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Author Interview Edge of Death Book Tour

November 25, 2019 1 Comment

  • How long have you been writing?

My first attempt at writing a novel was eleven years ago. I’d come up with a character who came with a lot of stories, so I wrote them down. It turned out to be my first series.

  • What is your favorite genre to write?

Fantasy. It gives me the most freedom and I can mix genres if I want to.

  • Which genre have you never tried before, but would you like to try out?

Historical fiction. But I’m not sure I have the discipline to stick to the facts.

  • Please tell us about your book.

The name of my book is the “Edge of Death” and it’s the second book in the Admiralty Archives trilogy. My main character, Alex, who is part Elf, has been exiled to Earth and is trying to make the best of it. She even gets a job but finds her life is threatened by Rock Elves, wizards, and even a white supremacist group that brings her to the very Edge of Death.

  • Which character was your favorite, and why? Which character was your least favorite, and why?

My new favorite in this book was Hades, god of the Underworld. He’s coordinating all the threats against Alex but she doesn’t know it. My least favorite character is nobody. I really enjoy them all, If I didn’t, I wouldn’t include them in this story.

  • What was the hardest part about writing your book?

Since this was the second book in the series, I wasn’t sure what direction it should go. The first one was easy because Alex arrives in the mortal world (London), but in the second one, she’s here and she can’t go anywhere. She had to learn how to survive in this world so she could go home again sometime in the future.

  • What is your writing routine? Are there things you absolutely need to start writing?

I exercise first thing in the morning and then I sit down at the computer. I have to clear my emails and social media first. Then, I can begin writing with a clear mind. It doesn’t always work out that way and sometimes, I have to get writing early, just to get it out of my head. I’ve even written well into the night but that upsets my sleep pattern a lot.

  • How long did it take you to write your book from start to finish?

It’s hard for me to answer this question because I don’t write a single novel. Generally, I write a series at one time and I don’t keep track of when I started to when I finished each book. And just because a first draft is done, doesn’t mean the book is done. It will go through many edits.

  • Can you tell us about your editing process?

I’ll give you an example. Since ‘Edge of Death’ was just published, I start on the draft my next novel. I read it over and edit it myself before I send it out to a professional editor. She takes anywhere from six to eight weeks on it and sends it back for my review. I make corrections and send it back to her for another edit as well as send it out for comments from beta readers and my writing group. After I get all the comments together, I go over it again. Hopefully, it’s good to go, but sometimes, I have another re-read by my editor. When I think it’s done, I send it back to my editor, who is also the publisher of my ebook. She has my manuscript formatted for print and a cover is designed. She does the blurb for me and I publish the print version.

  • Is this book part of a series? If so, how many installments do you have planned?

Yes. The first book in the Admiralty Archives trilogy is called ‘Curse of the Sea’ and this is the second one. There’s one more book coming and my working title is ‘Call from Home.”

  • Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Don’t be aspiring. Write!

  • Why should everyone read your book?

Because it’s fun and a nice place to get away from the turmoil in the real world.

  • If you could meet three authors, dead or alive, which authors would you choose?

I’d like to meet J.R.R. Tolkien, Alexander Dumas, and Rudyard Kipling.

  • What inspired you to write your book?

‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy, made into film by Peter Jackson.

  • Are you working on something at the moment? If so, can you tell us more about it?

My next book, ‘Call from Home,’ is currently with my editor. In this one, my main character, Alex, has resigned herself to her life in exile on Earth but she keeps running across reminders of her home in Eledon, the Elf world. Although she tries to ignore it, she can’s do it when she senses danger.

 

About the Book

Title: Edge of Death: Book Two of the Admiralty Archives

Author: Joni Parker

Genre: Urban Fantasy

In this second installment of The Admiralty Archives, the warrior Lady Alexin, the Keeper of the Keys for the Elf realm of Eledon, finds herself exiled to the harsh world of near-future London. Rendered little more than a political pawn by the Elfin Council of Elders to avoid a war with the Rock Elves, she has little choice but to struggle to find her way in this strange new land. Taken under the protection of kindly mentors, Vice Admiral Malcolm Teller of the British Royal Navy and his wife, Alex brings all her skills to the fore as she uncovers a series of deadly plots.

Murder is on everyone’s mind as an underground White Supremacist organization takes aim at Admiral Teller while two wizards, resurrected from death, must kill Alex in order to survive. To make matters worse, the Rock Elves dispatch a hundred assassins from Eledon with their sole mission to bring Lady Alexin to the very… Edge of Death.

Author Bio

Writing fantasy novels are Joni Parker’s passion. She’s completed two series so far: “The Seaward Isle Saga” and “The Chronicles of Eledon.” Her latest series, “The Admiralty Archives, is a three-book series that begins with the “Curse of the Sea.” The second book is called “Edge of Death” and the third will be finished next year. In addition to her novels, Joni enjoys writing short stories and has contributed two stories to the anthology, “Beyond Tucson: Adventures in the Multiverse” with her writing group. Joni retired from the U.S. Navy and the Department of Homeland Security and currently resides in Tucson, Arizona with her sister.

Links

Amazon

Twitter

Facebook

Website

Goodreads

Amazon Author Profile

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Author Interview Game Changers of the Apocalypse

February 13, 2019 1 Comment

How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing since I was at school. I won’t say how long that is… It started off with song lyrics, which morphed into poetry. Then I decided to give novels a try. For a long time I could only write novels, not short stories, which was rather strange. Now, thankfully, I can manage both.

  • What is your favorite genre to write?

For a while now my favorite genre has been horror but I’m gradually gravitating towards science fiction.

  • Which genre have you never tried before, but would you like to try out?

I’ve written a dark psychological thriller (Satan’s Fan Club) but never tried out-and-out crime. I’d like to put that right one day.

  • Please tell us about your book.

My latest release is a post-apocalyptic horror novel called Game Changers of the Apocalypse. Greg and Polly are the last two people left on Earth. The whole fate of the human race rests on them getting their relationship to work. Unfortunately they split up the day before the world ended and there’s an outside entity acting against them.

  • Which character was your favorite, and why? Which character was your least favorite, and why?

My favorite character was Polly. She was a lot of fun to write because she’s so feisty and doesn’t let anything go. It wouldn’t have worked if the main characters had always seen eye to eye. I wanted the couple to be at loggerheads even as the world’s ending.

There’s almost too few characters to have a least favorite character but probably Milo who plays a slightly bigger role than his disappearance early on would suggest. He’s just an objectionable person.

  • What was the hardest part about writing your book?

Only having two characters for much of the book made things a bit difficult at times but hopefully contributed to some of the intensity.

  • What is your writing routine? Are there things you absolutely need to start writing?

I’m not even sure I have a routine. I just write when I can. All I need is a working laptop. I use a pen so little these days that I can barely read my own handwriting.

  • How long did it take you to write your book from start to finish?

That’s a good question and a bit hard to answer. It was written with so many pauses to work on other projects or for family reasons but I would say about a year.

  • Can you tell us about your editing process?

I write the first draft straight through quite quickly. Subsequent drafts get longer and take longer. Editing is when the novel starts getting shorter again, so I’ll cut some but mostly it’s a case of agonizing over the right word.

  • Is this book part of a series? If so, how many installments do you have planned?

It’s a standalone novel.

  • Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Believe in yourself and enjoy the process. Anything else is a bonus.

  • Why should everyone read your book?

It’s a very different take on post-apocalypse with an added dimension. The main characters gain access to a printer that prints drafts of the future. They have a brief window in which to try and sidestep their fates before a new draft is written.

  • If you could meet three authors, dead or alive, which authors would you choose?

Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe and Donna Tartt.

  • What inspired you to write your book?

One night, when I was still at university, I had the idea of a couple left alone on Earth forced to rely on each other even after their relationship had failed and fighting their own flaws, each other, all the horrors of the apocalypse and a malevolent entity continually upping the ante.

  • Are you working on something at the moment? If so, can you tell us more about it?

Yes, I’m working on a novella about a man who goes to confront God after the death of his wife and gets caught up in the eternal war between heaven and hell. It’s a very modern heaven and hell and neither God nor the Devil are quite as one would expect.

About the Book

It’s always the end of the world when you break up with someone. This time it really is…

Everyone on the planet has mysteriously disappeared, leaving exes Greg and Polly. They’ve survived the apocalypse, yet shouldn’t have. Battling each other and a malevolent entity that teases them with their fate, how long can they remain ahead? Even more terrifying than everyone else on the planet disappearing is what’s about to take their place…

“GAME CHANGERS OF THE APOCALYPSE is a weird and twisted adventure. Mark Kirkbride brings the pain and has some strange fun along the way.” -Jonathan Maberry, New York Times best-selling author of V-WARS and DEEP SILENCE

“This is a wild, thrilling ride through the apocalypse. The end of the world has never been more fun—or more full of heart.” -Nik Korpon, author of QUEEN OF THE STRUGGLE

Author Bio

Mark Kirkbride lives in Shepperton, England. He is the author of Game Changers of the Apocalypse and Satan’s Fan Club, published by Omnium Gatherum. His short stories can be found in Under the Bed, Sci Phi Journal, Disclaimer Magazine and Flash Fiction Magazine. His poetry has appeared in the Big Issue, the Morning Star, the Mirror and Horror Writers Association chapbooks.

Links

Author website: http://markkirkbride.com/

Universal Amazon link: http://lrd.to/GameChangersOfApocalypse

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KirkbrideM/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkKirkbride/

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Book Tours: Author Interview Dearly Beloved

November 27, 2018 1 Comment

1) How long have you been writing?

Ever since I picked up a crayon many moons ago! Seriously, though, I wrote professional non-fiction in my 20’s-40’s. I started writing fictional romance when I turned 54 and had my first romance book published – traditionally – at 55.

2) What is your favorite genre to write?

Contemporary romance because I like to live in the here and now. From that, I write two subgenres within that genre, smalltown romance and RomComs ( romantic comedies)

3) Which genre have you never tried before, but would you like to try out?

Historical, particularly REGNECY. But I haven’t done so because there is so much you have to get right, from the table settings, to the clothes, to the titles. Regency readers are knowledgeable and loyal. I don’t want to make any mistakes.

4) Please tell us about your book.

The easiest way to tell you is the give you the blurb:

Colleen O’Dowd manages a thriving bridal business with her sisters in Heaven, New Hampshire. After fleeing Manhattan and her cheating ex-fiancé, Colleen still believes in happily ever afters. But with a demanding business to run, her sisters to look after, and their 93-year-old grandmother to keep out of trouble, she’s worried she’ll never find Mr. Right.

Playboy Slade Harrington doesn’t believe in marriage. His father’s six weddings have taught him life is better as an unencumbered single guy. But Slade loves his little sister. He’ll do anything for her, including footing the bill for her dream wedding. He doesn’t plan on losing his heart to a smart-mouthed, gorgeous wedding planner, though.

When her ex-fiancé comes back into the picture, Colleen must choose between Mr. Right and Mr. Right Now.

5) Which character was your favorite, and why? Which character was your least favorite, and why?

My favorite character was Nanny Fee( Fiona). She is a 93 year old Irish spitfire. Age hasn’t dulled her political activism – or her red hair. Although now, it comes out of a box! Two, if we’re being truthful, to match the color she wants it to be. Nanny is loyal, loving, strict, flirty, and outrageous – everything I hope to be when I am 93!! In all honesty, I don’t have any characters I don’t like, including my “villain” Harry ‘VLAD’ Green.

6) What was the hardest part about writing your book?

The theme of the book ( aside from the romance) is forgiveness. Should Colleen forgive her ex-fiance for cheating? Should she forgive her parents for abandoning the family during a crisis? Should Slade forgive his father for his many sins? I knew I wanted to make sure the reader was given the reason each character could or should forgive, but didn’t want to do it in a preachy, holier-than-thou way. I struggled with allowing my H/H to work their way through this theme in a cleansing – hopefully fulfilling way for the reader – without sounding like I was being judgmental or overbearing. I think – hope!- I did that.

 

7) What is your writing routine? Are there things you absolutely need to start writing?

I retired from my regular day job in 2015 when my first book was published. Since then I consider writing my full time job, so I am at my desk by 8 every morning to write in my current manuscript and I usually write until 3-3:30 every day. I have chronic insomnia, so I am up at 3 am every day and I do all my social  media promotion between the hours of 3 am and 6am. Then I go to the gym for an hour or so, and then home to write. The only thing I absolutely need to get my day started is a bottle of Diet Mountain Dew. It provides me with the caffeine hit  I need since I don’t drink coffee or tea.

8) How long did it take you to write your book from start to finish?

I write fast, so the first draft is usually completed in 12 weeks, then 2 weeks to edit before I ever try to get it published.

9) Can you tell us about your editing process?

I self edit after the first draft is completed. I don’t usually go back and change something that I wrote, say two days ago after thinking about it because I work from a detailed outline and plot point system. Once the entire manuscript is done and I’ve typed THE END, I go back and nitpick: words, phrases, emotions, scene order. The one thing I never change is the characters because I’ve got them so fleshed out before I ever type  a word, they are already real people to me. Once the book is approved by an editor, there are usually 2-3 rounds of edits ( copy, line, galley) that the books goes through before it is released.

10) Is this book part of a series? It is book 1.

If so, how many installments do you have planned?

3 plotted out and a fourth mulling around in my head!

 

11) Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?   

If you want to write for publication – never give up. I was 55 when my first book was published, an age I was watching people around me beginning to discuss retirement. Not me. I embarked on a brand new career and am loving every minute of it, so my advice is to never give up on a dream and do whatever you can to make it come true for you.

12) Why should everyone read your book?  

Well, without sounding conceited, my book looks at family in a true way – meaning, I deal with death, betrayal, loss, and grief – all with humor, which is the second thing: you will cry on one page and then be brought out of your sadness by laughter on the next page. I haven’t read too many authors who do that. Typically romance novels deal with a straight arc of lovers meeting, getting pulled away, and then finding their HEA. I deal more with the families plus the love interests, and their paths to discovery which leads them to their HEA. And again, it’s done realistically, but with a great deal of humor.

13) If you could meet three authors, dead or alive, which authors would you choose?

Jane Austen, Jodi Picoult, Lauren Layne

14) What inspired you to write your book?

Actually, that’s a great question and a good story. I’ll try to be succinct. A few years ago my daughter was in the wedding party of one of her sorority sisters. The bride came from one part of the country, the groom the other. They wanted everyone they loved to attend, so they picked a neutral spot on the east coast. They chose a venue for their wedding where everything was in one spot: church, reception, and accommodations for the travelers. I started thinking about what a one-stop wedding would look like in my tiny New England town and who would run the business. Also, who would book a venue like this? The O’Dowd sisters came to me in a dream one night – a trio of sisters who each ran a branch of the business: one is the wedding planner, one is the Officient, and one owns the inn. A MACTH MADE IN HEAVEN was born.

15) Are you working on something at the moment? If so, can you tell us more about it?

Book 2 in this series, and I am trying to find a publisher from another series I’ve started about a detective agency run by brothers.

About the Book

Title: Dearly Beloved

Author: Peggy Jaeger

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Colleen O’Dowd manages a thriving bridal business with her sisters in Heaven, New Hampshire. After fleeing Manhattan and her cheating ex-fiancé, Colleen still believes in happily ever afters. But with a demanding business to run, her sisters to look after, and their 93-year-old grandmother to keep out of trouble, she’s worried she’ll never find Mr. Right.

Playboy Slade Harrington doesn’t believe in marriage. His father’s six weddings have taught him life is better as an unencumbered single guy. But Slade loves his little sister. He’ll do anything for her, including footing the bill for her dream wedding. He doesn’t plan on losing his heart to a smart-mouthed, gorgeous wedding planner, though.

When her ex-fiancé comes back into the picture, Colleen must choose between Mr. Right and Mr. Right Now.

Author Bio

Peggy Jaeger is a contemporary romance writer who writes about strong women, the families who support them, and the men who can’t live without them.

Family and food play huge roles in Peggy’s stories because she believes there is nothing that holds a family structure together like sharing a meal…or two…or ten. Dotted with humor and characters that are as real as they are loving, Peggy brings all topics of daily life into her stories: life, death, sibling rivalry, illness and the desire for everyone to find their own happily ever after. Growing up the only child of divorced parents she longed for sisters, brothers and a family that vowed to stick together no matter what came their way. Through her books, she has created the families she wanted as that lonely child.

Tying into her love of families, her children’s book, THE KINDNESS TALES, was illustrated by her artist mother-in-law.

Peggy holds a master’s degree in Nursing Administration and first found publication with several articles she authored on Alzheimer’s Disease during her time running an Alzheimer’s in-patient care unit during the 1990s.

In 2013, she placed first in two categories in the Dixie Kane Memorial Contest: Single Title Contemporary Romance and Short/Long Contemporary Romance.

In 2017 she came in 3rd in the New England Reader’s Choice contest for A KISS UNDER THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS and was a finalist in the 2017 STILETTO contest for the same title.

In 2018, Peggy was a finalist in the HOLT MEDALLION Award and once again in the 2018 Stiletto Contest.

A lifelong and avid romance reader and writer, she is a member of RWA and her local New Hampshire RWA Chapter.

Links

Website/Blog

Twitter

Amazon Author Page

Facebook

Pinterest

Goodreads

Instagram

BookBub

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Author Interview Gazelle in the Shadows

August 16, 2018 Leave a Comment

How long have you been writing?

My novel “Gazelle in the Shadows” is my first serious writing but I have always loved writing.  I first started writing a diary when I was in elementary school.  I recently read one of my earliest diaries which made me laugh because of a funny spelling mistake. I wrote “use your woolly” instead of “usually.” I thought that was cute.

  • What is your favorite genre to write?

I love to write thrillers especially espionage.

  • Which genre have you never tried before, but would you like to try out?

I would like to try out a true crime story.  I enjoy watching and reading detective stories.  “Gazelle in the Shadows” has clues throughout the plot which the reader can use to guess the ending.

  • Please tell us about your book.

Gazelle in the Shadows is a tense, fast-paced political espionage thriller, based in the Syria of the nineties. Elizabeth is a hopeful, adventurous and romantic Arabic student who sets out for Damascus for her year abroad. During her time there, Elizabeth improves more than just her Arabic as she falls headlong in love, not only with her beau, but also with the Syrian culture. But while the passion is mounting, the unsuspecting Elizabeth – and we, the reader – are drawn into a world of politics, intrigue and terrorism.

  • Which character was your favorite, and why? Which character was your least favorite, and why?

The protagonist, Elizabeth Booth, was definitely my favorite as she is me.  The story is mostly based on my life so I found it easy to write about myself. The least favourite was my father as I had a troubled relationship with him and although it is obvious in the novel that Elizabeth has a difficult relationship with her father, I didn’t go into great detail as it conjured up some strong emotions for me.

  • What was the hardest part about writing your book?

I relied on my memory for names of buildings, places and locations in Syria.  When in doubt, I turned to Google to verify facts but it often took a long time to find them on the internet from that time period.  The internet was flooded with pictures and news from the decade long conflict.

  • What is your writing routine? Are there things you absolutely need to start writing?

I am a night writer as I enjoy the quietness of the house late at night when my children and husband are asleep. Before I start, I have to feel warm and comfortable with my fluffy socks and cozy PJs on. (I crank up the AC in the summer)

  • How long did it take you to write your book from start to finish?

I took approximately three years to write it but I did go through some slow months during that time.

  • Can you tell us about your editing process?

My first step was to enroll in a creative writing class that not only helped me to be committed, at least on a weekly basis, to writing but also it helped me to plan the beginning of a story arc.  I was lucky to meet and become friends with one of the teachers who did freelance editing.  When I was ready to produce chapters, he became my go-to-editor and super fan.  He has been with me throughout the three years and I’m very grateful for his support and help.

  • Is this book part of a series? If so, how many installments do you have planned?

I have only one sequel in my head although I have not begun to write it yet.

  • Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

I would advise aspiring authors to commit to a class like I did as it made me accountable in the early days to writing the story.

  • Why should everyone read your book?

My hope is that people will want to read about the Syria which I came to know before the conflict began. To read about the beauty and history of its lands and the hospitality and traditions of its people which have been irrevocably changed.

  • If you could meet three authors, dead or alive, which authors would you choose?

I would love to meet Gertrude Bell, and talk to her about her travels in the early twentieth century to the Middle East.

Also, Fadwa Tuqan who was a renowned female Palestinain poet. I did my thesis on her work in my final year at Durham University.

Lastly, I would love to talk to J.K. Rowling about how she got started and her path to success.

  • What inspired you to write your book?

I was inspired to write because I am stay-at-home mom and I wanted my children to know what I had done in my former career as a diplomat traveling all over the world before settling in America.

  • Are you working on something at the moment? If so, can you tell us more about it?

At the moment, I am consumed with marketing my book but when that is over, I will start to plan the sequel to “Gazelle in the Shadows.” The sequel will be based in Dubai where Elizabeth will be working undercover for MI6. The sequel will be based in Dubai where Elizabeth will be working undercover for MI6 and faces some familiar adversaries.

About the Book

Gazelle in the Shadows is a new political thriller by Michelle Peach. The novel takes place in Syria and is largely based on the authors real life experiences.

“For many years, I have wanted to write this book. The story is largely based on my life,” says Michelle Peach, author of Gazelle in the Shadows. “Although a majority of the novel is entirely true, there are parts that are fictionalized.”

Synopsis –

In the mid 90s, Elizabeth Booth, a young British college student studying Arabic at Durham University, travels to Damascus to immerse herself in the Syrian language. Taken aback by the generosity and kindness of the people there, she easy slips into a life in the ancient city. She has friends, her studies, and even a handsome boyfriend. But things aren’t always as they seem. Soon, in a world where mistrust and disloyalty are commonplace, Elizabeth finds herself navigating a web of lies, betrayals, and a murder involving MI6, deadly terrorist factions, and the shadowy Syrian secret police.

 

From the Prologue –

When I traveled to Syria as a Durham student in 1992, I knew very little about the country. From the onset, I was overwhelmed by their welcome. But the longer I stayed in Damascus and especially when I started working for Dr. Andrew Rathmell, as his Arabic translator and assistant researcher, the more I understood of Syria’s tumultuous and violent history. At the time, Hafez al-Assad, the President of Syria since 1971, was at the height of his autocratic power and the country was in a state of relative calm since the end of the Gulf War in 1991. His vast security apparatus was evident on every street corner whether army, police or civilian informants. My travel guide dedicated an entire page to the various types of mukhabarat, secret police, present in the country but also reassuringly wrote that Syria was a “safe” country for travelers. Not so obvious was the fear, paranoia and suppression which his people lived under…

Praise for Michelle Peach’s Gazelle in the Shadows:

“Compellingly realistic and packed with both psychological and physical action, Gazelle in the Shadows adds an extra layer of cultural understanding to its espionage thriller theme.” -D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

 “Peach integrates myriad plot developments into her exciting and ambitious work … The central conceit is both original and compelling.” -BookLife Prize

“Michelle Peach brings Syrian culture and cityscapes to life with her descriptions and characters… the author is able to accurately capture a specific moment in Middle Eastern history that still has ramifications on modern-day Syrians. For those looking for a glimpse into new cultures with a taste of a spy thriller, Gazelle in the Shadows will both warm your heart and send shivers down your spine.” -Red City Review

“Gazelle in the Shadows is both a coming of age story and a reflection of life in the looking glass world of Hafez al-Asad’s Syria. While told through an intensely personal lens, Michelle’s story provides a sideways look at a Syria that is now gone but also hints at some of the underlying factors that contributed to the country’s ongoing agonies. The book is an unusual combination of bittersweet student memories, geopolitical machinations, and “factionalised” adventures; well worth a read.”– Dr Andrew Rathmell, Author of Secret War in the Middle East: The Covert Struggle For Syria 1949 -1961

About the Author

Michelle Peach graduated from Durham University in 1995 with a B.A. in Arabic with Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. During 1992, she spent her second year of college studying abroad at the Arabic Teaching Institute for Foreigners in Damascus. Since then, Michelle’s love for Syria has never been far from her thoughts. When the unrest began in 2011, her determination to start writing Gazelle in the Shadows intensified. “I was distraught and appalled by the suffering of the people and by the destruction of its historical sites in Aleppo, Palmyra, Bosra, Homs, Damascus and elsewhere. I know that many will not have the opportunity to see the sights of Syria due to the ongoing conflict, but I hope that through my story readers can enjoy the cities, landscapes and culture of Syria.” Gazelle in the Shadows is set to be released in September 2018, published by IngramSpark.

Michelle lives in Atlanta, GA. She is a stay-at-home mom, married with three children. Readers can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads. To learn more, go to  https://michellepeach.com/

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Author Interview The Folded Notes

August 14, 2018 Leave a Comment

How long have you been writing?

10 years with a 5 year gap

What is your favorite genre to write?

Historical Romance

Which genre have you never tried before, but would you like to try out?

Thriller

Please tell us about your book.

Catherine, an Englishwoman travels with her mother from England to India in 1898. While her father, stationed at the Punjab University, is their direction, destiny intervenes and crosses her path with Kharak, a recently qualified engineer from Lahore and so begins a journey of starcrossed romance. In disapproval, her father with the help of Ivan, a colonial engineer concieve a plan to avert her from falling in love with him by sending Kharak to work in the British East Africa Protectorate. With everything to lose, she follows him there hoping to express her love.

Which character was your favorite, and why? Which character was your least favorite, and why?

She is daring, charming, lovable with a shining inner spirit. Ivan was my least favorite. He was scheming, evil and lacked compassion.

What was the hardest part about writing your book?

Realizing that writing a book is a slow process.

What is your writing routine? Are there things you absolutely need to start writing?

I used to write on my journey to and from work on the train. One has to have the story, its beginning and its ending in mind.

How long did it take you to write your book from start to finish?

10 years off which 5 years I did not write as I was living in Australia.

Can you tell us about your editing process?

I edited as I wrote and then, upon completion, I read the whole story before editing parts that I felt needed editing.

Is this book part of a series? If so, how many installments do you have planned?

Its not a series, but a sequel is possible.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

If you have a story, just writing. Everything else will fall in place.

Why should everyone read your book?

Everyone will find something that will hit them and perhaps inspire to do what they always want to do but haven’t the courage.

If you could meet three authors, dead or alive, which authors would you choose?

Enid Blyton, Fredrick Forsyth and Tom Clancey.

What inspired you to write your book?

The historical events that I learnt in school. It deserved a story attached to it.

Are you working on something at the moment? If so, can you tell us more about it?

As I have just published The Folded Notes, I’m taking a break from writing for a while.

About the Book

Inspired by history comes this breathtaking story of star-crossed lovers against the backdrop of colourful nineteenth century India…

“The book’s cross-cultural relationship is refreshing, and its peek into sites around Lahore is delightful.”

– Kirkus Reviews

A different world awaits Catherine Rose, an Englishwoman who travels with her mother from England to India. While her father, stationed at the Punjab University, is their direction, destiny intervenes and crosses her path with the educated and kind Kharak. A recently qualified engineer from Lahore who works for the Indian railways, he is as taken with the feminine, unreserved Englishwoman as she is with him. Aghast at the blossoming friendship, her father, incited by Ivan, a colonial engineer, arranges to keep Catherine and Kharak from falling in love. Arranging matters, he gets Kharak sent to work in another British colony, never to see or speak to his daughter again. In the last few moments he has, Kharak manages to leave two notes for Catherine.

Flouting her father’s orders, Catherine flees in secret and follows her heart, away from Lahore to Mombasa. But little does she know that Ivan, as Kharak’s supervisor, will be there – nor that he is now her pursuer. With everything to lose, hope is all that Catherine can cling to, hope that love will win the day and she and Kharak will finally be together.

Inspired by history and written with first-hand knowledge of the locations, this achingly moving historical romance crosses continents from England to India and East Africa during a fascinating part of history. The plot is woven between lush descriptions to create a compelling story of forbidden love and an uncertain ending that will linger long after the last page.

Author Bio

Mandz Singh has been a world cup soccer analyst for a radio station, resided on three continents, lived in a gold rush town, travelled across Australia, and stood in the elephant visiting caves of Mount Elgon. This debut novel was written during commuting hours on trains to London from Berkshire, where he now lives.

 

Links

Troubador: Troubadour
Amazon: Amazon
Waterstones: Waterstones
Filed Under: Author Interviews, Book Spotlight Tagged With: , , ,

Book Tours: Author Interview The Red Hand of Fury

June 28, 2018 Leave a Comment

How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing stories since I learnt how to read and write in primary school. Most people grow out of it. I just carried on. I’ve been a published author since 2006, but I was writing seriously before that for decades. I sold some stories to women’s magazines in the UK when I was still a student, so that would have been back in say *coughs in embarrassment* 1980 or 1981. Those were my first paid publications.

What is your favorite genre to write?

I think it must be historical crime, or mystery, seeing as nearly all the books I’ve written are in that genre. I love the idea of working out an intricate plot and then building a rich, textured world for it to come to life in. There’s no doubt that it’s a challenge because there’s so much research involved and then you have to make the imaginative leap to bring it all to life. In some ways you have to put the research to one side, and hope that the important things have soaked into you by osmosis.

Which genre have you never tried before, but would you like to try out?

My next novel is a dystopian novel set in the future and it’s my first time writing something like that. But that doesn’t really answer your question! Maybe a ghost story, or a contemporary crime novel, or maybe something with a touch of fantasy in it. I like genres where the imagination has free rein. And also I do tend towards the darker edges of the spectrum, I’m afraid.

Please tell us about your book.

The book is a historical mystery called The Red Hand of Fury. It’s set in London in 1914, just on the eve of the First World War. Actually, war breaks out towards the end of the book. A series of sinister deaths occur, apparently suicides, but there are certain things linking the deaths. Silas Quinn is the head of the Special Crimes Department in New Scotland Yard and he sets out to investigate these deaths, but the investigation takes him back into the darkest chapter of his own personal life. I’m trying not to give away any spoilers!

Which character was your favorite, and why? Which character was your least favorite, and why?

I would have to say Silas Quinn, the main character, because he’s so complex and messed up. I’m also very fond of his two sidekicks, Detective Sergeants Inchball and Macadam. Inchball is very blunt and straight-talking. Macadam is a self-taught expert on all sorts of things. But they are both fiercely loyal to Quinn. My least favourite? I think there are probably quite a few contenders for that honour but there’s a colleague of Quinn’s called DCI Coddington who crops up towards the end of the book. He’s an idiot basically, but he has no self-awareness and thinks he’s really smart.

What was the hardest part about writing your book?

The hardest part of writing any book is just sitting down in front of that computer every day – or every opportunity you have – and making sure you put some words down. Keeping going I suppose. There are times when you think the story’s coming apart, or where you’re not sure you have the skills to do justice to the idea, or where you reach a scene that you know is going to be particular hard to write, because it’s a crucial scene, or one full of emotion and you have to somehow make sure it has energy and comes to life. You don’t know, in advance, how you’re going to do it. But somehow you do.

What is your writing routine? Are there things you absolutely need to start writing?

My only full writing day is Monday, as I have a day job that keeps me busy four days a week. I also try to get some writing done at the weekends, but there are generally other things to do, so I have to fit my writing around whatever else I have to do. (Chores!) On a Monday, I like to be at my desk by no later than 9.00 am with a full pot of black coffee. These days I drink decaffeinated because I was having trouble sleeping, I think because I was drinking too much coffee over the week. On a Monday I will aim to write at least 2,000 words, though I won’t stop at that if it’s going well. 2,500 is a good day. Any more than that is a gift. I work up until 1pm then stop to eat something and listen to the news on the radio. By 2pm I should be back at my desk. No coffee now, but tea. So it’s really just a case of powering through until I’ve reached my target. I find it’s good to break off mid chapter or mid-scene so I have something to come back to the next time, but that doesn’t always happen. At weekends, I just sneak away to my desk and work when I can. We have a room in the house that is my office. It’s pretty messy at the moment – it always gets messy when I’m in the middle of a book, then I tidy it up before I start the next one.

How long did it take you to write your book from start to finish?

I had a year to write it in. That was my deadline from the publisher but I seem to think it took me a little less than that. I think I delivered about a month or so early.

Can you tell us about your editing process?

Once I’ve finished the first draft I export it to a mobi document that I can read on my kindle. Then I read it through highlighting any passages that I think need reworking or that I can cut. I invariably over-write in the first draft and that cutting process really helps to tighten the story. Then the book goes to my editor. With this one, my commissioning editor was happy with the manuscript as it was – that’s to say she had no structural edits – so she passed it to the copy editor, who marked it up for any line edits or queries that she had. That tends to be a negotiation, because sometimes as a writer you have things which are true to your voice but may not be strictly grammatical. After the copy editor, it’s passed to a proofreader whose job it is is to catch any final snags.

Is this book part of a series? If so, how many installments do you have planned?

That’s a good question! I’m writing the next book now, and have story outlines for three more after that. Whether I will end up writing them all, I don’t know.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Keep at it. Perseverance pays off, or it did in my case. I would also say, read widely, and read actively. By that I mean, always have an eye open for what the writer is up to. You can learn from reading bad books as well as good books – or maybe it’s better to say from books that you don’t like as well as ones you do, because then you can work out what didn’t work for you. That’s as important as what does. Develop your own taste. From that will come your own voice – and that’s the thing that publishers are looking for.

Why should everyone read your book?

That’s a difficult question! I wouldn’t be so presumptuous as to say everyone should… But if you like twisty, dark, thought-provoking historical noir, then maybe this is the book for you! I think it’s a fascinating period too, the beginning of the twentieth century. In some ways a time of innocence and promise, when there were so many scientific developments and revolutions in art and politics. An exciting time to be alive. But we know with hindsight that there were terrible catastrophes to come. I think that sense of perspective that the reader has may add to the experience of reading it, adding a certain depth and extra darkness.

If you could meet three authors, dead or alive, which authors would you choose?

Fyodor Dostoevsky, although he might not be very happy to meet me as I wrote four novels featuring a character from one of his novels (Porfiry Petrovich from Crime and Punishment); I would like to meet Agatha Christie to ask her where she got to when she disappeared that time and to see what she thinks of all the film and TV adaptations of her books; and HG Wells, who wrote some amazing stories of course, but more importantly I based a character in The Red Hand of Fury very loosely on him, so I would like to see whether I came anywhere close – and also to ask him about the period because it would help enormously with the research for my next book.

What inspired you to write your book?

A fascination with that period of history and with the darker side of human nature.

Are you working on something at the moment? If so, can you tell us more about it? As I mentioned above, I’m working on the next in my Silas Quinn series. This one is actually set during the first months of the war. More than that, I cannot say!

 

The Red Hand of Fury

London, June 1914. A young man is mauled to death at London Zoo after deliberately climbing into the bear pit. Shortly afterwards, another young man leaps to his death from the notorious Suicide Bridge. Two seemingly unconnected deaths – and yet there are similarities.

Following a third attempted suicide, Detective Inspector Silas Quinn knows he must uncover the link between the three men if he is to discover what caused them to take their own lives. The one tangible piece of evidence is a card found in each of the victims’ possession, depicting a crudely-drawn red hand. What does it signify? To find the answers, Quinn must revisit his own dark past. But can he keep his sanity in the process …?

Links

Amazon (UK)

Amazon (US)

 

Author Bio

R. N. Morris is the author of eight historical crime novels. His first, A Gentle Axe, was published by Faber and Faber in 2007. Set in St Petersburg in the nineteenth century, it features Porfiry Petrovich, the investigating magistrate from Dostoevsky’s great novel, Crime and Punishment. The book was published in many countries, including Russia. He followed that up with A Vengeful Longing, which was shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger. A Razor Wrapped in Silk came next, followed by The Cleansing Flames, which was nominated for the Ellis Peters Historical Novel Dagger. The Silas Quinn series of novels, set in London in 1914, began with Summon Up The Blood, followed by The Mannequin House, The Dark Palace and now The Red Hand of Fury, published on 31 March, 2018.

Taking Comfort is a standalone contemporary novel, written as Roger Morris. He also wrote the libretto to the opera When The Flame Dies, composed by Ed Hughes.

 

Links

Twitter: @rnmorris

Facebook Page Red Hand of Fury

Website: rogernmorris.co.uk

Giveaway

Win a hardback copy of The Red Hand of Fury (Open Internationally)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

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Author Interview Her Name is Mercie by Chris Roy

June 27, 2018 1 Comment

How long have you been writing?

By Hook or Crook is a collection of short stories I penned from 2007 – 2010, my first works of crime fiction a friend and I self-published in 2012. One day I was talking with some friends – all of us on High Risk for escaping – about writing a book, the possibilities of it. Making enough money to buy our freedom. I just sat on my bed and began creating these two criminals, Razor and Blondie, and placed them in situations based on personal experiences, and even fabricated jobs from crimes I had read about or learned from other criminals in here. The hamdwritten stories were read by a handful of guys on High Risk and Death Row. Guys that have been, incarcerated for decades, read hundreds of books, and had no fear of pointing and laughing at a fellow convict. But they didn’t laugh. They liked the criminal ventures of Razor and Blondie. I’ve been studying the craft of fiction writing since.

  • What is your favorite genre to write?

Crime fiction. Creating criminal characters, a duo or team, with particular skills that, combined, can accomplish an impossible, illegal feat for the good of other people or even a community – that gives me exquisite pleasure.

  • Which genre have you never tried before, but would you like to try out?

Those who know my works of crime and dark fiction will likely not believe this. And my ex girlfriends and wife will probably burst out laughing (and pointing). I’ll tell you anyway: romance. It would have action, some dark plotting, though the primary subject in the storyline would be the relationship of a man and woman. I actually have an outline scribbled out. It’s terrible. It’s intimidating.

  • Please tell us about your book.

Her Name Is Mercie is a noir feature in a collection of short stories. Mercie is a college educated gas station attendant that lives with her parents in a small town in South Mississippi. In general she is content, has no ambition to become Someone, even if knowing her life has little meaning. Then her parents are shot to death by police officers during a traffic stop, and she discovers meaning through loss. Possessing no skills to take action she does anyhow, and finds the people responsible for her folks’ deaths are not innocent, they were not only doing their jobs – they were doing something else under the guise of legitimacy. Mercie loses control after the discovery.

  • Which character was your favorite, and why? Which character was your least favorite, and why?

The protagonist, Mercie, was initially based on someone I know and love. She did not care for the story. So I changed Mercie’s character and the events of the story. I made it darker. At that point the antagonists were in my head all the time, the main one for sure. Which is became my new focus, my new favorite, the orchestrator. A sneaky, unsuspecting one. Very innocent in appearance. Very deadly in reality. My least favorite? One of the police officers was, at points, hard to write. To get my thoughts aligned with. Sick dude.

  • What was the hardest part about writing your book?

Finishing it! The publisher loved Mercie and two other short stories I submitted, though wanted more to flesh out a book. I was given a deadline. My first one. I had to write Libby’s Hands and Hunger with that looming. I was feeling it, the time constraint. Felt the carrot dangling and the stick prodding. And did some good work, I think, for it.

  • What is your writing routine? Are there things you absolutely need to start writing?

I jot down ideas on paper. Sometimes it’s just a title and that takes shape into an event with a story surrounding it. Sometimes banter with other convicts seeds a story idea, and I’ll scratch out notes. I always write a first draft by hand, then type it on a phone. Google Docs are the center of my little world these days.

  • How long did it take you to write your book from start to finish?

There are five stories in Her Name Is Mercie. The first two were done in about a month during the 2016 holiday season. Mercie is longer and was done in bursts spaced out for about a year – I was attempting to market my crime thriller trilogies published with New Pulp Press and started a few other dark fiction projects. I completed the book Mercie in February 2018.

  • Can you tell us about your editing process?

It’s difficult to stay in Create mode and get the entire story out before Edit mode kicks in. I’ll write between one to five pages then go back through it. I’ll move on once I’m satisfied. Periodically I’ll read what I have of the story and make adjustments, get new ideas, scratch out others. When the story is done I proof it numerous times and ask family and friends to test drive it, hit me between the eyes with their opinions.

  • Is this book part of a series? If so, how many installments do you have planned?

I don’t know… I do know I would be grateful if anyone reads it and likes it so much they demand more works with the same characters. You know, the ones still, alive.

  • Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

I started writing because I need money for a lawyer. I wrote for all these years and have three publishing contracts. So far I’ve received one royalty check. It wasn’t enough to retain an attorney. It was enough to get some Nutty Bars and Ramen noodles.

Just because you get published does not mean you will make money. Most books don’t get published. A small percentage of published works make sales – the competition is vast and the books selling have money behind them, usually because the authors are very marketable and have cash to throw around. You can have a spectacular book on the market, on Amazon, etc… and no one knows it’s there.

To new authors, be prepared for this. If you are seeking status, it could be a long journey with nothing but disappointment. If you are a true Writer, then fulfillment through passion is yours to enjoy every single day.

  • Why should everyone read your book?

There’s something for everyone. Thrills, chills, kills, action and humor. The characters are varied and engaging. The plots are jabs in the face with an unseen tickle. My best works, this collection.

  • If you could meet three authors, dead or alive, which authors would you choose?

Elmore Leonard. I just finished all the seasons of Justified and have found myself daydreaming about talking to that guy, mostly listening. He’s the kind of person I would shut up and listen to.

Elka Ray – have you read her psychological suspense novel Saigon Dark? High impact crime fiction. She’s a serious writer, and I believe she’s going places.

Greg Barth. I was on his show Noir on the Radio in 2017 to talk about Shocking Circumstances, a thriller I wrote in first-person female. Very difficult. Greg wrote Selena, a successful violent, sexual noir series in first-person female. After the show he sent me books 1 and 2. They are very good. I saw similarities, and got ideas that made me want to rewrite mine, after some research and further character studies.

  • What inspired you to write your book?

I still need a lawyer…

  • Are you working on something at the moment? If so, can you tell us more about it?

Waste Management is up next. Not sure of the publication date, maybe next year. It’s very dark. I’ll let it speak for itself. Here’s an excerpt:

She refused to open her mouth.

The man’s head tilted, nostrils puffing. He shook an aerosol can, squinting. Rocks popped under boots darkened and creased with use, threads stretching. He sprang into a turn, legs like columns of stone thudding oversized Red Wings across the service drive to the waste management truck.

The utility box opened, gloved hand slipped in and retrieved an item. The compartment clicked shut. He returned to the girl.

Fright – pure and intense – pushed out her stare as he approached. He stopped close enough that she felt his breath, a foul, hot gas shrouding the cold tears on her cheeks. He held up a red straw and inserted it into the can without error. In a blink his leather palm rammed into her forehead, immobilizing her face. Vision swimming, she could no longer see him. She held her breath as the pressure of his increased, eyelids squeezed tight. She felt the straw enter, slide into her throat.

He pulled it out.

Her scream was muffled by industrial grade adhesive, dull yellow bubbles of foam glue roiling from lips working to eject it.

The man stood back. Slipped the can in a pocket of his coveralls. Light gathered on his irises, wicked pulse matching his puffing nose. He caressed her throat, thumb rubbing over the spiking carotids.

Her back rose sharply, locking into a stiff arch. Eyes stuck wide. The moment passed with his nostrils flared. A tremble passed over his skin. He squeezed, hard.

Blink.

 His hand relaxed. The other clenched into a fist. A single blow to her chest made her pulse return. Her eyes closed.

He tore her loose and dropped her on the pavement next to a storm drain. The backs of her hands stuck to the service exit, foam blooming from pink skin like an exotic display at a high end art gallery.

From a sheath strapped to his leg he pulled a long pry bar. Opened the storm drain and looked in. The walls of the new office complex took on a hollow rush of water. He tapped the pry bar on the thick iron lid next to his boot. Straightened, pivoted to assess the infected target.

The girl folded her arms, violent shaking commandeering the muscles in her jaw, shoulders and legs. Hair plastered to one cheek, it matched the tones in the foam mounded on her lips, now hardened.

He struck her. The pry bar bit deep into her pelvis, shattering it. Her eyes shot open. The alley hummed with anguish, her throat swelling. He dropped the tool. The steel rang inches from her ear. Core consumed by fire of mortal trauma, her obscured awareness turned completely black. The man loomed, a mountain of darkness, boots creaking on the sides of her ruined hips.

Mucus sprayed as he sat down, can of adhesive once more in hand. He inspected the straw. Slid it deep into her nose and sprayed. His nostrils puffed in sync with the arteries in her neck, bulging under his thumb.

The violent shaking in her limbs became thrashing, spine jerking side to side. Her hands, dwarfed by his gloved grip, pushed at the can. Limited edition peep toes dug for purchase on the wet pavement behind him, heels grinding down.

Pry bar in hand, standing, he tossed the can into the drain. Then struck her again. Like a boxer finishing a punch drill, fists thundering into a heavy bag, the man battered her hips. Before she suffocated, her heart failed again. The rain of steel continued, eating away the joints.

His eyes moved to her shoulders. His arms adjusted, freakish mass swinging the tool hard. The roof above turned a deep violet, dusk passing into night.

The pace of the strikes never slowed. Slight turn of his boots, and he pounded away at her neck. He stopped as if completing a precise count. Sheathed his tool and stomped down on her chest. Gloved hands wound through her long hair and pulled up. Skin elongated. Snatch, cartilage, vertebrae crackling. Tossed it into the drain. Grabbed an arm.

Limbs washed away, he kicked the torso. Log rolled it over to the runoff of Spring rain. Picked it up, squishing, her bloody clothes rubbing on him, adding to the spatter layered up and down his old coveralls. Turning her vertical, he dropped the corpse into the drain.

***

From the wall next to the service exit, another girl watched. The tips of her fingers picked at the hard glue that bound her to the faux granite. Her lips wrinkled and spasmed, instinct fighting the poisonous invasion adhering to the soft tissue of her mouth and throat.

She kept looking to her right. A glob of hard foam mounted her head to the wall, though if she strained she could glimpse the door knob; she knew, any moment now, the manager would step out for a smoke and…

Save me! Oh my motherfuck, save me! Sasha… what just happened to Sasha? Oh my fucking Jesus!  

Her eyes darted left. Rolled back as searing pain ripped up her arms, down her back. The man sacked her over a shoulder and looked around. He blurred into a fast walk.

The girl’s legs flopped against him, urine running off her heels, squiggly patterns darkening the pavement behind the truck.

About the Book

Title: Her Name is Mercie

Author: Chris Roy

Genre: Thriller, Noir, Horror

Purchase: Amazon

Roy delivers on the edge of your seat storytelling with rough edges, crooked cops and a tiny light at the end of the tunnel that is never quite extinguished.
— Tom Vater, co–founder of Crime Wave Press.
Her Name Is Mercie is a fast furious ride into an inferno of the highest tension you are likely to encounter this year. Where noir meets thriller, toss a coin. Dive in. And unplug your phones, pcs tablets and keep reading deeper and deeper, until the final pages.
— Richard Godwin, author of Apostle Rising.
Mercie Hillbrook lives a simple, quiet life working as a gas station attendant. Then her parents are killed. Her home is taken. The people responsible are excused for just doing their job. When an attempt to get justice her way lands her in trouble with the law, Mercie realizes she still has something to lose: her own life.
Then she finds reason to believe her parents were murdered… and she doesn’t care anymore

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Author Interview The Checkered War

June 5, 2018 Leave a Comment

  • How long have you been writing?

I wrote my first short story while I was in elementary school. When I went to college, I thought I had to do something more noble, like go to medical school or law school. Every time I changed my major I changed it back to English and creative writing. Seven times! I have been writing ever since in various disciplines such as adult fiction novels, illustrated novelettes, biographies, short stories, and screenplays. The Checkered War is the debut of my first book for children.

  • What is your favorite genre to write?

I love to write suspense and thrillers, peppered with a dose of drama, and always humor.

  • Which genre have you never tried before, but would you like to try out?

I’d like to write a historical fiction novel, where I get to make up the story, but all of the historical facts are accurate and true. This of course entails research research research!

  • Please tell us about your book.

The Checkered War is about a feud that is raging between three colonies. Although they had been fighting since the beginning of last summer, this summer, this particular battle, will secure a lasting victory. The Harvesters live near the paved road beside a large and spacious wheat field. Their rival, the Carpenters, live west of where the road splits into a bumpy and dusty path leading into the abandoned forest. And the Blood Red Slave Hunters live wherever they please. Everyone is afraid of them. This is the story of war and feast, and … no not famine… more feast!

And of Willy, our unlikely hero who has been adopted by the Harvesters. He is from the Black-Haired Garden colony and is nothing like them. Small and young, he knows nothing of war. How can he possibly help prepare for the big battle?

Willy learns that some species are parasites who never work, wandering around feeding off other colonies. Others are thieves and robbers, or killers and cannibals. And it’s always about war.

Does Willy merely try to survive, or does he figure out how to be a useful member of the colony? Can an insignificant like Willy help to win an unstoppable war?

  • Which character was your favorite, and why? Which character was your least favorite, and why?

I love Willy because he is faced with enormous challenges, yet never gives up. I admire Ada because although she lacks self-confidence, she is dependable and will do whatever is required. I like Twiggy because she is energetic, corny and funny. And I like Queen Opal because although she is stern and disciplined, she is fair, and wants nothing more than to protect her colony. My least favorite is Queen Dimona because she is vicious and unrelenting in her ability to hurt others.

  • What was the hardest part about writing your book?

The Ant Facts. I wanted them to be correct and precise, so I did an enormous amount of research, reading several books, including a 732-page encyclopedia-like scientific volume entitled The Ants.

  • What is your writing routine? Are there things you absolutely need to start writing?

I write every day for four to six hours. I spend the rest of the day plotting and planning, making outlines, and most of all researching needed information to make sure what I am writing is correct. I make very detailed outlines, carefully plotting the introduction to the characters, the inciting incident, and each turning point. I know the ending before I start writing, and write from start to finish to get there.

  • How long did it take you to write your book from start to finish?

The Checkered War took me one year to write. Half of that time was spent on the illustrations. I knew what I wanted them to look like, but I knew nothing about the art of air brushing. So I bought a couple of books and started practicing until I got the nine illustrations right.

  • Can you tell us about your editing process?

The editing process is a bottomless pit. For most authors, we can nit-pick each sentence and every word, changing some minute detail constantly. I do this to some degree, and I usually edit my book 20 or 30 times. At some point I have to realize that changing one more word is not going to change the story, so I say, “Okay, this is it.” And I move on to the next one. Otherwise I would never move on.

  • Is this book part of a series? If so, how many installments do you have planned?

Another book about ants is not in the works. But similar books that combine fiction with fact are always swimming around in my creative brain… we shall see which one surfaces first.

  • Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

To quote Winston Churchill, “Never, never, never give up.”

  • Why should everyone read your book?

To quote an Amazon reader:

“Who knew there was so much going on behind the scenes of our annual summer picnics? While we may gripe and complain about ant attacks targeting our watermelons and potato salads, until now, we have been blithely unaware of the battle below. Thank you, Aunt Haggis, for pulling back the corner of our picnic blankets to expose the secret underworld of the ant kingdom.

Targeted to 7 to 14 year-olds, The Checkered War is sure to captivate and delight its readers with intrigue and suspense. The Harvester, Carpenter, and Blood Red Slave Hunter ant colonies are at war with one another providing the perfect venue for readers to eavesdrop on their secret battle plans and strategy. Will the workers finish their battle assignments in time? Will the soldiers’ conditioning be enough to withstand the coming onslaught? Will the queen be captured? Will the ants in the nursery be carried away to safety in time of the invasion? Which colony will prevail?
The Checkered War is a memorable journey from beginning to end. The watercolor illustrations add not only beauty to the reading experience, but a tangible anchor to those readers who have a more visual learning style. The “Ant Fact” sections brought great joy to this educator’s heart as Aunt Haggis integrated the drama of storytelling with actual scientific knowledge. Bravo!”

  • If you could meet three authors, dead or alive, which authors would you choose?

Agatha Christie, David Baldacci, and Dr. Seuss.

  • What inspired you to write your book?

I became fascinated with ants when I bought an ant farm for one of my kids for Christmas. The idea that my child could view and study these tiny, industrious creatures was intriguing. And I would be teaching him something new and fun.

So I thought.

But the box remained unopened. For two years.

One day while cleaning out his closet, I noticed the ant farm smothered in a pile of clothes on the floor. Apparently, he still wasn’t fascinated, intrigued or mildly interested.

But I was.

So I took the box to my downstairs home office and set up the ant farm. Then with the coupon I found inside, I sent away for my live harvester ants and impatiently waited.

Finally, the ants arrived, and I was elated! I carefully poured the contents of the plastic vile into the ant farm, not letting a single ant escape, and voila! Instant ant farm! After a brief awakening to their new home, the ants set to work.

I watched fascinated as nature’s tiniest engineers dug tunnels, built roads, and erected bridges. They built room after room, segregating their living space, and never quit working! As I excitedly observed them day by day, I began to notice things they do that are just like humans, only better. They work together quietly, quickly and efficiently. Without training, classrooms, or the Internet, the ants figured out how to cooperate with each other, working as a unit to build a colony, find food, and take care of their young.

Simply stated: ants are pure inspiration.

And then I thought: “What if there was a book that readers assumed was about humans, but it was really about ants?”

  • Are you working on something at the moment? If so, can you tell us more about it?

I am currently writing a true adventure novel of a famous river runner who, against all odds, successfully conquered a first ascent of the violent Grijalva River in El Sumidero Canyon in southern Mexico in 1962. Faced with 16 miles of never-ending class five and class six rapids, he and his 15-man crew navigate the treacherous white water from sun up to sun down. With capsized boats, injured men, and weakened by dysentery, how did they get to the takeout? Why weren’t they killed, or why didn’t they abandoned the challenge, like those before them?

About The Checkered War

A feud is raging between three colonies. Although the Harvesters, Carpenters, and Blood Red Slave Hunters have been fighting since last year, this summer will secure a lasting victory for only one of them. This is the story of war and feast and … no, not famine… more feast!

And of Willy, our unlikely hero who has been adopted by the Harvesters. He is from the Black-Haired Garden colony and is nothing like them. Small and young, he knows nothing of war. How can he possibly help prepare for the big battle?

Willy learns that some species are parasites who never work, wandering around feeding off other colonies. Others are thieves and robbers, or killers and cannibals. And it’s always about war.

Does Willy merely try to survive, or does he figure out how to be a useful member of the colony? Can an insignificant like Willy help to win an unstoppable war?

At the end of each chapter, real science information called “Ant Facts” provide fascinating knowledge about the real lives of different species of ants.

And they explain why Willy is going to do what Willy is going to do!

Buy the book on Amazon.

About Aunt Haggis

Aunt Haggis is a published author, photographer, and outdoor enthusiast. She literally grew up on the river studying nature, rafting wild whitewater rapids, basking in the sun, and sleeping under a canopy of brilliant constellations. When she wasn’t looking up to examine the stars at night, she was looking down by day to investigate the most intriguing of creatures… ants. You will find her discoveries in The Checkered War.

Aunt Haggis has previously written seven full-length screenplays, one adult fiction novel, one illustrated novelette (which was a recipient of the Benjamin Franklin Award), a biography (of a famous river runner), and numerous magazine articles under a boring name she is required to use for business. The Checkered War is the debut of her first book for children.

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Author Interview Medium Wave

May 1, 2018 Leave a Comment

  • How long have you been writing?

I have been writing fiction all my life.  I love stories, the places your imagination takes you. I discovered a flair for words, read voraciously and trained as a journalist. I tell many different stories in different ways, every day. My main journalism is as a radio broadcaster – listening to the stories which people tell. I once interviewed a man on Death Row in Florida, his eyes flat and dead, his body corpulent, and his crime horrific. He had a copy of a Stephen King novel, face down on his bed, dog eared and battered. It was no surprise.

  • What is your favorite genre to write?

Horror, the supernatural and paranormal because there are no rules. Exploring the dark side – facing our fears, exploring the unknown – and, this is what really fascinates me – WHY we believe. What is it about the human psyche which attracts us to believe in ghosts, an afterlife, and dark forces? What are we looking for? Has this horror industry created a faith which is more attractive than conventional religion? And how do many convince us that the dead can speak? Do we find that ‘proof’ of an afterlife makes us accept the reality of our lives and ultimate death easier? Whether it is a search for comfort from grief, which I understand and worry could be exploited, or a desire to see or experience what happens after death – we are drawn to it. Horror allows us to visit dark places with that icy thrill of ’what if that is true?’ Horror is a way of safely plumbing the dark depths of fear from the pages of a book. Wonderful.

  • Which genre have you never tried before, but would you like to try out?

Humor and satire. There are elements of these in my book Medium Wave. A satire on the modern media and those who work in it. I enjoy sharp humor and enjoy making people smile. I tend to observe people and like to sketch a pen portrait of who they are.

I would also like to write the screen play of Medium Wave and have great fun imagining casting the characters. I have Tom Hardy down to play Bert Brookings. If he is free.

  • Please tell us about your book.

 ‘Medium Wave’ by Rose Zolock, published by Caffeine Nights. Available on Amazon and everywhere Book, eBook, Audio Book.

‘This thing has no defined shape. Whatever energy exists within it, it cannot settle on a shape. The strands of darkness curl out and then wrap back inwards. The bulk of the shadow becomes concave, then bulbous, the height building in on itself but lacking any skeletal structure to wrap itself around. There are no eyes, no clearly defined head shape. It is creating itself from darkness, like a swirl of ebony ink dropped into a vat of putrid water, spreading silently….’

Becky Moran has built a career claiming to talk to the dead. A successful clairvoyant medium, a Cambridge graduate with her own radio show ‘Medium Wave’ and a team dedicated to crafting the celebrity myth – because Becky Moran is a fake.

Until, one night, something supernatural, inexplicable, breaks through live in air as she is broadcasting. Becky Moran discovers the paranormal is real, the dead can indeed speak and she is being pursued relentlessly towards a battle for her very survival.

  • Which character was your favorite, and why? Which character was your least favorite, and why?

I love the anti-hero, Bert Brookings. He is a self-proclaimed healer from Wales, likes unicorns and runs a lucrative business on line and is big in America. He emerged after a great deal of research into this industry. I enjoyed his anger and arrogance and ultimate madness. I also scared myself stupid by creating an entity which is attached to him. I think Hugh Jolly – Becky Moran’s business partner – is my least favorite. He is venal, detached and self-serving if not exquisitely dressed (‘A Gucci Whore and proud of it!’)  He has a love of vodka, too. He has a lot to answer for. He is multi layered , fabulous to create but, like a rattle snake, he needs watching.

  • What was the hardest part about writing your book?

Learning that being a journalist meant I had some new writing techniques to learn. Even a lifetime of reading fiction had not seeped me in good fiction techniques. I enjoyed earning about point of view and show don’t tell, but spent a great deal of time kicking myself hard on each shin until I got it right.

  • What is your writing routine? Are there things you absolutely need to start writing?

I have a skull, encrusted with diamanté which sits by my computer. It looks a lot but says nothing. I imagine I feel its boney reproach when I struggle to hit the mark and its skeletal grin when I do. I write for hours. Phone off, time evaporates. I then edit and leave it for a day or two, then shape it some more. I have been known to forget to eat. I write at all times of the day and fuel myself with coffee.

  • How long did it take you to write your book from start to finish?

Over a year. Then I had it professionally edited. That’s when I learnt so much.

  • Can you tell us about your editing process?

My own editing technique is described above. I chose a professional editor who specialized and had a track record in my genre. That was the best investment I made. Those techniques were honed and I learnt a great deal. I would ALWAYS recommend hiring an editor before you pitch for an agent or publisher. Find an editor you like and respect. Even if your mother and book club love it or you are going to self- publish – get a professional eye over it.

  • Is this book part of a series? If so, how many installments do you have planned?

Yes, Medium Wave is Book One of Three.

  • Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Read, write, rewrite. Know your genre. Be patient and work hard. Be prepared to have your submissions ignored or rejected by literary agents and publishers. Believe in your work. Be prepared to edit some more. Enjoy the process. Read and never stop. Target your submissions to the right Literary Agents and do EXACTLY what they say they want in their submission entry rules. I spend a lot of time praying, on my knees, for recognition. I just stopped short of doing any spell incantations.

  • Why should everyone read your book?

This book is for those who love horror and a narrative which takes you to some very dark places. This book is a gripping story with a pace which grasps you from the start and will not let you go. The elements of the paranormal include a Mirror with something hidden behind the glass, a haunted Lancaster Bomber from World War Two and something very malicious pursing a woman who has fooled the world she can hear the dead speak. The book takes you inside the world of Radio and Television and a close knit team which create the myth. A touch of humor and satire and a paranormal journey which will also explore Near Death Experience, Medium Wave is original horror.

  • If you could meet three authors, dead or alive, which authors would you choose?

Stephen King. I missed seeing him speak by a day in Washington DC about two years ago – I had to get a train to New York and have regretted that ever since. I am his constant reader and would just like to thank him for the stories.

Edgar Allan Poe – to ask how deep his personal horror really was.

Daphne Du Maurier – to discuss the sheer brilliance of her story construction and ability to write across genres with words and characters you never forget.

  • What inspired you to write your book?

I had always had an interest in the paranormal and have interviewed many who claim to have psychic gifts. I hardly ever believed them. I know the media well, so it made sense to combine that with a paranormal journey where you can decide what you believe. I also wanted to see how many fears of my own I could face and if I could actually scare myself. I could and I did.

  • Are you working on something at the moment? If so, can you tell us more about it?

I am working on Book Two in the Medium Wave series. All the research is done – I base much of the narrative on real documented hauntings or places or objects with a paranormal history. All I will say is that if Medium Wave scared you, Book Two may well leave you reeling….

Medium Wave

Becky Moran has built a career claiming to talk to the dead. A successful clairvoyant medium, a Cambridge graduate with her own radio show ‘Medium Wave’ and a team dedicated to crafting the celebrity myth – because Becky Moran is a fake. Until, one night, something supernatural, inexplicable, breaks through live on air as she is broadcasting. Becky Moran discovers the paranormal is real, the dead can indeed speak and she is being pursued relentlessly towards a battle for her very survival.

‘This thing has no defined shape. Whatever energy exists within it, it cannot settle on a shape. The strands of darkness curl out and then wrap back inwards. The bulk of the shadow becomes concave, then bulbous, the height building in on itself but lacking any skeletal structure to wrap itself around. There are no eyes, no clearly defined head shape. It is creating itself from darkness, like a swirl of ebony ink dropped into a vat of putrid water, spreading silently….’

Purchase from Amazon UK

About Rose Zolock

Her Irish grandmother first told Rose about the Banshee when she was just a small child. How the wailing sound of the spirit of the dead and dying could be heard when someone was about to pass.

It was family folklore that the women in the family had ‘the touch’, the ability to see spirits and other dimensions. Rose listened and grew up fascinated by those who claimed to have supernatural or psychic abilities.

Rose does not claim to have those powers. Take her to Venice in February when the mist swirls over the canals, walk by her side along the darkened streets of Greenwich Village in New York City in high summer, listening to a ghost walk tour guide tell the stories of death, murder and the unexplained – Rose would say those stories and our belief in them gives her a power to see into the shadows within our imagination.

As a journalist, Rose takes every opportunity to explore and investigate strange stories, myth and folklore. Living in rural Yorkshire, with a rich library of ghost stories and literary tradition, Rose also has a sceptical and forensic insight into those who peddle the stories which feed our imagination but of which we have yet found no proof. She has listened to the debunkers who argue against those believers who are convinced that sand the dark side exist.

Rose’s mind is open. Is yours?

Website: rosezolock.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/rose.zolock.9

Twitter – https://twitter.com/RoseZolock

Trailer – https://www.facebook.com/rose.zolock.9/videos/178767199514397

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Author Interview Coming Darkness

April 5, 2018 Leave a Comment

How long have you been writing?

I wrote poems on and off since college, but it wasn’t until about 10 or 12 years ago that I started writing stories.

What is your favorite genre to write?

Urban Fantasy/Fantasy. I like writing about the fantastic. I like not having to be constrained by anything other than my imagination.

Which genre have you never tried before, but would you like to try out?

Maybe Romance? Just to prove that I could do it!

Please tell us about your book.  

Kai is thrown off balance when Lucifer disappears, and his life begins to spiral out of control. In the past, he never cared that he was looked down upon and called Lucifer’s pet. But with Lucifer absent, he’s left to navigate a world that doesn’t respect him. Since the only true currency is respect, he must gain it the only way his enemies will understand, through blood.

Archangel Lucifer has lived in a pleasant bubble of spoiled excess with his vampire lover, Kai, for centuries. When the other Archangels come to him with a problem — Heaven is gone and their Father is missing — he refuses to get involved because not only is it not his problem, but it’s probably some elaborate ruse they’ve cooked up to lure him back into the fold. When he’s personally attacked, he finds that he’s wrong on both counts. There are other powerful gods at work, gods who believe the current creation is flawed and must be destroyed.

Which character was your favorite, and why? Which character was your least favorite, and why?

I love writing Lucifer. I love exploring his character. I love finding three dimensions and creating a character out of a cultural figure that is entirely one-dimensional. I love Kai and exploring the nuances in his character. I don’t have least favorite characters. I even love my villains! I have characters that are more challenging to write, and I think they stretch me as an author, but none are my “least favorite”. I can find something to love about each and every one.

What was the hardest part about writing your book?

I started out with three characters: Kai, Lucifer and Roberta. The hardest part was finding which story I wanted to tell. I had more than one false start, and took the story in different directions until I solidified the current story line.

What is your writing routine? Are there things you absolutely need to start writing?

My routine is pretty much “butt-in-chair”. There’s nothing more to it than sitting down and writing. I prefer to write in a quiet room, I’ve tried writing to music but it’s distracting. Sometimes I can get away with the TV being on, but the preference is silence.

How long did it take you to write your book from start to finish?

From conception to “The End” about ten years give or take. It wasn’t every day for ten years however. I wrote a bit, put it down for months, wrote some more, put it down etc. Also during much of that time I had no idea where it was going or what the themes were etc. It wasn’t until the last 5 years or so did I get serious.

Can you tell us about your editing process?

I have my character arcs and the overall theme/arc. When I start editing I’m checking to make sure I’ve followed those arcs and solidified the theme. I’m also checking for continuity, making sure the physical characteristics of a character are the same throughout. If I’ve left a species name or a place name TBA, during the editing I make sure to fill that in. At this point I’m also filling out scenes for clarity, looking at sentence structure and word choice, and adding description if necessary. Once that’s done, and I’ve read it a few times looking for errors and checking for cohesion, I send it off to betas to see how the story reads. The next steps depend on their feedback.

Is this book part of a series? If so, how many installments do you have planned?

Yes. Right now I’m looking at three books for the foundation story and then stories within the universe.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

In no particular order: believe in your story; write what you love; read what you love; educate yourself in the art of storytelling; learn about the pros and cons of indie vs traditional publishing and do what’s best for you.

Why should everyone read your book?

In general, Coming Darkness is a grand story with no easy resolutions, which I think makes it an intriguing read. It’s a story about free will and what that means. How life is a series of choices, some big some small, and how the characters are defined by those choices. I believe people will enjoy getting to know characters with more shades of grey than black or white. I think they’ll also enjoy a different Lucifer with different motivations. He was so much fun to write, and writing him that way it gave the story a more sinister villain, which I believe they’ll find interesting as well.

If you could meet three authors, dead or alive, which authors would you choose?

Lee Childs, Stephen King, Neil Gaiman

What inspired you to write your book?

I wanted to tell a different Lucifer story. I didn’t know what until I hit upon the idea that he’d never been to Hell which became the basis for my story and the character.

Are you working on something at the moment? If so, can you tell us more about it?

Yes, the second book in the series tentatively named: Dreaming in Shadow.

  1. There are dark things moving in dreams, no one is safe.
  2. The Rendering is approaching, and Kai doubts he will survive.
  3. Roberta is both more comfortable in her life as a slave but also less stable.
  4. Lucifer chafes against a prophecy that claims he has come to Hell to rule and to lead the charge of demons back to earth.

Coming Darkness

Archangel Lucifer lives a comfortable life of self-imposed exile with his vampire lover, Kai. When the other Archangels come to him with a problem — Heaven is gone and their Father is missing — he refuses to get involved because not only is it not his problem, but it’s probably some elaborate ruse they’ve cooked up to lure him back into the fold. When he’s personally attacked, he finds that he’s wrong on both counts. There are other powerful gods at work, gods who believe the current creation is flawed and must be destroyed.

Kai is thrown off balance when Lucifer disappears, and his life begins to spiral out of control. In the past, he never cared that he was looked down upon and called Lucifer’s pet. But with Lucifer absent, he’s left to navigate a world that doesn’t respect him. Since the only true currency is respect, he must gain it the only way his enemies will understand, through blood.

Purchase from Amazon

Author Bio

They say it’s never too late to find and pursue your passion. Turns out they’re right. Although Susan loved to read, she didn’t start writing until she was in her late 40’s. A stint in grad school helped her hone her craft, and now she happily spends her days making up stories and figuring out how best to emotionally (and sometimes physically) torture her characters.

Social Media Links

Website: http://susanaliaterry.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorsusanaliaterry

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@susan_alia

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/SusanAliaTerry

Creativia Author Page: http://www.creativia.org/focus-passion-and-purpose-fantasy-author-susan-alia-terry.html

 

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