Tag: author interview

Interview with Author Glenn Searfoss

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn Interviews1 Comment

1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?

GS: The answer to that question is long and involved, but I’ll lean toward brevity. In college, I had an English writing professor who told me I didn’t know how to write, would never know how to write, and to just give up. Believing her, I spent the next fifteen years focused on living life in its many flavors. While working in a small company that developed desktop publishing software, for fun I began writing story snippets to use in software testing. Having gotten a taste, I started writing technical articles and moved from there into writing technical books and manuals. After receiving positive feedback from publishers (and many users), I realized the professor was wrong; not only could I write, but I enjoyed doing it. An avid reader of science fiction, mythology, and classic literature, I began expanding my writing into fiction, incorporating my life experiences, interest in natural sciences, and my surmises of future developments into short stories, then into novels. Here I am today.

Advertisements

2) What inspired you to write your book?

GS: Babouc’s Vision evolved from a series of short stories I had written about the world that was happening around me. Its dark tone reflects my overall pessimism at the time, coupled with a deep sadness (let me be honest, disgust) at world events. The glimmers of hope present in the book reflect the everyday kindnesses shown by a few – far too few – people I knew who continued to reach out and help others in need.

3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?

GS: Hope exists, even in the darkest times, especially on the interpersonal level. Just be open to it.

4) What drew you into this particular genre?

GS: Happenstance, really. For me, the worldview under which I grew up means planning for the worst and hoping for the best. Since science fiction embodies both hopes for the future coupled with a dystopian fear of the future, it seemed a natural genre.

5) If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?

GS: I guess that would be Iggy. My question would be, when things had begun spiraling down, why did you let pride override asking for help from close friends.

I want to understand the ego behind persons who prefer death to the perceived ignominy of asking for help, even from friends.

6) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?

GS: This area is still in early development. I have a presence on Amazon, Goodreads, Google, Booklife, and several other sites. It is difficult to say which site(s) has been most helpful.

7) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?

GS: I guess my advice is three-fold.

  • Listen to your characters as they develop. There will come a point where they speak to you in their own voice. Try to capture their sound, sense, and attitude.
  • Rewrite-Edit-Rewrite-Edit. When you think you have completed a project, set it aside for a few days, then come back and review it again with fresh eyes.
  • Grow a thick skin and persevere. Publishers, Agents, and book reviewers are inundated with submissions and cannot possibly respond to or accept all submissions. Expect many rejections and few responses. (Don’t be discouraged with no response; responses are rare. Be satisfied when you get a response. Be joyous when it is a positive response.)
  • Always be professional and courteous in your communications.

8) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?

GS: I have just completed A Question in Time and have begun the process of querying publishers. This novel pays homage to three great Victorian characters of literary fiction: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes and Dr. James Watson—with a sly aside to a nefarious criminal—and the time traveler of H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine. Firmly rooted in Victorian London of the 1890s, this novel examines the reality of time travel by contrasting mentally relived past events against physically experienced future events.

Advertisements
Babouc’s Vision Review

About the Author

Glenn Searfoss is an American author of works in science fiction, mythology, computer science, and natural history. He lives in Colorado, USA with his wife.

Interview with Author Jamie Smartkins

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn InterviewsLeave a comment

1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?

  I am an Indian science fiction author, blogger, and YouTuber. After having over a decade of experience in the software industry, I moved into the world of writing. I   also love studying astrology and palmistry in my spare time. I started writing fantasy stories as I believe creative art in any genre is the ultimate form of abstract science. 

  Writing is one of the best ways to express the creative skills of an individual. When I watched the movie Honey I Shrunk The Kids’, I wanted to be a fantasy sci-fi writer. I started writing poems as a kid which helped honing my writing skills. 

Advertisements

2) What inspired you to write your book?

  When I was a kid, I watched a sci fi show named Johnny Sokko And His Flying Robot, I was simply amazed. I envisioned that I will write a science fiction story   someday. And when I watched Honey I shrunk the kids, I decided that I will be a fantasy writer as well. But I got the real inspiration in writing when I started     reading books of Charles Dickens, Alexandre Dumas, R L Stevenson, R M Ballantine and Jules Verne.

3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?

  In this day and age, people are so much busy in life. After reading my book, my readers should feel motivated, entertained, get to know some scientific concepts (soft scifi) and a fantasy theme blended together and get a positive message all the way.

4) What drew you into this particular genre?

  I love fantasy and scifi genre mainly because of the following elements which form the base of this genre. I get an opportunity to create fantasy world building with mystical, mythical creatures and characters. Also presence of magical element adds flavor to the story and finally the most       important point – this genre enlightens creativity not only to the author but also to the readers.

5) If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?

   I would definitely like to meet my favorite character Sprinkle Sparkle and ask him to take me for a ride across the entire world. 

6) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?

   The site ‘Medium’ is very helpful. I generally read articles related to science, technology, books, motivation and personal development.

7) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?

  Start somewhere. It doesn’t matter if you are a kid, teenager, adult or a senior citizen. The biggest challenge lies in the motivation. It’s hard to feel motivated   after day’s work and then planning to write. Always feel motivated, dream high and whenever your mind gets inundated with creative ideas, just write it down on a   piece of paper. You can then write on that creative stuff later when you are free. Try to write at least 500 words a day whenever you are planning to write.

8) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?

  I don’t ponder too much upon the future. I am currently blogging and like making motivational videos. Yes, I started working on my the next fantasy scifi book.

Advertisements
Jexter Bladebrace Review

About the Author

Jamie Smartkins ,a fiction author, voracious reader and a dreamer. He would like to take his audience on a journey to attain and empower knowledge and acumen that are quintessential forms of survival and success in this day and age through his writing , blogging and motivational thought process and make his the readers the smartest people around.

———————————————–

My Website      – https://jamiesmartkins.com

Youtube channel – https://www.youtube.com/c/Tipsverse

Twitter         – https://twitter.com/jamiesmartkins

Facebook        – https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJamieS

Interview with Author Proto Dagg

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn InterviewsLeave a comment

1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?  

I’ve pretty much always loved reading and writing. I wrote spec screenplays for a while.  While I won a contest and got an agent, I still didn’t sell anything.  Never-the-less, screenwriting taught me the importance of developing your characters while keeping the story moving forward.  

Advertisements

2) What inspired you to write your book?  

Having had a religious upbringing, I’ve always been interested in the origins of religions and what their earliest ceremonies might have looked like.  In Greece, for example, the Eleusinian Mystery religion most likely had some sort of hallucinogen at their annual festival.  This sacrament enabled their faithful to actually have a firsthand mystical experience.  (Sidenote: medical researchers are now discovering that hallucinogens are having positive results with patients with trauma, addictions, depression.  It turns out, having a mystical experience can change one’s perspective in healthy ways.)   Anyway, I really liked the idea of a shaman bringing a cure into a fragmented modern world.  That was the impetus.  

3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book? 

It is possible to cut the cords of addiction, find acceptance/healing from traumatic memories, and discover your own spiritual path. 

4) What drew you into this particular genre?  

I fell into speculative fiction because it’s where the story took me.  With speculative fiction, you have the ability to really let your imagination go.  I have always admired futuristic authors who can also work with spiritual ideas; writers like Philip K. Dick, Arthur C. Clarke, Aldous Huxley, and Herman Hesse.   

5) If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?  

While I identify with the protagonist (Matt), I think the “Peacemaker” is the most interesting character.  A chameleon, he can be whoever he needs to be in the moment.  He also seems to have access to ancient esoteric wisdom.  Not only does he know about sacred plants, he also comprehends their chemistry and sees no conflict between the scientific and the spiritual.  In fact, he finds a way to merge the two worlds.  This book allowed me to ask him most of the questions I have, but I think he still has more to tell me.  

6) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?  

I do not have much of a social media presence so I’m probably not the right person to ask.  

7) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?  

If you write in a specific genre, learn its rules.   Whatever you write, do it because you truly enjoy the process.  Obviously, it’s hard work and can be a grind at times.   However, I think it’s important to find the fun and creativity in telling your story – a story that you would want to read.   

Advertisements

8) What does the future hold in store for you? Are any new books/projects on the horizon?  

Yes, I’m working on a second ‘Peacemaker’ book that takes place a couple of years after the last one ends. It is set in another fictionalized city and has many of the same characters and several new ones. 

Terminus Review
https://twitter.com/PeacemakersV

http://bit.ly/ThePeacemakers

Interview with Author Devi Nina Bingham 

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn reviewsLeave a comment

1,) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?

One of my fondest memories from childhood was an “ah ha” writing moment. My 4th grade teacher chose my story for the class reading circle, but she didn’t tell the class I’d written it. At the end she revealed one of thier classmate had written it. The class gasped in appreciation and burst into applause. From that moment I was hooked on writing! I had loads of natural creativity, but my teacher got after me grammar and spelling. She explained how important these two things would be if I was going to be a good writer, so thereafter I became a meticulous spelling, punctuation and grammar-checker, which made me a proficient editor. I have a good teacher to thank for her encouragement, but also for requiring me to push myself to master the difficulties of the English language. 

As an adult, my life coaching clients inspired me to write my recovery workbook, “Never Enough”, while a lost love inspired me to write “Aphrodite’s Cup: Passionate Poems”. “God on Fire: Spiritual Poems” was written after discovering Rumi’s spiritual poetry; I’m a big Rumi fan! “Once The Storm Is Over: From Grieving To Healing After The Suicide of My Daughter” was written so I could share my journey from grief to healing with other suicide survivors, and with teens and young adults struggling with depression. 

Advertisements

2) What inspired you to write your book?

After 4 years of struggling with serious depression my 15 year old teen daughter secretly took herself off of her depression medication. It proved to be a deadly decision, because 3 days later she took her own life in the next room as I slept. I wrote about my journey through grief in my autobiography, “Once The Storm Is Over: From Grieving To Healing After The Suicide Of My Daughter” (Big Table Publishing, 2015). Walking had become like therapy for me, so several years later I was walking my dog when I distinctly heard my daughter’s voice. It startled me so much that I came to a complete halt. All she said was: “Mama, listen for the voice.” I thought maybe my mind was playing tricks on me. The 2nd anniversary of her death was fast approaching, and I had been thinking as I walked that day of how Moriyah might look in the afterlife, her face glowing and celestial. I didn’t know what voice she was talking about, but I promised her that I would be listening for it. It was several weeks later that I received the first message from Archangel Metatron. It took me 3 years to compile all 30 messages, and I added a study guide with 30 lessons. “Messages From Metatron” is a powerful curriculum for those seeking to achieve spiritual transformation.

3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?

I have taken what I was told and tried to stitch it together to present a unified explanation of how the universe is structured. The book answers larger existential questions, including, who is God and what is our purpose? All the messages have one theme in common, that of unity. They all seem to be stressing: we are one. Another favorite theme is that of reality. I found myself asking, what is real? From an angel’s perspective, reality is not only the world of matter, but the world of thought and feeling. Lastly, the book reminds us that we are a piece of the universal tapestry that affects the entire fabric of the cosmos. Without your contribution the world wouldn’t be whole. 

4) What drew you into this particular genre?

All of my books are nonfiction indies except for my autobiography. In my opinion, fiction requires a publisher’s hand in shaping the storyline and characters, while nonfiction can often stand alone because it is the truth, and this is a plus if you want to self-publish. The other advantage of being an andie author is that you retain the lion’s share of the royalties, and you can choose how to best market your book. Being an indie author doesn’t pay like having a fulltime job does; I advise people to do it on the side because in the book market, competition is fierce. I became a writer because I have to do it; something compels me to keep writing. If you cannot not do it, then you’re meant to write.

5) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?

I am most active in posting to my Facebook and Twitter accounts because I can interact more with the readers there. It’s more “personal.” Something I was surprised to find is how readers want to know something about you before buying your books. I started my blog in 2011 and have seen it’s readership grow over time, but most visitors to my blog heard of it through a social media posting. I don’t use other popular forums because I’ve only got so much time to devote to social media, so I focus on Facebook and Twitter because of their interactivity. 

6) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?

Just keep writing. Be fluent in writing. Write when you feel like it and when you don’t. Get used to writing frequently. Don’t allow your mind to lie dormant for too long. Keep hammering away at your craft and someday you’re ganna surprise yourself. And I suggest writing through writer’s block. Sit and write whatever comes, whether it’s excellent material or it’s going to wind up in the trash. I don’t believe in writer’s block. There’s always something to say on any given day, it just may not be publishable. Plow through the blockage, don’t give it much of my attention or judge whether it’s good or bad writing. When I ignore blockages they tend to go away.

7) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?

Ten Archangels Teach You How to Live an Inspired Life is the second book in the Archangel series of a three-book curriculum, beginning with Messages From Metatron, thatteaches a non-denominational and universal spirituality. Celestial communications from ten Archangels of the Tree of Life including Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. Their words of wisdom will help readers recover from life’s setbacks and find new strength and purpose. Publishing 2022. 

Advertisements

About the Author

Award-winning Author of 10 books including, “Messages From Metatron: A Course in Self-Transformation.” A Life Coach and Clinical Hypnotherapist of 18 years in Tucson, Arizona, Devi Nina is currently working as an Intuitive Counselor who channels the Archangel Metatron, providing intuitive readings for live audiences. Podcast host in 2022 of the “Messages From Metatron Podcast Study Group” on CView Quantum Network. To learn more about the virtual study group go to: http://tobtr.com/12016606

Author Links

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWz7X2WpyGu4bQ6htdiXGwg

Website: https://ninabingham.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/devininabingham

Twitter: https://twitter.com/liv_enlightened

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/nina-bingham

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Nina-Bingham/e/B008XEX2Z0

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/

7434239.Nina_Bingham

Interview with Author Paul Francois

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn reviewsLeave a comment

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?

A: My day job is being a computer geek for a global technology company. I’ve always been a geek and proud of it. Technology was always in my blood. My first job was an avionics system control specialist on F-111 fighters in the US Air Force. I started writing to quiet the voices in my head! Ok, seriously…I always felt I had better ideas for stories and movies than most. It was sometime in 2011 that I kept getting ideas waking me in my sleep and disrupting my day-to-day activities. Finally, I had to write. It was the only action that helped calm the voices.

Q: What inspired you to write your book?

A: I used to play Shadowbane online and was intrigued by the lore. The game designers intertwined Greek, Celtic, and Nordic mythologies so well that I had to expand upon it. So many ideas rattled around in my mind until I just had to pour them out onto paper…or a computer to be precise. This was my second book but I kept writing and writing until I realized…this was my first full sized novel. I was horrible in high school English classes. I wanted to write creatively, but the teachers wanted uniformity, conformity, and structure. I felt as if they were drowning me with rules and restrictions.

Advertisements

Q: What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?

A: I would like readers to feel that anything is possible. You never know where life will take you or what destiny may lie ahead of you, just waiting for you to discover it. 

Q: What drew you into this particular genre?

A: I’ve always loved the SciFi and Fantasy genre. I find everyday life boring and sometimes limited, but in the Fantasy genre you can create anything you like. Create a new realm, a new creature, or anything you can dream…your imagination is the only limitation.

Q: If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?

A: It would choose Gaal. I loved creating this character and developing an arsenal of witty comebacks for him. I would ask how he felt about always being referred to as an abomination and what it was like growing up in the Carloon Outpost as a Shade. I always felt I could have elaborated on his life, but then again…I doubt the Shade would be very forthcoming with details.

Q: What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?

A: Goodreads and BookBub. Most other sites would reach out to just any members, even if they did not know you were a writer. With my last name being French in origin I mostly received scammers speaking French wearing revealing clothing.

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?

A: If you’re writing for a profit, find a new line of work. If you just care about publicity, then you can write what you “think” the public wants to hear. However, if the desire to express yourself and the yearning to create new worlds, stories, and characters just burns deep in your soul…write what you want, when you want, and how you want. If your one true desire is to be a creative writer, then write what you want. If they like it, great. If they don’t…then screw them! At the end of the day the only person you have to answer to, and that you can’t lie to, is yourself.

Q: What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?

A: Due to life and health issues, I’ve had to take a hiatus from writing for a few years but I hope to get started on a trilogy series soon featuring a young female protagonist who is a strong leader and not afraid of showing it. I’m tired of some showing that females have to have a soft side and that they are so easily hurt, while the males are brave and fearless. It doesn’t always work like that in the real world. Also, I might write the prequels to the Shadowbane series, since I loved writing the Age of Aelfborn.

Advertisements

About the Author

By day, Paul Francois is a mild-mannered IT professional. He has been in the technology field for over 20 years. One day, in 2011, he started pondering story ideas until they leapt out of his brain and onto paper…onto the computer to be precise.

Join him as he discovers which genre suits his writing style best. Fantasy, Sci Fi, Thriller, or perhaps…all of the afore mentioned. The road is dreary and his journey long, sit back and enjoy a tale as we travel it together.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorPaulFrancois

Twitter: @AuthorFrancois

www.crusaderscrypt.com 

Interview with Author Mark S. Moore

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn reviewsLeave a comment

1)   Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?

For me, writing began when I was in high school. I dealt with a ton of anxiety and I withdrew into reading fantasy novels, specifically, the Dragonlance novels by Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman. I remember I was sitting in an office at school reading one of their books and being sad it ended so I decided “I’m going to write some more, for myself.” That’s really how I got into writing, I wanted more story, so I made it myself. Oh…and it was absolute garbage, by the way, that awful fan fiction I wrote back then.

Advertisements

2)   What inspired you to write your book?|

For Rise (and its sequel) the idea came from two different places but morphed into something completely different. I had been watching The Man in High Castle and spending a lot of time listening to Hamilton which gave me this idea of creating an alternative history novel on the American Revolution. I got about two chapters in and felt I was too restrained by factual places and people so I broke out of those confines and made my own world instead. It was liberating.

3)   What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?

What I hope people can take away from my book is that it’s not as easy as we may like to think to determine who is good and who is evil in any conflict. Horrific things can be done for reasons that are perceived to be good because we’re all people and we’re all faulty.

4)   What drew you into this particular genre?

The very first book I remember reading was The Hobbit in 2nd grade. From there I went on to read about Greek Mythology and got deeply into a video game, Everquest, which had a pantheon of gods and goddesses and deep fantasy lore. Fantasy was always one of those things that just captured my imagination. Castles, swords, magic? I was sold from the beginning.

Advertisements

5)   If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?

This is a tough question for me because I get to know my characters so intimately, I don’t think there’s much I wouldn’t know about them. Part of my process is building up a real personality that works off logic and grants them agency but it’s agency I understand and anticipate, if that makes sense? A character won’t do something I don’t expect them to because I’ve built up who they are. Perhaps I’d sit down with Cromwell to ask him to dissect multiple military strategies in past conflicts and explain how and where they went wrong. As a brilliant tactician, I believe he would see things that even historians would have missed.

6)   What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?

Honestly, probably twitch if one could call it a social media site. The writing community on Twitter is great, but it’s easy to fall into some dangerous habits like follow for follow. Building a platform is difficult and I’ve made a lot of mistakes over the years which is honestly why I started a youtube channel to begin with, to show the kind of things I did wrong and hopefully spare others from those mistakes. For social media, I think it’s important to narrow your focus to what you can be consistent with and whichever platform your target audience uses.

7) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?

 Be kind to yourself. Writing is hard, it’s demanding mentally and emotionally and it can take time. One of the worst things you can do is compare yourselves to others, focus on the things in your control and try to do a little bit whenever you can to get better. That doesn’t mean just writing, but reading, researching, whatever you can because all that incremental progress you do day after day, week after week, when you look back years later you’ll be amazed at how far you’ve come.

8) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?

Good things, I hope! I’m working on a new book and new series that I hope to launch soon. The first draft is just about complete. It’ll be a slight departure from my current books because it’ll lean more heavily into more traditional fantasy.

I want to continue making content to help new writers on youtube, as well. It’s something I’m passionate about because I think it’s important to provide advice in multiple formats to make it as available to those who want to seek it out as possible. I’d like to inspire some people to write who may not yet be ready to put pen to paper or fingers to keys. 

Advertisements
Rise Review

About the Author

Mark Moore began writing his first book in November of 2015. What started as a hobby quickly morphed into a passion that consumed long nights and lunch hours during his day jobs. With the help of his editor, JMR Literary Services, he published his first book, Rise, in November of 2018 and followed it with its sequel, Stand, in December 2020. His current work in progress is a departure from the low-fantasy genre, focusing on more traditional fantasy.

In 2021 Mark also began collecting his thoughts and putting together a writing advice youtube channel which can be found below with the goal of sparing other authors from the mistakes he’s made over the years and sharing what he’s learned.

https://www.marksmoorebooks.com/

https://www.instagram.com/redbeardflynn/

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/redbeardflynn

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08QDRXLJ4/ref=x_gr_w_glide_sin?caller=Goodreads&callerLink=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.goodreads.com%2Fbook%2Fshow%2F56687436-stand%3Fac%3D1%26from_search%3Dtrue%26qid%3DLzLSKThfok%26rank%3D1&tag=x_gr_w_glide_sin-20

Interview with Author Lee Fearnside

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn InterviewsLeave a comment

1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?

I’ve also been interested in stories, although until a few years ago most of my storytelling was done visually. I believe stories are a great way to understand other people – their experiences, their perspectives on the world – and so developing an anthology as a collection of people’s stories seemed a natural fit.

Advertisements

2) What inspired you to write your book?

Let’s be honest – 2020 sucked. It pretty much sucked for everyone. We were all affected by a pandemic the likes of which our world hadn’t seen in 100 years, America was increasingly polarized, there was a tidal wave of protests against racial injustice, we had a tumultuous presidential election, and it feels like the list goes on and on. Developing this anthology and making the portraits of public figures who died was both obsession (I made a lino cut portrait every week, and I think I gave myself carpel tunnel) and balm. I wanted to try to make sense of my own grief by understanding others’ grief.

3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?

My hope is that even amidst despair we can find hope in our collective experience. That even though 2020 sucked, the way through was together. That somehow by mourning these people, these celebrities and public figures and our complicated relationships with them, we could find connection.

4) What drew you into this particular genre?

In many ways this book is an extension of an anthology I edited and illustrated with my brother, published in 2018, that mourned celebrities who died in 2016. Perhaps these books serve as bookends to each other.

5) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?

Instagram is a way that I connect with other artists, and have been able to share work in progress from this and other projects.

6) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?

Just keep making. If you have a story to tell, you’ll find your audience. Yes, it’s a lot of work but your story is important, so keep using your voice.

7) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?

I’m working on a project about community. I’ve been interviewing people from all over the country and in all different fields about how they define community and how they work to create change. To date, the participants include a political candidate and Trump accuser, an urban planner, a human trafficking victims advocate, an immigration lawyer, a poet, a Franciscan nun, and more. Collectively the book creates a portrait of a community in America today. I hope to finish the book sometime later this year. 

Advertisements

About the Author

Lee Fearnside is an artist and curator. Her photographic work has been exhibited in galleries and museums  in New England, the Midwest and in national juried shows, including the Toledo Museum of Art, the Reece Museum and the New York Hall of Science. She published O! Relentless Death: Celebrity, Loss and Mourning with her brother in 2018, and the book won the Independent Voice Award gold medal from the Independent Publishers Book Awards and was a finalist in American Book Fest. She has curated group exhibitions around themes of sustainability, diversity, food systems and art from Ohio prisons, funded in part by grants from the Ohio Arts Council and the Ohio Humanities Council. Fearnside earned a BA from Smith College, a M.F.A in Photography from the Rhode Island School of Design, and a M.S. in Arts Administration from Drexel University.

https://www.chimeraprojects.art/current-project-death-never-dies

Interview with Author David R. White

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn InterviewsLeave a comment

Tell us a little about yourself. How did you get into writing?

I’ve always enjoyed writing, but it took some time to take it seriously. I studied film at university, so I spent most of my 20s writing screenplays and dreaming of breaking into the film industry. My plan was to write a book when I was old and decrepit, but the bug bit a little earlier than expected.

Advertisements

What inspired you to write the book?

I had the general idea back in 2007, but it was about a decade later that I was watching a documentary called ‘The Death of Superman Lives’  about Tim Burton’s failed reinvention of Superman. His costume designer on that movie was a man named Jose Fernandez. He (and his team at Ironhead) have been responsible for a lot of the super-suits we’ve seen on film in the past twenty to thirty years. Long story short, google ‘Jose Ferandez Batman Forever’ and you’ll likely see the exact photograph that led me to writing the character of Cavaliar and, ultimately, Thunderhead.

What theme or message do you hope readers take away from your book?

Thunderhead is first and foremost about friendship. Tom considers himself a loner, but in reality, he’s simply shielding himself from rejection. On a broader scale, it’s about prejudice. Many of the rules and restrictions forced upon Supers are predicated on this idea that they’re predisposed towards violence. 

What drew you into this particular genre?

The scope for creativity. If I wasn’t writing a Superhero series, I’d be writing high fantasy or sci-fi. There’s a glut of Superhero content out there, but the challenge of bringing something new to the genre is exciting.    

If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?

Walter Cobb, and what’s his favorite sandwich. 

What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership? 

To be honest, I’m still learning how to navigate social media and get the most out of it. So far I would say Twitter has been the most helpful.

What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?

There’s a piece of advice in Ann Lamott’s Bird by Bird that’s always stuck out – her father said that writing is a contract with yourself. Nothing could be more true. Commit to writing every single day and the rest will follow. 

What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?

The sequel to Thunderhead should be out by mid-2022. The plan is to release an installment every six months and finish the series off by the end of 2023.

Advertisements
Thunderhead Review

About the Author

DAVID R. WHITE was born and raised in the small town of Maffra, Australia. He spent most of his childhood reading Asterix comics and fantasy novels. He has been a bartender, an optical mechanic, a salesman, a store manager, an English teacher, and survived a near twenty-year stint in customer service with most of his wits intact. His love affair with books began with Roald Dahl’s The Twits, but it was upon discovering the likes of David Eddings, Frank Herbert, Tolkien, and Douglas Adams that he was inspired to write something of his own. He currently lives in Spain.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21913839.David_R_White

https://davidrwhite.com/
https://twitter.com/drw_thunderhead

Interview with Author TC MARTI

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn Interviews5 Comments

1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?

I grew up in Eastern Ohio/Northern West Virginia; about 45 minutes west of Pittsburgh. I’m a familiar face in town since I love to go outside and run the streets for at least an hour a day. I’m also a huge fan of Arizona sports teams (hence my main character’s last name). 

With so little to do in town other than going to the local gym and running, writing has always been a fun way to pass the time. After writing a few full-length manuscripts in 2014, I thought, “why not go public with this someday?”

My first few works were not good and therefore, I never published them. But after reading a few books I felt was comp titles, I went in and retooled those early full-length manuscripts. The first of which became Wind Wielder, with the book being nearly eight years in the making! 

Advertisements

2) What inspired you to write your book?

I grew up watching a lot of TV, reading, listening to music, and watching movies. Since writing served as my primary escape, I wanted to write something inspired by my favorite entertainment outlets. Books like Harry Potter, movies like Star Wars, and TV shows like Lost and Avatar: The Last Airbender, with a touch of Call of Duty. 

Music also served as a huge inspiration for Wind Wielder – mainly fantasy-based power metal bands like DragonForce, Twilight Force, and others. 

3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?

My biggest message to readers is to never allow someone else who knows nothing about you, especially authority figures, pick and choose what’s best for you. In Wind Wielder, we’re introduced to elementals (also referred to as mutants), and a global superpower that propagated its people to treat elementals so poorly they’re willing to frame elementals by staging attacks on the majority, non-elemental population to further push their anti-elemental propaganda. 

4) What drew you into this particular genre?

I grew up reading all sorts of genres, but mainly historical fiction, believe it or not. However, as I grew older, I realized I could create so much more with fantasy/sci-fi as opposed to limitations I believe some other genres bring.

For example, I could create new worlds, my own magical or tech systems, and let them go to work in fantasy/sci-fi. While, if I tried a genre like historical fiction (which I still love, by the way), I’m forced to stick to specific time periods. 

The only real drawback with fantasy, science fantasy or speculative fantasy, is that with each new magical system created, many possible loopholes open. They can be tough to find and even tougher to close. It took me a good ten to twelve rounds of editing Wind Wielder just to find and close them. 

5) If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?

From Wind Wielder, I would love to sit down with Raj. This is a girl where there’s so much more than meets the eye, and I’ve always described Raj as the book’s breakout character. 

She and I also share identical interests; we love sports, and we also both talk to others, in the same manner, they talk to us. She’s one of those people who, academia-wise, is so well-rounded you can talk to her about pretty much any subject and she would respond with expertise, or at least with general knowledge. 

6) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?

I actually don’t use mainstream social media platforms. However, I have found Bookfunnel and StoryOrigin to be ultra-helpful in building a readership via mailing list integration. It’s also a remarkable place to find authors who write comp titles, and to team up with them via cross and joint promotions. I highly recommend both platforms for authors who are looking to get new sets of eyes on their work. 

Advertisements

7) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?

Start marketing your book months if not longer in advance, ideally before you even start the first draft. 

Instead of writing your novel first, write a short story or novelette and turn it into a reader magnet. Join the platforms listed above and sign up for a mailing list provider and charge readers a mailing address in exchange for downloading your stories. 

Cross-promote your stories with other authors, join group promotions, and you will be surprised as to how many fans you will generate. Send regular mailing campaigns to your readers and give them another free short story regarding your characters every now and again. Ask them for feedback and they will respond. 

By the time you’ve written Book I in your series, your readers are already wanting more of the characters they already have come to know and love via your reader magnet and tidbits. 

8) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?

I actually have five more books following Wind Wielder. Two of which are in the Elementals of Nordica Series, set to be released on February 1st, 2022, and March 1st, 2022. My other three comprise books featuring the same magical systems but in different worlds and situations. 

Those projects, along with Elementals of Nordica, take place in a shared universe. There will be characters from each series crossing over into others. In fact, the final scene in Wind Wielder leaves a huge clue to the reader that the book is, indeed, part of a shared universe. 

Advertisements

About the Author

TC Marti has been an avid reader/writer for over three decades. He is the author of the Elementals Universe, a shared speculative fiction universe spanning multiple series. He is also a workout fanatic, and a fan of Arizona sports teams.

https://a.co/4kcgQa1

Preorder Book I in the Catenarian Chronicles