Our author interview today is with Rachel Morgan. Here she talks about her books and her writing journey.
Welcome, Rachel, thanks for talking
to us today and letting us have a little insight into you and your books.
Q: Tell us about your Creepy Hollow series.
Creepy Hollow is a series of YA paranormal fantasy
stories. Each story is novelette-sized (ranging from about 50 to 80 pages). You
could think of it like a TV series being told in book form. The story follows
Violet, a faerie training to be one of the elite guardians, faeries who fight
to protect humans from dangerous magical creatures.
The series
begins with one of Vi’s assignments going wrong—a human boy (who for some
reason is able to see through her faerie glamour) follows her into the fae
realm.
Q: What’s your genre and why did you
choose it?
So far I’ve only
written YA paranormal fantasy. I’ve always loved fantasy and magic, so it was only
natural to write in that genre. It’s only in the past few years that I
discovered the YA category of books, and that’s pretty much all I’ve read and
written since! Here’s what I love about YA: the characters are still
discovering the people they’re meant to be; they’re experiencing things for the
first time (which is always fun to write about); there are rules when you’re
young, which means you get to break them (definitely fun!); and emotions are
far more heightened.
Q: What’s the biggest obstacle you
faced with your writing journey?
Time! I am
also a teacher, and it’s tough juggling teaching responsibilities with writing.
Q: Where do you get your ideas and
inspiration from?
Anywhere and
everywhere. I recently watched a documentary that sparked a major idea. And I
often get little ideas from other books I read, and then mix them all up into
my own story.
Q: Who or what are your influences?
So many
authors have influenced my writing! For this current series, the major
influences would probably be Kiersten White, Stephanie Perkins and Rachel
Hawkins. There are also TV series I love that have influenced me, like The Vampire Diaries and Veronica Mars (amongst others!).
Q: Are you self-published, legacy or
a combination?
Self-published,
and proud of it :-)
Q: What was the hardest part of your
self-pub journey?
Probably
getting the word out there about my books. I have some fantastic blogging
friends who helped me out with the big blog tour I had when I launched the
series (and who continue to help me now). But still, promoting my work is
something I should be trying to do pretty much ALL the time. It’s tough to fit
in though when I’m also writing AND teaching!
Q: What format are your books
available in?
Currently
they are available in ebook form on Amazon. They are a bit short for print, but
at some point I will publish multiple stories together in print format.
Q: How many books have you published
so far?
So far I
have two instalments in the Creepy Hollow
series published. The first is Guardian,
and the second is Labyrinth. The
third, Traitor, will be available at
the end of May.
Q: What things did you outsource, if
any at all?
The only
thing I’ve had outside help with is editing/proofreading. (I used my own
amateur design skills to do the book covers!)
Q: What’s the best bit of advice you
received when starting out?
Get involved
with the writer-blogger community. It takes time, but I can’t even begin to
describe the writing, reading and publishing world it has opened up for me.
Q: What advice would you offer to the
future Debut Authors out there?
Don’t
compare yourself to other authors. It’s great to have role models, but the
publishing model/journey that fits your
book may not be the same as the one that fits someone else’s book.
Also, just
get the story written. Then worry about other things!
And, of
course, all that ‘don’t ever give up’ stuff! (Seriously. Don’t. If you want
something badly enough, you’ll find a way to make it happen.)
Q: What’s next for you? Any projects
in the pipeline for us to look forward to?
Write now
I’m focusing on getting all the Creepy
Hollow stories out. After that I may work on an idea I have for a YA
contemporary romance type thing (with NO fantasy or paranormal! That will be
new for me!).
Q: Any favourite author that you are
a fan of and would recommend?
Definitely Cassandra
Clare. (And too many others to mention!)
Q: Give us one of your favourite
quotes.
“If there’s
a book you really want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must
write it.” ~ Toni Morrison
Q: And finally, tell us something
random about yourself to make us chuckle.
Um ... In
winter I choose what clothes I’m going to wear the next day and lay them on the
end of my bed so in the morning when it’s super cold and I don’t want to get
up, I can get dressed in bed!
The Creepy Hollow Series
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Our author interview today is with debut author Christina OW. Here she answers our questions and gives her insight in to her, her work and writing journey.
Welcome Christina thanks for talking to us today and letting us have a little insight into you and your books.
Q: Tell us about your debut novel Star Bright………………
Star Bright is mostly about Maria’s journey to self rediscovery. Maria’s fear and hate for men is solidified by Ricky’s abuse and his obsession to kill her. In an effort to save her son, she runs away and crosses paths with Dave, a man going through his own tribulations with his wife. He is determined to protect her, and to show her that not all men are evil and that true love does exists. And he in turn, finds a woman worthy to be a mother to his daughter, and his wife.
But their dream of having a loving family is short lived when a ghost from Maria’s past comes back to take it all away from her in the most brutal and torturous way.
But Maria isn’t alone anymore and most importantly, her father finally shows up to do what he was supposed to five years ago. Protect his daughter.
But their dream of having a loving family is short lived when a ghost from Maria’s past comes back to take it all away from her in the most brutal and torturous way.
But Maria isn’t alone anymore and most importantly, her father finally shows up to do what he was supposed to five years ago. Protect his daughter.
Q: What’s your genre and why did you choose it?
It’s mainly romance but all my books have other genres in them. Everyone loves love, and I love love too!
Q: What’s the biggest obstacle you faced with your writing journey?
The rejections. They are very hard to take. They got me down for a long time to the point I wanted to give up, and then after a year I got that one yes.
Q: Where do you get your ideas and inspiration from?
Life. It doesn't matter if its fantasy or paranormal there is always that aspect of what really happens in everyday life in it.
Q: Who or what are your influences?
Stephenie Meyer, Ann Rice, Sydney Sheldon, James Patterson, Nora Roberts, Danielle Steel, Sherrilyn Kenyon
Q: Are you self-published, legacy or a combination?
I’m published by 5 Prince Publishing. It’s a small publishing house but I believe it houses great writers
Q: What was the hardest part of your self-pub / publishing journey?
Finding someone to say yes. After so many no’s I’d given up on a yes
Q: What format are your books available in?
Kindle and Nook
Q: How many books have you published so far?
Just Star Bright. I’ve just queried Fatal Jealousy, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that my editor will love it.
Q: What things did you outsource, if any at all?
The towns and cities I wrote about
Q: What’s the best bit of advice you received when starting out?
Not everyone will love your work but the one person who matters will.
Q: What advice would you offer to the future Debut Authors out there?
Keep writing and keep querying. It was a long year of querying and about twenty five rejections before Connie Kline said yes. so don’t give up, keep believing in your work.
Q: What’s next for you? Any projects in the pipeline for us to look forward to?
I just finished Fatal Jealousy. The title speaks for itself but the intrigue comes in when sibling rivalry between twins takes a fatal turn. And a valentine’s special Love Forever After that is completely out of the norm of what valentine’s books are supposed to be. All I’m going to say about it is, Husband, dead wife and baby, you’ll just have to read the book when it’s out!
And there is the Fate series. Its a fantasy paranormal love story between two emotionally scared individuals. One just happens to be Ashat, a werewolf, a man filled with vengeance and hate because of the slaughter of his family, and the other is Lee, a girl who lost everything including her family because of Ashat. To stay together they are faced with many personal challenges and an enemy who wants them both dead. And then as the series progresses, Lee finds out an entire history about herself that her mother had buried when someone from her past pays her a visit. I’ve finished the first two and currently writing the third.
Q: Any favourite Author that you are a fan of and would recommend?
Sherrilyn Kenyon. If you haven’t read the Dark Hunter novels, you should start right now!
I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.
-William Ernest Henley
Q: And finally tell us something random about yourself to make us chuckle
I’m a twin and yes we do play jokes on people. Once we were playing hide and seek with my cousin. My twin however sat out. So every time he thought he found me, I’d say I wasn’t the one playing and to back up the plan we’d switch clothes after every time he found me. We confused him so much as to who was who to the point he started crying. It was mean yes, but very funny!
Our author interview today is with debut author Scott Clements. Here he answers our questions and gives his insight in to him, his work and writing journey.
Q: Thanks for joining us here on the blog.
CLEMENTS: I’m so happy you chose me for this! When I saw you guys were setting up this blog I wanted so much to be a part of it, but didn’t think I had a shot at an interview. I was so excited when you contacted me.
Q: Well Gasparilla’s Treasure is such a great book, how did you come up with the story?
CLEMENTS: When I first started, I knew I wanted to write something fun and entertaining; something my ten year old son would enjoy reading. I’ve always loved stories where a normal kid, with a normal life is suddenly faced with a massive adventure or journey; something the reader can believe might happen to them.
Q: So how did you take that broad concept and turn it into Gasparilla’s Treasure?
CLEMENTS: I started with the simple sentence, “Thirteen-year-old boy wants to find the treasure his family has been seeking for four generations.” Seemed like a fun idea, so I started outlining it, keeping in mind that single sentence. Before I knew it, the story was outlined and it practically wrote itself.
Q: You mentioned that you like to outline. Can you tell us more about your writing process?
CLEMENTS: Once I have my single sentence, I start the outline. I have worked in the Movie and TV business for about twenty years, and I tend to lean towards the structure of a “formula” movie script. I find this structure grabs the reader, and keeps the pace moving. When the outline is complete, I just write. I don’t worry about anything except what my characters would say and do in the situation; I just try to get the story out of my brain. Writing technique and sentence structure can be worked on later. Story and characters are so important to me. I think they are the main thing that engages the reader.
Q: You said you wanted to write a book that your ten year old son would love. I read your book and loved it, at 26 years old. How does it feel knowing that your book is appealing to a broader audience than you expected?
CLEMENTS: I think it’s important to know your target audience, and write for that audience. In the back of my mind, I always dreamed I could reach a broader audience like J.K. Rowling with Harry Potter, or Louis Sachar with Holes (the list goes on and on)... so when I hear my story and characters are connecting with adults, I actually feel proud of the characters. Like they are my kids and they have managed to win the hearts of the reader. But when a kid tells me that their parents couldn’t get them to go to sleep because they wanted to keep reading my book... well, it just doesn’t get any better than that.
Q: Can you tell me a bit about your characters? They seem so real. Are they based on people you know?
CLEMENTS: I wanted my hero, Trip, to be every kid. He is smart, but not too smart. He is athletic, but not too athletic. I think he’s the kid I wanted to be growing up. I wanted Trip to be someone the reader would instantly like, someone they could relate to, and someone we want to succeed. I hope I accomplished that.
Q: I certainly think you accomplished it. I loved Trip right away. And what about Josh and Sarah?
CLEMENTS: Josh was one of those characters that when I finished writing him, I had totally figured out who he was. On my second revision, I was really able to hear his voice, and change what I had written to fit my new understanding of him. Now when I read, he still surprises me and makes me laugh. I really love him! And Sarah is the brains of the operation. She’s a smart, pretty, confident girl, and the boys would fall apart without her. Let’s be honest... us guys need girls in our lives or we would really screw everything up.
Q: What made you decide on St Augustine as your setting?
CLEMENTS: Trip has to decipher clues that lead him to map pieces hidden throughout the city. I needed a city that could become a character in his search for the map pieces. My wife, son, and I were on vacation in St Augustine and it was so beautiful, and full of rich American history, that it quickly became the obvious choice for my story. It also becomes very important to the climax of the story, but you’ll have to read it to see why.
Q: You mentioned the clues. They were so clever and intriguing. How did you come up with those?
CLEMENTS: Well, I would love people to think I’m clever enough to figure out the clues, but the truth is I started by deciding where the map pieces would be hidden, and then figured out the clues to get them there. It’s much easier that way.
Q: I know Gasparilla was a real pirate who plundered hundreds of ships, but how did you decide to focus on his treasure?
CLEMENTS: Once I knew my quest would be set in St Augustine, I started researching hidden treasures of Florida. When I came across Gasparilla, I got pretty excited. The more I learned about him, the more I saw what a perfect fit he was for my story. Gasparilla plundered a massive amount of treasure, and it’s still out there somewhere, just waiting for someone to find it.
Q: Gasparilla sailed off the west coast of Florida, and your story is set on the east coast. How does his treasure end up in St Augustine?
CLEMENTS: Gasparilla died after tying himself to his ship’s anchor chains and throwing himself into the Gulf of Mexico. But as an author of fiction, I get to ask myself, “What would he do if he didn’t die at the bottom of the Gulf?” I think he would gather up all his treasure and tuck it away somewhere no one would ever find it.
Q: What were some of your influences in this story?
CLEMENTS: Well, for anyone who has ever seen “The Goonies”, “National Treasure”, and “Indiana Jones”, you will quickly see they were all movies I loved. I hate to say my books are influenced by movies, but my life is so ingrained in the movie business, that that’s just the way it is.
Q: Do you have any other personal experiences that play into Gasparilla’s Treasure?
CLEMENTS: I think my brain is stuck in a teenage mind set. I find it easy to recall events and emotions from that time, and I try to translate them into my writing. I hope this will resonate with young readers and that they will find it relevant.
Q: You mentioned your inspiration for Gasparilla’s Treasure, but in general, where do you get your ideas and inspiration?
CLEMENTS: For my first two books, I sat down and racked my brain for ideas that might make great stories, but now I see stories all around me. I saw a young girl sing in church a few weeks back, and my brain keeps making up stories about her. I took a vacation at a creek house, and it made we want to write a story called “The Creek House Kids”. I played golf today, and I want to write a story about a kid that plays golf. My brain starts bouncing the ideas around, and now I just have to figure out which ones will actually be interesting.
Q: Have you always known you would be a writer?
CLEMENTS: I’ve always dabbled in writing, but never really thought I would sit down to write a book. I think everyone has stories they want to tell, but just never get around to it. I finally got around to it.
Q: What are some of your favourite books and authors?
CLEMENTS: I absolutely love Orson Scott Card. A friend of mine turned me on to “Ender’s Game” about three years ago and I have since read almost every book he has written. And of course I loved all the Harry Potter books. I have read them each at least three times. And I eat up anything that has to do with the space time continuum. I’m such a nerd!
Q: What is the best advice you ever received for writing your book?
CLEMENTS: I actually got the best piece of advice on a script I wrote. I gave it to a script writer friend of mine to read and he said, “Throw this in the trash, read the books “Screenplay” and “Writing Screenplays That Sell”, and then start over.” It was great advice. From those books I learned about structure, characters, ways to organise, etc. And now I apply what I’ve learned to writing books.
Q: What was the biggest obstacle that you faced while writing your book?
CLEMENTS: Like most people, I think time and motivation are the things that stand in the way the most. We all have such busy lives, and it’s so easy to say, “I’ll just write later when I have time.” You have to make the time!
Q: Are you Self-Published or Legacy, or a combination?
CLEMENTS: I am self-published, and I have to say thank you to everyone who takes the time to read and review a self-published author. We need your support, and appreciate everyone who gives us a moment of their valuable reading time.
Q: What was the hardest part during your self-publishing journey?
CLEMENTS: Without a doubt, it’s publicity and getting the book into the hands of readers. It’s difficult enough to come up with the money to do cover design, editing, etc. But publishing dollars? Forget about it! That’s why we rely so heavily on readers. Reviews, word of mouth, and blogs like this one are so important to the indi author.
Q: What advice can you give to debut authors out there?
CLEMENTS: As a debut author myself, I’m still trying to figure out what works. So for now, all I can say is stick with it and believe in yourself. If your story connects with the readers, it will find its audience (I hope).
Q: When you’re not writing or working in the movie business, what kind of things do you enjoy doing?
CLEMENTS: I love spending time with my wife, son, dog, and three cats. Doesn’t really matter what were doing, I just enjoy the time together. I also really enjoy a good game of golf.
Q: What can we expect next from Scott Clements?
CLEMENTS: I’m finishing up the final chapters of my next book. It’s about Chet Parker, an outcast at school that gets thrown into the hunt for Mr. Fluffy Pants; the cat of the most popular girl in school, Heather. Mr. Fluffy Pants disappears while wearing the valuable diamond tennis bracelet of Heather’s mom as a collar. Chet discovers that he is quite good, although unconventional, at being a pet detective. It’s a fun detective story that is really going to connect with pet lovers.
Q: Thank you for taking the time to talk with us, and good luck with Gasparilla’s Treasure.
CLEMENTS: No... thank you. And thank you to all the readers that take the time to support indi authors. Unlike publishers who have exhaustive marketing budgets, us indis rely on our readers to help us get the word out there through reviews and blogs. I really appreciate what you’re doing here!
Find Gaspirillas Treasure here:- http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13508360-gasparilla-s-treasure
http://www.goodreads.com/ScottClements
Our author interview today is with debut author Ann Haines. Here she answers our questions and gives her insight in to her, her work and writing journey.
Welcome Ann thanks for talking to us today and letting us have a little insight into you and your books.
Thanks so much for having me; it’s lovely to be chatting with you.
Q: Tell us about your novel Brunswick.
A: Well it’s a fantasy adventure that follows a boy named Jonathan on his journey through a strange land. He wakes to find himself badly hurt and is told that the people looking after him have brought him there to save them. Jonathan is kind of plunged in to a whole new life and he’s not sure he can fill the shoes they’ve given him, so to speak. He spends his journey being plagued by a hooded figure in black and soon he realises he has to face him.
Q: What’s your genre and why did you choose it?
A: I write YA books. My stories are mainly supernatural but Brunswick turned in to a dark fantasy. Even though I never meant to write a fantasy novel I’m really happy with the way it turned out.
Q: What’s the biggest obstacle you faced with your writing journey?
A: Definitely editing. I couldn’t afford an editor at the time and had to do most of it myself. I’d say that is my weakest point if I am being honest. I spend an awful lot of time editing because I know I find it hard but still I want it to be as great as it can be.
Q: What things did you outsource, if any at all?
A: My book was formatted by Tim C Taylor. He is a fantastic guy who helped me no end. I did my editing and cover art myself due to low funds. I now work with an Editor named Patrick Roberts who has been very good to me. I’m yet to find a cover artist though and I would like to as I’m not that great at it!!!
Q: Where do you get your ideas and inspiration from?
A: Oh gosh!! Everywhere and anywhere. My inspiration for Brunswick was my son Jonathan. My next book Mary is a form of the Bloody Mary urban legend which I’ve always loved. Some of my future stories are from my own fears and some are even dreams I’ve had.
Q: Who or what are your influences?
A: I have always been an avid reader, even from a very young age. My Mum would read a lot of books and so would my sister Jan. She is a massive fan of Stephen King and I would read them after her.
I love horror movies too, which I also get from my big sister Jan, my influence there would be the old “Hammer Horrors” because they really knew how to hold the suspense.
I am a huge fan of James Herbert, he is my Favourite writer. His story The Magic Cottage is one of my all-time favourites. My biggest influence for the genre I chose to write, however, has to be the “Point Horrors” I read as a teen. I loved them and still have a huge collection of them. My favourite was April Fools because of the twist at the end.
Q: Are you self-published, legacy or a combination?
A: I am totally Self-Published.
Q: What was the hardest part of your self-publishing journey?
A: I had a lot to learn as I never thought of self-publishing until I read more about it. I have to say that it’s probably the workload I find hardest. Not only do I write the books but I do everything else as well, including all the promotions and marketing. There’s a lot of networking involved and it can be quite daunting. I’ve been extremely lucky to have met the people I have met on my journey though, be it other authors, editors, and cover artists, bloggers or readers. They have all helped me gain so much knowledge and it has helped to get me on track with the workload I have. Doing all that with two kiddies in tow isn’t easy either but you get used to it and my Son, now a teenager, likes to hear my stories and is proud of his old Mum. As are my Daughter and my Husband, so it’s all well worth the work!!
Q: What format are your books available in?
A: At the moment Brunswick is available on Amazon for the Kindle. I am enrolled in the Kindle Select project at the moment so my book can’t be sold on another platform yet. However, come the end of May it will be available on Smashwords too so it will be in many different stores, such as the I-Tunes Store, around about then.
Q: How many books have you published so far?
A: Brunswick is my debut so just one at the moment. My second Novel, Mary, will be out around 18th May.
Q: What’s the best bit of advice you received when starting out?
A: I read an interview with Rachel Abbot and she wrote about a marketing plan and timetable. She advised that you should map out everything that needs to be done, right to the bare bones and get a schedule together. Then allocate a time to each task. I can tell you that has been my life saver on this journey.
Q: What advice would you offer to the future Debut Authors out there?
A: Write what you love and love what you write. It’s really hard work so if you write what you enjoy its takes the sting out of it a little.
Q: What’s next for you? Any projects in the pipeline for us to look forward to?
A: Yeah loads, I’m very excited. My second novel Mary is out in May. Sneak peeks will be available on my blog soon. I’m also about to write my first in a series of anthologies, following a pair of twins that live in a funeral home. They will be anthologies of unhappy endings, so a little weird and creepy!!
Q: Any favourite Author that you are a fan of and would recommend?
A: James Herbert is a must if you enjoy horror and other dark stories, he is simply genius. Within my genre, I love Amanda Hocking and a newish author I am quickly becoming a fan of is M J Webb.
Give us one of your favourite quotes.
“There’s no such thing as can’t”
My Dad taught me that, he’d say it all the time to me. If I moaned and said “I can’t do it” that would be his reply. I’m glad it was too or I wouldn’t have achieved half the stuff I have in life.
It turns up in Brunswick once or twice too!!!
And finally tell us something random about yourself to make us chuckle.
Hmmm let me think. Not sure if it’s funny, well it’s not to me, but I have a wicked phobia of Clowns. I hate them with a passion and I cry if I see one. I can’t even look at Ronald McDonald!!!! Lol (Cue my Dad’s favourite Quote!!!)
Follow Ann on Twitter @annhaines79
Join her blog http://www.annhaines.blogspot.com/
You can now purchase Brunswick on Amazon
http://amzn.com/B007FZVOLC
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