Six Sentence Sunday #17

On the theme of Six Sentence Sunday, here are six sentences from my FREE chapbook, Teern Truthbringer, which serves as an introduction to my YA Fantasy series, The Southern Lands.

---

Teern let his arm drop from from Pip and fell open-mouthed. “My death?”

The woman raised an open palm and said a few indistinguishable words. A small flame seemed to flicker and take light atop the woman’s fingers. “Greetings Teern Truthbringer. I have searched hard and long to find you.”

---

For fans of Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and The Narnia Chronicles, the prequel to a thrilling epic fantasy series…

A teenage farm lad experiences trials and tribulations over the course of a three day period that will change his life forever.

“Sometimes it is necessary to take that which is given to you, even when it seems not to your advantage. For everything has its part to play; its place in things.” (Pika'Al 10:10-11, The Scriptures of Al'Zaneed)

Teern Truthbringer is available for a FREE download HERE (or click picture opposite).

Author Interview: Paul Carroll

Today I am pleased to present to you all the twenty-second in a series of Author Interviews. Recently I sat down with the occasionally cranky Paul Carroll and our conversation went something like this:

---

Paul:  I like to start my interviews by asking if you have any writing rituals?

P.C.:  I’m a mid-day writer; most of my work is done from late morning up to three in the afternoon. I usually sit down with a cup of tea and set myself a target for what I want to achieve. If it’s a longer project, I’ll sometimes do a “warm up” by writing a haiku or two beforehand to get the creative juices going. Other than that, I let myself get distracted by social networks just long enough to celebrate how much I’ve written.

Paul:  What types of books do you like to read? Who are your favorite authors? Why?
P.C.:  I’m a huge fan of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and children’s/YA books, when I actually get a chance to read them. My favourite authors, if I had to pick, are Terry Pratchett, Darren Shan and John Green, though not in any particular order. There’s a particular excitement to each one, and their stories tend to be completely different to one another, so I get a good mix with just those three.

Paul:  If someone had the power to step into your creative mind what would they see?
P.C.:  There’s a confusing mix of real-life people, fairies and other assorted magical creatures and explosions in there. I write across several genres, so my creative mind lends itself to images from Fantasy and Science Fiction a lot, as well as regular images of what I can remember streets looking like from wherever I’ve been in the world. There’s a lot of colour, a lot of people and a distracting amount of unknowable things lurking around in there.

Paul:  Do you have a favorite character in each of your series, aside from the lead? If so, which one and why?
P.C.:  I’m only one book in, but even with the characters I currently have planned for my series, the character of Stephen Fox in Balor Reborn is a favourite. There’s a lot to his history that I loved writing about, and writing his parts of the book really made the experience for me. He’s a pained man, still grieving the death of his wife nineteen years on, and that agony causes him to accept some of the horrible actions he commits in the book.

Paul:  How do you find the time to write?

P.C.:  During the summer months, it’s a simple process of just sitting down to write. When I’m sitting through an academic year, I plan my writing to take place before lectures and before Drama in college, and before and after work at the weekends. It gives me time to get quite a bit of work done, usually when people aren’t around to talk to me.

Paul:  What is one thing you hope I do not tell the readers?
P.C.:  Well it would help it you didn’t spoil my next book! Joking aside… I can be quite cranky when I’m tired. Even when I try put on a happy face, I get snarky and rude, especially when people interrupt me when I’m writing. (The secret to getting away with it is to make sure I have a cup of tea!)

Paul:  If you are self-published, what led to you going your own way?
P.C.:  For me, it was largely to do with the way I was writing the book. I wrote Balor Reborn in a week, with the aim of publishing it on day seven. Getting a publisher to go ahead with that would have been a tactical nightmare. Self-publishing gave me the freedom to write the book, design the cover and put together the trailer all the way I wanted it done, knowing I could publish it whenever it pleased me to.

Paul:  Do you plot your stories or do you just get an idea and run with it?
P.C.:  I plot them. I typically have a lot of work to do for college, or I get too many ideas for things I want to do, so I need to plot my stories to make sure I actually keep them coherent. Flash fiction I’m okay with, but when I start writing longer short stories, or even full books, I need to plan them.

Paul:  Do you do a lot of editing or do you find that as time goes on your writing is more fully-formed?
P.C.:  I find that when I plan my stories, they aren’t as raw and in need of editing as they would otherwise be. Of course, it has helped that I’ve been writing since the age of twelve. All that experience has helped me get my words out on the screen the way I intend them to be more easily, to the point where my beta reader for my recent novella said it could nearly be published as-is. All it needed was a proofread beforehand.

Paul:  Do you have to do much research for your stories?
P.C.:  For the current stories I’m focusing on, my research simply involves reading about old stories. I’m retelling Irish myths in modern Ireland, so I need to get a feel for the original stories. It doesn’t require much for each book, and it generally doesn’t feel like research.

Paul:  What is your most recent book? Tell us a little about it
P.C.:  The most recent book I released is called Balor Reborn. It tells the story of the evil giant Balor, from an old Irish myth, coming back to modern Dublin through a grieving widower. From start to finish, it’s an adventure, with fairies and magic working their way through after Balor and an unwilling hero, Fionn (named after an Irish hero), having to step up to save innocent lives.

Paul:  What inspired you to write this book?
P.C.:  Back in April, I decided I’d wanted to write a book in a week. I just didn’t know what book. I pitched four or five ideas to some friends, including Balor Reborn, but even before they unanimously voted for it, I had my heart set on it. I was thinking about the story more in-depth than I should have, knowing that this book, bringing this myth back into the public eye, was the right thing to do. I just felt it in my gut.

Paul:  Do you also write any poetry, non-fiction or short stories?
P.C.:  I tend to delve in all three. My poetry, usually, finds itself restricted to haiku, while my non-fiction consists of articles on writing and marketing. Because of time constraints, I don’t always get to write short stories, though I’ve recently taken up flash fiction to help with that.

Paul:  Do you have any pieces of work that will never see the light of day?
P.C.:  As it currently stands, the first book I wrote is too painfully written to ever show people. I finished it when I was fifteen. I’d have to rewrite the whole thing before ever considering letting it out into the world. As well as that, a book I wrote when I was seventeen is too much a copy of X-Men and Heroes that I’d need to revise the whole plot. I like the idea, but it’s just not executed well enough for me to want to share it with people.

Paul:  How much marketing do you do for your published works or for your ‘brand’?
P.C.:  I don’t think I’m alone in saying that when it comes to applying marketing theory, I’m not that great. However, I try to keep my ‘brand’ alive with tweeted haiku and articles on writing. With my recent uptake of flash fiction, it should be a little easier to get people familiar with my take on mythology in the Fantasy genre. With Friday Flash, it should be easier to get those stories noticed while I continue working on the books.

Paul:  What’s your favorite / least favorite aspect of your writing life? Has anything surprised you?

P.C.:  My least favorite aspect of my writing life is trying to reconcile it with a social life. I’m still at that age where I’m expected to be going out often and meeting new people all the time, and it comes down to a choice of that or writing. It’s usually a judgment call, based on how I’m actually feeling at the time. What surprises me in this respect, though, is that by knowing I’m giving up writing to actually get out of the house and meet people, I tend to have a better time, relax a bit more, and actually talk to people more freely. When I get back to writing, I just make up for lost time, but I don’t let myself feel guilty.

Paul:  What do you do when you’re not writing? Do you have any hobbies or party tricks?
P.C.:  When I’m not writing, I’m either at college or at work. However, I do find time to go to the cinema (usually once a week), read comic books and fantasy novels, and during the college year I take part in Drama in college.

Paul:  Well, Paul, that was great. I wish you every success for the future.

---

About Paul Carroll: Paul Carroll is a writer and student from Dublin. He is currently studying to become a Religion and English teacher at second level, while dividing his time between writing fiction, poetry, scripts and keeping up with assignments in college. He makes use of social media to interact with other writers, bakes in his spare time, and watches horror films alone in the dark.

Paul's Website: Paul Carroll
Paul on Twitter: @writeranonymous
Paul on Facebook: paulcarrollwriter
Paul's latest book: Balor Reborn (Amazon)

Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll

It seems to me that if you’re an Indie Author you have to lead a life that is full of all the above. I guess that’s a pretty bold claim to make, but after over a year of walking the Indie Author trail, I’m convinced I’m on the right track.

Of course, I’m not literally speaking about having sex, doing drugs and listening to rock and roll music. Oh no. That would definitely not suit the life of an Indie Author (tongue firmly in cheek and I’m not asking for volunteers). But these are metaphors for our day-to-day writing lives. I guess I’d better explain.

Sex – Now, as far as I know there are two kinds here, men and women.  The Indie Author market is scattered with both varieties, but seemingly more women than men (and please feel free to prove me wrong). And from what I’ve observed, 100% of all Indie Authors are either men or women. So, obviously sex plays an important part in the process of writing.

Drugs – The sheer volume of tweets and Facebook posts I’ve seen extolling the benefits of drinking coffee or sipping a glass of wine while writing, leads me to further believe that, yes, drugs do indeed also play an important part in the daily life of an Indie Author.

Rock & Roll – Of course, rock and roll is just one form of music, but I have also heard that very many Indie Authors need some kind of background music playing in order to be able to get words down on paper. It’s to do with ‘getting into their space’ or something. Yep, music also plays an important part in the daily life of an Indie Author.

So, I think I’ve got it all worked out now. All you need to become a successful Indie Author is to be either a man or a woman, to drink coffee and to listen to music while writing. It couldn’t be simpler. My success as an author is now guaranteed.

But then I wondered about some of the other more common sayings. What if they were applicable to Indie Authors too? Let me explain.

Icing on the cake – I’m fairly sure this has to do with the coffee and wine thing. Most Indie Authors don’t like to eat plain cake while they write; they need the icing. It gives them fingers to lick while they think about what they should be typing.

Rule of thumb – See above. Icing on the thumb definitely makes an Indie Author stop and think before typing.

Beat around the bush – I am in two minds about this one. Obviously the beat could imply something to do with music, and the bush could represent the Indie Author. It could also just mean that Indie Authors take their time to get down to some serious writing.

Scrape the bottom of the barrel – It’s not until the coffee is empty or the wine is all drunk that the Indie Author actually gets around to writing a few precious words.

The writing is on the wall – this is, in fact, why Indie Authors stare at the wall for hours at a time before writing anything down.

Well there you go, the Indie Author life debunked. Me? I’m off to try the icing on the cake before I beat around the bush, scrape the bottom of the barrel, and finally give in to the writing on the wall. Sex, drugs, and rock & roll? We never had it so easy.

The Time Stealers - A Short Story

Today I am pleased to publish my fourth guest blog post. You too can have a post published on my blog. Just read the guidelines HERE. In the meantime, enjoy...

Today we have something a little different. It's a short story by Indie Author Gareth Doble. Gareth asked me if I would publish it along with my feedback. He's a brave man! So, sit back and read the story. My feedback is at the end.

---

THE TIME STEALERS
By: Gareth Doble

The man moved frantically down the street, beads of sweat pouring off his face despite the cold winter morning air. His eyes looked all at once like that of a cornered jaguar and a tiny rabbit, running from the all-seeing eagle. His dark, greying hair hung damp and untamed in his face as he moved.

Even though it was early morning, the rush hour in the central business district of the city had begun and the streets were a literal sea of people, moving in great waves that coincided with the constant high tide of trains and buses, arriving every few minutes, flooding people into the city at the same time every day.

Thousands of people struggled through the crowds to get where they needed to be, yet he seemed to glide through the masses, like a ghost, unnoticed. He knew he wasn't invisible. It was just that he didn't seem to fit. Perhaps it was the crazed look in his eyes, or his unkempt appearance and old dirty clothing. He did not know, nor care anymore. The people in the crowds saw him, but simply moved away, either looking down or anywhere but straight at him. He was the oil in the great ocean of people flowing through the streets of the city. He picked up his pace then looked over his shoulder to check if they were following. “No one there.”

Glancing down at his wrist, checking the time he was surprised to notice that he wore no watch, despite repeating this ritual a number of times, every single day. A siren screamed suddenly, above the din of the people and traffic, and the man turned quickly down an alley, pushing himself against the wall and ducking down slightly, out of sight. His eyes darted left, then right, noticing for the first time two men in black suits with dark sunglasses standing across the street. They stood either side of the entrance to the central metro line station, one leant back, leafing through a magazine and the other seemingly on his phone. His glance darted back to his left down the street as the siren grew louder. The police cruiser flashed by in an instant, off down the street and the sirens faded as the city reverted back to its usual hum.

Following the police cruiser with an intense gaze until it was out of sight, he turned his attention back to the two men across the road. His mind raced and his heart rate quickened suddenly.

“I've seen them before. They were there that day when the others first came. They work for them, always watching. Like an army of spies, always there somewhere in the shadows,” he spoke in a hushed tone. A woman passed the entrance to the alleyway just as he spoke, pausing for a moment in confusion at the sight of the man at the edge of the alleyway, seemingly talking to somebody crouched beside him. He glared up at her, noticing her staring. She noticed that instead of malice there was genuine fear in his eyes, almost pleading to her for help. They held each other’s gaze for just a few seconds, before he looked back over the street. His face turned white.

“They're gone!” he said, gasping as he said it. The two men in black suits who had stood across the street only moments before had disappeared. He stood up, now ignoring the women, looking up and down the busy street searching for the men.

“We've got to move now! We have to get out of the city,” he said, still speaking to the companion that only he could see. His head was throbbing and his vision began blurring slightly as his heart pounded in his chest even harder now. His clothes were drenched in sweat as he made his way across the street toward the entrance to the central metro station. He had almost reached the middle of the street when he spotted one of the men again. He was standing beside a news stand, with his back to him, barely thirty feet away. He was rooted to the spot in the middle of the road, frozen. “What the hell? He wasn't there before. They appear from nowhere,” he said in a whisper to his companion. His mind churned, trying to force his body to move. He glanced to his left, as if looking at somebody. He frowned, the look of terror on his face deepened. “Where are you? Can you hear me? He looked frantically all around desperately searching for his friend.

It was then he was jarred out of his manic daze, by the harsh blare car horns.

“What the hell are you doing, you idiot. Get out the road!” he vaguely heard someone shouting in between the sound of the horns.”

“It’s happening again. They're taking it from me.....” the man spoke out loud to himself now, either ignoring or oblivious to the increasingly angry onlookers and drivers. His gaze whipped back to the news stand, just in time to see the man in the black suit staring straight at him. He removed his sunglasses and his piercing eyes locked onto his own. He could feel him inside his head. Looking to the left he noticed the other man had reappeared and now also moved towards him with the same look in his eyes.

The man turned round to go back the way he had come. The woman was still watching him. Seeing the terror on his face she approached him. “Are you okay Sir? Do you need help?” Her voice sounded so young and innocent. For an instant his heart leapt at the thought of somebody offering him some help. He was on the verge of asking her, before a voice placed doubt in his mind again. “No, no, no, this isn't right. It’s the Time! It's always the Time! Why can't any of you see it!” he almost shouted the words at her. Glancing sharply over his shoulder, he saw the two men in suits getting nearer. He turned and began sprinting toward the subway entrance. He bounded down the stairs, turning his head at the bottom just long enough to see the other two men at the top of the stairs, also running now. His heart felt like it would explode in his chest any second. He ran through the subway tunnels, vaguely heading in the direction of the main line platform. People scattered as the crazed man ploughed his way through the crowds.

He turned his head, the two men were gaining on him. He had reached the main platform now, which was heaving with hundreds of commuters, waiting for the imminent arrival of the next train.

He ducked down in the middle of the mass of people jostling for positions on the platform. Scanning the platform he saw no sign of his pursuers. His breathing was heavy, and he tried to slow it down and focus his thoughts now, when he suddenly felt a vice like grip on his arm.

The black suited man leant forward, whispering something in his ear. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. He could no longer hear the sounds of the station, everything silent now, apart from the large electronic clock hanging overhead, the seconds ticked by sounding like pistol shots. He thought he heard the sound of a train signalling its approach into the station.

Then, with one final explosion of energy he sent his free elbow crashing into the other man's face and broke free from his grip. Running forward now, the only way to go, he was almost at the platform edge and trying to turn and run along the edge. He tripped and stumbled, attempting to stop himself in vain, as he was suddenly falling into an abyss, helpless to stop himself.

A woman's scream rang out over the platform, as the man disappeared beneath the train. The entire station was suddenly deathly silent for a moment. After a few seconds, the scene was chaos as people rang for help on mass. The older looking man in the black suit stared on, unmoved. He glanced down the platform at the younger man, shaking his head as he put his sunglasses back on, and both left the station, unnoticed by anyone.

A man lay on the tracks in a dark tunnel. Just as he closed his eyes for the last time, he managed a little smile, reflecting on the irony, that in his desperation to defeat those who would steal his time, he now had none left to give. In some way he had won.

---

Comments:

• I corrected a number of minor spelling errors but I did not correct any grammar or sentence structure
• There are several incorrect words in the context which I did not alter (e.g. 'on mass' should be 'en masse')
• There are several sentences that should start with a capital letter and are not continuations of the previous passage (these are mainly after spoken sections)

Feedback:

It's tough to give feedback about something in a forum such as this but if I could give a few generalities they would be as follows:

• It's important to decide on the reason behind a story and ensure you make that reason clear to the reader. I had no investment in the main character and therefore it didn't matter that he died at the end of the story. Why was he running? Who was the 'invisible' man? Who were the men chasing him? The list is endless. Bottom line, there are too many unknowns to make this story satisfying
• There are too many mixed tenses within paragraphs. Decide up front whether the story is going to be written in the past or present tense and stick to it unless there's a good reason not to
• Several sentences don't make clear who the subject is. (e.g. "He removed his sunglasses and his piercing eyes locked onto his own")

There are more things I could say, but I think I've made my main points. Sometimes when we have an idea for a short story we need to take a step back from it and ask ourselves what exactly we are trying to say to the reader? Adding metaphors and descriptions to a story are fine, providing they are serving a purpose in moving the story along (and embellishing it). In this case, the only story appears to be:

1/ Scared man crosses road. 

2/ Scared man runs into subway. 

3/ Scared man gets hit by train.

Bottom line, the story needs more substance.

Please keep writing, Gareth, and I look forward to reading some of your future works.

Gareth can be followed on Twitter at: Gareth Doble and his website is at: Gareth's Website

Infographic: Social Media Use By Law Enforcement

Paul Dorset Interviews

Just a quick post today!

I have been fortunate enough to have been interviewed twice in the past few days...

Check out two wonderful articles featuring me:

1. Jo Michaels - a wonderful Indie Author

2. Susan Wingate - another excellent Indie Author

Click the links!

My gratitude to these lovely people for their continued support.

And finally a quote from the interview:

Jo: How often do you write and how did you come to this decision?

Paul: My writing goes through cycles (novel writing as opposed to blogs and other projects). When I am writing a novel, I try and write about 1500 words a day for the duration of the book (60-90 days). Of course this writing time comes after a period of plotting and planning. I try to be strict with myself about writing as it’s important to actually finish the book. But that’s just me. I’m sure my methods wouldn’t work for everyone.

Click the links above and take a read. Support the Indie Author community!

Six Sentence Sunday #16

On the theme of Six Sentence Sunday, here are a few sentences from my book, How To Write & Self-Publish Your First Novel. The book is a self-help book and is available from all the usual places for only $3.99 as an ebook and $8.99 as a paperback.

Creating a good plot for a novel is a lot more difficult than you might imagine. It’s one thing having a story in your head, but actually getting it down on paper and turning it into something that is 80,000 words or so is no small task. If you have tried to create a short story as was suggested in the previous article, you already have an understanding of story points. As I wrote before, a short story needs between ten and twenty story points, but a full-length novel is going to need a couple of hundred! Do you have enough ideas to make a story progress through two hundred bullet points? 

So how do you get to this place?... 

---

How To Write & Self-Publish Your First Novel

Age Group: All Ages
Genre: Reference / Self-Help
Pages: 125

INTRODUCTION
Writing and publishing your first novel is tough. It usually takes a long time. Years for most people. It can be soul destroying too. You finally complete your manuscript; you send off samples to agents and publishers, and anxiously watch the mail for the responses. Then they come in, one at a time, rejection after rejection.

How do I know this? I’ve been there. Does this mean I was a bad writer? No, but I could have used some help in those early days. Sure, I had purchased a few books on writing and I had tried to pay attention to the advice they gave, but there were so many of them and sometimes advice seemed to conflict other advice. It was way too much to take in.

But I persevered with my writing and now I have been writing for several years and I have completed several novels and other books, and my writing is a lot better. My early novels could still do with some major re-editing (which they will be finally getting this summer), but my later works, oh wow I can spot the differences!

So, a few months ago I decided I would go the self-publishing route to getting my books out there in the big world. Things are changing in the book markets and so many people now have Kindles and Nooks and iPads and other electronic book readers. I thought to myself, why not do it myself? I know I can write; I have that confidence. Enough complete strangers have told me they like what I write, so why shouldn’t I join that list of published authors? And why should I have to wait for some agent or publisher to take a chance on an unknown author before I get published? So I did it, and now I have the story to tell and the method you can use to generate your own success.

This ebook is a series of essays solely concerned with improving your writing skills and getting your first novel successfully self-published. It is written in a way that you can keep dipping into it, and keep coming back to parts of it, time and time again. It is concise and to the point and it is written from experience; thousands of hours of experience. Every essay in this book is relevant and has a purpose. Every essay will give you pause for thought.

Can I turn you into a bestselling author? No – only you can do that. But I can set you on a path to success. I can give you clear guidelines about what not to do, and how to do things better. And I can tell you exactly how to self-publish that novel. This ebook takes your novel from the beginning and leads you along a path of self-discovery. When you have finished reading you will be Writing for Success and be someone who has a better chance than most every other wannabe author out there of becoming the next Tom Clancy, JK Rowling, Stephen King, or whoever else is your writing hero.

Good luck!

CONTENTS
1. Don't Start the Story at the Beginning
2. Become a Successful Writer in 2,000 Hours
3. Poems and Short Stories
4. Creating a Good Plot
5. How Long Should a First Novel Be?
6. Writing in the First Person
7. Writing in the Third Person
8. Dialog Versus Narrative – Show Versus Tell
9. Writing Your First Novel: Words & Routine
10. Conflict and Its Importance
11. Plot Pace
12. Creating Believable and Well Rounded Characters
13. Writing Dialog – Or ‘He Said, She Said’
14. Creating a Page Turner
15. Letting the Book 'Cook'
16. Self-Editing Your Novel
17. The Process of Pre-Reads
18. Creating a World of Fantasy
19. How to Write & Self-Publish a Novel: The End-To-End Process Checklist
20. Creating a Writing Environment without Interruptions
21. Reading to Write
22. Encouraging All Would Be Authors
23. The Self-Publishing Process - The COMPLETE A-Z Instructions
24. Marketing Your Novel - The Relevance of Social Media, ARCs and Book Bloggers

Author Interview: Kerry Sparks

Today I am pleased to present to you all the twenty-first in a series of Author Interviews. Recently I sat down with the concise Kerry Sparks and our conversation went something like this:

---

Paul:  I like to start my interviews by asking if you have any writing rituals?

Kerry:  No… I just write when I feel inspired.

Paul:  What types of books do you like to read? Who are your favorite authors? Why?

Kerry:  Middle grade fiction. Jeff Kinney aka Diary of a Wimpy Kid author… because that’s my writing style humorous.

Paul:  If someone had the power to step into your creative mind what would they see?

Kerry:  A rainbow… I have several writing projects going at once.

Paul:  What is a typical day for you? 

Kerry:  Right now I go to school online every day but I take sneak peeks at Facebook and Twitter. I try to promote my books by social media every now and then.

Paul:  Do you have a favorite character in each of your series, aside from the lead? If so, which one and why? 

Kerry:  I like my character “Pamela” from my Get Frosted books. She’s the stylish girl with all the cool clothes.

Paul:  In all the years you’ve been publishing your work, what is the biggest mistake you made that you could share so others can avoid making it? 

Kerry:  Doing book events that have 100 other authors involved. If you want to stand out or sell your books then smaller events that have less competition are best.

Paul:  How do you find the time to write?

Kerry:  Right now it’s hard. I have a break coming up so I plan to finish up some projects when I get a break.

Paul:  What is one thing you hope I do not tell the readers?

Kerry:  The ending of my fantasy book.

Paul:  If you are self-published, what led to you going your own way?

Kerry:  Too many rejection letters.

Paul:  Do you plot your stories or do you just get an idea and run with it?

Kerry:  Idea and run with it.

Paul:  Do you do a lot of editing or do you find that as time goes on your writing is more fully-formed?

Kerry:  I have a few revisions here and there, but I wouldn’t say a lot. I know what I want to say in my stories, but I’m not perfect so I will back pedal sometimes and take things out or add chapters… things like that.

Paul:  Do you have to do much research for your stories?

Kerry:  No. I like to have my own voice, and I’m on a fantasy kick right now so no research needed.

Paul:  What is your most recent book? Tell us a little about it

Kerry:  The Baby Inside Mrs. Maze - Nina thinks her fifth grade teacher Mrs. Maze is absolutely fabulous! Cousin Freddie disagrees. Freddie's suspicions are confirmed when Nina spots a baby's bird wing moving around in pregnant Mrs. Maze's belly. What's inside Mrs. Maze? The kids don't know, but they're determined to find out. With the help of their gym teacher, Mr. Quick, the puzzle pieces start coming together. But as one mystery unravels, another folds. Can Nina and Freddie trust Mr. Quick? And what will happen to the community of Agua Azul when Mrs. Maze gives birth to this "thing"? Find out in this magical fantasy for middle grade readers.

Paul:  What inspired you to write this book?

Kerry:  I wanted to have a book for boys and girls.

Paul:  Do you also write any poetry, non-fiction or short stories?

Kerry:  No. I stink at writing poetry.

Paul:  Do you have any pieces of work that will never see the light of day?

Kerry:  Maybe…

Paul:  Do you enter competitions? Are there any you could recommend?

Kerry:  No. I used to enter Highlights Magazine’s contest, but they kept asking me to pay for their workshop so I quit sending them stuff.

Paul:  How much marketing do you do for your published works or for your ‘brand’?

Kerry:  Just social media currently… the free stuff.

Paul:  What’s your favorite / least favorite aspect of your writing life? Has anything surprised you?

Kerry:  Little respect… the amount of competition there is in 2012

Paul:  What do you do when you’re not writing? Do you have any hobbies or party tricks?

Kerry:  I can play Heart and Soul on the piano with my feet. Just kidding. That’s from Breakfast Club. Right now my baby is my hobby.

Paul:  Thanks, Kerry. I wish you the very best for the future.

---

About Kerry Sparks: Kerry Sparks is an author of pre-teen fantasy books.

Kerry on Twitter: @Sparkskerry
Kerry on Facebook: Kerry Sparks
Kerry's latest book: The Baby Inside Mrs. Maze (Amazon)

Author Interview: Jo Michaels

Today I am pleased to present to you all the twentieth in a series of Author Interviews. Recently I sat down with the incognito Jo Michaels and our conversation went something like this:

---

Paul:  I like to start my interviews by asking if you have any writing rituals?

Jo:  I begin each day with a cup of coffee and a blog post. It gets my brain working and the words flowing from my fingers. I also read and comment on a multitude of other blogs because I’ve found inspiration in them on occasion.

Paul:  What types of books do you like to read? Who are your favorite authors? Why?

Jo:  I read everything I can get my hands on. I have a few favorite authors: Fern Michaels, Rick Riordan, Eoin Colfer, Cornelia Funke, Emily Bronte, Robin Cook, Jane Austen, and a number of popular authors of today. I like Fern for her female empowerment, Rick for his mythological and historical style, Robin because I love medical mysteries, and the others because they wrote something that spoke to me.

Paul:  If someone had the power to step into your creative mind what would they see?

Jo:  They would see a brain working on overdrive. I cultivate new ideas everywhere. There would be scary monsters, beautiful people, facts, figures, and a whole lot of beliefs I hold to very firmly.

Paul:  What is a typical day for you? 

Jo:  A typical day (M-F) is: Up at 6am, put kids on bus, write my blog post and comment on other blogs from 8-9 while answering e-mails, then work on editing, creating book covers, or my WIP until 3 when the kids return. Cook dinner, homework, clean house, bathe kids, prepare for bed, and read (until I fall asleep).

Paul:  Do you have a favorite character in each of your series, aside from the lead? If so, which one and why? 

Jo:  I do. Kutula from Yassa because he was fun, funny, and ended up asserting himself into a position that I couldn’t deny his right to, Emmett from The Abigale Chronicles because he’s based on my own son, and Cecilia Hooper from my new series Mystic because she’s such an innocent.

Paul:  How do you find the time to write?

Jo:  I schedule it every weekday. It’s my job and I refuse to call in sick.

Paul:  What is one thing you hope I do not tell the readers?

Jo:  My real name. I use a pen name for many reasons and to have my real name discovered might bring me a lot of backlash due to the things I write.

Paul:  If you are self-published, what led to you going your own way?

Jo:  I won’t lie; I sent my manuscript to agents. They didn’t know how they could market it and I got frustrated by being turned down a billion times. I thought, with the boom in ebook publishing, maybe I had a shot going it on my own. I’ve seen a little success with my chosen route and, though it’s more work for me, I do enjoy keeping more of my profits.

Paul:  Do you plot your stories or do you just get an idea and run with it?

Jo:  I’m not a plotter in a traditional sense but I do make some major decisions before I begin to write: What the main character’s moment of change will be, what journey they are taking, who will support them in their endeavors, and how the story will end. I then make chapter titles as a rough guide and let the story flow from there. Every time I’ve attempted to restrict that in any way, I deviate.

Paul:  Do you do a lot of editing or do you find that as time goes on your writing is more fully-formed?

Jo:  I think every book needs editing. I don’t care how great you are, you need someone to tell you when something sucks. I go through no less than four rounds of edits with every book I publish. I edit in, out, send to my editor, then edit again based on feedback.

Paul:  Do you have to do much research for your stories?

Jo:  For Yassa, yes, because it was historical fiction and I wanted to stay as true to Genghis Khan as I could. For the others, like The Abigale Chronicles (Book One and Book Two) and Player, not really. I do keep a pretty tight timeline worked up for most of them though, and I keep a handy link document open where I dump sites I found with useful information. Mystic requires that I check facts about locations and weather details so I find myself Googling a lot for that series.

Paul:  What is your most recent book? Tell us a little about it

Jo:  I suppose it’s time to ruin the surprise here. I’m working on a series titled Mystic about tolerance and judgment. The first book in the six book series is titled Bronya and was just released in August of 2012. There will be five novellas and one conclusion novel. Bronya, the first novella, centers around homosexuality and the devastating effect a community can have on people who are different. As a series, I want to show people they have strength and can battle hate if they work together.

Paul:  What inspired you to write this book?

Jo:  I see so many people out there hating someone over something. Whether it’s a life choice they make, something that happened to them, or something they decide, it can cause a lot of self-loathing. I want people to realize their words hurt as badly as their fists in many situations.

Paul:  Do you also write any poetry, non-fiction or short stories?

Jo:  I have written novels, children’s chapter books, and one non-fiction book in my area of expertise: graphic design and branding yourself. I put my short stories on my blog for everyone to enjoy.

Paul:  Do you have any pieces of work that will never see the light of day?

Jo:  I have one that I’m working on that’s very personal. I’m not sure I’ll ever publish it because of that. It’s titled Player and is a novel about the games played when dating. Once bitten, twice shy, and all that jazz.

Paul:  How much marketing do you do for your published works or for your ‘brand’?

Jo:  More than is good for me, I’m sure. I tweet, Facebook, and blog. I did a blog challenge not too long ago and met a lot of like-minded people I have kept in touch with. It has added time to my day but a lot of reward to my life.

Paul:  What’s your favorite / least favorite aspect of your writing life? Has anything surprised you?

Jo:  My favorite part is the creation and sense of completion I get when I finish a work. My least favorite part is wishing I had more hours in a day to write. I was surprised at the toll the summer took on my WIP. My kids being out of school has thrown a wrench into my schedule. I’m looking forward to November and NaNoWriMo. I’m hoping to get caught up and ahead in that month.

Paul:  What do you do when you’re not writing? Do you have any hobbies or party tricks?

Jo:  I’m an illustrator and photographer as well as a graphic designer. I’ve created a couple of book covers for other authors over the last few months including: Canopy, Lazy Arizona Organic Gardener’s Basics, and Divorced to Dating Disasters. So, that keeps me pretty busy. I love to swim also but this summer hasn’t seen me in the pool much. I’m hoping to have more time to do that once the kids go back to school.

---

About Jo Michaels: Jo Michaels was born in 1977 in Tennessee. She moved to Louisiana when she was four, then to Georgia in 2010. Her book, The Abigale Chronicles - Book One, has received many accolades for its original and inspiring protagonist, Abigale Fontenot. The children's chapter book was written for Jo's daughter and is about the power of imagination helping someone become extraordinary. Michaels holds a degree in Graphic Design and all artwork associated with her material is original and done by her.

Jo's Blog: Jo Michaels
Jo on Twitter: @WriteJoMichaels
Jo on Facebook: Jo Michaels
Jo's latest book: Mystic: Bronya (Amazon)

Author Interview: G.E.M. Thomas

Today I am pleased to present to you all the nineteenth in a series of Author Interviews. Recently I sat down with the brief and concise G.E.M. Thomas and our conversation went something like this:

---

Paul:  Do you have any writing rituals?
G.E.M.:  Yes, write everyday.

Paul:  What types of books do you like to read? Who are your favorite authors? Why?
G.E.M.:  I read books for their practicality. Not much of what I read would be literature. Anything that touches on history I read.

Paul:  If someone had the power to step into your creative mind what would they see?
G.E.M.:  Neurons conntected in ways they never imagined.  Firing away at the most minor and abstract details perceived. Always growing, always excited, because my mind, all minds, naturally stay stimulated. So, in a sence they would see what goes on in themselves. 

Paul:  What is a typical day for you?
G.E.M.:  Everyday is different. But, spearfishing, surfing, fishing, hunting, jogging, cooking, writing, socializing, and partying with pretty women.

Paul:  Do you have a favorite character in each of your series, aside from the lead? If so, which one and why?
G.E.M.:  Not specifically. Each character is like a snowflake.

Paul:  In all the years you’ve been publishing your work, what is the biggest mistake you made that you could share so others can avoid making it?
G.E.M.:  Read three times every word, sentence, paragraph, page, chapter, completed work.  

Paul:  How do you find the time to write?
G.E.M.:  WWOOF'n The World Wide Opp. on Organic Farms enables me to work for food and a bed via 20/hrs a week. So, I'm a part time writer.

Paul:  What is one thing you hope I do not tell the readers?
G.E.M.:  That they are better writers than me.

Paul:  If you are self-published, what led to you going your own way?
G.E.M.:  It is a new industry. Every new industry naturally has elbow room to grow.

Paul:  Do you plot your stories or do you just get an idea and run with it?
G.E.M.:  Run with it. And I run fast.

Paul:  Do you do a lot of editing or do you find that as time goes on your writing is more fully-formed?
G.E.M.:  I write and write and then edit and edit. That's a tip.

Paul:  Do you have to do much research for your stories?
G.E.M.:  Absolutely.

Paul:  What is your most recent book? Tell us a little about it
G.E.M.:  My recent novel is Strong Roads: A Spanish Shipwreck Survivor in Ancient Hawaii's sequel, Strong Roads: Blues and Greens and Blood. This story is set where Alonso Truylos, after washing ashore the island, is launched into the aristocratic society. He is granted all luxuries by the highest echelon of the kingdom and a morganatic relationship develops with a woman. Jealousy towards Alonso Truylos ensues all around him, mainly from his closest friend. War breaks out between the brothers who control the polity. Alonso Truyos is forced into exile, for his own safety, into the deep jungles. A decision to return to society is made, despite understanding the implications.

Paul:  What inspired you to write this book?
G.E.M.:  My gut.

Paul:  Do you also write any poetry, non-fiction or short stories?
G.E.M.:  Yes. My poetry book is titled A Kaleidoscopic Explosion of Thought and my short story is titled A Dandy Dish.

Paul:  Do you enter competitions? Are there any you could recommend?
G.E.M.:  Yes. My debut novel ranked in the top 20% of the Summer Lit. Seminar.

Paul:  How much marketing do you do for your published works or for your ‘brand’?
G.E.M.:  Speak about it all day. Or check out my twitter acc. to get the lowdown.

Paul:  What’s your favorite / least favorite aspect of your writing life? Has anything surprised you?
G.E.M.:  Least favorite would be the minutes that spin by while editing.

Paul:  What do you do when you’re not writing? Do you have any hobbies or party tricks?
G.E.M.:  Look good. 

Paul:  Well thanks, G.E.M.. I wish you all the best for the future.

P.S. G.E.M. would also like me to mention that he has a short story, A Dainty Dish, being published on October 1st. A Dainty Dish concerns a cooking contest in Los Angeles and the book will be FREE on October 1st and 2nd on Kindle.

---

About G.E.M. Thomas: As a child, in a suburban New Jersey town, I would be dropped off by my mom at art classes. It was here, I freely participated in making music, painting, creating sculptures, and writing. By the end of the day, I would be picked up having exercised my creative muscles. Time went on and as I grew into adolescents more and more stories were written. Happenings on distant worlds and futuristic themes like mining outer moons were produced and a character that floated alongside Huckleberry Finn too. I stopped writing fiction so much in high school and my college years. Graduation day arrived in 2009 and that morning, as I sat with my colleagues, the valedictorian justly gave an inspiring speech. In it he stated that a diploma is like a ticket for a train. But, it is your chose as to the destination. I sat there smiling and thinking how great it was as a metaphor. One month later, I was sitting on an airplane seat bound for Hawaii. It was in Hawaii where I would spend the next thirty months. Everyday, I would write a part of Strong Roads A Spanish Shipwreck Survivor in Ancient Hawaii and Strong Roads Blues and Greens and Blood, its sequel. The series are historical-fiction novels based off an ancient legend in Hawaii. The legend states 'pale-skinned' people washed ashore an island and these castaways became well established. I took this story and wound it up with my imagination to form volume one. The sequel is about the main character and his ascent to power in a foreign land, his deep love for a woman, and their struggles to survive together when unlimited political power is threatened by war. Obviously, an epic story of this magnitude is disputed by pundits. However, I do not care to prove it accurate or baseless. I want only to make readers aware of my work. In addition to the plot is the unbelievable, yet true, story of the environments where I wrote these novels. Quick example, in a tropical jungle one section of the sequel was written on my laptop only when hooked up to a fifty-five watt output solar panel. Why? Well, necessity had me earning my way around in the strangest of places. Room and board was exchanged by working in farms and hostels, ordinarily no more than twenty hours a week. So, I made space in my life as a part-time writer. Thus, resuming my love for writing and exploring language. Passions from my formative years that, like a phoenix, I again enjoy sharing.

G.E.M.'s Website: G.E.M. Thomas
G.E.M. on Twitter: @StrongRoads
G.E.M. on Facebook: G.E.M. Thomas
G.E.M.'s latest book: Strong Roads (Amazon)