Tag: blog interview

Interview with Author M.E. Grantham

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

I grew up in a military family and had the opportunity to travel and experience diverse cultures. I studied sociology to delve deeper into the dynamics of human and group interactions. My curiosity expanded into studying nursing, holistic healing, and energy work. These transformative practices and studies became an integral part of my personal growth and inspired me to share my experiences and insights through writing.

I live just outside Nashville, TN with my husband, sister, and a small pack of dogs. In my leisure time, I read and listen to audiobooks across various genres. I enjoy spending time with my grown children and grandson, painting, traveling, playing hide and seek with my yellow lab, and watching hummingbirds divebomb as they compete for the feeders on my back deck. 

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2) What inspired you to write your book?

I am inspired by the younger generations and the unique struggles they face with the ending of the American dream, unattainable housing/rental costs, inflation, AI, and global wars. They are much stronger than their label as “snowflakes” and have within them the ability to create the change they want in this world.

The resilient human spirit and ability to overcome adversity serve as my greatest source of inspiration. Witnessing individuals rise above their circumstances and transform into the best versions of themselves fuels my desire to learn, grow, and evolve personally and as a writer. I aspire to contribute to the collective human journey by offering hope, encouragement, and insight through my words.

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

There are several messages I hope will be takeaways from my novel. 

1) The younger generations are strong and capable of becoming the heroes of their stories and our society. Unlikely champions are born out of adversity and are not necessarily whole or completely healed when called upon to act. 

2) There are people you meet who are part of your destiny. They become your circle and are often more important than the circle into which you are born.

3) Today our society is fractured on so many levels including by generations. We have all heard the Gen Z and millennials discounting “Okay Boomer” as well as the derogatory name-calling by the older generations of “Snowflakes”. 

I would like a takeaway to be that there is strength in all the generations and by joining together we are all stronger and better able to redirect our attention to the true evil corrupting our world. 

4) Trust your instincts when you sense a connection and when you sense bad intentions. You do not always need to act immediately but do not discount either. Keep an open mind, observe, and be honest with others and most importantly yourself. Good or bad, if people show you who they are, believe them.

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4) What drew you into this particular genre?

My novel is a mixed genre of speculative fiction with elements of science fiction. 

I have always been intrigued by novels and movies that make you think and wonder if that could happen in some near or distant future. 

From Orwell’s 1984 and Huxley’s Brave New World to the many Star Trek shows and streaming series from Dark to Stranger Things, we are transported to a compelling and often frightening future. Once there, in that created future, we are challenged to consider the impossible, including our own reality. 

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

I would love to sit down with Niamh. She is a seer and a sage. With her piercing black eyes she sees beyond the veil and the layers of reality. I think we could all benefit from her wisdom. 

I would ask her about our world and society’s future, specifically, the geopolitical upheavals and global climate changes. Are we already in WWIII? Will Russia invade more of Europe? Will America fracture and fade or reunite and become stronger? 

Too many questions given our current times! I would end my conversation with Niamh by asking her about personal concerns about my loved ones. Will my family be safe? Should we prepare for lean times? Will they move closer to home?

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

Instagram and Facebook have been the most helpful in developing my readership. I enjoy engaging directly with my readers and keeping them updated on book fairs, travel, and new projects.

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

Keep going and do not give up. Writing is an intimate process, even when writing fiction. You are putting your soul out on display for others to critique. It is hard not to take it personally so grow a thick skin and push through the discomfort. 

Your story is worthy. It needs to be told and someone out there needs to read it!

If you are new to writing, join a writing community for support and to learn your craft. 

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

My future is full of books! Reading them, writing them, even listening to them. I have just finished the second novel in the Shifting Realities series. I am making revisions before I send it out to my editor. I am hoping to have Shifting Realities: The Alternates out to my readers this summer. 

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About the Author

M.E. Grantham, the author, brings a wealth of life experiences and a diverse background to her writing. Her upbringing in a military family exposed her to various cultures and ideas through extensive travel. Having lived in England for two years, she was fortunate to have an English teacher who ignited her passion for literature, laying the foundation for her literary journey.

Captivated by the intricacies of different societies, Grantham pursued a study of sociology, delving deeper into understanding the dynamics of human interaction. Her curiosity eventually led her to explore nursing, healing, and energy work , including modalities such as Reiki, Tibetan shamanic healing, and multi-dimensional healing. These transformative practices became an integral part of her personal growth following her father’s passing, inspiring her to share her experiences and insights through her writing. 

To refine her artistic expression, Grantham dedicated herself to honing her writing skills. She immersed herself in the writing community, becoming a proud member of both The Porch in Nashville and the Atlanta Writers Club. Here, she engages with fellow writers, sharing ideas and fostering a supportive environment that nurtures creativity. 

The resilient human spirit and the ability to overcome adversity serve as Grantham’s greatest sources of inspiration. 

Witnessing individuals rise above their circumstances and transform into the best versions of themselves fuels her desire to learn, grow, and evolve, both personally and as a writer. She aspires to contribute to the collective human journey by offering hope, motivation, and insight through her words. 

Outside the world of writing, Grantham resides just outside Nashville with her husband, sister, and a small pack of dogs. Her leisure time is enriched with reading and listening to audiobooks across a variety of genres. She enjoys spending quality time with her grown children and grandson, exploring the joys of painting, traveling, and engaging in playful rounds of hide and seek with her yellow lab, Bear. M.E. Grantham’s life experiences and dedication to holistic healing are deeply reflected in her writing, offering readers a unique perspective and inspiring stories.

https://megranthamauthor.com

Interview with Author Hailey Gosack 

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

I LOVE to read, and one day, I thought, why not try writing? I had so much fun with it, but I never planned on publishing a book until I started to receive feedback on my Wattpad account for more. 

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2) What inspired you to write your book?

I was going through a doomsday prepping phase. I really don’t know why. Intuition? The whole Covid thing started a few months after I had finished writing the book. Also, I read One Second After by William Forstchen. I loved the book, and I wanted more. So, I wrote my own with more excitement and a more sinister twist. 

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

That an EMP catastrophe is not that far-fetched. If it brings some awareness and some prepping, then I’ve done my job.

4) What drew you into this particular genre?

I’m not sure, actually. It’s just fine to write in this genre. I also have written in the New Adult genre (sort of like Young Adult). I received good feedback from that as well, but it didn’t gain the same traction as The Days books. 

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

I think I am all of my characters. I’d probably chat with Franks some more, though. If there is a third book in the series, it’ll be heavily Frank-centered. 

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

I’m not that big on social media. Facebook is the only one I really use, and it’s only because I feel like “I have to.” 

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

Think of your writing ambitions as an expensive hobby until you’ve got numerous books under your belt. Don’t expect to quit your day job after just one or even a handful of books. In other words, don’t do it for the money, but if it’s your dream career to be an author, KEEP GOING and join Facebook groups for writers to keep you inspired and receive valuable feedback. 

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

The sequel to The Days That Followed just came out, and I’ve got another Dystopian Novella hitting shelves soon, but I’ll probably pull back on writing for a bit so that I can read more! I read 50 books in 2023, and that was a bit of a bummer for me. 

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About the Author

Hailey was born and raised in Salmon, ID. She now lives in Park City, UT, with her husband, two young daughters, and two dogs. The Days That Followed is her debut publication and is book one in a two-part series. She’s also passionate about educating herself on health-related topics and advocates for healthcare reform. When not writing, reading, or researching, she can be found in nature or having princess tea parties at home.

https://www.facebook.com/gosa9977

https://haileygosack.com

Interview with Author David Fisher

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

I’ve been in the sales industry for over 40 years. I have helped develop sales training programs and have written numerous articles on the subject. For years I was intrigued with a certain relative who was a family legend (a black sheep of the family) and wanted to learn more about his story. I had a desire to hear the details, so I sat with him for months and the story just fell onto paper.

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2) What inspired you to write your book?

The story was so intriguing and captivating that the urge to write it was so overwhelming.

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

The lure of money is so powerful that it motivates people to stretch the limits of the law.

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4) What drew you into this particular genre?

The motivation for the story was the rarely seen, dark world of high stakes, high pressure telemarketing sales industry.

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

I was taken on a trip into the mind of Scott Newman. That gave me all the motivation I needed to bring the story to life.

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

Amazon and facebook have been the most successful to date. Self publishing makes it more difficult getting the story to the masses. A lot of work is still needed to reach a larger amount of readership.

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

I guess, for me, the only advice I would have is for an aspiring author to find a subject he/she is passionate about. That will make the juices flow and help jumpstart the writing process.

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

I do have another project I am working on. It is based upon several intersecting stories of severe anxiety leading to frightening results. The working title is “Panic In The Mirror…Reflections Of A Vision Lost.”

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About the Author

David Fisher is a first time author with four decades of hands-on experience in the sales industry. He has published numerous sales training articles. The subject matter for this comical peek he provides into the dark side of this ethically challenged telemarketing industry comes from hours of one-on-one interviews with a close family acquaintance who made this his career. His detailed, true life experiences were the foundation for this wonderfully fascinating, compelling read you won’t be able to put down.

https://shredstoriches.com

Interview with Author Richard Harland 

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

I grew up in England – Yorkshire, Devon, London, but most of all in Suffolk, which is farming country about 80 miles from London. Also the arlocationea of rural scenes painted by John Constable – and I used to live in a very pretty small town called Hadleigh. Not that I cared so much about the prettiness then – I wanted to escape to big city excitement! But a lot of the background feel to the Home Ground of Ferren’s tribe in FERREN AND THE ANGEL comes from memories of Hadleigh and the countryside around.

Afterwards, I was 3 years in Cambridge, then migrated to Australia – an accidental migration, because I never intended to stay. But then I fell in love with the place and the lifestyle. I’ve lived always around the Sydney area – inner city, Newcastle, and now the Illawarra. Wollongong manages to combine having the biggest steelworks in the Southern Hemisphere with having a beautiful green escarpment and a whole string of picture-perfect beaches.

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to create stories. I was always imagining scenarios and events for my own enjoyment and for friends playing games when I was a kid. But I never particularly thought of being a writer, until I started getting top marks for creative English composition – only because I discovered how to use a Thesaurus and throw around impressive-sounding words. Bad start! And worse, when I won a big prize for a short story, which was only impressive because I’d read some literary stuff more advanced than other kids my age, so I could pretend to use symbols and stream of consciousness and … you get the idea! I was a fake and a poseur, and all the natural story-telling instinct I started off with got lost in the process!

Anyway, I paid the price with 25 years of writer’s block. Now I truly did want to become a writer – and I couldn’t write. Or, more accurately, I couldn’t finish anything I started to write. And I started plenty, short stories, poems, novels – no use, I bogged down on every single one.

It took me a long, long time to rediscover that old storytelling instinct, but I did in the end. I got back to what I did well in the first place, which wasn’t fancy words and techniques, but making up live-in worlds and intriguing characters and stories that read like a movie.

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2) What inspired you to write your book?

This will sound corny, but it really began with a dream. If you look at the opening half-dozen pages of FERREN AND THE ANGEL, that’s like a transcript of the dream. I was Ferren peeking out at terrible sounds and lights in the night sky, understanding that it was a war going on between the armies of Heaven and the armies of Earth. And I was Ferren seeing the bright light of an angel come hurtling down towards me, shot out of the sky and crashing close by. I’ve always been lucky with my dreams!

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

Probably the idea that the downtrodden can rise up, exploitation can be defeated. I don’t really think in terms of themes or messages – if they’re there, they come out of the characters.

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4) What drew you into this particular genre?

If you call my genre Fantasy, then I guess I’ve always enjoyed imagining otherworlds. I love the challenge of creating a world far removed from the reader’s – and my own – experience, and then turning it into solid experience that makes you feel as if you’re actually living through the events right there. I think you’ll agree that the Ferren world is very way out – I hope you’ll agree that it still seems real when you read it!

But although I’ve always been drawn to Fantasy, I’ve also wanted to create fantasy worlds that aren’t like other fantasy worlds. I truly believe fantasy OUGHT to keep opening up new doorways, new imaginative possibilities, and I get disappointed when it falls into formula and stereotype. FERREN AND THE ANGEL is fantasy, OK, but when you get on to describing its sub-genre, then it becomes difficult. Easy to say it’s not traditional epic fantasy or swords and sorcery or medieval fantasy … but I wouldn’t know how to say exactly what it is!

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

I guess I’d love to sit down with my second most important character, Miriael, and ask her about her life as an angel! What was she taught by the Cherubim in the schoolrooms on the Third Altitude, how does it feel to share a perfect communion of touching spirit to spirit with every other angel? And a million suchlike questions – there’d be so much to ask!

But for just sitting down with – and not particularly asking any questions – I’d go for my third character, Zonda. She may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I’d really enjoy meeting her.

Watermelon

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

Maybe too early to give a proper answer … I’ll have a better answer in 6 months time! But I have enjoyed working through NetGalley, which is a site for making Advance Reading Copies available to reader-reviewers. I think it’s a great system! (And I don’t say that because all of my NetGalley reviews to date have been five-star … though it helps!)

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

I’d say, enjoy the writing and the writing process, because that’s a pleasure no one can ever take away from you. Success goes up and goes down, your next book can’t always be more popular than your last. But to have a story unfold and start telling itself and zoom towards its climax – whoo-ee! Best feeling in the world!

I guess my 25 years of writer’s block gives me more reason to enjoy it than most. I’m on a winner just being able to finish a book at all!

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

First business is completing the Ferren trilogy. After FERREN AND THE ANGEL comes FERREN AND THE DOOMSDAY MISSION, then FERREN AND THE INVADERS OF HEAVEN. The story began big and keeps getting bigger! I’m already pre-filming those next 2 books in my mind, and I absolutely believe the whole trilogy will be the most satisfying – and mind-boggling – thing of all. INVADERS OF HEAVEN involves what the title says, an actual invasion of Heaven. Can’t reveal who the ‘Invaders’ are, but it’s no spoiler to reveal that the foot-soldiers of the invasion will be the very ugly, soulless Hypers who’ve been the backbone of the Humen (sic) army ever since Book One.

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About the Author

I’m the author who nearly wasn’t – it took me 25 years to beat writer’s block. In those 25 years, I migrated from England to Australia, became a singer/songwriter, a poet and then a university lecturer. But all I truly wanted to do was write speculative fiction.

Finally I finished my first novel, the comic macabre, The Vicar of Morning Vyle. With its prequel, The Black Crusade, it grew into a cult. When mainstream Australian publisher Pan Macmillan contracted my next novel, I resigned my lectureship, and I’ve been a full-time author ever since.

I live south of Sydney between green escarpment and golden beaches, with partner Aileen and Yogi the labrador. Writing, writing, writing … I have those 25 missing years to make up for!

My big international success has been with my YA steampunk novels, Worldshaker, Liberator and Song of the Slums. The French Le Worldshaker picked up the Prix Tam-tam du Livre Jeunesse. In the US, Worldshaker and Liberator were published by Simon & Schuster.

Ferren Trilogy website:  https:// www.ferren.com.au

Richard Harland website:  https://www.richardharland.au 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/richardharland.books

Ferren on GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/137225996-ferren-and-the-angel

Ferren on Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZB4QVHL?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_8CPPAQVYYP1TTDMH5HBT

Ferren on BookSirens:  https://booksirens.com/book/VWV7C9U/S5PYY95

Ferren on NetGalley:  https://www.netgalley.com/widget/472841/redeem/8a4e9444708fbfe3778b4501511fa0a4954b1e0534dddedbf92727166ffa4003

Interview with Author Tim Stobierski

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn Book Events, InterviewsLeave a comment

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

• I honestly don’t know why, but I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I have distinct memories of myself as a child, maybe five or six, writing stories and poems. I’d carry a notebook around with me everywhere.

• But what’s funny is that I was never much of a reader as a child! I had my favorites. I devoured Harry Potter and other books. But I don’t think that my drive to be a writer came from a love of reading.

• In college, I majored in English with a concentration in creative writing. As a part of my studies, I took workshops each semester, and that’s where I finally began to come into my own as a writer — developing my own voice and style instead of just mimicking other writers. I credit my professors at the time — Sharon Bryan, Darcie Dennigan, Penelope Pelizzon, Gina Barreca — with helping me find my voice. 

2) What inspired you to write your book?

• To be quite honest, when I sit down to write poetry, it isn’t with a book or some greater collection in mind. All I’m doing is writing a poem. So I can’t really say that anything inspired me to write the book, because in my mind there never was a book — until there was.

• That being said, with a few exceptions, I wrote these poems during the pandemic. The early days of the pandemic were very lonely for me. I was single during the lockdown, and found myself longing for human connection at a time when it was impossible to have. Those feelings of love and longing and loss really permeate the poems that eventually made it into the collection. In that way, writing Dancehall was a way for me to make sense of the world.

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

• More than anything, I want readers to connect with the poems and come away with a sense that love is universal.

• The poems in Dancehall follow the narrative arc of a single relationship from start to finish. I call the book a queer love story, because I myself am queer and I see the book as coming from that perspective. But I also made very conscious stylistic decisions so that the poems would appeal to everyone — gay or straight, single or partnered, male or female or non-binary. 

• You may notice, for example, that except for in two instances the poems don’t make use of pronouns. Instead, the speaker (“I”) is talking directly to the subject (“You”). I did this so that it would be easier for the reader to put themselves in the poem — either as the speaker or the subject — and feel the immediacy of the work. 

• If I, a queer man writing about queer relationships, can write a poem that allows a straight person to feel something about their own relationships, then I think I’ve succeeded in my mission. It’s kind of cliche at this point to say it, but love is love. 

4) What drew you into this particular genre?

• I think I was drawn to poetry because I myself read poems that triggered an intense emotional response in me, which made me realize that poetry could be powerful. Some of the most powerful poems I’ve ever read were short poems — under 10 words — and yet they had the power to conjure memories and emotions in what is really an awe-inspiring way. Once I experienced that, I knew that I wanted to learn how to do that myself. I wanted to make people feel something, and I personally haven’t found a better way of doing that than through poetry.

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

• I have to admit, I’m terrible with social media. I use it mostly for personal reasons — staying in touch with friends, etc. But I’m starting to get a handle on it as a means of building my reader network! I’ve just begun sharing videos and pictures of my work on Instagram (timstobierski) and TikTok (tendre_croppes) and they’re definitely both powerful tools. I think TikTok has the most potential to get your work in front of millions of people quickly, but it’s also tricky to know what’s going to go viral or do well and what’s going to be a flop. I guess I’m still learning. 

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

• I think the most important bit of advice I have is to not let rejections get to you. If you submit a poem or a story or an entire book to a press and get a rejection, do your best not to take it personally. Brush yourself off, think critically about whether or not there’s a way you can make your submission stronger, and find a new press to submit to. Just because your work isn’t for someone doesn’t mean that it’s for no one.

• When I first pulled together the manuscript for Dancehall, it was very different from what the book now looks like. I was submitting it to contests and presses that wanted books of poetry consisting of 30 poems max, so that’s how I arranged the book. It wasn’t until I got my fourth or fifth rejection that I looked at the collection and thought, “Well, they keep turning me down when I send them what they say they want. I’m going to submit what I want.” I doubled the poems, reorganized the book, and gave the collection a narrative arc that didn’t exist before. And when I sent it out the next time? The book was accepted by not one, but two presses.

• The moral of it all: Rejections are a part of being a writer. So do your best to build up a thick skin.

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

• The way I write poetry is slow. It takes time. I don’t set out to write a collection — they amass over time as I write a poem here or there and realize that a theme has emerged. 

• Recently, I’ve been writing a lot about grief, tied specifically to my father’s death. I think that those poems will eventually form the body of a collection. Likewise, I’ve been writing more explicitly about my experiences coming to terms with my sexuality, and I think that will eventually form a collection

About the Author

Tim Stobierski writes about relationships. His work explores universal themes of love, lust, longing, and loss — presented through the lens of his own experiences as a queer man. His poetry has been published in a number of journals, including the Connecticut River Review, Midwest Quarterly, and Grey Sparrow. His first book of poetry, Chronicles of a Bee Whisperer, was published by River Otter Press in 2012. 

To pay the bills, he is a freelance writer and content strategist focused on the world of finance, investing, fintech, insurance, and software. In his professional writing, he prides himself on his ability to help the reader understand complicated subjects easily, a quality that informs his poetry. 

He is also the founder and editor of Student Debt Warriors, a free resource for college students, graduates, and parents who are struggling to make sense of the complex world of student loans.

https://amzn.to/3Eoc1ZQ

Interview with Author Dean Alexandrou 

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

I first became interested in language as an art form in school, after being prompted to read the book Gormenghast by a temporary English teacher who was covering for our main teacher. (Sadly I cannot even remember his name to thank him!) Gormenghast, by Mervyn Peake, uses words like daubs of paint, to create imagery that is more than just the rendering of a scene or story. After reading it I had a new appreciation for words and the way they could be used to add character to something as simple as walking along a corridor. Conversely, at the opposing end of the artistic spectrum I have also always been in awe of particle physicist Richard Feynman. His ability to explain extremely difficult principles of physics to a casual reader through perfectly selected, but simple words, phrases, and analogies, is another use of language that I love to emulate.

My personal journey into writing did not start until years after leaving school, and has really only just begun. Through my exposure to the entertainment industry I have gradually found myself as the writer of several short screenplays and scripts, increasing in length, until taking on a novel was the next logical step. The rules and restrictions of writing in screenplay format have always felt extremely limiting in expressing complex ideas that do not take place through dialogue. And, since most of the concepts I am interested in exist within a kind of internal, cerebral space, writing a novel was the only way I could explore them freely.

I have spent most of my adult life freelancing between different disciplines, some in the world of entertainment – film making, working at media agencies, occasionally on-screen – and some working in tech – coding, consulting, R&D at software companies. There are so many weird and wonderful things that I have encountered that I would love to spend the time writing about, either as elements of a story, or in isolation in their own right. Hopefully I will get the time. There is so much I would like to share.

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2) What inspired you to write your book?

Initially, SYMUTAL was an idea for a film – or rather the seeds of an idea. With the onset of Covid lockdowns in 2020 there seemed a perfect opportunity to flesh this idea out in much greater detail than I had ever intended. I dived headlong into writing it as a novel, then fully rewriting it… then fully rewriting the full rewrite… and again, over several iterations during the next few years. In addition to the story elements of the book, there are many ideas of computing and science that I felt have never been articulated particularly well outside of reference manuals or non-fiction. I wanted the reader to be exposed to some of the beauty that I feel is inherent in a scientific view of the world. Algorithms are beautiful, and they are everywhere.

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

Firstly and foremost, I want the reader to have fun through the characters and their journeys. But beyond that I guess I would like people to understand the world around them as something that is in constant flux, composed of a continual conflict of ideas – every object being the expression of an underlying principle of science.

4) What drew you into this particular genre?

I don’t really see myself as having chosen a genre to write in, per-se – I don’t think I could write in any other genre. It just feels like I am expressing my inner self through characters and story.

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

I would sit down with the meta-character The Hoshoku-Sha Corporation, and ask them to what end their progress was intended.

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

I have no idea to be honest. I think that contacting real readers, such as yourself, and reaching out to them is likely to be more fruitful than any number of broader social media approaches. I am still gathering data.

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

Since writing SYMUTAL, a few other people have asked me what my process was – people similar to myself who feel they have an idea to express but are not trained in writing, or are not experienced in writing long form content. I would say this:

Once you decide to write something, do it. Pin a sheet of paper to your wall and every night at midnight write down the number of words you have written that day. Never lie. Never cheat. Write the number. Your word count. Pin it somewhere so that you can always see it. If you don’t feel like writing that day, do it anyway. If the words feel like they are not coming out creatively that day, or you don’t have your “muse” with you, write anyway. Write something. Move the story forwards. Do it until you reach the end. No matter what. Every day. Until it’s done. Even if it is only one paragraph that day. Do it.

The reason I think people should adopt such a cold-mannered, relentless, Terminator-like approach, is that once they have finished the story they will want to rewrite it *anyway*. Guaranteed. No matter how good the first draft is, they will want to improve it. Nobody will be happy with their first draft…. Therefore, do not spend 12 months procrastinating on writing a single sentence because you want it to be perfect. It won’t be perfect the first time. So just write it, regardless of mood. Refine it on the next pass.

It is much easier to refine something that already exists (your first draft) into something you are happy with (your second, third, draft), than to create it perfectly all in one go. So you will save more time writing two drafts, fast, than you will by waiting for your first draft to come out perfectly.

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

I am gradually making the book SYMUTAL into an independent movie. I am trying to honour the integrity of the book’s key principles, and shoot as much as possible in the style of the writing, rather than condense it down to a traditional script.

Once I have completed that I will start writing my next book. I find it difficult to overlap creative ideas and give each one my full attention.

I have attached some photos. Not sure which ones match the interview questions. Use any you think fit.

Chilling in the hammock may well be the right vibe! 🙂

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About the Author 

I was born in Dubai UAE, moved to England when I was 5, and grew up in London. Currently I live in Bangkok Thailand with my girlfriend. My background has been a mix of different careers and locations, with a lot of technology roles (I have spent a lot of time as a programmer, and digital nomad), and have also had a few forays into the entertainment industry. Suffice to say I find it difficult to completely categorise myself in any normal, sensible way!

Much of this contrasting medley of places manifests itself through my writing, and will be apparent in the book Symutal, whose story is interwoven between Earth, the Moon, and virtual reality, but with a strong interlinking storyline. It is speculative, dystopian fiction, but with occasional scenes borrowed from my own experiences.

http://deanalexandrou.com

https://www.instagram.com/deanalexandrou/

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1525674/

Feature + Interview with Matthew Miller of the Orlando Informer

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn InterviewsLeave a comment

We all remember the first time we stepped into a theme park. Whether it was a local park native to your state or a significant park like Disneyland or Universal, our memories and heartfelt experiences in the park were childhood memories we won’t soon forget. The smell of fresh popcorn or the excited screams of parkgoers on a nearby roller coaster are staples of any park. Yet the new technology that has come forward in recent years has elevated the park-going experience to all new heights. From the recently released Super Mario Land to Halloween Horror Nights and Avengers Campus, the worlds we fell in love with on the big screen and beyond are something we can all walk into and experience ourselves.

One of the things people don’t always consider in these parks is the people who create them. The people who make the technology and the people who implement and build it into what we see today. One such man is Matthew Miller of the Orlando Informer, who recently had his name added to IMDB. He is currently the senior director of technology & business development at Orlando Informer, and formerly was a theme park technologist who had a hand in helping to develop some of the most brilliant and beloved experiences for both Disney and Universal. His accolades include numerous awards and a patent for his research and technology development for wearable technology. Having traveled the world, from Orlando to Osaka, one of the leaders in theme park technology has taken the time to speak with us today to learn a little bit about the man himself, his inspiration, and the world of theme park technology development.

1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into the world of theme park technologists?

I grew up in the extraordinary small town of Wewahitchka, FL. It’s an incredible place and where I became very interested in math, science, and theme parks. I would later move to Orlando, FL. to attend the University of Central Florida. While trying to get my foot in the door at a major theme park, I landed an internship with a small design firm that produced special effects for the parks. This allowed me to work on my first big projects for the big players as a third-party vendor, and then I used this experience to land an internship at Universal. While at Universal, I secured a full-time job as a theme park technologist working on incredible theme park experiences.

2) What inspired you to work in this industry?

I’ve known that I wanted to be a roller coaster designer ever since the 1st grade. My family took a week-long trip down to Orlando, Fl, and visited several parks. I can still vividly remember that trip and the feelings I had walking through the theme parks with my family. I knew then what I wanted to do that for the rest of my life.

3) What has been one of the most complex yet rewarding pieces of technology enjoyed by parkgoers at a particular theme park?

The level of recent in-park interactives is absolutely incredible. From Super Nintendo World to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the wearables and interactive merchandise really have helped place the guests in the middle of the action. It’s amazing to walk into these stunning lands and then get to play a dynamic role in the story via these interactives. It makes every visit to the parks completely unique.

4) What are some of the most popular attractions you’ve been a part of?

I’ve been very fortunate to work on incredible attractions all around the globe. Some of my favorites have been Despicable Me Minion Mayhem,

Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, and Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge.

5) If you could have a hand in any particular theme park’s creative properties, what project would you love to work on?

Shanghai Disneyland is currently working towards the opening of the City of Zootopia. I’ve always loved the sights, stories, and music of that property – I’m really excited to see the new land open in a few years. That project would have been a lot of fun to be on!

6) What social media site do you enjoy using the most, and has it helped bring attention to your given field?

I’d say the absolute best in the entire industry is Orlando Informer, but of course, I’m completely biased. 😃 I feel very fortunate to work with our team and our social media division works around the clock to showcase the most updated information on the web.

7) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting theme park technologists out there?

Never give up. There are days when the dream will seem impossible and there will be people who tell you to stop dreaming so big. However, if you know in your heart this is what you were born to do, then literally anything is possible with enough passion, imagination, and grit. Don’t be afraid to start where you are and always look for small projects to help build your resume when you are first beginning.

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

I’m extremely grateful to be working with Orlando Informer and I hope to be here for a long time. I feel so incredibly lucky to be part of the theme park industry and I hope to continue on this path for many more decades! I’m also very passionate about helping others land their dream jobs, and I will continue to do that on the side too.

Thanks to Matthew for speaking with us today. Be sure to check out his page on IMDB and support his incredible work.

https://m.imdb.com/name/nm15089090/

Interview with Author Caleb Brabham

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn InterviewsLeave a comment

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

I’ve always enjoyed stories. As a child I enjoyed drawing pictures or my own comic books but I didn’t particularly enjoy writing – it felt like work. 

In high school I had the fateful assignment to write a combined ten short stories in a single week for two separate classes. I freaked out and cheated – I recruited someone to help me write the lion’s share of the stories. One of my teachers called me up to see him. He did worse than catch me. He complimented me. I will always remember his burning commendation. 

“You are light years ahead of the rest of the people in this class.”

 That summer I wrote my first short story for fun. It was pretty bad. But I kept tweaking it. Then I wrote another. And another. Trying to be worthy of those words until I was doing it for the joy of writing and creating. 

2) What inspired you to write your book?

A sentence, really. What if a man woke up in hell and didn’t know how he got there. That starting conceit is a long way from where I ended up, but it’s still there. 

It took me ten years and well-over ten drafts to complete the book. In fact, it wasn’t until I discovered Azrael Abaddon and made him my protagonist that the book really started rolling. His voice perfectly matched the story I was telling and eventually, discovering more about him led me to the startling revelations found at the end of the book. 

Sometimes all it takes is the right main character.

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

Messages of forgiveness are important to me. It’s critical for us as people to understand as long as we’re willing to change, we are never too far gone. 

4) What drew you into this particular genre?

The trappings of noir were attractive to me even at a young age – even before I really understood its meaning. What kid doesn’t enjoy the idea of putting on a fedora? But noir kept interesting me at different stages in life – showcasing itself as a valid expression for life’s ineffable mysteries and moral struggles.

Noir is less about the mystery than the morality. While there is still truth to uncover, the mystery never outweighs the melodrama. It became natural in my mind to tie it to the afterlife and even traditional Western theology to see what the result would be. One is obsessed with damnation, the other salvation. There had to be a story that answered both.

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

I’d like to think I have the good sense to stay away from most of the characters in ‘Godthread.’ Azrael, Morningstar and Bethesda would get me in trouble in a hurry and I don’t think I could bring myself to look Krysis in his many eyes. 

The Almighty, perhaps. Though I don’t know what it is I’d ask Him. I think it would be peaceful just to sit with Him. I think we could have a good conversation without saying anything at all.

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

I’m not as active on social media as I’d like to be. Still, I have had some success with Instagram.

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

Write the book. Write it and rewrite it. Don’t ever be afraid to start over from scratch.

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

Lately I’ve been working on a murder mystery set in Victorian London. 

About the Author

Caleb Brabham is an editor, journalist and photographer currently living in New Orleans. His first book, Apocalypse of Bob, was published in 2010 by Charisma Media.

https://calebtbrabham.com/index.php
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/godthread-caleb-brabham/1143277661?ean=2940185577301

Interview with Author Mike Robinson

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn InterviewsLeave a comment

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

As I often—maybe crassly—put it, writing was my brain’s way of going to the bathroom. I had the fortune of being read to at a very early age, which gave me an appreciation of storytelling and the written word. Soon, the ol’ (or, young) creative bladder was full of ideas that had to come out. There were some detours—for much of my adolescence, I routed my creative energy into screenwriting and designing video games—but I returned to prose for its refreshingly solitary nature. With fiction, I’m not producing a blueprint. I’m making the thing, and it’s all on me if it doesn’t get done. So I began selling short stories when I was about 19, and wrote a novel a year till I sold one—Skunk Ape Semester—to a small press when I was 27.

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What inspired you to write your book?

Like a lot of my books, it came from the intersection of different interests: physics, cosmology, mythology (from ancient Egypt to Celtic), paranormal phenomena, spirituality, and more. All these swirled together like cosmic debris for a while, before my subconscious eventually coalesced them into workable galaxy of an idea, which became Walking the Dusk. My books tend to be strange marriages. Dreamshores: Monster Island mixes stop-motion B-movie monsters with pantheism and the nature of consciousness.

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

Mostly to meditate on the vastness of not only the universe out there, but the universe within you and other people. Altogether, we inhabit, share and exist as one great mystery, and the book fancifully explores the possibilities of that mystery based on what crumbs we’ve been able to sweep together, as well as the limits of what a human brain can know.

What drew you into this particular genre?

I’ve always been drawn to speculative fiction—meaning any shade of fantasy, science fiction and horror. Particularly what’s now called “curio fiction”, which takes our world gives it an offbeat, mystical or fantastical edge. I think it’s a perfect vehicle to combine what I see as the more attractive qualities of a “literary” story—psychology, philosophy, culture, intellectual insight—with the broader imaginative probing of the supernatural, the nature of existence, God, consciousness, otherworldly realms, etc. The ideal is to fulfill the best that both “literary” and “genre” have to offer.

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

I would ask Megan Barry, the protagonist’s sister, how she reconciles in her head the bizarre things she witnessed as a child, and what worldview grew out of that that compelled her as an adult to seek whatever it was she sought. Did she know exactly what she was seeking? Does she now? She sort of represents a fear of mine: bright, creative, and restless, with no outlet, and no real direction.

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

If any, it would be Facebook, my only one. I’m taking a stand against all our time with social media. I think it’s been a net drain on society, honestly. And the years I tried building a platform on Twitter yielded little more than a sea of bots and people rudely and nakedly out for themselves. Sorry to sound like a downer. I just think we could all benefit from scaling back. Way back.

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

Keep the balance between hubris and humility. Hubris keeps you doing, from idea to idea, rejection to acceptance. It affirms you have a contribution to make. Humility allows you the self-awareness to make that contribution shine, to know when to check your worst impulses, or when your editor is right, and to ultimately grow your craft and career. Go to conferences, too. Meet people—in real life. Listen to what others have to say and develop a fine enough radar to know when it applies to you, and when it doesn’t. It’s unhealthy to always accept or always reject a piece of advice.

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

I have a dark urban fantasy coming out February 29th, 2024, Ancient Tides Ashore, which takes place on the Hawaiian island of Kauai and explores a psychic connection between a modern woman, an ancient Polynesian, and a mysterious elemental spirit in the local waters. I also have stories coming out in the anthologies December Tales II (Curious Blue Press) and Tangle & Fen (Crone Girls Press).

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About the Author

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Mike Robinson is the award-winning author of multiple speculative fiction novels and dozens of short stories which have appeared in the likes of 2019’s American Gothic Fantasy anthology, Storyteller Magazine, A Woman Unbecoming, Underland Arcana and more. He has received honors from Writers of the Future, Publishers Weekly’s BookLife Contest, the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Maxy Awards and others, and is also the editor of J.P. Barnett’s popular, award-winning “Lorestalker” series.

In between, he hikes (often with his two dogs), swims, draws, tries to learn the didgeridoo and, yes, has even been known to actually write a screenplay or two, some of which have received their own notices.

www.mike-robinsonauthor.com