A Word Please

My blog is being taken over today by the quite amazing reviewer and author Charlie Courtland. She’s climbing on her soapbox. I’ll remain silent as she rants, but let it be known that I am standing in silent support right beside her.

First off, I apologize for my lack of writing rants this summer, but I decided to dedicate a greater amount of time to reading and reviewing. Come fall that may change. With that said, during my ventures in summer reading, I’ve stumbled across some interesting reactions, critique, advice, reasoning, or whatever you’d like to call it, in book reviews. I’m no stranger to the concept that book reviews are general opinions and because of this, everyone is entitled. I like the concept that there is no right or wrong, simply a response or experience. Of course, such an approach can ignite lively discussions, but often most writers and readers gracefully applaud or bid ‘ado’ depending on content.

Recently, I came across a review that was a one-line comment stating the person would have rated the book higher but didn’t care for the f-bombs. The reviewer felt they were unnecessary. I too, read the book and firmly disagree. This isn’t the first review addressing cussing, but it was the ‘unnecessary’ part that shackled my hackles and sparked my fingers to fire off this fine rant.

My opinion on this issue comes from a writing perspective. This topic is often addressed at a nauseating level during college writing seminars, and the general consensus tends to be that the decision to ‘cuss’ (in literature) is often influenced and based on the dialogue development of the character. Now, it is obvious authors come from a variety of backgrounds and choose to deal with cussing in a variety of ways; some never include it, some limit it to certain words (excluding the worst), and some let it all fly – nothing’s taboo because it’s all language. However, I was guided by writing professors and mentors, and wholly believe that when constructing realistic, authentic and believable dialogue a writer cannot, I mean MUST not censor language based on his or her own practices, beliefs or offensive potential. I think this is incredibly important to understand and should not be undervalued by a reader or writer. Will this cause internal conflict? Likely, but that is part of the exploration of writing, right?

Writers, when developing all aspects of a character consider many traits, behaviors and yes, even speech in advance. To put it as simply as possible: If your character is the kind of person who would drop the F-bomb, spew a racist comment, say something sexist or toss out an insensible line of profanity, then as a writer you better do it, or risk the criticism of self-censorship, unrealistic and/or restrained, unbelievable characters critique. As a reviewer, I specifically look for this. The minute I see restraint, I tense up. Fine, you don’t like this in a character – my advice is don’t create one in the first place. But, if you are going to go there, then commit, completely!

It’s important to remember it’s not the author dropping the all-offensive F-bomb or cuss word–it’s that nasty ass character. It is necessary if the character demands it. On the flip side, if the character hasn’t shown any reason why they would suddenly turn into a cussing brazen fool, then don’t do it just for ‘shock’ value. That is just as untruthful and the B.S. detector will surely go off (at least with this writer/reviewer).

Charlie Courtland is the vivacious voice and founder behind Bitsy Bling Books. She has published three novels and reviewed over 100 books and counting. She graduated with honors from the University of Washington with a B.A. in English Literature with an emphasis on Creative Writing and a minor in Criminology, but apparently she can’t spell or edit. However, Charlie is terribly gifted when it comes to critiquing works of fiction, writing reviews, promoting and making other writers famous. It’s a gift really…just don’t ask her to type, facebook or tweet without committing typos. If you feel the need to point out a typo, she will feel the need to de-friend you immediately (unless you’re her editor). She currently resides in Seattle where she writes, reviews, complains about her neighbors, and is a full-time dog nanny.

Following Bitsy Bling Books on Twitter:
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If you haven’t yet read anything by Charlie Courtland, you’re missing out on an unforgettable reading experience. Here’s a look at her books on Amazon, in both print and Kindle format:

You can also find her books on Smashwords, in formats for all ebooks and computers.

I hope you’ll take the time to connect with Charlie and read her books.

Do you agree with Charlie’s view of profanity in books? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Thanks for reading.

What if you had the chance to go back in time and do things differently? Would you? And, if you did, what impact would your new choices have on other people and events? My guest today is author Maria Savva. In her new book – The Dream – she explores these issues and more.

For those of you who have not met Maria, here’s a brief introduction:

Maria Savva lives in the U.K., where, by day, she immerses herself in all things factual in her work as a lawyer. By night, Maria lets her imagination roam freely in her alternate life as a writer. The Dream is her eighth creation.

Now for a glimpse at the book:

Lynne cannot shake her feelings of dread; her dreams tell her she is making a terrible mistake, she must not marry Adam. But, how can she believe the dream? Lynne and Adam have shared their lives for three years now. She is certain she loves him.

It is not that love, which her dream warns against.

It doesn’t matter that she loves this man she will soon marry. If she marries him, the voice in her dream says her soul mate will die. Her true love will perish.

Soon, Lynne’s world is transformed and becomes almost unrecognisable, except for the déjà vu. Time doesn’t seem to mean much anymore, and
things are not quite as they seem. As her world spins out of control, Lynne must sort out what’s real and what isn’t to fulfill her destiny.

Maria took time out of her busy schedule to answer those pesky questions I always come up with. Here’s what she had to say:

The Dream is the first book you’ve written with a paranormal aspect to the plot. What prompted you to wander into this particular subgenre?

I’ve always been interested in the paranormal. At school, me and my friends would tell ghost stories. A group of us started a rumour in our junior school about a couple of ghosts that haunted the school. We made up names for them, and really convinced people that they were around. I used to live in a haunted house from about the age of 5 until I was about 9. Lots of strange things used to happen in that house. As soon as we all settled ourselves to bed at night, the doors downstairs would start slamming, even when there was no wind. Our cat left home, seeming too scared to live in the house. I used to hear howling wind sounds in my bedroom, but whenever anyone else came in the room they would stop. I once saw a snake in the bedroom, which just disappeared. My mum once heard the sound of a gun being fired when she was sitting in one of the downstairs rooms. There was a pane of glass above one of the doors, and when she looked at it, there were 2 bullet holes going through the glass, but no one was in the house. All very strange. One of the dreams that Lynne recalls in ‘The Dream’, was an actual dream I had when living in that house.

Interestingly, I’m currently editing my first novel, ‘Coincidences’, which I hope to release as a brand new edition on Kindle later in the year. In that book, Alice, the protagonist, is shaken up by a dream, and that makes her become more interested in looking for her father. I’ve noticed that there are recurring themes in my books, some have been pointed out to me by my readers, others I’ve noticed myself. Although, ‘Coincidences’ is not a paranormal novel, a dream plays an important part of it, so that theme is not really a new one for me.

Much of this book centers around destiny and whether or not we can change our fate. When given the chance to do things differently, Lynne, your main character, often had a difficult time doing so. Whether right or wrong, certain things were familiar and comfortable. Do you feel that this type of complacency is a stumbling block for most people?

Definitely. Funnily enough, I’ve just finished reading a book called ‘Tasting Rain’ by Kim Malchuk, a memoir, which I believe deals with exposing that part of human nature very well. As Kim points out in her memoir, all of us tend to get stuck in a routine of one thing or another and it’s difficult to step out of our comfort zone. If only we would just do things differently, then maybe there would be a different outcome. This is one of the ideas that I explore in ‘The Dream’. ‘What if’ you have the chance to go back and get a second chance, a chance to do things differently? Would you? And, more importantly, would that make a difference, or would the same thing still happen. In ‘The Dream’ there is a strong element of fate taking a lead role, but we also see how Lynne’s choices affect the outcome of certain things.

In your writing, you don’t hesitate to dissect relationships to expose all the hidden emotions and motivations. Are you able to do this in your real life relationships?

No, I wish it were that easy. That’s the difference between fiction and real life, I suppose. In fiction, you create the characters, you decide what their background is, you know why they behave in a certain way, have certain motivations, and their actions lead to certain outcomes. It’s like a control thing. We are the puppeteers. In reality, it’s often difficult to tell what each person’s motivation is. We can only guess at why one person will react a certain way to something when another will act differently. I’ve always been interested in human psychology, it’s an area that fascinates me and crops up in all my novels and stories. Maybe it’s because in my day job (when I used to have a full time job in the good old days before the recession), I came across so many different people on a daily basis, and came to realise that there are so many personality types, all of them equally as interesting.

Many indie authors have difficulty fitting their writing into one specific genre. Often our writing crosses one or more boundaries, fitting into several, or doesn’t fit into any at all. While we are not bound to mainstream rules, we do need labels to some degree in order to market our work. What genre label are you most comfortable with for your own work?

I suppose drama would be a good label for my particular style of writing. All of my novels could be labelled as dramas, in my opinion. They are all crossover novels in that they each contain aspects of other genres, but they’re all dramas. They also all have elements of romance sprinkled between the other stuff to a greater or lesser extent, as I am an old romantic soul really.

How do you feel about the current trend of multiple subgenres and sub-subgenres? Do you think this makes it easier or more difficult to classify your writing?

Probably easier in my case, because my books crossover so many genres. For example, A Time to Tell is a family saga, drama, romance, which also deals with contemporary social issues such as depression, domestic violence and alcoholism. Second Chances is a romantic comedy and a drama. My latest collection of short stories, ‘Fusion’, contains ghost stories, science fiction, romance, and comedy, among other things.

You are a lawyer (solicitor) in your other life. How much of your work experience do you channel into your writing?

Tons and tons of it, although not overtly. I’ve often been asked whether I’m ever going to write a courtroom drama. The answer is maybe one day. But there is so much more to the life of a solicitor than going to court. In fact, in the UK, there are two types of lawyers, barristers, who mainly represent clients in court; and solicitors, who see the clients in the office and also represent clients in court. In my career I have worked in many different types of law, including, family law, criminal law, litigation, conveyancing, immigration, wills and probate. I have met lots of people from all walks of life who have often told me things that they would never tell anyone else. What you tell a solicitor stays between you and them—there is a confidentiality code, which often makes it easier for people to open up to you. This experience has definitely taught me a great deal about human nature and human psychology. A lot of that ends up in my writing. By that, I mean the character development, the type of emotions felt by the characters, they are always inspired by real life. I’ve never actually included a real case or real person in my novels, and wouldn’t do that, fiction is fiction after all, and I prefer the creative side of writing and using my imagination, but inevitably, aspects of different personalities or snippets of things I have heard or seen will go together to create my characters and their lives.

Aside from reading and writing, I know that you have a passion for music. Do you have any plans for blending these two loves by using music within a plot for your fiction writing?

This may well happen at some stage. I don’t have any plans at the moment for a music themed book, but music is definitely a big part of my life and always has been. I like to listen to music every day, and like to keep up to date with new music. When I was a teenager, I used to be able to tell you all of the bands in the top 40, and even which number their single was at that week. I love live concerts, and I even dabble on the keyboard occasionally. I used to be able to play songs on the keyboard by ear, but am a bit rusty at the moment because I haven’t dedicated any time to it in the past few years. When I was younger, I used to make up songs on my keyboard and record them, but I never kept any of them (this is probably for the best!). And yes, you guessed it, I have always harboured a desire to become a famous rock star, LOL. In my imagination, I would be the greatest rock star the world has ever seen, of course. In fact, I’m surprised that music it hasn’t infiltrated my writing yet. I guess it is bubbling there under the surface until the time is right for it to make an appearance.

Do you have a new book in the works?

My next project is to update/revise/edit ‘Coincidences’, my first novel. I want to do this so that it can reach a wider audience. It’s currently out of print and was only ever available in hardback. There are limited numbers available for purchase via the Amazon marketplace (see my website). I am planning to make it available in paperback and kindle later in the year. The idea of re-editing it came to me because when I approached my publishers asking for a digital copy, they explained that they didn’t have it on their system anymore. I don’t have a digital copy of it. I’ve decided to type it up from scratch, editing it as I go along. From a creative point of view I think it’s better for me to type it up, rather than work from a scanned copy, because as I am typing, the ideas for changes flow better. The story is fine as it is, so I’m not changing that, but I am adding some background and some twists and turns which will hopefully improve the book and make it more interesting to fans of the original. The idea is also that readers will be able to see how my writing has changed in the last 10-15 years if they read the original and the new version.

Other than that, I have plans for another short story collection. I have a few short stories written already, and I plan to write a longer one, maybe a novella, to complete the collection.

Here’s a look at all of Maria’s books on Amazon in both print and Kindle format:

Some of you might recognize Maria as one of my return guests. Check out past interviews with Maria on these titles:

Second Chances
Cutting The Fat
Fusion

You can learn more about Maria and her writing on her website: www.MariaSavva.com
You can also follow Maria on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/Maria_Savva

I hope you’ll take the time to read some of Maria’s work. In the meantime, we’d love to hear from you! Feel free to share you thoughts, questions and dreams here!

Thanks for reading.

My guest today is Tom Gahan, author of Harmony Bay: An adventurous slice of waterfront life where mystery surrounds history. This is a beautiful story of love, relationships and growing up, laced with bits of history, and set in an idealistic town full of memorable characters.

Tom has graciously agreed to hang out and answer my questions. But, first, allow me to introduce the man behind the words:

As a writer, Tom Gahan has run the gamut from newspaper columnist to feature writer to speechwriter. His freelance writing has helped build the image of various corporate clients. His well-received novel, Harmony Bay: An adventurous slice of waterfront life where mystery surrounds history, earned him a place on an international list of authors at GoodReads.com, “Writers You Should Get to Know.”

Additionally, many know him as the creator of NY State’s largest outdoor music festival. This accomplishment earned Gahan accolades and numerous awards including the prestigious Gold Key Award from his hometown Chamber of Commerce and two citations from the U.S. Congress. He was also named 2009′s Civic Leader of the Year for his humanitarian work.

Gahan is happily married and lives on Long Island’s East End in New York. He is a member of: Long Island Authors’ Group, Long Island Writers’ Guild, and Eastern Long Island Executive’s Roundtable. Gahan lectures regularly on topics including the oddities of the American language, the craft of writing and events during the American Revolution on Long Island. You can visit him at www.tomgahan.com.

Here’s a look at the book we’ll be discussing:

Ten-year-old James McDonough moves from the crime and violence of the inner-city to a New Englandish East Coast town, Harmony Bay. His widowed mother, Dory, has taken a position as a librarian in this small town. Its economy is driven by the whims of nature, nor’easters boiling down the coast, hurricanes lurking off shore, and the barometric rise and fall of shellfish prices.

Relationships combine with places to play a part in James’ life story. James’ character is forged by events and his adventures in Harmony Bay. From harrowing life and death experiences on the water to forays into the surrounding hills, each day dawns with a new lesson about life. The boy encounters many wonderful individuals in his new home town. Among them are a magnificent Newfoundland retriever dog named Angus–and Chloe, a beautiful white mare. Angus’ master Billy is a kindly closet intellectual and philosophizer who is a physically powerful man strong enough to split firewood with a single blow of his ancient axe. His snowy white beard and recluse nature causes speculation about his identity.

Marine biologist Jake Kane is the local hero who sweeps Dory off her feet, adding an element of romance to the story. James learns a great deal from Jake and the dozens of other colorful inhabitants of this amazing waterfront community.

Harmony Bay, written for a wide audience that appeals to many levels, examines a slice of small-town life. A modern day mystery, drawn from covert events of the American Revolution, weaves through the story.

Now that you’ve had a taste – figuratively speaking – of the man and his book, on to my chat with Tom:

Harmony Bay is a fictitious place. Is it based on anywhere in particular or purely your imagination?

Harmony Bay was influenced by many places including Long Island, New York and New England. It’s little bits and pieces of a lot of places that I have roamed through over the years. All of those scraps of experience spun around in my head and my imagination spit out Harmony Bay. Some of the physical structures in the town were based on real places. Hirsch’s Hardware interior scenes were based on the long gone HBH Hardware in Wading River, Long Island where I lived for fifteen years. It was an unbelievable collection of everything from useful to useless. Mollie’s restaurant was a mix of several restaurant’s on Long Island’s East End: the Mill Creek Inn in Mattituck, Claudio’s in Greenport and Digger’s in Riverhead. The old courthouse where I grew up influenced Harmony Bay’s Town Hall. It’s still there and houses a fossil museum.

I saw the hills that rise up behind Harmony Bay as the bluffs that overlook the Long Island Sound in Wading River. Dory and James’ cottage location was based on a friend’s beach house there, located between Wading River Creek, which became Patriot’s Creek, and the Sound.

Overall, I let the reader decide where they want Harmony Bay to be in their imagination.

Harmony Bay – the town and the story – takes me back to my childhood, when life was simpler and communities were friendlier. We’ve lost much of that over the past few decades. What do you think is the biggest advantage to the type of lifestyle offered in a place like Harmony Bay?

You would have to agree, the biggest advantage would be the elimination of the stresses we encounter in life today. Society causes a lot of that. People get a little over-wound these days. Knowing that your neighbors will look after you when the going gets rough, and not looking for anything in return, is worth a lot.

So true.

You’ve woven in a lot of true history, particularly from the American Revolution. What is it about that period of history that appeals so much to you?

As a kid, our parents dragged us around from one historical place to another. There was always some education thrown into a vacation. For which, I am thankful. Many of those places related to the American Revolution. A few years ago, my wife and I stood in an old church cemetery on a Vermont hillside. I noticed that some of the graves were marked with a medallion and an American flag. They were the resting places of those who fought in the Revolution. The Daughters of the American Revolution had placed the flags. Looking at the dates on the headstones, we realized that some of the Patriots buried there were only teenagers. Some were as young as fourteen. It all came together for me on that hill. These were the unsung heroes and some of the true founding fathers of our country.

I’ve always had a fascination with the whaleboat raids that took place on Long Island during that time. Using an armada of whaleboats, which were thirty-six foot long rowboats, Patriots made numerous successful attacks launched from Connecticut against the British, who occupied Long Island. There were clandestine missions, covert nighttime raids, kidnappings, sabotage, espionage and more. The stories are intriguing. I include a few in my author lectures. Again, these were unsung heroes. They were the Navy SEALs of their day. In Harmony Bay, you see humble heroes represented in different ways. Everybody doing their small part, in the way that they can.

Your characters feel quite real. They’re each unique, with their own personalities and all the quirks that go along with them. How do you go about creating your characters?

They are all composite characters. I think the reason they seem so lifelike is because they have characteristics that everyone recognizes. Even though they are composites of several people, their individual attributes are clear. Readers appreciate Jank’s and Mrs. Lanscome’s eccentricity, Billy’s wisdom, and James’ antics that are typical for kids his age. Miserly Cutsiko and corrupt Mayor Pesce are the characters you love to hate. It’s all stuff we’ve seen before. It’s all pulled from everyday life. Although, I tried not to make them stereotypical. I felt the story needed a villain or two to give some balance. Think about Dudley Do-Right, Snidley Whiplash and Nell. Without a villain—the story doesn’t work nearly as well. To carry the plot, Nell would have had to tie herself to the railroad tracks for Do-Right to rescue her.

A couple of the character’s physical appearances are modeled after my family members, specifically Dory and James. The others I had an idea in mind of what they should look like, so I used screen actors as a visual point of reference. Very much in the same way that an artist uses a model to draw a portrait. I’ll never tell anyone who those actors are. Readers need to create their own picture.

Tell us about your writing process. Do you outline? Or does the plot unfold for you as your write? Did you do all your research prior to writing?

Before I started Harmony Bay I wrote a very rough one page outline. I then wrote chapter titles with one line blurbs and went from there. I wrote the first and second chapters, then chapters twenty-seven and twenty-eight, followed by a draft of chapter twenty-two. Much of the plot unfolded as I progressed including Christian Carroll and the Revolutionary War characters. They came after I started, as did their part of the plot. There was dozens of other incidental on-the-fly changes. Dory started as a schoolteacher and I switched her to a librarian to carry the plot better. Jake began as a former major-league baseball pitcher. You can see that switching him to a marine biologist made more sense.

For Harmony Bay I did do research as I was writing. I’ll never do that again. It was way too distracting. I know some writers bury themselves in research. Sometimes to the point of never getting the book started. I don’t want to be there. Now I see it rolls better for me to do the research up-front, which actually helps the story develop. If minor details need some research along the way; that’s fine. I’ll write based on what I have, flag it, and then go back and repair anything that needs correction during the re-write stage.

I’ve read that you were involved in creating a music festival. My two addictions are books and music, so this immediately caught my interest. Tell us about the festival and how you got involved in its creation.

Addictions? Please, get some professional help! Just kidding. It was the Riverhead Blues Festival, which I created, produced and directed from 1999 through 2003. As a teen I got hooked on Eric Clapton and Cream. They blew me away. I didn’t know that the songs he performed such as Crossroads, I’m So Glad, Rollin and Tumblin’ and later, Born Under a Bad Sign and Farther On Down the Road were rooted in old Blues classics. I was a goofy kid and figured it was all just rock and roll. Anyway, my love of that music stuck with me, even to today.

I produced a benefit concert for Haiti last year and had the opportunity to take the stage with my son. We performed In the Presence of the Lord written by Clapton. Clapton originally played it when he was with Blind Faith. It was one of the best moments of my life.

The Riverhead Blues Festival, like many things, started small and grew enormously. By 2003, it was three days long, there were three stages on the riverfront, several more support venues, over sixty acts and scores of musicians from all over, including from as far as Australia. And… there were people everywhere. Jerry Portnoy was in one of the shows. He was Clapton’s harmonica player in the album From the Cradle. Portnoy commented, “The last time I played in front of that many people it was with Eric at Hype Park (London, UK).” By that point, it had become the largest music festival in New York State. In 2002 I had a very young Joe Bonamassa in the line-up. He’s a mega-star now. A real pleasure was working with Kim Simmonds and Savoy Brown. He’s very much a gentlemen.

The festival brought a lot of good recognition to the town, which it sorely need. In those days, admission was kept free. It was one hell of a party. My love of the music, making people happy and making the town a better place were all factors in my motivation. Not everybody in town shared my enthusiasm. That’s the way it goes.

I joined Books & Music anonymous but was kicked out for corrupting the group. I am suffering from total envy of your blues festival! I have always loved the blues. Joe Bonamassa is brilliant. Of course, Clapton is as well. Like you, I didn’t know about the history of the songs when I was younger and first got into the music. Now, I’m fascinated by how old some of these songs are and the transitions they’ve gone through.

Do you have a favorite book and/or author?

There are so many. I would be doing a grave injustice if I left someone off the list. Among my favorite writers are some of the classic authors of the nineteenth a twentieth century who influenced me: Mark Twain, Jack London, and Charles Dickens. If you read Harmony Bay, you’ll pick up on that.

A favorite band/singer?

Nowadays I listen to a lot of different stuff. It’s easier for me to say what I don’t like. One stand out favorite has always been the Beatles. Of course there was always Clapton. That’s two favorites. Is that allowed?

Absolutely! And great choices.

Do you have a new writing project in the works?

I’m in research and development for a sequel to Harmony Bay. If things roll the way I want them to, it will take place over three times periods, the 1850’s, 1920’s and present day. It will take place in Harmony Bay and address issues of those times and once again unravel some American history. I was invited to submit a short story for an anthology being put out by BestSellerBound. It’s a compilation of ten writer’s works. I’m finishing up a historical fiction-period piece for it.

Intrigued by Tom’s writing? Here’s a look at his book on Amazon:

Thanks for reading.

Today I am excited to introduce J. Travis Grundon. This man writes, edits, publishes and catches flies in mid flight. Okay, so I’m not really sure about the flies. Maybe I can ask him about that later. J. Travis is a Glorious Bastard. Yes, you read that correctly. But before we get to all that, let’s get to know a little something about today’s guest:

J. Travis Grundon has served as an editor and contributor on *Forrest J Ackerman’s Anthology of the Living Dead*. His other work can found in the Silven Trumpeter, the Tecumseh Review, *Scars*, *Paracinema*, *Twisted Dreams* and *The Monsters Next Door* magazine. Other works include stories for *Help – An Anthology To Benefit Preditors and Editors*, Concrete Blood: Dark Tales of the City and Toe Tags 2.

Here’s a look at his new collection of short stories:

Eclectic Collection is a feast of fiction, that illustrates J. Travis Grundon’s love, and craft of short stories.

Now for a chat with the Glorious Bastard and mastermind behind the stories:

Let’s talk about your author persona first. You have a new book of short stories out called Eclectic Collection. Congratulations on that! As a writer, what draws you toward short stories rather than full length novels?

I have actually written three novels too. It just seems like there is more of a market for short stories, with everyone’s fleeting interest in reading. Short stories can seem less intimidating, to someone who doesn’t read or doesn’t think they have time.

I was burnt pretty bad by two different publishers on both of my first novels. I’ve since deconstructed one of them, and completely lost interest in the second one. I just have a hard time writing about monster and supernatural heroes, when there are just as many crazy and fantastically realistic stories to tell.

The one thing that attracts me to short stories, is that is seems like a dying art. There is a challenge to telling your story in 55 to 10,000 word. I like that challenge. It is something Raymond Carver and Etgar Keret both mastered.

Is there an underlying theme and/or a particular genre this collection fits into?

There isn’t really a theme, unless it is bleak. I say bleak because, when my dad finally read it all he said was “you sure do have a F***ing bleak outlook on life.”

The book is pretty “eclectic,” with stories that range from flesh eating zombies and vampire violence to modern, hard boiled justice and everyday people at their worst. Eclectic Collection was the only title that worked and I think the stories within illustrate an interesting range of storytelling.

When writing, which comes first for you – characters or plot?

All of my Stories are character driven. I can also say that most of these characters come to me in situations, or as I get to know them the plot thickens and the situations lead to new twist.

What is your writing environment like? Silent or noisy? Neat or messy? A king’s throne or a lawn chair?

One thing I have to have when I write is music. I don’t always listen to the music that fits what I’m writing, but I have to have music playing. I listen to music while I do everything. Everything else depends on what I am writing.

More recently I have been using a good old spiral note book or type writer to get the words out. It helps my editorial process, by having to retype it.
It really doesn’t matter if I’m using a notebook, typewriter, laptop or random napkins and receipt paper my other “must” for writing is caffeine. Like music, I have to have my coffee to get my hands moving almost as fast as my brain.

I use to keep a pocket notebook, but then I’d still write on whatever was in my hand, or on my hand itself, so I usually have a lot of scraps and notes all around me when I’m writing, from jotting down random ideas.

Now let’s talk about your new publishing venture. You’ve started a company called Glorious Bastards Press and your book Eclectic Collection is the first to be published via this press. First, I have to ask, what inspired the name of your press?

Glorious Bastards Press is really just an imprint, for like minded authors. Right now it is just Joe Schwartz and myself, until we find some other Bastards. I have a few in mind, like Scott Lefebvre, but the idea is to have a collection of transgressive authors, where if you like one author, you may want to check out another Glorious Bastard.

Joe actually came up with the name when we were kicking the idea around one day and it snowballed from there.

What prompted you to start your own publishing company?

I wouldn’t call it a publishing company. It’s more like a gathering of like minded authors. We are printing through Create Space and keeping all of the control with the control of the book with authors. It seems like the best way to have creative freedom.

I was always told, write the book you want to read and you will find your audience.

What type of work will you be publishing?

We are focusing on transgressive fiction.

According to Wikipedia – Transgressive fiction is a genre of literature that focuses on characters who feel confined by the norms and expectations of society and who break free of those confines in unusual and/or illicit ways. Because they are rebelling against the basic norms of society, protagonists of transgressive fiction may seem mentally ill, anti-social, or nihilistic. The genre deals extensively with taboo subject matters such as drugs, sex, violence, incest, pedophilia, and crime.

Ebooks only or also print?

We have a great tech support guy, formatting all of our books and project for Kindle and the Nook. Our tech guy, James M. Bowers, says It seems stupid to not do ebooks in this market. He has convinced me, to not be open to that format is practically eliminating a considerable portion of you readership.

Right now we have Eclectic Collection available on Kindle for only $5.00, and it shows just how assessable an ebook can really be.

I hear you will soon be publishing something by Joe Schwartz, who has an incredible gift with words. Can you give us the title, a little info and the publishing date?

At this time I think the plan is for Joe and I to both to release several individual books under the Glorious Bastards Press, umbrella, but we are also collaborating on an anthology of transgressive short stories. The book is called Fracas: A Collection of Short Friction. It will also include Scott Lefebvre (Spooky Creepy Long Island, Forest J Ackerman’s Anthology of the Living Dead) and St. Louis horror author, John F.D. Taff, just to name a couple.
The problem we are running into with the book is that many of the authors and people involved are so busy with other projects both deadlines have already passed, and I’m still waiting on stories.

Time to toss in a few personal questions. We’ll start with an easy one. What genre and/or author do you enjoy reading most?

I am a big Chuck Palahniuk fan. I have loved almost everything he writes. I credit his book, Haunted as a major influence on my work.
I would also consider Etgar Keret a big influence on my work too. He is a great short story author that can do more with 2000 words than most authors most authors can do with an entire novel. His work is absolutely unforgettable.

I’m also really into Bret Easton Ellis, Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, Charles Bukowski, Amy Hemple and Nick Hornby. More recently I’ve been reading, and loving, a lot of Raymond Carver.

I could never forgive myself if I failed to mention that my other favorite books include The Book Thief and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Both of these books are so well written, in my opinion. I love them both.

Which do you prefer – print or ebooks? Why?

I still love print books. I honestly get headaches looking at a screen for too long, and I just love the feel and smell. I know it’s cliché, but it’s the truth. I have the Kindle app on my phone and I support reading in any form, but I’ll stick with books.

Are you an old-fashioned radio kind of guy or the modern music-streaming kind of guy?

I just love music. I have a huge collection of MP3s on my computer, but I also have a turntable and a growing collection of country western and folk rock music.

Tell us one fact about you that is either crazy, silly, odd or interesting. (Or all of those things combined!)

Wow! That is a very loaded question. I have so many things I could say here…but since I’m keeping it PG, that limits a lot of it.

One of my favorite interesting things to mention is, that my story Contravention, from Eclectic Collection, was picked up by Darkrider Studios and made into a film. The film was a part of Jabb Pictures the collective. Darkrider let me have a stab screen writing for the first time in years and I think the end project was pretty cool!

It wasn’t my first screen work, but that’s another story, for another time…

No fair leaving us hanging! I had no idea you’d done screenwriting. Very cool!

Thanks for answering all my pesky questions! Is there anything you’d like to add?

Thanks for asking me questions. It was fun answering them. I hope hope everyone checks out jtravisgrundon.blogspot.com and they pick up Eclectic Collection. This is just the beginning and there is A LOT more still to come!!!

I have yet to read Eclectic Collection but I’m looking forward to the experience! I’ll be following the Glorious Bastards. I have no doubt they will be keeping us all entertained.

Thanks for reading.

Welcome to another Tell me one thing… feature! Today’s character guest is brought to you by author Lynda Williams. Our guest’s name is Di Mon, Liege Monitum, and his letter is M. Here he is to introduce himself:

I appear in the first three books of the Okal Rel Saga by Lynda Williams, published by Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing. They are: Part 1: The Courtesan Prince (that’s not me), Part 2: Righteous Anger, and Part 3: Pretenders. I appear on the cover of Part 3: Pretenders. As the 103rd liege of Monitum, I take my duty as the custodian of our liberal intellectual traditions as seriously as my court role as advisor to the Vrellish houses and kingmaker for the empire. Since I am also a liege of Fountain Court, I had no choice but to channel my Vrellish nature into becoming a sword champion able to defend the Monatese position under Sword Law. People say I have a Vrellish temper beneath my civilized Monatese demeanor. Perhaps. If so, it is not the trait I am most proud of. I have always venerated the late Ava Ameron, and seek to serve his agenda in my heart, although I must accept compromises with honor to navigate the world of the Demish court. I have a very good friend, named Ranar, who is from the world of Rire which is totally alien to ours. My ability to accept him and work with him, mind to mind, even though he is alien and technically a commoner since he isn’t a Sevolite, is a testament to the intellectual flexibility of my Monatese heritage.

Now let’s get to the spilling of the secrets! Tell me one thing about you that is…

Magnificent: I am a historian by training, committed to the study of mankind’s follies in the interests of improving our future. I can see beyond the happenstance of my social position to view the larger scope of existence and see things from the point of view of others. (Ranar: He does have a great mind. He is also magnificently Vrellish as a physical being: intense, sudden, fast and masterful.)

Maladjusted: I cannot afford such luxuries. (Ranar: Why I am able to say things, here, that we’d both rather die than discuss in public, I don’t know. But the truth is Di Mon’s a homosexual in a seriously homophobic culture driven by religiously underpinned ideas of reproductive determinism. I respect his reasons for secrecy. But resent his self-doubts about our relationship, and himself. Although somehow he never manages to view me as sla – the Gelack word for perverted.)

Mysterious: Monitum’s relationship with the exiled Lorels makes us all mysterious. A liege of Monitum, in particular, always has secrets shared only with his or her inheritors. (Ranar: He’s so in the habit of keeping the truth to himself, he hardly recognizes if when it’s out in the open for discussion. Fortunately, I’m a trained debater.)

Mean: Under Sword Law, it is expected anyone who stands against you stands prepared to kill or die. (Ranar: I can accept Sword Law, as an anthropologist. Why can’t I accept Di Mon will kill without regret?)

Mischievous: A Fountain Court liege has no time for frivolity. (Ranar: I swear he derives a subtle pleasure from disconcerting me.)

Monotonous: It is my obligation to record affairs of state in the Monatese logs, handwritten, in English. Adhering to tradition is how we keep faith with the past. (Ranar: He also loves to take apart Reetion info technology and is a wizard with Sevolite nervecloth. I think the logs are kept the way they are for security reasons as much as sentimental ones.)

Mettlesome: Bravery is a Sevolite birthright. Spirited? Hardly. (Ranar: Once he decides something has to happen, it does. He prevaricates a lot, but once he’s committed it’s 100%. The bravery would be stirring, except I fear it’s wrapped up in a latent death wish connected either to his maladjustment to his sexual preference or possible a general depressive tendency.)

Merry: I can enjoy myself as well as the next liege. (Ranar: I wish. He seems to feel it’s his duty to be grim and pessimistic most of the time. But there have been moments.)

Malicious: I can kill even the innocent when the greater good demands the sacrifice, but take no pleasure in the torment of the guilty even if richly deserved. Retribution should be swift and simple. (Ranar: True, but damn you for that later. And what of the schemes that played out years beyond your death? And the burden of responsibility you placed on Erien? It is to those who loved you most you were most cruel and yet we cling to the connection, as if your expectations keep you with us, watching to make sure we serve the cause you were not prepared to give up even in death.)

Memorable: I do not expect to be long remembered. Ameron is the legend. I was his servant. Time erases the details of politics and leaves only the high points standing tall. (Ranar: No liege of Monitum left such a mark on his people, nor the universe.)

Intrigued by Di Mon? Here’s a look at the pages he lives within:

Back from exile to claim the throne of Sevildom, Ev’rel must play the frail princess with the Demish to claim power as she is tempted by her feelings for her ex-mentor Di Mon. But does she love him or hate him? Disillusioned by Ev’rel’s warped sexuality, but desperate to secure her as a leader, Di Mon is terrified she will discover the equally forbidden bond between himself and the young Reetion, Ranar. An unwilling contender for the throne, Ev’rel’s beautiful, battered son Amel longs for friendship with tom-boy Ayrium, who has been sent to court to put down her sword and don a dress to win court allies for her rebel alliance. Ayrium meets a peculiar, reclusive scholar from Monitum and worries romance will distract her from her true agenda. Will her inconvenient love interest change everything for everyone?

And now to introduce Di Mon’s author, Lynda Williams:

Lynda Williams is the author of the Okal Rel Saga and author or editor of works in the associated Okal Rel Legacies series. She is married with three daughters, has two masters degrees and has worked as a journalist, university and college instructor, educational technologist and educational project coordinator. Lynda features weekly on the Clarion Blog as the host of the ‘Writer’s Craft’ and is membership coordinator of Broad Universe.

You can learn more about Lynda and her writing in the following places:

http://www.okalrel.org/books.html
http://twitter.com/okalrelsrv
http://clarionfoundation.wordpress.com/tag/lynda-williams/
http://www.dkj-online.com/okalrel/

Lynda is quite the prolific author! Here’s a look at all her books on Amazon:

Thanks for reading.

My guest today is the talented author Jen Wylie. Her novels and short stories cross genres and boundaries. No one could ever accuse her of being in a writing rut. I love when an author refuses to hold to rigid expectations and goes wherever the writing takes him/her. Jen is going to answer a bunch of my questions but first I should introduce you all:

Jennifer Wylie was born and raised in Ontario, Canada. In a cosmic twist of fate she dislikes the snow and cold.

Before settling down to raise a family, she attained a BA from Queens University and worked in retail and sales.

Thanks to her mother she acquired a love of books at an early age and began writing in public school. She constantly has stories floating around in her head, and finds it amazing most people don’t. Jennifer writes various forms of fantasy, both novels and short stories. Sweet light is her debut novel published in 2011 by Echelon Press.

Jennifer resides in rural Ontario, Canada with her two boys, Australian shepherd a flock of birds and a disagreeable amount of wildlife.

I swear I feel Jen’s energy sizzling through her photo and her words! I need to find a way to suck some of that up for myself.

Much of your writing fits into the broad category of ‘fantasy’ but, beyond that, you’re a hard writer to pin down. You write short stories and full-length fiction, for the YA audience and the adult audience. Do you have a writing preference?

Actually, how I write depends entirely on my mood. I could plan to take a story in one direction, but end up totally in another. As for genre, I like YA, but I prefer to write to an older audience. Paranormal, romance, special ability doesn’t matter as long as I have a strong lead female character.

Do you outline and/or put together fully developed character sheets prior to writing? Or do you sit down with an idea and let it lead you?

I’m a list maker, but not so much an outliner, at least not a first. Nearing the end I often do to make sure I tie up all loose ends. However, I don’t outline it to death. I have been known to write chapters ahead, and then go back and fill in the gaps. To me it helps build the strength of the story.

From everything you’ve written, which is your favorite character and why?

My main character from my short story, Jump. I had a lot of fun writing her and actually put a lot of me into her. Her sarcasm is just a lot of fun to write. She is also one of those unique characters…I never tell her name in Jump. (It is revealed in the sequel to come though!) A close second in Misha from my Tales of Ever series, she has a lot of spunk too!

Tell us about your writing environment. Do you like silence or noise? Is your writing area cluttered or neat? Do you keep a stash of chocolate for inspiration or hang quotes on your walls?

I have a table down in ‘the other room’ which used to be a garage at one point. It’s next to the fireplace (great for our 9 months of winter ) I must have quiet for writing, but coming up with ideas I usually have music going. My desk is mess due to all my lists I don’t see how it would be possible for ANYBODY to write without a stash of chocolate, rum, and gumballs handy. That would just be weird. For inspiration I have a statue of a wizard looking into a ball my sister gave me for my birthday last year. I think he might be a garden ornament.. he weights a ton!

You’re published through Echelon Press. Tell us a little about the company and your experience with them.

They’re a small publisher out of Maryland. The owner of the company is Karen Syed and she is more fun than anything. What truly amazes me though is the other authors in the company. I’ve made great friends with many of them online through emails and twitter. I had the chance to meet quite a few of them personally in Chicago. We had a blast!

You have two young children. Do they enjoy reading? Which are their – and your – favorite children’s stories?

They’re young, but they love stories. My oldest devours books on his own pretty good (he’ll read a chapter book a night), but they both still prefer to listen to mommy tell them. I’m sure if you asked them, they’d say my Tales of Ever series. They’re VERY proud of their mommy

Tell us one crazy/silly/interesting fact about yourself, unrelated to writing.

I’m Canadian so I say “Eh” alot. All the other authors at Echelon pick on me for it all the time. That and I like Miracle Whip. Which I’m told is quite gross but I eat it a lot!

You’ve got a lot of projects in the works, which I can relate to. So many ideas, so little time! What have you got coming our way in the near future?

I have the sequels to both Jump and The Forgotton Echo series sitting on my editors desk. I have a sequel for Sweet Light I am soon submitting to my publisher. I have the fourth, fifth, and sixth of my Tales of Ever coming out soon. Then I also have a new YA series I’ve written called Broken Aro. I’m trying to find an agent for that one. Don’t even get me started on my ‘in progress’ folder on my computer LOL

I’m exhausted just reading that list of projects! Jen, you must have some sort of internal battery charger that keeps you going. Or maybe it’s the Miracle Whip. I need to give that a try!

Thanks for reading.

My guest today is the talented author Debi Faulkner. I was fortunate to receive a copy of her novel Summoning and I thoroughly enjoyed every word. This is a well-crafted tale that culminates in a witch trial. Having grown up in Massachusetts, not far from the infamous Salem and its witch trials, this topic has long fascinated me. Debi takes us to Ireland, where witch trials also occurred, and shows us how easily someone could be accused and convicted of this much feared crime.

Before we go further, I want to introduce the author behind the story. Debi, please tell us a bit about yourself:

A native Detroiter by birth, I left the Motor City in 2001 for the Netherlands with my husband (a chiropractor) and my small children. In December of 2003, we moved again, this time to Ireland. While there, I took part in a mentorship program with the Irish author, Lia Mills, who helped me in making the transition from poetry to prose and from writing verses in poems to writing chapters in novels.

In August 2006, we relocated yet again to the Netherlands. Now, if only I was fluent in Dutch . . .

The upside of this nomadic lifestyle is that I have much more time than I would have had in the states to spend with my writing.

Summoning is my first published novel.

And I thought I moved around a lot! All those experiences make great writing fodder.

Here’s a look at Debi’s novel Summoning:

Summoning is based on a “true” Irish witch story in which an evil vicar sells not only his soul but also that of his young servant girl, Meredith, to the devil. After learning the dark craft herself, Meredith finds herself trapped in the demon’s shadow when she is accused of witchcraft. It is up to her to find the light and save herself – and those she loves – from the deal.

Now for my favorite part, a chat with Debi:

What inspired you to write this particular story?

I’ve always been fascinated by folklore, myths and legends. Then, my family had the opportunity to live in Ireland for a couple of years, so I was able to immerse myself in the local stories. Summoning is based on the “true” Irish witch story of William Colville of Galgorm Castle in County Antrim.

Many of the versions I read of this story included a sidebar about a young girl who was accused of stealing a set of candlesticks and then summoned the devil to learn the name of the real culprit, thus clearing herself. Unfortunately, she was caught and accused of witchcraft instead. That’s all I could find of her story, though. Of course, I couldn’t leave it alone, and Meredith was born.

As I read, I felt like I’d been transported back in time. You handled the historical aspects wonderfully. Tell us about the research you did. How much time did you put into the research? Did you research everything before you wrote or did you hunt down facts as you went along?

I had a good idea of what I needed to research before I began writing (I’m absolutely addicted to outlines!). Most of my research was done before writing. Of course, ideas would pop up during the writing and even during revisions, so the research was always ongoing. I have folders and folders of facts about the witch hunts, the torture, the areas, the layout of castles, everything. It was hard to leave out things, because I found every little fact so fascinating.

What was your writing process like? Did you outline the entire book first? Did you write from start to finish or did you write various chapters out of sequence, then piece them together afterward?

Like I mentioned above, I’m addicted to outlines. That is my chance to create the story, watch it take shape and discover my characters. In fact, my outlines get pretty detailed and include bits and pieces of dialogue, research facts, descriptions, setting, anything that will help me write the story more smoothly. The ideas for the scenes don’t always come in order, but when I sit down to do the actual writing, I write from the beginning to the end.

Tell us about your writing environment. Do you like silence or noise? Is your desk neat or cluttered? Do you like seclusion or do you like to be out in the open?

I would LOVE to have a nice, quiet, secluded place to write! Unfortunately, my house is rather small and full of toys. My writing desk is the dining room (well, living in the Netherlands, it’s not a normal “dining room” – it’s more the place where we eat that’s not the kitchen) table, so I have to constantly clear everything away so we have room to eat. It’s the same table where my kids “knutsel” (which is Dutch for “ doing arts and crafts”), my husband does his accounting work, the cat spreads himself across my papers, books, keyboard, etc.

Also, because my husband’s practice (he’s a chiropractor) is attached to the side of the house, we have a constant flow of people coming and going through the room – the kids, my hubby, his secretary . . .

You must have an incredible ability to tune out the world! I don’t know that I’d get one word written!

When and why did you decide to sit down and write your first book?

My English teacher, Nadine Dyer, announced to my entire senior high class that I was a poet. For some reason, I believed her. I even managed to get my BA in English/Creative Writing, but I spent all of my creative energy writing poetry.

It wasn’t until many years later (no, I’m not elaborating more than that!) when my husband said that my poems were good, but that I’d be better as a fiction writer that I even tried to write prose. My youngest daughter had just been born (in Ireland), so I thought I’d try my hand at writing for children. After several absolutely dreadful attempts at writing picture books, I read about William Colville. The idea wouldn’t leave me alone, and it took me 2 years to write it.

Since then I’ve written several more novels and have a few more in the works. I’m addicted to fiction now!

What was the last great book you read?

Oh! There are so many great books out there! My favorite book of all time has to be The Book Thief, by Mark Zusak. I’m also a huge fan of Toni Morrison.

I’ve been reading a lot of indie books recently, though, and just this weekend, I finished a new book by Holly Hook called Inferno that should be released in July 2011. It’s a sequel to her Tempest which is also very good.

Aside from reading and writing, what do you like to do with your free time?

There are these little beings who call me “mom” who take up a lot of my time. I have three wonderful kids, ages 15, 11 and 6. Also, living abroad gives us all a chance to explore the local history, too, and I just love discovering new legends!

Do you have a new writing project in the works?

Why, yes! Yes, I do!

I have a book slated for release this August called Year of the WereCurse: WereWhat? It’s about a 12-year-old boy whose family inherits a mysterious mansion, as well as the family curse of turning into WereCreatures. It’s aimed at the tween market (11-14 year olds).

Also in the works, though, are two more YA books, based on Irish legends, of course!

Debi, you have a fascinating life! I’m looking forward to reading the stories these other Irish legends inspire!

Thanks for reading.

Welcome to another feature of Tell me one thing… Today’s letter is H. Author Michael Scott Miller is setting one of his characters free to tell me one thing about himself for each of the ten H words. First, I’ll let my guest introduce himself:

Hello. I’m Abe Jackson, the singer for this band of fools we call the Redeemers. You might have seen our story in Ladies and Gentlemen…The Redeemers. That was some seriously crazy stuff that went down…

Thanks for joining us today, Abe! Here are your ten H words. Please tell me one thing about you that is:

Hostile: Yeah, I’m hostile. Wouldn’t you be too if you were a poor, blind guy, singing for spare change in a subway station?

Hypercritical: Hey, the world hasn’t given me a break. Why should I give you one?

Honest: Heh, heh. Honest Abe. That’s me. I call it like I see it. Like that time I told Bert he was full of #$%&$ when he told me that story about how he used to be some famous music promoter. Of course, the way things played out…

Hypothetical: How did I get myself involved in this band? I’ll never forget that day in the park when I told Bert, “If you can pull together the musicians, I’m in. But here’s the rest of the deal. Until then, you need to stay away from my turf.” I figured that telling Bert I’d be in his band if he was able to get one together would get him off my back. I guess I didn’t know him well enough.

Humdrum: Here’s a day in the life of Abe Jackson. You tell me if you think it’s humdrum. Morning rush hour – singing in the Montgomery Street BART station in San Francisco. Mid morning – soaking in some rays on a bench in a park. Then I go home and fix myself a sandwich and a cola for lunch in my tiny apartment on the poor side of town. I spend the afternoon listening to music –soul, blues, jazz – and maybe take a nap. Evening rush hour – back in the station singing. Then home for dinner. Great, huh? Well, that was my life until Bert turned it upside down anyway.

Heartfelt: Deep down? Yeah, there’s a heart in there. Read the story. You’ll see.

Humorous: Humor? You got the wrong guy.

Harmless: Tell you what, you leave me alone, and I’ll leave you alone. And don’t go patronizing me because I’m blind. Bert will tell you what happens.

Habitual: Every morning, every afternoon. Montgomery Street station. That’s where you’ll find me. Same time. Same spot.

Happy: “I don’t get happy. Or sad. I just am.”

Abe, you come off so gruff but I know there’s a squishy marshmallow under there somewhere.

Here’s a look at Ladies and Gentlemen…The Redeemers, the book Abe comes from:

Ladies and Gentlemen…The Redeemers tells the story of Bert Ingram, once a successful rep in the music industry, who has lost his way. Desperate for redemption, the perpetual dreamer decides to put together a band, recruiting musicians who have only one thing in common: the need to overcome a significant obstacle in their lives. The volatile mix of the musicians’ personalities and backgrounds threatens to derail the band at every opportunity, but in time, the Redeemers begin to realize they have more to gain from one another than they ever could have imagined.

And, of course, you have to meet the author behind Abe’s creation:

Michael Scott Miller works with numbers by day in the business world and with words by night. He began writing shortly after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania and has had his work published in the Welcomat (now Philadelphia Weekly) and wrote music reviews for the Wharton Journal while his wife was getting her degree there.

Miller’s debut novel, *Ladies and Gentlemen…The Redeemers*, has been downloaded more than ten thousand times and has received tremendously positive reader feedback, earning 4-star to 5-star ratings at Amazon, barnesandnoble.com, Smashwords, and Kobobooks. The complete set of reader reviews and comments can be accessed at http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/40309/ .

Miller grew up in Cherry Hill, New Jersey and now lives in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania with his wife and three children.

You can learn more about Michael and his writing on his website: www.ladiesandgentlementheredeemers.com

Here’s Michael’s book on Amazon for the Kindle. And it’s only 99 cents! How can you go wrong?

Thanks for reading.

My guest today is the talented author Marty Beaudet. I first met Marty on my BestsellerBound message board and he has since become one of my favorite people Not only am I impressed with Marty’s writing but I also greatly admire the way he sees the world and his ability to stay true to himself. I recently read his novella Losing Addison: Live the Nightmare, which I highly recommend. Marty is here today to answer my questions but first I’ll introduce the man behind the book:

Marty Beaudet, who has spent twenty years of his life writing what other people want to hear, is now writing whatever he damned well pleases. In addition to the novella Losing Addison, a psychological thriller, he is pleased to have written the political thriller By A Thread, a spy caper conspiracy in which the characters really matter. Trust him. At present he is on an absurd romp with a Census worker, a delusional teenager, a mixed-race gay couple, and a bevy of plural wives, somewhere in the Oregon Cascades.

You can learn more about Marty and his writing, as well as contact him directly:

Email: author@byathread-thebook.com
Blog: byathreadthebook.wordpress.com
Twitter: @AuthorMartyB

Here’s a look at the book we’ll be discussing today:

Les McCubbin doesn’t think much of himself. “I’m dull, mercurial, and often morose. Always Les,” he tells us. But he is passionate about his twin brother Addison who, he says, “is everything I’m not: tall, blond, athletic, outgoing.” Despite the psychic bond the brothers share, Addison often leaves a trail of trouble in Les’s life. One day he goes too far, changing both their lives forever.

Now for a conversation with Marty:

You’ve mentioned that the inspiration for Losing Addison came to you in a dream. Can you tell us about that?

Unlike some, I’m not one who dreams literally. On those rare occasions when I remember a dream after waking, any attempt to describe it results in so many uncertainties as to render the telling meaningless. Was I with my sister or my neighbor? Were we in Portland or London? Was I trying to find my way home or to the emergency room?

One morning last March, however, I had a completely new and bizarre experience. I woke myself from a nightmare thrashing about and fighting the bedcovers. I had the sense that I was fighting with myself, yet it was someone else. As I lay in bed trying to come fully awake and attempting to piece together the nightmare, I drifted in and out of sleep for the next hour. I wasn’t sure which thoughts were real and which were dream-state illusions.

But the nightmare began to come into focus. The details weren’t clear, but I had the distinct feeling that I was remembering actual experiences that I had lived, rather than vague, vacillating dream images. It was so fascinating that when I was finally fully awake I flew out of bed, skipped breakfast and the bathroom, and sat down to put it into writing.

After about only 1,500 words I stopped. I found myself trying to “author” the story, rather than just tell it as it happened, and it felt forced. So I walked away from it and came back to it the next day. Again, the memory was as vivid as if I’d lived it, and I wrote another thousand words or so, stopping when I felt my conscious writer-mind intruding. I did this for each of the next thirteen days until I had a complete “transcript” of the nightmare: 15,000 words in 15 days.

I had no idea what the outcome of the story was until I’d written it “from memory.” It felt as though it had been dictated to me. I had hoped for a novel-length story and considered trying to expand it. But it didn’t feel right. Nothing I tried to add felt germane to the story that had already been told. So I wrapped it up and published it. I read it through only once and, except for typographic corrections, it was unedited. I still marvel that that was possible.

You have gay male characters in both Losing Addison and By A Thread, yet your books are not anything I’d categorize as ‘gay fiction’. Instead, you are portraying people as they are and, I think, you do an incredible job with that. Do you think that the inclusion of gay characters presents a problem for you in marketing to the ‘straight’ community?

Yes, I’m afraid it does. I have been adamant since I began writing fiction that I’m not writing “gay fiction.” Most work that gets classified as such is undisguised erotica or pulp, neither of which interests me. But because we all write what we know, and I happen to be gay, it’s impossible for me to imagine a fictitious world in which there are no gay characters. That doesn’t mean my stories need to be about sex or sexuality, however.
Just last week a reader of Losing Addison posted on Goodreads:

“Usually it seems when a character is homosexual, the book has to do with homosexuality. …[but] Addison’s sexuality has nothing to do with the story. I love how Beaudet made Addison’s homosexuality just so normal.”

It’s too bad that the mere presence of a gay character will keep some people from picking up my work. But I won’t tailor my work to fit their preferences. I couldn’t; it wouldn’t be honest.

Well said and I agree.

When you write, do you prefer silence or noise? If you typically prefer noise, do you go for a certain type of music or do you have the TV playing in the background?

Ha! Funny I should be answering this question at this moment: I’m in a café sitting next to a very loud conversation that is threatening to derail the day of writing I have planned! But to answer your question, there are different kinds of noise. The background buzz of a public place is actually helpful in most cases. I find it hard to transport myself to the locations of my novels in the silence and austerity of my country home. Public places are alive with personalities and dynamics that often find their way into my stories.

When distractions arise, I usually put on headphones and select music from my computer to complement my subject matter. I listen to everything from The Beatles and Lady Gaga to Alan Jackson and Nirvana. Each type of music is conducive to a different kind of writing, and each influences my mood and my story differently.

What do you enjoy most about being an indie author?

It’s hard to contrast it with being a signed author, as I haven’t had that experience yet. But I enjoy working without deadlines, without external direction as to the subject or content of my work, and with the flexibility to accommodate any whim or inspiration that strikes me.

I have the advantage of professional experience as an editor, copyeditor, photographer, and graphic designer, so I do all my own work, from concept to publication. I do employ my husband and a few others as proofreaders, however, as no writer can successfully suss out all the errors in his own work. The brain glosses over what it thinks it already knows.

Most of us in the indie world find promotion/marketing the most challenging aspect. If you could reach all readers with one message, what would you want them to know about you and your writing?

I’ve had twenty-four years of experience as a writer; this isn’t just a fly-by-night fantasy endeavor. And I prize authenticity, both in what I read and what I write. My fiction is well researched and often as educational as it is entertaining. Beyond that, I strive to differentiate my work from the competition by adding twists and perspectives not often found in mainstream fiction. The odd gay character here and there is just the beginning. You’ll find my work original and refreshing, if we can trust the reviews I’ve received.

One of those reviews is mine, so, yes, trust them!

When you’re not writing, reading or working your day job, what might we find you doing?

Above all, people-watching. As I said earlier, I find public places stimulating. Cafés (which remind me of my time in Vienna, where my first novel By A Thread is set), parks, plazas, public transit—they’re all endlessly entertaining and inspirational. As a writer, I tend to see people as characters in an as-of-yet unwritten work. This helps ameliorate the frustration that rude or obnoxious people can provoke.

Conversely, I also love to hike. I have the advantage of living at the edge of the Oregon Cascades and the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area, both of which are rife with waterfalls and rain-forest–like vegetation. Time here cleanses the soul. And just an hour from home, over the top of Mt. Hood, lies the expansive Oregon High Desert, which has a special place in my soul. I have driven across, around, and through it for hundreds of hours. The mind runs free there, boundless with possibilities. And, as a bonus, I rarely have to share it with anyone.

I’m a people-watcher, as well. Must be a writer thing.

Do you have a new project in the works?

A project? Ha! I’ve started eight novels so far! My experience with Losing Addison taught me a valuable lesson: be open to whatever inspiration comes, whenever it comes. Whereas I spent the better part of eight years focused solely on my first novel, I now write anything that pops into my head and pursue it as I feel inspired.

I did join a new writers’ group in Portland last month, however, so I now have to focus on a single project to share with the group. I’ve chosen a novel (working title: Senses) about a rogue census worker, a polygamist community deep in the forest, a mixed-race gay couple with a problem foster child, and the over-reaching arm of government bureaucrats! Not sure what genre it is—does “Absurdist Romp” qualify as one?

I love that genre title – Absurdist Romp! Marty, you have carved out your own genre niche.

Thanks for reading.

I am excited to introduce a fellow BestsellerBound author today. Her name is Amy Saunders and she has written a great piece about her writing journey. I just love her story and I’m sure you will, as well. Before we get to that, let me introduce Amy:

Amy Saunders is a novelist and short story writer from Massachusetts. She loves blending mystery with action-adventure and romance and sometimes even sci-fi. When she’s not in a writing or promoting frenzy, you’ll find her relaxing with friends or baking.

You can learn more about Amy and her writing in the following places:

Website: www.amysnovels.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/amy_saunders
Facebook: http://profile.to/amydsaunders

Now on to Amy’s story:

Murder mystery. Pirate lore. Action-adventure. Complex characters. The stuff of my daydreams and scattered generously among the books, movies, and TV shows that I have memorized. But somehow none of those things had ever quite come together in my own writing. Who I really am was always seriously absent from my stories. That is until I cut loose my notions of how I was supposed to write and started writing what I wanted to write.

Enter May 2009 when my main character, Imogen Bell, first saw light. She had a name, a vibrant personality, and no story. I fiddled with some ideas but nothing clicked until Sebastian, Shazi, and C.J., underwater archaeologists, materialized. Underwater archaeology? Where had that come from? The idea scared me a little. OK, it scared me a lot. It’s a subject I actually like and I got more and more excited as the concept developed. Then I hit upon an idea that was so me I couldn’t stand it: exploring a sunken pirate ship!

Well, I hardly knew what to do with myself. I loved my characters, the plot centered around personal obsessions, and I had a familiar and beloved setting. But I was still mucking around in some very un-me territory. I had pirates, true, but the wrong ones (ancient Greek pirates specifically). And I had so much exciting stuff happening in the background story that there was nothing left for the present-day story. Oops!

After spinning my wheels for a while and nearly throwing it all out the window and starting over, I had two revelations that changed my writing forever. First, I don’t care for Greek history. Instead of researching ancient Greek pirates, I kept drifting off to read about the so-called Golden Age of piracy. So it hit me, why aren’t my pirates from that era? (Head smack.) Second, I realized that if the backstory was so juicy, why wasn’t it the main story? (Head smack.) Once I had these two puzzle pieces, everything else just made sense.

This was my first novel for publication and I put a lot of pressure on myself to get everything right. Did I? Hardly. But in the end, besides having a red forehead, I knew I had written the best story I could and it was time to take my lessons and move on to the next one. Most importantly, and most exciting, my book had me written all over it. Thanks to all of these hard-learned lessons, my next novel is going along much more swimmingly. I’m sticking with what I like from now on and no matter the future struggles that is the most liberating experience I could ask for.

Ready to run out and grab her book now? If I wasn’t buried beneath a to-read pile, I’d already have this one open in front of me! The title is Dead Locked. Let’s take a look:

Imogen Bell may publicize what Peter Bishop and his team of underwater archaeologists dig out of the silt, but she’s about to dive into her own treasure hunt – only this one will test more than her knowledge of shipwrecks. With only five clues and the legend of a pirate captain and his hidden jewel to lead the way, it’s up to Imogen to prove her murdered colleague did not die in vain, and crack open a centuries-old mystery.

Here’s a short trailer:

You can find Amy’s book in print and Kindle format on Amazon. Take a peek:

Thanks for reading.