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Category: Author Interviews

Interview with Hounded Author Ellie Douglas

Interview with Hounded Author Ellie Douglas

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Hi Ellie, thanks for joining us!

I just finished Hounded and Hounded2 and you made the zombie world your own personal playground. Both were so well-done and truly had an original edge to them, especially considering you approached it from the aspect of man’s best friend becomes a killing machine.

Zombie Dogs

Is there a story behind your choice of zombie dogs? Do you have dogs? I know I’d be shattered if our sweetheart of a dog, Jimmy, turned into a zombie.

ED: The story came from my own fears of dogs, having been attacked twice when I was young. Combine that with my love of zombies, the fact that it hadn’t been done before, and the lure of doing something unique. Put all those reasons into one box, and it is how I came up with the story 🙂

I actually do not own a dog, I love them, we just never got one. We ended up with two cats instead. LOL

What attracted me the most about Hounded is how detailed it was and yet your story doesn’t get bogged down in the details. The story’s flow is smooth. You write like a seasoned professional. How long have you been writing and how did your path lead to zombies? And do you want to tell us about your current WIP?

ED: Hounded was the first book that I completed and it took me just shy of one year to write it. Initially, it was one book, which I had to separate into two books. So, officially, I started writing in 2015, however, I have been writing for most of my life.

Yes, I am working on something, and I’m going to be very mysterious about it. Because it is another idea that hasn’t been done before and so I want to keep the lid tight on it so it will be more of a shock-surprise when I release it, which will be sometime in 2019.

I checked out your website, so very cool. I love the dark, mysterious ambiance. I also love the way you describe New Zealand and its accomplishments. It makes me want to live there! So, when you’re not writing and raising your four kids, tell us something special about New Zealand that you enjoy doing.

ED: What I think I like most about living in New Zealand is its beaches and how close they are to where we live. I can get in the car and be at the beach in less than 15 minutes, go for a swim, a walk, another swim and just spend the day there. It is my most favorite place to be. The beaches here are beautiful, clean and we even have a couple of beaches with black sand. But, don’t try to walk on them or you’ll burn your feet. LOL

Why the Horror Genre?

Ellie, what led you to become a writer or even interested you about the horror genre?

ED: I often ask myself, why did I want to be a writer? When I was a little girl my dream was to be an actress. However, living in New Zealand and growing up in the ’70s and ’80s there wasn’t much in the way of acting and one would have had to travel abroad.

Instead, I transferred that dream into one I could do which was write. I love writing down stories, in particular, short stories. When my kids were babies and then toddlers I would not only read them stories, I would also make up stories. They loved them. The giggles I got from them were insane. For a while, I thought I was going to be a children’s author. But the passion for horror overrode that as the children grew older.

I hate to be cliché or ask what everyone else asks…but in truth, all these things interest me as a reader. Do you live in Auckland or in the bush?

ED: I live in Auckland and I’d never live in the bush because I’m a wuss when it comes to bugs. LOL I hate the weta’s we have here.

There are far too many bugs in the bush for me. However, we are surrounded by bush and I love taking bush walks. The kids love them, too.

Felix and the Fear Inducer

Please tell us about Fear Inducer and your other stories and what inspired you to write them.

ED: Fear Inducer came about from somewhere deep inside of my mind. I wanted to create a complex character that could be both evil and nice. One that could commit murder without touching his victims. I thought about many ways to do this and came up with Fear Inducer.

Felix, the main character, is an award-winning psychiatrist and psychologist. He was the prodigy of his parents, due to them having performed brain surgery on him, many times throughout his first years of development. In the hopes that he would be the world’s smartest man. This was his parents’ hope and dream. They succeeded.

However, an accident occurred during one of the routine operations, and it caused Felix to dive very deeply into his dark side. He couldn’t stop the desire to murder, no matter how much he wanted to. So Fear Inducer was born.

As for inspiration, it was more a challenge than an inspiration. I wanted to see if I could write a character so intelligent and so murderess at the same time. Which I did successfully. He is loved and hated by the many who read that story.

My other stories/books; again I never really have the inspiration to create them. I have thoughts that challenge my mind into writing something that I hope no one else has. I like to be different.

My books touch on character levels, getting to know the characters is exceptionally important for me. Without a bond with the reader and the character, you have nothing but a bunch of words. So I ensure that each time I create a character that he or she will either be loved or hated.

So my stories always start with the building of a character, their personality, quirks, loves, hates, tastes in music, etc. all of it laying the foundation for the story to unfold around them. I get into the minds of my characters and like a ladder, I climb them molding stories around them.

I noted on your website your awards. Please tell us about them.

ED: I never in a million years thought I’d win a book award, let alone four. I submitted my books to New Apple, Readers Choice, Literary Titan, and Greenlight Screenplay Adaption. I received a large, beautiful crystal trophy from Greenlight and it is simply gorgeous and a true honor to have had my book ‘Hounded’ engraved on such a prestigious award.

The same for all the other awards. For an indie author, it gives a new light of acknowledgment that our work is greater than good. Such compliments as those are very confidence boosting. I suggest all authors reading my post submit their works to contests because the reward isn’t winning, it is the recognition which in itself is an enormous win.

To Follow Ellie

To find out more about Ellie and to stay in touch, here are her links:

Twitter      Facebook     Instagram     Pinterest     Goodreads     LinkedIn

The Graphics Business & Pre-Made Covers

And your graphics business, I’d love to hear about that. Did you create your own covers? How long have you been a graphic artist? I’d love examples of your work. Pre-made covers?

ED: Yes, I created my own book covers. I’ve been a graphic artist now for over ten years. I have a lot of samples on my website, https://www.authorellie.com/covers and yes they are pre-made covers. I also do custom design covers for authors. I have done web pages, too, and I make my own adult coloring books, which can all be found on the links provided 🙂

 

Great covers, Ellie!

ED: Thank you, Ingrid, and thanks for this interview!

In closing, thank you so much, Ellie Douglas, for the wonderful interview. And readers, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact Ellie using her links above or feel free to comment below.

And, if there is a certain Indie Author you’d like me to interview. Please nominate the book and author in the comment section below. If I enjoy the book as much as you obviously have, I’ll be sure to interview the author.

Thank You!

My Interview with Author John Claude Smith

My Interview with Author John Claude Smith

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Occasional Beasts: Tales and Other Thoughts

This morning our interview is with John Claude Smith, author of the latest bestseller, Occasional Beasts: Tales. Welcome, John Claude, and thank you for being here.

I think I’ve read every book you’ve published since The Dark is Light Enough for Me. Your books are always horrifically fun and intriguing in a slightly messy and unnerving sort of way. 

So, tell us…who is John Claude Smith? 

 The Lowdown (aka Author’s Bio)

“John Claude Smith has published two collections (The Dark is Light Enough for Me and Autumn in the Abyss), four chapbooks (Dandelions, Vox Terrae, The Anti-Everything, and The Wrath of Concrete and Steel), and two novels.  Riding the Centipede was published by Omnium Gatherum in 2015 and was a Bram Stoker Award finalist for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. 

The Wilderness Within was published by Trepidatio/JournalStone in October of 2017.  His third collection, Occasional Beasts: Tales, has just been published and includes 14 tales and 92k words of weird horror. He splits his time between the East Bay of northern California, across from San Francisco, and Rome, Italy, where his heart resides always.”

JCS: Besides this, I am driven by the arts, be it music, painting, writing—of course—and many curious variations, a lot of it veering toward outsider art.

IF: For those who are not currently following John Claude Smith on Facebook, I strongly encourage it. His daily posts are always interesting, enlightening and, I must say, surprising. Now, on with the show…

First Tales and the Giant Claw

IF: John Claude, as we are in the business of writing the “what if” stories, the stories whose subjects are born from our own fears, our own curiosities, I might suggest that your stories are an index of who John Claude Smith is. Where he’s been, where he is presently and where he’s going on his path of life.

So with this in mind, I have to ask, John Claude, going back in time, what was your first story and what events in your life gave birth to it? Can you describe where you were either physically or even psychogenically at the time?

JCS: My first story was for a class in school when I was perhaps seven and I’d ignored the teacher and the project and, at the last minute, scribbled a tale based on the movie, The Giant Claw. I hastily drew a bad cover for the tale, turned it in, and was embarrassed when the teacher posted it on display with the other tales. I learned my lesson about caring about the work right then.

But, of course, that’s not the first real tale. I started writing with lyrics and then poems, before moving on to tales that veered strongly into Twilight Zone territory, both the television show and the magazine from the 1980s. Fast forward a wee bit, and a point when I thought, hey, since I’m writing stuff all the time, why not get serious about it?

I was in my late twenties and just kind of getting by and needed something more from my life than, well, just getting by.  The mindset had been triggered.  Being a writer might bring fame and fortune and, haha, hey, as long as I can write and perhaps get some tales out, that would be something.  My headspace needed renovating.

The first tales were more straightforward horror, but even then, I was exploring something deeper. I distinctly remember writing a tale called, ahem, “A Torrent of Ages,” some kind of warped exploration of how a watcher over history is needed in order to keep the balance in the world. That perhaps ten years later, maybe more, became “The Perceptive One,” which was once called, “The Oblivion Express,” what with the train in the tale.

The original version was around 3000 words, while the expanded version is over 10,000 words. Anyway, to tie this up, I do not remember the first tales, as I’ve written my whole life, but what eventually became “The Perceptive One,” from my first collection, The Dark is Light Enough for Me, was there in the beginning when I decided getting serious needed to happen.

My first sale was a tale called, “Slow Flies,” a zombie-esque tale that takes place in Eddie Van Halen’s house, years after he’s gone and the world’s gone the way of a plague and the only edible thing left are the big, fat slow flies…

IF: Gross! LOL

Snippets from Another World

IF: A little history here, I believe you told me that you started writing by reviewing local bands in San Fran? I would still to this day, love to read those reviews. But my question is what band, local or otherwise, influenced you enough to impact your writing? Or was it an amalgamation of more than one? And what stories or creative vibes did they influence?

JCS: Excellent question.  Yes, soon after I got serious about fiction writing, I was sidetracked by music journalism. I reviewed primarily the more obscure genres—dark ambient, death industrial, power electronics, experimental, etc.—along with metal and industrial. With the likes of dark ambient and all their noisy companions, I took a different path with my reviews.

Since most of the music was instrumental, and rather wild, cosmic, or at least inspiring me in such a way, a lot of my reviews almost came off as snippets of some other world, or something horrific, or just something a wee bit creepy. An example: “The A-side opens with the wail of a siren from an operating room in the pit of Hell, a pummeling beat tattooing the souls in torment (unwilling patients to a sadistic fate), scalpels wielded with negligible glee: dissection, imminent; anesthesia, questionable (non-existent…)” 

Another one, for amusement sake: “There is a tendency for the atmospheres to sound as though they are being electronically scanned, kind of a sonar blipping responses from the ectoplasm currents at the edge of a formless infinity thought eons dead, but alive because everything that ever was exists within us all, trace memories from the limbic mind.  Ingenious!  And then, at the point when the “I have come to tell you what I have seen…” sample (Ray Milland from X—The Man With The X-Ray Eyes) kicks in, everything grows more pervasively eerie, more discomfiting, nerves on needles, as if we have slipped into that other dimension/realm/(anti)world. 

It is a mirror warped, a negative reflection, an aural mutation—doors to alternate explanations of reality swing open, a flood of technologically interpreted sounds from the “Anti-World,”–a deluge of black static transmissions: layers of sound in revolt, a vortex brimming with disembodied voices and, toward the end, confusion as law, confirmation of a successful journey via the haunted, soulless chorus denouement…” etc., on and on, I did have a tendency to go on, haha…  And neither of these examples takes us into the deepest cosmic wasteland or dealing with strange alien creatures or… 😉

It’s funny, I don’t know exactly how or if the review writing did anything specifically for my fiction writing, besides training me to meet deadlines, which isn’t a bad thing. I believe because they were almost condensed tales…not really tales, but snapshots into other worlds, they stood on their own. I have twisted pieces of some into poetry, but I don’t believe I’ve used any for fiction (maybe one piece), though I often think I should, so perhaps that will still come.

The Influence of J.G. Ballard

IF: I believe this is a topic near and dear to your heart. What authors have influenced your writing the most? And have they also influenced your life?

JCS: Too many have influenced my writing at one time or another: Clive Barker, Kathe Koja, early Lucy Taylor, Charlee Jacob, Joe R. Lansdale, Hunter S. Thompson, William S. Burroughs, a slew of current writers, and many, many more. But I think the primary one, that also might influence upon my psyche, is J.G. Ballard. There’s nothing within the actual writing to indicate as much style-wise, but his mindset when writing, his distinct view, as well as how so many of his tales linger in my mind long after I’ve read them, tapping into something I cannot quite define. This fascinates me as much as the best of his writing.

IF: Wow, note to self, read J.G. Ballard. Okay, well, that’s all we have time for today.

John Claude, thanks so much for doing this interview. You’re an inspiration and I wish you and Alessandra a long, happy life!

For more about Author John Claude Smith and his wild, weird and absolutely fantastic tales, please see below…

Occasional Beasts: Tales

 

Reviews for Occasional Beasts:

“John Claude Smith’s collection Occasional Beasts is a dark mosaic of the weird, the surreal, and the bizarre. These stories will dig into your brain-meat and take up permanent residence there. Highly recommended!” — Tim Waggoner, author of The Mouth of the Dark

 “Smith has mastered the delicate art of dread, transcending genre to put his stamp on weird horror. Provocative and terrifying, he grounds Occasional Beasts in the human condition while warping the walls of reality in fourteen tales that are not for the faint of heart.” –John Foster, author of Mister White and Dead Men

 “Occasional Beasts is yet another dazzling collection of dark imaginings from the mind of John Claude Smith. His evocative prose, mastery of atmosphere, and wildly original concepts manage to cast a spell on the reader that is as alluring as it is unsettling. …a certain glorious madness permeates this collection, as well as a fearless, visceral writing style that demands your attention”– Taylor Grant, Two-time Bram Stoker Award Nominee, The Dark at the End of the Tunnel

“A tumble down a dark slide with stories extremely dark, poetic and metaphysical, Occasional Beasts feels like holding hands with a demon while an angel whispers in your ear.” — John Palisano, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Nerves and All That Withers

“John Claude Smith’s Occasional Beasts lurks in the subconscious long after the last page. Despair becomes peace, and the soul is left a scream in the darkness as these tales churn through your psyche… Occasional Beasts: Tales is a must-read, but do so with the lights on.” —Alex Scully, editor Firbolg Publishing

Links for Occasional Beasts: Tales and John Claude Smith:

Occasional Beasts: Tales Amazon

Occasional Beasts: Tales Omnium Gatherum

JCS Amazon Author Page

Goodreads

The Wilderness Within (blog)

 
Interview – Inspirational Author of the LoveLock, Eichin Chang-Lim

Interview – Inspirational Author of the LoveLock, Eichin Chang-Lim

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Winner of the Award of Literary Excellence and Author of Flipping, A Mother’s Heart, and Love, A Tangled Heart, announces her latest novel, The Lovelock

Please meet Author Eichin Chang-Lim

Welcome, Eichin, and thanks for doing this interview!

ECL: Hello Ingrid, great to be here.

The LoveLock

When your book, The LoveLock came out, you immediately grabbed my attention with the cover and then drew me in with your book description.  The LoveLock is such a captivating, deeply touching story that I found myself doing something I’ve never done. I found myself relating so quickly to your characters that before the initial part of the story was over, I was crying. It was that intense!

If you don’t mind my asking, Eichin, where did the idea for this story come from? And how does one go from being a model to an optometrist and then an author of inspiring, uplifting, romantic stories?

ECL: Thank you so much for sacrificing your precious time to read my book and write a heartfelt review. I am grateful. 

Where did the idea for this story come from?

The subtitle of The LoveLock is A Romantic Suspense Novel. The idea of writing a book pertinent to depression and mental illness has been germinating within me for a long time—I would say since even before my first book, Love, A Tangled Knot (the first edition was titled Tough Scratch-Love, the Tangled Knot). But, I put this project on a back burner because I wasn’t ready to toil on such a vexing subject at the time.

You might have noticed that romance and inspirational are my niche genres. I write romance because I find it to be an intriguing genre; I find that relationships are quite complex in real life. Therefore, I use romance to depict the intricacies of relationships. Ultimately, it evolves into an inspirational and thought-provoking tale.

 I tend to tell love stories beyond the confines of romance. I strive to convey the kind of love that is much broader and more profound than romantic or physical love. It’s my conviction; love is more than a four-letter word. It’s multi-dimensional; it involves sacrifice, forgiveness, trust, demoting one’s ego, or even “letting it go” at times. I also like to encompass the love of friendship, family, and even pets in my story.

Although The LoveLock is still within the genre of romance and inspiration, it’s much grittier than my previous three books. It’s dark because the story revolves around the aspects of mourning of death, the anguish of loss, disappointment of being rejected, and torments of mental illness with a touch of the spiritual and supernatural. A portion of the book, I would say even right from Part 1, is engulfed with a deep sense of melancholy, which can be uneasy and challenging for some readers.

Mental Pain is No Stranger

If you ask whether I’ve injected personal experience into the storyline, the answer is yes. Mental pain is no stranger to me. For years, I blamed myself for my son’s genetic disorders and his deafness (as illogical as it may sound, I was drawn in that whirl of remorse for quite a few years.) With that, I experienced episodes of depression. Moreover, through the years as a health care provider, I’ve encountered an increasing number of patients who are taking anti-depressants and enduring other kinds of mental stresses.

In order to write the LoveLock with credibility, I read relevant books and did research. In addition, I consulted with a clinical psychiatrist about PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) symptoms. Mental illness is a silent yet devastating condition. It hurts immensely, yet the wound is invisible. The pain is palpable; however, it’s indescribable verbally most of the time. Many times, people feel ashamed and uncomfortable revealing their inner torment to others for fear of being misjudged. 

At the beginning of the book, I quoted two talented writers and poets who are eminent in the literature arena. Please allow me to reiterate here.

“The world wavered and quivered and threatened to burst into flames.” —Virginia Woolf.

“I wanted to tell her that if only something were wrong with my body, it would be fine, I would rather have anything wrong with my body than something wrong with my head, but the idea seemed so involved and wearisome that I didn’t say anything. I only burrowed down further in the bed.” —Sylvia Plath

Both Woolf and Plath eventually committed suicide. What a tragedy!

About Writing

It’s my desire to write a story about the affliction of mental illness and how to find hope and strength to defeat the haunting inner strife and long lamented pain. A triumph after a long struggle is comparable to a small larva wrapped in a dark cocoon. The larva undergoes a gruesome metamorphosis, breaks through the chrysalis, and transforms into a majestic butterfly spreading its wings and flying.

I would also like to clarify a concern; some readers find it to be confusing and question my view on sexuality. The main character, Violet, becomes close friends with the strip club bouncer, who is gay. I feel obligated to explain that particular plot detail to my readers.

To be clear, I am a Christian and straight. I have no particular political or religious agenda. This inclusion is just an honest reflection of my real life. I have a few good friends and co-workers who have different stances and preferences in terms of sexuality.

It has never occurred to me that these differences could cause any conflicts in my friendships or work relationships with them. Wouldn’t it be nice if all of society could tear down all the unnecessary walls and build genuine friendships amongst one and another?

Yes, Eichin, it would.

Eichin’s Journey

How does one go from being a model to an optometrist and then an author of inspiring, uplifting, romantic stories?

It’s an interesting journey, I would say.

I wanted to be a writer when I was in elementary school. I even submitted several short stories and essays to youth magazines, and they were accepted and published. Of course, they were written in Chinese back home. In junior high, I submitted some more articles and stories; they were ruthlessly rejected. My confidence shattered; I started to doubt my writing ability. At the same time, I found interests in other areas of study. So, the idea of being a writer faded, and I gradually evolved my studies in science and healthcare.

After years as an optometrist, I realized that every person is a unique individual, and every soul is precious. I know this sounds clichéd. However, that’s my conviction. I really appreciate that my patients allow me to look into their eyes, “the windows to the soul.” (Again, a cliché!) I believe every person has a story. 

The urge to tell stories prompted me to become an author eight years ago. My novels are inspired by the stories I’ve have heard and the people I’ve met.

Regarding modeling and acting, they are for personal enrichment. I was in several short films and one feature movie, with a few IMDb credits. I savor the experiences and incorporate them into my plot; however, I don’t plan to make it my career.

Many thanks to this week’s guest,  Author Eichin Chang-Lim

For more information about Eichin and her great stories, here are her links…and please see below for a special announcement!

Twitter | Facebook  | Amazon | Google+ | Goodreads

And, as always, thanks for reading!

GREAT NEWS!!

Eichin just received this letter from Writer’s Digest –

Dear Eichin,

“Congratulations!

Your book, The LoveLock, has been awarded First Place in Young Adult category for the Writer’s Digest Self-Published eBook Awards. …an announcement [will appear] in the May/June 2019 issue of Writer’s Digest.

…many congratulations from all of us on the Writer’s Digest team!”

Best Regards,

Cassie Lipp

IF: Congratulations, Eichin, a well-deserved honor! I am so excited for you!
My Interview with Author Tina-Marie Miller

My Interview with Author Tina-Marie Miller

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My guest this week is Author Tina-Marie Miller. Hello Tina-Marie, thanks for joining us!

Hello Ingrid, thanks so much for the opportunity.

The Hamptons

I recently read your novel, THE CURIOUS MISS FORTUNE, your second novel in The Hamptons series. I love the way you start the story with Tiggy getting notified by her father’s lawyer, leading her to return to The Hamptons. You don’t tell us why she’s returning or the backstory of why she’s reluctant.  Your writing is mysterious, dynamic and compelling. I couldn’t stop reading.

So, my first question, Tina-Marie, is where did your idea for The Hamptons come from?  

Thank you so much for your kind words Ingrid, I am truly thrilled that you enjoyed The Curious Miss Fortune.

The idea for The Hamptons came about when I was writing my debut novel, Everything Happens For A Reason. Although I always intended to make this a series, I hadn’t at that stage created anything more than King’s Oak, the fictional village, that the main protagonist – Poppy Jackson – was brought up in. As the story developed and I had her returning to her roots, the idea for Hampton Ash and Hampton Waters – known as The Hamptons – evolved. A plethora of future story lines started vying for attention so I took the time to step back and create a whole fictional county! This has fed my imagination further and will hopefully lead me to create many more future books in the series.

The Series

There are three books in the series now, EVERYTHING HAPPENS for a REASON, THE CURIOUS MISS FORTUNE, and FAME and FORTUNE. For those of us who love your writing and are anxiously awaiting your latest book, can you give us a few words about FAME and FORTUNE to wet our appetites?

I had already planned out some of the story lines for Fame and Fortune, but despite this, once I began actually writing it, two more ideas were screaming at me to be told. So, I went back and revised my original ideas and was pleasantly surprised by how it all turned out.

Whilst we return to the light-heartedness of village life, Fame and Fortune explores the phenomenon of Ghosting – the practice of suddenly ending all contact with a person without explanation. I have attempted to tackle this serious issue from different perspectives.

We welcome back many favored characters such as Diana Fortune who, as The Curious Miss Fortune reveals, has become quite the celebrity. The Hamptons receive an invitation to participate in the Cotswolds County Majorette of the Year competition and Diana is approached to form a team for the villages’ entry. Enter the Fortunettes, who are soon put through their paces in preparation for the big event – which of course doesn’t come without its challenges!

We are introduced to several new characters too, including the glamorous Georgina Fame, a popular weight loss guru.

It’s a tale of family conflict, deceit, broken hearts and redemption… Well… this is the Hamptons after all!

Sounds wonderful, Tina-Marie!  I can’t wait to read Fame and Fortune.

That’s super kind of you to say Ingrid, thank you.

Getting to Know Tina-Marie Miller 

Just a couple questions so we can get to know you better…

1) If you were a bird, what would you be and why?

It would have to be a hummingbird. Apart from their glorious colors, they always appear to be so happy despite being so busy. I see them as spreading happiness and positivity wherever they go which is something I aspire to do each and every day.

Like you, I admire hummingbirds and your posts and tweets never fail to make me smile.

2) What is your favorite thing to do to relieve stress?

Like many people, I am no stranger to stress and anxiety, and I have tried various techniques over the years to bring relief. I remember once driving into the depths of Oxford for a reflexology session – something I had never tried before. At the end of the session, I felt amazing – until I got up to leave. I hadn’t appreciated that the lotion the practitioner had applied to my feet was slippery and I ended up falling down three flights of stairs! Literally black and blue with bruises over the following days, I had a good chuckle about it. I then went on to try Reiki healing – something completely non-evasive that clicked with me immediately and over the following years I went on to train as a Reiki Master. Now I regularly meditate and perform self-healing. It is always my immediate go-to in times of stress.

Falling down the stairs, how awful! I’m so glad there wasn’t any permanent damage.

As for Reiki healing, I’ve experienced it with my sister who is also a Reiki Master. It just proves how amazing you are, Tina-Marie. An author and a Reiki healer, too worthwhile and time consuming endeavors.

Thanks so much for sharing.

3) What is your favorite quote?

‘Insanity runs in my family. It practically gallops’ – Cary Grant

Another favorite, Cary Grant, what a great quote!

4) Now, do you want to give a shout out to anyone?

I would like to give a huge shout out to my daughter Alexandra who is always on hand to listen to my latest ideas, offering encouragement and giving me the confidence to put a voice to my thoughts. We not only share a passion for books and writing, but we have a wealth of other common interests and never run out of things to discuss! She is a complete blessing to me and I give thanks for her each and every day.

Tina-Marie, Alexandra sounds like an amazing young woman!

Thank you, Tina-Marie, for being our guest today. It was a pleasure getting to know you a little better and for hearing about your new release, FAME and FORTUNE.

Readers, for more information about Tina-Marie Miller, please read on, and thank you, as always, for visiting!

Tina-Marie’s Bio:

Tina-Marie Miller is a UK based author and writer of women’s fiction. She was born and bred in the beautiful, historic village of Sutton Courtenay, near Abingdon, Oxfordshire, famed for being the final resting places of George Orwell (author of Nineteen Eighty-Four) and Herbert Asquith (Prime Minister 1908-1916).

Having previously enjoyed a successful career working for a number of blue chip organizations based in London and the Home Counties, Tina-Marie is now based in a small village in South Cornwall with her husband and two adult children, where she spends her time reading, writing and walking along the idyllic Cornwall coasts.

She enjoys nothing more than curling up with a good book and a cup of tea, and losing herself in tales of love, life and laughter.

Stay in Touch

If you would like more information about Tina-Marie Miller, here are her links below:

http://tinamariemiller.co.uk

https://twitter.com/tinseymiller

https://www.facebook.com/tinseymiller

https://www.instagram.com/tinseymiller

 

 

 

 

Interview with Author Sam Boush

Interview with Author Sam Boush

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Please welcome Sam Boush, Author of the great new Thriller – ALL SYSTEMS DOWN

Hello Sam, welcome, and thanks for doing the interview –

The Cyber War and ALL SYSTEMS DOWN

I just finished reading your amazing first book of your Cyber War Series, ALL SYSTEMS DOWN, and I was going to ask where a journalist and a novelist came up with the background for this story. But then, I noticed on your website: “Center for Internet Security, International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, and Cloud Security Alliance.”

How did you get involved in writing about cyber attacks, and a hypothetical and realistic war? It is a big step from being a firefighter, a journalist and owning a marketing agency.

Sam Boush – After I sold my marketing agency, I had some time to finally jump into the career I’d wanted to pursue since I was a kid. (I have this theory that most of us secretly or not-so-secretly want to be an artist of some kind – whether it’s a rock star, sculptor, or scribbler.) So I wrote a novel on one of the subjects I find most interesting, which is the vulnerability of our physical infrastructure to cyber war.

 All Systems Down has done pretty well, and I’m feeling good about the sequel that should be out in 2019.

Glad to hear the book is doing so well and that’s great news about the sequel!

While I was preparing for your interview, I spent some time on your website, Cyberwars.com , and came up with some questions.

Great website by the way, okay, now to learn more about Sam Boush…

About Sam Boush

Sam, you’ve led such an exciting and no-doubt dangerous life first as a wildland firefighter and then a journalist. What led you to being a wildland firefighter and what, if anything, do you miss about it? And regarding journalist, taking into account France and Spain, am I right in guessing you were a foreign correspondent?

Sam Boush – Firefighting was probably dangerous, but my journalism career wasn’t. I WISH I’d been a foreign correspondent. But, alas, my most successful article was a science piece about the (ahem) below-the-waist features of snakes. It did win a Society for Professional Journalists award, though!

“His Heart Belongs to Portland”

According to your website you have lived in France and Spain, but your heart belongs to Portland. I know there’s a story there, so please tell us as much as you want to share. Were you raised in Portland or does it have everything to do with your lovely family?

Sam Boush – I’m originally from Eugene, Oregon, about two hours south of Portland. But I’ve lived in this blustery city for fourteen years, and really do love it. Great neighborhoods, very livable, nice people. And of course, my family, like you say. My kids are elementary-school-aged and I’m pretty sure they like this place as much as any kids can love their hometown.

The Irishman and the Vikings

Please tell us about your first full-length story. No, not the first one you published, but the very first one you ever wrote. How old were you and what was it about?

Sam Boush –I’ve told the story before about how my first story, as a kid, was Winnie-the-Pooh fanfic. (http://jodigallegos.com/author-spotlight-sam-boush/). But I don’t think anyone has ever asked me about the first full-length book I wrote (and never published) as a teenager. It was a cringy historical fiction attempt about a 7th Century Irishman who gets captured by Vikings. If I can say one good thing about it, tackling that manuscript taught me a lot about writing.

 Funny enough, the first fifty pages were actually decent enough to get me an award from the Pacific Northwest Writer’s Association. I guarantee that if they’d read the whole thing (as a couple unfortunate agents did) they’d never have given me that award.

Advice for New Writers

Sam, congratulations on the award! You mentioned how much you learned about writing while you wrote your Irishman story. What advice would you give new writers, especially those “cringing” after their first story?

Sam Boush – There’s so much. The advice I hear a lot is just to keep writing—and I think that’s great. But I’d also add that there’s a lot to the craft of writing that new writers sometimes struggle with. A few examples are: plotting, especially creating acts (as in a three-act structure); ensuring all major characters have a story arc with a resolution; and focusing on chapter-level writing, rather than trying to write perfect sentences.

The Cyber War Series

What can you tell us about your next book in the Cyber War Series?

Sam Boush – I can tell you that I’m wrapping it up now and that my publisher should be getting it after I get some more feedback from advance readers. There’s a much bigger military focus in this one, so I’ve got a lot of help from the good people in our armed forces around what they would do in certain situations if the lights went out and satellites started falling from the skies.

In Case of Cyber Attack?

Wow, how exciting. Can’t wait to read it!

Now, speaking of wrapping up, one last question, Sam. If there was a cyber attack on the US, much like in your book, knowing all that you know about the subject, where would you go?

Sam Boush – Well, the conceit of the book is that the cyber attack in All Systems Down is hugely devastating. More devastating than we’d probably see in real life because of the difficulty in coordination. But if a cyber war hit us at that scale, I’d probably stay home if I could. Heading out into the country or off camping with my family just wouldn’t cut it.

Well, I’m thinking that’s good advice. Thank you, Sam Boush, Author of ALL SYSTEMS DOWN, for being here. I wish you continued success in writing career and all the best on your upcoming book.

And for those who want to know more about the Sam Boush, his links are below:

Sam’s Website

Twitter 

 

Graphics by Carol Marrs Phipps

Graphics by Carol Marrs Phipps

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The Newest Name in Graphics

I’ve long been impressed by Carol Marrs Phipps’ marketing on Twitter. I’ve always found her artwork eye catching and compelling and let’s face it, that’s what marketing is all about. We want our target audience to stop whatever they’re doing, read our ads and potentially, buy our books.

With this in mind, when I discovered Carol had started her own graphics business, I jumped at the chance for her to create posters for me. I’m quite pleased with the results.

Below is a response from Carol regarding her new business; also enclosed are samples of her work. Just to give my two cents, Carol is amazing to work with and is highly responsive to your needs on a budget most Indie Authors can afford.

CMP – I’ve always been a bit of a do-it-yourselfer, so when I needed more graphics than I could comfortably afford to purchase from graphic artists to adequately promote my books, I decided it was time to learn how to use Photoshop and make my own. 

 

And so the adventure began. Once I became much more adept with the program I started turning out better and better promo ads for my books, and people began commenting about how good my banners were. A few suggested I ought to earn some extra money and charge people to make banners for them.

 

After much consideration I decided, “why not?” and opened up Carol’s Posters, Gifs & More (which I recently re-named Carol’s Banners, Gifs & More) http://www.niarg.com/carols-posters-gifs-more/.  My rates are very reasonable and customer satisfaction is my highest priority.

 
Interview w Fantasy Author Carol Marrs Phipps

Interview w Fantasy Author Carol Marrs Phipps

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Please welcome brilliant author Carol Marrs Phipps from the writer team of Carol Marrs and Tom Phipps

 

Hello Carol, welcome and thank you for doing this interview- 

Aside from all the help and support you’ve given me regarding my own work, I know so little about you. Would you mind sharing a little about your background? Where are you from? How did you and your partner/husband Tom Phipps get started in writing? Have you always written fantasy?

About the Author

Carol Marrs Phipps – I am a mother, grandmother, wife and doting pet owner. I say this first because my husband is always telling me that if I didn’t have anything else, I would mother a rock   Apparently my students agreed with my husband, because when I still taught elementary school, many of them often referred to me as “mom” rather than Mrs. Phipps.

My pets include six cats, a cockatiel, a raven and a blue-fronted Amazon parrot. (Though, anyone who has ever hand-raised a parrot understands they are far more like having another child, than a pet, particularly if they talk). 

I also love the outdoors where I enjoy walking, hiking, swimming, biking and picnics in the woods. Movies, traveling and family get-togethers are also an important part of my life.

 I was born and began life in Trenton, Missouri, but my parents moved to Illinois when I was very young. My husband Tom and I lived in the Southwest (Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada) where we taught on a number of Native American Reservations until we decided to move back to Illinois.

The Evolution from Teacher to Writer

Carol Marrs Phipps – I haven’t taught since our return, concentrating on our writing instead. Tom is retired from teaching, but now has a part time job (three 12 hr, days a week).

I am a fantasy writer and a dreamer. I love to weave the visions which play out in my imagination into fantastic tales for my own amusement and the enjoyment of others. If not writing I am a voracious reader.

I had a number of short stories I had written for my creative writing classes and the yearly anthology which I read to my husband and step children. Tom was impressed by my writing and encouraged me to take it up again.

Since writing had always been my first career choice, I was easy to convince. However, I discovered along the way that Tom also had a great writing talent, though he was more of a non-fiction writer. We soon decided that combining our skills would make some realistic fantasy stories that all ages could read and enjoy. Thus, we became a team.

The Troll Language

I just finished Elf Killers and like with WHAM!, could not stop reading. My only pause in the book was trying to decipher the troll language. That is until I found the glossary. Big help, by the way! Thanks for adding it.

How did you come upon the troll language or was this something you created?

Carol Marrs Phipps – Yes…and, no. As I mentioned earlier, Tom and I spent the bulk of our teaching careers on the Native Indian Reservations. The troll language evolved out of native Navajo…with some creative adjustment, mostly exchanging one consonant for another. The word meanings, however, remained the same for our book.

Elf Killers and Other Stories

Regarding Elf Killers, your world creation was highly detailed, your adventure compelling and fast paced, and your characters so fun to read, I absolutely lost myself in the book. Such an amazing story. Is Elf Killers a standalone novel or do you plan a sequel?

Carol Marrs Phipps – Again I must answer yes…and no to your question. Although ELF KILLERS is our first published work, it was not actually written first. Tom and I had written four or five of the HEART OF THE STAFF books before we decided to do ELF KILLERS.

In STONE HEART, the 3rd book of the HEART OF THE STAFF series, the elf killer trolls are actually introduced, and they appear in each book of the series thereafter. ELF KILLERS is more or less a prelude to the series, even though it is not so labeled. Most of the trolls and elves from the series appear in ELF KILLERS, too.

Then in WHAM! the readers who have read ELF KILLERS and/or the HEART OF THE STAFF series will discover in book 2 of the TIMEWALKER series, that the troll barber is a descendant of Thunderman Veyfnaryr. Yes…all of our books are “connected”. WHAM!, book 1 of the TIMEWALKER series takes place 700 years after the HEART OF THE STAFF series, but you’ll find some of those “eternal” fairies and long-lived elves cropping up from time to time.

What other books have you written?

Carol Marrs Phipps – To date we have written: ELF KILLERS, GOOD SISTER, BAD SISTER (book 1 of HOTS), THE COLLECTOR WITCH (book 2 of the HOTS), STONE HEART (book 3 of the HOTS), THE BURGEONING (book 4 of the HOTS), THE REAPER WITCH (book 5 of the HOTS), DOOM (book 6 of the HOTS), the HEART OF THE STAFF: complete appendix (a companion book for the boxed set, HEART OF THE STAFF: complete series. Amazon would not allow us to attach the appendix to the boxed set because they said their policy did not allow a work of that size to be sold for only 99 cents. At he time we were adamant about the 99 cent price as we were still relative unknowns and we hoped to develop a bit of a readership.), and WHAM! (Book 1 of Timewalker)

What is your favorite genre to read? Write?

Carol Marrs Phipps – Fantasy is my answer to both questions.

Regarding your series, Heart of the Staff, please tell us a little about it?

Carol Marrs Phipps – The HEART OF THE STAFF series is a true epic fantasy saga which spans four complete generations in the life of a wizarding family.

Two evil sorceresses are on a path to rule the entire world; one from the shadows and the other from the throne she “inherited” early by killing her adoptive parents, the former king and queen, shortly after her sixteenth birthday. The wizarding family, headed by the most powerful wizard in the land, Razzmorten Dewin , who had previously lived in a  peaceful, even idyllic land, now find themselves and their very world in great peril.

In Closing

Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me, Carol. I know you’re short on time. Is there anything else you’d like to add:

Carol Marrs Phipps – Thanks the opportunity, Ingrid. Yes, there is.  To wrap up, I offer the following reader review for this series:

“I very highly recommend this “Heart of the Staff” epic

fantasy series. If you like fantasy stories, set in a time

of kingdoms and castles, loaded with evil witches, wizards,

elves, fairies, trolls, unicorns, dragons, kingdoms with

marching armies of war, this series has it all. I absolutely

loved these books!!”

A Great Announcement!

Many thanks to Author Carol Marrs Phipps for joining us! I have long admired her marketing efforts on Twitter, creating these elaborate detailed and colorful posters.

 

Click on this pic and get a great Christmas Wonderland Surprise!

 

Here’s one she designed for me –

 

 

 

 

For more on Carol’s great new venture, stay tuned for next week’s post!

and for more about Carol and Tom Phipps and their marvelous stories, use the following links –

Amazon                         Niarg Website

Twitter                           Smashwords

Facebook                       Goodreads
Interview with the Incomparable Laney Smith!

Interview with the Incomparable Laney Smith!

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Please Welcome Author and BlogRadioHost Laney Smith –

Most of us know Laney Smith as the warm and personable Blog Talk Radio Host. Please meet Laney Smith, the talented multi-genre author who is never afraid to tackle any subject and through her passion for words makes that subject her own.

Welcome, Laney, and thank you for accepting my request to interview you. I’m so glad you could join us!

Laney – Thank you for having me, Ingrid. 

Laney Smith, Author

Laney, I just finished What He’s Done? and was truly amazed by your character Michael “Sully” Sullivan. From start to finish he truly was the perfect angelic killing machine. One never knew what he was going to do next.

One of your reviewers called the story, a creative nonfiction. That made me wonder if the story was based on a true story. Was there a real-life Sully or did you create him based on another serial killer?

Laney – “Creative non-fiction” is the perfect way to describe this work. Sadly, this story and this character are loosely based on truth. Obviously, names have to be changed when you’re writing something “based on a true story” unless you are writing a non-fiction, factual story where you have evidence and consent from every party involved.

That would be impossible, in this case. Also, with a situation such as this, a fair amount of the details available to you are hearsay. While some of those details can be proven, some are impossible to prove. So, I took a story and I created this work based on that story. I had to bridge gaps in some of the details and timelines.

Sully is a disturbing character to have in your head. He’s got an ego and he wants the story out there. He wants the world to see how “smart” he is. He loves to talk about “What He’s Done.”

This book was written, edited, and published in three months. That is how aggressive this character is. There were a number of times that I had to get away from my computer and out of my house, just to get him out of my head. He’s the most intense character I’ve ever met. I’m not sure I could be a true-crime, non-fiction author. I love to read those books, but I can’t imagine sharing my head with someone like Sully on a regular basis.

As a fan of suspense novels, especially yours, I’m hoping you’ve written other novels in this genre. If so, please tell us about them and if not, please tell me you’re planning to write more in the future. Your book really did captivate me.

Laney – Thank you, Ingrid! That really means a lot. You’ve actually just made my day. I love playing in the realm of suspense and mystery. I have several suspense, thriller type stories that are in the works.

I have Threshold which is a horror/suspense tale. At the time, my son was thirteen and he couldn’t find a book that creeped him out like some of his favorite movies. So, he asked me if I would write a book for him. So, I did.

That one was a struggle because as a mother, knowing my thirteen-year old son was going to read it, I had to dial myself back in a lot of ways. However, when it was all said and done, he loved it and thought it was just the kind of creepy he was looking for. Others have told me it freaked them out.

Then, there’s Ripples, which was written to turn the reader against themselves and everything they believe in. That one has brought a lot of unexpected reactions.

It is cool when people tell you they can relate to your character. It’s heartbreaking to find out how many people can relate to Rachel, however. The moral dilemma in Ripples was written to pit the reader against themselves. It was nervy and it worked, for the most part. There were a couple of issues. But, I’d do it all, again.

Wow, Laney, looking at your website and reading your answers here, it occurs to me that when it comes to writing, you’re up for any topic! So with that in mind, I want to know some history…some history about Laney Smith:

Laney, when, where and why did start writing?

I wrote a poem for a contest when I was nineteen years old. My poem was accepted and published in an anthology.

At the time, I had no idea what that meant. I didn’t even keep up with the title of the anthology or the letter that came saying my submission had won a place in the book. So, technically, I was published, for the first time, when I was nineteen. I have no idea which book that poem is in. I only remember something about a strawberry.

Anyway, I wrote articles for one of the local newspapers, here in Southern California. The editor for the paper, like many of the other people in my life, suggested I should write a book. I wish I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard that. I always laughed it off, but for some reason, when the editor told me that, it kind of snapped and something just clicked. So, I started writing Lock Creek.

What was your favorite story as a child? And what story scared you, but you had to read it anyway?

Laney – As a child, I loved Where the Red Fern Grows and Old Yeller. Those books make me cry, still. I love stories that can reach in and become a piece of you. For me, those two stories definitely did that. I will never forget them. They will always be favorites.

As far as stories that scared me, The Amityville Horror scared me half-bald. I was OK with everything, until it got to the part with the pigs with glowing red eyes, looking in the windows. That bugged me and I refused to preceded light, anytime I went into a room for a long time, after that. It freaked me out!

I read the Amityville Horror as well. I was in my teens and babysitting my niece. I couldn’t put it down, read the whole thing…talk about scary!  As for the Lutz family, I couldn’t believe they stayed in that house for a month. I wouldn’t have lasted a week.

Next question, you have two brothers and two sons and a daughter. Were you a tomboy?

Laney – I actually only have two boys. My brother has two little girls and I see them quite a bit. So, I can see how that confusion could happen. But, I just have two sons – which, to answer your question – do keep my inner tomboy from childhood alive and awake.

Both of them are all boy and they’re teens, now. So, if I want to hang with them, I’m fishing or watching them race RC cars. We go shooting – target practice. Camping is a fun time.

The funny thing is I’m really into watching various sports – baseball, football, hockey. Neither of them have any interest in sports. They’d rather be out doing something than sitting and watching anything. So, yes! We have a worm farm because they need bait. Being a sister to two brothers or a mother of boys is not a dainty job. I love it, though!

I can imagine. I got to be my daughter’s Girl Scout Leader for three years. I loved the camping and being in nature.

* * *

I read on your website that you have imperfections, scars, we all do. I got my first scar when my cousin ran over me with his bicycle when I was four. How did you get your first scar?

Laney – When I was three-years old, I was bitten by a German Shepherd. Apparently, he chewed up my face.  I was too young to remember anything about that experience. I just see the result from it on a daily basis. For some reason, the dog saw me as a threat, in some way, to the little kids he belonged to and he was protecting them.

Unfortunately, it was severe enough that the dog had to be eliminated and I hate that. I love dogs! I’m not particularly fond of German Shepherds to this day, even though I don’t recall the incident. It must be a sleeping memory. I just know the older I get, the deeper the scars seem to be and the more apparent they become.

My gosh, Laney, I am so sorry! What a traumatic experience! I’m also glad you lived to tell about it. This reminds me of one of my favorite pics, “Don’t be afraid to show your scars. It only proves you were stronger than whatever tried to hurt you.” And, you, my dear, even at three, are very strong! 

Okay, switching gears a little….

Laney, who was your childhood hero?

My dad was and still is my hero. He was a firefighter and I believed he could do anything. I remember sitting at the fire station with him when we would take dinner to him. The alarm would go off, every time, without fail, as soon as he sat down to eat. I’d get so mad at people. For the life of me, I couldn’t understand why they couldn’t wait until my dad got to eat his dinner to have a fire. I was young and I didn’t understand.

But, I remember the truck tearing off, lights and sirens wailing, waving at him and feeling so proud of that guy. It broke my heart when he was too busy to wave back at me. He was the coolest guy in the whole world, as far as I was concerned.

He still is! I still call him to solve every little problem I have. Now, instead of telling me what to do, he says, “Google it! Look on You Tube and find you a video.” Yep! At seventy-years old, my dad is more technologically astute than I am.

I wish we lived closer. He’s a pretty incredible man. He means so much to me and I get teary, thinking about how beautiful my life has been because of him. I want my boys to have more of his influence in their lives.

Such a beautiful story and tribute to your father! I hope he reads this interview.

* * *

Where was your least favorite place to live and why? Or, if you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

Laney – My least favorite place to live was Lamar, Colorado. We lived there for a brief time after we moved to Colorado to be closer to my dad’s family. That was hell! Actually, it was worse! It was the waiting room for hell where you just festered in the anticipation of hell. I hated living there.

There was nothing to do and it was miles from anything that mattered. It was dead and flat. It was hot and smelly in the summer. The whole town is surrounded by feedlots and it didn’t matter which way the breeze came from, it was horrid. There was nothing to do.

At school, they had never seen anything like me. Here I was, this little southern belle, complete with a southern accent. The teachers would make me stand in front of the class and talk so they could all laugh at how I said things. At the time, I couldn’t possibly know how that would help me in the future, but it did. So, I guess I walked away with some good out of that experience. I’m not at all bothered about standing in front of crowds and speaking. That’s my comfort zone. They helped me a lot! Special thanks to those Lamartians!

 As far as where I would like to live, quite honestly, I really want to live on Decker Estates, from Lock Creek. A private eight-hundred-acre lake? I’d love that! I’ve lived on a lake before and it was the most serene place I’ve ever lived. So, maybe I wouldn’t need a full eight-hundred-acres to call my own. But, I’d live just about anywhere with a lake. I do like being able to go to the ocean and stand on the beach and listen to the Earth breathe, too. So, maybe a lake. Maybe on the ocean.

Regarding your experiences at Lamar, what an awful thing for a teacher to do to a child! I applaud your resilience in taking a negative life experience and changing it into a good thing. You certainly are a great role model for the rest of us!

Okay, we’re starting to run out of time, but there’s so much more I want to ask you.

Laney Smith’s New Release

Laney, you have a book coming out this month. Do you want to tell us about it?

This book has been in the works for two or three years, now. You will understand, Ingrid. You have those works that you tinker with and they end up slithering off into some forgotten abyss. Then, you have other stories you tinker with that just aren’t through with you, yet. This was one of those:

 We have an MVP pro-baseball player, Ryan Priest, who has gotten himself in a little trouble, gambling on games. Then, he went out and played to “help” the wager go in his favor. It was dirty and he knows it. He got caught and he paid the consequences.

Then, a couple years later, his team makes it to the World Series. He misses a catch that cost his team the win. There isn’t anyone in baseball who believes he doesn’t have money riding on that game. He suffers an injury, after the fact and the organization uses that as an excuse to force him into early retirement. He had a jet-set life and it all just falls out from under him.

So, a couple years down the road, he returns to his hometown where there is a mischievous, seven-year-old baseball aficionado, Nathan Brock. The two end up crossing paths and a friendship builds. The boy is an only child to a single mother who works crazy hours to support her son, which leaves the boy home alone, quite a bit.

Ryan is adrift in his life, seeing as how baseball was his end all-be all. Now, here’s this kid with a knack for getting himself into trouble. Ryan ends up developing a soft spot for the kid and before you know it, through a series of comical events, he’s Nathan’s babysitter. You have a single mom and this guy who has lost all direction in life and a mischievous little boy who just might have a way to help Ryan find a new direction, while helping his mother find a way to realize her dreams.

 The story is titled, His Best Yet, and it’s a fun story!

Nathan is one of the most lovable kids, ever! I don’t want to ruin anything, but he insists his mother’s favorite food is “radishes.” He’s close! Only not at all!

I’ll let people read it to solve that little riddle. It’s a fun, light-hearted, comedic romance. There’s a little heat in some of it, so I’ve written two versions. Both will be out on June 26, 2018. The “Uncensored” version is for those who like the heat. The other version is for those who can do without it. It’s the same story, either way.

So, after almost three years, it’s finally happening and I know it’s time because I’ve tried for years to get a cover for this one and it’s just never happened. I connected with Jo-Anna Walker at Just Write Creations and she’s nailed it! So, I’m super excited!

This one has been a long time coming and I think everyone is going to love little Nathan and all of his little antics. I think they’re going to enjoy watching Ryan grow up, in terms of maturity. I also think they will be happy to see how it all plays out for these three characters.

The editor said there needs to be a sequel, so that will be in the works, as well. However, for now, this one is going to be a homerun! I just know it!

That does sound like a fun read! His Best Yet, available on Amazon tomorrow, June 26th in both the censored and uncensored versions.

* * *

Laney Smith, Blog Talk Radio Host

Okay, now for the second part of this interview. I first became familiar with you through your Blog Talk Radio show. I applauded your ability to make your guests feel at ease, something I am quite sure came from years of experience. So, please tell me, Laney, how you got into doing the shows and where your ability to be so down-to-earth and welcoming came from. It truly is a rare talent.

You know, I miss doing that show. Laney’s World for Writing Under the Influence was such a fun experience for me. I would love to have a regular show like that, again. I can’t tell you how many friendships I made and how many authors and books I discovered. I’m thankful to you for your kind words, because I had never done anything like that before in my life. Emmanuel Neal (Fre Thought) interviewed me for his show and after that interview, he asked if I would be interested in hosting a show. I thought he was joking, so I laughed. He wasn’t joking.

So, I’m forever indebted to him for affording me that opportunity. Before every show, I talked to the person I was interviewing to get a sense of how they felt, going into the interview. If they told me they were nervous or afraid, I knew I had to quiet that fear or they wouldn’t be able to share everything they wanted to get out. Then, the whole point of the show would be lost.

I think that time – talking to them just before the show started – gave them a chance to unwind a little and to stutter and stammer and confess that they were scared to death before they went out across the Blog Talk Radio waves. They were able to deal with the initial onset of nerves that always fades after a few minutes. So, by the time the show started, they had already gotten that part out of the way. Those minutes before also gave me an opportunity to joke with them – because that’s my answer for everything. Jokes!

There were a lot of special moments that happened in that time prior to the start of the show. I got to ask them what they wanted people to know so if they forgot to mention it, I could bring it up. I was able to ask them if there was anything in particular they wanted to discuss or that I needed to avoid discussing. I wanted their show to be what they wanted it to be.

I really do miss doing that show. I have all the links up on my webpage, to this day. I’ll probably never take them down. Maybe someday, I’ll have more links to post there. You could be my first guest, Ingrid.

 Thank you, Laney, I’d really like that!

Laney, you have such a big heart and are so eager to help worthy causes, I applaud you for that! I also hope that you get your radio show back on the air so you can continue helping others.

Thank you for that! That means a lot. And, thank you for having me. I really enjoyed this. I hope we do meet up in person. I think that would be a blast. I’m looking forward to that.

For more information about Laney Smith, please check out her links –

www.authorlaneysmith.com

www.facebook.com/ONEYEARSTIME
Twitter: @OYTLaneySmith
Amazon: www.amazon.com/e/B00LOZDHLO
Instagram: author.laney.smith

 
Interview with Kevin Ansbro

Interview with Kevin Ansbro

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Kevin Ansbro, Author – KINNARA

 

 

Intriguing and exotic, Kevin Ansbro’s novel explores how our actions can come back to haunt us in the most unexpected ways.

‘Murder, myth and Mr Ordinary meet up in this extraordinary novel. However bad the weather is here, Ansbro’s vivid writing will transport you to a sun drenched tropical island – with darkness at its heart. I loved it!’ – Karen Holmes, editor 2QT

 

Hello Kevin, thanks for the interview –

I just finished reading Kinnara. Such a brilliant and enjoyable adventure!

Kevin – Thanks, for inviting me to answer some questions, Ingrid.  I like being probed, though not by alien life forms … not that this has ever happened to me … or has it? They wipe your memory afterwards, don’t they? Now, on to the questions…

You know so much about Thailand, have you lived there? You character, Sawat, is so real, did you know someone like him?

Kevin – My wife and I are fortunate to have visited Thailand more than twenty-five times: we love the people/the culture/the overall vibe, and we speak a lot of Thai. Sawat, like many Thais, has an unassailable positivity, despite having to eke out a living in difficult circumstances. He seems to be everyone’s favourite character and is based on a friend of mine, whose winning smile would light up any room.

As for your portrayal of the tsunami that hit Thailand, were you there during that tragic and horrendous event?

Kevin – I wasn’t in Thailand at the time of the tsunami (we were there a couple of months prior), but waking up on Boxing Day in 2004 to those alarming scenes is something I shall never forget. I was immediately on the phone to friends whom I knew to be in the areas affected. One actually had to cling to a coconut tree while the spiteful torrent surged through, giving me the idea to write that frightening event into the book.

I love your use of the Swan People (Buddhist god, Klahan) and Buddhist mythology in your book. How did that originate and develop?

Kevin – Whenever I’m ferried into Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport in a taxi, I always marvel at the bronze statues of mythical creatures that line the route into the terminal. These statues depict the half-bird, half-human Kinnaree, much-loved in Thai folklore. And it was there that the nucleus of an idea began. By the time I’d paid the cab fare I was already planning a storyline that would involve these celestial beings. The male of the Kinnaree are known as the Kinnara, hence the title of my novel, which is essentially a teeth-rattling thriller wrapped in a burrito of magical realism.

I really enjoy your writing. It’s clear, smooth and flows. I’m curious about the German serial-killer connection in Kinnara. It seems to stand out so much from the rest of the story. May I ask how you came up with that?

Kevin – Why, thank you, Ingrid. 
The German serial killer connection was dreamt up to give the book an international flavour, my inspiration coming from a lifelong love of Bond movies!

You also wrote a short story entitled, The Angel in my Well. I’m curious where it came from. It is so different from Kinnara, and yet, I can see the underlying magical realism from the description you posted on your website.

Kevin – The Angel in my Well blossomed rather unexpectedly in the darkest of hours. 

My high-spirited (Irish) mum, Kathleen, had become a living shadow of her former self, ghosting the bleached corridors of a nursing home, lost in the fog of dementia and dying of cancer. While visiting her one day, I watched as she caught sight of her eighty-three-year-old self in a mirror, rather than the vivacious teenager she imagined herself to be. She turned to me, confused, and asked, “How did I suddenly get so old?”

It was heart-breaking to watch and at that moment I thought how wonderful it would be to have my mum come back to me again, as the scintillating young woman I remembered as a little boy – even if it was just for one day. And so, there and then, the nucleus of a book idea was borne.  As with Kinnara, the story is set in our real world, but with something otherworldly happening in that world.

My mum died not knowing she’d inadvertently inspired me to become an author, a silver lining to a very dark cloud.

Thank you, Kevin, for sharing. I’m sorry for your loss. The Angel in my Well sounds like a wonderful tribute to your mother. I look forward to reading it.

 

Now, Kevin, please tell us all about your next project.

Kevin – Although I’m a full-time writer, it has taken me three years to write my current novel. It’s complete, my best yet (I think), and I’ve only just begun to send submissions off to literary agents. 

It’s titled The Fish that Climbed a Tree (a metaphor for a Homeric, near-impossible, odyssey within its pages). And, again, there is an alchemy of reality and otherworldliness to my novel but it reveals, within its beating heart, a spiteful, teeth-rattling thriller that is in no way formulaic or prosaic (my style veers more towards the rich and linguistically playful).

I do want to add another question, I was actually referring the family question to your wife, Julie. Any correlation between Hannah and Calum and Kevin and Julie? Aside from the karate and kickboxing of course, btw, I’m totally impressed! So, all the traveling…because of tournaments?

Kevin – There isn’t a correlation between Hannah and Julie, though I channeled some of my wife’s wisecracks, swordplay and reactions into Hannah’s dialogue. Julie is also the first person I turn to for an honest, unvarnished appraisal of my work. 

When I was a kickboxer, the only travelling I did was around Britain. I have trained in Muay Thai (Thai kickboxing) while in Thailand though. Don’t let looks deceive you; those guys are hard as nails! 

Kevin, one of the things I admire about you is your encouragement and support of other writers. With that in mind, what advice would you give to new writers?

Kevin – Thank you! and I’m so pleased you asked this! 

I spot a great deal of uninformed guidance on social media: people suggesting that the way to get better at writing is simply to carry on writing. What utter nonsense! You wouldn’t employ an untrained person to run a restaurant kitchen on their own and say to them, “There’s the fridge; the pots, pans, knives are over there. Away you go!” Yeah, they’ll probably muddle through and improve, but will never attain the skills needed to become a great chef.

So, my best piece of advice is to read, read, READ. And don’t just read any old piece of pap. Peruse the classics; learn from the gods of literature. Find out about literary devices and how to construct a narrative arc; understand what it means to ‘show and not tell’. And please, please accept constructive criticism as if you were Gollum being offered the Ring.

Trust me, you need candid advice more than you need cheerleaders! It’s true that all writing has value, but aspire to be the Michelin-starred chef, not the short order cook. 

Ingrid, thank you so much for inviting me in for this groovy interview. It’s been an absolute pleasure!

I know that you are also eminently passionate about your work and I’d like to wish you every success for the future!

Thank you so much, Kevin Ansbro, for the interview, your thoughtful words, and for your amazing book, Kinnara. I look forward to reading The Angel in my Well and  The Fish that Climbed a Tree.

For more information about our guest, Kevin Ansbro, and for the latest on his upcoming novel,  you can find him on the links below:

Kevin’s website

Kevin’s author page on Amazon

‘Kinnara’ novel

‘The Angel in my Well’ short story

Kevin’s Twitter page

Kevin’s Goodreads author page

 
My Interview with Author Vanessa Ravel

My Interview with Author Vanessa Ravel

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Vanessa Ravel, Author – Four O’Clock Alice

 

 

A little girl. An ancient enemy. A shared past.

Alice Davies wouldn’t hurt a fly, but death seems to follow her everywhere. And as the body count rises, people in Dolwicke start to whisper.

If you like ancient myths and portal fantasies, you’ll love this surreal tale that will pull you down the rabbit hole for the adventure of a lifetime.

 

Hello Vanessa, thanks for the interview!

I just finished Four O’clock Alice and I have so many thoughts. I found it suspenseful with Alice Davies one of the most fascinating, engaging, and endearing characters I’ve read in a long time.

Now, most of us know the story of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, but yours is a different kind of Alice and I’m still not sure of the reference between the two stories. Would you please explain?  And also, if you don’t cover this, I’d love to know where you got the idea for this amazing story!

Vanessa – Thank you for inviting me to chat, Ingrid! I’m so happy to hear you liked Four O’clock Alice. It was my first novel—my baby, if you will—so I’m really pleased to know that she turned out okay! Like most first-time parents, I wasn’t quite sure what I was doing (I’m still learning with this next one, but I like to think I’m getting the hang of it!)

The relationship between my Alice and Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll is nuanced. I wanted to create a character with the same kind of curiosity and wonder as Lewis Carroll’s Alice, so I peppered my book with allusions to Carroll’s story. I also wanted to use Alice in Wonderland to establish exposition and setting (Edwardian England) and to show that the book was contemporary (though Carroll published his work 50 years earlier).

As it turns out, those superficial allusions opened a Pandora’s box of hidden connections between mine and Carroll’s story that, thanks to your great question, I just noticed. For example, both stories can be considered coming-of-age stories. In each story, the girl learns about herself and the world around her, and experiences fabulous and frightening things. She physically grows (and shrinks!) and for better or worse, Alice goes on the adventure of a lifetime.

Of course, it’s all subjective—some may see Alice in Wonderland as a political allegory and my book as a paperweight, but that’s what’s fun about literature analysis, isn’t it? The meaning is in the eye of the beholder.

A lot of people have asked me where I got the idea for Alice, and unfortunately, the story is really not that interesting! I don’t know how often this happens to other authors, but in 2012, I sat down to write a completely different book (I’m not really an “outliner”). Yes, the main character was a little girl. Yes, the genre was gothic/dark fantasy. But that’s pretty much where the similarities ended.

What happened was I wrote myself into a rabbit hole and instead of trunking my beloved first novel, I dug deeper and found Alice on the other side. Moral of the story: sometimes you have dig through mud to find clay!

I – I really like that! “Moral of the story: sometimes you have dig through mud to find clay!” Kind of reminds me of your field “epidemiology” where you must dig through all the cases to find the “clay” so to speak. Right? Or am I way off base here?

Vanessa – Nope, you’re spot-on, that’s what epidemiologists do. They dig through a bunch of data to uncover the hidden associations between exposures and diseases. And then they write papers about it! (Clearly my favorite part about being an epidemiologist is writing the papers)

I – And like all readers who enjoy getting lost in the next big adventure, I’m not going to ask you about the ins and out of your story or your characters. Though I must say, I did marvel at how your story unfolds. Well done!! It was a crazy and wild ride and I’m so very glad I had the pleasure!

Vanessa – So glad you enjoyed your trip down the rabbit hole!

I – I must ask why gothic/dark fantasy?

Vanessa – I didn’t choose this genre; it chose me. Judging by my reading track record, I would probably have chosen something more steeped in horror (which is what I’m writing now) or at least supernatural. However, that isn’t to say I don’t like dark fantasy; most of my favorite films fall into this genre (Pan’s Labyrinth, Edward Scissorhands, The Devil’s Backbone, etc.).  The Gothic part kind of snuck up on me too. Even though I don’t have much experience reading those kinds of books, for some reason the Edwardian setting really spoke to me for Alice. There’s a certain romantic appeal to the period around the time of the Great War, something about not having antibiotics I guess, that’s both horrific and enchanting. It would be cool to visit that period—though not without a pocket full of Azithromycin.

 I – Okay, so can you give us a sneak peek at what’s next for Alice?

Vanessa – Alice is a standalone novel, although now that you mention it, maybe there’s more story to tell…

I -I certainly hope so! Alice is truly a great character. So, what’s next from Vanessa Ravel?

Vanessa – Speaking of series, I do have one planned down the line. I’m hoping to start on it after my upcoming release, Demon Dance. This gritty short horror story collection is a big departure from Alice, and came from somewhere completely other within me. I think the strangeness of Alice is still there, though, and if you dig deep enough, so is the heart, but it’s surrounded by a lot of barbed wire.

 I – Sounds great! I love a good horror story!

 

Okay, time for some fun! You can answer any questions below you want to answer:

Where would you love to take a hot-air balloon ride real or imaginary?

Vanessa –Assuming you could tranquilizer dart me and drag me into said hot-air balloon (not a fan of heights), it would be nice to visit the past. Back when I was five and my only worry was how long I was going to get to play on the swings before it was time to go home.

I – I love your attitude, your strength, reading your bio on your website you really are amazing! Aside from writing, what are your other creative pursuits, goals, dreams, what have you?

Vanessa – I do declare, that’s probably the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me! I don’t have much time to do anything creatively but write nowadays, but I do like to draw and make stuffed toy animals. I used to make them as Christmas gifts. I should get back to doing that!

Vanessa w Dudley before he passed in 2014

I – Stuffed toy animals, what a great gift idea!

What are your other passions?

Vanessa – Aside from writing, I’d say my passion is animals. Specifically, dogs, if my Facebook profile is any indication. I have five at the moment, but there’s always room in my heart (though not necessarily in my house) for more. I’d love to have a big plot of land to build a rescue or sanctuary. Better get working on that next book…

I – Please do! I think your readers and the homeless dogs of this world would much appreciate it.

Favorite genre to read? A genre outside your norm that you’d like to read?

Vanessa – Definitely horror! I’m a major fan of Stephen King. I actually love how boring his books are. It sounds strange, but I think the true King fans will know what I’m talking about—at least I hope so… for all I know, they’ll want to burn me at the stake for calling their idol boring. In any case, what I mean is that for me, the best parts of his work—short stories and novels alike—are the exposition, where basically nothing happens. Gives you a chance to fall in love with the characters before you even get to the story. It would be interesting to read a science fiction book, but I’m afraid I just wouldn’t ‘get’ it!

I -I totally get what you mean about the “boring bits” in Stephen King books. I LOVE those!! Mainly because you know he’s introducing you to his characters and then there’s the sudden buildup that you just weren’t expecting but, “Bam,” it hits you square in the face like a really scary snowball. I LOVE Stephen King with John Saul a close second, oh, and Ira Levin’s Rosemary’s Baby was awesome. And my absolute favorite book ever so far is “IT.”

What’s your favorite flavor ice cream?

Vanessa –That would have to be pistachio

I– Flip flops or sandals?

Vanessa – Flip flops all day long. I’m an L.A. girl, after all!

I– Favorite place to veg?

Vanessa – Being a vegetarian, it’s hard to find “acceptable,” let alone edible food at non-vegan restaurants apart from side salads and French fries and mozzarella sticks. We just discovered that Fatburger sells the Impossible Burger, which is an impossibly awesome meat-free, plant-based burger that tastes exactly like meat. So, my boyfriend and I have kind of been living at Fatburger on the weekends. Don’t judge.

I – I asked where you like to veg? Sorry, that’s probably a generational thing. I meant relax, hangout, unwind, but the food thing was awesome, didn’t know you were a vegetarian until then. 🙂 I’d like to include both if that’s acceptable to you.

Vanessa – Oh, LOL to the generational thing. You know, I should know what that means. The first time I heard that was in the movie “Clueless” when they were talking about “vegging” out on the couch all day long. Duh. It’s actually what I thought about when I read your question! But circuitously, what I replied with actually makes sense, because I really don’t veg out except when I go out to eat. I’m kind of a shut-in! Since I’m super shy, I don’t really go out and do things apart from car rides and walks and hiking in the forest and desert (not really “vegging out” – kind of the opposite LOL). So I guess Fatburger and the local vegan place is where we kind of loiter/”veg.” And the couch with the dogs, of course!

I – Your earliest happy memory?

Vanessa – Seeing Santa in my house! I know now that it was a false memory, that there was no fat man in a red suit in my house (no wonder my mom kind of freaked out when I told her). But it sure made my four-year-old self happy!

Your favorite horror movie actor?

Vanessa – Interesting question! I’ll give two answers to this one: my female favorite would be Sigourney Weaver (gotta love the Alien movies) and the male favorite is Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs is in my top 5 movies and is my favorite book!). Of course, there are a ton of great character actors that totally make the genre but those are my two big-name actors.

I – Your favorite horror author(s)?

Vanessa – In case you hadn’t noticed… Stephen King, I also like Dean Koontz. Sadly, I don’t read enough to be able to scrape up a real list.

I – First movie or first book, both 😊

Vanessa – My first book was a picture book called Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema about an African shepherd boy that must find a way to end a drought that threatens all the wildlife in the plain. I think first movie that really left a mark on me was Killer Klowns from Outer Space. I was about four and already into scary stuff. Easy to do when your sister is ten years older than you and it’s the late eighties, i.e., the era of bad horror films!

I – Killer Klowns from Outer Space! Hysterical!

Any question I didn’t ask during the interview that you want me to ask?

Vanessa – I can’t think of anything… you were very thorough, Ingrid!

Thank you, Vanessa, for the interview. It’s been an absolute pleasure!

 

You can follow Vanessa on the following social media sites!

 

VanessaRavel.com

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Bookbub

 

 

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