INDIE AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: JACK JULY

Jack July

Q: Jack...what made you become a writer?

A: Boredom. I had just left a factory job I had for almost twenty years at Harley Davidson in Milwaukee to support my wife who worked her way up the corporate ladder. She was transferred to Wilmington, SC, and we moved to the beautiful resort town of Hampstead. I was a stay at home dad with no friends and no life. More often than not my lunch would be a few brandy and Cokes. This was particularly hard for me because I was a military vet, former boxer, race car driver and skydiver. My youth was also exciting growing up the only child whose father was in organized crime (think white trash Tony Soprano). His addiction was fast cars and young girls. I was surrounded by both.

One day in an alcoholic haze I decided to write a book using my many adventures and crazy family as a backdrop. After chapter twenty I began to feel foolish, so I quit. While visiting the local ABC Liquor store, I was chatting with the cashier who said her father was a writer. I should let her see what I had written. So I did. Two weeks later I returned to the store, she walked from behind the counter, stuck her finger in my chest and said, “Don’t you dare quit writing.” Every week or so after that I would bring her a chapter. Seventy-seven chapters later, I had a book. The lady from the liquor store was my muse. I don’t think that is typically how writers start, but it’s what happened to me.

Q: What is your typical writing day like?

A: I’m a morning writer. After my kids leave for school, I pour a big mug of coffee and work from about 8-11 a.m. Strange thing is, I never really stop. Scenes and story lines play in my head from the time I get up until the time I go to sleep.

Q: Do you outline? If so, how extensive are your outlines?

A: No, I wouldn’t have the first clue how to outline. The entire book is in my head when I start.

Q: How many revisions will you typically do on a novel?

A: None. I finish and it is what it is. I will rewrite sentences, add to conversations, etc. Revising anything worries me because everything you change has effects on other parts of the book. Especially your timeline. Screw that up and you have big troubles.

Q: What is your best tip for editing a manuscript?

A: I consider myself an authority on this because of the number of times I have had to have my books re-edited. I’m not a trained writer. I was so bad that I had to reference another novel to find out if the period or comma went on the inside or outside of the quotation mark. My gift is storytelling, so I leave editing to the professionals. I actually have two editors and four beta readers. 

Q: Which writing habits and/or tricks of the trade have made you a better writer?

A: I don’t know that I have any. I guess my best habit is sitting down and doing it. Making time for it and being militant with family, friends and any other distractions that would take me away from writing.

Q: Do you ever suffer through writer’s block? If so, how do you fight it?

A: I don’t know if you would call it writer's block. However, at a point in this upcoming novel, my protagonist wouldn’t lead me where she wanted me to go. She stopped, I didn’t. I was here and ready. So I wrote her a love letter. I told her how I felt about her. Two days later I sat down [and was able to start writing again]. 

Q: What drew you to write your preferred genre(s)?

A: I really didn’t know what a genre was when I started writing. This is probably why it is so hard for me to classify my books. When you don’t know what you can’t do you become creative by accident. My books have a little bit of everything. When Tom Clancy and Vince Flynn died, I ran out of things that I loved to read. I still read books from other genres but the Spy Thriller has always been my favorite. So, when I started writing I took that genre and put it on its head. When you read my books, you will know exactly why characters do what they do because you feel like you know them personally. Books one and two have stories within the story telling you about each character. I’ve been told that many of these stories could be books in their own right.

Q: Do you utilize beta readers?

A: I have four. One of them is my mom. The other three were fans of the first book that I met online and offered them the opportunity to be part of the second and third books. They are really helpful in keeping me from doing anything crazy with my character. At the end of Golden Angel I wrote a part so out of character for my protagonist that my betas became unstitched. It was a flat, "NO! You cannot do that with a character we have fallen so in love with. Don’t even think about it." They were right.

Q: In your most recently published novel, what’s one scene you really enjoyed writing—and why?

A: In the third book my protagonist gets married. There is a chapter where she introduces her boyfriend/fiancé to her rural Alabama, Southern Christian father. It’s probably the funniest thing I have ever written. I have two daughters, eleven and fifteen. Working those emotions through with all the characters will, I hope, help me the first time my girls drag a less than acceptable young man to my door.

Q: What makes the main character(s) of your most recent novel so special?

A: My books are linear. They will stand on their own but for full enjoyment you need to read them in order. In my latest novel my protagonist finally gets the payoff of living a moral life. From the time she was a child she suffered through many tragedies but overcame [them] with her faith, family, friends and a strong stubborn will. Of course everyone has their own definition of moral.

Q: What is your best advice for author self-promotion?

A: I’m clueless. My books have sold through word of mouth. There is around 5000 in circulation. I will share two lessons I learned the hard way. Get a pro to do your cover. Your artist friends drawing doesn’t cut it. People spend so much time and effort on the story then throw it away with a poor cover. If that cover isn’t eye catching you will never get the average Amazon book searcher to read it. They need to stop and look. Spend the money. Second is price point. Especially if it’s your first novel. Your job is to get read. As an author that reached out to me long ago said, “You are playing for beer money.” $4.99 on the outside for a 400+ page novel; less for shorter ones. On the flip side, .99 cents, unless it’s a special, will make it appear too cheap. $2.99 to $4.99 seems to be the going rate.

Q: How do you deal with negative reviews?

A: I do exactly what everyone tells you not to do. I really don’t have any bad reviews on Amazon, except one person that didn’t like my politics and I can’t help that. Goodreads on the other hand, I have had two. I contact them and thank them for reading it. No matter how ridiculous their claims I make sure they know I take all reviews seriously and then end with this, “Even though it is clear it wasn’t the best book you have ever read, it moved you enough to write a review. I will consider that a success.” My honest feedback caused one reviewer to change his review from two stars to three stars.

           

Q: What is your favorite aspect of being an indie author?

A: Control of my content. I know several authors with publishers that have had their books stripped of what they believed was their best writing because of concerns over political correctness. I do not have those issues.

Q: What is your least favorite aspect of being an indie author?

A: Not getting any marketing help.

Q: What is your current writing project?

A: Amy Lynn #3, The Lady of Castle Dunn. I have betas, editors, a couple of friends and myself picking apart the manuscript looking for mistakes. I truly believe it will be my best work so far.

Q: What are three of your favorite novels?

A: MiG Pilot, The Final Escape Of  Lt. Belenko by John Barron; Without Remorse by Tom Clancy; Run Silent Run Deep by Edward L Beach

Q: If you could have lunch with any novelist, living or dead, who would it be? What would talk to them about?

A: Vince Flynn. I would want to know how he felt about his characters. If he had the same deep personal relationships with them that I do.

Q: What is your best piece of advice for budding authors?

A: Steven King never tried to be Edgar Allen Poe. You should never try to be anyone other than yourself. It’s your originality that sets you apart. The greatest compliment I have ever received is, “I’ve never read anything like this." Don’t be a slave to the rules. Kick that box people want to put you in down the street.

Q: What is your favorite inspirational quote?

A: "I might repeat to myself, slowly and soothingly, a list of quotations beautiful from minds profound–if I can remember any of the damn things." – Dorothy Parker

#

INDIE AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: ANDREA WEIR

Andrea Weir

Q: What made you become a writer?

A: To tell you the truth, I don’t think I had a choice. It’s what I do — it’s what I’ve always done. I was writing one-page short stories when I was in elementary school, and I think it was a means of escaping some difficulties I was experiencing. Also, I’ve kept a journal for as long as I can remember. Writing is just a part of who I am. I like to ask “what-if” questions and then see where they take me.

Q: What is your typical writing day like?

A: Well, I have a writing day job (deputy news director at a University of California campus), so my fiction writing happens around that, usually in the evening. I also sometimes work in the early morning. But I don’t have a set schedule. Some writers will produce a set number of pages per day or will work for a set number of hours. I do not. I may write one page one day and 50 the next. It all depends on how the storyline is flowing.

Q: Do you outline? If so, how extensive are your outlines?

A: I never write an outline. Never. I start with a general story idea, which I flesh out into a story arc with the requisite characters at the outset and build everything from there. With A Foolish Consistency, I knew I wanted to explore themes of loss and of children grieving for their mother. And I knew I wanted the main female character to step in as a potential stepmother, but also as someone who had experience the same kind of loss. So I knew I needed a divorced female — Callie — and a widower —Will — with his two children — Lizzy and Wiley. And aside from knowing that Callie and Will were a couple in college who went their separate ways and then reconnected 25 years later, every bit of the storyline developed as I was writing it. When I sat down at my computer to work each day, I had no idea where I’d be going or what characters would pop up. Everything grew very organically. I tend to write in sections — I don’t start at the beginning and work through to the end. I have many different pieces that I develop and expand. They usually start with a snippet of dialogue or a particular scene and I build the story around it. With A Foolish Consistency I ended up with about thirty individual sections. And the full storyline emerged as I wove everything together. It’s a really interesting process and a bit intuitive. For example, I had no idea how the main conflict would resolve, and the way it did was actually a surprise to me. 

Q: How many revisions will you typically do on a novel?

A: More than I can count. I revise the individual sections as I’m working on them and then I revise the novel as a whole. And I don’t think I’m ever finished revising. Even now I see things I’d like to fix/adjust/change. It’s the nature of the beast, I think.

Q: What is your best tip for editing a manuscript?

A: Every situation and every character should move the plot forward. If a scene or an exchange or even a character doesn’t advance the plot, it has to go. No matter how much I might like it. And finding the right balance is extremely important. Too little detail makes the writing sparse and uninteresting, but too much makes it cumbersome and dense. The balance is critical.

Q: Which writing habits and/or tricks of the trade have made you a better writer?

A: The most important thing is to get the words on paper. So when I’m writing, I try to keep the flow going by not stopping to edit or to find the exact right word at the moment. As I’m writing, I put what I call understudy words in brackets and then go back later and replace them with the words I really want to use. Trying to get everything right and complete from the get-go is a losing proposition. And once I have everything on paper — or at least the section I’m working on at that particular time, I go through and omit as many adverbs as I can. More often than not I can find a verb that is strong enough to stand on its own, without the support of a qualifier.

Q: Do you ever suffer through writer’s block? If so, how do you fight it?

A: I do suffer writer’s block sometimes, and when it keeps me from working I just try to do something else — take a walk or go for a run, read a book, write something else. Sometimes just letting my mind wander for a while helps me work through writer’s block in fairly short order. I know that the worst thing I could do is to panic.

Q: What drew you to write your preferred genre(s)?

A: I like to explore universal human themes and emotions and experiences, and for me the best way to do that is through contemporary fiction (though historical fiction is one of my favorite genres to read). I like to put characters in the kinds of challenging situations and circumstances most of us experience at some time in our lives and see how they handle them.

Q: Do you utilize beta readers?

A: I don’t utilize beta readers, but I do work with an experienced editor who helps me keep the storyline on track, particularly when I’m having trouble getting out of my own way.

Q: In your most recently published novel, what’s one scene you really enjoyed writing—and why?

A: It’s really an extended scene that begins with Callie and Will having a conversation about the significance of lasts — how they can be more important than firsts because you don’t know when something has happened for the last time. That leads to a scene in which Lizzy, surreptitiously seeing Will and Callie together, thinks about her mother and how life would be if she were still alive. And that in turn leads to a scene between Callie and Wiley in which Wiley asks questions about the nature of love and loss and loyalty — the main themes of the book. 

Q: What makes the main character(s) of your most recent novel so special?

A: Their flaws. And the fact that they want always to do what’s right even though they don’t always know what that is. Also, their willingness to examine the choices they’ve made and actions they’ve taken that led them to this particular moment. They take responsibility for their lives.

Q: What is your best advice for author self-promotion?

A: Know your target audience and aim your marketing and promotion in that direction. Create a strong social media network that includes Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, etc., so you can keep in touch with your readers. Reach out to book bloggers and ask them to review your book. Ask bookstores to sell copies of your book on consignment. It’s a good deal for the bookstore and for the author. Keep your eyes open for events that dovetail with your book and find ways to participate. Maybe it’s a panel discussion, maybe it’s a reading; maybe you have expertise you can share. Capitalize on it.

Q: How do you deal with negative reviews?

A: I’ll be honest — negative reviews sting. But I try not to hold onto them. Not everyone is going to like my novel. It’s a fact. And, fortunately, I haven’t received any scathing reviews. However, it does bother me when a review demonstrates that the reader completely missed an important (and obvious) detail. It also bothers me when someone gives a negative review and concludes it by saying something like, “But I don’t really like that genre anyway.” I’m not sure I could fairly review a book in a genre that doesn’t appeal to me.

Q: What is your favorite aspect of being an indie author?

A: Having more control over how my work goes out into the world, and not having to compromise on the things I think are most important.

Q: What is your least favorite aspect of being an indie author?

A: You know, I’m not sure. But I might say it’s the responsibility that comes with the control.

Q: What is your current writing project?

A: I’m working on the sequel to A Foolish Consistency. It doesn’t have a title yet, but I’m about a third of the way through it.

Q: What are three of your favorite novels?

A: It’s hard to choose only three. But I think I’d say A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende, and North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

Q: If you could have lunch with any novelist, living or dead, who would it be? What would talk to them about?

A: That’s a really difficult question. But I think it would be John Irving. I’d want to talk about his writing process and how he develops such well-rounded quirky characters. And I’d want to ask for his best piece of advice.

Q: What is your best piece of advice for budding authors?

A: Just write. And find someone whose opinion you trust to read your work. Join a writing group, if necessary. But also, be clear about why you write. Knowing what the act of writing means to you will help keep you going through the inevitable dry spells.

Q: What is your favorite inspirational quote?

A: That depends on my mood and mindset on any particular day. But it generally has something to do with courage, because I believe that is at the root of everything we do, including our kindness and generosity.

“Courage does not always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I’ll try again tomorrow.”  — Mary Anne Radmacher

“The secret of happiness is freedom, and the secret of freedom is courage.” — Thucydides

#

INDIE AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: YVONNE ANDERSON

 Yvonne Anderson

Q: Yvonne...what made you become a writer?

A: I’m not sure. It was either insanity, or the persistent prodding of the Holy Spirit—which some might consider one and the same. So take your pick.

Q: What is your typical writing day like?

A: My typical day doesn’t involve much writing. For the most part, I wedge that into the rare and random uninterrupted spaces of my life.

Q: Do you outline? If so, how extensive are your outlines?

A: My prep work is mental – no outline, no character sketches, none of that OCD organizational stuff. A pox on outlines! However, before I start writing, I know my primary characters intimately from having spent a great deal of time with them in my mind. I know where my story begins, where it will end, and a couple of key events along the way. And I know the setting – which usually involves some research prior to getting started. All this simmers in my brain for quite some time before it’s ready to pour out.

Q: How many revisions will you typically do on a novel?

A: That’s impossible to say. Every time I sit down to write, I go back and revise what I wrote last time, at least a little. That helps me get into the flow of the story and allows me to feel a bit more satisfied with the result of my efforts thus far. I don’t make major revisions until I’ve finished the first draft—for me, that’s when the OCD kicks in. My edits are merciless and seem never-ending. Sooner or later I have to call it quits, but because there is no perfection in this world, I’m never fully satisfied with a manuscript.

Q: What is your best tip for editing a manuscript?

A: Be brutal. Avoid being sentimental about any aspect of your darling, and don’t be too lazy to make sweeping revisions if necessary. Whatever it takes, make this book better than your last.

Q: Which writing habits and/or tricks of the trade have made you a better writer? 

A: If there are any tricks to this writing thing, I haven’t discovered them yet. It’s just plain work; no magic involved. But the results of our labors will steadily improve if we learn from other writers. What works? Implement those techniques. What don’t you like? Search out and destroy those things in your own writing. Always strive to be more concise, more vivid. Seek greater depth. Summon strong verbs and banish adverbs. Use colorful analogies and lively descriptions. Have sharp insight into character motives. And understate everything.

Q: Do you ever suffer through writer’s block? If so, how do you fight it?

A: I’m not sure I understand what writer’s block is. The stereotype of staring at a blank page (or screen) with a blank brain? Struggling to devise a believable solution to your protagonist’s impossible dilemma? If I have those issues, they’re resolved by a little physical activity, a change of scenery, or writing something entirely different. Once I take my mind’s forefront off the problem at hand, the back of my mind takes over—and honestly, the back of my mind is more creative. Sometimes the solution comes to me as soon as I walk away, and other times it takes a day or two. But the hands-off method has never failed me yet. The problem I struggle with most is finding the time to do any writing at all.

Q: What drew you to write your preferred genre(s)?

A: Again, insanity. I never liked Christian fiction; I never liked science fiction. But, because God has a marvelous sense of humor, He put me to work writing Christian sci-fi. No one was more surprised at this shocking turn of events than I.

Q: Do you utilize beta readers?

A: I have a group of writer friends who are like sisters. They’re talented, knowledgeable, and honest in their opinions. I’d be sunk without them. But they never read my WIP until after the first draft is completed and I’ve begun revisions. That first draft is a very personal thing, and I don’t want any outside input.

Q: In your most recently published novel, what’s one scene you really enjoyed writing—and why?

A: Odd to say, but I think my favorite is a sad, emotional scene almost at the end. I’m not sure I really enjoyed writing it, because I cried all the way through, and I don’t like to cry – it messes up my sinuses. But I loved writing the scene because it was so unexpected. I was about three quarters of the way through the book before one of my characters pulled me aside and said, “Look. This is what has to happen.” I said, “No! I can’t do that!” But even as I objected, I knew she was right, so by the time I got to that part of the story, I did what she said. And when I wrote the scene, it blew me away.

Q: What makes the main character(s) of your most recent novel so special?

A: Adam tries to keep his life simple and straightforward, but things seldom work out the way he thinks they should. Though he seems to have everything going for him, he struggles with insecurity. The excellence he continually strives for always seems to escape him, and at times he’s not even sure what’s expected of him. In other words, he’s a lot like the rest of us.

Q: What is your best advice for author self-promotion?

A: I’m not able to make any recommendations on that because I’ve never managed to find anything that’s particularly effective.

Q: How do you deal with negative reviews?

A: If you want more evidence of my insanity, here it is: I love negative reviews. The first time I got a 1-star on Goodreads, I’ll admit I went all hot and cold and needed defibrillation for a minute or two. But it didn’t take long before my heart rate evened out again and I realized it was a great review. Why? Because it demonstrated that the reader truly “got” my story. She didn’t like it, but she understood exactly what I’d wanted to convey, and I found that deeply gratifying. Much later, that same book got a 1-star on Amazon by a different reviewer. In both cases, the objection was not to the writing—everyone seems to agree it’s well written—but rather to the theology. In the first instance, the reader objected to its blatant portrayal of Christianity; in the second, the reviewer was a Christian but objected to what he saw as a “hidden message.” Both these reviews prompted me to take a close look at what they said and evaluate my writing in light of it. And that only makes my writing stronger. Not everyone is going to like everything—we should expect wide differences of opinions. Instead of taking offense when a reviewer’s opinion differs from our own, we should analyze the criticism and see what we can learn from it. And remember that a review reveals more about the reviewer than it does about the quality of the book.

Q: What is your favorite aspect of being an indie author?

A: Not having to woo a publisher.

Q: What is your least favorite aspect of being an indie author?

A: Not being able to sell books.

Q: What is your current writing project?

A: I’m working with a friend to polish and prepare a nonfiction manuscript for submission to publishers. It’s a fabulous book about her recovery from debilitating depression. Although I’ve never done nonfiction before, I agreed to help because it’s a subject near to my heart and a story the world needs to hear. It was pretty rough when I first saw it, but we’ve gotten it whipped into shape and are investigating publishing options. Also: I’ve been approached by someone else about helping him with a memoir; and I have a new novel on the back burner, bubbling hard and in need of pouring out. Soon. Before it burns me.

Q: What are three of your favorite novels?

A: I hate it when people ask me that “favorite” question, because I don’t have a favorite anything. At least here, I’m asked to list three, not narrow it down to one. But… nope. Still can’t do it. I’m beginning to think “favorite” depends on my mood. I recently re-read a book that was one of my favorites when I was young, but when I read it from a more mature perspective, I was appalled at how terrible it was. Obviously, what appeals at one stage of life can smell like an outhouse in midsummer at another. That said, three books that left me with that “wow” feeling when I finished them in recent years were (in the order I read them, not the order I like them): DeNiro’s Game by Rawi Hage; The Book Thief by Markus Zusak; and The Scent of Water by Elizabeth Goudge.  There are probably books I liked as well or better than these, but it’s these three that came first to mind. Now, please don’t ask me any more of those “favorite” questions.

Q: If you could have lunch with any novelist, living or dead, who would it be? What would you talk to them about?

A: Well, I don’t know. Why lunch and not supper? And who’s doing the cooking, him or me? If it’s at a restaurant, what sort, and where? I need more information before I can answer. But we’d probably talk about the food. I like food. I eat it every day. Oh, you mean, what would I ask him about writing? Hmmm… Okay… I think I’d like to talk to J. R. R. Tolkein and ask how long it took for Middle Earth to catch on. Because it seems to be taking our Earth a very long time to discover my world of Gannah.  I’m also curious about that delightful hobbit-ish tradition of second breakfast followed by elevenses. Is that something Tolkein practiced, or something he just fantasized about?

Q: What is your best piece of advice for budding authors?

A: Give it up. There are already too many books in the world, and with a couple million more being published each year, yours would be lost in the ocean of mediocre-at-best schlock. You’d be well advised to find another outlet for your creative energies. Cooking, for instance. I hear chef school is quite challenging. However, if you’ve tried to quit but can’t because the need to write eats you from the inside out, then you might actually be A Writer. If that’s the case, then keep plugging away at it no matter what. Continue to study the craft and improve in every way you can in order to bring your writing to the place where it rises above the crowd. But don’t quit your day job.

Q: What is your favorite inspirational quote?

A: Did you just ask me for another favorite? I believe you did. And I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to ignore this question.

#

INDIE AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: RILEY WESTBROOK

Riley Westbrook

Q: Riley...what made you become a writer?

A: That's an interesting question, because if you had told me even five years ago I'd write book, I'd call you a liar. Sure, I had ideas; I had experience of world building as an RPG player; and I've always been one to pick up a good book, but I hated writing growing up. If it weren't for all these awesome newfangled technological devices we have now.... Hell, I wrote my zombie book on a tablet, because I could carry it around more easily. Before that, I'd been a Certified Nurses Assistant, working in nursing homes and a psychiatric hospital. I loved my job. I learned a lot, met a ton of interesting people, and if I can work myself back to it, I will go back to doing that job. So, I'd say it's circumstances. Match boredom with technology, and who knows what you get.

Q: What is your typical writing day like?

A: First, my wife Sara and I bounce ideas off of each other, and figure out how I'm going to go about making the first draft of a chapter. This combines our ideas, adding more flavor and imagination to the world than I might be able to master on my own. Then I write the first draft of said chapter, throwing it all out on the page. I think if my wife tried, she'd be much better at this stage than I am. She reads over what I wrote, translating [what I've written] into English. This is a key step, without it I'd seem like a babbling incoherent man, full of grand ideas and shallow depth. Somehow, my wife reads it and see's what I'm saying, or coaxes it from me with a bit of talking. So our writing is very much so a collaboration of two minds, and we love to do it.

Q: Do you outline? If so, how extensive are your outlines?

A: I write about ideas, if that's what you mean. At the start of most of my books, I don't have an outline per se. I started to make one on more recent works, but they are really flexible. I'm very much a seat of the pants writer, and there has been more than one idea I've thrown out the window because I couldn't fit it in with the chapter before. The discarded ideas usually show up in other books, in other ways.

Q: How many revisions will you typically do on a novel?

A: Five or six. If I do a serial through BigWorldNetwork it goes through another two to three layers from editors.

Q: What is your best tip for editing a manuscript?

A: Get more than just your eyeballs on it. And read it out loud to yourself. You catch so many errors this way. 

Q: Which writing habits and/or tricks of the trade have made you a better writer?

A: I think I'm just picking it up as I go along. I mean, I'm becoming a better writer as I write more, but the same could be said of everyone. I don't do writing groups, and I consider every word I type to be a writing challenge for myself just because I used to hate it so much.

Q: Do you ever suffer through writer’s block? If so, how do you fight it?

A: I do! Most writers will tell you they drink a glass of wine, or have a shot of Tito's, but I myself prefer marijuana. Luckily I live in a state where it's legal for me to possess and smoke. But other than that, most of the writer's block comes from how to approach a particular problem in a work, and I solve it by approaching it from a different angle. One of the advantages of having met so many people is that I learned to adapt, and part of adapting is being willing to change your perception of things.

Q: What drew you to write your preferred genre(s)?

A: I think anything I write has to give me the room to stretch my imagination. And the genres I choose give me that option. Horror, Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy, and High Fantasy leave me a wide range to spread my wings and have fun.

Q: Do you utilize beta readers?

A: Just one, and that's only because she has almost the exact same tastes as I do in writing. It's not my wife.

Q: In your most recently published novel, what’s one scene you really enjoyed writing—and why?

A: That would be Urban Punk. The entire book was fun to write, as it started out as a confidence building exercise for my wife. I think the funnest scenes to write in that book were the cage fights. 

Q: What makes the main character(s) of your most recent novel so special?

A: Her favorite weapon of choice is a dildo, which she likes to use to quite violent effects. The cage matches really show this off. 

Q: What is your best advice for author self-promotion?

A: Don't be afraid to shamelessly self-promote! But promote others as much as you promote yourself. I have a blog that I use to help other authors as much as possible, because I want us all to succeed. We all have a story that deserves to be read by someone. 

Q: How do you deal with negative reviews?

A: Honestly, I've learned to love them. They help me grow so much as a writer, especially when reviewers leave detailed feedback on what they did and didn't like. Either way, I've learned at the end of the day the only person I really write for is me. I don't have a bestseller (yet), but even if no one reads my books I'll still probably write just to get the ideas out of my head. 

Q: What is your favorite aspect of being an indie author?

A: Meeting other indie authors! Seriously, one of the greatest things is being introduced to others' works. I've met all kinds of people, from all over the country, and every single one of them has been a pleasure to meet. 

Q: What is your least favorite aspect of being an indie author?

A: Never really knowing what is going to get you a sales spike. I mean, I've tried studying marketing of books and all that jazz, and the one thing that seems pretty consistent is no one knows what really works. The market can be very fickle. 

Q: What is your current writing project?

A: I'm finishing up the second book in a Science Fiction series.

Q: What are three of your favorite novels?

A: I can't pick just three! They were my best friends growing up! I'll try to narrow it down as much as possible. 

Stranger in a Strange Land By Robert Heinlein. People say it's sexist, and it might be, but I don't like it for that. I like it for the thought put forth about a man coming from Mars, raised in a completely different society, and trying to survive in this crazy world. 

The Magician series (Including Daughter of the Empire) by Raymond E Feist (with Janny Wurts), which showed me just how expansive worlds can be, and taught me how to use powerful female characters.

The Assassin series by Robin Hobb. They taught me to look at magic in ways I'd never considered before.

Q: If you could have lunch with any novelist, living or dead, who would it be? What would talk to them about?

A: I'd have to say Mark Twain, just because he seems like an interesting man. As for what we'd talk about, I'd be happy just to see the look on his face when I pull a smartphone from my pocket and take a picture with him. 

Q: What is your best piece of advice for budding authors?

A: WRITE! I spent almost a half a year "planning to write" and not writing. Once I started, I found the planning was useless except in the most rudimentary sense, and I had to have the freedom to stretch my wings. But the only way I could learn that was to start writing!

Q: What is your favorite inspirational quote?

A: I had another, less experienced author tell me he was writing crap. I told him, “So write crap!” You can always fix crap. You can’t fix a blank page. Guess what? He published the book. So…hey you! Yes, you! Write crap! 

#

INDIE AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: BRYAN PENTELOW

Bryan Pentelow

  

Q: Bryan...what made you become a writer?

A: I was working as a product manager for an educational supply company and had to give talks and run workshops on various product ranges; this meant speaking in public. I had, therefore, to write speeches and instruction leaflets. There was also copywriting for some 500 pages of product. If you want to test your vocabulary try writing descriptions for more than two dozen types of tambourine without repeating yourself ad nauseum. In order to keep my presentation skills up to scratch I joined a speakers club and had to make speeches on a regular basis on whatever topic was given to me. To cope with this, my general knowledge needed to be up to date. As I drove all over the country the radio and books on tape and CD were a godsend. When my first granddaughter was born I decided to write a book just for her, and the Sprocket Sagas came into being. Since then three more charming, entertaining and enquiring little people have joined our family--so the first book became four. The fourth, Sprocket and the Heart of the North is due out in eBook and paperback on Amazon soon. Like many authors I have a head full of stories bursting to get out, and writing them down is better than going mad. Some will be good, some bad, and some will run dry partway. I wanted to leave some mark on the world; being too old and bald to be a pop or screen idol, and lacking any talent at any sport I have tried, I gave writing a go.

Q: What is your typical writing day like?

A: I don’t have a typical writing day. I thought when I retired there would be all the time in the world to bring forth a great work of fiction, but with four grandchildren and a wife who is determined that I will not fade quietly away, writing has to be shoe-horned into any available space when my talents are not required elsewhere. I did make one specific effort to keep myself on the straight and narrow: buying a pocket sized notebook computer which I take with me when I walk into the local area center for a coffee. This is a three-pronged effort to raise my level of fitness with a three mile walk, give myself some thinking time away from the distractions of home, and enable me to knock out a thousand words in a comfortable leather chair with a good cup of coffee. I have written three of the Sprocket books this way. As to my state of health? Well, I’m not dead yet!

Q: Do you outline? If so, how extensive are your outlines?

A: Yes, a very vague one. It’s more a timeline into which I add characters as they emerge and on to which I graft their ways, attitudes, back story, likes and dislikes. This has become more necessary as Sprocket became more than one book, and Sea Change has become Look to the Stars and became interplanetary and then intergalactic. Without the timeline and character list, people do things which are out of character and the timeline keeps things in chronological order so that cars don’t arrive before the invention of the wheel. 

Q: How many revisions will you typically do on a novel?

A: I never stop. Something which sang on the page when I wrote it can become trite on second or third reading. I find no problem with revising; it’s when to call it a day and consign [the finished product] to Createspace and unleash it on an unsuspecting public. 

Q: What is your best tip for editing a manuscript?

A: Give it to someone else. I read and correct as much as I can, but as I can’t spell to save my life and have at best a tenuous grasp on grammar, I have no doubts about my shortcomings. Add to this an ability to read what should be there as opposed to what actually appears on the page and you can see why I wouldn’t dream of letting a raw piece of my musings out unedited by someone else. If you think you are competent to edit your own work, try reading one of those bits of gobbledegook which turn up on Facebook. If you can read it as easily as I can, do not edit your own work. 

Q: Which writing habits and/or tricks of the trade have made you a better writer?

A: A love of words. Widen your vocabulary whenever you can. Garner adverbs and adjectives, collect similes and antonyms by the bushel, and shamelessly gather unusual and inspiring pieces of descriptive and humorous writing. Writers such as Dylan Thomas and Alan Coren were masters of the slantwise look at life and pictorial language. Look for your own favorites and learn from them. Beware of favorite words and phrases which can slip in every second sentence and run your masterwork through a frequency checker program; then get out the Thesaurus. Give your characters individuality and a back story. This may not be included in your book, but it will give them an attitude to what happens and will bring up interesting conflicts which will color your scenes.

Q: Do you ever suffer through writer’s block? If so, how do you fight it?

A: Yes. I have a house and garden in constant need of attention; children and grandchildren clamoring for attention and entertainment; a wife, proofreader and editor (all the same person) who insists we go out for meals and take holidays. So there are sufficient distractions. Often the answer to a block is to deal with a totally different problem. It's like not being able to find the car keys; start searching for something else and they will magically appear!

Q: What drew you to write your preferred genre(s)?

A: The children’s books were for my grandchildren, and, in particular, the eldest, Sophie, who always has her nose in a book. One of my pastimes is haunting secondhand book shops and charity shops to keep her in reading material. So I decided to try [a children's book] of my own, and from there the Sprocket Sagas grew. From picking up the first of E.E. Smith’s Lensman series I have been an avid reader of science fiction. I love the way an author can take an idea to its logical conclusion and beyond. It’s the "what if" factor which keeps me coming back time and again. What if an ordinary man linked up with an artificial intelligence? Could he control it? Would it control him? Or could they reach an amicable working relationship? That is the basis of Sea Change and I am still exploring the possibilities. 

Q: Do you utilize beta readers?

A: My sister has never been afraid to pull me up for being pompous or precious about something, so I trust her for honest comments and criticism of my work. I also have a friend from my days in teaching who has a surgically precise application for punctuation and grammar. He's not afraid to puncture my ego when it becomes overinflated. The daughter of a friend [of mine] has a love of stories and picks out the parts when the pace begins to slow. But my Alpha reader is my wife who has shielded my ignorance of written English from [our days in] college to the present day. 

Q: What makes the main character(s) of your most recent novel so special?

A: They have become friends. Sprocket and the Heart of the North is the fourth Sprocket Saga and I have come to know the main characters well. They are ordinary people in extraordinary situations and the stories depend on how they react to and cope with the problems which arise. There are no superpowers for the humans, and even the dragons have logical reasons for being as they are. They are people you could meet on the street of any town, so it is easy to live with them. Even the villains are driven by the normal human failings: lust for money, abuse of power, rebellion against a perceived wrong which society has dealt them. Those capable of redemption are reformed; those who aren’t get their just desserts. The children have all the strengths, faults and bickering you would find in any close group. They accept the wonderful as only children can and expect justice to be black and white. They [have become] my family and I have grown comfortable with them.

Q: What is your best advice for author self-promotion?

A: Grab any and all opportunities to talk about your work. Whether it’s your books, how you write, what you think of the work of other writers, every chance to get your name in front of a potential reader. This is not the place for a shrinking violet. You are the greatest undiscovered author ever. If the idea of speaking to others in large or small groups fills you with dread, join a speakers club and practice in front of others who are there for the same purpose. There is a saying that everyone has a book in them, so if you can talk about how to write, others will listen.

Q: How do you deal with negative reviews?

A: I am extremely lucky that, so far, I have avoided any bad reviews; but they are bound to arrive sooner or later. Hopefully, I will be grown up enough to weed out the learning points from the vitriol after I have stopped stamping and swearing and throwing crockery about. I won’t be entering into any correspondence with the authors of bad reviews as my natural arrogance will allow me to consign them to the mass of those too ignorant to appreciate my art.

Q: What is your favorite aspect of being an indie author?

A: There is nobody to nag me except me. Deadlines are for publishers desperate to recoup their advances and boost their sales. I am in the glorious state of retirement and so the only phantom at my feast is the old guy in the black cowled robe who sits in the shadows running a stone along the glinting edge of his scythe. The other advantage is the opportunity to spring clean the web covered attic of my mind and consign it to paper in a vain hope of immortality.

Q: What is your least favorite aspect of being an indie author?

A: Everything is my responsibility. Writing is the enjoyable part; after that comes the ever-lengthening tail of promotion, requests for spending on books, advertising, the blurbs synopses, letters to reviewers, potential publishers, magazines, news media and all the other hangers-on to an author’s coattails. This is when I feel like Sisyphus, endlessly pushing a boulder uphill. But push I must, and there are just enough lovely people out there who will take the time to read my books and write a review.   

Q: What is your current writing project?

A: I wrote a short science fiction book called Sea Change. Its first review complained that it should have been three longer books, so I have now reached sixty thousand words of the follow-up and may have to write a third book to complete the story. I love science fiction because the only limiting factors are my imagination and human frailty. Introduce a few robots and an artificial intelligence and even the shortcomings of humans can be overcome.

Q: What are three of your favorite novels?

A: I will start with Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett. This wonderful book, crammed with lovable characters, deals with discrimination and racism in a way which ridicules its basic premise and highlights the idiocy of those who indulge in it. I think even a member of the KKK couldn't take that organization seriously after reading this book.

My second book would be any of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five series. These now-dated and class- ridden tomes were the books which spurred me to read and read and read. Five children could conquer the world with only a pack of sandwiches, lashings of lemonade and a loyal dog. I owe a debt to this fine children’s author for hours of entertainment...and the basis of the Sprocket sagas.

My third is J. R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. This book transported me into the realms of true fantasy with elves, dwarves and dragons and opened the door to Lord of the Rings and the panoply of Norse legend.

You will notice from my choices that a good story with plenty of pacing is my reading [preference]. You will find very few examples of "The Great British Novel" on my bookshelves. The only thing I find amazing in the likes of Austen and the Brontes is how they could string together so many words regarding the preoccupations of women with too much time on their hands. Oh dear, that’s alienated at least half of your readers.

Q: If you could have lunch with any novelist, living or dead, who would it be? What would talk to them about?

A: Terry Pratchett. His ability to take everyday modern existence and run it through the mill of his Disc World, highlighting the humor and stupidity of even the darkest of our doings, has kept me laughing for years. He has the magic ability to hold up a distorting mirror and point out what is really important, what is pompous and over blown. I have a feeling that the food would go cold long before the conversation flagged.

Q: What is your best piece of advice for budding authors?

A: Get on and write! Never mind the spelling, grammar, punctuation and paragraphing. That’s what editors and proofreaders are for. Get your ideas down and save them. Not just on your hard disk but on at least one other source such as a memory stick or flash card. Also email them to a friend and yourself then if your computer blows up or is stolen, as mine was, you can retrieve your treasures from a third party. But again write. I can’t stress this too strongly. If you don’t get your ideas down they will evaporate and be lost. Keep a notebook handy for those flashes of brilliance which will be gone in the blink of an eye. They may have nothing to do with what you are writing at present, but could be the seed of your next book. Write anywhere, anytime. Life is short, and if you don’t use every available minute you may find yourself sitting in eternity raging about the bestseller you kept putting off. SO WRITE!

Q: What is your favorite inspirational quote?

A: A maternal grandfather told me that if something was wrong, moaning about it achieved nothing. He said get off your backside and do something about it, [otherwise] it is your fault if the problem exists. I try to live by this.

#