Friday, March 31, 2017

CHARACTER INTERVIEW: Missy Mack and BOOK TRAILER: Hidden Secrets by J.S. Andersen

     Tell me a little about yourself (where you live, who you are, what you look like, what you hope to achieve, etc.)

Oh my heck. I’m feeling a little nervous. I don’t like talking about myself. I live in a mid-size city, Nampa, ID. I’m a Tom Boy and only wear a dress if I’m forced too. I do like to brag that when I go fishing, I don’t mind cutting and cleaning out the fish. There, know you can see I’m not a gimp. Oh, and I’ve eaten a cow tongue once too.

     What do you like to do in your spare time?

Okay, my family is so old fashioned. I have no cell phone and our family doesn’t have internet or cable T.V. You’d think we would since my dad is a C.P.A.

I do what my mom did when she was my age. I ride a dirt bike, jump on my trampoline, read and write in my journal. And if it works out, I go horseback riding on one of my friend’s horses.

     What is your favorite color and why?

     I like green and blue separate and combined. Harvest colors. They're just cool colors.
      
     What is your favorite food? Why is it your favorite?

     I’m not a picky eater and it depends on my mood. Love Hawaiian Pizza (Canadian bacon and pineapple) and General Tso’s Chicken.
.       
     What would you say is your biggest quirk?

     Living in my dreams. Getting tired of not knowing if it’s for real or just a dream. I have picked-up a habit of flapping my arms like a chicken trying to fly. Another one I just picked up was rubbing my thighs. Don’t know why but hope that habit leaves soon.

     What is it about your antagonist that irks you the most, and why? Share a line in the book where this irk is manifested.

Dealing with being second best. Not popular and taken advantage of. Here’s an example..

Maura gave her a scowl. “Why don’t you have a cell phone? Way uncool, you know.”
Missy imagined Maura’s thoughts. ‘Why are we friends? She’s the weirdo of our group.’ She didn’t answer, knowing she would be opening herself up for negative feedback from Maura. She wondered why she did hang out with Maura and Ally. Hanging out with Julie was fun, but the others came as a package deal.

     What or who means the most to you in your life? What, if anything, would you do to keep him/her/it in your life?

Hard question. I love my parents and my little brother, but keep it to myself. Expressing emotions is hard for me. Even when I tell my parents I love them, I feel embarrassed.
       
     What one thing would you like readers to know about you that may not be spelled out in the book in which you inhabit?

I can sense things before they happen, good or bad. Sometimes it even gets confusing in my story, my dreams and real life encounters. Sometimes I don’t know if something is really happening or if it’s only a dream.
      
     If you could tell your writer (creator) anything about yourself that might turn the direction of the plot, what would it be?

I'd like to turn into Maura. A self-centered, stuck-up girl is never wrong. 

     Ask me any question. I've always wanted to know what a character thinks about writers like myself.

What makes writers create characters? Is there a part in your personal life you want to live through us?

Fantastic question, Missy. I think we create characters to live out some of our dreams, yes, but I also think we create characters  to make sense of the world. We like to figure out how people tick, and working with characters can help us to do that. My characters are fiction with a little sprinkling of people I already know. It's almost like they become a new neighbor or friend in the months it takes me to write my next book. And I like making new friends.

***
Learn more about Hidden Secrets:



1



Wednesday, March 29, 2017

CONTEST DEADLINE COMING UP!

Our third annual novel writing contest deadline is coming up! 

Time to submit!

Best news is that there is no entry fee, and you only need to submit chapter 1 and a synopsis for round one!

Please, if you have any questions, ask away!

Here is the direct link to learn more: http://www.ideacreationspress.com/contests.html.

Friday, March 24, 2017

FRIDAY FLICKS and AUTHOR INTERVIEW: J. S. Andersen



I'll be doing things a bit differently today. One of our clients, J.S., Andersen, has just published her first YA fiction book through Idea Creations Press, and we're pretty excited about it.

We'll begin with her interview, and end with her book trailer.


***

Tell me a about yourself. What got you started in writing?


     I started writing in 1st grade. When I was in 9th grade in my  English class we were supposed to write down 5 goals. One was to  finish a book. I pressed forward  and had it published. I had to 
     cross off that goal.


How do you schedule your writing time? When do you write?

I write when I find time. Most is at night and late in to the morning.

     How and where do you write? Do you prefer a lap top or some other method of getting your words down?

I use what even I can get my hands on when an idea pops into my brain. I carry a small notebook in my purse, a small recorder I talk into if I’m driving, and use my lap top when I get home or take it to a writers group.

     What's your favorite part about writing? Your least favorite part about writing?
                    
I love coming up with a story idea. My least favorite is fighting the writer’s block. I can go weeks without touching it. Poor MC gets a little angry at me.

     How did you come up with your book idea? How long did it take you to write your book?

In my 20s I finally found out what made the grinding noises at night down the street from the house I grew-up in. It was a rock grinder. When it ran at night to me it sounded like a ghost driving a tractor in the field across the street from my bedroom.

What types of marketing do you do to promote your writing?

Face Book, Blogs, Voice, Craft Shows, Book Signings and whatever else I can think of to advertise it.

What are you currently working on? Do you have a new book out?

I’m working on book #2 Secrets Revealed that carries on with Missy Mack in the 1st book Hidden Secrets.

Get the Book at Amazon

Do you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it.

Another book in its 3rd draft, If I Only Knew, is planned to be done and out by the end of the year. I have a couple more plots on stories I’m working on.

What would you tell a beginning writer who wants to publish but doesn't believe he/she has enough talent?

Don’t give up. If you set your mind to it, then do it even if it takes you several years to get it done.

***







Wednesday, March 22, 2017

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Jordan Ring

Tell me a about yourself. What got you started in writing?

I started writing only about two years ago. I first learned about blogging and the possibility of making money online while listening to Pat Flynn’s Smart Passive Income Podcast, and the idea that I could make money from home, from my computer stuck with me. Now, I have been writing every since and my 4th book is going to be up for sale on Amazon soon.

I love writing, and my dream is to become a full time author. I know that the only thing that is going to stop me from reaching that goal is if I actually stop trying to reach that goal. One day, I will be a bestselling author sipping pina coladas on the beach every day, but for now I work my butt off.



How do you schedule your writing time? When do you write?

I write whenever I can. I currently work a full-time 50 hour per week job. I write during my time off. I don’t have the luxury of taking any time or any days off, so I write whenever I get the chance.

This most often comes during my days off on Sunday and Monday, but if I can fit it in after I work I will do that.

How and where do you write? Do you prefer a lap top or some other method of getting your words down?

Definitely laptop. I occasionally write notes down, but I mostly use digital format.

Since I currently write only non-fiction I write best when I am using an outline.

What's your favorite part about writing? Your least favorite part about writing?

My favorite part about writing is definitely the finished project. I love seeing a book on sale on Amazon that I created. I literally created something from nothing and that feeling is pretty cool. I am also weird in that I love creating outlines and then using them to help write my books.

My least favorite part is the necessity of deadlines. I know they are important, but it can feel forced at times!

How did you come up with your book idea? How long did it take you to write your book?

I came up with the idea for “Now What? Getting Unstuck in a Sticky World” through life experience. I think that action taking is the #1 most difficult part of reaching any goal. I wrote this book to help people to bridge that gap. The book is for people that know what they need to do, but have trouble actually doing it.

What types of marketing do you do to promote your writing?

I try to keep a constant presence on twitter, as well as respond to any email that comes in right away.

I also pay for advertising, run giveaways, share on social media, and email anyone I can think of.

For my next launch I have cultivated a street team of 20 people to help me launch the book. I am excited to see what comes of putting together a team like this. My hope is that it will help the launch to take off!

What are you currently working on? Do you have a new book out?

I am currently working on a new book called “Peace with Sweets
The Healthy & fresh way to manage sugar intake and reduce sugar cravings”.

It will be out by the end of March of this year, and I am super excited about it.

Do you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it.

I am slowly working on a fiction book. It is about an alien named Gee (pronounced Ghee). It is a family joke and a voice I use to make my brother laugh. Throughout my childhood we have crafted a character out of this voice and I would LOVE to get it realized into a book.

What would you tell a beginning writer who wants to publish but doesn't believe he/she has enough talent?

You NEVER have enough talent, because talent doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is perseverance and consistency.

***
A question for me:

What is the best indie book you ever read and why?

Great question and one I have never been asked before. But it's also a tough one because most of the indie books I've read and loved I've published through my company, Idea Creations Press. How to choose?

I did enjoy Planet of the Gods by A.M. Johnston, because of its detail and engaging plot. I don't typically read fantasy, but was glad I was able to edit and read this one for Idea Creations Press.

I have also published a couple of true stories about cancer, a children's book about a seagull and an owl, and a contemporary fantasy written by a 16-year-old author, as well as others. 

All of of these books were excellent.

Thank you for the question.

***

New author site- Jmring.com/books and health site www.fiberguardian.com


Monday, March 20, 2017

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Nestor Eguez

1.     Tell me a about yourself. What got you started in writing?

I’m an electronic engineer  who immigrated with my family from Uruguay, South America to California, twenty two years ago in search of a better life. Since then, I have been teaching at Adult and Vocational schools. I had always an interest in writing and one day 10 years ago while helping my kids with a school project, was the moment that my first story born.

2.  How do you schedule your writing time? When do you write?

Usually during the weekends, because I teach from Monday to Friday.


3.  How and where do you write? Do you prefer a lap top or some other method of getting your words down?

I use my lap top, but I prefer write on my desktop. I have a good view and I can listen music.


4.  What's your favorite part about writing? Your least favorite part about writing?

Well, writing is my true passion. I love the whole thing, and I can’t find something that I don’t like about it. Maybe, the editing process, because I don’t participate and at the end is going to be changes to do later.


5.  How did you come up with your book idea? How long did it take you to write your book?

Get the Book at Amazon
Took me more than ten years. I'm a technology teacher, and writing wasn't a priority in my life. Was more like an item in my bucket list. But one day helping my kids with a school project, this story came to me in a very special way. After that, a lot of things happened, good and bad, but I never gave up. Of course, in the developing of the story it changed a lot, but I kept the basic original structure.

6.  What types of marketing do you do to promote your writing?

On line : FaceBook and Twitter.


7.  What are you currently working on? Do you have a new book out?

Yeah, I’m finishing the second Vol. of  Kalima’s collection. Hopefully will be out around April.

8.  Do you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it.

There are a couple of Non-fiction stories. Of course there are going to take some time researching, and for that is something that will see the light in a couple of years.

9.  What would you tell a beginning writer who wants to publish but doesn't believe he/she has enough talent?

I have a post on Niume, that I think will answer this question very well. https://niume.com/post/197170











Wednesday, March 15, 2017

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Doug Cooper

Tell me a about yourself. What got you started in writing?

I write the Crystal Series books, which are sci-fi action and adventure stories that center on the themes of aliens, spies, AI, romance, and battles in space. Criss, the overarching personality in the series, is a four-gen AI crystal with the cognitive ability of a thousand humans. He is hard-wired to protect and serve his human leadership team, which includes Dr. Juice Tallette, the crystal scientist who created Criss; Cheryl Wallace, a captain of a Fleet military space cruiser; and Sid, a covert spy for the Defense Intelligence Agency.



I started writing science fiction when I was looking for a new creative outlet in my life. At that time, I chased several ideas--developing webcasts to go with my online textbook (www.controlguru.com), launching a new technology company, and tapping away at my keyboard writing a scifi novel. Within months, my writing morphed into a passion and I dropped my other projects to give myself more time for it. I’ve been at it for about five years and my writing time remains a most treasured part of my day.

What is your process for writing a book?

I begin with an idea in my head and then start writing.  I don’t plan, and I even prohibit myself from thinking too far ahead, because my joy comes from the creative process of writing into the unknown.

I write each scene in the order it will appear when published. The fun thing about this is that my stories follow a rotating point of view among the characters, and don’t always follow a straight timeline from chapter to chapter. So, I write a story that does not follow a strict timeline sequence, and that rotates among the viewpoints of the central characters, in page order.

And to really make it fun, I don’t allow myself to go back and change a previous scene to help me solve a challenge with the current one. To me, plot development is like solving a puzzle. I enjoy being at a particular point in an adventure, with characters deployed here and there, all with histories and in certain situations, and now I must move forward in a plausible and entertaining fashion. It’s a slow process, but my key to success is persistence. I write every day for a few hours. And slowly but surely, I write books.

Do you edit as you write or do you wait until the novel is finished before you start editing?

I edit as I go. And as I write, I will look back and tweak pages here and there until I can read a whole scene without stopping. I can usually achieve this in five or so passes. And during this time, I edit for sentence structure, word selection, line breaks, showing not telling, replacing passive voice with active voice, continuity, and anything else that might make me unhappy at that time. Writing new lines for a story is equally slow. I can take a minute to write one sentence. And then five more messing with it.

What's your favorite part about writing?

I enjoy having my characters surprise me, which they do pretty much every time I write, and which is why I can’t plot ahead. The conversations are the wild card. I can describe a setting or have action take place and stay on track. But once the characters start talking, then all bets are off.

In a verbal exchange, a character will reveal information I had planned on holding back, note something that becomes a flaw in my own plot, or make a quip that takes the scene in an unexpected direction. I don’t fight it. I embrace it. Discovering what’s going on in a character’s mind is one of the thrills that keeps me writing.

Which authors have influenced your writing?

As a kid, I discovered Tom Swift, Jr., a young adult science fiction series. In different books, Tom builds a flying lab, a jet submarine, a giant robot, a rocket ship—I was in heaven and spent many hours daydreaming about science and technology. The Crystal Series stories might be described as an adult version of Tom Swift, maybe mashed up with some Star Trek, Mission Impossible, and I Robot.

Why did you choose to become an indie author rather than follow the traditional publishing route?

I chose the indie route for a number of reasons: I’m anxious to get new works out to readers in a timely fashion, I want to maintain long-term control over of the work, and I am excited by the entrepreneurial challenge.  Self-publishing has all aspects of the small business enterprise, including product creation, branding and marketing, finance, project management, and intellectual property concerns. I love exploring ways to pull those levers to advance my writing career.



What are you currently working on? Do you have a new book out?

I just released the third full-length book of the series, Crystal Rebellion, and I’m gratified by the positive reader response—it’s been amazing! The setting is on Mars, and the bad guys are three AI crystals left behind after the last alien invasion of our solar system. Our heroes struggle to save the world and soon realize they need to save themselves. I’ll leave it at that as I don’t want to reveal any spoilers. I invite everyone to give the book a read and enjoy the ride!

Do you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it.

The epilogue of book II, Crystal Conquest, suggests the premise for this new release, Crystal Rebellion. And Rebellion’s epilogue suggests the premise for the next book, Crystal Escape. That’s all the clues I’ll give to my wonderful readers. I’m half way along on the new book and already know it will be the best one yet.

What would you tell a beginning writer who wants to publish?

Write every day and have fun doing it. Writing is art, and so there will be people who like what you do and those who don’t. So like any art form, do it for yourself.  Write what brings you joy and satisfaction, and you will produce the best work you are able and have fun doing it. 

One way to practice is to write pieces and then stick them in a drawer. An alternative is to write things that will help society. Your neighborhood library, museum, senior center, or shelter all have access to grant opportunities and would benefit from a talented individual willing to help them write one. It’s hard work. It’s only creative to the extent you can spin the circumstances of the organization you are supporting to the requirements of the granting agency. But I know that anyone who writes a dozen grant applications will be judged a dozen times. It’s frustrating work, but like practicing your scales on an instrument, this sort of activity strengthens writing skills.

 ***

A Question for Kathryn:

What is a good marketing strategy for an indie author like me?

Great question! Recently, I've been learning the importance of connecting with readers for the long haul - not just to sell a book or two - but to keep readers reading through my connection with them. 

We support our friends, those who care about us, and social media is becoming more and more of a hangout with our friends, whether we have met with many of them personally or not.

Great friends like to help us. They share what they have liked, what we have written, with their friends. And these friends share with their friends and so on.

We create friendships not only through social media, but through speaking engagements and author events. We may decide to do a signing at a hair salon or a craft show. Who says we have to sell books only at book stores?

We open our eyes and our hearts to opportunities of connection, and we give our readers the best we have to offer. 

Those who call us friend will keep coming back.

***
doug@crystalseries.com
www.crystalseries.com


Tuesday, March 14, 2017

TUESDAY TRAILERS: Tie Died

I've just sent off my book, Tie Died, to my first beta reader.

Here's a trailer about it:




I would love to hear your feedback.

Kathryn

Monday, March 13, 2017

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Mireille Mishriky

     Tell me a about yourself. What got you started in writing?

I have always written, from a very young age, my imagination always got the best of me. Years later, as a Sunday school teacher to kindergarten children and a mother of a young boy, I was on a mission to create fun characters to empower the children in my life and to grab their attention.


How do you schedule your writing time? When do you write?

I do not have a fixed schedule – nor do I have a preferred time of day. The idea takes hold in my mind over many days, sometimes weeks and then the floodgates open and I can write for many hours on end.

     How and where do you write? Do you prefer a lap top or some other method of getting your words down?

Always a laptop - I can’t read my own handwriting!

What's your favorite part about writing? Your least favorite part about writing?

Every facet of writing is exhilarating as it painful - the creative process is my favorite - least favorite part about writing is rehashing my sentences over and over - I suffer from perfectionism.

     How did you come up with your book idea? How long did it take you to write your book?

My son adores super heroes and I toyed with the idea of a Christian super hero for many years until I had a sudden realization about the true meaning of the Fruits of the Holy Spirit and how they are, in essence, super powers. Once the idea took hold and the interpretation of the concept was completed, it took a day to write the book (please note that children stories are less than 1000 words) and then months or refining and tuning the original manuscript.


What types of marketing do you do to promote your writing?
Content marketing via my blog/website www.mireillemishriky.com, social media, word of mouth. Marketing is actually a full time job and my biggest challenge.

What are you currently working on? Do you have a new book out?
            
I just published my second book of the series Philo and the Patience SuperHoly and I am taking time to promote it.

Philo and the Patience SuperHoly
Do you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it.

Yes, another children’s storybook series: Angel Leo and Angel Theo as well as book 3 of the Philo and the SuperHolies series.

What would you tell a beginning writer who wants to publish but doesn't believe he/she has enough talent?

I have been there, we have all been there. You have more than enough talent and the world needs your talent.

Learn more about Mireille: