tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55685622835200998102024-02-18T23:56:45.489-08:00Tales of the writing werewolfAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17465406367929005735noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5568562283520099810.post-52096597018281220942018-07-20T08:30:00.003-07:002018-07-20T08:30:41.927-07:00UPDATES OR I’M SOOOOO BEHIND ON THINGS.<br />
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<a href="https://www.snowflakegarden.com/updates-or-im-sooooo-behind-on-things/" rel="bookmark" style="border: 0px; color: #41a62a; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">UPDATES OR I’M SOOOOO BEHIND ON THINGS.</a></h1>
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It’s been a while since I’ve updated the blog, so I thought
I’d post some updates for my works in progress. A lot has been going on, so I’m
behind on some projects.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Voodoo Rumors book 4: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Wild
Pooch</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This chapter in the series
finds Dietrich and Natalie working to figure out who is killing young women in
Nashville’s south side. They know it’s a werewolf, but which one? The book is
about halfway completed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Voodoo Rumors books 1, 2, and 3: audio books. Contracts have
been signed on the first three books to record them for Audible.com. Murdoch
Pennington is the reader. I’ve already listened to the first part of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Blood Red Ruby</b> and it sounds great!
I think you’ll love it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Keely: My first self-published work was the novella <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Keely</b>. It has also been one of my best
sellers. But with every first attempt at something, a few errors crept in
during the process. A re-edited version is in the works, along with a new
cover. Look for it in time for the Dr. Who/Steampunk Convention in Clarksville,
TN in late September.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Adventures of Anastasia Hawk. I’d written a short
steampunk story a few years ago, based on the mother of the Hawk girls from my
novel, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Lightning Bolts of Zeus</b>. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Celeste Affair</b> has been a good
seller and I’ve had a number of folks asking to see more of Anastasia’s
adventures. Therefore, I’m working on a short story collect, due out by end of
the year.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Upcoming releases from Pro-Se Productions: These anthologies
should be out soon and each has one of my short stories.<o:p></o:p></div>
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High Adventure History 2:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My story is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A Life for a Life</b>.
It is a tale of the infamous fem fatal, Mata Hari and her big adventure to deal
with an out of control German General.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Black Pulp 2: My story, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A
Wolf in the PussyCat Casino</b> is another Black Wolf story.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Stay tuned for more information about the upcoming works.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17465406367929005735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5568562283520099810.post-12578248675180217822018-01-31T20:53:00.001-08:002018-01-31T20:56:17.041-08:00Preditors & Editors Reader's Favorites Poll for 2017<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Preditors & Editors Reader's Favorites Poll for 2017</b></div>
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Two of my short stories, released in 2017, were entered into the annual Read's Favorites Poll. A couple of years ago, a pair of my works won first place. This year, I didn't win the top spot, but both stories did place in the Top Ten, in their respective categories.</div>
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<b>History NOW: Apollo 11 - Top Ten Finisher for Best Science Fiction Short Story.</b></div>
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A blending of science fiction, time travel, and the reality television genre. </div>
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<b>Kaylana - Top Ten finisher for Best Horror Short Story.</b></div>
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A fusion of horror and Steampunk as a young woman finds herself trapped in a mansion with a vampire. Desperate for escape, she finds every path blocked and the monster seems to foresee her every move. Can she survive until dawn or will she lose everything?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhba7GApgLbivN1Yo6WPYMIh5NNOetRgyfkwwvUXvKOHnRJw20iewEzEvn4LQ9WIVayZ_4__OfPKdEB3l8S_Ub_xLuqLoPlcw5YkTOnmi5wt6DwlpYLK_qw1wBIveJGMBgeoGf0CsBwPDiI/s1600/Kaylana+5+final+smaller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhba7GApgLbivN1Yo6WPYMIh5NNOetRgyfkwwvUXvKOHnRJw20iewEzEvn4LQ9WIVayZ_4__OfPKdEB3l8S_Ub_xLuqLoPlcw5YkTOnmi5wt6DwlpYLK_qw1wBIveJGMBgeoGf0CsBwPDiI/s1600/Kaylana+5+final+smaller.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhba7GApgLbivN1Yo6WPYMIh5NNOetRgyfkwwvUXvKOHnRJw20iewEzEvn4LQ9WIVayZ_4__OfPKdEB3l8S_Ub_xLuqLoPlcw5YkTOnmi5wt6DwlpYLK_qw1wBIveJGMBgeoGf0CsBwPDiI/s320/Kaylana+5+final+smaller.jpg" width="320" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCHYuWlEhuK8A4jIc7b2lzJd306_1xsllRCu1cxA57_aAZMR5aVC9c9Knpqdg3vbhrJflbwi5onx33Nxuo76FWPH299m5lz6JzaFUJsVxs8uNU1hUegAcIldyXcBmUfEFI7G_015Nd6IHD/s1600/Kaylana+for+2017+top10shortstoryh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="150" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCHYuWlEhuK8A4jIc7b2lzJd306_1xsllRCu1cxA57_aAZMR5aVC9c9Knpqdg3vbhrJflbwi5onx33Nxuo76FWPH299m5lz6JzaFUJsVxs8uNU1hUegAcIldyXcBmUfEFI7G_015Nd6IHD/s200/Kaylana+for+2017+top10shortstoryh.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Thank you to everyone who voted!!! Your support is greatly appreciated.</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhba7GApgLbivN1Yo6WPYMIh5NNOetRgyfkwwvUXvKOHnRJw20iewEzEvn4LQ9WIVayZ_4__OfPKdEB3l8S_Ub_xLuqLoPlcw5YkTOnmi5wt6DwlpYLK_qw1wBIveJGMBgeoGf0CsBwPDiI/s1600/Kaylana+5+final+smaller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17465406367929005735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5568562283520099810.post-67555651710427128792017-10-28T18:10:00.003-07:002017-10-28T18:10:57.711-07:00The Killbug Eulogies review<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>The Killbug Eulogies is worldbuilding at its best. </b><o:p></o:p></div>
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The story is hardly a single tale. Instead, the book
revolves around a troop of soldiers, stranded on a distant world and fighting
off an enemy consisting of various intelligent insect species. With the troop’s
chaplain dead, the men are told they will eulogize their fallen brothers. So each
chapter then is the eulogy of a different man. <o:p></o:p></div>
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With the story being told about each of the fallen, we learn
more about the fate of the Earth, the fate of humanity, and delve into the
world of the insects. Each story has its own unique tone, sometimes funny,
sometimes melancholy. That is what makes this work so incredibly special, one
moment you’re laughing and the next you’re wiping a tear. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Madden took a crazy idea and a difficult and disconnected
form of storytelling and knocked out a hit.
This story is a must for Sci-Fi fans. <o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17465406367929005735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5568562283520099810.post-8810520520887535232017-10-24T12:42:00.000-07:002017-10-24T12:42:00.921-07:00The Blood in Snowflake Garden is out in audio<br />
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<b>The Blood in Snowflake Garden is out in audio</b></div>
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The audio version of The Blood in Snowflake Garden is finally available. Clark Clayson did a fantastic job as the narrator. His voice provided a unique and some what darker tone for the story. I think you'll enjoy. <br />
As a bonus to the blog readers, the first 3 folks to email me at alan.lewis2765@gmail.com and mention the audio book and the blog will get a 'freebie' code to Aubible.com for the book.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17465406367929005735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5568562283520099810.post-24161324641853078742017-04-07T12:52:00.001-07:002017-04-07T12:52:39.988-07:00Upcoming Stuff<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Upcoming Stuff</div>
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Some may have noticed that I’ve released very little work
over the past year or two. Aside from a few short stories, I’ve written far
less than I’d have liked. But, having said that, I’ve not stopped completely. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So what can you expect from me this year? I have short
stories, coming up in a pair of anthologies from Pro-Se Productions, hopefully,
later this year. One will be another Black Wolfe story in Black Pulp 2. The
other will be a World War 1 adventure, featuring the notoriously sexy, Mata Hari.<o:p></o:p></div>
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More exciting is a series of six novellas, being released
one a month, starting in August or September of this year. The novellas will
feature a Nashville detective named Thomas Dietrich. Set in 1951, Dietrich’s
cases deal with the paranormal elements that infest his city. Werewolves,
vampires, ghosts and demons, all attempt to find ways to make The Music City a
Hell on Earth, but the city has a savior fighting for its very soul. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgILGrWykuF2gjbJa495283MfaxcaoI4oMYHAO_WeNHwIK5PaozHokwembJWXvKs0Ck5MJD7ARALqKSNJ842_wicvEDbW9pm4U56jGtoqAJhpSBGIvwj_jmY6vspEr7dWHc-C59AiVFucXU/s1600/Lewis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgILGrWykuF2gjbJa495283MfaxcaoI4oMYHAO_WeNHwIK5PaozHokwembJWXvKs0Ck5MJD7ARALqKSNJ842_wicvEDbW9pm4U56jGtoqAJhpSBGIvwj_jmY6vspEr7dWHc-C59AiVFucXU/s400/Lewis.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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Dietrich’s Nashville will be a dark noir-styled, paranormal
series. If the first set do well, there will be a ‘1952’ series. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmb1pC1fxp6a5ZWD2_9wd5h-uPpJOiTMhCssAH9zZpe63ezDQj28l0xRHiE5jh_cNrIHHgpvSjIGe3daN_2IP7Gvs0OrR8-4oe3xLG-NEvqgZIXEOXJd7mMrg8DCEqddb9rSW3Kc9WF3B/s1600/kaylana+4+image.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmb1pC1fxp6a5ZWD2_9wd5h-uPpJOiTMhCssAH9zZpe63ezDQj28l0xRHiE5jh_cNrIHHgpvSjIGe3daN_2IP7Gvs0OrR8-4oe3xLG-NEvqgZIXEOXJd7mMrg8DCEqddb9rSW3Kc9WF3B/s320/kaylana+4+image.tif" width="320" /></a></div>
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On down the road, there are more stories coming. A revamped
version of one of my first stories, Kaylana is in the works for both ebook and
audio. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRDSGAzE4k5jBeebG8MZbwLX1AodBLoQeaoZ0GVgMmYIfusq5UlsZ9oMUhQ1Zyj9DNuS5wEUWerH4c4RogfwWASVAMY9sA0QDXCp3oasHAmePnmdvGt-IaJKqCorP3hQHFr1du4Knb4wen/s1600/sebastian+final+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRDSGAzE4k5jBeebG8MZbwLX1AodBLoQeaoZ0GVgMmYIfusq5UlsZ9oMUhQ1Zyj9DNuS5wEUWerH4c4RogfwWASVAMY9sA0QDXCp3oasHAmePnmdvGt-IaJKqCorP3hQHFr1du4Knb4wen/s320/sebastian+final+cover.jpg" width="253" /></a></div>
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An audio version of History Now is underway. An outline for the next
Snowflake Garden book is just waiting on me to pull out of the archives and get
started.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Stay tuned for more.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17465406367929005735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5568562283520099810.post-27617088680602254232017-03-06T16:19:00.001-08:002017-03-06T16:20:34.174-08:00History Now! Apollo 11<h2 data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="clear: both; font-family: lato, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="color: orange;">Latest release!</span></strong></h2>
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<span style="color: orange;"><strong>History Now! Apollo 11</strong> is a sci-fi tale about a journalist who bounces around in time, chronicling some of the most dramatic events in human history. But with every trip through the timestream, there is a danger of tweaking some little something that causes a massive, sometimes disastrous change in the time line. </span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">History Now! is available in ebook form, with an audible version coming soon.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7sL5ZlaRS9-bTUMz8ALAO2P8MkIeH3JFBjLnOoLoSsZNA5F9cu9O3fr8uFNKyJN-gnddio-BciZbkNAvnfNh_3Cm27lNmaPb2FNa5fHBwxD3S2FROICw9ONj_o81OoPCfNU0nuW5gAme1/s1600/sebastian+final+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7sL5ZlaRS9-bTUMz8ALAO2P8MkIeH3JFBjLnOoLoSsZNA5F9cu9O3fr8uFNKyJN-gnddio-BciZbkNAvnfNh_3Cm27lNmaPb2FNa5fHBwxD3S2FROICw9ONj_o81OoPCfNU0nuW5gAme1/s320/sebastian+final+cover.jpg" width="253" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: lato, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: orange;">Available now!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17465406367929005735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5568562283520099810.post-85537813876978127592017-01-18T12:13:00.000-08:002017-01-18T12:13:03.236-08:00Capes & Clockwork vol.2 update<div style="text-align: center;">
Capes & Clockwork vol.2 update</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidDkcd7cz61ksOAjpliMz_rViVAXo1SrnWEoHRwIBOCHOY7E3Xwh4UYhPiODl_pSfQh8gzEhSICicW1h6cHNtHmV9cu9LLDoDf0ry0MVy6KdCLVWdCFha5Tu2dN4kjwK9VmSADJhJwFqG4/s1600/2017+C%2526C2+congrats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidDkcd7cz61ksOAjpliMz_rViVAXo1SrnWEoHRwIBOCHOY7E3Xwh4UYhPiODl_pSfQh8gzEhSICicW1h6cHNtHmV9cu9LLDoDf0ry0MVy6KdCLVWdCFha5Tu2dN4kjwK9VmSADJhJwFqG4/s320/2017+C%2526C2+congrats.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17465406367929005735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5568562283520099810.post-68259051093265255972016-12-25T13:18:00.001-08:002016-12-25T13:44:37.664-08:002016 and the Uncertain Future<div class="MsoNormal">
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
2016 and the Uncertain Future</h3>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I think everyone can agree that 2016 was a terrible year.
Terrible in so many ways that I’m not going to try and list them, but not many
are talking about the good things from the past twelve months. No matter had
bad things may be, there are always some bright points.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I did a little thinking about my own life, my own
experiences, and the positive side of 2016. So if I can bore you for a moment,
I’d like to list out some of the better things for me from this past year. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<ul>
<li>For starters, I had a serious health issue that’d been
around for a long while but finally needed attention. Thanks to the support of
my friends and many acquaintances, I was able to afford treatment and feel
better than I have in years.</li>
</ul>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyFZ8r5v5UACfwQNRCOkt66U6-DFCIkIQog7oRBaSQhTogzXH-1bLtW3LqafOW5vgBVUrIfLvKKwDXVKTFZZOmPwI6sFknHZc8M2LLrTDz99re1zYFKlCODmQ5mzyLeCyWVUfTPVWKJcIJ/s1600/20160417_140042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyFZ8r5v5UACfwQNRCOkt66U6-DFCIkIQog7oRBaSQhTogzXH-1bLtW3LqafOW5vgBVUrIfLvKKwDXVKTFZZOmPwI6sFknHZc8M2LLrTDz99re1zYFKlCODmQ5mzyLeCyWVUfTPVWKJcIJ/s400/20160417_140042.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<ul>
<li>As the Literary Director at the <b><i>Steampunk Expo & Gothic
Con</i></b>, I got to pick the guest authors. So, getting a weekend to dine and chat
about writing with two of my favorite authors, <b><i>Alex Bledsoe</i></b> and <b><i>David B. Coe</i></b>,
was freakin’ awesome.</li>
</ul>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip20wfNhgFEbyqb2wAP6CPQlxnioKOtick6gN0On5vYzI_WQRC6SE_pi7Nq8ildJs3plfmriniKV_9fdBEPf8LkQIFVhBKW7cF4FPvDqF2D9_wgRX4wUIKpfoeSv1StlmTV3CZXDJtYheO/s1600/final+hardback+12.16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip20wfNhgFEbyqb2wAP6CPQlxnioKOtick6gN0On5vYzI_WQRC6SE_pi7Nq8ildJs3plfmriniKV_9fdBEPf8LkQIFVhBKW7cF4FPvDqF2D9_wgRX4wUIKpfoeSv1StlmTV3CZXDJtYheO/s320/final+hardback+12.16.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<ul>
<li>Although my writing has slowed down drastically for a number
of reasons this year, I did get a couple of short stories published, along with
the anthology, <b><i>Capes & Clockwork vol.2</i></b>.</li>
</ul>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHlb3sbkW_QmVYiOKpG4zGeXTpayM_nU4J6KVhNaxQE-QXK96RnG2lKyE2U-HlNqhJU95O0mdaT9SGTO0yC3MiTJTs73dYOUoMQgzs_3zs73MNSWdKXyWtqFl8EGj4n4LX6J_DjVbLkHpQ/s1600/20160702_101237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHlb3sbkW_QmVYiOKpG4zGeXTpayM_nU4J6KVhNaxQE-QXK96RnG2lKyE2U-HlNqhJU95O0mdaT9SGTO0yC3MiTJTs73dYOUoMQgzs_3zs73MNSWdKXyWtqFl8EGj4n4LX6J_DjVbLkHpQ/s320/20160702_101237.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<ul>
<li>My children, my girlfriend, and friends are all healthy and
doing well. Plus the Lewis household gained a member, a pup named <b><i>Chewie</i></b>.</li>
</ul>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2AOL_Wm4ExTkr4M2YtI3k0fcBvHyHRVzpVSEJS5YlTV0KPtSCC584TNg06U9tw5edO3l5-2FIWduDR-BC2QuUubL47qr-Gm1BQheeQB7ewMQY4rAEkQQFWdk6GSQAsXdX9y4DWb2aioO/s1600/cover+7.6.2016.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2AOL_Wm4ExTkr4M2YtI3k0fcBvHyHRVzpVSEJS5YlTV0KPtSCC584TNg06U9tw5edO3l5-2FIWduDR-BC2QuUubL47qr-Gm1BQheeQB7ewMQY4rAEkQQFWdk6GSQAsXdX9y4DWb2aioO/s320/cover+7.6.2016.png" width="278" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<ul>
<li>I got good news from L.A. regarding the <i><b>Snowflake</b></i> television
series and the option was renewed for another year.</li>
</ul>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZlDs_BHHRpsjewQcdKpnrAskhh4Y_JZNctRzPipBuj2aBTKauolGse_gW1KyfpmQl64UOF4mJWn6eQN_RIDANHAjq8k6dUAnjSdn3oF7i8euE8ftoHvpusDrRsAraFlZIZuIUbfAG-8xR/s1600/782849876841692846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZlDs_BHHRpsjewQcdKpnrAskhh4Y_JZNctRzPipBuj2aBTKauolGse_gW1KyfpmQl64UOF4mJWn6eQN_RIDANHAjq8k6dUAnjSdn3oF7i8euE8ftoHvpusDrRsAraFlZIZuIUbfAG-8xR/s320/782849876841692846.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<ul>
<li>I watched as several of my writing friends achieved their
dream and got their first book/story published. Many were folks who I’d worked
with over the years in the NWMG, so seeing their hard work end in success was
wonderful.</li>
</ul>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now we look to 2017 and the ascension of a reality TV star
to the White House. Things are uncertain and there is a lot of fear in the
nation. Still, we need to focus on what is important. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>So here’s to 2016, so long and thanks for all the fish.</b><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17465406367929005735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5568562283520099810.post-42747765637710958062016-11-02T08:17:00.002-07:002016-11-02T08:17:23.666-07:002017 Plans. Wait, I'm actually planning something?<b>2017 </b><br />
<b>Is it really almost 2017?</b><br />
<br />
I mean seriously. It seems like yesterday that we were celebrating/hiding under the table as the 21st century began.<br />
<br />
Anyway...<br />
<br />
I recently read an article for writers about the importance of keeping your Amazon Author ratings up. For those who don't know, the higher an author's ratings, the more likely the author is have the Amazon Overlords (ALL HAIL THE OVERLORDS) promote the author through various means. This could mean including your books in the 'Suggested Reading' or the 'Customers who bought this item also bought...' sections. Which is actually a big deal as it promotes much needed book sales for us struggling writers.<br />
<br />
So, the article went on to suggest that authors should plan on releasing a new novel every three months. Let me repeat that. A NEW NOVEL EVERY THREE MONTHS.<br />
<br />
Needless to say, the comments section of the article was a rather fun read as authors from around the world were losing their freaking minds at the idea of churning out a new book every three months. But it got me to thinking. I can't do a full length book that quick, but maybe something else would work.<br />
<br />
With that in mind, I've set up a tentative schedule for 2017. The plan may be too ambitious, but let's see what happens. My goal for 2017 is to release something new every month of the coming year. Some will be books that I've been working on during 2016 while others will be 99 cent ebooks/short stories. Some will be in print, or ebook formats and some will be in audio.<br />
<br />
So, if you are reading this, I expect you to pester me and keep me on track. I'm not sure if I will post a schedule of the planned projects, but I might, just to keep myself on track.<br />
<br />
Anyway,<br />
<br />
Thanks and Happy Reading<br />
<br />
AlanAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17465406367929005735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5568562283520099810.post-66660090341986267022016-11-01T06:48:00.000-07:002016-11-01T06:48:22.213-07:00Good days and better days<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Good days and better days</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So, there
are days when being a writer sucks. I mean in my case, it sucks the life out of
me, draining me of ideas, words, and hope. There seem to be a lot more of those
days lately. But from time to time, something happens that shakes up the dreary
routine and puts a spring back in my step. I recently had a Saturday that was
one of the latter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Some of you
may know that my first novel, The Blood in Snowflake Garden, was optioned by a
production company a couple of years ago. I’m not allowed to disclose much, but
things are on track and it looks very promising that it’ll be picked up as a
television series. If all goes to plan, next year is going to be big.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A couple of
Saturdays ago, I met with Brian Buckner about the project and heard about how
the TV series will look and feel. While there are certainly some big changes
from the book, I’m exceedingly happy they are taking it in the direction he
spoke about. The new direction will open up a world of possibilities. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Some
characters will change a little, some minor folks will be bigger and while
others didn’t make the cut. The timeline is different, but I love the new take
on it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I wish I
could share all the detail, but I can’t for now. But when I can, trust me, I’m
not going to shut up about it. </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For now, get
a copy of the book and see what all the fuss is about.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
Thanks for subscribing.<br />
Alan<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17465406367929005735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5568562283520099810.post-49592218112842839482016-08-27T19:57:00.003-07:002016-08-27T20:22:29.878-07:00Capes & Clockwork 2 Author Interview: Jeremy Hicks.<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Capes
& Clockwork 2 Author Interview: Jeremy Hicks. </h2>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>As
a way of celebrating the release of Capes & Clockwork: Superheroes in the
Age of Steam, Volume 2, I’m interviewing some of the contributing authors.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgftfB4B5ABjcvD2oI9_RNmR0i_l-ovNQ0QGMIug23aKXsWt4RbDYLL8aHMA_i5Y-6TAr-BK6CeI2CW3SXpnMT0EaRWdgApDWEK_DUQQTSO5imDWaoabdErFK0sEQG8mljktvRKU8YC6aMU/s1600/Jeremy_white+fedora.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgftfB4B5ABjcvD2oI9_RNmR0i_l-ovNQ0QGMIug23aKXsWt4RbDYLL8aHMA_i5Y-6TAr-BK6CeI2CW3SXpnMT0EaRWdgApDWEK_DUQQTSO5imDWaoabdErFK0sEQG8mljktvRKU8YC6aMU/s1600/Jeremy_white+fedora.jpg" /></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>Today, we talk with Jeremy Hicks.</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msolistparagraph" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">1.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Tell
us about yourself and how you got started writing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Born and raised in the country, books became a refuge from boredom
early on in life. Writing followed soon after, and thanks to people like my
Uncle Danny, I had a lot of encouragement. He used to pay me a quarter per page
for short stories, which is the best money I’ve made writing professionally. My
first publication came in 5th grade when a short story I’d written about a
mummy and an archaeologist appeared in my school newspaper. In high school, I
worked on the school newspaper and yearbook and submitted stories to our
literary magazine. After high school, college dominated my life, so I didn’t
write for pleasure for a number of years. Finally, as an archaeologist bouncing
around on the road, I found myself writing cooperative Star Trek fanfiction
with a number of people in our fleet. Fanfiction helped me sharpen my dialogue
and learn to work with co-writers from around the globe, from active collaboration
to back-end editing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">My career as a professional writer evolved from there.
In 2008, when my job evaporated and our industry—heavily tied to
infrastructure—collapsed, I talked my friend Barry Hayes into pairing his
imagination with my own to produce faraway Faltyr and the Cycle of Ages Saga.
We started a production company, wrote a few screenplays, shopped them
unsuccessfully due to their budget requirements, and then tried to build a fan
base for our property. The biggest blow happened when our attempt to have our
franchise licensed as an official Dungeons & Dragons product failed because
of our representation at the time. But we persevered. As a result, we wrote our
first novel, the Cycle of Ages Saga: Finders Keepers, and Dark Oak Press
published it in 2013. Since then, we’ve published a sequel novel, and I’ve had
a number of short stories published in anthologies or through KDP.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msolistparagraph" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">2.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">What
genres do you prefer writing and why?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Professionally, I’ve written fantasy, horror, and
steampunk. My space opera and science fiction tales have been limited to
fanfiction for now, but I have a Star Trek novel I’d really like to pitch.
Regardless of what I’m writing, I feel like I’m drawn to darker, horrific storylines
with good imagery and lots of action. However, I find that my dark, twisted
sense of humor works its way into whatever I write, but I doubt most people
will ever find all of my weird Easter eggs, paraphrases of writers and works
that have influenced us, and private jokes shared among geeks, nerds, or even
my friends and family. Like musicians and artists, I tend to imbed my
influences within my work works.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msolistparagraph" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">3.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">What
drew you to Capes & Clockwork?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I owe my involvement in Capes & Clockwork to one
man, our tireless editor and friend, Alan Lewis. He has worked his ass off
making sure that these two anthologies made it to publication despite all of
the odds. Few people outside of the industry realize the challenges to
publishing a single story, much less pulling together a pool of creative talent
to submit enough stories appropriate for a themed anthology. It’s been said that
herding writers is much like herding cats. Having arranged several dinners for
us at conventions and literary events, I believe that to be true. Alan has
displayed patience and determination in realizing these anthologies and helped
me to grow as a writer in the process. Thanks to him, my catalog contains
steampunk stories now. Without him, I may never have taken the plunge into this
genre, or injected that element into our fantasy world of Faltyr. For those who
have not read my story in the first Capes & Clockwork, it’s called “Deep
Diving Death Defying Dwarves of the Deep.” I crafted that story after Alan
asked me to submit a story for the first anthology. It really revolutionized my
ideas for how to handle our world’s Underworld and Hollow World aspects.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msolistparagraph" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">4.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Give
us a quick blurb about your story?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">My story for Capes & Clockwork 2 is my first
“proper” steampunk story, although it contains a fair bit of Teslapunk elements
too. It’s called “The Fluff and the Fury”, and it’s a simple story about love,
loyalty, and the lengths we go to for those we hold close to our heart. My tale
takes place in the early 20th century, in the uncertain years before the U.S.
is pulled into World War I. When unsavory agents want to lay hands on advanced
technologies being squandered on a travelling circus, but they underestimate
the determination of one of its smallest performers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msolistparagraph" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">5.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Tell
us about your hero and what drives them to be a good guy or gal?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I wrote this story as a tribute, to enshrine some of
those I love in fiction, so the hero of my story is Ginger, a smart, savvy
circus poodle based on our family dog. She is owned by Madame Technique,
co-owner and operator of the Carnivale Fantastique, a woman who rescued her and
trained her to participate in the extravaganza. The Madame and her primary
technical assistant are based loosely on my parents too, though Dad is the
mechanical whiz in the family. Mom, like Ginger, is the little spitfire,
though. She engenders such love and loyalty from Ginger that the poodle does
not hesitate to do whatever it can for her Madame, whether it involves suffering
lightning bolts arcing over its fluffy head or hounding those who seek to ruin
and steal from her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msolistparagraph" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">6.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Were
there challenges for you in writing a cross-over genre (steampunk and
superhero)?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msolistparagraph" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Enough that I cheated last time and used the closest
thing to a superhero on Faltyr, the elven war-mage Yax’Kaqix (Blue Macaw) as a
point-of-view character. I figured the story would have more impact if someone
as badass as him recognized the courage and sacrifice of the dwarven
submariners. For this story, I relied on a lot of research, mainly reading
about canine senses, perception, and cognition. For inspiration, I drew
primarily on the eccentric behaviors of our tiny dog. But I did rely on every
canine hero and ally from fiction, from Benji and Lassie to Scooby-Doo and
Krypto, too. Ultimately, I ignored the four-color comic aspect and embraced a
more heartfelt, intimate hero whose primary strengths include keen senses and
intellect, bravery, unconditional love, and unshakeable loyalty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msolistparagraph" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">7.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Who
do you prefer writing? The heroes or the villains.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">For this story, it was all about the hero. Writing it became an
emotional rollercoaster for me, so I hope that effect comes across in the story
itself. In my other stories, though, I prefer darker, more flawed characters,
whether they are anti-heroes, scoundrels, rogues, or outright villains. It is
even more fun to write those character types once you realize most of those
baddies or selfish types do not realize those truths about themselves. They
tend to be the heroes of their own stories. I find it makes for complicated
characters which I feel is much more realistic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-align: center; text-indent: -1in;">
Check out Jeremy’s story, The Fluff and
the Fury in Capes & Clockwork, Vol. 2<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
And
his story, Deep
Diving Death Defying Dwarves of the Deep in the original Capes &
Clockwork.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17465406367929005735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5568562283520099810.post-33054563437760088452016-08-27T19:39:00.004-07:002016-08-27T20:22:52.462-07:00Capes & Clockwork 2 Author Interview: David J. Fielding<h2 style="text-align: center;">
</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFov0EkVUHoqBc0n6_d_ZoO2NREvFut8F_g2ppmR6yfnddJESMCGYI5Ubyal2QJHDVwHoaGnQVjpdydnKFZ7Ak9moG9R_OJRJiCw6wAoCrxSjVtpCHzl1cnCtoT9ld2PKxZpYwiy_1F0h6/s1600/meincolor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFov0EkVUHoqBc0n6_d_ZoO2NREvFut8F_g2ppmR6yfnddJESMCGYI5Ubyal2QJHDVwHoaGnQVjpdydnKFZ7Ak9moG9R_OJRJiCw6wAoCrxSjVtpCHzl1cnCtoT9ld2PKxZpYwiy_1F0h6/s320/meincolor.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><br /></span></div>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><b>As a way of celebrating the release of Capes &
Clockwork: Superheroes in the Age of Steam, Volume 2, I’m interviewing some of
the contributing authors.</b></span><span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><b>Today, we talk with David J. Fielding.</b></span></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msolistparagraph" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">1.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Tell
us about yourself and how you got started writing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: yellow;">My name is David J. Fielding, and I’m an actor and
writer, most well known for playing the original Zordon on the Mighty Morphin’
Power Rangers TV show. I got my start writing in High School. And when I say my
start, I mean I started copying the style and genres of the types of books I
was reading at the time – pulps and Stephen King mostly. Action oriented and
adventure stories. I was fascinated with heroes and fantasy and anything that
had the smack of ‘magic’ about it – meaning anything that made the real world
seem more tolerable.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msolistparagraph" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">2.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">What
genres do you prefer writing and why?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: yellow;">I prefer to write in those genres that fall under the
speculative fiction banner – so pulp-themed stories, paranormal, superhero
fiction, all the things I enjoy reading myself – anything that isn’t considered
straight fiction really. Why do I like to write stories of that type? Because I
find them exciting and enjoyable – it’s great fun exploring other realms and
distant worlds or times, letting my imagination roam free and seeing what I
find out there in the ether. And it’s a challenge to make it relevant to our
real world experiences, and when the two meet up, it’s really a magical moment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msolistparagraph" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">3.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">What
drew you to Capes & Clockwork?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: yellow;">The idea of a steampunk setting is exciting to me, it
conjures up images of gaslight and fog, a Victorian age filled with airships
and robots and contraptions fueled by steam and aether – rich with storytelling
potential. Mix that with superheroes and it opens up even more. A Superman-type
battling giant Steam-Mechs? Who wouldn’t want to read about that!?.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msolistparagraph" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">4.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Give
us a quick blurb about your story?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: yellow;">My story, “Ten Thousand Several Doors” picks up some
time after my story that was in C&C 1, and has the same main characters.
The plot involves time travel, the question of whether a good deed is good if
the consequences are evil and heroic sacrifice.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msolistparagraph" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">5.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Tell
us about your hero and what drives them to be a good guy or gal?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: yellow;">My hero, Nate Vance – also known as the Harrier – is a
man cut from the same cloth as John Wayne and Doc Savage. He is a man who was
born to be a hero and fighter, someone who fights injustice and evil because
it’s the right thing to do. He has no other drive or purpose, he’s just a
four-color pulp hero. A square-jawed, two-fisted champion.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msolistparagraph" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">6.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Were
there challenges for you in writing a cross-over genre (steampunk and
superhero)?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msolistparagraph" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: yellow;">I guess the only real challenge was keeping the setting
consistent. As this story jumps back and forth through time – I had to make
sure steampunk elements were represented in each sliver of the time periods we
visit in the story.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msolistparagraph" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">7.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Who
do you prefer writing? The heroes or the villains.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: yellow;">I like writing the
villains, honestly. The heroes (especially in this type genre) are easy for me
– they are black and white, their motivations pretty pure and straight forward.
Well, at least mine are. Villains are more of a challenge – they need to be
shaded, their motivations and methods need to be dark and twisted, yet also
they have to make sense – or at least they need to seem plausible. It would be
too easy to write a Max Fleischer type madman… what I wanted was someone whose
objectives were for the most part good, but in the end cause more danger and
mayhem than was intended.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-align: center; text-indent: -1.0in;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;">Check out David’s story, Ten Thousand Several Doors in
Capes & Clockwork, Vol. 2<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;">And his story, AT the
Quiet Limit of the World in the original Capes & Clockwork.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17465406367929005735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5568562283520099810.post-13891643597420809732016-08-27T19:26:00.001-07:002016-08-27T20:23:20.213-07:00Capes & Clockwork 2 Author Interview: Christopher Valin<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;">Capes & Clockwork
2 Author Interview: Christopher Valin</span></h2>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><b>As a way of celebrating the release of Capes &
Clockwork: Superheroes in the Age of Steam, Volume 2, I’m interviewing some of
the contributing authors.</b><b>Today, we talk with Christopher Valin.</b></span></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msolistparagraph" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">1.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Tell
us about yourself and how you got started writing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: yellow;">My first stories came about when I was a kid and I started drawing
my own comic books and comic strips. I really didn't think all that much about
the fact that I was writing so much as giving myself something to draw. By the
time I was a teenager, I was enjoying writing stories for high school and
college classes, including a couple of short plays for a theater class I took.
Then I started writing comic book scripts for a company that I was working for
as an inker, and realized how similar they were to TV scripts. So I started
writing spec scripts for TV shows like Deep Space Nine (which used to accept
scripts from viewers back then), and then other shows.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: yellow;">From there I moved on to writing feature scripts, and
started winning and doing well in contests. I had a script optioned, but the
only thing I've ever had produced were shorts. Several years ago, I got the bug
to write short stories, and had some published in anthologies (including Capes
& Clockwork). Finally, I worked my way up to full-length books, starting
with the expansion of my masters thesis into a history book, and earlier this
year publishing a YA superhero novel called Sidekick: The Red Raptor Files -
Part 1. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msolistparagraph" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">2.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">What
genres do you prefer writing and why?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: yellow;">I tend to jump around a lot, but my favorite genres are
sci-fi/space opera and superhero fantasy. I also enjoy steampunk, although I
haven't written quite as many stories in that genre.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msolistparagraph" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">3.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">What
drew you to Capes & Clockwork?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: yellow;">I've been a huge comic book/superhero fan my whole
life, and I really enjoy steampunk, so when I saw a call for stories that were
a mashup of those genres, I couldn't resist. It seemed like such a great idea
that I had never thought about before.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msolistparagraph" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">4.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Give
us a quick blurb about your story?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: yellow;">"The Yellow Bird Mission" is an adventure in
which Agent Eagle, a 19th Century government super-agent, is sent by President
George Armstrong Custer to take out a Native American renegade who has escaped
from federal custody. It's a sequel to "Blastbucket," the story that
appeared in the first Capes & Clockwork.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msolistparagraph" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">5.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Tell
us about your hero and what drives them to be a good guy or gal?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: yellow;">Agent Eagle is a superhero who reluctantly works for
the government out of a sense of duty, but at the same time has problems with
authority, especially when he disagrees with his mission. He always tries to do
what's right, even when it conflicts with his orders and could get him into
trouble. But he stays on the job because he knows that if he doesn't, someone
else will be given the suit and equipment, and that person may not share his
desire to work for the greater good.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msolistparagraph" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">6.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Were
there challenges for you in writing a cross-over genre (steampunk and
superhero)?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msolistparagraph" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: yellow;">My main challenge was probably figuring out the
alternate history of the world where my stories take place, and Custer survived
the Last Stand and was elected president. But it was a fun challenge,
considering I have a master’s degree in military history.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msolistparagraph" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">7.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Who
do you prefer writing? The heroes or the villains.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: yellow;">That's really a
tough one. I guess it depends on the story. I generally write from the hero's
point of view, but one of my favorite things I've written was a script for a
super-villain story (before Despicable Me and Megamind came out).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;">Check out
Christopher’s story, Yellow Bird Mission in Capes & Clockwork, Vol. 2<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;">And his story, Blastbucket
in the original Capes & Clockwork.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17465406367929005735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5568562283520099810.post-2146709254163629592016-08-27T18:38:00.006-07:002016-08-27T19:00:19.326-07:00Capes & Clockwork 2 Author Interview: John A. McColley<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZ3mqxFPfa6JgyldhzfKk8u0uIoxwa4P58PEzLXOc0vjj0FqJMo6jiLIbx0yIrVDwBECiCsQFALzDE9Aa_0dV8aaVUAVLSgyN1VhLRbUmrv_eGTKF3N4yKTGTKZZIDzOYOIYjn1xigtjQ/s1600/C%2526C2+interview+banner+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZ3mqxFPfa6JgyldhzfKk8u0uIoxwa4P58PEzLXOc0vjj0FqJMo6jiLIbx0yIrVDwBECiCsQFALzDE9Aa_0dV8aaVUAVLSgyN1VhLRbUmrv_eGTKF3N4yKTGTKZZIDzOYOIYjn1xigtjQ/s400/C%2526C2+interview+banner+.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: #f1c232;">Capes & Clockwork
2 Author Interview: John A. McColley</span></h2>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: #f1c232;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZ3mqxFPfa6JgyldhzfKk8u0uIoxwa4P58PEzLXOc0vjj0FqJMo6jiLIbx0yIrVDwBECiCsQFALzDE9Aa_0dV8aaVUAVLSgyN1VhLRbUmrv_eGTKF3N4yKTGTKZZIDzOYOIYjn1xigtjQ/s1600/C%2526C2+interview+banner+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: #f1c232;"></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJe28LuzVm9y5oo1rQzdRl7y2ViG-Lq3sJOu3w_C2Iz6IswxzzogaLe4PHWkrDTD0HzrgRlkFLRGXrb_nCGXwSGc2hYqCe8BYY1y8-MjUE7fAHSMjAIEn-4YfU8JgvljesiH-04-dYH7Ll/s1600/john+mccolley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJe28LuzVm9y5oo1rQzdRl7y2ViG-Lq3sJOu3w_C2Iz6IswxzzogaLe4PHWkrDTD0HzrgRlkFLRGXrb_nCGXwSGc2hYqCe8BYY1y8-MjUE7fAHSMjAIEn-4YfU8JgvljesiH-04-dYH7Ll/s400/john+mccolley.jpg" width="310" /></a></div>
<h4>
<b><span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></b></h4>
<h4>
<b><span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: #f1c232;">As a way of celebrating the release of Capes &
Clockwork: Superheroes in the Age of Steam, Volume 2, I’m interviewing some of
the contributing authors.</span></b></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJe28LuzVm9y5oo1rQzdRl7y2ViG-Lq3sJOu3w_C2Iz6IswxzzogaLe4PHWkrDTD0HzrgRlkFLRGXrb_nCGXwSGc2hYqCe8BYY1y8-MjUE7fAHSMjAIEn-4YfU8JgvljesiH-04-dYH7Ll/s1600/john+mccolley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: #f1c232;"></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: #f1c232;"><b>Today, we talk with John A. McColley.</b><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: #f1c232;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msolistparagraph" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">1.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Tell
us about yourself and how you got started writing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">While I started writing stories down in junior high
during a short stories class, I've told myself stories for as long as I can
remember. My first role models and friends were Transformers, G.I. Joe, and the
Smurfs, as well as a host of other, mostly animated, characters. This may seem
lamentable, but I'm certain I was making informed decisions about life seeing
what was going on around me and contrasting it to the way people dealt with
problems in the magic box in the living room. I've turned that play time of
running alongside the Flash and Bumblebee to constructing my own worlds, my own
characters <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msolistparagraph" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">2.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">What
genres do you prefer writing and why?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">I write across the speculative spectrum, but most enjoy
the sense of wonder and freedom afforded by science fiction and fantasy,
especially tales involving aliens and superheroes. I want to be more hopeful
and writing stories in which good wins out help me, and I hope others, get
there. I've dwelled enough. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msolistparagraph" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">3.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">What
drew you to Capes & Clockwork?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">In addition to the aforementioned love of superheroes,
steampunk had always intrigued me from afar. Once I did some research for the
original Capes and Clockwork, it drew me in. The characters I built for that
first story have gone onto a handful of other adventures and are charging
through a novel-length tale even now. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msolistparagraph" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">4.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Give
us a quick blurb about your story?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Revenge of the Gorgons is a direct follow up to Aeolus,
Chiron and Medusa from C&C1. Aeolus is tracked down by other members of
that first villain's emergent race of snake-headed ladies and chaos ensues.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">5.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Tell
us about your hero and what drives them to be a good guy or gal?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Aeolus has led a sheltered, strictly directed, life.
Early on, despite his interest in more creative pursuits, he was forced into
being an accountant in 19th century alternate Rouen, France. He sat in his
small third floor office scribbling numbers all day, but secretly dreamed that
something would happen. Having gotten his wish with the appearance of
wind-based powers, he falls back on his love of classical myths for inspiration
and seeks to emulate the greats in service of his city and civilization. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">6.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Were
there challenges for you in writing a cross-over genre (steampunk and
superhero)?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">My main challenge with crossing genres was
incorporating the steamy aspects solidly enough. Not only do I include airships
and ray guns, but clockwork devices and pneumatic message delivery. Still, how
to tie it into the story? Chiron is the answer, in a wounded soldier who has
made himself a steam-powered horse body to get around. The machine also allows
him the vaunted higher ground as well as superior reach with his mighty spear,
improved running speed and endurance.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">7.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Who
do you prefer writing? The heroes or the villains.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;">This is a tough
one. Both heroes and villains have their fun aspects. I suppose I've always
identified with the underdog super hero more than I've allowed myself to accept
the darkness in my life and let it twist me into the villain. They say you can
tell a lot about someone by the company they keep. Characters are a writer's
company. You have to be careful to keep balance in your influences.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: #f1c232;">Check out John’s
story, Revenge of the Gorgons in Capes & Clockwork, Vol. 2<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: #f1c232;">And her story,
Aeolus, Chiron, and Medusa in the original Capes & Clockwork.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17465406367929005735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5568562283520099810.post-13137002197028375082016-08-27T16:16:00.004-07:002016-08-27T18:17:32.245-07:00C&C 2 Author Interviews: Andrea Judy<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZ3mqxFPfa6JgyldhzfKk8u0uIoxwa4P58PEzLXOc0vjj0FqJMo6jiLIbx0yIrVDwBECiCsQFALzDE9Aa_0dV8aaVUAVLSgyN1VhLRbUmrv_eGTKF3N4yKTGTKZZIDzOYOIYjn1xigtjQ/s1600/C%2526C2+interview+banner+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><img border="0" height="93" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZ3mqxFPfa6JgyldhzfKk8u0uIoxwa4P58PEzLXOc0vjj0FqJMo6jiLIbx0yIrVDwBECiCsQFALzDE9Aa_0dV8aaVUAVLSgyN1VhLRbUmrv_eGTKF3N4yKTGTKZZIDzOYOIYjn1xigtjQ/s320/C%2526C2+interview+banner+.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;">
Capes & Clockwork 2 Author Interview: Andrea Judy</span></h2>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><b>As a way of celebrating the release of Capes & Clockwork: Superheroes in the Age of Steam, Volume 2, I’m interviewing some of the contributing authors.</b><b>Today, we talk with Andrea Judy.</b><o:p> </o:p></span></h4>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">1.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Tell us about yourself and how you got started writing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I think like a lot of other writers, I started writing when I was very young. I told stories from the moment I could string together a sentence. There’s something so universal about storytelling and I latched onto that very early. I moved around a bit as a kid and had a turbulent home life so story telling was the constant in my life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">2.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">What genres do you prefer writing and why?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I love reading and writing in a wide range of genres but my favorite genres are probably mysteries. When I was a kid I watched so many true crime and cop shows that my parents would joke that I was either going to grow up to be a detective or a murderer. Instead, I became a writer so I could be both!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">3.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">What drew you to Capes & Clockwork?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I’ve loved superheroes for ages and having the opportunity to build a hero in the world of steam was too good an opportunity to pass by. I was thrilled for the chance to create a hero not shaped by the same world, who could have all kinds of amazing gadgets to help along the way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="yiv9159548934msolistparagraph" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">4.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Give us a quick blurb about your story?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">My story is called “Wishing Well” and it stars superhuman detective Rowan. In this case, Rowan has to figure out how someone could have been seen alive in the morning then be discovered as a badly decomposed corpse by dinner. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">5.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Tell us about your hero and what drives them to be a good guy or gal?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Rowan wants to do the best she can. She’s out to prove herself to the world. She’s got a bit of an ego that keeps her moving forward, but the core of Rowan is her heart. She cares deeply for the world around her and wants to make a positive change.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">6.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Were there challenges for you in writing a cross-over genre (steampunk and superhero)?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv9159548934msolistparagraph" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The biggest challenge was thinking with steam. Coming up with all the things that could be run on steam and how they would work was a big challenge but it was a lot of fun. I got to sketch out what I thought the devices would look like and that was a blast.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">7.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Who do you prefer writing? The heroes or the villains.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I’m going to say, heroes because everyone is a hero. Even the villain thinks they are the hero of their own story. I actually love villains and coming up with a wickedly devious villain is one of my favorite things in the world! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;">Check out Andrea’s story, Wishing Well in Capes & Clockwork, Vol. 2<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="background-color: #4c1130;"><span style="background-color: #783f04; color: yellow;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: yellow;">And her story, Catching Steam in the original Capes & Clockwork.</span><span style="background-color: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17465406367929005735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5568562283520099810.post-22701668794091635602016-04-28T11:24:00.002-07:002016-04-28T12:43:36.854-07:00Writing, Depression, Logan and Me.<br />
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Writing, Depression, Logan and Me.</span></h3>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'A tortured soul has moved on. I hope he finds the peace he couldn't attain here.'</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Those were the only words I could find to say on the morning after I learned of my friend’s death. I wanted to say more, to write an emotional tribute or something, or maybe just scream the words ‘Why did you do it?’ to the heavens, but nothing seemed right, nothing felt right.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As word spread, our mutual friends spoke in barely audible whispers and informed the rest of the local and Facebook communities of his death. Stunned, we simply told one another that depression had finally taken him, but I hated saying that. I didn’t like giving depression that much power, as if it were a monster, a demon lurking in the darkness waiting to pounce on the unsuspecting, breaking their spirits until suicide seemed the only answer. I didn’t feel it was appropriate to give the depression that took my friend credit for claiming another life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But that is exactly what depression is, a demon drawing us down into the darkness when we’re at those points of being the most emotionally and psychologically venerable. It exhausts our supplies of the mental fortitude that keeps us willing to fight and drains the will to live right out of us. It is something that always sits, not in a corner of some dark room but in the back of our minds, tucked away in some shady section of our brains and constantly whispering words of doubt and despair.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdTqtSFa6lULoNKmEI5JaCdz7zQMSk_r6cNVXMWDOGFFGgf3Z1StdZ0933eVR2xYfz9_v2Q4kF-f00DaqYAgUfcLFRxLUhyphenhyphenGixSwrUJRiE133RVHCP9hrXYmzeWC8eLzbR2oRv7JFvzDJW/s1600/10271484_10152147338332775_6094178520958790190_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdTqtSFa6lULoNKmEI5JaCdz7zQMSk_r6cNVXMWDOGFFGgf3Z1StdZ0933eVR2xYfz9_v2Q4kF-f00DaqYAgUfcLFRxLUhyphenhyphenGixSwrUJRiE133RVHCP9hrXYmzeWC8eLzbR2oRv7JFvzDJW/s320/10271484_10152147338332775_6094178520958790190_n.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">While some folks - the lucky ones - never hear the voice or have that blessed gift of being able to laugh off the negative thoughts, others are not so fortunate. The demon preys on our weaknesses, our vulnerabilities and tells us there are no options, no escape from the torment except the final one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My friend was a writer, like myself. In fact, we’d met at a writers’ critique group in Nashville, ten years ago or so. His attitude toward writing, as well as toward life in general, fascinated me. He wasn’t the type to whitewash his opinions, especially about his given art form, which he was passionate about. While most in the group would diplomatically find ways of overlooking the errors in a particular piece being critiqued, he would tell it like it was. With a determined (if not the occasional grimacing) expression, he’d flip through the manuscript pages, making scores of red pen marks on each page as he exclaimed, “This is crap, this is crap, and this is mega-crap.” Then he’d always hand the papers back to the writer and follow up with positive comments. And always ended his critique with, “This has promise. You have promise, keep working on it.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And a decade-long friendship took off.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My friend Logan appeared to most as a tall and imposing figure, with long ‘hippie’ hair, at least one Wiccan or Pagan talisman dangling around his neck, and on most days wearing a beaten and battered RUSH t-shirt. There were some who, shortly after his death, described him as the strong silent type. They talked about him being hidden away from his friends and suffering in silence alone with his depression. One blogger wrote about the masculine silence, that notion that real men never speak of the ailments that afflict them, physically or mentally. For those who knew him best, that wasn’t the case at all. In fact, Logan was just the opposite.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Logan quiet often spoke about his depression to his friends. In fact, the idea for an upcoming book on this topic originally sprang from a conversation between Logan and the publisher, Tommy Hancock. Logan and I often spoke of the various treatments he’d tried, some conventional and some not so much. Medications, relaxation, and stress relief, along with some drug treatments, were discussed, mulled over, and in some cases, tried with some or little success. That silver bullet that’d cure all our troubles never came to be.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">He suffered, knew others that suffered, and wanted to bring attention to the issue that seems to afflict so many fellow writers. And while he spoke a lot about his own struggles to those who’d listen, he, more importantly, could recognize the symptoms in others and would always offer an ear. That was one of the great strengths in our relationship - he knew that I have had my own on and off struggles with depression.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrxHfw4mDYjDpzntmvUUG2ERkvgQjcBP3S9M6_g7EKfvkWpHtq_Ib-X-cIrsv0g1CVLyKh8kw4V39MbvNumSbSR3-tO4X0gnytsSpEu14e-Ombm7vYIa5iYoZXSGYxco5kx98Asmd5Yf1u/s1600/10711047_10204914837371593_212929519448716849_n+cropp.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrxHfw4mDYjDpzntmvUUG2ERkvgQjcBP3S9M6_g7EKfvkWpHtq_Ib-X-cIrsv0g1CVLyKh8kw4V39MbvNumSbSR3-tO4X0gnytsSpEu14e-Ombm7vYIa5iYoZXSGYxco5kx98Asmd5Yf1u/s400/10711047_10204914837371593_212929519448716849_n+cropp.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For creative folks, especially writers, depression can be a debilitating illness that strikes at the very core of who we are and what we do. It saps the imagination, leaving us with the inability to move forward with our tales. It dulls the sharp edge we need to carve something good from the jumbled mass of incoherent thoughts and ideas. This is the case for most artistic folks, but for writers, there are other factors that attract the demon and allow its claws to dig deeper into the flesh of our psyche. While anyone can suffer from depression, it seems to hit artists harder and more often. Nothing could be more of a nightmare for a creative person than to have that artistic spark extinguished.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The factors that can trigger an episode, if that is the correct term, can come from many different directions - poor sales, harsh or mean critiques and reviews, or the inability to even break into the publishing world. Sometimes, it feels as if we writers are attacked from all sides with negativity. So many people telling new and aspiring writers that they’ll never succeed. So many folks saying that you’ll never finish your first book or never get it published. And what if you make it? Then the struggle to match your first success comes into play. The writer suddenly needs to pump out more and better work, just to prove that their first book or works weren’t just flukes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In my case, I’d wanted to start writing many years before I actually did but didn’t because I listened to those around me. Phrases like, ‘don’t bother, you don’t know what you’re doing.’ Or, ‘there will be time to write when you retire, right now you should concentrate on making money,’ or, ‘we know this is just a phase and you’ll never really finish an actual book.’ I felt like family and friends were constantly bombarding me with negativity. Every time I tried to talk about the books in my head, stories that increasingly grew restless, wanting to escape, I was met with blank stares. That was why having a friend who also wrote became such an important factor in my writing career and proved to be the best way for me to battle the demon. I didn’t feel alone in the battle. I had someone in the same boat who understood my problems.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For Logan and me, the constant attempts to write, produce something new and fresh, and to find a home for our stories in the publishing world became an unofficial and seemingly never-ending struggle. Each year had its own ups and downs and we counted on one another for support and help. When Logan began sinking down into the dark places because of his writing, I was there to pull him back to the surface and he did the same for me. Sometimes, it felt like a see-saw, when one of us was in a good place and the other was not. But our see-sawing teamwork kept each other from dropping too far into the darkness - for a while, anyway.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There have been multiple occasions over the years when I’ve considered giving up on a writing career. Every few months, when I get a royalty check or an indication of my book sales, I wonder why I am bothering to waste years of my life on something that only a handful of folks will bother reading. Logan would always remind me that even the big names in writing started off small, that everyone makes mistakes, and that everyone can succeed if they stay positive. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMklRZnNUc58_lcIPz18m8keQclTzkwRVHa3aV7BSeZrjYdqMJ9qh0glOPbPrtL4J7ExlFf3RwybmDzm8pI1RrKfQzDe7-fPmdqlliwKrIifg7Vhgg5ONXQXKc5Z2Kpa62eSdZMkBzWSh/s1600/11011929_10152929018587775_4303112788518071730_n+%25281%2529.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMklRZnNUc58_lcIPz18m8keQclTzkwRVHa3aV7BSeZrjYdqMJ9qh0glOPbPrtL4J7ExlFf3RwybmDzm8pI1RrKfQzDe7-fPmdqlliwKrIifg7Vhgg5ONXQXKc5Z2Kpa62eSdZMkBzWSh/s320/11011929_10152929018587775_4303112788518071730_n+%25281%2529.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There was a dark time for Logan in 2012 when he stopped writing and had all but given up. I, along with others talked and encouraged him to get back to it but nothing seemed to help. Then good fortune struck for me later that year. A publisher who’d taken my first novel agreed to let me edit two anthologies.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Okay - in all honesty, I’d pitched two ideas for short story anthologies, not thinking they’d pick them up. I ended up getting tapped to be the editor and put the books together. The themes of the books, steampunk superheroes and werewolves, were right up Logan’s alley. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Without a second thought, I picked up the phone and called, insisting that he submit stories to both collections. Knowing the quality of his work, there wasn’t any doubt in my mind. I knew I’d be happy with what he’d produce. At first he was reluctant, to my surprise. He didn’t seem thrilled at the opportunity, but, as the idea of actually having his work in print and his name in the credits sank in, his attitude changed. In quick succession, he banged out two great stories and then put on his editor’s hat and volunteered to help me edit. With the number of stories that came in for the werewolf collection, the publisher decided to produce twin volumes, so I went from editing two books to three. Personally, I started feeling overwhelmed and, without missing a stride, Logan jumped into the fray to help me, snatching up stories and in customary Logan fashion exclaiming, “This is crap, this is crap, this is … oh, this one is good.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I had worried at first about whether Logan would come back from the depths and write again. For many artists and writers, there is a point of no return when it comes to their creative nature. Once reached, they doubt their abilities so much that they give up completely and attempt to find solace in other endeavors. That creative spark gets snuffed out. But having a real chance to see his stories published worked and brought him back to life. His attitude changed and the purpose that all writers have, that need to tell stories, didn’t just resurface - it exploded out of the dark waters of self-doubt on to multiple pages in multiple books.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmT4FPhgIUUVBTUFZVz9sNzmFGJhSYS72NLBgh6tuTgfpIPZqkZMxYyiqFSuqVDVjU6mg8w46T_ufrrzkOV98fBS7xZ6KIwHoWgbBCy26zneU-yqKKDOOLHHcjMh8gMz80chLAMNZ8YZVn/s1600/10665778_10204914837971608_8052901716918402753_n+cropped.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmT4FPhgIUUVBTUFZVz9sNzmFGJhSYS72NLBgh6tuTgfpIPZqkZMxYyiqFSuqVDVjU6mg8w46T_ufrrzkOV98fBS7xZ6KIwHoWgbBCy26zneU-yqKKDOOLHHcjMh8gMz80chLAMNZ8YZVn/s400/10665778_10204914837971608_8052901716918402753_n+cropped.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Logan didn’t just jump back with a couple of stories. Instead, he threw himself back into creating, churning out story after story and getting himself a contract for his first book. And nothing made me happier than to see my friend succeed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The act was repaid in kind, however, a couple of years later when it was my turn to start a downward spiral in my personal and writing world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In 2014, the demon came after me. In January of that year, I lost the woman who’d raised me. Lu Lewis may have been my grandmother, but she was the only one there for me during the majority of my life. My mother disappeared from my life when I was very young, followed shortly afterwards by the death of my father. Losing the person who’d always been my rock felt like a sucker punch to the kidneys. Then two more events in February pushed me down even farther. First, the woman I’d loved for a couple of years decided that our time was over. Secondly, my new novel was released with the first review denouncing it as the worst-copyedited book in history. As it turned out, the publisher had mistakenly uploaded the wrong file, the unedited version, to the printers. After a year and a half of work, my new book, which was to become a series that’d I’d hoped to build a writing career on, had been trashed by critics, not because of my mistake but because of someone else’s.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Thing is, uploading the wrong file issue with my second novel wasn’t new for me. A different publisher had done exactly the same thing with my first book. And they say that lightning doesn’t strike twice. HA!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Stunned, shocked, and traumatized by everything, I just sat back and stopped working. “What was the point,” I figured. If I could spend months or years on a book only to have it screwed up, ruining any chance of it being a hit, then why bother? And it wasn’t just a one-time thing. This was my second book and with both novels that same thing had happened.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Logan jumped in and talked me off the ledge when I talked about ending my writing career. He kept pointing out that my third book, which had been released shortly after the second, was free of issues, as well as all three of my anthologies which had been successfully released and were selling well. But, more importantly, he pushed me to see that I would hate myself in the long run if I just stopped doing something I loved. After all these years, I see that the last point would be used over and over again by both of us, reminding one another of that fact. A fact that always won out.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4YjJAvz45fmgquKhUyrCbIri2ZWShyphenhyphenv8Si0yJ5qaGRO0I0C7khz_SMID1cOjdh26Xc4iBaIoTs3SKS7Dti9Rrq0eADVHVl5AIbA13ypR0Wny0Lm8_a3kP-SErsLYrZpkvfFAjWzKOh42V/s1600/1969120_651257788255790_1165455117_n+cropped.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4YjJAvz45fmgquKhUyrCbIri2ZWShyphenhyphenv8Si0yJ5qaGRO0I0C7khz_SMID1cOjdh26Xc4iBaIoTs3SKS7Dti9Rrq0eADVHVl5AIbA13ypR0Wny0Lm8_a3kP-SErsLYrZpkvfFAjWzKOh42V/s320/1969120_651257788255790_1165455117_n+cropped.jpg" /></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Logan’s belief in me kept me from doing something that I’d regret - quitting and walking away from the writing world. But he also kept me from doubting myself and my abilities. While he’d bitch about my use of grammar, word choices, and my inability to ever understand the differences between ‘then’ and ‘than’, he always found the positive in whatever cringe-worthy first draft I inflicted upon him. I found him to be the perfect foil to bounce ideas off of, since I never had to worry that his viewpoint would be skewed, and he did the same for me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For ten years, he and I danced around our depression. Luckily, we never suffered episodes (again, if that is the appropriate term) together. Instead, when he was in a dark place, I was there to help pull him out. And vice-versa, when he was in a good place, he stood ready to pull me out of the darkness when I started sinking. In reflection, having someone in the same boat of trying to be a writer turned out to be what we both needed to make it in the biz. Well, I should say, we both have been published and both saw some success, but we were hoping that ‘the big time’ was right down the road. We both knew that we had to keep walking to get there and pushed one another along.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">While no one has a specific number or percentage, researchers know that writers are more likely to suffer from depression and manic-depression than non-writers. All of the reasons for this are not known for certain, although we have ideas of some things that may trigger depression in the typical writer-type. Like many things in life, we may never know what they all are – what triggers the dark emotions and who is more likely to be effected. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The life of a writer is typically a series of ups and downs. The promise of rewards, riches, and self-satisfaction can elevate the soul. The joy of finishing a first draft of a novel can make a writer’s heart swell with joy and feel like they are on top of the world. And then that feeling can be completely crushed when that novel is repeatedly rejected by publishers or denounced by critics.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">These feelings tend to stay bottled up inside due to the lives of most writers. In many creative endeavors, there are multiple folks involved, all of whom are sharing the joys and heartbreaks. In general, they support one another. But writing… writing is a solitary effort. Most writers sit in a room alone as they create their works, rarely interacting with others. This lack of social interaction doesn’t help when depression is creeping in on the writer. There may not be anyone around to share ideas with or who will listen as you vent your frustrations. More importantly, family and friends of writers typically don’t understand the many ups and downs that the creative types deal with. They don’t understand and, therefore, don’t know to look for the warning signs or how best to support the individual.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKNnZcT2UlSmOakLMkF62SMT7cTIURmtHwgqrEWU9TrLGFerYgXegFkU7CWK2dEEoPFBb_Zx_MnvbK8kKQ4Axrr8i1kS7jpnhxYsUIR3SIrot7ohpTulbUZlo0oVqOE-IZZIv_1E2OtlqT/s1600/10527494_10152929017377775_3572943679786537389_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKNnZcT2UlSmOakLMkF62SMT7cTIURmtHwgqrEWU9TrLGFerYgXegFkU7CWK2dEEoPFBb_Zx_MnvbK8kKQ4Axrr8i1kS7jpnhxYsUIR3SIrot7ohpTulbUZlo0oVqOE-IZZIv_1E2OtlqT/s320/10527494_10152929017377775_3572943679786537389_n.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And social interaction is only part of it. In the course of writing a good tale, a writer can and usually does run through a series of emotions, ranging from terrifying anger to sheer happiness. When in the groove, so to speak, a writer is in the mind of his characters and experiencing their heartbreaks and joys, feeling everything they do. A character can be far more than just something in black and white. Writers pour so much of themselves into their works, into these characters, that, when one is forced to kill off a character, it can be a traumatic experience. A non-writer just can’t understand the connections between a writer and their fictional friends and loves.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Writing about misery, suffering, and death can take an emotional and psychological toll on anyone, especially someone who is already dealing with depression. It isn’t a negative reflection on the individual if they have a hard time dealing with something they’ve written. In some cases, a certain character’s pain may reflect the writer’s own emotional state or delve deep into traumatic events from the writer’s past, dredging up long-buried anger or fear. I know from my own writings that at different points in a story, when the stress or heartbreak levels are high, that my emotions will be effected. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The circumstances around his death are known only to a handful and, out of respect, I’ll keep it that way. Logan and I had been out of contact for a while, with him temporarily living in Texas while I remained in Tennessee. I had reached out before his death, before he chose to end things, but my attempt came too late.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Moving forward, I’ll not have my friend to pick me up when things are down. At the time of this writing, the shock and pain have subsided, the anger over his actions has diminished, and I’m left with a profound sense of emptiness. The tragedy that was Logan’s death brought a lot of folks closer together. We’ve rallied to one another’s side, ensuring that we all make it through, that no one is suffering in silence, and we’re all working to learn more about depression so as to watch for the warning signs in our friends. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMtq9GHYxrPhAP0f22A7u5dkVF9NDGvxo3NUrFPa1KGK4iLt2vTqDy8MRzhKmd_CRQWPhEoFeg7XWGsxa3RizUwuXhu_PkfABR1eHPEVvXT7wZDFTn1ezZ0PRhyphenhyphenU30nJ6avH1w_ncQr5lh/s1600/10504880_150114285179481_8401450109889241702_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMtq9GHYxrPhAP0f22A7u5dkVF9NDGvxo3NUrFPa1KGK4iLt2vTqDy8MRzhKmd_CRQWPhEoFeg7XWGsxa3RizUwuXhu_PkfABR1eHPEVvXT7wZDFTn1ezZ0PRhyphenhyphenU30nJ6avH1w_ncQr5lh/s400/10504880_150114285179481_8401450109889241702_o.jpg" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And is there a better way to remember him then using his death as a wake-up call, declaring that depression is real and capable of taking those we think are strongest?</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17465406367929005735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5568562283520099810.post-49185040376201880262016-03-25T18:18:00.002-07:002016-03-25T18:18:26.743-07:00Cover reveal for Dietrich's Nashville<div style="text-align: center;">
Coming this summer… </div>
<br />
Thomas Dietrich didn’t look for trouble but It always found a way to slither up from the depths of Hell to find him.
Set in the 1950’s, Dietrich’s Nashville brings to life the secret files of the monster-hunting, hard living, Nashville PI as he battles the werewolves, vampires, and demons that roam his city’s streets after the sun sets.<br />
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Told in the classic noir-style, each story will drag you to Hell and back, leaving you begging for more.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT5PoWmGujrDbvY4AbMQ1ubQgfE7FyY8uyUhfBdgLQ_i7kIksJ_vztBPFZJgJJimpWowPcv-m2y59AG1w9RMY-uJ2hGv6QP7sUkYp2QUmY7upOaDXm-WKvcknKAvw6GQEQqkeE2V-lxNaA/s1600/Lewis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT5PoWmGujrDbvY4AbMQ1ubQgfE7FyY8uyUhfBdgLQ_i7kIksJ_vztBPFZJgJJimpWowPcv-m2y59AG1w9RMY-uJ2hGv6QP7sUkYp2QUmY7upOaDXm-WKvcknKAvw6GQEQqkeE2V-lxNaA/s400/Lewis.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17465406367929005735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5568562283520099810.post-52197835594714141972016-03-16T09:06:00.002-07:002016-03-17T05:43:38.689-07:00The Bishop's Diabolical Giveaway<h2 style="text-align: center;">
The Bishop's Diabolical Giveaway</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_I5hhIp2mg-o9mAJf1Da4mtigLnNmKBQT9jABfeVQI0-t0h5qPUNeErox_DsT1h7fenZuECgUgr3QT_tpuH1uifRS5jry72CzYgaHsBHJO3iMNKrIJ353pVVNIWu-z0GVy25LzmxDMqQN/s1600/bishop+contest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_I5hhIp2mg-o9mAJf1Da4mtigLnNmKBQT9jABfeVQI0-t0h5qPUNeErox_DsT1h7fenZuECgUgr3QT_tpuH1uifRS5jry72CzYgaHsBHJO3iMNKrIJ353pVVNIWu-z0GVy25LzmxDMqQN/s400/bishop+contest.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
As a way to celebrate the release of The Bishop of Port Victoria on audio, we're having a contest. A <u>$50. Amazon gift card</u> is the grand prize, but there are other goodies that'll be given to the runner-ups.<br />
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There are multiple ways to enter and the more ways you do, the more chances you get to win. Plus, is you come back daily and Tweet about it, you get more chances.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>So have fun and good luck!!</b></div>
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<br />
<a class="rcptr" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/aab814ea3/" rel="nofollow" data-raflid="aab814ea3" data-theme="classic" data-template="" id="rcwidget_uwxn5xwx">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17465406367929005735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5568562283520099810.post-13342118053297465482016-03-10T11:09:00.001-08:002016-03-10T11:11:07.648-08:00P&E Reader's Poll for 2015<div style="font-family: georgia, 'bitstream charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<span style="color: #ffd966;">I just realized that I didn't update the website with the news about this. Preditors & Editors is a great website, filled with tons of content designed to help new and professional writers. Each year, they sponsor a contest for their readers to vote and pick their favorites for the year.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: georgia, 'bitstream charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<span style="color: #ffd966;">This year, I was entered into a few of the categories and here are the results...</span></div>
<div style="font-family: georgia, 'bitstream charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<span style="color: #ffd966;"><br style="line-height: 1.5;" /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: georgia, 'bitstream charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<span style="color: #ffd966;">Best Steampunk Short Story: The Celeste Affair by D. Alan Lewis:</span></div>
<div style="font-family: georgia, 'bitstream charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<span style="color: #ffd966;">Best Steampunk Novel: Keely by D. Alan Lewis:</span></div>
<div style="font-family: georgia, 'bitstream charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<span style="color: #ffd966;">Top Ten Finalist for Best Author:</span></div>
<div style="font-family: georgia, 'bitstream charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<span style="color: #ffd966;">Top Ten Finalist for Best Book Cover Art:</span></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<a data-mce-href="http://www.snowflakegarden.com/preditors-editors-readers-favorites-poll-for-2015/top10bookart-celeste-affair-2016/" href="http://www.snowflakegarden.com/preditors-editors-readers-favorites-poll-for-2015/top10bookart-celeste-affair-2016/" rel="attachment wp-att-2786" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="top10bookart celeste affair 2016" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2786" data-mce-src="http://www.snowflakegarden.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/top10bookart-celeste-affair-2016.jpg" src="http://www.snowflakegarden.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/top10bookart-celeste-affair-2016.jpg" height="150" style="color: #444444; height: auto; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%;" width="150" /></a> <a data-mce-href="http://www.snowflakegarden.com/preditors-editors-readers-favorites-poll-for-2015/shortstorysteampunk-pe-2016/" href="http://www.snowflakegarden.com/preditors-editors-readers-favorites-poll-for-2015/shortstorysteampunk-pe-2016/" rel="attachment wp-att-2784" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="shortstorysteampunk P&E 2016" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2784" data-mce-src="http://www.snowflakegarden.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/shortstorysteampunk-PE-2016.jpg" src="http://www.snowflakegarden.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/shortstorysteampunk-PE-2016.jpg" height="150" style="color: #444444; height: auto; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%;" width="150" /></a><a data-mce-href="http://www.snowflakegarden.com/preditors-editors-readers-favorites-poll-for-2015/top10author-2nd-place-pe2016/" href="http://www.snowflakegarden.com/preditors-editors-readers-favorites-poll-for-2015/top10author-2nd-place-pe2016/" rel="attachment wp-att-2785" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="top10author 2nd place P&E2016" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2785" data-mce-src="http://www.snowflakegarden.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/top10author-2nd-place-PE2016.jpg" src="http://www.snowflakegarden.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/top10author-2nd-place-PE2016.jpg" height="150" style="color: #444444; height: auto; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%;" width="150" /></a><a data-mce-href="http://www.snowflakegarden.com/preditors-editors-readers-favorites-poll-for-2015/pe-best-steampunk-novel-2016/" href="http://www.snowflakegarden.com/preditors-editors-readers-favorites-poll-for-2015/pe-best-steampunk-novel-2016/" rel="attachment wp-att-2783" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="P&E best steampunk novel 2016" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2783" data-mce-src="http://www.snowflakegarden.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/PE-best-steampunk-novel-2016.jpg" src="http://www.snowflakegarden.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/PE-best-steampunk-novel-2016.jpg" height="150" style="color: #444444; height: auto; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%;" width="150" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: georgia, 'bitstream charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<span style="color: #ffd966;">Big thanks to everyone who voted for me!!!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17465406367929005735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5568562283520099810.post-47623733491522799672016-03-10T11:08:00.000-08:002016-03-10T11:10:33.903-08:00See the Author? BE the Author.<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="font-family: georgia, 'bitstream charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;">
<strong style="line-height: 1.5;"><span style="color: #ffd966;">See the Author? BE the Author</span></strong><br />
<strong style="line-height: 1.5;"><span style="color: #ffd966;">By D. Alan Lewis</span></strong></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="font-family: georgia, 'bitstream charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;">
<em style="border: none; line-height: 1.5;"><span style="color: #ffd966;">* This article was originally posted on the Killer Nashville blog. My thanks to Tom Wood who asked me to write a 'How To' article for the website.</span></em></div>
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<a data-mce-href="http://www.snowflakegarden.com/the-bishop-is-on-the-loose/270291_10150242648473676_623153675_7175878_5496023_n-5b1-5d-cropped-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-284x3001-284x3001-284x3001-284x30/" href="http://www.snowflakegarden.com/the-bishop-is-on-the-loose/270291_10150242648473676_623153675_7175878_5496023_n-5b1-5d-cropped-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-284x3001-284x3001-284x3001-284x30/" rel="attachment wp-att-2239" style="line-height: 1.5;"><span style="color: #ffd966;"><img alt="270291_10150242648473676_623153675_7175878_5496023_n-5B1-5D-cropped-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-284x3001-284x3001-284x3001-284x3001" class="size-full wp-image-2239 alignright" data-mce-src="http://www.snowflakegarden.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/270291_10150242648473676_623153675_7175878_5496023_n-5B1-5D-cropped-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-284x3001-284x3001-284x3001-284x3001.jpg" src="http://www.snowflakegarden.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/270291_10150242648473676_623153675_7175878_5496023_n-5B1-5D-cropped-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-283x3001-284x3001-284x3001-284x3001-284x3001.jpg" height="409" style="display: inline; float: right; height: auto; line-height: 1.5; margin: 4px 0px 12px 24px; max-width: 100%;" width="387" /></span></a></div>
<div style="font-family: georgia, 'bitstream charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<span style="color: #ffd966;">At a recent book signing/selling event, a gentleman approached my table and struck up a conversation. There were several authors including myself at the event, all of us lumped together in a section of the room with our wares on display. Each had a small table with a variety of books, running the gamut of genres.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: georgia, 'bitstream charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<span style="color: #ffd966;">The man walked down the row, looking but not stopping until he stepped up to the last table, mine. He started picking up bookmarks and cards, asking questions, and finally made a purchase. As I handed him his change, I mentioned a book by one of the other authors but he only shrugged, smiled, and informed me that my books were the only ones he’d consider purchasing.</span><br />
<span style="color: #ffd966;">Intrigued, I asked why only my books. His answer was simple but powerful.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: georgia, 'bitstream charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<span style="color: #ffd966;">“Because you look like a real author. You present your books and market them like a real author.” He went on to point out the bookmarks, cards, and other promotional items, and then added, “The other folks here didn’t think enough of their books to even bother.”</span></div>
<div style="font-family: georgia, 'bitstream charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<span style="color: #ffd966;">At a loss, I looked at the other author’s displays and caught on to what he meant. An absence of basic marketing merchandise became very clear. Some of the authors didn’t have bookmarks, or even business cards. No one else had signage of any type. While I’d spent money early on in my book-selling adventures to purchase display racks and stands, no one else had. After my first book went to print, I began paying attention to other authors and how they did things. I looked not only at what they were doing but also at the authors themselves.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: georgia, 'bitstream charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<span style="color: #ffd966;">So, here are a few basic tips that I’ve learned to promote sales at events.</span><br />
<span style="color: #ffd966;">Look professional: No matter where you are selling books, dress well for the occasion. I’m not saying you need a suit and tie, but shorts and a t-shirt shouldn’t be the go-to wardrobe choice.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: georgia, 'bitstream charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<span style="color: #ffd966;"><strong style="line-height: 1.5;">Business cards</strong>: Seriously, invest some money in professionally printed cards. Homemade cards printed on your home computer will look like what they are, homemade and cheap. There are many sources online for inexpensive but good-looking cards. But do something different with your cards that’ll get people’s attention.</span><br />
<span style="color: #ffd966;">In my case, I write mainly science fiction and fantasy stories. I found a website (Zazzle) which has hundreds of styles. Instead of one box of cards, I purchased three. Zazzle offered several styles of sci-fi art that are on the card’s background, so I picked out three distinctly different images. It amazed me how folks will approach the table and look at the three different cards and comment on which one has the best art. If the customer likes the card, they’ll keep looking at, ingraining your name in their head along with the picture.</span></div>
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<a data-mce-href="http://www.snowflakegarden.com/see-the-author-be-the-author-repost-from-killer-nashville/werewolf-11-26-v3/" href="http://www.snowflakegarden.com/see-the-author-be-the-author-repost-from-killer-nashville/werewolf-11-26-v3/" rel="attachment wp-att-2773" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="werewolf 11.26 v3" class="wp-image-2773 size-medium alignleft" data-mce-src="http://www.snowflakegarden.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/werewolf-11.26-v3-e1452118501683-108x300.gif" src="http://www.snowflakegarden.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/werewolf-11.26-v3-e1452118501683-108x300.gif" height="300" style="color: #444444; display: inline; float: left; height: auto; line-height: 1.5; margin: 4px 24px 12px 0px; max-width: 100%;" width="108" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966;"><strong style="line-height: 1.5;">Bookmarks:</strong> Like business cards, there are many online sources for bookmarks. In my case, I found an inexpensive printer that makes double-sided bookmarks. Instead of using both sides to promote one book, I placed ads for different books on each side. This way, the person is exposed to more of my works after they leave the table.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966;"><br style="line-height: 1.5;" /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966;"><strong style="line-height: 1.5;">Signs and banners:</strong> These can be an issue for some folks because of the expense. There is also an issue at times as to whether you’ll have space at an event for big, freestanding banners. The best advice is to start with what you can afford and go from there.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: georgia, 'bitstream charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<span style="color: #ffd966;">Tall banners are great for projecting your name and books titles across a room. If well designed, a good banner will generate interest and curiosity in you and your works. If your books are lying flat on a table, then a tabletop banners or signs are a great way to get passersby to notice the book covers.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: georgia, 'bitstream charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<span style="color: #ffd966;"><br style="line-height: 1.5;" /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: georgia, 'bitstream charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<span style="color: #ffd966;"><strong style="line-height: 1.5;">Racks and stands:</strong> Too many authors feel that simply laying their books flat on a table will get them noticed. This is simply not true. Flat books are only seen by folks walking directly in front of your table. Inexpensive bookstands or wire racks will increase the visibility of your books from a distance and draw folks in to take a closer look.</span></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<a data-mce-href="http://www.snowflakegarden.com/see-the-author-be-the-author-repost-from-killer-nashville/cropped-dd/" href="http://www.snowflakegarden.com/see-the-author-be-the-author-repost-from-killer-nashville/cropped-dd/" rel="attachment wp-att-2774" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="cropped dd" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2774" data-mce-src="http://www.snowflakegarden.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/cropped-dd.jpg" src="http://www.snowflakegarden.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/cropped-dd.jpg" height="491" style="color: #444444; height: auto; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%;" width="659" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: georgia, 'bitstream charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<span style="color: #ffd966;">While these are just a handful of suggestions, they are the most basic and usually, the most overlooked. Next time you’re at a book event, look around, see which authors grab your attention, and ask yourself what made you look.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17465406367929005735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5568562283520099810.post-59184545644093266542015-12-26T07:39:00.001-08:002015-12-26T07:39:29.082-08:00Holiday Guest Author: David B. Coe aka D.B. Jackson<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 1.0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This holiday season, I’ve decided to promote some of
my writer friends and ask some of the questions that folks ask me. Today’s
guest/victim is:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">David B. Coe<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Aka… D.B. Jackson<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">First, a little
something about David.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">David
B. Coe, who also writes as D.B. Jackson, wrote his first novel at the age of
six. It was called “Jim the Talking Fish,” and it was not really as good as the
title makes it sound. David illustrated the story, which did nothing to improve
its quality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">And
yet, as poor as this first effort might have been, it did mark the beginning of
a lifetime passion for dreaming up stories and writing them down so that he
might inflict them on others share them with others. Along the way David has
dabbled in other professions — he was a political consultant for several years,
and he earned a Ph.D. in U.S. history, flirting with the notion of an academic
career before wisely thinking better of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">He
began writing full time in 1994, with the love and support of The World’s Best
Spouse, and published his first novel in 1997. He is now the award-winning
author of more than fifteen novels and a dozen short stories.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">His
newest project, a contemporary urban fantasy called the Case Files of Justis
Fearsson, is to be published by Baen Books. The first book, SPELL BLIND, will
be released on January 6, 2015. HIS FATHER’S EYES, the second volume, will be
published in the summer of 2015, and a third novel is already in the works.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Writing
as D.B. Jackson, he is the author of the Thieftaker Chronicles, a series set in
pre-Revolutionary Boston that combines elements of urban fantasy, mystery, and
historical fiction. THIEFTAKER, THIEVES’ QUARRY, and A PLUNDER OF SOULS, have
already been released, and the fourth volume, DEAD MAN’S REACH will appear in
July 2015.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">David’s
early books include the LonTobyn Chronicle, a trilogy that received the
Crawford Fantasy Award as the best work by a new author in fantasy, as well as
the critically acclaimed Winds of the Forelands quintet and Blood of the
Southlands trilogy. He has also written the novelization of director Ridley
Scott’s movie, ROBIN HOOD, starring Russell Crowe. David’s books have been translated into a
dozen languages.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">David
received his undergraduate degree from Brown University and his Master’s and
Ph.D. in U.S. history from Stanford University.
He co-founded and regularly contributes to the Magical Words group blog
(http://magicalwords.net), a site devoted to discussions of the craft and
business of writing fantasy, and is co-author of HOW TO WRITE MAGICAL WORDS: A
WRITER’S COMPANION.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">He
is still married to The World’s Best Spouse. They have two daughters and live
in a small college town on the Cumberland Plateau.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">At what age did you start writing
or know that you wanted to write?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I wrote my first
books when I was six years old. Seriously. I learned to read and then
immediately started writing stories. My first was called “Jim, the Talking
Fish.” It wasn’t very good. I illustrated it myself, and that made it worse.
But that was the first. All through elementary school, writing stories was my
favorite thing to do. So I knew from early on that I’d wind up a writer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Where do your ideas come from?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I steal them from
other people. That’s normal, right?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">My story ideas
come from all over the place. Things I read, places I go, music I hear --
literally anything can spark a story idea. Robert Frost said that “An idea is a
feat of association,” and I find that’s true for me as well. It’s not so much
the single notion that inspires me, but instead the juxtaposition of different
thoughts brought together in an unexpected way. We imagine things that aren’t
immediately obvious, we ask ourselves “What if . . . ?” and we’re off to the
races.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Do you base your characters on
people you know or know of? Family or celebrities? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Actually, no. I
tend to do this as little as possible, and here’s why: I’ve found that when I
do use real life people as models for characters, it keeps those characters
from developing naturally. I allow that person I know to inform my writing too
much and so when that character starts to do the unexpected, starts to take on
some agency for his/her actions, I resist, thinking “Well, but so-and-so
wouldn’t do that . . .” On the other hand, when I create characters entirely
from my imagination, without basing them on actual people, they grow more
organically and I give them the freedom they need to become active components
of my story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Do you plot out your stories or
just make it up as you go?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s interesting
you should ask me this right now. Usually, I’m a pretty dedicated plotter. My
epic fantasies have a lot of plot threads that I need to coordinate with some
care. My historical fantasies (the Thieftaker Chronicles, written under the
D.B. Jackson pseudonym) blend fictional mysteries with real world historical
time lines. My new urban fantasy series (The Case Files of Justis Fearsson,
written under my own name) also have mystery elements and demand a good deal of
planning. So all the work I’ve done to date has been stuff that I’v needed to
plot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But, I’m currently
writing a new epic fantasy, and I had very little sense of where the story was
going. So I finally just decided to wing it. To write without an outline. Like
a crazy person. At this point -- I’m 70,000 words in -- I like the story as
it’s developed, and I’m having a blast discovering my narrative as I go along.
Who knows? This could be a new trend for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Do you listen to music while you
write and if so, what do you listen too?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I do. I know that
some people can’t listen to anything at all -- they find any sort of music
terribly distracting. And I know other people who can listen to anything at
all, even music with lyrics, and it doesn’t bother them one bit. I fall
somewhere in the middle. I love listening to music, but only certain kinds. It
has to be instrumental. Lyrics mess me up. And I write best when the music has
a strong improvisational element -- Classical music tends to constrain my
creativity. So I listen to a lot of jazz (Miles Davis, Roy Hargrove, Pat
Metheny, Larry Carlton, Nicholas Payton) and instrumental bluegrass (Béla
Fleck, Jerry Douglas, Chris Thile, Tony Rice, Alison Brown, David Grisman).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Which of your stories/books/works
do you consider the best?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">That’s a really
hard question. On the one hand, like most authors, I consider my most recent
books my best. I’m incredibly proud of all the Thieftaker novels (Tor Books)
and I love the Fearsson novels I’m writing now for Baen. The books of both
series are lean and compelling and include some of the best character work and
sharpest prose I’ve ever written. But I also really love my Winds of the
Forelands books, a five-book epic fantasy I wrote for Tor about a decade ago.
That’s one of the reasons I’m going back to epic fantasy now. I miss the
complexity and sweep of those stories.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">How much do you write each
day/week?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I tend to work
slowly when I start a novel -- writing the first page can take me an entire
day; the first chapter can be a week or two in the making. But once I get some
momentum built up, I average about 2,500 words a day, 12,500 words per week. (I
try not to work too much on weekends, unless I’m behind on a deadline.) For
those not familiar with word counts, that’s ten manuscript pages a day, or
fifty per week. I didn’t used to write at that pace, but I’ve built up to it
over the years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">What is your latest
project/release?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">My next original
release (as opposed to a paperback reissue) is SHADOW’S BLADE, the third book
in The Case Files of Justis Fearsson (Baen Books). It comes out in May 2016.
This is a contemporary urban fantasy set in Phoenix. My lead character is a
private detective, an ex-cop, and a weremyste. Every month, on the full moon,
his magic gets stronger and he temporarily loses his mind. These moon phasings
are slowly driving him insane, as they did his father. The first two books in
the series are SPELL BLIND and HIS FATHER’S EYES, and both are available from
all booksellers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">If you could live the life of one
of your characters, who would it be?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Have you read my
books? Do you know what kind of shit I dump on my characters page after page,
story after story? I would never, ever, ever want to be any of them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Do you prefer writing short stories
or novels? And why?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">When I started
out, I wrote only novels. I didn’t really understand how to approach short
stories. I thought I could only “write to a certain length,” which came out to,
like, 200,000 words. My first short story sale was actually a background piece
for my Winds of the Forelands series. Everything I did was geared toward the
novels.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But that changed
several years ago. I forced myself to write shorter pieces because -- and I
honestly believe this -- writing short stories is harder and demands more skill
than writing novels. As soon as I started writing the shorter pieces, forcing
myself to tell complete, satisfying stories in 6,000 words, all of my writing
improved. That leanness I mentioned earlier, which I see in my latest work, is,
I believe, an outgrowth of my increasing commitment to writing short fiction as
well as novel length stuff. I’ve learned to do more with less, and that is all
to the good. So, at this point I really have no preference; I love writing in
both forms.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBchzsMbKnB2xlcoc0SBQ7EyRufmW8ucGxkp4cgE7nr7tDp9fyKtwtT1UcU0dTor5HioTrTA9w7-nyYSSegsASJtVivb_XtBCwdN603EjU_9OFjQqa4bKsbFW9oauTT6OqYejb1Qr-qdJ/s1600/His+Father%2527s+Eyes+Revise+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBchzsMbKnB2xlcoc0SBQ7EyRufmW8ucGxkp4cgE7nr7tDp9fyKtwtT1UcU0dTor5HioTrTA9w7-nyYSSegsASJtVivb_XtBCwdN603EjU_9OFjQqa4bKsbFW9oauTT6OqYejb1Qr-qdJ/s320/His+Father%2527s+Eyes+Revise+2.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Is Writer’s Block ever a problem
for you? If so, how do you deal with it.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Okay, so here is
my Writer’s Block Rant. I don’t believe in Writer’s Block. I don’t think it
exists, and I think it’s a really foolish concept. Harsh, I know, but bear with
me. The problem with the very idea of Writer’s Block is that it pre-supposes
writing should be easy. It assumes that writing should always flow smoothly,
that finding the correct word ought to be as easy as typing it, that stories
never get stuck or turn onto narrative cul-de-sacs. It assumes our characters
always behave rationally and answer to our every creative whim, and our
settings simply present themselves to us, fully formed and easily described.
All of which, of course, is horse crap. Writing is hard. Writing tears at our
souls. Writing torments us. Writing is fits and starts, it’s days spent staring
at a blank screen getting nothing done. That’s as much a part of the creative
process as those rare golden days when everything DOES flow like mountain
water. And so what people call Writer’s Block, I call writing. End of Rant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">What 3 things do you feel every aspiring
writer should know?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Well, they should
begin by memorizing my rant on Writer’s Block . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Seriously, they
should understand that writing is hard work, that it doesn’t necessarily pay
well, and that career paths are rarely linear or uninterrupted ascents to fame
and fortune. This is a difficult, at times soul-crushing business. Aspiring
writers should know, first and foremost, that they’re writing for the right
reason: because they love the story, the characters, the creative process. If
they’re doing it because they think it’s easy money, or just something they can
do in a half-assed way, they need to think again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Second, they
should know that writing to the market is a bad idea. The market is a moving
target. There is absolutely no guarantee that what’s popular when you start a
novel will still be popular when that novel is completed and edited and ready
for release. The aspiring writer should write the story s/he loves, the story
that’s burning a hole in her/his chest trying to get free. If s/he loves what
s/he writes, that passion will come through in the prose and storytelling. In
other words, write the best story possible, and the market side of things will
take care of itself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Third, there is no
such thing as a perfect novel. Everything that has ever been published has some
flaw in it. If a writer edits and polishes and works and works and works trying
to make that novel utterly flawless, s/he will spend an entire lifetime on that
one project and will never send it out for publication. Which isn’t much of a
career. Make the book as good as it can be, and then submit it. Publishers
understand that books rarely cross their desks as perfect finished novels.
That’s what editors are for. Write it, have people read it, revise and polish,
and then send it out and get to work on the next thing. That’s how one builds a
career.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Thanks David. To find more about him, click below:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.davidbcoe.com/">http://www.davidbcoe.com/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17465406367929005735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5568562283520099810.post-26309001521784624602015-12-26T07:18:00.003-08:002015-12-26T07:18:52.073-08:00Holiday Guest Author: Bobby Nash<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 1.0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This holiday season, I’ve decided to promote some of
my writer friends and ask some of the questions that folks ask me. Today’s
guest/victim is:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bobby Nash<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">First, a little
something about Bobby.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">An award-winning author, Bobby Nash writes novels,
comic books, and short stories, graphic novels, and screenplays for a number of
publishers and clients including Dark Horse Comics, Sequential Pulp Comics, IDW
Publishing, Moonstone Books, Airship 27 Productions, Pro Se Productions,
Raven’s Head Press, Stark Raving Press, Farragut Films, Dark Oak Press, Radio
Archives, and more. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Bobby is a member of the International Association of
Media Tie-in Writers and International Thriller Writers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For more information on
Bobby Nash please visit him at www.bobbynash.com and across social media. If
you see him wandering around a convention, please say hi and make sure he’s not
lost.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">At
what age did you start writing or know that you wanted to write?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m not sure of the exact age, but I
remember in 6th grade I decided that my dream of being a scientist probably
wasn’t going to happen so I switched gears and declared that I wanted to draw
comic books for a living. Eventually, my inadequacies as a comic book artist
led me to writing comics. From there it was a short leap to prose.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlVYMrG0Dcu2tF1icZ50Xe2hUgj6b6kb-_g9YHqSVWODK3Jxgu4WMxbWGb_VIrTUEbIlV4i-jOVj9fpLiMLUzBqzqzhCWhoekm2cnMz9ObmQq4gsGuil4j08rmnDAvUcyYFk7Io0c9d9ZQ/s1600/BlackBAtReturns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlVYMrG0Dcu2tF1icZ50Xe2hUgj6b6kb-_g9YHqSVWODK3Jxgu4WMxbWGb_VIrTUEbIlV4i-jOVj9fpLiMLUzBqzqzhCWhoekm2cnMz9ObmQq4gsGuil4j08rmnDAvUcyYFk7Io0c9d9ZQ/s320/BlackBAtReturns.jpg" width="212" /></a></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Where
do your ideas come from?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Anywhere and everywhere. I know that’s a
simple answer, but it’s true. Sometimes I get ideas from a news story or
something I overhear. Other times, story ideas just hit me fully firmed.
Whatever magical place exists where story ideas are born, I’m thankful every
day that I am able to tap into it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Do
you base your characters on people you know or know of? Family or celebrities? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Sometimes I do, although usually it’s a
secondary character. The main characters are generally fully original, although
bits and pieces from others may end up in there. For example: in my novel, Evil
Ways, the two main protagonists are brothers, Harold and Franklin Palmer. Since
I have a brother and know how we bounce off one another when we talk, I gave
one of the characters my personality and the other his. The characters are not
us, but there is that small spark from each of us that they are built off of
and I think that makes them feel like brothers in the book. Celebrities are
generally for type. I may need a George Clooney type or a Kristen Bell type,
that sort of thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Do
you plot out your stories or just make it up as you go?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m somewhere in the middle. I generally
do loose plots so I know the major beats I have to hit in the story. I like to
think of them as signposts. Then, I write from one signpost to the next. This
way, I am still free to follow my characters if one of them decides to take a
left turn when I planned for them to go right. I have had some great “Ah Ha!”
moments by allowing myself the freedom to veer off course if the characters
tell me that’s what they need.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The one things I cannot do is outline.
I’ve tried outlining, but it just doesn’t work for me. By the time I write the
outline and get ready to start writing, I find myself not as excited because I
feel like I’ve already written this story and am ready to move on to the next
one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh26CVfed0PoihgXi_mzIFSknb8edLwgMPoG-1U3mTOUqQnW_FgF0QB4JRtVCUNL57o9qYcb8fsYNXYmTKPyfo8RU3ws-G8mSygKio2UWShyphenhyphenIAB-5NPMqfG1vxRvnvql1BF1lv-Mni_BmtG/s1600/Deadly+Games+Front+cover+14.99.6+web+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh26CVfed0PoihgXi_mzIFSknb8edLwgMPoG-1U3mTOUqQnW_FgF0QB4JRtVCUNL57o9qYcb8fsYNXYmTKPyfo8RU3ws-G8mSygKio2UWShyphenhyphenIAB-5NPMqfG1vxRvnvql1BF1lv-Mni_BmtG/s320/Deadly+Games+Front+cover+14.99.6+web+2014.jpg" width="209" /></a></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Do
you listen to music while you write and if so, what do you listen too?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I like to listen to music when I write. I
don’t have a specific playlist or anything. I have several CDs burned onto my
laptop I can listen to or will turn on the radio. Once I get into the groove, I
generally tune it out so it’s just background noise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Which
of your characters would you most like to meet in person? Which character of
another author would you want to meet?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’d love to meet Lance Star: Sky Ranger.
I’m fascinated with aircraft and I would imaging the character would have some
really fun stories to tell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As for characters I didn’t create, I’d
love to spend some time with the Fantastic Four. Domino lady would be fun to
hang out with as well, although I probably wouldn’t be able to keep up with
her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Which
of your stories/books/works do you consider the best?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This is one of those answers that changes
depending on when I’m asked. There’s something about each of my stories that is
special to me, but Evil Ways stands out because it was my first published novel
and a long hard journey to get it out there. After that, I’d say Alexandra
Holzer’s Ghost Gal: The Wild Hunt novel. Ask me again tomorrow and you’ll
probably get a different answer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC4wLkOy2LgWBgA0A7v-YBv7U8SfJ0oQHVwi4WtI-RW4_W8wpSSDgWQYCvjz6p_enCiyWnPQx61zbTMQS_YB_P6KL4M9Ohh5OLJgWchj6uLZj3k0dmVKVRoU-kIYJ9BZcjuzr-UY04sdUc/s1600/DLMS+HC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC4wLkOy2LgWBgA0A7v-YBv7U8SfJ0oQHVwi4WtI-RW4_W8wpSSDgWQYCvjz6p_enCiyWnPQx61zbTMQS_YB_P6KL4M9Ohh5OLJgWchj6uLZj3k0dmVKVRoU-kIYJ9BZcjuzr-UY04sdUc/s320/DLMS+HC.jpg" width="217" /></a></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">How
much do you write each day/week?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Not nearly enough. When I was writing full
time, I had 2 large blocks of time set aside for writing. A little over a year
ago I returned to corporate life so now that I have a fulltime day job, the
writing has been pushed to the weekends with the occasional bits during the
week. I wish there was more free time, but I get it in where I can.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Can
you tell about your experiences working with publishers? Any juicy or painful
experiences?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’ve had more good experiences than bad,
but there have been some less than pleasant experiences as well. All were good
learning experiences. Not naming any names, but my first published novel, Evil
Ways, ended up with a bad publisher. They had lousy, almost non-existent
editing, poor cover design, price point too high, no marketing, and no desire
to listen to anything I had to say. It was a painful experience, but at the end
of the day I did have a published book in my hand. I used that book to
introduce myself to other publishers and was able to get more writing gigs that
way. As bad as that original experience was, having that book helped open
doors. I was able to turn a negative situation into a positive one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Do
you have a routine when you write?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Not so much these days since I went back
to a full-time day job. I write whenever I can squeeze it in. When I was
writing full-time, I had more of a routine. I miss the routine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What
is your latest project/release?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The most recent releases I am part of
include a graphic novel adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ At The Earth’s Core
novel by myself and illustrator Jamie Chase that was published by Sequential
pulp Comics and Dark Horse Comics. You can still find the standard hardcover
and limited edition signed and numbered hardcover at bookstores, on-line
retailers, and comic shops.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Also, just this week, Moonstone Books
released the first in their line of hardcovers exclusively available through
Moonstone’s website. The first book to retrieve this treatment is my Domino
Lady “Money Shot” novel. The new hardcover comes with a new cover by Mike
Fyles. The paperback is still available as well and features a cover by Douglas
Klauba. Trust me when I say, both of these gents know how to draw Domino Lady.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Do
you have any signings or appearances coming up?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As the year starts to wind down I only
have one convention appearance left (as of right now). On November 14<sup>th</sup>
and 15<sup>th</sup>, I will be at Fanaticon in Ozark, Alabama. Should be a fun
time. <a href="http://www.alabamafanaticon.org/">www.alabamafanaticon.org</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I may add a 1 day show in December. Still
up in the air on that. Nothing set in stone yet for 2016, but as soon as I set
convention and appearance dates, I’ll post them at www.bobbynash.com<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Who
were your inspirations?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Oh, so many have inspired me one way or
another over the years. There are many creators whose work I admired and drew
inspiration from the work that they had done and continue to do. I also drew
inspiration for how to behave as an author by watching others at conventions,
signings, and other events. I picked up many lessons on what to do and what not
to do by watching others. I’m inspired by anyone who takes a chance and creates
something. Whether it is to my tastes or not, seeing others finish a project
inspires me to keep going and finish my projects. The writing community,
especially, is filled with authors who are both helpful and supportive. It
inspires me to do the same.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd7rX51_CryP50ztOP3S9jISLPYUjwIchzNq6t2ec8gYzZS8aDZ7baE_tTA0yj3SZhsmpOsSsMm8UXgIwGlvYcoRDToGlO6WgjLcjX0ExORfuU4UHilO5p5ACNUquit9Oamxce3SDOVyNW/s1600/Evil+Ways+cover+front+FINAL.3+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd7rX51_CryP50ztOP3S9jISLPYUjwIchzNq6t2ec8gYzZS8aDZ7baE_tTA0yj3SZhsmpOsSsMm8UXgIwGlvYcoRDToGlO6WgjLcjX0ExORfuU4UHilO5p5ACNUquit9Oamxce3SDOVyNW/s320/Evil+Ways+cover+front+FINAL.3+web.jpg" width="212" /></a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Favorite
authors?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This is another of those lists that will
change from day to day. Currently, I’m really enjoying the work of Michael
Connelly, Alex Kava, Paul Bishop, David Mack, Van Allen Plexico, and Edgar Rice
Burroughs. There are other authors whose work I love, but that would be a long
list.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What
book do you read over and over the most?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I don’t have any one particular novel that
I read over and over again, mainly because of the time issue, but I do revisit
comic book runs I’ve enjoyed again and again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Is
there a book or book series that you recommend to people?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Sure. If you love crime thrillers, seek
out the work of Michael Connelly and alex Kava. They are really good. Also,
Paul Bishop’s new Lie Catchers is great. I’m reading it now. It’s the first
book in a series. Van Allen Plexico’s Legion novels are excellent science
fiction reads.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Do
you have a dream project that you want to write in the future?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I would love to write a Stargate SG-1 or
Stargate: Atlantis novel one day. That just seems like a fun universe to play
in. In comics, I’d love to write the Fantastic Four.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTX2LZnPrBk7cbTD9mFgKnlqc_nEnL-XFLH0OYmTdX7wJLwVMU62vg5MYnF1LUw5MSM86996S1sfKJLCiq93LX-oBJoGddYRjDVt2QWlrZvtYxVIxvyO2HKpcxfDzO0hsFuGm0VMP4NTz1/s1600/10368361_670600302993661_6211042668480594630_o+LG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTX2LZnPrBk7cbTD9mFgKnlqc_nEnL-XFLH0OYmTdX7wJLwVMU62vg5MYnF1LUw5MSM86996S1sfKJLCiq93LX-oBJoGddYRjDVt2QWlrZvtYxVIxvyO2HKpcxfDzO0hsFuGm0VMP4NTz1/s320/10368361_670600302993661_6211042668480594630_o+LG.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Do
you have a special way of generating story ideas?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Not really. My brain somehow makes the
jumble of thoughts and images come together. However it works, they do come
together for me so I guess that makes it special.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">How
much of you is in your characters?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There is a little bit of me in each of my
characters, some more than others. It can be little things like a personality
trait or a particular job or experience that character may have had in the
past. Stuff like that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If
you could live the life of one of your characters, who would it be?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Yikes! I put my characters through hell so
I’m not sure how much fun it would be to switch places with any of them for any
given length of time. That said, I bet it would be fun to be Lance Star for a
day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What
genre do you prefer to write? To read?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I love crime fiction, primarily with
thriller sensibilities. I tend to add a bit of thriller to all of the stories I
write. I love playing in multiple genres, but I always seem to come back to
solving a crime or mystery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinqaq8fotTWj8BLq5iHaREH6Gq84d1OkW1ICHiAXVsqcJrXfIa5vGqm_8sIou2DMapir1wO40acMusyzVL7galzzHzBzE1UxINNQ4W7sOi8c9inhgM4wuvWXwBGuUcQjn8zstfT1GD_XOn/s1600/GG+FINAL+CVR+front+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinqaq8fotTWj8BLq5iHaREH6Gq84d1OkW1ICHiAXVsqcJrXfIa5vGqm_8sIou2DMapir1wO40acMusyzVL7galzzHzBzE1UxINNQ4W7sOi8c9inhgM4wuvWXwBGuUcQjn8zstfT1GD_XOn/s320/GG+FINAL+CVR+front+small.jpg" width="214" /></a></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Do
you prefer writing short stories or novels?
And why?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Short stories are fun, but I prefer
writing novels. I love delving deep into a character’s life and telling that
story. With the novels, I get to do that more than with short stories where you
have to get to things quickly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What
are you working on now?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">At present I am nearing the end of my Evil
Intent novel and starting on a novel featuring the old pulp hero, The Avenger.
I’m also plotting the next Ghost Gal novel. Those are foremost on my
ever-growing to do list.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgesHUTUqR9wV7Iwhw9V5hX6DXesmY9HHOJZ3IrFj_i5MI6dwAHdISBaUCTFgL0WtF1SZCToJwerUUWpD0DXyN2fqGHR0dRIE0v7QVqL0iy-LsFZn2TdnW6F4_VMBp3cPydzzrbLyeoANgG/s1600/SnowFallCover-wTitle+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgesHUTUqR9wV7Iwhw9V5hX6DXesmY9HHOJZ3IrFj_i5MI6dwAHdISBaUCTFgL0WtF1SZCToJwerUUWpD0DXyN2fqGHR0dRIE0v7QVqL0iy-LsFZn2TdnW6F4_VMBp3cPydzzrbLyeoANgG/s320/SnowFallCover-wTitle+small.jpg" width="213" /></a></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Is
Writer’s Block ever a problem for you?
If so, how do you deal with it?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">No. My problem is not that I’m unable to
think of things to write. My problem is making time to get all the writing done
I need to do to meet my deadlines. I appreciate my day job, but it does put a
strain on my deadlines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What
3 things do you feel every aspiring writer should know?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If you want to write as a career, treat it
like a job. It’s fine if you want to do it as a hobby, but know what you want
to do and plan accordingly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Set goals for yourself. Why are you
writing? What’s your goal? Want to be a New York Times Bestseller? No problem.
You plan your career trajectory accordingly, but don’t be afraid to experiment
a bit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Have fun with writing. It can be a lot of
work, but it can also be very rewarding. It’s a great feeling when you finish a
story. It’s a bigger thrill when you hold your first published book in your
hands.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho0wKNIcsv9Lk6juusWdAGMG1I-A92_luUqitWiULvDNOrgKXMxBN6KKKbiBkGuw-3GdW4n2fPpFYM196QKDhRq_Rx7nPq1r83rwCTsCKrKrTsIe65gIyCUzoWK7Vkx2VtoqScfOKw6XR1/s1600/LS4-CVR2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho0wKNIcsv9Lk6juusWdAGMG1I-A92_luUqitWiULvDNOrgKXMxBN6KKKbiBkGuw-3GdW4n2fPpFYM196QKDhRq_Rx7nPq1r83rwCTsCKrKrTsIe65gIyCUzoWK7Vkx2VtoqScfOKw6XR1/s320/LS4-CVR2.jpg" width="214" /></a></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What
is your funniest/ awkward moment at a convention/signing event?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’ve been asked to sign some weird things,
including a corset while the lady who wanted it signed was wearing it and I
once signed a blanket that had super hero characters on it at a con. For the
most part though, it’s been pretty tame.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">How
do you use social media in regards to your writing?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Social media is great for connecting with
fans and potential fans. It is not great for selling books, but I like to keep
my friends/followers updated on my writing progress as well as what books I’m
reading, movies I’m watching, and definitely sharing photos from conventions
and appearances, Social media is great for that. I am on Facebook, Twitter,
Pinterest, Google+, and Instagram. I may have others, but those are the ones I
try to post to regularly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17LhQNnl5v8IlT4QTyx9-gDL59HkGI-oSKgnLlT4ofcZiJh3347VodRue_Z04m3qAXd5LzezPf0Nqy5qby8NM_wDeyhpLAfKn02bOpJCccA3-hAVZLzX7knhmZAGD7Fm-08BNMIBq5TAZ/s1600/0+ATEC+frtcvr+jpeg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17LhQNnl5v8IlT4QTyx9-gDL59HkGI-oSKgnLlT4ofcZiJh3347VodRue_Z04m3qAXd5LzezPf0Nqy5qby8NM_wDeyhpLAfKn02bOpJCccA3-hAVZLzX7knhmZAGD7Fm-08BNMIBq5TAZ/s320/0+ATEC+frtcvr+jpeg.jpg" width="197" /></a></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Do
you read reviews of your books? If so,
have you ever engaged a reviewer over comments they’ve made?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I do read them and have been lucky in that
most have been positive. I generally don’t argue or do more than thank the
reviewer for taking the time to leave a review on places like Amazon, B&N,
etc. I do share to social media when a review (good and bad) is left for one of
my books and thank the reviewer there as well. I have had readers come to my
website and engage me and I do respond there, but always in a positive manner. I don’t like to argue. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">To learn more
about Bobby, click the links below:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">http://www.bobbynash.com<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">www.facebook.com/AuthorBobbyNash<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">www.twitter.com/bobbynash<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">http://www.lance-star.com<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">www.google.com/+BobbyNashAuthor<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">http://amazon.com/author/bobbynash<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">http://ben-books.blogspot.com<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">http://instagram.com/bobbynash14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">www.pinterest.com/bobbynash<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17465406367929005735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5568562283520099810.post-46162569976821415932015-12-26T06:39:00.004-08:002015-12-27T12:39:41.686-08:00Guest Holiday Author: Barbara Friend Ish<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-line-height-alt: 1.0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This holiday
season, I’ve decided to promote some of my writer friends and ask some of the
questions that folks ask me. Today’s guest/victim is:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Barbara Friend Ish<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">First, a little something about Barbara.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Writer,
publisher, slave of cats: Barbara Friend Ish is Publisher, Editor-in-Chief, and
Wild-Eyed Visionary for Mercury Retrograde Press, which publishes Fantasy,
Science Fiction, and Interstitial novels and novellas: a small press dedicated
to unconventional authors and works that might undeservedly slip through the
cracks at bigger houses. After earning a Bachelor's in English from Rice
University, Barbara divided her time between working with small groups of
entrepreneurs who didn't know any better than to start their own companies and
swimming against the current of the publishing industry, eventually co-founding
Be Mused, an author services company devoted to helping authors and small
publishers develop books. She founded Mercury Retrograde Press in 2007. She is
insufferably proud of the authors with whom she works, including
multi-award-nominated Edward Morris, author of the transgressionist althistory
series There Was a Crooked Man; Zachary Steele, whose debut novel Anointed: The
Passion of Timmy Christ, CEO was considered for the 2010 Sidewise Award; and
talented fantasists Leona Wisoker and Larissa N. Niec. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Books
edited by Barbara have been covered by Library Journal, Publishers Weekly,
Locus Magazine, The Midwest Book Review, SciFiDimensions, American Freethought,
Baby Got Books, SFScope, SFSignal, The Internet Review of Science Fiction,
January Magazine and Green Man Review. She has been featured in The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution and on Baby Got Books and SF Signal, and has appeared at
The Atlanta Book Show, RavenCon, Faerie Escape: Atlanta and Opus Fest. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Barbara’s
debut novel, The Shadow of the Sun, is scheduled for release in February 2011.
The first volume of the fantasy series The Way of the Gods, The Shadow of the
Sun tells the story of a defrocked wizard, his quest for redemption, and his
struggle against the evil in his soul. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> For the
past 22 years Barbara has been married to her one true love, one of the very
first ColdWar-era Soviet émigrés. Together they have ridden the roller coasters
of multiple start-up businesses (his and hers) and the raising of two children.
Current projects include a garden entirely bereft of nutritional value and a
search for the perfect bottle of champagne. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Born in Chicago,
at various times in her life Barbara has called Philadelphia, Houston, New
Jersey, and Atlanta home. She currently resides in Atlanta, GA, with her
husband, her daughter, and two high-maintenance cats. Barbara is qualified to
speak about writing and publishing, creativity and overcoming creative blocks.
She has opinions on a plethora of other topics as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Let’s
get started:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">At what age did you start writing
or know that you wanted to write?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">I’m
irresistibly hard-wired for story. When I figured out that books were made by
people (instead of just manifesting magically from whatever mysterious source
also provided television and shampoo, I suppose) I knew I wanted to make them.
The first time I had the magical experience of
“falling into” a story as a writer I was nine years old, in the midst of
one of those “draw a picture and write a story” exercises they give in
elementary school. I was immediately so immersed that I forgot to finish the
assignment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">I’m not
entirely sure what that says about me as a writer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Where do your ideas come from?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Mostly
from things that are mysterious to me, which I want to figure out. The fantasy
series I’m working on right now arose from a question that flitted through my
head one day: <i>If the gods of ancient myth
were real, where did they come from?</i> Once I have a question, I start doing
research. Eventually my brain gets so full of bits of idea that they coalesce
into something big enough to support a story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Do you base your characters on
people you know or know of? Family or celebrities? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Not even a
little bit. They are all figments of my imagination. My day-to-day involves
conflicts between my imaginary friends; that’s not weird, right?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Do you plot out your stories or
just make it up as you go?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">For first
drafts, I more or less “seat-of-the-pants” my way through it. The idea I’m
pursuing will begin to suggest characters to me; naturally the main character
is the one most affected by the story problem I’m constructing. Once I have
characters and a problem, the plot of the story arises from the characters’
attempts to solve the problem. I will sit down to write with an idea of where
the story starts and what the end-state will be, but it’s all very fluid in the
beginning. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">For me the
first draft is a way of exploring the characters and all the ways the problem
affects them, and I mostly follow them around as they develop the tale. Once I
have a first draft, and thus a fairly coherent story and character set, then I
sit down and plan before I begin developing the version of the story that will
go to press. This time I’ll have a firm and fairly detailed plot plan. But
because I write the second draft from the ground up, and nothing can tame
Writer Brain, surprises will still arise. Eventually I’ll deviate from the plot
plan. Sometimes, by the last third of the novel I’m writing all the planned
plot points but they mean completely different things from what I expected.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">I find
planning extremely useful, particularly when I’m writing a story that has a lot
of moving parts. But I think it’s important to accept it when one’s instinctive
Writer Brain knows better.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Do you listen to music while you
write and if so, what do you listen too?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Sometimes.
My favorite way to write is in quiet, but I live in civilization and that’s not
always possible. When I do write to music, it has to be entirely instrumental
and not distracting. I listen to a lot of modernist cello, especially Zoe
Keating and Hildur Gudnadottir, and modernist classical e.g. the Kronos
Quartet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">But I find
other kinds of music useful during the walking-around-thinking part of story
development. Here I use playlists that draw on a lot of different genres,
including traditional (e.g. Celtic) and all the flavors of rock. In this
setting, lyrics can be useful springboards into thinking about my characters
and their situations, in much the same way a song that speaks to you seems to
be about your own life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Can you tell about your experiences
working with publishers? Any juicy or painful experiences?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">I <i>am</i> a publisher, and I’m here to subvert
this question. I’ve been in the industry in one way or another for a long time,
and it has been in a state of ongoing, world-shaking change for nearly two
decades. That’s not going to end anytime soon. It’s confusing—but it offers
writers more freedom than ever before. Publishers can offer real value to
writers, but writers no longer need blindly accept whatever publisher is
willing to take them on. In my experience the most important factor in a
writer’s publishing life is not who publishes their work, but whether they make
a good match. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Most
publishing houses are <i>businesses</i>.
They have to make payroll and pay rent. That means most publishers,
particularly the big ones, can’t afford to put artistic sensibilities at the
top of their priority lists; they must expect the writers they work with to
approach what they do as guild craftspeople, not artists. Guild craftspeople
show up for work every day and make what can be sold, in a timely fashion and
without a lot of fuss. Have you ever seen a furniture maker experience creative
block? It doesn’t happen, because they know what their market wants and show up
every day to create it. For writers who aren’t wired to work that way, who want
to pursue personal visions without regard for the imperatives of turning a
profit, working under contract with a publisher is almost guaranteed to be a
painful experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Naturally,
the publishing house I run was founded as a way out of this mindset. But putting
art first creates other problems, which I am still working to solve.
Ultimately, the only way a writer will have a satisfying publishing experience
is by figuring out what she wants out of her publishing life and choosing the
appropriate publishing path. Happy publishing experiences, like happy
marriages, arise from good matches in fundamental values and styles. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">There are
other ways to land in unhappy publishing situations, of course. There are quite
a number of people operating in the publishing arena, whether as agents,
publishers, or editors, who are either not interested in providing or not
equipped to actually render the services for which writers engage them. Writers
can protect themselves by checking up on the reputations of their potential
publishing partners. (I’m including agents and editors here.) If a writer
encounters someone who wants to work with her in any of these areas, doing the
research—and being realistic—can save her much pain. (“Being realistic”? Here I
mean taking off the rose-colored glasses. If people are complaining about
somebody in the field, there’s probably something there, and you will probably
not have a happy experience where others did not.) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Publishers
have much to offer writers. But self-publishing is a truly viable option. Among
other things, this means there is no reason for a writer to settle for a
publisher that is not a good match for her own needs. If you handle your own
publishing or choose a small press, an agent is probably not necessary early in
your career, either.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Do you have a routine when you
write?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">To call it
a routine might be overselling it. I have practices that make it easier and/or
more fun. I am at my best in my study, at the desk that my daughter made <i>just
the right height</i> by creating risers painted like planets for the
legs. I like to wear a particular light jacket, weather permitting. Because I
only wear this jacket at home, wearing it means I am—how can I say this without
sounding nutty?—sort of invisible. This is important to my neurotic writer
brain, because the sense that people are watching makes me self-conscious and
thus unable to create.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">I love to
drink coffee or tea when I write, but I am learning to keep hydrated, so I keep
it down to about a cup or so a day now. And sometimes, when I’m really in the
groove, I light up some incense for atmosphere.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Who were your inspirations?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Like many
genre writers, I had a life-altering encounter with the works of J.R.R. Tolkien
as a kid. I still carry with me memories of what it was like to read those
books before my innocent reader-eye was spoiled by working in the craft, and it
helps me think about the experiences I want to create for my own readers. Other
early inspirations included Roger Zelazny, Patricia McKillip, Anne McCaffrey,
and all of world myth. Today I’m inspired by writers who are re-imagining genre
for this century, whose works are informed by the way our society is growing
into true respect and inclusion for all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">What book do you read over and over
the most?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">The Hero With a Thousand Faces</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> by Joseph Campbell. Every time I
read it, I take away something new about the universal phenomena of story and
what they mean to humans. And it is one of my favorite tools for thinking about
whatever story I’m working on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Is there a book or book series that
you recommend to people?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">I never
stop recommending <i>Building Better Plots</i>
by Robert Kernen. It never got the attention it deserved, and it’s out of print
now, but you can still buy it used. For writers to whom plot doesn’t come
easily, it’s a godsend.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">What genre do you prefer to
write? To read?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">I prefer
to write speculative fiction, which is a catch-all term that includes fantasy,
science fiction, horror, and works less easily classified. My ideas and works
frequently blur the lines between genres, so I like that umbrella term. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">As I
reader, I mostly divide my time between spec fic and nonfiction. I’m constantly
reading in a variety of disciplines as background for the fiction I write, and
I also devour books on business and media as well as the craft of storytelling
in all its forms.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Do you prefer writing short stories
or novels? And why?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">I’m
definitely a long-form writer. Most of the stories that appeal to me as a
writer go beyond normal novel length, so I tend towards ultra-thick novels and
series. This is because I’m a born synthesist: I love putting ideas together
and figuring out how large systems work. And unlike many writers who tend
toward the big ideas as the basis for their work, I am equally fascinated by
deep, strange characters. Putting these things together yields books of, well,
unusual size.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">What are you working on now?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">This area
of my life in is always divided into at least two functions: creating and
publishing. On the creative side, I’m working on <i>The Heart of Darkness</i>, the sequel to <i>The Shadow of the Sun.</i> It is doorstop-sized fantasy, the second of
a series, which is what happens when ideas are too big for one book. On the
publishing side, I’m in the process of developing a fairly radical new
publishing model that I hope will address the problems of publishing art-first
writers in today’s chaotic market. We’ll begin testing it next year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Is Writer’s Block ever a problem
for you? If so, how do you deal with it.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">In my
experience, writer’s block means one of two things: either there’s something
wrong with the story, or there’s something (probably depression) wrong with the
writer. If my problem is psychological, I have to look at my life away from the
keyboard. Because I wear a bunch of different hats, it’s far too easy for me to
take on too much and burn myself out. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">If that’s
not the case, then there’s a problem with the story. Writer Brain is nonverbal,
but knows all. If there’s a flaw in my plot or a gap in a character’s
motivation, Writer Brain will simply halt all production. Then it’s my job to
figure out what the problem is.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">My method
for this is analysis. I chart plot and character arcs against a variety of
models; I read literary criticism. I’m a complete geek, but it works for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">What 3 things do you feel every
aspiring writer should know?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> .</span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">There is no universal authority
that anoints good writers and rejects bad ones.</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> If a particular {reader/publisher/agent}
doesn’t respond positively to your work, it doesn’t necessarily mean your work
is bad. It may just be that you haven’t found the right market yet. (If it is
bad, however, no one with whom you have a personal relationship is likely to
tell you so. And anyone in your personal life who is willing to volunteer that
sort of information is likely to be doing so out of a destructive impulse,
whether conscious or not.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Every writer and every work,
without exception, needs a professional editor.</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> Your {mother/aunt/friend} who is a
{teacher/paralegal/aspiring writer} does not count. If you are self-publishing,
pay a professional to do this. If you are considering selling your work to a publisher,
be sure their process includes having an editor work with you before
publication.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Always follow the submission
guidelines.</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> Every
outlet has their own, and they are not arbitrary. Failing to follow the
submission guidelines marks a writer as (a) too dim to understand them (b) too
precious to work with or (c) both.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">How do you use social media in
regards to your writing?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">I use
social media to keep in touch with and share things with friends and fans. I
find it offputting when people use social media as an advertising medium. That
doesn’t mean I don’t share news about my work with my friends and fans;
evidently they want to know how the sequel to the book they liked is
progressing, when I’ve released a novel, when I’ve written a blog post, where
they can read an interview with me, etc. They’re pretty excited about contests
that might get them cool stuff, particularly when the contest itself is fun.
But most of us don’t want to be socially connected with people who spend all
their bandwidth trying to sell us something or—heaven forfend—get us to
spam/give up our friends as advertising fodder, and it would make me feel weird
and dirty to try.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">If you
want to learn how to use social media as a professional artist, go read Tara
Hunt’s <i>The Whuffie Factor.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Do you read reviews of your
books? If so, have you ever engaged a
reviewer over comments they’ve made?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">I do.
These days it is a very common idea that reading one’s own reviews can only be
destructive; I don’t think that’s true. We write stories in order to create
experiences that affect our readers; reviews are frequently a window into the
effect our work has. They can be hard to read, and sometimes just plain wrong;
but if we can muster the discipline to analyze how our work is being received,
we may learn ways to improve our craft, our marketing efforts, or both.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Naturally,
every writer has to maintain his own mental health practices, and some simply
can’t tolerate reading reviews. Others can’t restrain the impulse to fight with
reviewers they think are wrong, or lash out when they feel hurt by what they’ve
read. Anybody in these categories <i>should</i>
stay away from their own reviews (and, incidentally, from googling themselves).
There is never anything good a writer can accomplish by arguing with readers
about their own work, irrespective of the venue in which the fight goes down. Winning
such a fight makes a writer a bully; losing makes him, at best, a fool. I’ve
seen writers do irreparable damage to their reputations that way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">However,
under certain circumstances I think it’s not only all right but <i>appropriate</i> to respond to reviews. In
particular, if a reader-blogger goes to the trouble to review your work, a
“thank you” note is a nice gesture, whether or not you agree with all of their
conclusions. (Unless, of course, the blogger in question is explicitly opposed
to being in contact with writers. Some are.) Reader-bloggers are almost always
unpaid for their work, and they represent one of the most important avenues of
book discovery (i.e., how readers find new books). They can be powerful
allies—and getting a “thank you” often really matters to them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Thanks Barbara. To learn more about her, click below:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://www.barbarafriendish.com/" target="_blank">barbara friend ish.com</a></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17465406367929005735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5568562283520099810.post-12737473060946687992015-12-26T06:11:00.004-08:002015-12-26T06:11:40.053-08:00Holiday Guest Author: Derrick Ferguson<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-line-height-alt: 1.0pt;">
<b>This
holiday season, I’ve decided to promote some of my writer friends and ask some
of the questions that folks ask me. Today’s guest/victim is:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-line-height-alt: 1.0pt; text-align: center;">
<b>Derrick Ferguson<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3SFbSCID9g_rWzW3fzhLm3rvUTs1vKg0oLQGfiM-tN6hsYR6U4tgfmReZvESVpLq8q5Vx-Hx0pCMileSzaVQmhVV5SyKNy9cNdlwDlYLue29Z0IS1nkG-w8Q827Gx8dL7gaHngK-YaBMh/s1600/My+Author+Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3SFbSCID9g_rWzW3fzhLm3rvUTs1vKg0oLQGfiM-tN6hsYR6U4tgfmReZvESVpLq8q5Vx-Hx0pCMileSzaVQmhVV5SyKNy9cNdlwDlYLue29Z0IS1nkG-w8Q827Gx8dL7gaHngK-YaBMh/s320/My+Author+Photo.jpg" width="253" /></a></b></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-line-height-alt: 1.0pt; text-align: center;">
<b>First, a little something about Derrick in his own words.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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My name is Derrick Ferguson and I'm from Brooklyn, New York
where I have lived for most of my still young life. Been married for 28 years to the wonderful
Patricia Cabbagestalk-Ferguson who lets me get away with far more than is good
for me.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My interests include radio/audio drama, Classic Pulp from
the 30's/40's/50's and New Pulp being written today, Marvel/DC fan fiction,
Star Trek in particular and all Science Fiction in general, animation,
television, movies, cooking, loooooong road trips and casual gaming on the Xbox
360.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Running a close second with writing as an obsession is my
love of movies. I'm currently the
co-host of the BETTER IN THE DARK podcast where my partner Thomas Deja and I
rant and rave about movies on a bi-weekly basis.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I'm also a rotating co-host of the PULPED! podcast along
with Tommy Hancock, Ron Fortier and Barry Reese where we interview writers of
the New Pulp Movement as well as discuss the various themes, topics, ebb and
flow of what New Pulp is and why you should be reading it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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And now we come to the part where I blurb and brag about the
books I've written:<o:p></o:p></div>
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DILLON AND THE VOICE OF ODIN and DILLON AND THE LEGEND OF
THE GOLDEN BELL are the first two books featuring my signature character, a
charismatic, daring and highly skilled black adventurer/mercenary named
Dillon. Check out the DILLON blog http://dillon-dlferguson.blogspot.com/ for
more info.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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DERRICK FERGUSON'S MOVIE REVIEW NOTEBOOK and THE RETURN OF
DERRICK FERGUSON'S MOVIE REVIEW NOTEBOOK are two volumes of my movie
reviews. For current reviews feel free
to check out THE FERGUSON THEATER https://derricklferguson.wordpress.com/<o:p></o:p></div>
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That's it for now.
Anything else you wanna know, just ask!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Let’s get started:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>At what age did you
start writing or know that you wanted to write?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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I started writing when I was in elementary school. I would
write these Edgar Rice Burroughs inspired stories using my classmates as the
characters. I’d write a “chapter” on both sides of a piece of loose leaf paper
and it would get passed around the classroom. When I got it back I’d write
another ‘chapter” and so it would go until the story was finished. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I also was infatuated with Mad Magazine’s “Spy vs. Spy” for
some bizarre reason and wrote story after story about them. I made up some
weird convoluted backstory for them that they were twins separated at birth.
One was raised in a ‘good’ country and the other one in an ‘evil’ country. I
also wrote what is now called superhero fan fiction. I’d make up my own stories
with my favorite superheroes. I did that well into my teen-age years. I had
five or six spiral notebooks in my book bag but only one of them was for my
schoolwork. The rest was for me to write down my stories.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I don’t think I actually ‘decided’ to be a writer until my
mid-teens. I kept on bugging my father for a typewriter and that’s when I felt
like I really wanted to be a writer.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Where do your ideas
come from?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Who the hell knows? So many things inspire me. Italian
musclemen/sword-and-sandal movies. Westerns in print and on TV and movies.
Robert E. Howard. Marvel and DC comic books. 1970s/1980s grindhouse.
Blaxploitation. Detective fiction (my father turned me onto Shell Scott, Boysie
Oakes and Matt Helm) Ian Fleming. Doc Savage. Ray Harryhausen movies. Virtually
everything I’ve ever read or seen goes into the boiling pit that is my subconscious
and comes out in my fiction.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Do you base your
characters on people you know or know of? Family or celebrities? <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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I don’t do it consciously but I think that it’s impossible
for any writer not to cherry pick traits and mannerisms and character bits from
people we know or our favorite actors. After all, a large part of being a
writer is observing people so it’s inevitable that the people we know
personally or see in TV and movies find their way into our fiction. I’ve gotten
used to having friends or family who have read a book of mine call me up to ask
me; “You based this character on me, didn’t you?” I let ‘em think so. It makes
‘em happy. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Do you plot out your
stories or just make it up as you go?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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I make it up as I go usually. I actually have a lot of
admiration and respect for those writers who plot our every last single detail
of their stories on 3x5 cards and have diagrams of their plot breakdowns on
charts. I can’t do that because if I did all that exhaustive preparation then
I’d have no desire to write the story. I don’t even like to talk about a
current WIP because I need that pressure at the keyboard. I really don’t like
to know all the details of a story I’m writing because I like to surprise
myself. And I figure that if I can surprise myself then I damn sure can
surprise a reader. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I usually start out with a beginning and an end and four or
five scenes that somewhere go in the middle. But how I get to those scenes I
trust to my subconscious and years of experience. That and the fact that I just
plain flat out enjoy making this stuff up. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Do you listen to
music while you write and if so, what do you listen to</b>?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I never listen to music while I’m writing my first drafts.
That’s because I have to give my undivided attention to the film that’s playing
on my Mental Movie Screen and listen to the dialog, the background sounds and
study the scenery and special effects in detail. Once I finish the first draft
then I can relax and listen to music while I’m doing the second and third
drafts.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What kind of music do I listen to then? It all depends on
what I’m writing. If it’s a Sebastian Red story I’m listening to Ennio
Morricone and Gangstagrass. If I’m writing a Dillon novel its 1970s/1980s music
and Motown with a healthy mix of whatever is currently popular. Movie
soundtracks are always great to listen to while writing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Which of your
characters would you most like to meet in person? Which character of another
author would you want to meet?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Oh, Dillon, of course. I’ve lived with him in my head for so
long it’s like he’s a family member. Meeting him for dinner would be an event,
I’m sure.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Which character of another author would I want to meet?
Probably Sherlock Holmes. How can I pass up a chance to meet The Great
Detective himself? And meeting Holmes would be relatively safe, I think. Too
many other characters I like get themselves into horrifically violent
situations I might get caught up in. I don’t wanna meet them <i>that</i> bad <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Which of your
stories/books/works do you consider the best?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Of my novels I’d have to say that THE VRIL AGENDA which I
co-wrote with Joshua Reynolds is the one story where it actually turned out
much better than I thought it would be. I drop kick humility out the window
when it comes to that book. Josh and I knocked that sucker clean out of the
park. I’m proud of all my Dillon novels but that one has so much in it that has
Dillon as the link of Classic Pulp Heroes to the Age of New Pulp Heroes. And
working with Josh was nothing less than spectacular. He’s not only one of the
most imaginative and talented writers I know, he’s also one of the most
generous. Anytime I asked him if I could this or that with Jim Anthony he said;
“Sure, go ahead.” And he never tried to micromanage what I was doing with his
characters. I appreciated that kind of trust.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Of my short stories, I think that my first Sebastian Red
story; “Of All The Sins A Lover Bears” is the best. When I’m asked to describe
my Sebastian Red stories I always say that they’re my idea of what might have
occurred if Sergio Leone and Michael Moorcock had ever collaborated on a
western. “Of All The Sins A Lover Bears” nails that concept perfectly. And it’s
got a love story in there at the heart of it and I rarely write a love story so
I’m proud of that.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
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<b>How much do you write
each day/week?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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That’s difficult to say because I have good days/weeks and I
have bad days/weeks. On a good day I can turn out between 3 to 5K. On a bad day
it’s more around 2K.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Can you tell about
your experiences working with publishers? Any juicy or painful experiences?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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There are actually only three publishers I’ve had experience
with. Tommy Hancock of Pro Se Productions I’ve known for so long that you’d
think I was lying if I told you exactly how long. He’s infuriating and
exasperating at times but that’s because he’s so excited about what he’s doing
and he wants to share that excitement with the world. We fuss and bicker like
an old married couple when discussing projects but I’ll tell you this; if more
people involved in New Pulp had Tommy dedication and commitment to what he’s
doing, we’d have a lot more better written New Pulp.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Captain Ron Fortier of Airship 27 has probably spoiled me
and indulged me way too much. Anytime I come to him with a project he says;
“Fine! Terrific! Go write it up and send it to me!” I don’t think he’s ever
said no to anything I’ve pitched to him. What more can a writer ask of a
publisher?<o:p></o:p></div>
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A publisher I’ve recently started working with is David
Edwards of Imperiad Entertainment. David’s a writer and filmmaker who has
created this outrageously outré Lovecraftian universe of characters and
concepts. He’s written a couple of novels and written/directed a movie;
“Nightscape.” He asked me if I would be interested in playing in his sandbox
and I said sure. I’ve written one novel so far for him: “The Thousand-Eyed
Fear” a World War I pulp adventure and there’s more to come. I’ll be doing a
weird western for him as well as a sequel to “The Thousand-Eyed Fear” And like
Tommy and Ron, he trusts me to just go off and do my thing, knowing that I’ll
deliver. That kind of trust you can’t buy. It has to be earned.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Who were your
inspirations?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Sit back and make yourself comfortable. Here we go:<o:p></o:p></div>
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Piers Anthony. Steven Barnes. Leigh Brackett. Ray Bradbury.
Edgar Rice Burroughs. Stephen J. Cannell. George C. Chesbro. Clive Cussler.
Samuel R. Delany. Lester Dent. Alexandre Dumas. Will Eisner. Harlan Ellison.
Ian Fleming. Dashiell Hammett. Chester Himes. Robert E. Howard. Langston
Hughes. Joel Jenkins. Joe R. Lansdale. Stan Lee. Robert R. McCammon. Walter
Mosley. Larry McMurtry. Michael Moorcock. John Ostrander. Ishmael Reed. Mike
Resnick. Joshua Reynolds. Charles Saunders. Jim Steranko. Andrew Vachss. Jules
Verne. Cornell Woolrich. Roger Zelazny.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>What book do you read
over and over the most?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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If we’re talking about non-fiction: “Techniques of The
Selling Writer” by Dwight V. Swain. I’ve owned a copy of this book ever since I
first read it in the 1970s. The best book about writing I’ve ever read. It’s
safe to say that I re-read it every two or three months.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As for fiction…that’s a tough one. I can’t really single out
any one fiction book I’ve read more than another. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Do you have a dream
project that you want to write in the future?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Oh, tons of ‘em. But the main one I really want to do? For
years I’ve had the plot for an Expendables/League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
type of story but with Blaxploitation characters. But I have no idea who owns
the rights to the characters I want to use or how I would even go about getting
permission to use them. <o:p></o:p></div>
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People keep telling me to make up pastiches and go ahead and
do it but I don’t wanna. It just wouldn’t be the same. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>If you could live the
life of one of your characters, who would it be?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Fortune McCall, without a doubt. He’s insanely wealthy,
travels around the world on a luxurious gambling ship, has a crew of loyal
friends he has amazing adventures with and if that ain’t enough, he’s an
African prince. Wherever he goes he’s always the smartest and coolest cat in
the room. Yeah, living the life of Fortune McCall would be awfully sweet, I
should think.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>What genre do you
prefer to write? To read?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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My genre of choice now and has been for the past 15, 20
years has been pulp action/adventure. I used to write science fiction but for
some reason I drifted away from that. Writing Pulp just seems to get the fuses
in my brain firing the same way when I was a kid reading Doc Savage, The Shadow
and John Carter of Mars.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I read everything. Really. I’m a big believer that writers
shouldn’t turn up their noses at anything except for badly written prose. I’m
really into biographies now. But for pure pleasure I go with Robert E. Howard,
Michael Moorcock or Mike Resnick.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Do you prefer writing
short stories or novels? And why?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Novels. Because I tend to write long anyway. Tell me to
write you a 10K word story and the first draft will end up being 20K. Tell me
to write you a 50K word novel and the first draft will end up being 70 or 80K.
Writing a novel it’s easier for for me to trim away the fat in the second or
third draft than doing that with a short story. Despite that, I am pretty
pleased with the short stories I’ve done. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>What are you working
on now?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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I’m co-writing a Dillon story with a friend of mine, Erik
Fromme: “Dillon and The City of Stone.” He came up with the idea and wrote a
couple of thousand words. That’s when I brutally bullied my way into and
insisted that I co-write it with him. Erik will tell you a different story but
that pretty much what happened. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m also doing research on the World War I flying ace Eugene
Bullard, known as ‘The Black Swallow of Death’ with the intention of writing a
novel inspired by his real life adventures.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Is Writer’s Block
ever a problem for you? If so, how do
you deal with it?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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I don’t believe in Writer’s Block so no, it’s not a problem
for me. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>How do you use social
media in regards to your writing?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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I’m still trying to figure that out. I have three blogs and
between them I think I do a fairly good job of connecting with people who have
read and enjoyed my books and connecting with my fellow writers, all of which
is important to me. I’m fairly active on Facebook but still don’t have a single
clue as to how to use Twitter. I’ve read articles and such that insist that I
need to spend a certain amount of time each day on a dozen different social
media platforms to sell books but if I did that, when would I have time to
write?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I think that the one thing a lot of writers ignore about
social media is the ‘social’ part. It’s not enough to just keep posting links
on Facebook and Twitter to your Amazon page and saying over and over again;
“Please buy my book!” because there are 1,021 other writers that are doing the
exact same thing. Not that I’m saying don’t do it. Hey, it’s free and not
costing you anything but time. And hey, you’re on Facebook and Twitter most of
the day anyway, right?<o:p></o:p></div>
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What I am saying is that in order to sell your books I
firmly believe that you have to sell <i>you.</i>
Tell a funny story about something that happened to your family over the
weekend. Give your opinion about the current political climate. Talk about your
favorite movies (hey, don’t knock it. You know how many readers I’ve picked up
thanks to my movie review blog?) and TV shows. Talk about how you feel about anything
and everything that comes to your mind and for Odin’s sake don’t be afraid of
offending somebody. You’re going to offend somebody anyway, trust me. I think
you’ll be surprised at the response that you get.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“But I don’t like to do promotion or connect with people or
hang out on Facebook and Twitter. I don’t want to do any of that stuff. I just
want people to buy my books!” Well, I can’t help you there. I can only suggest
what works for me. If you don’t like to do your own promotion, ask or hire
somebody else to do it, then. You don’t wanna connect with people, fine. There
have been plenty of reclusive writers who have gone on to be famous and rich.
Maybe you’ll be one of ‘em.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Do you read reviews
of your books? If so, have you ever
engaged a reviewer over comments they’ve made?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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I read all reviews of my books. And I’ve always thanked a
reviewer for their review, good or bad.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This is the way I see it and have always seen it: when
somebody reads something I’ve written they are paying for it in coin more
valuable than money. They have given up valuable time out of their life that
they will never get back to read my book or story. As far as I’m concerned,
that gives them the right to say anything they like about my book or story in
any language they see fit. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I do not subscribe to the babyish whining of some writers
that reviewers should “be nice” or that they should only write reviews if
they’re positive ones. If you put your work out there in the world for people
to see then you have to take the good with the bad. Not everybody out there is
going to love your darling the way you do and it’s best to grow a thick skin or
develop some other way of dealing with bad reviews. I know quite a few writers
who don’t read reviews at all, good or bad.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I see that we’ve come to the end of the questions so now is
the perfect time for me to thank you for this opportunity, Alan. It was most
thoughtful and generous of you to allow me this time to run my mouth for a bit.
If anybody is interested in my work or further discussion on anything I’ve said
here, you can find me on Facebook. And I’ve got three blogs where you can find
out more about what I write:<o:p></o:p></div>
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Thanks Derrick. To
find out more about him, click the links below:<o:p></o:p></div>
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BLOOD & INK <a href="http://dlferguson-bloodandink.blogspot.com/">http://dlferguson-bloodandink.blogspot.com/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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DILLON <a href="https://derrickferguson1.wordpress.com/">https://derrickferguson1.wordpress.com/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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THE FERGUSON THEATER <a href="https://derricklferguson.wordpress.com/">https://derricklferguson.wordpress.com/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17465406367929005735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5568562283520099810.post-36462998068100336902015-12-22T12:17:00.006-08:002015-12-22T12:17:57.438-08:00Holiday Guest Author: Nikki Nelson-Hicks<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-line-height-alt: 1.0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This holiday
season, I’ve decided to promote some of my writer friends and ask some of the
questions that folks ask me. Today’s guest/victim is:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Nikki Nelson-Hicks<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">First, a little something about Nikki.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
last recorded sighting of Nikki Nelson-Hicks was in Inglewood, a subdivision of
Nashville, TN. She was heard muttering, “That’ll show ‘em! Eat my last Chips
Ahoy, the cookie stealing summamitches!” and wearing only flannel bottoms and a
black rhinestone studded bra. She is a writer/editor for Pro Se Productions and
has stories included in the anthologies, Soundtrack Not Included and Nashville
Noir (both available on Amazon.com). Known to post trivial dribble on her blog,
www.nikcubed.blogspot.com and has a rabid Facebook fandom. Her last known
project was as the editor for the horror anthology, Comfort Foods. Described as
‘the lovechild of Flannery O’Connor and H.P. Lovecraft’ and a ‘damn good shag’,
this person is terribly desperate for validation. If you see Nikki Nelson-Hicks
please approach cautiously with handfuls of chocolate or a tumbler of Gentleman
Jack on ice. Or a basket of kittens. Or a basket of money. Or a basket of
kittens wrapped in money. Dipped in chocolate.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">At what age did
you start writing or know that you wanted to write?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I started writing to gain the love
of a man. He was my English teacher and I loved him with all the passion and
fury that a fourteen year old virgin could conjure. I wrote short stories,
poems, whatever and would slip them under his door, under the windshield wiper
of his truck or with my homework assignments. Seriously, I stalked that man.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">To avert my attentions (and
possibly jail time), he channeled my energies towards theatre and got me
involved in an after school program for gifted and talented students. It was
through that program that I eventually met the young boy who would grow up to
be my husband. Kismet is weird, huh?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Where do your
ideas come from? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Challenges, mainly. <i>Hey, Nik, write a pulp story that has to
have chickens in it. Hey, Nik, write a story where you take a historical figure
and pit them up against a fairytale monster. Hey, Nik, write a story where you
combine Steampunk and Superheroes. Okay? Aaaaaand GO!</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I also read a lot. I mean, like an
insane amount. I have a really dull job and my cube is in a section of the
office I lovingly call the Oubliette. My
bosses rarely notice me, the downtown public library is right down the road so,
voila! I have plenty of time to read and dream. And make enough money to pay
bills if not much else. It’s a dream position for a writer. I keep a journal of
cool ideas that I come across or I tear articles out of newspapers/magazines (I
am terrible about that) and keep files on ideas for future stories. I am always
thinking and searching for fodder. You never know where the next hook is going
to come from.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Flannery O’Connor said that “anyone
who has survived his childhood has enough information about life to last him
the rest of his days”. Everyone is a keg
full of stories. They just have to find ways to access them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Do you plot out
your stories or just make it up as you go?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m a hybrid pantser/plotter. I
need to know where the story starts and where it ends. Those are two things
that need to be cemented before I start writing. Other than a few Key Fixed
Points that might switch around in the timeline, the rest of the story is
pretty fluid. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">While I don’t consider myself a
plotter, my one rule is that each story, no matter how small, gets a journal of
its very own. It’s like a uterus, where the story gestates and develops. So,
it’s not an outline in the formal sense but I do have some sort of record
keeping albeit rather manic and sometimes unreadable. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> This
formula works easiest with stories of 10-15k word count. When I start<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">wading into 30k word count and beyond or
stories that have three or four running plotlines, I tighten the reins and tend
to keep much more outliney sort of journals. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Which of your
characters would you most like to meet in person? Which character of another
author would you want to meet?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’d like to meet Harry Dean Frogge
from my Travis Dare stories. He’s so incredibly brave and strong in so many ways
that I don’t even have the guts to imagine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Sam Vimes from Discworld. I love
that guy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Which of your
stories/books/works do you consider the best?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I don’t know if it is the best but
is definitely the most underrated. I wrote a story, <i>Alan Pinkerton and the Problem at Gruff Springs</i>. It is in the
anthology, Once Upon a Six Gun. It’s a hell of a story that NO ONE has read
because the anthology simply didn’t sell very well. Imagine, Alan Pinkerton,
American’s first private detective, on the trail of stolen Confederate gold and
gets waylaid by cannibalistic trolls. Who wouldn’t love that? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I am really proud of the second
Jake Istenhegyi story, <i>GOLEMS, GOONS AND
COLD STONE BITCHES</i> mainly because, at the time, I didn’t think it was that
good but, upon rereading it, I was shocked to realize that it is a damn good
story. It’s weird how time really does crystallize things. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">A story I wrote thirty years ago,
Coon Hunt, is what I consider my litmus test for when I join a writers group.
If they don’t get it, they are not my people. It’s a good story even though I
have never been able to sell it. Still, sometimes things just need for its time
to come around. Recently, it won a first place literary award. Only took 30
years. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">What is your
latest project/release?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The latest release is the first
volume of Jake Istenhegyi: The Accidental Detective, Boodaddies, Bogs and A
Dead Man’s Booty. There are all three stories in one book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Coming out soon is The Adventures
of Moose and Skwirl. I have a story in that anthology called Kids, They Blow Up
So Fast. It’s a fun little story about corporate espionage that uses children
as dirty bombs. Family fun for everyone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I am currently working on the
fourth Jake Istenhegyi story, Fish Eyed Men, Fedoras and Steel Toed Pumps,
which will be coming out in early 2016. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Do you have a
dream project that you want to write in the future?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I have several. They are all
written on a huge, white melamine board that hovers over my desk, accusingly. I want to write more horror. I have a
Lovecraftian story, The Church Of The Living Waters, that has been burning a
hole in my pocket. I want to get back to writing more Travis Dare stories; I’ve
neglected that whole pantheon for too long. I want to get to work on an
anthology called Tales from the Bogie Bar. It’s a series of stories told from
the POV of nightmares/gods/monsters that frequent the Bogie Bar, a neutral
ground for things that go bump in the night. I want to publish some titles
under my own house, Third Crow Press. Dammit. Thinking about all of that
exhausts me. I need a nap. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">What are you
working on now?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Right now I’m writing the fourth
story of the Jake Istenhegyi: The Accidental Detective series. The working
title is Fish Eyed Men, Fedoras and Steel Toed Pumps. It should be available in
February 2016. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In the back of my mind are: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Sherlock
Holmes and the English Rose, a new adventure for the Great Detective.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">A
story for Cryptid Clash due in 2016 involving the Mongolian Death Worm and Mole
Men. Trust me, it’s gonna be cool.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Jake
#5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Is Writer’s Block
ever a problem for you? If so, how do
you deal with it.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The biggest problem is not so much
a block as just feeling completely dried up. When that happens, when my writing
well has gone dry, I do something else. Usually something physical, something
with my hands, anything to get outside of my head. Sculpting with clay is a
good choice. Or just hitting the gym and working out. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">What 3 things do
you feel every aspiring writer should know?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I often think about this idea. What
would I have told my younger self? So here are three things I would tell her. I
don’t know if they really apply to anyone else. Maybe they do. Caveat emptor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">#1: Stop worrying that you don’t
have what it takes to be a writer. Of course you don’t. You’re a kid. You
haven’t lived. Get out there. Find adventures. Write them down. When you read
them years later, you’ll be amazed at what you forget.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">#2: Quit waiting for Excalibur.
There is no magic pen. There is no special journal that will bring your words
to life. There is no special school or degree. There is only you, sitting your
ass in the chair, writing, writing, writing and rewriting until the words finally
stumble into some kind of coherent order. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">#3: Find people that will look you
in the eye and tell you when you suck. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUPHiHy-Jr-NGUAtvI1hM34N_qeE0d-_PWhowidi_Lc0CLKHR3UUuUBYwT6C8ku63kCgB3-fAoZRpGbfivvsyZa88icI1G4vPIlrVUc06hrpNGE_EAN3uFwANw45T8PNxXXuj_3z3mRCKj/s1600/61Of8oepRrL._SX398_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUPHiHy-Jr-NGUAtvI1hM34N_qeE0d-_PWhowidi_Lc0CLKHR3UUuUBYwT6C8ku63kCgB3-fAoZRpGbfivvsyZa88icI1G4vPIlrVUc06hrpNGE_EAN3uFwANw45T8PNxXXuj_3z3mRCKj/s320/61Of8oepRrL._SX398_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">How do you use
social media in regards to your writing?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m a Facebook whore. I love it. I
have so many friends all over the world and I adore them all. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’ve been lucky to make friends
with loads of writers who have helped me advertise my books by interviewing me
or giving me reviews. Paul Bishop posted an interview he did with me on
Huffington Post that gave my Amazon numbers a much needed jump. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I use FB to promote myself as a
writer by not only telling people when new books are available but also by
trying to be as entertaining as possible. For instance, I started up a page on
Facebook called Dinosaur Cubicle Fun Time. Imagine Dilbert done with dinosaurs.
Every Wednesday, I post a new DCFT. Does it help with my book sales, I don’t
know but nothing gives me more joy than when a stranger recognizes me and tells
me they love my Facebook posts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRnmtLFC4CbNyqNL4w2TbJubBaBUuHRbq64QLexdFBRrPJRQvhO4TytTvpHtK8BeYKKV7NS6evhuLYp8tiKvgvDnwvGqmtkkB3GI9CqE-JB3uRmg9_do7y7Oh3qQJUSRrS78OM-8ssE_7/s1600/12033238_487310444769889_8577459144650240704_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRnmtLFC4CbNyqNL4w2TbJubBaBUuHRbq64QLexdFBRrPJRQvhO4TytTvpHtK8BeYKKV7NS6evhuLYp8tiKvgvDnwvGqmtkkB3GI9CqE-JB3uRmg9_do7y7Oh3qQJUSRrS78OM-8ssE_7/s320/12033238_487310444769889_8577459144650240704_n.jpg" width="302" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Do you read
reviews of your books? If so, have you
ever engaged a reviewer over comments they’ve made?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I don’t actively read them. It’s
not as if I have a Google Alert set up to go off if someone posts a review.
But, sometimes, if I feel my ego is solid enough, I’ll check them out. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I try to reply to as many as I can
by thanking them for their kind words and letting them know how much it
brightens my day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The last time I checked, I have
only gotten 1 one star review. It was from a woman who criticized my first Jake
story as being stupid. Oookay. I looked into the reviewer and found that the
only things she had reviewed other than my story was knitting needles and
chamomile tea. How the hell she ever got my book, I have no idea. And even
though I shouldn’t even consider her review valid….out of all the great ones,
her’s is the only one I can quote. Isn’t that a kick in the mushy parts? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Thanks Nikki. To find her books, click below:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nikki-Nelson-Hicks/e/B00I34EF3S/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1450815156&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Nikki - Amazon</a></span></div>
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