Friday 30 November 2012

Book Spotlight: Shadows of the Rose

Out now in paperback
Shadows of the Rose: Anniversary Edition
by Annette Gisby
Short Story Anthology
Mulitgenre
Cover art by Claudia McKinney - http://phatpuppyart.com/


Blurb:

Shadows of the Rose is a varied collection of short stories. They take place in various times, various places, from medieval witch trials, to the far reaches of space and future.


The Witch Hunter - a young girl is accused of sorcery and the witch hunter sent to condemn her is not as he seems...

Baby Blues - set in a future where family planning is controlled by the state and it is illegal to make love...

Free Falling - some friendly aliens have found the cure for most of human diseases, except for one--the one you have...

The Glass Guitar - Meg thinks a haunted guitar might be just the present for her musician boyfriend's birthday...

Shadows of the Rose - a lovers' tryst in a ruined abbey, but there is something not quite right - what's that there, hidden beneath the shadows of the rose?

The anniversary collection also features the two recent short stories, The Prince's Guard and Of Pets and Pleasures, which have never been in this collection before, although they are available separately as ebooks.

Read an extract after the jump:

Author Interview: Vic Uria

About the Author:

My background is in philosophy and I have taught English for more than ten years. The LeBourge Chronicles narrates the life of Daffle Clair LeBourge considered the father of the new world order. Set in mid 21st century and runs through early 22nd century, the story begins with his death and ends with the question of whether his legacy will stand the test of time. Part suspense, part love affair, as a whole its a play on how we view success, love and the reality of the future we are faced with.

Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?


Both. I plan the general outline of the story per chapter but what happens is as I write new ideas and twist come to mind and I incorporate them.

Do your characters ever want to take over the story?

Yes and it does get frustrating. To avoid the first person "I am the main character and this is all about me" I wrote the story from the point of view of the other characters in the story and switched to a different writing style.

What is your favourite food?

Mangoes and Lentil Soup

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Because of work night owl.

Where do you dream of travelling to and why?

Madagascar: Mainly because of the white sand, clear blue beaches coupled with a natural surrounding unique to this region. There is also an opportunity to get lost in a 3rd world country away from the resorts which invites danger and adventure.

Do distant places feature in your books?

Yes, Africa, Russia, China.

Do you listen to music while writing?

At times for inspiration. Usually Wagner if not Electronic Indie Pop

Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?

My first book is The LeBourge Chronicles. It is a story about a man who inadvertently changes the world through his relationships. It is a love story but not romance rather how love plays both in our personal and social view of society.

What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first started?

That it needs to be marketed well and the process is frustrating. It seems like you have to beg for your book to be read. But just like all processes once you get over the begging, then you start getting feedback and you realize at least to some it is well worth it.

Is there anything you would do differently?

Not differently but to make sure that I learn from this experience. I emailed all my friends and family a free copy in return for a brutal criticism and told them that I needed it for my second book. If you like I could email you or anybody a free PDF copy. Just send me an email request to vicentspain at hotmail com.

Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing?

Magic Mountain. I was lucky enough to purchase a wonderful translation and it just blew my mind. The flow of the words was like sitting under a waterfall on a hot summer day.

Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft?

Hey if love doing it, just do it. After, we don't really have much choice.

What are three words that describe you?

adventurous, caring and unpredictable

What's your favourite book or who is your favourite writer?

Have lots: Authors: Thomas Mann, Hemingway, Murakami, Tom Wolfe among many others. Books: Hotel New Hampshire, Short stories of Nabokov, Master and Margarita. So so many.

Blurb of your latest release or coming soon book

I have a video presentation of the book in Youtube: Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qz4VYoLv9co

List of previous books if any

None

Any websites/places readers can find you on the web.

http://lebourge.tumblr.com/


Thank you, Vic and good luck with your books :)

Thursday 29 November 2012

Author Interview: V. M. Lopez

About the Author:

V. M. Lopez lives with her husband and children in sunny Arizona. She is originally from the midwest and frequently includes both locations in her story lines. When she is not writing, she enjoys spending time with her family, painting, drawing and genealogy.

Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?

I start out with a general idea in my head for the plot, and all the rest sort of fills itself in as I write.

Do your characters ever want to take over the story?

I don't think the main character in my newest novel could take anything over even if she tried. She doesn't seem to do well with taking charge of anything!

What is your favourite food?

Pizza!! Particularly with feta cheese, spinach, roasted tomatoes, black olives and bell peppers.

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Definitely a night owl.

Where do you dream of travelling to and why?

I dream of travelling around England to tour old castles. The castles of many of my ancestors are either still standing or have ruins that can still be seen and I think it would be an amazing experience to see where/how they lived.

Do distant places feature in your books?

Not in the book I have published now, but there will be in the book I am working on for a different series. It will be like nothing you've ever seen before!

Do you listen to music while writing?

Yes, and references to music are found in my books on a regular basis, especially old R&B songs by The Temptations and similar artists.

Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?

My book, One Word, came out in August 2012 and is the first in the Victoria Torrens Novel series. It is about a young Real Estate Agent living in Arizona who goes back to her hometown in Wisconsin and ends up in a world of trouble. After being set up on a blind date, she ends up being drugged and abducted by her potential suitor. After escaping, she finds herself struggling to discover why she had been abducted and trying to figure out how to get herself out of whatever it was she had gotten into.

What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first published?

I have learned that your master files and uploaded files don't always match after uploading!!

Is there anything you would do differently?

I would have made my first book a little longer. That seems to be the common complaint amongst my readers.... it's too short!

Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing?

My husband has definitely been the inspiration behind One Word, which is why I dedicated it to him in the begining.

Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft?

Getting the book written is the easy part! Trying to get readers and reviews takes much more time.

What are three words that describe you?

Clumsy, nice, whimsical

What's your favourite book or who is your favourite writer?

My favorite writer is Anne Rice. Her writing is often dark and very descriptive which makes for great vision when reading.

Blurb of your latest release or coming soon book

The first book in the Victoria Torrens series was out in August 2012 and has been getting incredible reviews. Book two, Twice Hidden, is now in the works and should be out in

Spring 2013. I have another book, which will be the start of a Fantasy series, that I am hoping to publish in 2013 as well.

List of previous books if any

One Word is my first published work.

Any websites/places readers can find you on the web.

www.amazon.com/author/vmlopez

www.vmlopez-books.blogspot.com

Thank you and good luck with all your books :)

Writers Beware

If you a writer interested in self-publishing (without being ripped off by exorbiant prices!), please read this article by David Gaughran
http://davidgaughran.wordpress.com/2012/11/28/simon-schuster-joins-forces-with-author-solutions-to-rip-off-writers/

It's an eye-opener.

Wednesday 28 November 2012

Book Review: The Roswell Conspiracy by Boyd Morrison

Review copy from Netgalley
The Roswell Conspiracy
by Boyd Morrison
Thriller
Little Brown UK
5 Stars

Blurb:

After the 1908 Tunguska blast levels a Siberian forest the size of London, a Russian scientist makes an amazing discovery amongst the debris.


In 1947, ten-year-old Fay Allen of Roswell, New Mexico, witnesses the fiery crash of an extraordinary craft unlike anything she's ever seen.

More than sixty years later, former Army combat engineer Tyler Locke rescues Fay from gunmen who are after a piece of wreckage she claims is from the Roswell incident. Incredulous of her tale, Tyler believes the attack on Fay is nothing more than a burglary gone wrong. But when he finds himself locked in the back of a truck carrying a hundred tons of explosives and heading for a top secret American base, Tyler knows that he has stumbled onto the opening gambit of something more sinister than he ever imagined.

Because disgraced Russian spy Vladimir Colchev is after an Air Force prototype code-named Killswitch, an electromagnetic pulse weapon of unprecedented power. Although Tyler is able to avert catastrophe at the US facility, Colchev gets away with the bomb and plans to turn it on America itself. To complete his mission, he needs only one other key component, a mysterious object recovered from the Roswell crash.

In a desperate race against time, Tyler must unmask a conspiracy a century in the making to rescue the United States from electronic Armageddon.

Review:

Having watched The X-Files and Roswell for many a year, how could I pass up the opportunity to read a book entitled The Roswell Conspiracy? I picked the book because of the title, but then to add icing on the cake, some of the opening chapters take place in and around Queenstown, New Zealand. This is one of my favourite places in the world and I was even more hooked. I felt like I was back there, the author described everything so well.

This book has an unusual publishing history, in that it is the third of a series but the US publisher of the first two didn't want it. The author did get a publishing deal in the UK, but not in the US, so it's a book that's both self-published and traditionally published at the same time.

It's a fantastic book and the US publisher has missed out here. Unlike with a lot of thriller/conspiracy novels the characters are well drawn with great depth, even the 'bad guys'. I adored Fay, the feisty grandmother who is determined to go along on the adventures and discoveries. The plot can be a little bit far-fetched and convoluted at times, but I was having so much fun reading it that it wasn't a bother. You can suspend your disbelief for the time it takes to read.

Mr. Morrison has written a fast-paced page-turner of a book which takes the reader on an adventure from Australia, New Zealand, the US, Russia and Easter Island to name a few. So you think you know what happened in Roswell in 1947? Think again. The author has taken a well known story but given it an entirely different spin, but I won't give it away.

You don't just feel you've read the book, you feel you've been there with the characters. It's was wonderful, a real joy to read and I was sorry to finish it. I'll definitely be looking out the first two now.

Reviewed by Annette Gisby



Book Spotlight and Giveaway: Royal Flush by Scott Bartlett

Royal Flush
by Scott Bartlett
Fantasy/Humour

Blurb:

Can a man who throws his dates in a dungeon find a girlfriend?

A recipient of the H. R. (Bill) Percy Prize, Royal Flush is a novel about a man known only as the King, and as his Kingdom careens toward catastrophe, he cruises seedy taverns looking for likely maidens.

His incompetence and his weakness for beautiful women drag him deeper and deeper into trouble. He is portrayed as a cross dresser by the Kingdom Crier (the Kingdom’s most popular tabloid). Shortly after, he must defend his castle against a siege with only his royal fiddler–while attempting to steal his royal fiddler’s girlfriend.

“Very funny…the satire and parody work on a number of levels. The language is often vivid and evocative and the dialogue in particular is very strong…a fine book [that] fires on all cylinders.” — Ed Kavanagh, author, The Confessions of Nipper Mooney

“Witty, humorous, fun!” — Marija F. Sullivan, author, Sarajevo Walls of Fate

Read an extract of the book after the jump

Tuesday 27 November 2012

Author Interview: Alfred R. Taylor

About the Author:

Alfred R. Taylor moved to Florida from Sioux City, Iowa in 1970, and he earned his Master’s degree in English creative writing in 1999. He Married in 2004 and has two wonderful children: Jason and Athena. His work has appeared in magazines such as Dragon, Highlights for Children, Black Petals, Dark Wisdom, Romantic Hearts, and True Love. His story “300 Oranges” won author of the month from Highlights for Children magazine January of 1990. His first book, Druid Dreams and Other Stories was published in 2011. Druid Dreams and Other Stories is a collection of short fiction, and many of the stories take place in Florida. His first novel, Full Circle: Electronic Afterlife is the first novel in the Mark Aaron series. He is presently working on his next novel Full Circle: Freedom’s Firewall.

Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?

My novel, Full Circle: Electronic Afterlife is a character driven story that spans five hundred years. The characters are what dictates the story’s flow.

Do your characters ever want to take over the story?

The characters in my novel react to their circumstances. Sometimes it may seem that characters are in control, but history and circumstance usually shape their actions.

What is your favourite food?

Bacon

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

I write at night, usually after waking up from a nightmare. Writing helps to clear my mind and let me get back to sleep.

Where do you dream of travelling to and why?

I would like to visit Springfield, Illinois. I’ve studied the city’s history for two years, but I have yet to visit. I would love to see the Lincoln library.

Do distant places feature in your books?

Yes, I feature the outer solar system in some of my books.

Do you listen to music while writing?

I like listening to Vanessa Mae when my three-year-old is making too much noise for me to concentrate. Classical music is relaxing and easy to concentrate with.

Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?

It is a science/historical fiction novel that demonstrates the positive changes our society has made in the past 150 years.

What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first started?

I’ve learned that no matter how much I think I know about writing, I still can learn more. A good copy editor is worth her weight in gold. (Don’t tell her that, I can’t afford to pay that much.)

Is there anything you would do differently?

I would have hired a copy editor much sooner.

Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing?

I wrote the novel in response to the reading list used in public schools. Most of the books on the list are really boring, so I wanted to write a novel that accurately portrayed science and history, but do it in a fun way.

Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft?

Master the basics of composition and short story before attempting a novel.

What are three words that describe you?

Inquisitive, literate, and parent

What's your favourite book or who is your favourite writer?

I was influenced by Alan Dean Foster, David Eddings, and H.G. Wells.

Blurb of your latest release or coming soon book

Mark Aaron, a historical researcher for Nora Corporation, is summoned to the office of the president and C.E.O. Instead of taking the offered promotion, he leaves for a vacation with his wife. Instead, a plane crash begins a five-hundred-year odyssey through time, space, and history. To save his wife, his unborn child, and humanity itself, Mark and his companion Jane, a Gamma class android, must travel to the year 1842 to prevent the premature assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Along the way, they become enmeshed in the politics of Springfield, Illinois; encounter Abraham Lincoln, Mary Todd, and James Shields; and create controversy themselves by applying 21st century ethics to 19th century problems.

List of previous books if any

I wrote Druid Dreams and Other Stories

https://www.createspace.com/3740035

Any websites/places readers can find you on the web.

https://www.createspace.com/3901450

Thank you, Alfred and good luck with your books :)

Monday 26 November 2012

November Giveaways

There's still time to enter the November giveaways:


Just add comments on the respective pages to be in with a chance to win.

Book Review: The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton

Review copy from Netgalley
The Secret Keeper
by Kate Morton
Simon & Schuster
Literary Fiction
4 Stars

Blurb:

1961: On a sweltering summer's day, while her family picnics by the stream on their Suffolk farm, sixteen-year-old Laurel hides out in her childhood tree house dreaming of a boy called Billy, a move to London, and the bright future she can't wait to seize. But before the idyllic afternoon is over, Laurel will have witnessed a shocking crime that changes everything. 2011: Now a much-loved actress, Laurel finds herself overwhelmed by shades of the past. Haunted by memories, and the mystery of what she saw that day, she returns to her family home and begins to piece together a secret history. A tale of three strangers from vastly different worlds - Dorothy, Vivien and Jimmy - who are brought together by chance in wartime London and whose lives become fiercely and fatefully entwined. Shifting between the 1930s, the 1960s and the present, The Secret Keeper is a spellbinding story of mysteries and secrets, theatre and thievery, murder and enduring love.

Review:  

Laurel's idyllic home life is shattered on the day that she sees her mother kill a man on their front driveway from her hiding place in the tree house. The police are called, investigations are pursued and it's agreed all around that the man had been a stalker terrorising the neighbourhood and that Dorothy Nicolson acted in self-defence. But it was only later after the police have gone that Laurel realises something: the man had addressed her mother by her name. Who was he? What was the secret which was so terrible that Dorothy would rather kill than have it come to light?

Now in her sixties, Laurel's mother is dying and Laurel is determined to find out the truth about her mother's past, even if that means finding out things she'd rather not know. The book veers between Laurel's investigations in the present, seeking out the help of her brother Gerry, a scatter-brained scientist (a cliché I thought had died out years ago) and the past lives of three people who were intertwined in the past: Dorothy, Jimmy and Vivien. The book takes us from 1920s Australia, to England in the 1930s and 1940s, including the second world war.

I have to say the parts with Laurel investigating things fell almost flat for me; it was as if she wasn't a character in her own right, but just there to piece all of the puzzle together. Parts of it were a bit long and rambling without really going anywhere, I think it could have been a third shorter and still would have made a good book.

I enjoyed the parts about wartime London, everything was brought vividly to life but without it becoming a history lesson, from the nightly air-raids to the food rationing.

There is a twist at the end I didn't see coming, which was a nice surprise, but a lot of things felt a bit contrived, such as Laurel finding letters or journals that explained a lot of the things she was trying to find out. I don't think things would have worked out that tidily in real life.

The writing is mostly good, with the author having some good turns of phrase. She's got a good ear for dialogue and finding out what the secrets were kept you guessing right till the end.

It's a good book, but with a bit of trimming, it could have been better.

Reviewed by Annette Gisby

Friday 23 November 2012

Author Interview & Article with T J Cooke

With the future of the publishing industry keenly in focus, agents and publishers are having to come to terms with change. The opportunity to publish direct, for example via KDP [Kindle Direct Publishing] and sell to readers via Amazon can offer writers a lifebuoy to cling onto in a lake of uncertainty. However, the waters can sometimes be muddied.

For writers, although the opportunity to reach the buying public is welcomed, they too are presented with the same dilemma…

For TJ Cooke writing has come in many shapes and sizes. As a feature writer he’s written articles for magazines and press, as a copywriter he’s created adverts for television and radio and as a screenwriter he’s penned scripts for some of the nation’s favourite television dramas, including The Bill, London’s Burning and Bad Girls.

[TJ] Tim has written two novels, legal thrillers ‘Kiss and Tell’ and ‘Defending Elton’, the first of which has just been published online via the Amazon Kindle Store.

Literary agents were keen to take him on, his books were well received and with a background in the law and experience in writing for a mass audience he seemed like an ideal candidate as an author.

As it transpired Tim has had quite a remarkable journey with his books. Even with some of the country’s most respected literary agents backing him for success, it was one peppered with obstacles and ill fortune.

INTERVIEW

Can we start with how you came to be a writer?

I’m a freelance advertising copywriter, chiefly writing radio commercials these days but I’ve always been interested in writing. I was forever writing poems and ad hoc scripts at school, sometimes under the desk during Maths lessons. I liked to play with words and used to create new ones with comic definitions.

Is that how you started out, in advertising?

Well I was supposed to start out that way. My very first job however was as a clerk at a busy legal firm in London. This mostly involved helping Solicitors prepare cases for trial. If they were criminal cases it invariably meant organising visits to remand prisoners in Brixton, Wormwood Scrubs and Holloway. The firm also represented victims of domestic violence, tenants in dispute with their landlords and individuals who had been either been injured or unfairly treated by their employers.

So a bit of a diversion from your chosen career?

Yes, but the job was only supposed to last six weeks. It was a post-university ‘filler’. I’d been offered a job at an advertising agency that started in the autumn. However, as it transpired, I ended up spending ten years working in the law, mostly as a legal executive, and largely focussing on crime in deprived areas.

Did this inspire you as a writer?

With hindsight, yes. I had a vast range of clients and cases, and every now and again one would come along that left an uneasy feeling. Though I still like to think that our justice system is by and large a sound one, there are cases that seep through the cracks, sometimes leaving the guilty unpunished and the innocent unfairly convicted. It’s these grey areas that have always interested me... and this is often where the most compelling stories can be found.

Did your writing journey begin back then?

It all started when I met the producer of Eastenders, who was a character witness in a murder case. To cut a long story short I ended up becoming the shows legal advisor. Once I’d visited the set at Elstree I got the bug to write again.

For Television?

Yes. It was something I’d thought about before but wasn’t sure how to go about it. I knew deep down that writing was what I should be doing and when the opportunity presented itself I went for it.

Did you write for Eastenders?

I submitted a trial script for them and also for The Bill. The first response I received was from The Bill so things went from there. I ended up writing for many dramas, London’s Burning, Bad Girls, Family Affairs and a fair few others. I was also involved in the set up of serial drama abroad, including one of the first ever in Eastern Europe. Though I was helping to teach local writers about the intricacies of soaps, and the squeezing out of storylines, I was also constantly learning myself.

How did things move on from there? When did the idea to write a novel take hold?

I had two stories I really wanted to tell. I wasn’t sure whether to write them in screenplay or novel form at first. I decided on screenplay and wrote ‘Defending Elton’. It was commissioned by Catherine Wearing at the BBC. Then Catherine left, the project stalled, and I decided to write it as a novel instead.

Is this when the book journey takes over from the writer’s journey?

Yes I guess it is. It was a new way of writing for me but one I felt comfortable with. I think it also helped to have the experience of formulaic drama behind me as well. It was never really my thing but it taught me a lot. TV scriptwriting, particularly for ongoing serials, is a very disciplined arena. My urge has always been to break the mould, but I learned that you couldn’t break it unless you’d set it first. I remember Les Dawson as a kid, playing the piano off key with impeccable comic timing. He must have been able to play the piano ‘properly’ to do that.

So when you set out to write the stories you wanted to tell, did you apply the same principle?

I was aware that in the crime fiction genre there were established models, both in terms of story and character. But they weren’t necessarily the stories I wanted to tell, and the traditional crime fiction characters weren’t capable of carrying them. I stuck to my guns, but knew that in doing so I might rub some people up the wrong way... the traditionalists I suppose. I think it’s a shame though because if everyone sticks to the model template the same stories tend to get told over and over again. That’s what happens in serial drama. The locations, era and characters may change, the basic stories rarely do.

Once you’d finished your novel how did you go about seeking a publisher?

I had two books near enough completed. Although I had worked for television dramas and was used to the agent system there, I had little experience of the literary world. I was actually in the process of contacting one or two literary agents when I met, quite by chance, an agent called Kate Jones. We bumped into each other in a cafe off The Strand. There was some sort of kerfuffle at the counter which got us chatting. Though I soon found out that she was a writer’s agent I had no idea at the time just how respected she was.

And what happened from there?

We had a mutual interest in the criminal justice system, or a certain angle to it, namely when things went wrong. She told me about her involvement in the Guildford Four story and Gerry Conlon’s book. I told her about some of the worrying cases I’d encountered too, where evidence was fabricated or concealed and where the truth was a little oasis in a desert of deceit. We chatted about crime fiction and I told her I had a different approach to it than the norm. Though I wanted to expose the vagaries of the system I didn’t want to do it in a heavy handed way, but with a lighter touch. I also told her about the central premise of my first book ‘Defending Elton’, which reveals both the inadequacies of our mental health provisions and the malleability of our justice system. She said she’d be happy to read it.

What was her response?

Very encouraging, she said she’d really enjoyed it. In fact her words were “it’s crime fiction Tim, but not as we know it” and then laughed. I wasn’t sure what to make of her response at first but she soon put me right. She said it was inventive and could see it as a cult hit. She offered to help and I was chuffed.

Did she take you on as a client?

Well that was the strange thing, she said she’d like to but couldn’t ‘do it justice’. I wasn’t sure what she meant at the time. She did promise though that she would find me the right agent/publisher cocktail, at least that’s how she put it. I didn’t know then that she had been ill, or that her cancer was about to strike again. I think she must have known something herself, though she didn’t speak of it directly.

I understand things took a tragic turn?

She passed away some weeks later, it all seemed so sudden. It was a dreadful shock to me as all I knew was that she was a lovely person, so bright, and often very sharp and amusing. Just a few weeks earlier she’d given me my draft back with some helpful notes.

How did you take things from there?

Well I didn’t, for a while, I was really rocked. It must have been a few months later before I actually made the changes she suggested. What I hadn’t done though was note down the names of the literary agents I knew she was keen to recommend. I tried to remember the names, and to this day I’m still not sure if I got them correct.

So where did the manuscript go next?

Well I’d actually completed my other novel by then, ‘Kiss and Tell’. I sent that one to Peter Straus at RCW [Rogers, Coleridge and White]. I thought I remembered the name Straus because there was talk of him becoming England cricket captain... not Peter obviously, Andrew... but that’s how I remembered the surname. Anyway ‘Kiss and Tell’ went to Peter Straus and ‘Defending Elton’ went to Broo Doherty at Wade and Doherty.

Why two separate agents?

Well firstly I wasn’t totally sure these were the names Kate had mentioned and secondly I didn’t want to overload one agent with two books. I guess I was also covering my options and waiting to see which one, if either, would bite first.

What sort of response did you get?

Peter Straus responded quickly, he actually made the effort to contact me whilst he was still away on his holidays. He wanted to take me on as a client and try and find a home for ‘Kiss and Tell’.

You must have been delighted?

Yes I was. He was really keen as well. In fact I’ve still got his scribbled note on my draft. “You’re the next Sophie Hannah,” Peter wrote, and “Jill Shadow [the lead in Kiss and Tell] seems a most bankable franchise.” When someone like Peter Straus says that you take note, not least because I then found out that he was Sophie Hannah’s agent too.

So what happened next?

Well this was probably the high point of the journey. I knew Peter had been a publisher at Picador and editor-in-chief at Macmillan, so I was expecting that a deal would follow. Not only that but Broo Doherty came back to me with a favourable response too, describing ‘Defending Elton’ as “a most entertaining romp, and a clever swipe at our criminal justice system”. She made optimistic soundings about getting that book picked up too.

So by then you had two agents, each promising to get you a deal?

Well they couldn’t promise anything, but I could hardly have been in a better position. I knew that getting two really respected literary figures to support me was a godsend. Though my heart has always been in ‘Defending Elton’ my head was telling me that ‘Kiss and Tell’ was the more commercial option. Well Peter Straus was telling me too. He is a man of few words, but when he speaks its best to listen.

Some writers struggle to secure one literary agent, some might say you were being greedy?

I’m glad you said that tongue in cheek. It was just the way things turned out. Maybe, despite Kate’s belief in me, I still didn’t have any confidence. I thought I’d try two agents and just hope one might take me on. I couldn’t have dreamed both would.... but my dreams soon turned to despair.

In what way?

Various rejections started to come back from commissioning editors. It was difficult to get my head around some of them as the general comments were all so positive. However, there was always a ‘but’ at the end.

What was the stumbling block for them?

There were one or two who said it wasn’t for them, or it might be hard to place, that sort of thing. A fair few seemed confident I’d find success but wouldn’t go that further step and make an offer. I didn’t really understand why, this was a new industry to me.

What did your agents say?

Looking back at one of Peter’s emails he said, “I just don’t understand it. I’m very disappointed, you write so well and Jill Shadow could be a very popular character”. He added “They’re very jittery right now,” meaning the industry as a whole I guess. Broo was just as deflated. She just said “You deserve an audience and Defending Elton is a seriously good book.” Very nice things of them to say but unfortunately not enough to get me a deal.

They must have been dejected, as no doubt you were?

Absolutely. Though some new writers were still being offered deals I was told that the field was shrinking and luck was playing a more significant part. Maybe I’d used all mine up?

Did your agents explain in any more detail?

Cutting through all the red tape there was clearly a growing concern, that in increasingly hard times new authors were more of a risk. I knew it was a precarious game. Much had been written about how even JK Rowling had been turned down because they thought Harry Potter would struggle to sell. It must have always been a ‘hit and miss’ culture, but something new was now thrown into the mix, the credit crunch. As one of my agents said “Woe betide those who back the wrong horse when the stakes were increasingly precious.”

From highpoint to low point then Tim?

Exactly. It felt like I’d been hoisted up in the air and then dropped on my backside. A gradual feeling took hold that it just wasn’t going to happen.

It must have been extremely frustrating?

The ‘so near yet so far’ scenario was hard to take, for all of us. There were still some smaller publishing houses and independents to try but by now others were suggesting that maybe going straight to ebook, and publishing for Kindle, was the best way forward.

Is that something you had considered before?

Not really, I didn’t know much about it. I read a lot that had put me off self-publishing but things were starting to change. It was only when I started to read a little more about the changing face of book publishing in general that things fell into place.

Had you exhausted all other options?

Probably not. There might have been a few smaller publishers and independents I could have tried. But I thought if the bigger publishing houses are feeling the pinch then the smaller outfits are bound to be feeling it even more. Then I saw Amazon’s announcement that they’d recently sold more ebooks than paperbacks, in fact more than paperbacks and hardbacks combined. It was then that I saw a way forward.

How did you go about publishing as an ebook?

A bit of research, and a lot of help from friends who are more competent than me! The process isn’t that daunting, what is really difficult is that suddenly you are on your own. There is no real role for your agent in this process and there is no commercial back-up either.

Why not publish in paperback too?

You need a financial outlay to do that. You have to cover costs like printing and distribution etc which don’t apply with ebooks. I’d used up my funds. I’m sure I will sometime but I want to see how the ebooks do first.

With my reader’s hat on I’m wondering how I would be able to know that books like yours have been and read and praised by top literary agents?

That’s the problem. With self published books potential readers can’t always tell. There are many who publish direct who haven’t been through the literary agent process at all, and may not have even garnered as much as a second opinion. Now, that doesn’t mean those books aren’t worthy, because I’m sure many of them are, but how do you spot the nuggets from the fool’s gold?

At least you have a good product, a book that has been considered by industry professionals?

Well I hope it’s a good book yes. I’m not always comfortable talking about self promotion but I’m going to have to get used to it! I’ve only just set up the website www.tjcooke.com Other than that and some social marketing ventures all you really have is word of mouth. A few bloggers are taking an interest now though.

And you’re releasing ‘Kiss and Tell’ first, before ‘Defending Elton’?

I haven’t forgotten what Peter Straus said. He knew that Jill Shadow had potential to develop a following so I’ve taken his advice, and will go back to writing her further adventures.

Tell us a little more about Jill Shadow?

She’s an oxymoron some might say – a likeable lawyer. She’s not your stereotypical lawyer that’s for sure. For starters she’s a single mum from a London council estate. She joined a law firm as an eighteen year old secretary, just before her former boyfriend, and her child’s father Jimmy Briscoe was sent to prison for drug trafficking... a fact he had kept concealed from Jill. Twelve years later we find that Jill has qualified as a Solicitor, the hard way, balancing years of studying with parental care. We join her in a safe house, in fear of her own life and with her daughter apparently abducted from school.

No doubt there are lots of twists and turns?

There are yes. Jill has to work out who the ‘goodies’ and baddies’ really are, which the reader does too.

You mentioned previously that you approached crime fiction from a different angle. Can you elaborate on that?

I found that there was a certain template that many writers stuck to. It’s one that often involves a few grissly murders, a serial killer at large and one or two detectives who ultimately ‘get their man’. I deliberately set about creating narrative and character that went against the grain. Jill Shadow doesn’t always get things right, or pursue matters in an orthodox way. What she does have though is a steely determination, to fight any injustice and to dig out the truth. It’s as likely to lead her into scrapes with authority as it is with the underworld... and in ‘Kiss and Tell’ it does both...

Will ‘Defending Elton’ follow?

Yes, but then I’ll return to Jill Shadow. She’s likely to be more popular as a character.

You’ve been on quite a journey with these books. Any regrets?

At one point I thought self publishing was the avenue of last resort, but so many changes have now taken place in the literary world that I now see it as a major route forwards. I did what I could to get published the ‘traditional’ way, in fact I doubt I could have done any more.

Is it possible that you still might be offered a traditional publishing deal?

Well it may be that fresh editors in new positions will see things differently. In any event I look forward to the future. Kindles and the like are undoubtedly the shape of things to come, but I also think paperbacks will remain. For readers it’s good to have the choice. For writers, well it gives us a better chance to reach an audience, and that can’t be a bad thing.

For details about Tim’s books see http://www.tjcooke.com

Thank you, Tim and good luck with everything :)

Thursday 22 November 2012

Book Spotlight: In a Small Town by Marc A. DiGiacomo

In a Small Town
by Marc A. DiGiacomo
Crime

The author is a retired police detective and uses his many years of experience in his novel.

Blurb:

The shotgun blast catches Detective Matthew Longo by surprise. His world unravels into a nightmare that seemingly won't end. Murder, rapes, pedophiles, the small town of Hutchville, N.Y. is changing. It is up to him to make a difference. While partner Donny Mello is in Italy attending a funeral for a family member who is connected, to say the least, a beautiful F.B.I. agent waits to question him about his family business. Can Matt keep from answering the Agents questions? More importantly, can he hide a potentially career-ending secret from his community, his brother, and most especially Agent Cynthia Shyler?

A short extract from the book:

I can't get it out of my mind. The lightning that exploded from the end of the barrel. The ripping orange flash off the black steel. The smell of gunpowder. The sound, like an M-80. And the pain - the fucking searing pain. It is permanently scorched into my memory. Everything had his face. The face I didn't see haunts me every second. All I remember are those ultra-white Reebok sneakers as he ran away. The fucking coward would have shot me in the back but I turned around and caught the blast in the chest. I didn't have time to pull my Glock.

The shot knocked me to the ground. I thought I was having a heart attack - I couldn't catch my breath. Then I understood what happened, and reality hit: I was going to die.

It seemed to take minutes rather than seconds, but I managed to radio into headquarters. The response from the good guys was impressive, to say the least. They saved my life. Cops from my own town and others surrounded the scene. I knew they would come.


Like to read more?
The book is available from amazon and the author's website: http://www.inasmalltownbook.com

Author Interview: Daniel Haight

About the Author:

Daniel Haight is a long-time author of numerous published short stories and now a new novel “Flotilla.”  Since 2007, Dan Haight has been published by many fiction sites and is known for his blend of dark humor and crackling narrative.  As a native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Dan first fell in love with science-fiction watching Star Wars and Star Trekbefore moving onto the other classics of the genre.  He lives with his family and when he isn’t writing, he works as a lowly IT guy in a large computer company.

Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?

I would say 50/50 - I have a general idea about where the story should go but sometimes the story decides to flow in its own direction.

Do your characters ever want to take over the story?

Absolutely. I put my characters together in a scene in my head, watch what they do and say and then write it down. People find it creepy. :)

What is your favourite food?

All-time favourite? Fish & Chips at the Anchor in London. Hands down.

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Morning person - I was a paperboy growing up - it stuck with me.

Where do you dream of travelling to and why?

I loved England and France when I first visited. Am looking forward to returning and exploring the rest of Europe. The family is from there from way back ... it's like coming home.

Do distant places feature in your books?

Definitely - my book takes place offshore, hundreds of miles from land.

Do you listen to music while writing?

Sure do - lots of angry punk rock. :)

Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?

Flotilla is a crossover apocalyptic science-fiction in which a young man is thrown into an ocean, literally and figuratively, to find himself both a survivor and a hero who rescues his family from disaster. This is a whirlwind adventure over two summers that paints a vivid picture of adventure and hardship. It is also a deeply moving look at the impact of sustainable technology on some hilariously dysfunctional, flawed characters. Additionally, Flotilla is stirring coming-of-age tale that brings together fathers and sons and conquers loss through courage and inner strength.

What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first started?

That - in this day and age, nobody really knows what's going on. You can kill yourself trying every idea everyone suggests - it's a mixture of doing it yourself, asking for help, getting people to care about your story and plain old luck.

Is there anything you would do differently?

Only everything ... :) I try not to focus on it - Hindsight is 20/20

Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing?

Sure - a ton of people: Authors like Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird and Hunter S Thompson. Filmmakers like Steven Spielberg and Guy Ritchie and all-around good human beings like Neil DeGrasse Tyson.

Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft?

Just do it. Stop trying and do it. You're a writer after you publish your first novel. Anything else, you're just negotiating your salary. James Cameron said something like that and it always stuck with me.

What are three words that describe you?

Inventive, imaginative and passionate.

What's your favourite book or who is your favourite writer?

My favorite novel would have to be the aforementioned 'To Kill a Mockingbird' but my favorite writer, consistently, is Hunter S Thompson. He's just too kinetic and thoughtful.

Blurb of your latest release or coming soon book:

Flotilla is a crossover apocalyptic science-fiction in which a young man is thrown into an ocean, literally and figuratively, to find himself both a survivor and a hero who rescues his family from disaster. This is a whirlwind adventure over two summers that paints a vivid picture of adventure and hardship. It is also a deeply moving look at the impact of sustainable technology on some hilariously dysfunctional, flawed characters. Additionally, Flotilla is stirring coming-of-age tale that brings together fathers and sons and conquers loss through courage and inner strength.

Jim Westfield is a 15-year-old male teenager living in near-future, suburban Los Angeles. Jim is forced into rehab by his mother and step-father and then kicked out of the house to live with his father, Rick, on a floating community that raises fish commercially using a process called 'mariculture.' Although Jim shows that he can act responsibly, he is also capable of self-destructive episodes that leave him exposed to wicked revenges imposed by other community citizens. As the events of Flotilla progress, Jim forces himself to survive his personal failings and be the hero he needs to be in order to save himself and his sister.

List of previous books if any: 

Flotilla is my first novel-length project but I'm releasing a collection of my previously-published short stories.

Any websites/places readers can find you on the web:

You can find me at http://www.flotillaonline.com and http://www.northern71st.com

You can read the first five chapters of Flotialla below:
Flotilla Sample Chapters

And you can buy the ebook from amazon and the 2nd edition paperback is due out on the 23 November.

Wednesday 21 November 2012

Author Interview: Douglas Black

About the Author:

Douglas Black was not awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993. In 1993 Douglas Black was twelve years old. He is not twelve years old anymore.

Douglas Black writes male/male erotic fiction. His first novel, 'Port in a Storm' was published in November 2012 when he was thirty-one years old. He remains thirty-one years old and continues to write sex-laden romances for your enjoyment.

Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?

I like to plan things in advance; it's always best to be prepared!

Do your characters ever want to take over the story?

In my last novel, 'Port in a Storm', my character 'Jake Castle' nearly took over. I have to confess I developed a little bit of a crush on him. He became my favourite character in the book and I wanted to give him as much attention as possible; his back-story basically wrote itself.

What is your favourite food?

Any hunk of meat! I started writing erotica when I was a starving student. A friend told me you could make money writing gay erotica for magazines so I tossed off a short story and it was published three weeks later. The money I made from that story meant I could afford meat for the first time in three months. Eating it made me feel sick, but it was still a great day!

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Both. I stay up late, chatting and drinking with friends; between midnight and two a.m. we like to set the world to rights. In the morning, I get up early and drink tea until my brain kicks into gear.

Where do you dream of travelling to and why?

I've been fortunate enough to do a lot of travelling in my life, but I've never been to Asia. My best friend from primary school is working in Hong Kong at the moment and I'd love to make it out there while she's there; she can give me a proper tour!

Do distant places feature in your books?

Yes! My first book 'Port in a Storm' takes place in Africa, Venice, Edinburgh and Bamburgh. I think the latter is the most exotic location by far.

Do you listen to music while writing?

Always. I like rock, heavy metal, blues, folk and jazz. I also quite like country, but don't tell anyone.

Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?

'Port in a Storm' is a coming of age story about a young man, Alex, who meets the man of his dreams. Jake is a traveller, an enigma and a mystery. His life is spent on the road and he refuses to be tied down. Alex falls for Jake fast, but being with Jake creates a rift between Alex and his family. Alex's parents want him to join the family law firm and Alex doesn't want that. He wants Jake. He just might not have the strength to make the choices he most needs to make.

What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first started?

It's a hard gig!

Is there anything you would do differently?

Probably stock up on wine before attempting to navigate KDP.

Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing?

I would like to say my own life experiences feed my writing, but that would be a lie.

Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft?

This is an incredibly exciting time to be an author, and to be a self-published author especially. Seize the opportunity and embrace this new publishing world. Also, drink. It helps to numb the pain when you realise you aren't going to just wake up one day having made twenty grand and you still have to get up and do your day job.

What are the three words that describe you?

Historian, archaeologist, pornographer.

What is your favourite book or who is your favourite writer?

'Wuthering Heights' is my favourite book. I adore Heathcliff; he is the ultimate erotic hero.

The blurb for my book, 'Port in a Storm' published November 2012

Alex’s life is stagnating. At twenty-two, he has a first-class degree, but only a minimum wage job to show for it. His mother is determined he should pursue a career in Law, but Alex has never wanted that. He always wanted something else, something different, something more. He just doesn’t know exactly what.

With his parents piling on the pressure to join the family firm, time is running out for Alex. Every passing day brings him closer to accepting the future they chose for him. He’s trapped and he can’t find a way out. He has no one to turn to and nowhere to run. Until he meets Jake.

Jake might just be the most handsome man Alex has ever seen, but he also epitomizes the one thing Alex wants more than anything; freedom. Jake has never allowed himself to be tied down. He is a free-spirit. A traveller. An enigma.

Alex is falling for him fast, but being with Jake is pulling Alex away from his family. Relationships are reaching breaking point, and no matter how much Alex tries not to rock the boat, a storm is on the horizon.

Alex is going to have to make a decision. He needs to make a choice between what is expected of him and what he really wants. Growing up is never easy though, and Alex quickly discovers that, sometimes, the hardest questions to answer, are the ones you already know the answers to.

Places you can find Douglas Black on the web;


https://www.amazon.com/author/douglasblack

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Douglas-Black/1632968396841732

https://twitter.com/DBlackErotica

http://douglasblackerotica.wordpress.com

Thank you, Douglas and good luck with your books!

Book Review: Mindfront by Dave Becker

Review copy from author
Mindfront
by Dave Becker
Thriller
5 Stars

Blurb:

After uncovering a universal code in the brain waves of all living things that could revolutionize psychology, Martin Keller wakes one morning to find himself covered in blood, surrounded by his butchered family. Convinced he’s being framed by a diabolical organization set on stealing or sabotaging his work, he dodges a multi-agency manhunt that pursues him from the seediest corners of DC to the highest offices of government. Struggling to stay alive and find his family’s killer, Marty soon finds himself lost in a maze of conspiracies and paranoia, and eventually begins to doubt his own sanity.

How can he find the truth when he doesn’t know what’s real?

Review:

From the very first chapter where a woman is murdered and a chess piece with her name carved on it pushed into her eye, this book grips you by the throat and doesn't let go. It's a real page-turner and you just have to read on to see what happens next.

On a family vacation on Kent Island, Dr. Martin Keller wakes up in the shower one morning covered in blood and in the hotel bedroom, he sees his wife and two children dead in their beds. On the run from multiple federal agencies, everywhere he turns for help, is shortly followed by another dead body. Is Martin responsible and just can't remember? He fears for his sanity and his life and just has to keep running. Is he paranoid or is it really everyone is out to get him>?

The story is tightly plotted, very fast paced, sometimes you feel like you are the one being pursued, you get so involved in the story. Mr. Becker is a brilliant writer, with the knack of cliff-hanging chapters that encourage you to read 'just another chapter' and then you find you've read far more than you intended to before getting to sleep. I liked that we didn't find out right away what was going on, but were giving hints along the way. It was like a giant jigsaw puzzle where you'd never seen the picture on the box, but you get to certain points and go, "Ah, that's where that bit fits in." It takes skill to leave hints but without giving everything away.

I don't know if the science of eidetics mentioned in the book is accurate, but it makes sense within the context of this story and its universe, so even if you're not scientifically minded, don't let that put you off. This book is as good, if not better than some of the offerings from the so-called 'big' publishers. If you like a good conspiracy novel with a whirlwind pace and characters you grow to care about, give this one a try.

Reviewed by Annette Gisby

Tuesday 20 November 2012

Book Spotlight: Port in a Storm by Douglas Black

Port in a Storm
by Douglas Black
M/M Romance/Erotica/Coming of Age

Blurb:

Alex’s life is stagnating. At twenty-two, he has a first-class degree, but only a minimum wage job to show for it. His mother is determined he should pursue a career in Law, but Alex has never wanted that. He always wanted something else, something different, something more. He just doesn’t know exactly what.

With his parents piling on the pressure to join the family firm, time is running out for Alex. Every passing day brings him closer to accepting the future they chose for him. He’s trapped and he can’t find a way out. He has no one to turn to and nowhere to run. Until he meets Jake.

Jake might just be the most handsome man Alex has ever seen, but he also epitomizes the one thing Alex wants more than anything; freedom. Jake has never allowed himself to be tied down. He is a free-spirit. A traveller. An enigma.

Alex is falling for him fast, but being with Jake is pulling Alex away from his family. Relationships are reaching breaking point, and no matter how much Alex tries not to rock the boat, a storm is on the horizon.

Alex is going to have to make a decision. He needs to make a choice between what is expected of him and what he really wants. Growing up is never easy though, and Alex quickly discovers that, sometimes, the hardest questions to answer, are the ones you already know the answers to.

Read an adult rated extract of the book after the jump:

Book Review: The Midwife of Venice by Roberta Rich

The Midwife of Venice
by Roberta Rich
Ebury Press
Historical
Available in ebook and paperback
4 Stars

Blurb:

At midnight, the dogs, cats, and rats rule Venice. The Ponte di Ghetto Nuovo, the bridge that leads to the ghetto, trembles under the weight of sacks of rotting vegetables, rancid fat, and vermin. Seeping refuse on the streets renders the pavement slick and the walking treacherous.

It was on such a night that the men came for Hannah.

Hannah Levi is famed throughout Venice for her skills as a midwife but, as a Jew, the law forbids her from attending a Christian woman.

However, when the Conte appears at her door in the dead of night, Hannah's compassion is sorely tested. And with the handsome reward he is offering, she could ransom back her husband, currently imprisoned on the island of Malta.

But if she fails in her endeavours to save mother and child, will she be able to save herself, let alone her husband?

Review:

Hannah Levi is a Jewish midwife living in the Jewish ghetto in Venice, in a city where it is illegal for Jewish midwife or doctor to treat Christians. One night, a nobleman comes to Hannah as his last hope for his pregnant wife. None of their other children survived and he thinks this is his last chance for an heir. But his wife has been in labour for days and still no sign of the child being born.

Hannah reluctantly agrees to help, despite the law and her rabbi forbidding her to do it. She will help the conte's wife, but for a price: two hundred ducats. Her husband has been taken as a slave on Malta by the Knights of St. John, and Hannah wants the money to pay his ransom. There's also the worry that Hannah might be taken for a witch, with the implements she uses to assist at births, her 'birthing spoons', I suppose they might have been early forceps?

I have to say if you are pregnant for the first time, then this is not the book for you. The description of the birth that Hannah attends is not for the faint of heart, with everything in explicit detail and it might worry some.

The story alternates between Hannah's story in Venice and that of her husband, Issac in Malta and both are varied an interesting. 16th Century Venice and Malta come vividly to live. Having been to both places, it was interesting to compare how they might have looked in those times as they do now, with some things remaining the same, such as the Grand Canal and the Doge's Palace for example.

The plot can be mostly described as a bit contrived in places (kidnapping, blackmail, disguises, murder, the plague) but it was a fun and interesting read if you can suspend your disbelief for a while. Both Hannah and Issac are sympathetic characters and you want to cheer them on. It's a tale that's a bit on the fantastical side and sometimes you wonder if the author is parodying some of the more sombre historical novels, but it doesn't quite have that tongue-in-cheek feel.

The chapters are short, easily read and most have a cliffhanger making you want to read on. I finished the book in a couple of days and despite having murder, slavery, and more things than you ever wanted to know about 16th Century midwife practices, it was a fun read and very enjoyable.

Reviewed by Annette Gisby

Monday 19 November 2012

Books Spotlight: Children of the Enemy by David Swykert

Children of the Enemy
by David Swykert
Thriller/Drama
Cambridge Books

Blurb:

Children of the Enemy is a chilling fast paced story about innocents caught up in the Detroit drug business. It was an OmniLit bestseller as a download every week it was listed on the site. It is now available in paperback from Cambridge Books, an imprint of Write Words Inc. - From Linda Arterberry of The Crime House.

Read an extract of the book after the jump:

Author Interview: LMD Jones

Today we have an interview with LMD Jones talking about their first novel, Works and Days.

Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?

Plots don't come easy to me, so I tend not to plan them. Characters, on the other hand, I spend a lot of time planning. I plan the story mostly by developing the characters. All characters in Works & Days Book 1, even the ones that aren't given names in the book, have pretty detailed backstories: from where they were born, relationship with parents, what foods they eat, music they listen to... right down to what posters were on the walls of their room (if they had a room) when they were teenagers. Ninety percent of that is never mentioned in the story, but it's all important for me to have in my head.

Do your characters ever want to take over the story?

I don't know if they want to (a few of them are terrified of responsibility), but they always do. The only way I can write a story is to develop characters, put them into some kind of situation, watch them react, and write it down.

What is your favourite food?

Grilled chicken Caesar salad

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Right now my job requires me to work nights (in a call center), but it gets pretty dead after 10 p.m. and I'm sort of left to do what I want unless a call comes in. I wrote over half of Works & Days on the company dime (as I'm doing right now with this interview). But I've always been more awake and alert at night. I've never been good in the morning. I almost always wake up feeling depressed in the morning and then feel better as the day goes on and night falls.

Where do you dream of traveling to and why?

Russia, because I speak the language (fairly well...) and love Dostoevsky.

Do distant places feature in your books?

They do not feature prominently in Works & Days -- because a big part of that book has to do with day-to-day life in a dying mid-western town. However, I have been researching a historical novel that would be set in Guyana in the late 1970s. Through a strange set of coincidences, I started reading up on Guyanese history about a year ago and just became fascinated with it. I put some of that reading into use in Works & Days by making Val's father from Guyana. The historical novel would follow him during his youth as a member of the Guyanese Defence Force before he became disillusioned and left the country forever. I may never actually write that book, but I'm having a lot of fun with the research.

Do you listen to music while writing?

Yes, mostly punk and indie rock (although I'm also a die hard fan of Prince). The first draft of Works & Days was written entirely to music: Rainer Maria, Cloud Nothings, Husker Du, The Replacements, White Stripes, Helen Love, etc.

Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?

Works & Days is a contemporary relationship drama set in the fictional city of Ludlow, Ohio, where three people have just moved into a decrepit house together. Nineteen-year-old Val Mayerick is a college student and aspiring blogger/zine writer. For a few weeks last fall she dated 21-year-old Eugene Green, a college dropout who has just quit one indie rock band and is trying to put together another one. Rounding out the trio is Irene Hazel, a beautiful woman Eugene met a few months ago. Both Val and Eugene have become infatuated with her, although their relationship with her is so far only platonic. Into this mix comes Marie Leary, Val's smirking best friend who stands at the head of a group of social misfits who seem to come and go from the house as if they live there. The story follows these characters as they pursue their dreams and each other among the streets and neighborhoods of a slowly dying mid-western town.

What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first started?

This is my first foray into the self-publishing experience, so I haven't learned much yet -- except that if you want to self-publish, you have to get out there and promote your book, but with respect and sincerity. That means you don't just shove your book in everybody's face, you take the time to find out where your book fits and who it might resonate with. Then you talk to those people as if they're people, not just consumers. If you're sincere, some of them will respond. It might not always be a positive response, but you have to learn to find something to appreciate in every response, not just the praise (although it's also important to revel in it a little when somebody really enjoys your book).

Is there anything you would do differently?

Not right now, but I could easily have a different answer tomorrow or even an hour from now.

Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing?

I try to get inspiration from a variety of things. On the literary end, Works & Days was probably most directly influenced by Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City and Lionel Shriver's Checker & the Derailleurs. But I draw a lot from Charles Dickens, Edith Wharton, J.D. Salinger, David Sedaris, and Kathy Acker. I take almost as much inspiration from music and movies as well. I only wish I could write dialogue like Aaron Sorkin or outrageous situations like Dan Harmon -- or block a scene like Kathryn Bigelow.

Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft?

Do you mean writing or publishing? If it's publishing, I'm too new at this to have anything useful to say. But if it's writing, I've been writing for one reason or another pretty much all my life. And whether it's poetry, fiction, personal non-fiction, journalism, or even legal analysis (all of which I've been paid to write at one time or another), I'd say only that you should enjoy it. And for fiction specifically, I'd say you should really know your characters -- every one of them should produce a strong reaction in you.

What are three words that describe you?

just getting by

What's your favourite book or who is your favourite writer?

Among living writers, that would be Lionel Shriver. She's the finest prose stylist I've ever read, and her characters are almost as engaging and complex as real people. Checker & the Derailleurs is a book I keep coming back to since I first read it when I was nineteen (the same age as most of the characters in the book). But I also loved Double Fault and Ordinary Decent Criminals. And I think We Need to Talk About Kevin is a leading contender for "most underrated novel of the 21st century so far," even in light of the public praise it did receive (which was far more than any of her other novels).

Blurb of your latest release or coming soon book

Hold Me Up (Book 2 of Works & Days, a punk rock Romance) will be available on Kindle in January 2013. In it, we'll find out that Sylvia plays drums and what that might mean for Eugene's band.

List of previous books if any

No previous books, except as an editor but that was long ago.

Any websites/places readers can find you on the web.

I blog at http://LMDays.blogspot.com

Thank you, LMD and good luck with your books!

Sunday 18 November 2012

Book Review: 30 Pieces of Silver

30 Pieces of Silver
by Carolyn McCray
Thriller
Ebook and paperback
4 Stars

Blurb:

The Eiffel Tower is attacked…by a Christian suicide bomber.

Within the twisted wreckage a cache of bones is found. Bones that are inscribed with ancient Greek, letters that identify the remains as those of John the Baptist—and a promise to guide the seeker to the tomb of the Savior himself.

Tasked with untangling this millennia-old mystery, Dr. Rebecca Monroe, a paleo-archeologist, and Special Forces, Sergeant Vincent Brandt are hounded across three continents to attempt to piece together the bones’ clues. But their quest will not be an easy one. Born at the foot of the Cross, a secret society known only as the Knot has guarded the Savior’s bones, and they will do anything—even commit genocide—to protect the dark and controversial truth of Christ’s final days.

Review:

There's a standing joke in our house that I only read book with pictures of a red cross on the front. Things like Secret of the Templars, The Templar Code etc. It's true, I do have a soft spot for religious conspiracy thrillers ever since I read the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown.

30 Pieces of Silver is only like the Da Vinci Code in the broadest sense in that it deals with a religous conspiracy and a secret society determined to keep it secret at all costs, even if that means murder and mayhem. It's action-filled and even a little bit of romance in there too. The characters are well-drawn, even the bad guys, there are no cardboard cut-outs here.

I think the writing is very good and it's well-paced, but the modern day sections had a bit too many car chases and explosions for my taste, as if the author wanted to catch the eye of a film producer somewhere down the line.

My favourite parts were the historical sections dealing with Judas, a character who really came alive in this book. I don't think I've ever read a book dealing with Judas before and it was intriguing and fascinatiing. I started skimming the modern day parts wanting to get back to the historical bits!

The book is entertaining but I don't think it's as controversial as the cover makes out, but then again, no matter what's written in any book, someone somewhere is bound to find it objectinable, aren't they?

I liked it and I'll give some other books by this author a go.

Reviewed by Annette Gisby

Book Spotlight: The Truth Seeker

The Truth Seeker
by Mavican Hawk
Thriller
Novella ebook

Blurb:

You never know how a person can be affected by anonymity. To be able to secretly be someone you are not or to hide who you truly are…. To be able to lie, because no one can see you, they only read your story on some social networking site. Who you say you are… and what you say is happening to you. There is a sick power that comes with that… the Internet provides it, fuels it… through no intention of its own. Hal Stylislow is a young man who has discovered that the internet can help him to find out the truth behind who an individual truly is. He sees himself as a nice guy, who just wants people to tell him the truth. Hal has been losing his friends. Hal has been doing poorly in his relationships. He knows the internet can provide him a way to find out why no one respects the fact that he is a nice guy. Through a social networking site, Hal weaves sinister webs that make people vulnerable to him. All he wants is the truth, and he will get it, one way or another.

Price .99 cents http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/mavican-Hawk

About the Author:

Mavican H. Hawk is a graduate of California State University San Bernardino, earning a Master of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. Mavican has written several academic works, but a recent event inspired her to write an ebook outside of the academic world. Mavican's writing style allows her to reach a wide range of individuals. Her style puts the reader in the story, leaving the reader wanting to know more. Mavican H. Hawk is fresh, innovative and has no problem leaving readers on the edge of their seats.

Saturday 17 November 2012

Book Spotlight and Giveaway: A Titan For Christmas by Aria Kane

A Titan For Christmas
by Aria Kane
Sci-Fi/Romance
Ebook
Blurb:

When Jenna's job as an engineer makes her miss her flight home from the mining colony on Titan, she's heartbroken she won't be able to make it back to Earth in time for Christmas with her family. Until a coworker gives her another option: private cargo pilots sometimes take on passengers.

Grayson pilots the only ship leaving Titan in time to make it back to Earth before Christmas. He doesn't want any passengers, but Jenna convinces him to take her on the three-day trip. Neither of them had planned for the passion that erupts between the two of them on the tiny cargo ship.

Then Jenna realizes Grayson is transporting extremely dangerous cargo. When she discovers why a man like Grayson would take such a risk, she has to decide whether she'll turn him in or help him.

Read an extract of the book after the jump and leave a comment to win a free ebook copy courtesy of the author :)