Author Interview: Viktoria Faust

Tags

author interview, author interviews, authors, Balkan conflict, Balkans, Croatia, interviews, vampire novels, vampires, writing

Having people of all different backgrounds read your book is something all authors dream of. It is even better when your work is translated into different languages, allowing for a much wider audience.

Viktoria Faust is living this opportunity. The award-winning Croatian author recently had her vampire novel, Beauty of the Beast, translated into English. Her book is also different from the other vampire books out there – hers centers on the Balkan conflicts of the early 1990s.

Here she is now!

MC: Tell us about what inspired you to be an author.
VF: I first realized I’m a writer when I was 13, when I wrote my first novel. It was childish, written in notebook, but it had beginning, middle and the end. And it was horror. Something about people who can turn themselves into owls. So, I’m doing this for 30 years now, and it’s more about the way of life then about inspiration. For me to write is the same as to breath – it comes naturally, and I can’t do without it.

MC: How did the conflict in the Balkans effect your writing?
VF: I was 18 when war in Croatia began, just finished high school.  I was about to start my life as adult, but everything around me was standing still, only trying to survive. Nothing was normal. So that’s why I made my vampires a war vampires – what would attract vampires more than everyday fresh supply of blood and dying? That’s why they came to that corner of the world. It seemed logical – monsters are attracted by monstrosities. Beauty of The Beast was written two years after the war. It’s the only novel I’ve written set in that time period. The same way my main character escapes horrors in her home town, I escaped that part of my life with that book.

MC: How are your vampires different from others?
VF: As I said – they are war vampires, they feed on battlefields. But that is only first layer of the liars they are. Beauty of The Beast is first of seven books (I’m writing the third part right now). In second part, Unspoken Story, I’m reviling more of their true nature. So – spoiler alert! They are vampires who feed on vampires. Not because of some moral reasons, but because they are so powerful that they can do that. They like the taste of vampire blood. Actually, they like all nonhuman blood. Some of my characters describe themselves as ‘Buffy meets Blade and going nuclear’. They are Bogyman of monsters.

MC: What inspired you to translate your books from Croatian to English?
VF: My Croatian readers were asking me for years if I have plans to translate it. I had, but I haven’t had an opportunity. So when opportunity presented itself, 15 years after novel was firs published in Croatia… I shortened it – in Croatian the novel is almost twice as big, and it’s still a long novel in English – 168.000 words. There is something in that book that people respond to. Sometimes readers tell me: I read that book 10-20 times! And I always ask: tell me what I did right in writing it, I want to know, so I can write the same way every book I write. Well… I haven’t had proper answer yet. I guess there is no formula in writing a book people like. It just happens.

MC: What is more rewarding: being an award-winning author or to have many fans?
VF: I value the opinion of readers’ best, so I appreciate readers best. Awards are symbolic, opinions are honest. Opinions are based on emotions, and because of them I’m a horror writer. For example, I heard once of one woman naming her son after one of my characters. That was realization for me – I was able to touch a person I never met on such a deep level. No award ever made me feel that way.

MC: What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
VF: Just write. Don’t let anything get in your way. Being an author is hard and under-appreciated profession. You should do it, because you cannot stop doing it. You should do it, because you cannot help yourself. It’s an addiction, the best and a most positive one. Trust yourself. Learn from your mistakes, and mistakes of other writers – you must read a lot to do that. Persist. Don’t indulge in other people’s opinions, but listen to them. And never trust an advice of other writer literally, because every person is different and there is no magic formula.

Here’s where you can find Viktoria online:

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/430880730435779/

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/ViktoriaFaust

Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25918852-beauty-of-the-beast

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Viktoria-Faust/e/B014VZ0W3E/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

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Author Interview: Tiffany Apan

Tags

author, author interview, author interviews, books, indie authors, interviews, novellas, novels, paranormal, self-published authors

For some writers, writing is not the only art form where they express their creativity. Some are musicians, painters or actors. One author, Tiffany Apan, is one of those kinds. She is also a musician, singer and actress. However, writing is her main love, as she explains in her interview below:

MC: Tiffany, not only are you an author, but you are also a musician, singer, actress and producer! You’re a true artist! What drives your need to create?

TA: Well thanks! I’d say a very active imagination that began as far back as I can recall and never truly went away. My brain always seems to be active, which I do consider to be a good thing (better to have an overactive mind then one that gets absolutely no use, right?). But I’m also a great learner. I love learning, especially of history and other places. And when I learn something new, I automatically want to integrate it into an art form of some kind, be it writing, music, filming, or all of the above. 🙂

MC: Out of all of your artistic talents, which one do you enjoy the most?

TA: I would say writing. To me, writing can easily encompass music and film. Writing and plotting a story – be it for a novel, a song, or a screenplay – is at the root of a lot of creations and bringing a story to life.

MC: Your “The Birthrite Series” is filled with history, dark fantasy and romance. Where did the inspiration from this come from?

TA: Oh many, many, many things. Back in late 2011/early 2012, I had a rather vivid dream that pretty much stayed with me. The dream entailed me in deep conversation with a person that would go on to become a key character in The Birthrite Series. And it’s interesting, because what was originally supposed to be a more fun and adventerous time travel romance under the working title Through Time, eventually morphed into something completely different. In fact, none of the main characters from the first book in the series even appeared in the original draft and concept. But as I wrote Through Time, it just didn’t feel right. I mean, the general idea was there but something was missing. At the time, I was also reading through Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. In one passage, he compares writing a story to discovering a small fossil, and then continuing to dig until you uncover the entire dinosaur. And sometimes it will seem as though you are shoveling nothing but crap. But eventually you will make the great discovery. That is exactly how writing The Birthrite was, so I can totally relate!

As time went on, more characters seemed to literally just “walk on,” and characters I thought were just going to be minor ended up being major key characters. The story seemed to build upon itself as I did research and created the world in which the people of the story inhabit. And the story went from a fun adventurous romance one to one that was still fun, adventurous and romantic, but darker and having a lot more mystery. Add to that my passion for history and research of it.

The working title then had to change due to the story’s new direction. Bloodlines was the new working title (which I knew would eventually be changed since there already are so many projects out there with that title).

In early 2013 as I was fleshing out what would be the official first draft, I started posting chapters and excerpts of my unedited work onto what is now my official blog in order to gain a perspective of how much interest there might be in the story. Well, the interest definitely seemed to be there, so in the midst of that little experiment, I started revising and copyrighting it for print.

Finally in I believe that in early 2014 (or late 2013), I settled on the official series title, The Birthrite and decided to call book one Descent. Then I decided to release a spin off novelette with Descent titled Sacred Atonement: A Novelette (The Birthrite Series, #1.5). As of December 2014, the beginning of the series has been officially available both digitally and in paperback form. The next installments are set for release later this summer.

Recently, I started work for the Depreciation Lands Museum, a historical museum dedicated to bringing the 18th century to life. With all the intense research I did for Descent and Sacred Atonement, working for this museum has given me even more access to sources that allow for deeper research. Those running the museum also take care to immerse the workers in all things 18th century, including offering training in period tasks such as cooking over a campfire and hearth oven to drop spindle classes (I will be taking the latter this month). Since The Birthrite Series delves deeper into history as the series continues (half of the first book, Descent, takes place in the mid 1800s and the latter half in the year 1931), I feel this will add new layers to the story and my writing in general.

As I research more and more, I am fascinated with how distorted many events and eras have become over time. Combine that with my love for Tolkien, Stephen King, Edgar Allen Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, the Brontes, and romantic stories, and you pretty much have my inspiration for the series.

MC: What are your plans for “The Birthrite Series”?

TA: Well as of now, the first installments, Descent (The Birthrite Series, #1) and Sacred Atonement: A Novelette (The Birthrite Series, #1.5) and Made In Heaven: A Birthrite Series Short are available both digitally and in print. As for the next ones, Kindred (The Birthrite Series, #2) and Saturn Sun: A Novella (The Birthrite Series, #2.5) in late July and mid August. The 29th of this month (June) will bring the cover and synopsis reveal for Kindred and Saturn Sun. A few great blogs are involved, including Screamzine and the official blog of urban fantasy author, Susan Reid. Then in late August, I plan to send the series on a blog tour. So stay tuned for that. 🙂

Regarding writing the series as a whole, the plan is to have five novels with a couple novellas and shorts in between. However, I don’t believe in confining a story (and usually stories do not want to be). So if it has to go beyond the five novels, than so be it. There is also a lot of history and back story within the series. Meaning that even after the final book is written, there may be room for a prequel or a Birthrite-verse spinoff. So we shall see. 🙂

MC: Describe your writing process. For example, do you write with a laptop or by hand? Do you use a specific kind of pen, etc?

TA: When I am first getting a concept down, I do use the old fashioned method of writing by hand. For some reason, that actually allows me to more freely develop back story and make research notes. But when I sit down to do an actual draft, I’m all about the laptop.

I usually write at my desk in my office/creative space, either early in the morning or late at night when all is still and quiet. Though sometimes having on a piece music that reflects the mood of a particular character and/or scene definitely helps.

MC: What advice would you give to someone who dreams about writing and completing a novel?

TA: Be prepared to do a lot of leg work if you want to do it well. You might find yourself having to do much research and fleshing out of character backgrounds long before you can even begin to write the actual story. While there are some authors that can “get it right the first time”, those are usually the experienced writers who have been writing a really long time. And even they need at least one revision for typos and clunky sentences. Don’t be afraid of the revision and editing process, and get it out of your head that everything you write will be absolutely lovely and flawless. Because it won’t be. In other words, don’t be that guy who uploads his or her first draft loaded with errors to Amazon.

Also, the nice thing about publishing independently is that it does give you plenty of opportunity to periodically look through your manuscript and make corrections, even after it is published (because there will also be something you missed).

But all in all, when you see your story and characters come to life and the book is the best it can be, the feeling of accomplishment is tremendous. Especially when you know you are doing yourself and characters justice by putting all of you out in the best light possible.

To learn more about Tiffany, check out her many presences online:

Official Website: http://tiffanyapan.com

Official Blog: http://tiffanyapanwritingproject.blogspot.com

New online magazine: http://partingofveilswebzine.blogspot.com

Facebook Artist Page: http://facebook.com/tiffanyapanfanpage

Twitter: http://twitter.com/TIFFANYAPAN

YouTube: http://youtube.com/TiffanyApan

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/tiffanyapan

Authorgraph (for digital autographs!): http://www.authorgraph.com/authors/TIFFANYAPAN

Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/tiffanyapan

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/tiffanyapan

Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/tiffanyapan

Author Interview: Merry Farmer

Tags

authors, interviews, romance, romance novels, self-published authors

I love hearing the success stories of self-published authors. Here’s one from award-winning (yes, award-winning!) romance author Merry Farmer:

MC: You say you’ve been writing stories as a kid. At what age did you decide to get serious about your
writing and why?

MF: I feel like I decided to get serious about writing several times before it actually happened. In college I started entering writing contests and working on my craft, but after graduating I let myself be convinced that writing wasn’t a “real” career and I would never make any money from my writing. Fast forward about 10 years and a lifetime of experiences later. I had just had a horrible break-up with a man I was sure I would marry. In order to get over the depression, I started writing The Loyal Heart, which ended up being the first novel I published. I started out shopping it around to a few agents traditionally, but very quickly the whole traditional publishing world left a bad taste in my mouth. Then, in 2011, I heard about self-publishing for the first time. I knew instantly that it was for me. I knuckled down right then and worked on polishing up The Loyal Heart and sent it to a freelance editor. She wrote back saying she loved it and thought I was writing on the same level as the authors the publishing company she worked for part-time were signing. The rest, as they say, is history!

MC: You write historical romance novels. Why do you chose historical rather than contemporary settings?

MF: I’ve always loved history. In fact, I have not one, but two bachelor’s degrees in history. There is just something about the richness of all those lives that have been lived for thousands of years before us that speaks to me. The world has changed so much over time, and yet emotions, love, heartache, ambition, conflict, all those things have stayed the same. To me, looking at the lives of all of the people who have come before us reminds me that I’m not alone. Whatever troubles I may be facing, people have been through them before and come out on top. I love translating that feeling into my books. And let’s face it, the clothes were awesome!

MC: Why do you think romance novels have been and likely will always be popular?

MF: Romance novels will always be popular because love will always be at the forefront of the human experience. That’s the simple answer, but I think the truest answer goes even deeper than that. Romance novels primarily appeal to women and are about women’s sensuality, and in the case of the more explicit novels, sexuality. For some reason, society has tended to belittle so much of our feminine experience over the years. Or at least they’ve tried to. The enormous popularity of romance novels proves that women find strength in their sexuality and solidarity in sharing that with each other. We love reading about bold heroines who have the same emotions and urges that we have, but who are unafraid to embrace that and go after what they want. I think it reflects our own desire to take charge of our own lives in a world that too often isn’t perfect.

MC: You chose to self-publish your books. Would you say self-publishing is a good route for any author to go on?

MF: You know, I actually think that self-publishing is something that authors should enter into with extreme caution. I wouldn’t recommend it to the faint of heart. The reality is that it takes a mind-boggling amount of discipline. I spend hours and hours every day writing, networking, promoting, and thinking ahead to the next thing. I like that sort of thing though. I like the challenge. I try to mimic the process that a traditionally published author would go through (deadlines, revisions, line edits, beta-reading) as much as possible, but even I am tempted to click “publish” before a book is truly ready. That’s the biggest mistake I see my fellow selfies making. It also takes a large amount of money to self-publish. Editing, covers, and especially marketing all cost money, and the more you put in, the more you get out. And that’s not even getting into taxes! If I told you how much I owe Uncle Sam for the 2013 tax year, you might pass out. I know I almost did!

Now, all that being said, I wouldn’t do it any other way! I love the control I have over my stories, the way the books look, when they are released, and especially what I’m writing in the first place. I have always liked unusual sub-genres and characters that don’t fit the alpha hero duke billionaire model. I’ve written historical romance so far, but I’ll be publishing what I like to call “Sci-fi for Women” this summer and for the rest of 2014. I also have a bizarre dystopian story waiting to be written, as well as a time travel adventure series and a Regency high seas series. My plans aside, I have become increasingly alarmed by the trends some publishers have of writing clauses into author contracts by which they own the meta-data of a story (character names, titles, place names, etc.) and the harsh terms for getting rights to backlist back. That’s not even getting into the debate about how much royalty authors are paid and when they receive those payments! I’m so much happier publishing myself.

MC: You’ve won awards for your books. But which is better: having loyal fans or recognition by writers’ organizations?

MF: That’s kind of a chicken or the egg question in my mind. My gut instinct is to say having loyal fans all the way. I love my fans to bits! But winning awards gives you that boost of legitimacy that might just help someone who has never heard of you to take a chance on your book and then become a fan.

MC: What’s next for Merry Farmer?

MF: You know how I just said I love self-publishing because it allows me to do things with genre that I would never be able to do as a traditionally published author? Well, one of those things is publishing an m/m romance in the middle of a conventional historical romance series. The last book (of the first cycle) of my Montana Romance series, Somebody to Love, is a love story between Phineas Bell, the town banker who has been in all of the previous Montana books, and Elliott Tucker, the new sheriff in town. That will be released at the very end of April. After that, I’ll be leaving Earth for a while to publish the aforementioned Women’s Sci-Fi series, Grace’s Moon, which begins with a pair of novels, Saving Grace and Fallen From Grace. These books follow the struggle of a group of lost colonists from Earth whose transport ship explodes in deep space as they attempt to form a new civilization on a habitable moon while racing to solve the mystery of what happened to their ship before anyone else dies. It’s pretty exciting stuff!

 

Merry is offering a giveaway for one of her books! Check it out here!

Learn more about Merry here:

Personal website
Facebook
Twitter
Amazon Author Page

 

Author Interview: Alison Williams

Tags

authors, England, history, interviews, medieval history, Middle Ages, religion, witch hunts, witches

Ah, history and the paranormal, or rather the fear of the paranormal. Sounds like a nice recipe for a good story. I’m a history nerd, so when author Alison Williams contacted me to interview her, I was really excited to feature her self-published book, The Black Hours. Her love of history made her explore the witch hunts in 17th century England, and thus her novel was born.

Here she is, discussing how her story idea came about:

MC: What was the big moment that made you decide to write and publish a book?

AW: I have always loved reading; ever since I was tiny I have always had my nose in a book. This progressed to writing, again from a very young age, and I dreamed for a long time of being a novelist. While studying journalism, I met my husband. After our children were born, I worked in education, and then, when I hit forty, I suddenly thought that I really needed to do what I wanted to do. So I gave up work, started working as a freelance writer and began a Masters in Creative Writing. As part of the course I began writing ‘The Black Hours’. My fellow students enjoyed reading it and were so enthusiastic about it that I thought, you know, I could actually publish this. So I did! (Well, after loads of rewrites, editing and fiddling about!)

MC: You’re clearly a big history fan. In general, what is it about history that excites you?

AW: I have an interest in the way that the big events of history impact on the lives of ordinary people. That is what I wanted to convey in ‘The Black Hours’. We read about the witch hunts but quite often don’t think about the people behind these big stories in history. I visited the Museum of Witchcraft in Cornwall and was looking at the very long list of names of the victims of the witch hunts in England and I just realised that behind each one of those names was someone with a life of their own, with family, dreams, hopes, aspirations and fears. Someone just like me or you. It’s those stories that interest me.

MC: Writing “The Black Hours” obviously took a lot of research to get accurate information on witch hunts and religious fanaticism. How long did it take for you to gather all the necessary information?

AW: I love researching – you turn up so many interesting little facts and stories that it can become totally engrossing. I knew I wanted to write about Matthew Hopkins and I had a vague idea of the history of the time, so I plotted the story out first. That way I knew what I needed to find out. I spent a good two to three months reading different treatises, books and histories of the time and looking online for information too. When I began to write though, I found that every now and then I would need to look something up, so the research was really an ongoing process – with historical fiction you have to be so careful to get it right. If I used a certain phrase or term for example, I would have to check that it was actually in use in 1647. And I also had to be sure that the herbs and plants used by Maggie and Alice were correct and would have grown in England at the time too.

MC: What do you hope your readers will take away from “The Black Hours”?

AW: I really feel that the people, particularly the women, behind the grim fame of Matthew Hopkins have largely been forgotten. I hope people will get a sense of the frustration, fear and helplessness that his poor victims must have felt. And also to realise that these things can happen so easily – that intolerance and ignorance still have a devastating effect on people’s lives.

MC: You’re a self-published author. What was the hardest part about releasing your book on your own?

AW: It has been a huge learning curve. The technical side of things was perhaps my biggest challenge – I still don’t understand why Word doesn’t do what it’s supposed to do, but now I know what mobi and ePub and gutter margins and bleeds and widows and orphans are!! I’m glad I did that side of things myself, because, although at times I wanted to throw my computer out of the window, I’ve learnt a whole new set of skills now and I can do it again for my next novel.

MC: What do you think is the future of self-publishing?

AW:It is a real shame the way that the world of traditional publishing has gone. Agents and publishing companies seem so wary of taking a risk on a new writer and I think this has been detrimental to both aspiring writers and to readers. I, for one, am heartily sick of walking into my local bookshop and seeing row upon row of books by celebrities and TV and movie tie-ins. I think that the rise of self-publishing is a positive thing for writers and readers as it allows writers to write what they want to write, and for readers to make their own judgements, without someone standing between the two and making those choices for them. Of course, there are some self-published books out there that are poor quality, but there are also some pretty dreadful traditionally published books too! At least readers can make their own decisions – and they have plenty of online resources to help them with lots of blogs and websites dedicated to reviewing indie authors. I hope that indie publishing will go from strength to strength and that some of the rather old-fashioned opinions and ideas about self-publishing will change in time.

Here are links to Alison Williams’ book and social media sites:

KindleSmashwords

Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads

 

 

Author Interview: Stella Coulson

Tags

author interviews, authors, Gothic, interviews, novella, self-published, vampires, writers

I love hearing about other authors’ take on vampires. I think its safe to say we all have our own view on these immortal creatures, so it is fun to chat with authors and their vampires. That is why I was happy to interview poet and self-published author, Stella Coulson, about her novella series, “Whitby After Dark” – which makes me want to learn about Whitby in Yorkshire, England.

Here she is!

MC: You’re both a poet and an author. Which one do you enjoy more?

SC: I tend to write Poetry far more – Because it is less complex to create due to moments of inspiration not drying up by the end. Stories are far more complex, even the short ones; every character has its own life, idiosyncratic tendencies, direction, quirks etc. I prefer to write stories as its complexity is a challenge. Being a writer is like having a universe in your head and trying to find a doorway to the tiniest part of it.

MC: Why did you choose to write a novella instead of a novel?

SC: Volume 1 of the novella Whitby After Dark, will be part 1 of a novel. Part 2 will be soon, followed by part 3 and so on. Each one follows different story arcs – The 1^st one being the introduction of Lenore who has visions of the future and death and her discovery of a hidden supernatural world within a small coastal Town. It follows Lenore’s abuse, her triumph against him (the abuser), and the tracking of a serial killer Demon and it’s downfall . The follow up – Volume 2 will be about a hidden dimension within Whitby Abbey and a journey through the Fae realm to rescue a family member of Seth the Shifter Wolf. In time all novellas will be put together as a complete novel. Stephan King’ novel ‘Green Mile’  was originally six separate volumes. I was greatly inspired by this.

MC: What is it about vampires that intrigue so many, in your opinion?

SC: It’s the fear of the unknown that races our pulse and intrigues us. They are a powerful being and power is an attractive quality,, plus the fact they don’t age. A man or woman who has the mind of a vast age within the form of a eternal beauty is incredibly appealing, which I suspect is why they have in the last hundred years or so, been romanticized. Let us not forget they are terrifying creatures that prey upon feed and often kill humans, which are horrific but fascinating – They are the ageless serial killer.

MC: You once lived in Yorkshire, England. How much of your portrayal of Yorkshire in “Whitby After Dark” is accurate? Is there really a Whitby and is it really Gothic?

SC: There is indeed a real Whitby. It is a rather gothic place – in fact a Goth Weekend is held there 2 times a year, where people dress in; Gothic, Victorian, cyberpunk, steampunk etc,  and have live music, a Masked Ball and so many cool things.  Whitby was in fact the place where Bram Stoker had ‘Dracula’ get shipwrecked, as well as Stoker writing much of his masterpiece there. I myself wrote several chapters of Whitby After Dark there. One can’t help but be inspired by the gothic architecture and beauty of the place.

MC: You self-published your book, both in eBook and via Lulu. Is there any difficulty in self-publishing a traditional book?

SC: An Indie Author has to be their own publisher, editor, publicist, agent advertiser et al, so they are very busy. There are difficulties for both published and self published. The journey to become conventional published is tenuous in terms of getting there if at all. Those lucky enough to achieve this goal have different pressures; Tight deadlines, insane amounts of criticism, and having to deal with media and so on.

MC: Do you think there is still for self-published authors? 

SC: I think it used to be far more difficult to self publish prior to the internet. The invention of online publishing has made the production aspect far more convenient. The online publisher I use – lulu prints to order and sends the book to order, thus taking away the stress of having to pay for the making and storage of each book. Lulu takes a percentage of each book sale, making it agreeable to them and myself. This said; the real challenge is getting recognized, getting the word out due to having no agent or publicist. I owe a lot to the incredible social networks online and word of mouth in the sales of my novella.

Thanks Stella! Looking forward to the rest of your series!

Here is where you can learn more about Stella and her work:

Official Website

Facebook

Whitby After Dark – Paperback

Whitby After Dark – eBook

Vampire Interviews: Hilde and Michel

Tags

character interviews, interview with the vampire, interviews, vampires

Some of you might remember my interview in August with Daniel Bertrand, the boyfriend from hell in my book, “The Dark Proposal”. It was part of the Vampire Lover Blog award, but interviewing a vampire was so fascinating (and nerve wracking), I decided to do another vampire interview. For this round, I’ve chosen Hilde and Michel. For those who have read “The Dark Proposal”, they are both Daniel’s makers, and go along with tormenting Claire. But what remains to be seen is what sort of a relationship they will have with her in the sequel. 

Here they are:

MC: Good day, Hilde and Michel. Thanks for doing this interview at this time. I know vampires can move around in daylight, depending on age, but I didn’t think you would want to hide your vampire ways for this exclusive interview.

M: :shrugs: We always hide ourselves from humans, so this is no big deal.

H: I think it gives a nice effect. Creatures of the night giving an interview while the sun is still up.

MC: Good point. So, let’s begin. Does living as a vampire have the same appeal as prior to being turned (if you’re that type of vampire)? If you had to do it over, would you?

H: Of course. I love the power and freedom that I have. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. If I didn’t agree to be turned, I would be nothing but dust, long forgotten as though I never existed.

M:  Same here. Besides, Hilde was worth joining. She was both enticing and a challenge, or both together.

H: We would have missed out on so much. Who would want to die? Luckily, we are the few to receive this gift.

MC: Where do you come from?

H:  I am Germanic, and came from a small village in Bavaria in the mid-11th century. :grins: I’ll be a millennium old soon!

M: I was born a century and half after her, in what history calls the Duchy of Burgundy.

MC: From what you’ve witnessed yourself, do the history books have it right?

H: No

M: Depends on what school or country, or which author. Some are more accurate than others

MC: Are there other vampires, and if so what role does gender play in vampire society?

M: It is male-dominated because the leaders are five Brothers. But plenty of women have succeeded in being leaders, or Defenders of the Blood as they are known. Hilde was one of them. In fact, one of the Brothers made her because he thought she was thrived as a vampire than as a human.

H: It can get somewhat catty between the women here. But we’ve had more freedom through the centuries than human women. The latter has some catching up to do!

MC: Do you miss food, the sun, or your heartbeat more?

M: Once I was old enough to be out in the sun, I had to admit I missed the light.

H: Probably food. There is little or no taste, although blood never fails to bore us. None of us really need food and it just goes right through our system with little impact.

MC: Vampire physiology must be very different from human physiology – how is human blood digested and processed in the blood system?

H: Like all other nutrients, it goes where it needs to go. So the nutrition from human blood goes to our strong muscles, heightened senses, and parts of our brain which allow us to read thoughts and clear minds.

MC: According to folklore, vampires can’t cross moving water. Does this present problems for you?

M: No, because its not true.

MC: Can you have sex the ‘traditional’ way? Do you have any desire for sex?

(the two look amused and glance at each other)

H: We wouldn’t be here now if sex wasn’t part of the deal.

MC: OK then. What do you think of the recent fashion for vampire books and films? Has it made your life harder or easier?

H: Easier. There are so many wannabes out there willing to let someone drink from them. (sighs) Gullible, foolish humans. I adore them so much.

MC: What was your first feed/kill like?

H: I relished in it! I had my chance at revenge!

M: I was bothered at first, but Hilde helped me accept it as it is.

MC: Should humans tolerate the existence of vampires?

(both hesitate before answering)

H: They should. I mean, we’re not going anywhere.

M: We could probably work something out.

MC: Can you explain more? What do you mean ‘work something out’?

M: Its not really relevant (waves hand). We’re not going anywhere, as Hilde said.

MC: OK then. Well, that concludes our interview. Have a good one, and thank you.

(Hilde and Michel nod and leave office)

Well, there you have it. Hilde and Michel, quite a couple, though their last answer was a bit bizarre. But they’re an interesting twosome.

NOTE: “The Dark Proposal” is on sale for 99 cents until Halloween this Thursday, so get your copy while you can! It can be found on Smashwords and Amazon.

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday Interview: Alayna-Renee Vilmont

Tags

interviews, Kickstarter, poems, poetry, poets, self-publishing, writers

I know I say I’d do author interviews for novelists, but when the opportunity to interview Alayna Renee Vilmont came, I could not pass this up.

See, while she did self-publish a book, she did not release a novel. Instead, she wrote a collection of poems. I hesitated at first because, let’s be honest, poets are often overlooked in the literary world. But because Ms. Vilmont is such an interesting person (check out her blog when you can) and I liked the idea of a self-published poet, I had to feature her on my blog.

MC: Tell us about yourself. How did you get bit by the writing bug?

ARV: I’m just an ordinary girl who happens to have a knack for expressing every single thought that comes into her head. 😉 I was born and raised in the Philadelphia area, attended school in NYC, and lived in London, Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, and Los Angeles before life eventually took me to Atlanta.

I’ve always pursued writing as a hobby, although throughout most of my life, my creative outlet has been on the stage. I began performing professionally at the age of 6, and musical theatre has always been my first love. By the time I was a teenager, I began to study and perform in the operatic field. I’d also participate in creative writing classes and entering poetry competitions in my free time. I’d submit to literary journals, and not mention I wasn’t an adult. It made me feel accomplished to have my poems displayed next to those written by people two and three times my age.

In early 2000, I started keeping an online journal, Jaded Elegance: The Uninhibited Adventures Of A Chic Web Geek. I was dating someone who was very influential in getting the idea of “blogging” to go mainstream. I started my page in order to support his vision, and it became bigger than I ever imagined. I never imagined anyone would care what I’d written before I learned that strangers were, in fact, interested in my life and my experiences. In 2001, I participated in an online blog-based “reality game” called Survivorblog, and all of the sudden, strangers were reading about my very private thoughts and experiences. I kind of never looked back. It never occurred to me that I had too much talent as a writer or that others would care to read my work. It still surprises me when I realize I have loyal readers.

In 2012, I decided that I’d cross something off my bucket list, and I started to dust off the poems and journals I’d hidden under my bed for years. I ventured out into the Atlanta literary scene, which was a bit scary, but the very positive reception I received gave me the courage to publish my first book, “Ophelia’s Wayward Muse”.  Friends had been telling me for a long time that I should publish and read and get myself out there, but there’s something extremely vulnerable about doing so. For someone who tends to be a flamboyant personality who will tell stories about everything, it’s rather ironic that it took me until my early 30’s to feel secure enough with the idea of other people reading my poetry.

MC: Ophelia’s Wayward Muse is not a novel, but poetry. Tell us why the average reader should pick it up despite all the novels out there.

ARV: There’s this preconception about poetry many people have: namely that it’s something boring, overly intellectual, and inaccessible to the average person. In reality, poetry is a reflection of emotion in the most unabashed, raw form possible. It brings to life things we all feel, experiences we all have, passions we all keep somewhere in the depths of our souls. I find the more I share “Ophelia” with people who claim they don’t read or understand poetry, the more accessible the art form becomes. Unlike many poets, I don’t write in meter or rhyme. It’s simply my goal to tell stories through imagery and emotion, and to evoke something from my reader.

“Ophelia” is designed to explore a universal theme—that even in a world that is so often characterized by a need to never feel too greatly or to get too attached, every emotional connection shared with another human being is significant. It doesn’t matter if it’s the love of your life, a crush that was never realized, a one-night stand, a best friend, or an encounter with your worst enemy, other people do help shape who a person ultimately becomes. Especially amongst younger people, it’s rather taboo and uncool to reveal that emotional and vulnerable side. I think people will be attracted to “Ophelia” because it’s something that almost every person can read, and see his or her own life experiences reflected, perhaps in a new light.

MC: Is it possible for a poet to become a novelist and vice versa?

ARV: I forget who said this, but as the saying goes, “Good writing is good writing”. I started writing poetry before anything else, but I also write short stories and have kept a blog for 13 years. I’ve not written a novel yet, but it’s a project to which I definitely aspire. I believe a good writer can typically venture into any genre he or she wishes. As a singer, I learned very early the importance of classical training, because once you have the foundation, you can explore other forms of expression to find your strengths. The same is true for writing.

Ophelia’s Wayward Muse on Amazon!

I’ve been told that my prose, like my poetry, is very strong when it comes to imagery, character development, and choosing words to convey emotion. These are certainly things that come from a background in poetry. Recently, I’ve been taking an online fiction writing workshop where most of my classmates are novelists. The challenge for me is learning to combine my love of the abstract with a more succinct, clear way of telling a story. I believe the more you learn about any art form, the more you grow. If a writer has a particular weakness, working on that skill will improve that writer, regardless of genre or style.

MC: You self-published your book with the help of a campaign on Kickstarter. Explain why you chose this route and if any self-published authors should do the same.

ARV: I’m asked this question a lot when I am out in the world. Honestly, self-publishing a book is not terribly expensive. There are options that would have required less of a financial investment on my part, or would not have required me to utilize a crowd-funding tool. People who know me well are likely aware that I know enough people that someone likely would have fronted the relatively small amount for this project, if it were something I really believed in. I chose to do a Kickstarter campaign where the people in my life could contribute to bringing the vision to life, because many of these people are the same people who inspired—and continue to inspire—my desire to create. It makes me feel such a great sense of support, connection, and community.

Not surprisingly, I also got some negative reactions about choosing the Kickstarter route. I encountered some unfriendly judgment both about crowd-funding and whether I had any business using it for my personal gain. I really believe that crowd-funding is the wave of the future for independent artists, and it allows people to create without limitations and obligations to traditional investors or financial backers. In all types of media, there are high-profile artists that are choosing to fund major projects this way, and I’m so glad to see that. The idea that someone can donate a little piece of themselves to a project, get something very personal back, and share in the pride of a project coming to completion is an amazing one.

MC: What are your future writing plans

ARV: I’m currently working on a book of short stories entitled “Sophisticated Nothing”, which I hope to release by the end of 2013. I won’t be going the crowd-funding route this time, but I’m also not shopping around for a traditional publisher. For those who are interested, I recently won a rather random short story contest, and you can get a feel for my work by reading my entry.

I’ve really become active in online writing communities such as Goodreads and Writers’ Village (where I’m doing a fiction workshop at the moment), because the support and encouragement out there is overwhelming. I have a segment on my blog called “Literary Libations”, where I speak with a different author each Sunday. It’s taken off and become something much more popular than I imagined, so it’s kind of opened my eyes to a whole new world of creativity.

Oh, and there are about 60,000 words of a novel sitting on my laptop, as well as the prologue to another potential novel-to-be. I’m not sure if either will ever see the light of day, but you never know!

You can learn more about Alayna-Renee at the following sites:

* Facebook: www.facebook.com/princessalayna

* Twitter: www.twitter.com/princessalayna

* Blog: www.jadedelegance.net

* Goodreads Author Page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6862252.Alayna_Renee_Vilmont

* Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Ophelias-Wayward-Muse-Alayna-Renee-Vilmont/dp/1478218886/

Wednesday Interview: Christine Meunier

Tags

author interview, authors, books, equine industry, horses, interviews, self-publishing

Most writers write what they know. In the case of Australian author Christine Meunier, she wrote what she loved. Horses have been her passion from an early age, and she is beginning to write novels about the equine industry. Her first book, Horse Country, will be out on July 1st and it’s not just for those who enjoy horses. It is for anyone interested in New Adult books.

MC: Please tell us about yourself, especially about how you became to love horses.

CM: I’ve had a love for horses from a very young age and believe that that was something ingrained in me, rather than something that I chose to have an interest in over time.  It wasn’t until I was 13 years of age that I was blessed to be able to lease a pony and then have my parents buy him for me six months later.  Reign in my story Horse Country is based on my gelding, Pride.

I’m originally from South Australia but moved to Victoria with my family at a young age and have come to love living in this state.  I now live in North East Victoria, which is considered the horse mecca of my state!

Currently I’m studying an equine science degree and I teach horse studies at a local TAFE, having worked in the horse breeding industry since 2004.

MC: What made you want to write your novel, Horse Country? Was it to talk about the equine industry in Australia or just horses in general?

CM: I would often tell my parents about things that had occurred to me or friends at work and had them laughing about some entertaining events.  My mother kept on telling me I should write these down and that’s how the story started.

Now the main idea of releasing Horse Country is to invite others to discover how much fun it can be to work in the horse industry – anywhere around the world – and what great characters can be met, travel opportunities and career opportunities.

MC: You say your novel would appeal to the New Adult audience. Why do you think so?

CM: Horse Country follows the lives of four young women over a 6 year period.  Wes is the youngest, starting out at 16 years of age whilst the other three are in their late teens.  It follows the women finding their role in life, following their dreams and balancing work and study.  For this reason, I believe it fits the New Adult category.

MC: You are selling your book on your website. Do you have any plans to sell it on Kindle, Smashwords, CreateSpace or any other format?

CM: The book has be published through Lulu.com, consequently it’ll be available for sale from here, with a link provided to this from my website.  The book is also being organised through Amazon and ebooks should be available for reading via an iPad, Nook, Kindle, etc.

MC: What advice would you give to any aspiring authors?

CM: Write down ideas as they come to you!  It’s a great habit to carry a pen and paper with you – or have access to a word processing device if you’re a keen typist.  It’s sometimes the random ideas that generate a great scene or character.

Read a lot – about writing and publishing, as well as the genres you hope to write about.  This can help you to develop a feel for what’s necessary with regards to marketing your book and what has been published already in your genre.

Learn more about Christine and her work at these sites:

http://www.horsecountrybook.com/

http://www.facebook.com/HorseCountry

Character Interview: Samantha DiCarlo and Monica Alejandrez

Tags

book characters, fictional characters, interviews, New adult books, paranormal books, urban fantasy, vampire books, vampires

When my book was released in September, I went on a blog tour via Dark Mind Blog Tours (now Dark World Books) One of the stops I went on, KY Bunnies, requested that I do a character interview. At first I wasn’t sure how to do it because of the dark overtones in my book. But then I decided to interview two secondary characters – Claire McCormick’s roommates and close friends, Samantha DiCarlo and Monica Alejandrez. Good choice because it avoided to potential gloominess if I had interviewed another character.

I ended up having a lot of fun with this interview, especially since those two have distinct personalities that are fun to watch/read.

So, without further ado, here is that interview:

Q: Great to meet you Samantha DiCarlo and Monica Alejandrez! Okay, tell us about yourselves, and how you became friends with Claire McCormick?

Samantha: Claire, Monica and I met during our first year at Richmond College, which is on Staten Island in New York City. The three of us hit it off right away, though I’m not so sure how.

Monica: (slight giggle) I think it’s because our personalities simply clicked. Even though we’re different in a lot of ways, we also benefit and learn from each other.

Samantha: Yeah, Monica is the quiet one, Claire is in-between, and some people say I can be loud. Anyway, we became friends in college and right before we graduated, we three realized we didn’t want to go back living with our parents and regress into children. We wanted to be adults so we got ourselves an apartment not far from the college and moved in together.  It was really awesome that our landlords took us in because we were college graduates without full time jobs, but I guess they needed whatever help they could get to pay their mortgage.

Q: Signs of the times, I suppose?

Samantha: You’re not kidding. Neither one of us could get a full time job after we graduated. Monica substituted a lot, but she was going for her master’s in education at Richmond. But Claire and I could not get real jobs for the life of us. I studied finance, but I got stuck bartending four days a week. Claire majored in English Writing, but kept working part-time in the English department that had lousy pay.

Monica: She also did some freelancing, but it wasn’t easy for her.

Samantha: We argued so many times. There was so much stress going on.

Q: When the fall semester began, Claire met Daniel Bertrand, who was an adjunct professor at Richmond. It began with him helping her getting more freelance work but then it turned into something more.

Samantha: Yeah, we thought it would be cool for her to go out with him. He was hot looking, rich and successful. Why not?

Monica: He was a really cool guy when they first dated. He was friendly and a real gentleman. He also made her smile a lot back then.

Samantha: (rolls eyes) Back then.

Q: When did you notice something was wrong with their relationship?

Monica: Thanksgiving Day. Claire was all dazed and withdrawn. She said she got into a nasty fight with Daniel the night before. She also even asked me a weird question about vampires.

Samantha: It was all downhill from there. First they broke up, and then she accused Daniel of assaulting her before their break-up. He didn’t seem to be the type who would hurt someone, but you never know.

Monica: Then she got back with him which didn’t make any sense to us.

Samantha: We tried to talk sense into her, but she wouldn’t hear it. She even said she made up the part about Daniel hitting her, which was bizarre.

Q: It wasn’t long after Claire got back with Daniel that she moved in with him.

Samantha: Boy, did that come without warning! I mean, we knew they were talking about moving in together before they broke up. But after they got back together, almost right away did she begin packing up! I got the impression Daniel made a “my way or no way” type of deal, and for some reason, Claire went along.

Q: Was this normal of her?

Samantha & Monica: No!

Monica: She actually was never that strong. She was never a doormat, but she did have weaknesses that she needed to work on. I also think there was something about Daniel that we couldn’t put our finger on.

Samantha: Well, we kind of did. The night he came to get Claire’s things was like seeing the real Daniel, or part of it. He came across as cold and calculating, nothing like the nice guy we knew before. He and I almost got into an argument, but I outsmarted him.

Monica: I was really worried about her when she left that night. It was like she was afraid to say no to Daniel, and was heading for something we couldn’t get her out of.

Q: Have you spoken to her since?

Samantha: We’ve spoken once or twice on the phone. She sent us a few emails, sent us photos of her in Paris, where Daniel took her for some romantic vacation. But we have yet to meet up.

Monica: It’s really sad that our friendship came to a sudden end like that.

Samantha: Sad? I’m pissed. But I don’t know what to do. It’s Claire’s life, her decision. We told her we would be there for her. I hope she never forgets that.

Q: Thank you ladies for giving this interview.  I hope everything works out for Claire.

Samantha: Don’t worry. I don’t think this is the end of everything for her. Really, I just don’t.

Wednesday Interview: Price McNaughton

Tags

authors, interviews, mysteries, mystery novels, NA, New Adult, novelists, novels, writers

The future of New Adult continues to look brighter! Price McNaughton’s latest book, Murder is Ugly, tells of a young woman looking for a direction in her life, as well as the truth about a murder mystery.

MC: You say storytelling is something you’ve always loved. What made finally decide to tell stories professionally?

PM: I was involved in a horseback riding accident that left me bed ridden for about three months. It was definitely a turning point in my life. At the time, I was miserable and in a lot of pain. Due to a concussion, I spent a lot of time in dark rooms with no stimulation to help keep the terrible headaches at bay. Believe it or not, this was pretty boring! I thought up a murder mystery plot and focused on it. I developed the characters and the storyline completely in my head. Once I was cleared to use a computer, I wrote down everything I had thought out and my first book was born. Since then, I’ve become addicted to writing.

MC: How did living in the South inspire your novel, Murder is Ugly?

PM: It’s probably one of the main inspirations for my writing. The greatest memories from my childhood are the ones spent around the kitchen table with my grandmother and mother and various family members, telling and hearing family stories. My father was also a great story teller. He insisted on hearing about our days, in detail, over supper. Myself and my siblings would compete for the best and most entertaining stories. I find the South to be a great place of tradition, love and joy as well as sadness and tragedy. It’s influenced every part of my life. When I was writing Murder is Ugly as well as A Vision of Murder, I never considered them being set anywhere else. It was a given that the stories would occur in the South to southern characters in my mind. It’s what I know and what I feel comfortable writing.

MC: Did you subconsciously decide to make your main character, Jinx, to be a college graduate or do you decide because the New Adult category is gaining momentum among readers?

 PM: Jinx was born that way! I hadn’t even heard of the New Adult category when she was written. It was similar to what I was going through at the time, being newly graduated and unsure of the direction that I wanted to go in. As I begin investigating the best ways to market my completed story, I stumbled across the New Adult category and I have to say I really like it.

MC: Do you think New Adult has a future much like YA?

PM: I do. I was (and still am!) a great reader of YA novels as well as adult novels. For many years, i’ve found that a great divide was happening in the areas of both styles of writing. In general, YA were staying typically the same while Adult novels were becoming darker and more adult oriented. It was becoming increasingly harder to find a style of writing that fell comfortably in between the two genres. I’m hoping that New Adult fiction will fill this void and so far I have to say that it has. I find the NA category to be very similar to YA in style while being a bit more complex. I only see New Adult growing in popularity.

MC: What does the future hold for Price McNaughton?

PM: I’m not sure. I’m currently writing a dystopian trilogy that I have been working on for a few years now (it will also be NA) and a sequel to my first novel, A Vision of Murder. I hope to stick around for awhile, but I’ll guess time and reader response will tell!

Check out more about Price McNaughton here:

http://www.talebearers.com/

www.facebook.com/PriceMcnaughton?ref=hl

www.amazon.com/Price-McNaughton/e/B00AIYOPYA/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

www.twitter.com/PriceMcNaughton