It is with Great pleasure and an honor to Interview author Amy Croall. Author of 'A Cure For The Condition.' Thank you for your time Amy, and I wish you much Success!
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'A Cure ForThe Condition'~~~Historical fiction/Romance
~~~Author Interview~~~
What inspires you to write?
Honestly, anything and almost everything. It could be watching someone drive down the freeway, and wondering what song they're listening to, or a mother and her son having dinner, and talking like they're best friends. Currently, I'm working on a YA novel, based on pieces of my life as a teenager. Of course, the paranormal aspect of death, rare souls, and alter-dimensional beings is embellished to a point.
Who is your favorite author?
This question is so difficult, because there is not just one author I admire. I could name a million, but those who have directly inspired me to write are: Rachel Vincent; Leigh Bridger; Dianna Wynne Jones; Judy Fitzwater; and William Peter Blatty. I guess it just depends on what I'm currently reading.
Did you enjoy reading as a child?
Very much so! By the age of three, I was already reading picture books.
How important is a book cover?
A book cover is extraordinarily important. If I represent even a small portion of readers, a book cover is what draws me to pick it up off the shelf. The elevator pitch is the second most important as it is the second thing you see when you turn the book over, wanting to know what it's about.
Do you have current work in progress?
I have several works in progress. Currently, I'm working on a Young Adult Paranormal series, with at least three books in the making. Also, I have a horror/thriller in the works, but it's on hiatus, until I finish the 'Death Series.'
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It is an honor and a Great pleasure to Interview an author who travels around the world for the many years that I have known this talented writer. Thank you Steven for Today's Interview. I wish you much Success.
~~~INTERVIEW #3~~~
Describe your perfect writing atmosphere.
I like to write with the lights low, and music in my headphones that fits the scene I am writing. Music takes me beyond where I am, and into the story. I am a bit unique in that I do not think in words as much as in pictures. I can mentally visualize a scene, or a whole book, and write it in great detail, because I always see it before I write it. Music, quiet and dimmed lights add to my depth, so that I can get out of the world and into the one I am creating.
Have you had the pleasure to discuss your books with a fan?
When I was writing The Second Republic, I chose several friends to read what was going forward in the book. One of my biggest fans all the way from Spain wrote the following:
"Fischer Harrison appears again in the second part of the Patriot Acts Novel, 'The Second Republic' as brave, smart, and a good man as he was in the first one. You get involved in the story from the first line, and after all, this fiction novel is characterized for being so realistic, that it's almost scary." Paula Sanchez-Spain
Of course, such words from a reader is like medicine for a tired mind. It greatly encourages and strengthens us. Here are a few more statements I have received:
"You lead such an interesting life, and observe so much that is topical. Your writing makes the stories and issues come alive. Thank you. I am in awe."
"Full of complex machinations and apocalyptic visions of a possible future, 'Nimrod Rising' is a thought-provoking work of epic proportions. Steven Bradley has shown us different, and quite frankly, a frightening way to look at world events. His characters show a depth and complexity that bring them to life in our world, and show an eerie similarity to many of today's world leaders. Reading the newspaper will never be the same again."
-Ronald W. Adams, author 'Lake Effect' & 'Key Lime Squeeze.'
How important are promotions to a book?
Oh my! There can be no great amount of recognition that a book even exists, without marketing and promotions. I have a pretty good following, but I would have already finished another whole series if I had someone to promote. Almost all that I have done in marketing my books has been done by me, and it does make it hard for the author to come out of the writer's chair, and into the promoter's chair so often. Someone like you Geri is a Godsend to writers. I am sure there are thousands of great books out there that few people know about, which no one was willing to take a chance and promote. I am excited to get my books before the readers. We of course want to make money, but real writers want them just to be read and analyzed more than the money.
Do you think that a book cover is of interest to potential customers?
Every good book is a metaphor. I have the pleasure of designing and using each of my book covers for my novels. When someone see's an author's book on the shelf or in an online store, rarely will the reader take a moment to contemplate how much time and effort went into developing and producing a first-class cover.
Most likely, a reader rarely realizes how long an author will just sit and stare at their proposed cover to make sure everything is placed right, that the colors are perfect and that the cover tells a synopsis of the book, before it ever gets purchased. Yet, nothing is more vital and amazingly powerful than the photo that adorns your book, and which is perhaps the greatest incentive to drive readers to invest in your book.
A great cover paints an atmosphere, a feeling that is intense and full of calamity, or loving and romantic. If those are the images my metaphoric picture conjures up as you view it, then that means I infused your mind with the thoughts and feeling I wanted to portray.
What were your favorite books as child?
Definitely, the two books or series were 'The Chronicles Of Narnia' and 'Nancy Drew' mysteries. I will confess that I was a weird child, Geri. I preferred to digest volumes of World Book Encyclopedias than stories. I was always interested in travel and other parts of the world. But, that does serve an example of how what we read can guide out lives. I have visited thirty-four countries, and it all started from 'World Book Encyclopedia.'
It is with Great pleasure and an honor to Interview author Jack Woodville London. Thank you for your time Jack, and I wish you much Success.
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~~~Author Interview~~~
What inspires you to write?
A combination of ideas. Words have an infinite capacity to help us think of things in ways we have not thought of them before. Working to assemble thoughts and views on one level as a story and on a subtler level, the story as a mirror or metaphor and even more levels as cautionary tales or repetitions of history, effort of this kind is very rewarding. I love cognates among languages. Most words have roots in other languages, so employing them as messengers is fun. In Virginia's War, I set the scrumming characters in a town named 'Tierra.'
That could be the Spanish word for earth, just the place where people plopped down and built another town on the prairie. It could be a synonym for everywhere, much as early as modern literature devised characters as Everyman, a hometown everyone would recognize or it could be a play on Tiara, since Virginia and Shirley have some princess in them-at first.
Did you enjoy reading as a child?
Very much. I read the Encyclopedia Britannica, beginning around age eight, just because it had so many stories about so many things.
Who is your favorite author?
Evelyn Waugh, by a very wide margin. I'm very impressed with David Mitchell. Jonathan Frantzen is brilliant. Donna Tartt is very, very good. For non-fiction, if there is such a thing, Simon Schama and Rick Atkinson are writers of such high caliber, that one cannot put them down. I reserve thirty-six hours in case a new Lauren Hillenbrand book is rumored, since it is start to finish, with no breaks. But, in the end, I always return to Evelyn Waugh.
How important is a book cover?
It is like a free throw in basketball. Hitting free throws probably will keep you in the game, missing them will cost you the game. A single color cover with no more than a title is better than a bad cover with a poor graphic.
Do you have current work in progress?
Yes. 'Children Of A Good War' is in progress. I am heartened by the term progress. I continually work on a Novel Approach, a frequent essay on writing topics and on essays about writing, episodes of historical concern, biographical notes for newspapers and magazines.
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http://www.kaylinmcfarren.com
Author of: "SEVERED THREADS"
Romantic Suspense~~
It is an honor and a pleasure to Interview Kaylin McFarren today. Thank you for your time Kaylin. I wish you much Success!
~~~AUTHOR INTERVIEW~~~
What inspires you to write?
So many things: dreams, books, movies, life in general. I'm compelled to write, because my brain keeps me up at night with possibilities. Once I have a story in my head, I'm completely consumed. If I don't put it on paper, or on my computer, I'm convinced I'll be haunted by the failed opportunity to impact other people's lives.
Who is your favorite author?
Wow! I have lots of favorites. Right now, I'm loving Lisa Jackson. But I've also collected and enjoyed books by Megan Chance, Jennifer Cruise, Meg Cabot. Included also is Annette Curtis Klause, Phyllis A. Whitney, and Mary Higgins Clark. I'm also a big Dan Brown fan.
How important is a book cover?
Essential! It sells the book and often hints at what's inside. Unfortunately, lots of covers don't do a book justice, even though the story is totally worth reading.
Did you enjoy reading as a child?
I was one of those kids who couldn't put a book down, especially when it came to fantasy and science fiction. When I hit my adolescent years, I turned into a romance junkie, buying used books at garage sales and begging for hand-me-downs from friends. In high school, I broadened my scope and got my mysteries and thrillers, and now I'm loving romantic suspense. So, I guess you could say that I love all genres.
Do you have current work in progress?
Just finished the first story in a three book series, SEVERED THREADS, which follows the adventures of a mismatched group of treasure-seekers, traveling the world to exotic places that I've had the pleasure of visiting.
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Author of: "COLD AS ICE"
Women's Fiction
~~~Author Interview~~~
What inspires you to write?
About everything I see, really. I want to include the beauty of spring flowers pushing through the bark mulch, the enticing smells coming from the bakery on Main Street, the squish of beach sand between my toes, the happy twittering of birds around the feeder in the backyard. Okay, that was really corny. But seriously, I am alert all the time for things that will fit in my plots, details that round out my characters. Most of all, I have been people-watching, so that I can work on deepening my characters, making them more alive for the reader.
Who is your favorite author?
I have several. First of course is Agatha Christie. If I have not been turned on by her books as a youth, who knows, I might not have ever become a mystery author. Next I love Jefferey Deaver, Lee Child, and Sandra Brown's mysteries. But, I don't care for her romances. British author Ruth Rendell has some of the best characters I've ever encountered. She manages to get into their heads, especially that of the antagonist, without bogging down the forward motion of her plot. She's the one who inspired me to deepen my own characters.
Did you enjoy reading as a child?
I cut my teeth on the Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, and Agatha Christie. I'm probably giving away my age here. For a while in my teens, I read science fiction. I went alphabetically through every single one on the shelves of the library. But, I eventually longed for the intricacies of the plots, and returned to mysteries after that.
How important is a book cover?
I don't want it to be important. Unfortunately, the designer's concept of my stories doesn't always match mine, and I'm inevitably disappointed. But, I know covers are tremendously important. I've heard from some readers that it's the main thing that lures them to a book. When I buy a book, I try to judge by the title, and cover blurb. If they are at all enticing, I will read the first few paragraphs.
Do you have current work in progress?
I am working on the fifth in my Angie Deacon murder mystery series, set in upstate NH, titled 'Rest In Pieces.' I got stuck on the plot, or maybe I was bored, being that it was the fifth in a row with the same characters. So, when one of the publishers for whom I edit, asked me to write short stories for them, I got involved in writing an erotica series under a pseudonym. The new writing stimulated my writing juices, besides selling like hotcakes. I have been able to get back into 'Rest In Pieces' and it's almost finished.
It is a Great Pleasure and an honor to Interview author Jane Baskin. Thank you Jane for your time. I wish you much success.
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~~~Author Interview~~~
What inspires you to write?
I can't help it. I have been writing yarns and stories, since I was a child. When I sat down to write JANE OF THE JUNGLE, it was just because I got a new computer, and I wanted to see how it worked. I wrote the opening paragraph, and then I must have opened a channel to the infinite, because out it came. I wrote most of it in stolen hours at Starbucks. I would just open the computer, pick up where I left off, and then it would flow. One day in Starbucks, I looked at what I had written and exclaimed out loud, in front of everyone, "Where do I get this sh*t?" After the appropriate apologies to the startled cafe' goers, I explained that I was writing a yarn, but had no idea how. Of course, there was a bit of editing to do later on.
Who is your favorite author?
Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I first read Cien Anos(One Hundred Years Of Solitude), when I was about twenty-eight, living on Martha's Vineyard Island, off the coast of Massachusetts. I was thunderstruck by magic realism, and also by his ability to weave profundity through a rollicking yarn. If I have copied him in my style of writing, it is the highest form of flattery. Magic realism is the fusion of poetry and prose, it's the writer's way to 'show, not tell.'
Did you enjoy reading as a child?
My mother told me that I was a word hound. She said, she and my dad used to put the newspaper on the floor for me, so that I could crawl all over it, and pick out words I knew. I don't know at exactly what age I was reading, but I do know I read Aesop's Fables and Winnie The Pooh myself, when I was very young. Books were not only doors to another world for me. As I grew, they became comfort, fantasy, escape and teachers. In high school, I read my father's Oxford Shakespeare to relax, after getting picked on in school.
How important is a book cover?
Well, it won't make me buy a book, but it will make me look, so I would say that's pretty important. I designed my own cover for JANE OF THE JUNGLE, and then the editors changed it. I don't know why I let them. I like my original design way better, and they used the wrong kind of guns, by the way.
Do you have current work in progress?
My current work is a sequel to "JANE OF THE JUNGLE." It was planned as a series from very early on, so I have a bunch of ideas in my head. I even had a very powerful dream one night, that told a sub-story of the plot. I haven't started writing yet, but my head is ready. I won't write the ideas down though, because I want it to flow forth the way "JANE OF THE JUNGLE" did.
It is an honor and with Great pleasure to Interview author Eve Paludan. Thank you for your time. I wish you much Success.
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~~~Author Interview~~~
What inspires you to write?
My preferred inspiration is dreams. I got the seed of an idea from a weather video, but I pre-wrote almost my entire novel, Letters From David, in my sleep. I dreamed the beginning, then the end, then each chapter in order, and that's the way I wrote the book. First, last, middle. It seemed like every chapter channeled into my dreams, which I then typed madly, when I awoke each morning. I saw actual handwritten letters in my dreams that ended up in a book. It was a strange experience. I loved it and would like to repeat it.
Secondly, I will read someone else's book, and a seed of inspiration is planted for my own work. "THE MAN WHO FELL FROM THE SKY" was inspired by 'The Body Departed' by J.R. Rain. A broad theme in his book, what happens when we die, but we have unfinished business? This is a strong theme in many stories and movies, but his is the most well-done book I ever read in this vein. He took the topic to the upper ranges of human emotion. Our books are very different, but I was so emotionally moved by what he wrote that I knew I wanted to write a book that would push the envelope with reader's emotions, as he had. I am deeply inspired by emotion in other people's books.
The third type of inspiration is from my visual observation of people, places, or things. Everything from artwork, to overheard conversations, to the way a place looks or smells is tucked away in my little nugget factory of sensory details.
Who is your favorite author?
That's kind of like asking which one of my kids is my favorite. It's top secret, because I currently edit for numerous fiction authors, including authors of bestselling vampire novels, as well as authors of many romance novels. I also have many author friends. I shouldn't tell you the name of my current favorite author. I would like to share the name of an author whose work I have read, more than anyone else. I don't know him and have never edited his books, but I am a reader for life of this talented and prolific writer, James Patterson.
Did you enjoy reading as a child?
I remember that dad used to read me chapters of 'Winnie The Pooh' and 'Christopher Robin'(not the Disney versions), and he made sure that our house was well stocked with amazing classics such as: The Velveteen Rabbit; with Little Golden Books; Babar; Dr. Seuss; and even a lavishly illustrated art novae edition of Beauty and the Beast, with color plates.
As soon as I learned to read silently on my own, I devoured books at quite a clip. Especially in summer, I read up to ten books a week, which was the checkout limit at the public library. My dad used to love to spend three to five hours a week in the library and we did that for years in Maryland, where I spent my first eleven years, and later in Arizona. Those library trips are among my happiest memories. For years, I wrote and kept my own book reviews on index cards, filed alphabetically by title in a wooden file box. I had hundreds of them. Yes, I loved to read as a child. I wore out many flashlights under the covers.
How important is a book cover?
A book cover is so important, that I believe if you don't have a good one, your book will fail with readers. It imbues the concept of your novel, every time the reader opens the book. The title carries equal weight with the cover graphics. Even the font of your title can set a tone. Books are as much visual as they are literal, in my opinion.
Do you have current work in progress?
I am currently at work on a sequel, The Man Who Rose from The Sea(Angel detectives Case #2) and Ghost Fire, a contracted mystery novella for a popular new series called The Ghost Files, and an un-named sexy vampire trilogy that's set in west Los Angeles.
