Interview with Mike Crane

Next up in my author interview series, is one of my Facebook buddies, Mike Crane.  Welcome to the blog, Mike!

Briefly describe your journey in writing IN DECLINE.

These were stories that I had written while I was at Columbia College, or at least most of them are.  There are some newer ones.  I had been submitting them to literary magazines and so on, but just couldn’t find a home for them.  When I got my Kindle, I started to learn that there was a way you could self-publish for free.  I had self-published in the past with companies that charge you an arm and a leg to get your stuff out there—that was when I was really young.  So, I thought to myself that if I could make a collection out of these stories that made sense, I thought I’d go that route.  I’m a huge fan of short story collections.  I like putting stories together that belong in a complete package, whether it be theme related or because of the atmosphere or tone.  I originally wanted to add something like 12 stories, but I felt that this time I was going to be a lot more selective and only pick stories that really went well together without sounding redundant.  So, I ended up with 9, and I’m glad I did.  The other stories were good, but they didn’t belong in this collection.

Did you query agents or traditional publishers before publishing on Amazon?

I did submit most of these stories to magazines and other publications at some point in time.  It’s always hard to find that right one that fits you.

What factors influenced your decision to self-publish?

I really wanted to find a home for these stories, and I was getting sick of submitting and feeling like I was getting nowhere.  At least this way, I could put my writing out there and let others give them a read and see if it’s to their liking or not.  And it’s totally re-vitalized my writing.  I feel energized and excited.  It’s just nice to know that there will always be a way to get your work out there.  You may not reach as many people as you would with traditional publishing in some cases, but you WILL reach somebody.  That’s a lot better than to have your works just sit and collect dust while you wait for another automated rejection letter.

Will you try to garner a traditional publishing contract for any future books?

It might be nice in the future, but I can honestly say that right now I’m not too worried about it.  I’m not depending on my writing for income, which is why I felt like I had nothing to lose with going the self-publishing route.

Did you design your cover art?  If not, would you care to share your graphic designer’s information?

For IN DECLINE, I just found a photo off of istockphoto.com and it really fit one of my stories.  Which is funny, because this was before I even had a title for the collection.  One of my stories was called, Decadent Dan, and I was really beginning to dislike the title.  I wanted to call it something else.  When I looked up “decadent” just to get some suggestions, I saw, “in decline.”  I thought that was perfect, not only for the story, but for the collection itself.  It really fits in with the mood and tone of all of the stories.

How did you feel when you got your first sale?  Are you pleased with sales so far?

The first couple of sales I made, I knew they were from friends.  I was really happy, don’t get me wrong, but once I started getting a few more and knew that they weren’t from people who knew me, I really got excited.  Nervous, too.  I always get nervous thinking about somebody reading my work.  I hope they like it, but I know there’s always that chance they might not.  You have to take that risk.  While I don’t sell as many books as other authors at this time, I’m pretty happy with the number I’ve sold so far.  For a short story collection, which I’m told is a lot tougher to sell than novels, it’s doing pretty well.  I’m happy with it.  Let’s just say it’s reached more people than it would have if I just sat on the stories and did nothing with them.  That’s the important part.

What kinds of social media [twitter, facebook, webpage, blog, writing forums] are you involved with trying to garner attention for your book(s)?

Facebook is a big one for me.  I have my own author page, www.facebook.com/authormichaelcrane .  I try to post on forums too, but I do my best not to come across as spam or unwanted promotion.  That’s really the toughest part of all of this.  Promoting.

Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale?

Smashwords.com has IN DECLINE, and some free single short stories.  That’s a great site to use if you want to put up some of your stuff for free.  I use it for some of my short stories.  They’ve gotten a lot of views and downloads.

What’s next for you?

I’m working on a novella.  Right now the working title is, GOODMAN’S BAD DAY.  It’s much more different from what I normally write.  It’s more on the silly side.  I actually started the book when I was at Columbia, but never got around to finishing it.  Ever since the publication of IN DECLINE, I decided to give it another look and I realized that I still had something with it.  So, I started over again, re-writing the chapters that I already had and went from there.  I’m almost done with the first draft.  I know anything can happen, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to see it through this time, and it will most definitely be self-published as well!

Panel Discussion - Characters Hijacking Your Story, Do You Allow It?

Our next panel discussion question generated a lot of interest among my fellow authors.  Many thanks to those who contributed today.  Here’s our question:

What do you do when a character takes you and/or your story to a place you don't want to go?

Camille LaGuire:

You have to go there, even if it's just in your head. You have to let it play out to see if it really is where the story needs to go or if it will derail the story.  It's going to change the character's lives irrevocably.  Does this take your story in a richer direction?  Does it open up opportunities?  Or does it shut off opportunities?  Does it rush the pacing?

If you determine that it is good for the story, you still don't have to "go there" in writing.  Just as you might take sex scenes off screen, you can do the same for other kinds of scenes that may throw off the tone of the story.  For instance, in the movie Gone With The Wind, we don't have to witness Rhett's mad grief at the death of Bonny Blue.  That could be raw enough to drive the audience out of the story.  So instead they have Mammy tell the story of it, and it's twice as affecting.

The Daring Novelist http://daringnovelist.blogspot.com/

Dawn McCullough-White:

Typically when this happens I toy around with different scenarios for future scenes, posing the questions as to whether this will work in the plot, and what the butterfly effect might be.  Sometimes I let the character take me where he/she wants and then decide if I like it.  I remember writing a scene with two of my mains probably fourteen times because I deviated from the original idea and it never worked, I ended up going back to the first notes I'd written for the scene.  The other versions dramatically changed the direction the characters personalities would've gone and I didn't like it.

 Funny you should ask this question though, because I'm in that position right now.  I have one character going rogue on me, and I'm not sure if I'm going to let him or not.  He seems to think he should have a slightly happier ending then I'd planned.  We'll see I suppose.  I'm working on several different possibilities for three pivotal scenes in this character's future.  Sometimes I just have to write them down, and see if I can keep writing, if not it means that wasn't right for the story.

All in all my novels are character driven and although I do have a plot, I will deviate from that if the characters take the book in an interesting direction that stays within the basic framework of the story.

Blog: http://www.dawnmccullough-white.com/blog/

NOAH MULLETTE-GILLMAN:

 When I start writing a story I have an idea of what it will be about, but I have been doing this long enough to understand how rough that initial vision is. The tale, as I first grasp it, is a little like listening to a conversation going on on the other side of a wall. I will initially misunderstand what I’m hearing, and won’t be able to see through the wood very well at all…

There will be an extent to which I don’t understand what needs to happen before I’m in the middle of it, and the best thing that I can do then is pause and re-envision. If the story really should go in the new direction, then that needs to happen in a way that leads the story to be richer and deeper. We discover that there is a level at which the best sort of story-telling is not just making things up, but discovering what the truth actually is.

Those of you who have read The White Hairs will know that about halfway through the book my main character, Farshoul, goes through a dramatic change. I did not know when I sat down to write the story that this was going to happen, but when it did the event seemed to have all the pull of gravity behind it. It felt like I wasn’t choosing to put Farshoul through this, but merely being honest enough to admit that this happened to him.  But, am I talking about places I didn’t expect to go rather than didn’t want to go? The truth is that I’m not here to fight my story. I don’t sit down with a rigid outline and force the story to go where I initially imagined it would end up. I would always want my story to go where it truly needs to travel. If that’s contrary to my initial plans, I understand that I made those plans early on when I had an incomplete understanding of my story.

Website: www.noahmullette-gillman.com

Email: Noah@noahmullette-gillman.com

Laura Vosika:

Sooner or later, everyone experiences a character going his own way: responding to a question, or making a wise-crack, or reacting to a situation in a way that veers off the author's carefully outlined path.  My character Shawn likes to do this, but I expect it of him.  More recently, a much more humble, mild-mannered sort did it by offering one of my characters a cup of coffee.  Then he came back and offered her another.  Bit by bit, I found my story not only taking a round-about detour from my plans, but hopping on a flight to a different country altogether from my planned itinerary! 

My answer is to try a couple of times to tell the characters what I would like them to do or say, and if it doesn't work, I go back to their version of events.  So far, I have not regretted it, and I believe that's part of what allows a character to breathe and live.  I think somewhere, deep down, we know these people, and we know what they'd really do and say, and when we squelch that and force them back into our plans, we often flatten the life out of them.  Just like life, we often have to just go with what we're given, and I've usually ended up seeing where it takes the story.

Website: www.bluebellstrilogy.com

Blog: www.bluebellstrilogy.com/blog

Daniel Arenson:

The characters' wills come first.  The plot you the author envisioned

is lower priority.  Let your characters direct the flow!  If you created well-crafted, three-dimensional characters, they'll have motives, fears, goals, dreams.  They'll know what to do.  Your job as an author is to let them tell the story.  It's poor storytelling to develop a rigid plot and manhandle your characters down its path.  A great storyteller lets his characters make decisions based on their personalities, ambitions, and the challenges he or she tosses their way.

The characters' decisions then direct the flow of the story. Your characters want to go somewhere?  Let them.

Website: http://www.danielarenson.com/

So, fellow authors, what do you do when faced with this question? Tell us how you handle it in the comments section.

OCTOBER HEROINE ENTREPRENEUR - SUNCEAR SCRETCHEN

DC Comics Hawkwoman

Heroine - 1. A woman noted for courage and daring action.


2. A woman noted for special achievement in a particular field. (from freedictionary.com)



Meet October's Heroine Entrepreneur..
 

...Suncear Scretchen

 
 
1 . Tell us about your business, products, services and what makes it special or unique.

As a Health Coach, in a nutshell, I help people lead healthier lifestyles. I specialize in women who suffer from thyroid disorders but I also work with anyone who wants to lose weight, gain energy and just feel better overall.

2 . How was it birthed?
Over 10 years ago, I was diagnosed with Graves Disease (which is a form of hypothyroidism) and
I knew it was because I was very unhappy in life at the time. That’s when the concept of balance
really took form for me. Taking care of yourself emotionally, physically, spiritually and mentally
seemed to be the key to being healthy. However, I didn’t recognize it as a life purpose until I had a
challenging 2009. I knew I was on the wrong path in life so I became a certified Holistic Health Coach.

3 . How did you begin? What were the first steps that you took?
I enrolled at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition (if you are interested in attending, please use me as
a reference.) Prior to that I started a blog on Conscious living (www.theconsciouschick.com) to help
establish myself as a health and wellness expert.

4 . Have you always been in this particular field? Do you have a history in this area?
I’ve always been pretty Conscious- even as a child- but like so many others, my emotional state dictated what I was consuming. It wasn’t until I left behind my 12 years of experience in the music industry that it became a passion. There’s not a lot of healthy living in the entertainment world :)

5 . How much support did you receive when you first started out?
Most people were behind my decision to pursue this as a career but you always have the skeptics who
point to the economy and say “this is a tough time to start a business.” They may be correct in some ways but I feel the timing is right for me.

6 . Is there anything that you wish you would have done or handled differently?
I wish I had pursued this sooner as a side gig. There is a national conversation going on right now
regarding health, obesity, insurance, etc. It’s great to be in the midst of it but competition is heating up.

7 . What was your biggest hurdle in developing and growing your business?
Not having the funds to hire the right people to take it to the next level- PR, Web Designer, etc. I had to do some of it myself and it’s very time-consuming.

8 . How did you stay motivated or what kept you motivated whenever you hit a bump/pothole in the
road or a difficult time?

Knowing that this is the path that I am supposed to be on has kept me going.

9 . There are quite a few women who are seeking to become a Holistic Health Coach. What advice
would you give them?
Be open to learning things about yourself as you help others. Have a genuine passion for health and wellness. And attend a school that helps you with setting up your business.

1 0 . Is there anything new & exciting that we can expect from your business in the future?

Ultimately, I envision having a wellness empire with a dessert line, books, films and most urgently,
Conscious beauty products. I will be launching a Conscious Chick organic cosmetic line featuring items like lip balm, face toners and perfumes in the near future.
I love it!! How exciting!

A personal note for Suncear:
Many thanks for agreeing to do this. I absolutely love what you've shared with us. Thanks for opening your life's book up to inspire us. You've certainly said some things that have touched me. I wish you great success with your wellness empire! And I'm certainly looking forward to your Conscious Chick organic cosmetic line!
{{Hugs}},


Find more information on Suncear Scretchen, Holistic Health Coach:
http://www.suncerewellness.com/
http://www.theconsciouschick.com/

Interview with Valmore Daniels

Ebook available at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Forbidden-The-Stars-ebook/dp/B003XT5S4S

Continuing with my author interview series, today I would like to welcome Valmore Daniels to the blog.  Daniel has 2 books available for sale.  Welcome Daniel!

Briefly describe your journey in writing your first book.

As early as grade school, I’ve been writing stories, but it wasn’t until my first year in university that I decided to write a novel. I had taken every creative writing course offered in school, and by that time I had read over a thousand novels. I felt was I was ready for the challenge.  The novels of C.S. Lewis, L. Frank Baum, Lewis Carroll, and Tolkien turned me on to fantasy at an early age, and in the tradition of their great works, I wrote An Old-Fashioned Folk Tale. The initial draft took about three months, but the editing process was much longer; and the journey from completed book to publication has taken over twenty years.

Did you query agents or traditional publishers before publishing on Amazon?

After researching the submission process, I felt I was ready for the onslaught of rejections from publishing houses. My first rejection was heartbreaking, and it took an act of willpower to send it out a second time. The second rejection was easier to take, especially since the editor praised the writing, but told me YA fantasy was difficult to market at that time. I continued to send the novel out year after year to similar result, until …

What factors influenced your decision to self-publish?

… I got accepted at a small press. My joy, however, quickly dissipated when I examined the terms of the contract, the negligible advance, and the publisher’s meager projections of sales over five years. By this time, I also had completed my second novel, Forbidden The Stars, and the first publisher to whom I submitted it asked for drastic revisions with which I disagreed. I declined both offers, and became uncertain about the future of my writing career. When I stumbled across a blog talking about Lulu, Createspace and Smashwords, I began researching in earnest, and made the decision to publish independently. 

Will you try to garner a traditional publishing contract for any future books?

I’ve always been an independent spirit, and have been (for the most part) self-employed for the past two decades. Unless a traditional publishing contract was extremely lucrative, I will remain an independent. I do not discount the possibility of signing an agent at some point in the future to handle subsidiary sales in other markets, but being the captain of my own ship brings as much reward to this venture as the writing itself.

Did you design your cover art?  If not, would you care to share your graphic designer’s information?

For An Old-Fashioned Folk Tale, I licensed cover art directly from renowned fantasy artist Howard David Johnson. For Forbidden The Stars, I found the cover illustration on fotolia.com by an Italian artist named Innovari.

If you used a graphic designer, how involved were you during the creative process for your cover?

Aside from the illustrations, I did the titles myself in Photoshop. Originally, I designed An Old-Fashioned Folk Tale for paperback, not realizing that the ebook format would dominate sales. Everything is a learning experience, and so I focused on the ebook version when designing the titles for Forbidden The Stars. When I received the proof copy in paperback, I was delighted at how well the artwork translated to full size.

How did you feel when you got your first sale?  Are you pleased with sales so far?

When I got my first sale, I was elated, but the real validation for me was my first fan email.  I was dancing on the ceiling for days after that. The various publishers who rejected An Old-Fashioned Folk Tale said that YA fantasy is difficult to market. It is a difficult market, but not an impossible one. Sales started slowly, but have been steadily increasing every month. Forbidden The Stars seems to have found an immediate audience, and I’ve received a lot of positive feedback for it (as well as demand for a sequel).

What kinds of social media [twitter, facebook, webpage, blog, writing forums] are you involved with trying to garner attention for your book(s)?

It’s extremely difficult to measure from what source a project will get the most attention. I have a website, twitter, facebook, and I participate on a few forums. However, I believe the greatest exposure comes from the many wonderful bloggers who shine a spotlight on our books.

Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale?

The ebook versions are available on Amazon US and UK, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobobooks, Apple, Diesel, and Sony. The paperback versions are available on Amazon US, UK, and CA, as well as Barnes & Noble and BookDepository.com.

What’s next for you?

I’m currently in the first draft stage of a paranormal drama concerning a young woman cursed with pyrokinesis, who accidentally killed her parents in a house fire, and how she tries to return to her home town ten years later. I am also in the outlining stage of a sequel to Forbidden The Stars.

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE FOR THE WEEK

Bridge at New Hanover County Arboretum in Wilmington,NC

Life is simple, it's people that complicate it.

~ Rejean D. Millette

Okay, I admit that I'm a bit into my "overthinking" mode and had to share this just cause it spoke to me. Hope you enjoy!

{{Hugs}},



Who is Rejean D. Millette?....

Since 1994, he has a new passion : gardening. He did create his own garden : The gardening clown garden. The name was decided because he has a miniature clown collector. His favorite plants are hosta, daylily, iris, lilly and other perennials.


He is the author of the book Les Hostas (in French) published in March 2003 with the Éditions de l'Homme. He writes on many gardening subjects. For these works he also took many pictures. We see him regularly on television, in the magazines, he is a great communicator and motivator. The way he used to cure from his burn out is a good example for all.

He gives lots of conferences on HOSTAS, DAYLILIES, HOW HE CREATES HIS GARDEN, FRANCE WHERE FLOWER IS QUEEN and THAILANDE EXOTIC COUNTRY.

He is the founding President of Quebec Hostas and Hemerocallis Society (QHHSPierrefonds Gardening Club.

Info is from his website:  www.hostas.ca

Review – The Black God’s War by Moses Siregar III

3 of 5 stars

I picked up this novella during a free promotion.  I was curious to see how the novella was presented because it is being advertised as an introduction to the novel that will be published in the Spring of 2011.

The story opens up with a powerful scene seen through 10-year-old Lucia’s eyes.  Her mother has just given birth to a son, but the child is no ordinary child.  This child, Caio, is the long-awaited savior, “Haissem,” for the people of Rezzia.  While her father presents the child to the faithful, Lucia is first overjoyed, but when she tries to join them on the balcony, her father pushes her aside and the cold reality of his rejection hits her hard.  Compounding the sting of rejection, Lucia witnesses a terrifying event involving her mother.  When she calls out to her father for help, he continues to ignore her and an event that will change Lucia forever plays out.  In this short scene, the author paints a vivid picture of the turmoil and suffering that Lucia endures – her conflicting feelings for her brother and her heartache over her father’s rejection – and I was a little disappointed when the next chapter unfolded 19 years later. 

The rest of the novella is Caio’s story from his ascension to the “Dux Spiritus” to his taking over as commander of the Rezzia army in their battle against their mortal enemies, the Pawelons.  We are introduced to his personal guard, Ilario, who secretly loves Lucia, but their difference in class makes a union between them impossible.  This surprised me because there is no back-story to let the reader know this fact so the full impact of their forbidden love is lost.  However, the author unfolds a masterful story of Caio’s hopes, dreams and his own inner demons about living up to his own legend and doing the right thing.

Mr. Siregar has given us a taste of the epic novel to come with this novella.  If you want to read a talented new author with a flair for storytelling, you should definitely pick up this story. I for one am looking forward to reading the full story when it’s published next year.

New Release - The Red Cross of Gold XIX: How Men Do It by Brendan Carroll

Today I’d like to welcome one of my fellow author friends, Brendan Carroll.  Brendan has just released his latest addition to the Assassin Chronicle series, The Red Cross of Gold XIX: How Men Do It.

Brendan, the floor is yours!

Thanks Deb for letting me talk about my book.  In a few weeks, I hope to have it up and running in paperback form which will also be available at Amazon.com. 

In this latest installment, the adventures of the semi-Immortal Templar ruling council continue.  The Knight of Death, Chevalier Mark Ramsay is facing old enemies on several fronts.  Two of his most formidable foes have been very busy in the Abyss, laying waste to the Seventh Gate of the Ancient Watchers.  Mark is the only one strong enough to brave the depths of the halls of dust and ashes and repair a breach in the wall before the ancient terrors that lie beyond hell make a mad dash for freedom.  He is beset by many loose ends leftover from the elven wars, not the least of which is a new Elven King who wishes to learn about the ways of mankind in order to further the evolution of his people.

The Assassin Chronicles has also evolved over the last few decades as one of the driving forces in my life.  I started the series back in the nineties as a sort of hobby, which at the time, I had no hope of ever publishing.  Over the past few years, the publishing industry has undergone massive changes with more changes in the offing, which can only be even better news for the Independent Authors otherwise known as Indie Authors.  The same phenomenal growth as recently experienced in the Indie Film Producers and Indie Musical Artists fields can be expected to continue for Indie Publishers as more author hopefuls and formerly mainstream, traditionally published authors join the ranks of Indie Authors, self-publishing their own works in order to take advantage of higher royalty percentages and greater contractual freedom that virtually eliminates the need for agents, publicists and publishing houses.

The current availability of Amazon’s publishing site for Independent Authors wishing to publish works for use in the Amazon Kindle and other eBook readers requires no upfront expenditures and leaves the author in full possession of rights to publication with only a few restrictions.  The 70% royalty rate for published works selling between $2.99-$9.99 is unprecedented in the publishing industry.  The current and growing success rate for Independent Authors is, to say the least, unexpected and borderline fantastic.

Though no one can claim that the sun is setting on the Traditional Publishing Houses, they are now being forced to recognize the growth and evolution of the eBook as a viable alternative for a number of talented authors who might have otherwise never been picked up for publication, and they must also recognize that the eBook market is making huge advances in comparison to traditional published paperback and hardbacks.

The recent fall of Blockbuster Videos into bankruptcy can be directly attributed to the rise of such online services as Netflix and conveniently placed automated sources for video rentals such as Redbox.  While I do not hope for or predict that the same fate awaits the traditional publishing houses, there is evidence that recent trends may point to eBooks giving the trade publishers the so-called ‘run for the money’.

Personally, I am an Independent Author and I will continue to be an Independent Author in light of the relatively small advances, comparatively complex contracts and virtual impossibility of access for authors seeking Traditional Publication. I have had numerous persons ask me how hard it is to write a book.  The answer to that question in my honest opinion is that it is not hard to write a book.  Anyone with even elementary skills in typing, spelling and grammar can write a book.  The hard work comes from the seemingly never-ending editing/proofreading necessary to make the work as perfect as possible before publication.  Even harder than perfection of details is the Art of Promotion.  Trying to decide where to promote, how to promote and when to promote in my case was a strictly trial and error process, much of which was and still is quite painful. 

Writing is fun, interesting and entertaining as a hobby, but it is getting harder and harder for an author, especially a new author , to find a strategy that works and sells books while avoiding those inevitable traps and snares set by every Tom, Dick and Harry outfit out there who wants to prey upon the hopes and dreams of aspiring writers, offering them so-called wonderful opportunities, no-fail marketing techniques and dubious professional services such as editing, reviewing and promoting for a small investment.   My best advice to anyone just starting out in the fine art of self-publishing and promoting is to avoid anyone offering to do something that you can do for yourself and charging money for it.  Check out the numerous forums for writers on the web and read everything with a grain of salt.

In the meantime, I would like to thank my fans and supporters for making my Independent Authorship a success and wish all of you a wonderful experience whether it be as an eBook reader or an eBook writer!!

My books can be found at:

 http://www.amazon.com/Red-Cross-Gold-Knight-Templar/dp/1442116390

Paperback: The Red Cross of Gold

http://www.amazon.com/Red-Cross-Gold-Knight-ebook/dp/B001J6ORUI

Kindle eBook: The Red Cross of Gold I:. The Knight of Death

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0042AMEQW

Kindle eBook: The Red Cross of Gold XIX:. How Men Do It

My Blog is at: http://redcrossofgold.blogspot.com

I can also be found hanging out at http://www.Kindleboards.com , http://www.wordpress.com, http://www.Goodreads.com and http://www/Librarything.com and 

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/The-Red-Cross-of-Gold-Assassin-Chronicles/116868838327249