of your audience, just keep writing. And keep reading too - it helps enormously and you learn so much without even realising it. Plus of course, it is thoroughly enjoyable. Tell us a bit more about yourself. How did you know you wanted to be a writer? Who or what inspires you to write? SPO: Another cliche coming up, but again, it is true. I have always had the desire to write. Ever since I was a very small child, I was writing little stories and poems, and I just kept on doing it. The older I got, the more I wrote (when other commitments allowed) and the more willing I became to share it with audiences other than my family. I have learned a tremendous amount in the process and I am still learning. How much of yourself goes into your writing? Or do you keep yourself separate and base the character on someone else entirely? SPO: In terms of passion, intention and a desire to tell the story, I put a lot of myself into my writing. However, I don't believe I have ever based any character upon myself. I prefer to keep them at arms length, so to speak, so that I can observe their actions and dialogue and 'keep it real' as far as is possible. I don't necessarily base my characters on anyone, at least not knowingly, though I borrow certain traits, I am sure. What has helped shape and improve your writing? SPO: Practice! Just keep writing, keep reading, be willing to accept that you are not perfect and that you make mistakes, some of them so glaringly obvious you feel like banging the keyboard off your head, others that only those in the know can spot and if you are lucky, they will point out to you. Be open to feedback, both good and bad, be prepared to learn from it but don't allow yourself to be so changed as a writer that you no longer recognise yourself or your story. What are you reading right now? Do you recommend it or have any other recommendations? SPO: I have just finished reading The Falcon of Sparta by Conn Iggulden. I would recommend any of his work to lovers of historical fiction, especially the Conqueror series depicting the life of Genghis Khan. Excellent writing and a thoroughly absorbing read. Do your novels carry a message or do you feel it's subjective? SPO: I never intentionally write a message into my work, so it always fascinates me when readers find one anyway. That is the beauty of creative writing, in particular poetry - it allows the reader to interpret it as they may. Wonderful! What works best for you: Typewriters, fountain pen, dictate, computer or longhand? SPO: All of the above, with the exception of dictation. I need to see the written words on the page as I go along. Dictation has its place, but it is not what I would naturally revert to. I do the bulk of my writing on the keyboard, but now and then I need to do things the old-fashioned way and put pen to paper. It is useful to keep a pen and pad close to hand, to jot down those unexpected ideas that just form in your head out of nowhere, too. For instance, at 2 am or when you are staring out of the bus window... Thank you to S P Oldham for kindly providing us with this awesome interview!- Leticia
About the Book
Germany, 1954. Jozef grows up in a happy household – so it seems. But his father Gerhard still harbours disturbing National Socialism ideals, while mother Catharina is quietly broken. She cannot feign happiness for much longer and rediscovers love elsewhere. Jozef is uncertain and alone. Who is he? Are Gerhard and Catharina his real parents?
A dark mystery gradually unfolds, revealing an inescapable truth the entire nation is afraid to confront. But Jozef is determined to find out about the past and a horror is finally unmasked which continues to question our idea of what, in the last hour, makes each of us human. A terrifying and heartbreaking story. Where to Buy
Interview
Who or what inspired your novel?
GB: One person, Juliet – my wife. She is the most amazing, most kind and warm person I have ever met. She has a spinal cord injury from a car accident and naturally got me interested in disability rights and how they are behind civil and gay rights as effective movements and forces of real change today. The stories I could tell you about a lack of disabled rights here in the UK – through my shared experiences with Juliet - would take your breath away. Equally, I think attitudes are changing and have changed. People are more understanding and tolerant. The big thing for me maybe now would be the commercial world and big business has to adapt to make places – shops, hotels, restaurants – much, much more accessible. Access, even in a brand new hotel say, is often quite poor and unacceptable for the higher premium they force disabled people to pay. It’s a quiet scandal in this country no-one is really addressing. What would you say is the genre of your novel? GB: Historical fiction. How did you develop your plot and characters? GB: I had the plot in the back of my mind for a while. Then it all just came together in a moment when I wasn’t consciously thinking about it. I knew then where I was starting from and where I wanted to end. The rest I honestly didn’t really think through, which was naïve and foolish. I just went for it. I read a lovely quote – I can’t remember by who now – that all a writer can do is follow his lead characters and try and keep up. I felt like that a lot of the time. The plot just grew organically while I was writing. I was very, very lucky I didn’t really go off piste. Who or what inspired your protagonist? GB: Apologies! I am very politely not going to answer that one. All I will add is that I believe in leaving mystery to the reader. People can read what they want into things. As a reader and viewer, that’s how I like to be treated, so I in A Quiet Genocide I am returning that courtesy. Who or what inspired your antagonist? GB: I can honestly answer this question and say nobody. Who then? I don’t really know – subconsciously then a complete mix of lots and lots of characters from lots of books and films and dramas I have read and watched over the years. What was the most difficult part to write in the book? GB: The climax, certainly – creating that drama and fitting finale, and ending the race, so to speak after all the build-up of pace and events throughout the second half of the story. Lots of intense writing and then forensic sharpening up of chapters afterwards. The final scene itself – and the final punchline to the plot - came very quickly and naturally though, conversely. Maybe I had earned that bit of luck. What was your favourite part of your book to write? GB: The middle part of the story where Jozef, the main character leaves home and tries to find his feet at university. I just enjoyed writing it. It felt good; it felt like my story was really working. I was happy in that flow.
Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?
GB: I studied modern history at university [in Dundee, Scotland] and got a first job in regional newspapers, as a trainee reporter in Lincolnshire about an hour from where I grew up. It was a tiny weekly paper with only five reporters – and four of us were trainees on terrible money. But it was great fun; really exciting; I loved it. Everyone did a bit of everything really. I used to do court reporting in the week, which was in on old converted church, so the press bench really was a bench and an old pew. You had a numb bum by lunch! I also reported on football, my love at the weekend. It was a special time, looking back. Who or what inspired you to be an author? GB: My inspiration to become an author really came from a sheer of love of writing and of writing for people potentially interested in the stories I had to tell. If I had to name one person it would be my English teacher from my teenage years at school, Mr Roger Staniforth. A fantastic man and mentor, who – 100 per cent – is embodied in the character Herr Slupski in A Quiet Genocide. Are you a full time or a part time writer? If part time, what do you do besides write? GB: I am very much a part-time author. Full-time, I work in content and communications for a company in finance in Berkshire, west of London. What are you currently reading? GB: I am currently reading Savage Continent, a wonderful and breathtakingly comprehensive history of mainland Europe in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. It is by Keith Lowe. Keith’s history – of how whole communities and places had literally disappeared by 1945 – inspired the front cover of A Quiet Genocide. That idea and image of total absence and decay of things we have left unattended. What are some of your favourite books or authors? GB: There is a theme here. I love Catch-22 by Joseph Heller and Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. Pioneers and titans really of 20th century literature. Their work is fearless and immensely moving, in a way that can inspire and change the way you view history. What are your future projects, if any? GB: None at present. I just need that seed of an idea though and that deep urge to follow it, and I might be very quickly away again! What is your preferred method for readers to get in touch with you and your books? GB: You can contact me on Twitter @GlennMBryant. Or I am very happy for people to email me at [email protected] Do you have any advice for aspiring authors? GB: Never. Ever. Give up. You are good enough; your ideas are good idea; your writing is good enough. You never know when that breakthrough will come. Publisher: Solstice Shadows Publishing Publication Date: May 30, 2018 Pages: 400 Add to Goodreads About the Book
Enter the Other World at your own risk…
What if you found out that you weren’t exactly…human? Myah Sullivan is suddenly living that nightmare. There are Others in the world, dangerous, supernatural creatures that make her mind spin and cause her to question the reality she’s always known. Oliver King is her savior, a vampire who tries to show her the way. Through her journey she learns far more than she ever thought she would about herself, and about the past. Soon, she discovers that there is so much more to meeting Oliver than mere happenstance. Can Myah accept her new reality, or will she retreat into that normal, safe world she once thought was her own? Where to BuyInterview
L: Who or what inspired your novel?
ML: In many ways, Blood Instincts is about accepting yourself, even if there are parts that you weren't aware of at first. I just thought that...well, what if the character found out one day that she was different from other people? What if it was a big secret, something fascinating yet dangerous? How would she cope with that newfound knowledge? And so, the second book of the Blood at First Sight Series was born. L: What would you say is the genre of your novel? ML: This is a paranormal romance/urban fantasy with a slightly futuristic angle. L: Why did you pick this/these genre(s)? ML: Are you kidding? I love paranormal anything! Sign me up! I think I was a goner for supernatural stories from childhood, when my grandma told us ghost stories by the campfire. But mainly, I really fell in love with the genre when I first read The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause at the age of thirteen. That seriously blew my mind, and I was hooked on paranormal romance, even if it was a YA story. L: How did you develop your plot and characters? ML: As with any book I write, I develop both during the writing process. Random scenes come to me, and the details just fill themselves in over time. I also write a major outline to help me along the way. When I'm done writing a novel or story, though, I work on a full character worksheet, defining even more about the individual, and I start to add in those elements wherever necessary. L: Who or what inspired your protagonist? ML: I've known a lot of family members who are extremely practical, and aren't so open-minded about life. You could say that Myah is a blend of all of them, with a touch of putting myself in her shoes. L: Who or what inspired your antagonist? ML: The unsavory characters and elements in the story just came from my imagination. I tried to create people or aspects that would be off-putting enough to the heroine, things that might deter her from delving into the new world she found. L: What was the most difficult part to write in the book? ML: I think when any awakening occurs for a character, whether it's redemption from past mistakes, or learning some strange things about yourself, it can be a challenge to convey it well enough so that anyone can grasp what you're trying to express. L: What was your favourite part of your book to write? ML: I don't want to give much away, but it was a lot of fun to bring new creatures into this part of the series, to describe them and imagine the wonder a character might experience. L: Are you a full time or a part time writer? If part time, what do you do besides write? ML: For now, I write part time. The rest of the time I am not only doing the business side of being an author, but I also host three blogs.
L: Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?
ML: I am from a small town in the Midwest, particularly a little spot in Indiana. I was raised in a Victorian era farmhouse, and was the youngest of three kids. Our parents thought it would be cute to give us all 'M' names. Needless to say, all of my teachers compared me to my siblings. I spent a big part of my teenage years trying to establish my identity. To form my own opinions and be...well, me. Pretty much from the age of nine, I knew that I wanted to be a writer; furthermore, that I wanted to get published. Not for fame or anything, but simply because I had all of these stories in my head that had to be put on paper. In college, I pursued a Creative Writing degree. I loved taking all the workshops and helping my fellow writers improve their work. Of course, so many of them, including my professors, taught me a lot too! L: Who or what inspired you to be an author? ML: I think some of it came from the fact that I'm a bibliophile. I all but consumed books as a child, and that continued on into adulthood. I knew I wanted to be close to literature in some way, either through writing books or owning a bookstore. Eventually, it just made sense to write. L: What are you currently reading? ML: This time I grabbed a book from my TBR pile, an older title and a novella collection by Nora Roberts. It's called Winner Takes All. L: What are some of your favourite books or authors? ML: I love the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series by J.R. Ward. Chloe Neill's Chicagoland Vampires is a close second. I also have a weakness for any romantic magical tales, historical romance and most types of contemporary romance. Now and then, I find an indie author that is quite enjoyable. L: What are your future projects, if any? ML: OMG...there so many! Don't get me started on the nearly 125 works in progress I have going. Beyond the five series already established on the market, I have plans for six other series and many standalones. First and foremost, though, I am working on a romantic comedy novel which will be part one of a six-book series. L: Do you have any advice for aspiring authors? ML: Hang in there. I know the journey is tough, and it seems incredibly daunting. Persistence and perseverance has always been my motto, and I hope it helps you too! L: What is your preferred method for readers to get in touch with you and your books? ML: Readers can contact me through my website or blogs, private message on Facebook, send a tweet on Twitter, or tag me on Google+. Publisher: Endeavour Press Publication Date: October 12, 2017 Pages: 326 Add to Goodreads About the Book
On the wrong side of war, there is more than one enemy…
When Croatia becomes a Nazi puppet state in 1941, carefree young pilot Tony Babic finds himself forcibly aligned with Hitler’s Luftwaffe. Unbeknownst to Tony, his sweetheart Katarina and best friend Goran have taken the side of the opposing communist partisans. The threesome are soon to discover that love and friendship will not circumvent this war’s ideals. Downed by the Allies in the Adriatic Sea, Tony survives a harrowing convalescence in deplorable Italian hospitals and North African detention stockades. His next destination is Camp Graham in Illinois, one of four hundred prisoner of war camps on American soil. But with the demise of the Third Reich, repatriation presents a new challenge. What kind of life awaits Tony under communist rule? Will he be persecuted as an enemy of the state for taking the side of Hitler? And then there is Katarina; in letters she confesses her love, but not her deceit… Does her heart still belong to him? Based on a true story, John Richard Bell’s The Circumstantial Enemy is an energetic journey to freedom through minefields of hatred, betrayal, lust and revenge. Rich in incident with interludes of rollicking humour, it’s a story about the strength of the human spirit, and the power of friendship, love and forgiveness. Where to Buy
Interview
L: Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?
JRB: I was born in Chigwell, UK and now reside in Vancouver, Canada. Before becoming an author of business books and historical fiction, I was the CEO of a Fortune 500 company and a global strategy consultant. My blog musings on strategy, leadership and branding have appeared in various journals such as Fortune, Forbes and ceoafterlife.com. L: Who or what inspired you to be an author? JRB: This was a natural progression from blogging. Blogging led to non-fiction. Non-fiction led to fiction. L: Who or what inspired your novel? JRB: The book is based on the true story of my 97 year old father in law. 17 years ago I wrote his biography. Granddad was 80 years at the time and he wasn’t about to be the first human being to live forever. The family had heard his tales over and over again – trials and tribulations of a young Croatian pilot coerced onto the wrong side of WWII. My daughter said, "If you don't write it, Granddad's story will be lost forever." That was the beginning of my life as an author. Several years later, I had this idea to fictionalize an already great story. The result was The Circumstantial Enemy. L: What would you say is the genre of your novel? JRB: 20th century historical fiction L: Why did you pick this/these genre(s)? JRB: The novel was based on a true story L: How did you develop your plot and characters? JRB: Conflict is vital to a good novel. When a good guy is caught on the wrong side of a war he encounters many enemies. I put together a stereotypical plot arc for the book and within that journey, emerged the characters. The next step was to develop them and know them like I know my own family. L: Who or what inspired your protagonist? JRB: The book is based on the true story of my 97 year old father in law. 17 years ago I wrote his biography. Granddad was 80 years at the time and he wasn’t about to be the first human being to live forever. The family had heard his tales over and over again – trials and tribulations of a young Croatian pilot coerced onto the wrong side of WWII. My daughter said, "If you don't write it, Granddad's story will be lost forever." That was the beginning of my life as an author. Several years later, I had this idea to fictionalize an already great story. The result was The Circumstantial Enemy. L: Who or what inspired your antagonist? JRB: It was only natural to create a character modeled on his wife. Her name was Katarina, the heroine of the novel. L: What was the most difficult part to write in the book? JRB: This was my first taste of writing fiction -- a huge challenge. A couple of thousand words of fiction later, I realized my naivety; I was in over my head, but that didn’t snuff my inspiration. I didn’t write another word for a year – reading every self-help book I could get my hands on regarding the art of writing fiction. L: What was your favourite part of your book to write? JRB: I particularly liked the hero's time in two POW camps on US soil. The fact that the US housed 400,000 prisoners in 400 POW camps between 1943 and 1946 is a relatively unknown fact. Prior to 1944, the US attitude of what went on behind the barbed wire was the enemy's business. As such, Nazi elements ruled. This was the case in The Circumstantial Enemy. But a wise War Department official (Leon Jaworski, later to be the Watergate prosecutor), changed all of that for very good reasons.
L: Are you a full time or a part time writer? If part time, what do you do besides write?
RJB: Part-timer L: What are you currently reading? RJB: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr L: What are some of your favourite books or authors? RJB: Loved the early books of Wilbur Smith and most of Bryce Courtenay's novels including The Power of One and The Potato Factory L: What are your future projects, if any? RJB: A prequel and a sequel to The Circumstantial Enemy are in the works. L: What is your preferred method for readers to get in touch with you and your books? RJB: My website is http://ceoafterlife.com L: Do you have any advice for aspiring authors? RJB: Here is the publishing reality. Publishers would rather release the next John Grisham legal thriller than take on an unknown. Literary agents shun the endless piles of queries and manuscripts from unpublished authors? Less than 1% of all newbie writers break through the slush pile. Why then, so aspiring writers keep trying. Because they love writing. Do what you love; love what you do. More on this from my blog 'Branding the Aspiring Novelist' https://goo.gl/zB8L6Q Publisher: Accent Press Publication Date: June 7, 2018 Pages: 270 Add to Goodreads About the Book
From the bestselling author of The Cornish Hotel By The Sea
Every summer has a story... Fun-loving travel rep Jess doesn’t want to be chief bridesmaid at her snooty cousin’s wedding, but it will cause a family feud if she refuses. She doesn’t want to fall in love either but when a raucous stag party arrives at her Majorcan hotel, Jess hits it off instantly with best man, Eddie. A summer romance is exactly what commitment-phobe Jess needs and, as the stag-do draws to a close, so does the holiday fling. She has no intentions of carrying on the summer fun but when Eddie turns up again, Jess is faced with a big dilemma. Will this bridesmaid get the happy-ever-after she never knew she wanted... Where to Buy
Interview
L: Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?
KK: I’ve been a published writer for over thirty years. I write mainly romance and young adult novels now, but I’ve written many children’s books (120) and several short stories for women’s magazines. I’m also a writing tutor. I started my writing career working for Jackie magazine then other teen magazines and children’s comics such as Postman Pat and Winnie the Pooh, writing stories, comic strips and activities. Gradually I got some children’s books published and for the first twenty years of my writing career wrote mainly for children, before moving onto romance and getting my first romance novel, Never Say Forever, published in 2007 as a People’s Friend Pocket novel, it was then republished by a US company, and then by Accent Press. L: Who or what inspired you to be an author? KK: My dad encouraged a love of reading and writing in me as a child, as did authors such as Richmal Crompton (Just William books), Enid Blyton and – as I got older – Agatha Christie. L: Who or what inspired your novel? KK: I’ve often admired the travel reps at the resorts I’ve holidayed in, they work hard and play hard. I thought a story involving a character working as a travel rep would be really interesting. They have to cope with so many different customers, including stag and hen parties, and there might be times when they have a summer romance with holiday-makers. When my husband booked us an anniversary trip to Majorca a couple of years ago I thought that would make a great setting, popped in a few complications to the story, and off I went. L: What would you say is the genre of your novel? KK: Romance with a touch of humour. L: Why did you pick this/these genre(s)? KK: I like writing stories that readers can identify with, and most of us have had experience of falling in love and all the complications that brings. I keep my novels light-hearted and usually set them in holiday locations as I like to take my readers away from the stresses of everyday life for a while and provide a, hopefully, relaxing read. L: How did you develop your plot and characters? KK: I work out the story outline so that I have a basic structure for the story, write character profiles to make sure I know my characters well, then I start writing. I write the first draft as it comes and often find that as I’m writing the characters will do something I hadn’t planned or the story will go off in an unexpected tangent, I go with it as long as it works. Once the first draft is finished I start editing and often do several rewrites before I’m happy enough to send it to my editor. L: Who or what inspired your protagonist? KK: I wanted her to be a bit unconventional, fun-loving, extrovert. I flicked through some Pinterest pictures for inspiration and saw one of a woman with long, bright red tousled hair, casually dressed. She was perfect for Jess. L: Who or what inspired your antagonist? KK: I wanted Charlotte to be the opposite of Jess, to be snobby, controlling, wanting everything to be perfect. I’ve known a few people like this so it was easy to draw on experience without basing her on one person. L: What was the most difficult part to write in the book? KK: I always find setting and description the most difficult to write. I find that writing character, action and dialogue flows quite easily, but I really have to stop and think when I write setting and description. I think it may be because of all my earlier work writing for teen and children’s magazines where the word limit was too tight to allow for description, the picture told it all. When I’ve written my first draft I go back over it and add more description and visualization to the scenes. L: What was your favourite part of your book to write? KK: I had a lot of fun writing the scenes with the guys on the stag do, but I think the favourite one was in the Caves of Drach. I visited them with my husband on our anniversary and was blown away by how magical they were.
L: Are you a full time or a part time writer? If part time, what do you do besides write?
KK: I’ve earned my living as a writer and writing tutor for the past thirty years, but now I’m concentrating on writing. L: What are you currently reading? KK: Nothing at the moment, I’m too busy writing, but my Kindle is loaded up with a dozen or so books to read and I’m looking forward to reading Mandy Baggot’s latest book Desperately Seeking Summer. L: What are some of your favourite books or authors? KK: I have far too many favourite authors, and books to name but Mandy Baggot is one of my favourites as is Sophie Kinsella and Sharon Shinn. L: What are your future projects, if any? KK: I’m delighted to have recently signed a contract for two romance novels with Bookouture, and am now working on the first one, Snowy Nights at the Lonely Hearts Hotel, which will be out in November, the second book will be out in February. I’ve also signed with Littwitz Press for my YA books, and my afterlife romance, Rise of the Soul Catchers, was published by them in April. L: What is your preferred method for readers to get in touch with you and your books? KK: I always love to hear from readers. Website | Twitter | Romance Facebook | YA Facebook L: Do you have any advice for aspiring authors? KK: Don’t give up on your dream. Keep writing, rewriting and sending off your work. And don’t forget to make time for reading, reading is the foundation for writing. |
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