Butterfly Tour: Guest Post

Today I will be featuring a guest post about the best and worst parts of writing a novel by Kyra Gregory, author of Butterfly.

Guest Post: Writing a Novel: The Best and the Worst of It

After years of writing novels, going from one story to another absent a break in between, one would imagine that I find the entire process a piece of cake. I wouldn't say that though.

Whether writers like to admit it or not, when they're writing something that they have some intention to publish, or show any single person, they have this inkling feeling of needing to self-censor. However freeing we may find writing, and however much we may feel that something needs to be done to convey the story, sometimes a writer hears a quiet, frustrating whisper of 'you can't write that!' or 'you can't release it with that there!'. It's a feeling most good writers learn to overlook, refusing to sacrifice a story for the sake of closed-minded society or blush upon cheek when those they know well read it. Even if a writer does manage to ignore that little whisper, the worst part of writing a novel is ever having to hear it at all.

Novels may be filled with plenty of emotional, feisty, action-packed, romantic scenes, amongst many others, but plenty up until that point needs extensive amounts of research. For a person who has a constant thirst for knowledge and perhaps a brain capable of absorbing such information it may not be a problem but when a writer begins to collect all the research required they end up becoming teachers, psychiatrists, doctors, mechanics and more, all to create events that are plausible or to ascertain that characters behave as they should. Of course, this is something that is hardly considered the worst aspect of writing. Truthfully, it's one of those things that will serve a writer plenty if they're capable of doing it right.

Naturally, the best parts of writing a novel outweigh the bad by a long shot but I suppose they all come down to the same thing.

Passing on a much-needed message.

One cannot deny how therapeutic and freeing writing can be, even when faced with the most stressful part of a book. Those stressful moments often aren't without reason; there is great pressure to perceive something that is difficult or controversial in a manner that is understandable. I can only truly speak for myself but I'm sure that most writers make attempts at tackling subjects that need to be brought to attention somehow and so, when they succeed in doing it in a manner that is relatable, that's something to be thrilled about.

I suppose this makes everything I'd consider the 'worst' part of writing a novel the other side of the coin. If a writer can look passed that little voice and can research well for accuracy, and embrace that research, the result is a novel that one can be truly proud of because it becomes the powerful result of overcome challenges. Challenges that, frankly, we would be willing to endure in order to pass on a message that is dear to our hearts.

Guest Post and Excerpt by Steven Manchester

Today I will be featuring a guest post about the writing process by Steven Manchester, author of Twelve Months and Goodnight, Brian along with an excerpt of Goodnight, Brian.

My Writing Process

by Steven Manchester

I suppose I discovered the writing world by accident – or perhaps it discovered me.

I’d just returned home from Operation Desert Storm, and was working as a prison investigator in Massachusetts. Needless to say, there was great negativity in my life at that time. I decided to return to college to finish my degree in Criminal Justice. During one of the classes, the professor talked about police work but nothing else. I finally raised my hand and asked, “The criminal justice system is vast. What about the courts, probation, parole – corrections?” He smiled and told me to see him after class. I thought I’d finally done it! In his office, he explained, “There’s no written material out there on corrections or prisons, except from the slanted perspective of inmates.” He smiled again and dropped the bomb. “If you’re so smart,” he said, “why don’t you write it?”

Nine months later, I dropped the first draft of 6-5; A Different Shade of Blue on his desk. From then on, I was hooked. I was a writer.

I’d written a lot at my job (report writing), but it all started with my college professor’s challenge. Perhaps because of my age and experience, I understood right away that writing is a craft that takes time to evolve; to mature, so I spent the next several years PRACTICING my chosen craft. Under the pen name, Steven Herberts, I wrote in every venue of print I could get my name in: newspaper, magazine, etc. I also penned two collections of poetry, and wrote drafts for two more books. After five solid years of writing, I finally believed that I’d found my voice; MY STYLE – and was ready to contact an agent.

The greatest challenge for me has been time. First and foremost, I am a dad and my children come first. After that, there are other responsibilities that need my attention. Yet, my passion to write has constantly gnawed at my soul. To overcome the obstacle of time, I made writing a priority over watching TV and sometimes even sleeping. Once my family is taken care of and the world closes its eyes, I’m up for a few more hours each day – chasing my dreams on paper.

It has taken thousands of words, hundreds of pages, before I finally identified with a particular genre. I decided that my voice was a more sensitive one: a male perspective to a female audience. My novels, Twelve Months and Goodnight, Brian are evidence of that.

Goodnight, Brian synopsis:

Fate was working against little Brian Mauretti. The food that was meant to nourish him was poisoning him instead, and the doctors said the damage was devastating and absolute. Fate had written off Brian. But fate didn’t count on a woman as determined as Brian’s grandmother, Angela DiMartino – who everyone knew as Mama. Loving her grandson with everything she had, Mama endeavored to battle fate. Fate had no idea what it was in for.

An emotional tale about the strength of family bonds, unconditional love, and the perseverance to do our best with the challenging gifts we receive, Goodnight, Brian is an uplifting tribute to what happens when giving up is not an option.

Early Reviews include:

“Steven Manchester has a gift for expressing through his writing the complicated and transcendent beauty of the human experience with poignant clarity.” – Yolanda King, eldest daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King

“Steven Manchester’s Goodnight, Brian is a poignant, inspiring story about resilience and faith and one family’s enduring love that should be a model for us all.” – James S. Hirsch, bestselling author, Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend

“Steven has once again proven his deep insight into human emotions and relations and his ability to craft a well written and entertaining story that also has the power to inspire courage and hope. Goodnight, Brian is a fine read.” – Bob Price, WPZZ Radio Personality

Now that I have nearly two decades of writing and getting published under my belt, I enjoy trying to help new writers break in. My advice is always the same:

• Be true to yourself, always.
• Write constantly.
• Keep the faith!!!
• And NEVER, EVER, EVER quit. Most people in this industry would agree that more than talent or skill or even luck, perseverance is the one trait that will always get the job done.
• Knock on every door you can, and keep knocking. I promise that eventually someone will open and the warmth you feel on your face will more than validate every hour spent alone in the darkness.

Goodnight, Brian

(brief excerpt)

Enough time had passed for the shock of Brian’s condition to wear off. Joan had stumbled beyond the grieving process and had given up negotiating with God. She was now at a place called rage. Mama sat with her daughter at the kitchen table, trying to help her make sense of it all. “Maybe Brian’s a test from God?” Mama suggested.

“Why would God test a little baby who’s never done a thing wrong? Why would He test an innocent child?” Joan snapped back.

Mama shook her head. “I didn’t say God was testing Brian,” she said evenly. There was a thoughtful pause. “Maybe He’s testing everyone around Brian?”

“I don’t want to hear that!” Joan roared. “My son will never be able to enjoy the life of other people who don’t…”

Mama slapped her hand on the Formica table, stopping Joan in mid-sentence and turning her face into that of a seven-year-old girl’s. “Not another negative word, do you hear me?” she yelled back, quickly grabbing her daughter’s hands and holding them tightly. “Positive, Joan—everything must be positive! Negative calls for negative and positive brings forth positive. Brian’s already facing some unfair challenges. We have to be positive, Joan. We just have to be!”

Joan wiped her eyes. “But what if the doctor’s right, Ma?” she muttered in a tortured voice. “What if…”

Without letting Joan’s hands go, Mama took a deep breath and started in on her own tirade. “The doctors don’t know what the hell they’re talking about! I had a grandmother who lived her whole life as a brittle diabetic, but she ate anything she wanted. She died three days before her eighty-fifth birthday. Your grandfather supposedly had cirrhosis of the liver, but lived with his bottle for forty more years until old age took him. They don’t know beans! Besides, we need to have faith in a higher source.” She pulled her crucifix away from her neck and kissed it. “You have to believe, Joan. Before any of the healing can take place, you have to believe that it will.” She nodded and lowered her tone. “Only God knows how…and that’s enough.”

Joan placed her face in her hands and began to cry. She was now completely removed from her rage and safely returned to the stage of grief. “I’m…just…so… scared,” she stuttered, sobbing.

Mama stroked her hair. “Don’t you worry, love. They say that children are raised by a village.” She nodded her gray, curly head. “I think it’s about time we had a village meeting.”

Grim Tour: Guest Post and Giveway

Title: Grim

Series: Sons of Darkness Series, Book 1

Author: Joseph Spencer

Genre: Crime, Dark, Horror, Mystery, Paranormal, Thriller,

Publisher: Damnation Books

Paperback/Ebook

Words: 93,000

Purchase: Damnation Books | Amazon (Kindle) | Amazon (Print) | B&N |

Book Description:

When everything is taken from him, Detective Adam White must choose what's most important. Does he stick to the heroic ideals which made him a famed paragon of justice and take down a murderous madman? Or does he give in to his vigilante impulses, avenge his wife's murder, and become the type of killer he's hunted for so many years?

Excerpt:

Adam heard a few sounds of Velcro peeling from its straps. Suddenly, Black Mask shed the mystery and ambiguity of his head gear. He became another mystery altogether. What happened to this guy? He looked like he’d seen hell, escaped, and doctored his face to give everyone else on Earth a preview.

Black Mask obviously suffered from rosacea because his skin was inflamed, swollen, and the angriest shade of red Adam had ever seen. A jagged circular scar similar to a clock face ran from Black Mask’s forehead down his cheeks to his chin. A vertical scar ran straight down the middle of his forehead and along the bridge of his nose. Two horizontal scars extended from the side of his nose and curved upward toward the temples. Two additional scars extended outward at angles from just under his nose, across his lips and ended on either side of his chin. All of the scars connected to the outer circular one like spokes to resemble a starfish shape. Adam struggled not to have any reaction, but failed to keep the corner of his mouth from inching up into a grimace.

Black Mask smirked and put his right hand up to his face. He pretended to be admiring himself in the mirror. “It’s okay, Detective. Your reaction is fairly common and a lot more subdued than most. Of course, I bet you’ve seen a lot of horrors in your line of work.

“So, you want to know the tale of Heath Grim, do you?”

About the Author:

INTRO

Joseph Spencer is the author of the Sons of Darkness series launched by his debut novel, Grim, on September 1, 2012. Work on his second book of the series, Wrage, is already underway and is expected to be released some time in 2013.

THE ROAD HERE

The Sons of Darkness is a series of paranormal crime thrillers following investigations into mysterious deaths in the central Illinois city of Prairieville. Home of the notorious serial killer, The Reaper, Prairieville has had a history of violence centered on an ongoing feud between the Marino and Black organized crime families. When bodies start showing up again at the abandoned Marino State Hospital, many fear the Reaper has returned. The people of Prairieville are about to find out their problems stem from a supernatural source which has lurked in secret for decades.

THE STORYTELLER’S STORY

As a boy, Joseph Spencer immersed himself in the deductive logic of Sherlock Holmes, the heroic crime fighting of Batman and Spider-Man, and a taste for the tragic with dramas from poets like Shakespeare and Homer.

Before Joseph took to spinning his own tales, he pursued a career in print sports journalism, graduating with honors from Clinton (IL) High School in 1996 and summa cum laude from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in 2000. He covered such events as NASCAR’s Subway 500 race in Martinsville, the NBA Draft Camp in Chicago, the Junior College World Series, and Minor League Baseball’s Midwest League All-Star Game during a ten-year career throughout the Midwest. Now, he works as an emergency telecommunications specialist with an Illinois police department. The combination of years of writing experience with a background working with law enforcement professionals gave rise to his writing aspirations.

Joseph was married Dr. Amy (Waggoner) Spencer, an accomplished veterinary doctor, on March 14, 2012. He received word his debut novel was accepted by his publisher, Damnation Books, the next day. Joseph and Amy look forward to their honeymoon in Paris in September 2012. Murphy, a 15-year-old orange tabby, is perhaps the most vocal member of the family. The Spencer family enjoys reading Charlaine Harris, George R.R. Martin, Mary Janice Davidson, and most paranormal stories. The Spencers also enjoy quoting movie lines from The Princess Bride, Rain Man, Bridesmaids, and Office Space.

Website | Twitter: josephspencer00 | Facebook |

Guest Post:

Ten Things I Wish I Knew About Being An Author Before Getting Published

You’ve done it! You committed to writing the great American novel you always thought you could write. You put your butt in the seat, your hands over the keyboard and your words on the screen. It’s finished. Your debut novel is finished, and set to skyrocket straight to the top of the bestseller list. The lion’s share of your work is done, right? WRONG!

For most authors, this step in the process is where the real learning takes place. The reality is debut authors, particularly ones who aren’t celebrities or aren’t being published by a major house, have to work as hard or harder on the business and marketing side of the book to get their masterpiece in front of a marketplace which isn’t familiar with them or their work. People are looking to stretch their dollars further in these times of economic hardship, and they have to be convinced that your work is worth spending their hard-earned dollars on. With that in mind, here are some things to consider if you’re looking to be published for the first time and aren’t quite sure what your next step should be.

1. No Agent, No Cry

When I began my publishing process, I figured I had to have an agent before any publisher would even consider my manuscript. That’s just not the case. The truth is a majority of independent authors submit unagented manuscripts all the time. The right agent will definitely help, but you can be published without one. Also, when you query agents, don’t get depressed when you get form letter rejections. Every author gets rejected, and it’s common for rookies to get the cold shoulder.

2. Do your homework

Whether you’re querying an agent or a publisher, don’t expect to cut and paste a generic form letter and get great results. You’re writing professionals who see massive volumes of material every day. If you don’t stand out, you don’t get out of the slush pile. Besides, if you wrote a fantastic science fiction novel, you don’t want to submit it to a romance publisher or an agent who handles primarily nonfiction works. There are a number of online resources which can help. www.pred-ed.com is one of the best out there.

3. Do It Yourself?

If you’ve submitted your manuscript and aren’t getting any bites from agents or publishers, there’s another decision to make. It’s up to you whether you think the reason you’re getting rejected is that the material isn’t professional standard, whether it just needs more polish on the editing table or whether the scope of your work hasn’t found its niche. Another alternative is self-publishing. It’s becoming more common for authors to publish their own work through companies like CreateSpace, Lightning Source and Smashwords. The author eats a lot of upfront cost, but also keeps more of the profit when the book sells.

4. Together Everyone Achieves More

The TEAM acronym isn’t just a corny slogan for high school basketball warmup shirts. Authors go a lot further when they find the right network of specialists to help them with creative and promotional services. Did you know there are companies to help you find the right agent (www.agentresearch.com)? Online resources can help you choose editors, cover artists, publicists, and other specialists to help whip your manuscript into shape.

5. Love at first site

In this age of social networking and content delivery on the Web, it’s important for authors to have a strong online presence. If you don’t have one already (get out from under the rock), you need to get Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads accounts to post announcements to promote your book both before and after it’s published. This will help get the word out to your close friends and family who will be your best salesmen to other prospective readers. Depending on your economic situation, you can choose to make your sites either author or book specific. Also, try to blog content frequently on your site.

6. Everyone’s a critic

It’s important for authors to develop a thick skin when putting their work out on the marketplace. Please keep in mind that suggestions made by professional editors are meant to enhance the book’s appeal. If an editor sends back your manuscript with a lot of corrections, it doesn’t mean you’re an unskilled writer. It just means that editor sees potential for you to make your work even better.

7. Just face it

It’s not enough to lock yourself away in an office and write. Our society loves celebrities. Even if you don’t feel any differently, others look at you as a big deal once you get published. Readers want to meet and talk to the people responsible for the characters and stories they love. Make an effort to do a tour of local libraries, local book stores and fan conventions which make sense. Also, it’s just as important to do blog tours with companies such as Full Moon Bites (http://fullmoonbites.blogspot.com). Remember, out of sight, out of mind.

8. Give to receive

Odds are that you never expected to be hawking pens, bookmarks, notepads, magnets and various other items when you started writing your manuscript. However, these promotional materials go a long way in trying to get readers to remember you and your work. Sites like www.vistaprint.com sell a variety of material you can purchase cheaply and give to readers at your appearances.

9. Upon Further Review…

There are times when all it takes to break open a treasure chest of potential readers is a favorable review from the right online blogger, media critic or genre-specific site. Sending out review copies costs money, but it’s essential in winning over readers who are on the fence about buying your book. Attempt to get as many reviews as you can because people are more likely to give you a shot when they see your material was liked by other readers.

10. Be Good to Each Other

Believe it or not, other authors can become your best allies when you’re trying to attract your following of loyal readers. Creating a network of writing friends, whether it’s a local group which can help you work on your skills and read your work or whether it’s an online group which can give you tips on promotion or help you cross-promote each other, is a rewarding and potentially lucrative experience. On my site, I do a weekly blog post of author interviews. I let other authors know they are welcome to promote themselves because it drives traffic and visitors to my site, too.

Joe Spencer is the author of Grim, a paranormal crime thriller released by Damnation Books in September 2012. It’s the first in the planned Sons of Darkness series. His second book, Wrage, is due out in 2013. He can be reached at www.josephbspencer.com.

Giveaway:

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Guest Post by Irving Podolsky and Giveaway

Today I will be featuring a guest post by Irving Podolsky. 

Guest Post:

NZ: What made you decide to write a fictitious memoir and what it was like writing it?

Irv: Oh gee, there were probably four or five reasons why I decided to write it like a first person memoir. Primarily, the style grew out of the story while outlining. But even before that, I knew real memoirs from non-famous people were being turned down by agents and publishers. And worse, writers like James Frey with “A Million Little Pieces” or Herman Rosenblat’s “The Angel at the Fence,” those writers wrote exaggerated and in parts, totally fake true stories! And got busted! And interrogated on “Oprah”…BY Oprah!

What a way to go down! Over a marketing decision!

So from the get-go, I planned to write something called fiction, no matter how many of the scenes were based on truth, or what I remembered of it.

Now… How “Irv’s Odyssey” got started…

A few years ago, while under the shower (my think tank), I indeed started thinking. Do I have one more in me? Would I have one more shot at writing the greatest movie ever made?

You see I work in the film business where everybody has a hot screenplay, or at least hopes it is. I wrote spec scripts for a number of years as well, and actually got a project packaged by the William Morris Agency with Sissy Spacek starring. The Tribune Company’s entertainment wing had signed on to produce and we had a popular director in place too.

But then, came the news: “SOVIET UNION COLLAPSES!” Terrible!

Why terrible?

Because it took me six months to license a published true story about a Soviet gulag! And it took me another year to work out the legal kinks and write a 368 page mini-series spec script about the Cold War. And now, no more cold war! Or even a lukewarm war! And no more interest in the Berlin Wall which was dismantling day by day.

All my dreams, wiped out in three days. I was crushed. So crushed, I gave up the idea of selling another screenplay. I had tried to do that for twelve years and the clock had finally run down. I had to make some serious money at my day job to pay our mortgage. I owed it to my wife.

So I stopped writing…until four years ago with that inspirational shower moment.

There’s this old adage: write what you know. So for a starting point, I revisited my past, remembering my first jobs out of film school in 1970 and how I stumbled into porn flicks. (They weren’t called that back then.)

No, it’s not what you’re thinking. I was BEHIND the camera, in clothes. No performing! Directing.

I was dead broke, and I couldn’t find a post graduation job, and I was incredibly naïve! I had never even seen an adult flick. But I needed food and rent money and when I got offered that gig, I took it. I figured, how bad could sex be? I grew up really fast that day I first called, “Action.” I was twenty-two, and just one girl away from being a virgin.

Anyway, as I was saying, about four years ago the idea came to me - all those models who were bouncing in front of the camera, most were my age at the time. What happened to them? What are they doing now? Do they have children, grand children, a “normal” neighborhood life somewhere? Their then-and-now story would be fascinating. So I tried tracking down all the people I knew back then in that bizarre upside-down world. I couldn’t find a single one. Some had already died. Some had changed their names. The rest simply disappeared into the fabric of our diverse society.

That left me with only one person I knew who had been there, done that and had drastically changed. That person was me. But although I traveled a strange and awesome journey for five years before I met my wife, I didn’t want to write my memoir. I wanted to write a commercial screenplay. Consequently, Irving Podolsky was born, a character and author somewhat like me but not me, discovering things based on my life but not exactly my life.

So the novels became Irv’s fictitious memoir, and here’s more reasons why: Since I was referencing memories of friends and family for story and scenes, I didn’t want to invade their past. And then, like authors do, I combined characters and switched time sequences around to build the story arc. And I added all the dialogue because I certainly couldn’t remember what was actually said in 1972.

Well actually, there is one sentence I remembered and I wrote it into a passionate love-making scene. The words were, “I must be mad…” whispered by a beautiful young lady I had met in Rome. But she was from South Africa where you can say, “I must be mad,” and it doesn’t sound like a line pulled from a romance novel. Or maybe it does but under the circumstances, it didn’t come off corny. It was intense, and I never forgot that moment.

I have a coffee mug that says: Careful or you’ll end up in my novel. I’m waiting for another moment like that.

*****

Okay, part two of your question: What was it like writing “Irv’s Odyssey”?

A blast! No pressure to succeed. Just the tug to entertain. And that happened all through the writing process.

Remember that I wanted to build a screenplay, not a novel. So I decided to scratch out a short outline to see if people liked it before I wrote myself into a corner. But those first twenty pages swelled into a sixty-five page treatment which sort of resembled a book manuscript, and people read it like a book, and then they said, “It should be a book.”

I was so jazzed. They wanted more and I kept writing more. And the more I wrote, the easier it got. I decided to grab feedback from people I didn’t know ‘cause I needed honest and unbiased reactions. Vanity had to be scratched from the equation. I didn’t want to type all those words if they were crap, and I didn’t want to pretend they weren’t if they were.

So my friends gave the story to their friends and here’s what came back: “Who’s this guy, Irving Podolsky? His writing is rough but he reminds me of… (insert famous authors I’ve never read). What happens next? Where’s this going?”

Wow!

Again, in my shower think tank, I thought... Maybe I can do this. Maybe I can actually write a real book with thousands of words that wouldn’t embarrass me.

So I mushed on, handing each successive draft to professional writers I knew in the film industry. They became my editors and through the various polishes I learned the rules and found my voice.

Once I got past the learning curve writing became exciting, even…inspirational, and that first book turned into the trilogy, “Irv’s Odyssey.” Then came my blog and a weekly column at Curiosityquills.com and the reviews and guest posts like this one.

It’s been a great ride so far! And another book is on the way.

Thank you Natasha, for giving me the opportunity to talk about writing.

The Books:

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A Kiss for Emily Tour: Guest Post and Giveaway

Title: A Kiss for Emily

Series: The Emily Stokes Series, Book One

Author: J. P. Galuska

Genre: Paranormal, Suspense, Young-Adult,

Publisher: Self

Ebook/Paperback

Pages: 356

Book Trailer

Purchase:

B&N | Amazon | Smashwords | Amazon UK |

Book Description:

YA suspense driven paranormal romance

Emily Stokes never thought that falling in love would put her smack dab in the middle of chaos, or have her questioning her sanity! But when strange occurrences turn unbelievable, it becomes a race to save Emily from none other than the good-guys.

From the Author:

The first book in The Emily Stokes Series is entitled A Kiss for Emily. It's about a 17-year-old gal who lives in the heart of Kansas who's life is about to come unglued. It's YA, totally suspense-driven, and takes paranormal to a new level! If I tell you any more about the book, I'll have to include a spoiler alert because I can honestly say the less you know going into the story, the more you'll enjoy it! With that being said, here is the most I dare say:

Emily Stokes never thought that falling in love would put her in the middle of chaos, or have her questioning her own sanity! But when strange occurrences turn unbelievable, it becomes a race against time to save Emily from none other...than the good-guys.

About the Author:

J P began writing her first novel back in 2009 after a work related injury took her out of the job market. Foreign to writing literature, her rough draft read more like torture than paranormal. Although the plot had been solid, not until she joined a local writer's group did the book really begin to blossom.

She currently enjoys a successful writing career and was recently featured as the April 2012 Author of the Month in the Paranormal Romance Guild.

Twitter | Facebook (Author) | Facebook (Series) | Website | Blog | 

Guest Post:

Hello! I’m so glad you dropped by today. I always look forward to being on tour and getting the chance to meet so many new people. And thank you – my fabulous blog host – for having me here!

Here’s a question for you: Do you remember your fist kiss? Was it romantic…did your foot raise behind you in pure delight? If you answered yes, I’m totally jealous! (You can read about my experience described on page 10.)

In the book, A Kiss for Emily, Emily daydreams of the perfect kiss. Maybe some of you dare to dream about this too – or better yet, get to enjoy it regularly. Here is another question for you: What is it about the kiss that holds such power? As you might recall from The Proposal, Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds couldn’t stand each other…until they kissed, releasing that magic between them.

I’ve had a lot of fun writing The Emily Stokes Series. My husband and kids have all been a big help. More than once, I’ve called my sweetie at work just so he could help me find a certain word. Other times, I’ll read my story aloud to my youngest and she tells me what scenes need revising. Then I watch my oldest daughter’s expression as she reads silently. If my kids aren’t laughing or moving around nervously, I haven’t done my job.

While my family is great, nothing makes my day like hearing from my readers! Please visit my facebook author page - J P Galuska; or the series page – The Emily Stokes Series, and give me a shout. Also, the second book in the series, A Gift for Emily, is in its final revisions…so stay tuned.

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Interview and Guest Post by David Brown, Author of A World Apart

Today I will be featuring an interview and guest post by David Brown, author of A World Apart.

Interview:

What are your favorite book(s)? 

I’ve always loved the fantasy genre and when I read J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings it quickly became my favourite book. However, Tolkien was surpassed a few years ago when my brother handed me two small books – one red and one green – and told me they made up a novel entitled Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami. Since reading those little books I have my own copy of Murakami’s masterpiece and despite an average film adaptation in recent years, this remains the finest book I have ever read.

Who is your favorite author?

There are so many I love but I’ve read more books by Terry Pratchett than any other author. His Discworld novels are imaginative, quirky and very funny. He is an inspirational writer though I could never write anything as funny as him.

Where do you get your inspiration from? 

I’ve always loved history and this was integral when it came to my world building. Not only did my passion for history help me shape the fictitious world where my books are set but it gave me ideas for stories as well. There are so many fascinating characters in history, be the conquerors or philosophers, you are never short of ideas. I have also found inspiration in films, RPGs and especially with music such as The Decemberists.

Where is your favorite place to do your writing?

I tend to write at my best when I am not at home. My wife and I will often head into town a couple of times a week and seek out a coffee shop where we’ll squirrel ourselves away for a few hours. No matter how busy it is I find the words flow easily. I write my novels on a Netbook for two reasons. 1) It’s smaller and more portable, 2) My laptop is pretty old and the battery lasts less than five minutes! I should really think about getting a new one.

What made you decide to become a writer? 

I was in college in 1998 when I discovered the RPG series, Final Fantasy. I bought Final Fantasy VII on a whim and quickly fell in love with the game. It used gods such as Shiva and Quetzalcoatl to aid your characters in battle and I began reading up on these deities. Through Final Fantasy VII I discovered Odin and Norse mythology which I immediately preferred to the Greek myths I had known at school. From there, I took in the Icelandic Sagas and Beowulf. These influences collectively led to me creating the fictitious world of Elenchera in 1999 and I have been writing ever since.

What is the hardest part of writing for you? 

The editing process I find both enjoyable and difficult. When you are writing your first draft and just getting ideas down there is no pressure. When the next drafts are taking shape the real challenge begins. I think the hard thing is not necessarily the editing as such but knowing when you have reached that point where the book is as good as you’re ever going to make it. Coming to that stage where you can say the book is done is never easy but it’s a wonderful feeling when you get there.

Tell us about your newest book.
A World Apart is the second in the Elencheran Chronicles series. Rather than a continuous narrative these are self-contained novels about different characters and places within Elenchera and its timeline of 47,000 years. A World Apart tells the story of three friends – Demetrius, Eleyna and Halycon – who grow up together in Dove’s Meadow and find themselves in an awkward love triangle in their teens. When Eleyna marries Halcyon, Demetrius leaves the town and starts a new life in the army. A decade later the friends are reunited with Demetrius charged with hunting down and killing a notorious pirate – the Ivory Rose. When Demetrius discovers the Ivory Rose is Eleyna he must choose between loyalty to the republic of Himordia or to the only woman he has ever loved. 

About the Author
David Brown could be considered a fantasy fanatic, especially since he has spent the last 10 years developing a 47,000-year history for his fictional world of Elenchera. When converting his obsession into literary form, David commits himself to a rigorous writing and editing process before his work can meet his approval. Combined with the critical eye of his wife and a BA Hons in History and English, David's dedication leads him to his goal of inspiring readers through heartfelt stories and characters.

Although David is inspired primarily by fantasy fiction, he also finds his muse in the form of anime, world cinema, history, and biographies. His own books, Fezariu's Epiphany and A World Apart, and the in-progress Ansel's Remorse and The Stars Beneath the Parapets combine aspects from worlds both old and new into compelling tales of a world not soon forgotten. David himself certainly does not lack a spirit of adventure; in fact, he left his job in 2007 in order to spend a month travelling. Second only to meeting and marrying his wife, David counts this as one of the most amazing experiences of his life.

Book Blurb

Demetrius makes his first mistake when he lets his best friend Halcyon marry Eleyna, the love of his life, without saying a word. On the day of the wedding, he walks away from the Elencheran town of Dove's Meadow and joins the army.

He makes his second mistake when the pirate Black Iris tricks him into letting dozens of men, women and children die in a fire. Demetrius is imprisoned in grief and disgrace.

But he can atone. The Black Iris is dead. The Ivory Rose has risen to the top of the pirates and is leading brutal raids on the coast. If Demetrius can capture and kill her, he'll win his pardon.

And then Demetrius discovers the Ivory Rose is Eleyna. He must decide which will be his third mistake: losing his last chance at a pardon or destroying the one woman he's ever loved.

Website: http://elenchera.com

A World Apart on Amazon US: http://amzn.to/Srahzn

A World Apart on Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/QpppBB

Guest Post about Bloggers:

With a Little Help From My Book Blogging Friends 

Being an indie author is a lonely business. Not only must you take the plunge in being a writer but you choose to go it alone in your writing journey. However, you will need some help along the way and the good news is that there are many people to turn to. When it comes to promoting your work and building your platform, your friends in high places are the fabulous book bloggers.

The worth of book bloggers is beyond the justification of words. These amazing individuals work tirelessly for no financial reward, other than their love of books. They don’t just read and review books, some offer interview and guest post opportunities, they might provide giveaways and after all that they will promote their posts, featuring you, across social media. How much does this cost the author? Nothing. It might seem too good to be true to have such individuals willing to bend over backwards to help you with your writing but, believe me, there are many of them out there.

There are sadly some authors that do not recognise the worth of book bloggers, some that can’t look beyond their magnum opus which they believe any blogger should be honoured to read. The truth is that many book bloggers receive dozens of requests to review books each day. It’s unlikely that they will have time to read every book and that’s fine. The majority of book bloggers do not earn their livings through their blogs. Many go out to work and still find the time to blog, others are raising families yet somehow snatch some reading and blogging time before the end of the day. How they do it perplexes me.

Whenever I hear tales of book bloggers being treated disrespectfully it both angers and saddens me. One of the best pieces of advice I can offer to indie authors is to not only write books but to read and review them as well. The best writers are readers and by being a book blogger you can not only give something back to the indie community but you can see both sides – an author’s viewpoint and a book blogger’s viewpoint. Personally, I have received the emails that are cut and paste jobs sent to multiple contacts, no attempts to even find a blogger’s name and even worse the writers that do not read a blogger’s review policy. These policies are crucial and will prevent you not only wasting a book blogger’s time but your own. Always read them carefully. Bloggers will be grateful that you did.

I have benefitted greatly from being an author and book blogger. I run a blog with my wife and we have reviews, interviews, guest posts and giveaways which we both find rewarding. You can take note of authors that approach you in a polite manner and who found an opportunity to appear on your blog. Follow the examples of those who were pleasant to you and not those that have shown a complete disregard for a blogger and the chances are you will be warmly received. If for whatever reason a blogger cannot accommodate you, don’t take it personally. Always be gracious regardless of the outcome. The truth is that book bloggers are very busy people and cannot possibly review every book or host every author.

There are many links on how to approach book bloggers in the correct manner but what I will say is always remember that you need the blogger more than they need you. Book bloggers provide a fantastic service to indie authors and deserve our respect. At the end of the day they can make the difference for you when it comes to promoting yourself and your work. Every appearance you make on a book blog involves a sacrifice of the blogger’s time and space. Treat them as well as they have treated you and I’m sure they’ll be happy to have you back in future.

The Destiny of Shaitan Tour: Guest Post and Giveaway

Title: The Destiny of Shaitan

Series: Chronicle of The Three #1

Author: Laxmi Hariharan

Genre: Fantasy, Young-Adult,

Publisher: Laxmi Hariharan

Ebook

Words: 79000

Purchase:

Amazon |

Book Description:

Background: The Destiny of Shaitan, the first novel in The Chronicle of The Three series is a coming of age story, about a girl who falls in love only to realise that to be truly happy, she has to first find herself. Set in 3000 AD, when the galaxy is populated by humans as well as a half human, half alien race called half lives, this novel, tracks the protagonists from five to seventeen years old. 

Synopsis: When Tiina accompanies her ex-boyfriend Yudi on a mission to save the universe from the ruthless Shaitan, she seeks more than the end of the tyrant; she seeks herself. Driven by greed and fear for his own survival, Shaitan bulldozes his way through the galaxy, destroying everything in his path. Tiina wants Yudi to eliminate Shaitan, thus fulfilling the prophecy of the powerful autocrat being killed by his son, but she finds that Yudi is hesitant to do so. The final showdown between Yudi and Shaitan has unexpected consequences, for Shaitan will do anything in his power to win the fight—including getting rid of Tiina. The stakes are high and the combatants determined. Will Shaitan's ultimate destiny be fulfilled?

Return to 7 Islands, (Chronicle of The Three, #2): The Destiny of Shaitan, ends with Tiina, leaving everything she knows—including Yudi and the world she helped save from Shaitan—in search of herself.  The second novel in the series, titled Return to 7 Islands, follows Tiina as she lands in a futuristic Bombay—now  reduced by a tsunami to its original seven islands—and helps Rai, in defending his childhood orphanage from the clutches of Sharmila, Shaitan's daughter. As she struggles to come to terms with her origins in an attempt to understand herself better, she discovers a surprise about her past. 

Excerpt:

Pluto, 3016

The lightning strikes him down, charring him black with smoke ebbing out, and he awakes to the gut-wrenching pain.

Thump. Kreeee. Thump. Kreeeeee…

Yudi jolts into consciousness from the sound. He throws off the covers and pads onto the small terrace adjoining his bedroom, wearing just the pair of black shorts he sleeps in. He is on the eighteenth floor of a fifty-eight storey apartment block. The distance does not hinder the noise, which carries to him through the dawn air, growing louder by the second: Thump. Kreeee. THUMP. KREEEE…

Not again!

Down below, he sees the aged Plutonian female going about her early morning ritual of dragging the large steel pole, bumping down the sleeping escalator steps. Every morning at five o’clock without fail, that annoying noise wakes him up. And every morning he looks out the window to see her walking down the escalator, which would normally be running in the upward direction if it were switched on.

Why does she not take the path next to the escalator? It would make the going much easier for her. And where does she go with that one single steel pole every morning? He ponders her routine just as he has every morning.

Another of life’s great mysteries…just like the question of who my real father is. The thought comes unbidden, as if the urban chemistry swirling in the air is mocking him. The smog of the early dawn creeps in—a reminder of the clogged, urban city where he lives—masking the scene below until all he can see is his own face reflected in his mind’s eye.

Without turning, he reaches for the half-empty cigarette pack placed within arm’s length on the small wrought iron table on the terrace. He flicks on the vintage Ronson gas lighter, its golden casing long since rubbed away by frequent use to a dull brown. The cigarette paper crackles as it lights up. He pulls in a drag and exhales, watching the smoke as it melds with the smog, hitting the sticky side of the taller one hundred and eight storey-high apartment buildings on either side of the street. The smog slithers toward the other open window of the apartment diagonally opposite, where the young man living there often parades his women.

His heart begins to beat in sync to the thump, kreeee, thump, kreeee, even as the sound fades. He shuts his eyes. I am safe. I am safe. No. I am scared, so scared. Feeling so helpless is unstoppable, and the sensation grows within him.

After stubbing out the half-smoked cigarette with jerky movements, he reaches for another.

Athira’s voice rings in his ears. “Being sixteen isn’t permission to smoke your lungs out all in one go. You’ve got the rest of your life to live. Space it out a bit.”

He steels himself against the prick of consciousness that was bound to follow and continues to light his second cigarette of the day. As he pulls on the cigarette with his right hand, he plays with the faded Ronson in his left. Its smooth, much rubbed surface is a slight comfort. It’s the only reminder left of his father.

Adopted father, he corrects himself.

However much his logical mind tried to believe what Athira told him, his heart refused to listen. Athira would always remain both his father and mother. The man had not just raised him, but had showered him in love in a strong affectionate manner, which had bound them forever.

As usual, thinking of Athira sends his mind into overdrive and he shuts his eyes against the pain. He can feel every separate beat of his heart, realise the full breadth of his life, and discern each individual moment in that space.

So, this is how it feels to be powerless. His thoughts hang alongside the window and then hurtle against the glass, crashing into a thousand pieces in his mind.

Stop! Breathe! He admonishes himself, and clinging on, tries to haul himself up. Mentally, he stays suspended over the precipice for a few seconds, and then he is there, back on stable ground.

Yudi sighs and opens his eyes. Panic attacks have an annoying way of creeping up on him when he is at his most vulnerable. The images will come rushing back and once more his mind races over that well trodden memory path.

About the Author:

While born in India, Laxmi Hariharan has lived in Singapore and Hong Kong and is now based in London. She has written for various publications including The Times of India, The Independent, Inside Singapore, Inside Hong Kong and Asian Age. Indian mythology inspires her work. When not writing, this chai-swigging technophile enjoys long walks in the woods, growing eye-catching flowers and indulging her inner geek. Her debut novel The Destiny of Shaitan is available on Amazon http://tiny.cc/szqsew.

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Guest Post:

Utopia & you’d better believe it—Laxmi Hariharan

I wrote The Destiny of Shaitan over a period of a few years, in a very organic, stream of consciousness fashion, as it came to me and without the benefit of any writing lessons. For a long time I didn’t even know that my novels were in the fantasy genre. Yet I must have had some inkling for I have always been an escapist. From the very first scene of Mad Max & later Terminator I have been hooked to the concept of dystopia. The only difference is I tend to write about a hopeful dystopia—if that makes sense? My worlds are always optimistic. I love the idea of a speculative future set in a post-apocalyptic civilisation after the old has been wiped out by a catastrophe, the chance to start afresh having always being seductively appealing. In the post-apocalyptic world of The Destiny of Shaitan, set in 3000 AD, technology can only be used for the good of all ie. can be used for travel & communication but cannot be misused for evil. It’s an ideal world right? And so I realised, my writing was probably more utopian speculative fiction, with a sizzle of romance and a dash of introspection. As I researched this further I found, I also fit somewhere in the "sword and planet" genre too. Something like Edgar Rice Burroughs, Barsoom series' which popularized the concept of pulp-style adventures on other planets. Barsoom (Mars) manifested a chaotic melange of cultural and technological styles, combining futuristic devices such as radium pistols and flying machines suspended by a mysterious levitating ray with Martian cavalry charges, emperors and princesses, sword-fighting, and a credibility-stretching martial code that justifies it. Frank Herbert's Dune and George Lucas' Star Wars were direct inheritors of this tradition of welding the futuristic to the medieval. The Barsoom stories was also pure swashbuckler—a series of imprisonments, gladiatorial combat, escapes, monster-killings, and duels with villains. Love it! Mind you, I didn’t know about these books until I had almost neared the end of writing my first novel. Thus I tried to piece the various pieces of my novel together, I realised that to make my utopia believable, I needed a framework for my world. Sure my novel was a work of fiction, but to be credible I had to come up with my own set of rules by which my galaxies & their residents could function; a clear framework of do’s & don’ts which the characters would follow. That way I could also control these CHARACTERS a lot better, so they were not off doing bizarre things which had absolutely nothing to do with the plot. And so overnight and using a power-point—no no kidding!—I came up with a series of slides, outlining all the rules of my universe. In fact I went a step further and plotted out the entire book, act-by-act using flow charts. Tedious as this sounds, I actually found that it lightened my load. I had carried around all of this information in my head for so long, it was a relief to get the plot, the chapters, the flow, the timelines and the rules of the world down in a very coherent fashion. I had my very own blue-print for my fictional world. Now as I write the second book in the Chronicle of The Three, Return to Seven Islands, all I have to do is refer back to these diagrams to refresh my memory, and off I go. Truly even creativity needs a little bit of configuration. 

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Maybe the Trains Tour: Guest Post

The Sun, the Moon, and Maybe the Trains by Rodney Jones

Summary: What would it take to convince you that the woods you just left is a hundred and forty-four years distant from the one you entered?

Ten years have passed since the Civil War broke up John Bartley’s family. Living with his aunt and uncle in the tiny village of Greendale, Vermont, isn’t filled with excitement for a seventeenyear-old.

Until John walks into the woods one day and stumbles into 2009…

Fortunately, he chances upon the outspoken Tess McKinnon. To earn her trust, he must first
convince her that he is neither a lunatic nor a liar. The proof he needs is buried at the end of a
mountain road, where the ruins of Greendale lie just beneath a layer of dead leaves and moss.
What became of his home? Why is there no record of its existence?

Guest Post about Time Travel: Isn’t it romantic? I think most people think of time travel in this way. But imagine you could travel back in time, taking with you your twenty-first century knowledge and skills. You could be a god among the ignorant masses—you could rule the world. Better yet, you could beat George Harrison to his place among the Beatles. Or you might have a second chance to rewrite your own life story, as in the book, Replay. Perhaps you could play superhero by going back in time and eliminating the evil-doers—kidnap Hitler as an infant and sell him to a childless Jewish couple. Time travel offers countless, intriguing possibilities. It also presents a number of challenges. Realism, if that’s what you're shooting for, is probably the biggest one.

It goes without saying that the characters in a time travel story need to be believable. Perhaps because you’re dealing with a topic that is generally difficult to relate to, attention to character realism is particularly important. You want to develop a good relationship between the characters and the reader so the reader is less likely to stumble over the impossible.

Well-researched setting—historical accuracy: Of course, if you are traveling to the future, historical accuracy is irrelevant. That’s an entirely different kind of story. My story, The Sun, the Moon, and Maybe the Trains is perhaps a bit unusual in that it starts in the past and moves to the near-present. I wrote the past (the year 1875) as though the entire story would take place there, spending as much time with research as I did with the actual writing. I gave a lot of attention to the dialect of the period and the region. I studied letters, songs, and poems, and compiled a list of period colloquialisms to help lend realism to my story.

Probably the toughest issue I encountered in writing about time travel was: How does one behave when faced with the impossible? I once saw a video in which the world renowned magician, David Blaine, engaged unsuspecting bystanders on a New York street in elaborately staged illusions. These people had no idea of who or what they were dealing with; they were not prepared. You could tell by their reactions—stunned, drop-jawed, messed up, mind-blown—that they were completely convinced they were witnessing the impossible. There should be a law against screwing with people in that manner. So, anyway, suppose you suddenly found yourself a hundred years in the future or in the past. You would very likely doubt your own sanity. You would likely behave in a way that might actually look dull in print. I found it a challenge finding the balance between too much boring realism and convincing, intriguing fantasy.

After writing The Sun, the Moon, and Maybe the Trains, I thought I was done with time travel, but after writing this guest post I’m having second thoughts. There are yet a plethora (oh, yes, a plethora) of unturned stones in this sub-genre.

Thank you so much for having me on your blog, Natasha.

About the Author: While a past resident of Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Florida, New York, and Vermont, Rodney Jones now resides in Richmond, Indiana, where he whiles away his days pecking at a laptop, riding his ten-speed up the Cardinal Greenway, taking long walks with his daughter, or backpacking and wilderness camping.

His list of past occupations reads like his list of past residences, though his life-long ambition was to be an artist until he discovered a latent affinity for writing.

“In art,” Rodney says, “I was constantly being asked to explain images constructed from a palette of emotions and ideas, which usually required complex narratives to convey their meaning, if there even was a meaning. In writing, the words are creating the images, images are telling a story, the story is evoking feelings. I like it. There’s nothing to explain.”

Rodney’s interests include: art, science, politics, whiskey and chocolate, music (collecting vinyl records), gardening, and travel.

Check out the rest of the tour and the chance to win prizes here.