Interview with Sarah Butland.

Hi Sarah and Welcome. Would you like to begin by telling the readers something about yourself?

Thank you so much for having me!

What writer likes to talk about themselves and yet here we are.  Much like a lot of writers I typically am an introvert, with the exception of craving the company of a few good friends.  My days are currently spent chasing my 4 year old and recovering from working the night before.

I’ve always been chasing a dream but now am eager to teach my son how to grab hold of one and shake it till it gives out every ounce of satisfaction success can. Not for the fame of it but because passionate people wanting to help the world should at least be able to show the next generation how important it is to follow your dream no matter the cost.

 

What is your book about and what inspired you to write this?

Arm Farm began with the click of a finger. I was trying to get back into writing years ago and literally clicked on Amazon’s website to order a book titled Fiction Writer’s Workshop. This book gave me the structure, goals and ideas to finally put pen to paper and come up with plenty of ideas to go back to. One of the exercises was to write random unrelated rhyming words together and I wrote plenty.

When I finally had the chance to go back to the list Arm Farm reached out and grabbed my hand. With CSI, and Bones claiming the masses I was challenged to write something similar but outstanding. And so Arm Farm began and has surely taken me on a ride!

*Puns intended – did you spot them all?

How long did it take and how many times did you go through it before it was finally done?

Life always seems to get in the way of an aspiring author so this actually took about 2 years with about a 9 month hiatus.  When I discovered I was pregnant I challenged myself to finish the novel before I had to go back to work after maternity leave. I went back to work on October 30^th and launched my novel on November 4^th!

Where do your settings come from? Are they taken from real places, made up entirely, or a conglomerate of the two?

My settings are pretty general so a mix of both memories, other resources with an everywhere feel help shape my novels. I actually set this in the US but as a Canadian had a lot of Canadian spelling and terms which, thankfully, my editor caught for authenticity sake.

 

Who is your favorite character and why?

My favourite character that I have written is actually BananaBoy – the superhero from my children’s book – Sending You Sammy. Bananaboy has been able to help his fellow characters and readers to choose healthier foods and activities.

This superhero has also allowed me to make appearances as him to market the book. I played basketball with a monkey and even had my father dress up as BananaBoy for a promotion!

Are you an outliner or a pantzer when it comes to start a book? If the latter, do the ideas come to you in one big lump, or are they piecemeal?

I’ve never been an outliner. In school when we had to brainstorm and show that we did I often wrote first and brainstormed after according to the story.

Typically the ideas come to me when writing just like reading a book. I never know how something is going to turn out until I write it though I often get stuck with too many other thoughts in my head. I’m currently about 20000 words into my next novel and hit a slump as watching my son play trucks and working doesn’t help me think about or listen to these characters.  It’s also a tough one, a novel based on a short story that won a local competition a couple of years ago.  The topic of which is so unusual for me that I had no idea what it was really about but all its readers want more!

 

Finally, where can the book be purchased and have you plans for more?

Arm Farm can be purchased through almost any online retailer including Amazon.com (http://amzn.to/150PXL4), Amazon.ca (http://amzn.to/182DrwO) and more.

 

I do appreciate you all for reading and visiting Elizabeth’s site! I welcome all of you to visit my own site of www.SarahButland.com to help me make September and amazing month for literacy!

Enjoy the ability to read and pass it on!

Sarah Butland

 

 

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Interview with Andy Gavin, author of Untimed. http://us-mg5.mail.yahoo.com/neo/launch?.rand=3lre5bqg1j4op

1) Please tell me what your book is about. A blurb would be great. What is the name of your book and how did you arrive at the name?
Untimed
Charlie’s the kind of boy that no one notices. Hell, his own mother can’t remember his name. So when a mysterious clockwork man tries to kill him in modern day Philadelphia, and they tumble through a hole into 1725 London, Charlie realizes even the laws of time don’t take him seriously. Still, this isn’t all bad. Who needs school when you can learn about history first hand, like from Ben Franklin himself. And there’s this girl… Yvaine… another time traveler. All good. Except for the rules: boys only travel into the past and girls only into the future. And the baggage: Yvaine’s got a baby boy and more than her share of ex-boyfriends. Still, even if they screw up history — like accidentally let the founding father be killed — they can just time travel and fix it, right? But the future they return to is nothing like Charlie remembers. To set things right, he and his scrappy new girlfriend will have to race across the centuries, battling murderous machines from the future, jealous lovers, reluctant parents, and time itself.

2) What is your target audience? If it is a book for younger readers, what is the age range? If it is for adults, is the sexual tension aimed more at romance, or erotic elements. Is this more adventure or mystery?
Untimed is aimed at anyone who likes a rip roaring adventure in the tradition of the great 80s adventure films like Raiders of the Lost Arc. I wanted a lightning paced romp that showed unfamiliar takes on familiar places, times, and people. Charlie is 15, but slightly younger readers will probably appreciate the action, and adult readers enjoy the well thought out time travel system and carefully worked historical implications. Charlie’s voice is frank and compelling, but light hearted with an edge, and I dance across serious themes without getting too heavy. It’s PG-13, no racier than today’s network teen shows.There are some mature themes including realistic violence (on the part of the bad guys), implied (although not explicit) sexual situations, and teen drinking.
One of my major agenda’s was to show the past in a fun but accurate manner. History doesn’t have to be boring, and while situations and society changes, people stay the same. People in the past are just as human, but things really have improved in many ways. Charlie, as a contemporary kid, serves as our representative, experiencing different times first hand –up close and personal with chamber pots.

3) Characters set the tone, so what brought them to life for you? Is it a male or female protagonist or both? Did they protagonists come before the antagonists and how sympathetic did you let your antagonists become? How difficult do you find it to have a Point of View character of a different sex from your own? Who is your favorite character and why?
Untimed’s single first person POV is Charlie, and he was very fun to write. He calls things as he sees them, and given his basic naiveté, that’s pretty funny. We’re inside his head, and nothing is really sacred there. This can also be contrasted with what he does and says, which is sometimes not as bold as he thinks. Dialog-wise, his love interest, Yvaine, is also a blast because she’s incredibly direct and not afraid to work it.
The villains, The Tick-Tocks, are supposed to be mysterious, and I really wanted to reveal their secrets layer by layer. It was even important that by the end of the book, while you understand a lot more about them, you don’t really know exactly where they come from or what they’re up to. A great nemesis needs this. Think Darth Vader or Professor Moriarty. Their secrets aren’t all on the table to begin with. Additionally, one of my favorite emotions to play with is “creep.” My first novel, The Darkening Dream, is all about creepiness, and I think it’s much more effective and scary than plain horror. So the Tocks are supposed to be creepy. Not exactly horrific, but just mysterious and creepy. That’s one of the reasons they don’t talk. Creepy.

4) Settings give the flavor, so is this a made up world, or one people would recognize? If the latter, then how much research of location, flora and fauna, weather patterns, seasons, and altitudes when into the book? If the former, then what inspired it?
I love history and at first I thought about going to the ancient world, which is my real passion, but I wanted to avoid over-indulging myself and for this first outing stay with a time, place, and celebrity that wasn’t so alien. If I was going back that far, I’d want to capture the monumental shifts in mindset, and it was too much for the first in the series.
Somehow, I always imagined Charlie in Philadelphia, and that led me quickly to Ben Franklin, who is a favorite of mine. In an alternate dimension there exists a simpler Untimed, woven between modern and 18th century Philly. No London. No France. No China. That book would have been more like a Hollywood story, all packaged up neat and clean, but neat and clean isn’t the Andy Gavin style.

5) Plot is the backbone holding the story together. Did the plot come before the characters or visa versa? Was the book outlined before the started, or did the idea stay in your head and evolve as the writing commenced? What inspired the plot?
First of all, I’m a pantser, and so the story and characters largely determine where they go. Untimed began with this concept of a modern teenage narrator who was unstuck in time and went from there.
In general, I form early on a vague notion of where I’m going and a couple of key scenes and characters that I’d like to see in there. Seeing as how I often speculate on how people and events shape history, it was natural to play with this idea of a future (or present?) gone wrong. Ben Franklin is inextricably tied to the separation of America from England and I thought I’d play with that. Villains also frequently define the external conflicts, and Untimed was no exception, so the Tocks do a lot of driving the plot along.

6) Is there a single paragraph in the book of which you are most proud? It can be about characters, or setting or plot and a snippet would be great if you are allowed to put this up. If not, describe it and what earned this snippet pride of place for you.
With Untimed it’s often the dialog that shines, particularly in how it reveals character, like this snippet from Charlie’s first conversation with fellow time traveler Yvaine:

She reaches under the table and puts her hand on my knee. “If you give me a shilling I’ll tell you what I knows.”
“Are you crazy?” I say.
“Life ain’t never done me no favors.”
Her Shrek-girl accent and grin just sell it. I sigh and take out the purse again.
“How do I know that isn’t like a pound?” I say when she takes a coin.
“Would I cheat one of me own?” She taps the ‘shilling’ against my forehead, then leans over and kisses the spot, which tingles.

7) Pacing carries the reader along, so how was this achieved in your book. Also, did you leave any hooks in the last chapter to indicate a sequel?

I try hard to end every chapter, really every scene, with a bit of a punch. Often it’s a joke, or a lingering irony, or a new twist introduced. They most often amount to Charlie’s ironic reaction to something new and unexpected.
The end of the book has a bit of a twist, not a genuine cliff hanger, as that would be cruel, but more like the end of a Slider’s episode.

Thanks so much!

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Interview with Isabelle Esling, author of Unwrap Your Present.

1) Please tell me what your book is about. A blurb would be great. What is the name of your book and how did you arrive at the name?

My book is a self-help book, it is divided in little, easy to assimilate, chapters. I entitled this book “ Unwrap Your Present” because I do consider life, especially the now-moment as a gift. Once you start living in the present as it unfolds, blessings will follow.

2) What is your target audience?

My target audience are readers of spiritual and self-help books as this book is all about life improvement and understanding spiritual laws.
I enriched it with meditation techniques and personal experiences.

3) Characters set the tone, so what brought them to life for you?

This is not a fiction. It is all about the spiritual reality and loving your life.

4) Settings give the flavor, so is this a made up world, or one people would recognize?
What actually inspired me to write this book is to help people make the most of their lives instead of worrying about the future or staying stuck in the past.

7) Is there a single paragraph in the book of which you are most proud? It can be about characters, or setting or plot and a snippet would be great if you are allowed to put this up. If not, describe it and what earned this snippet pride of place for you.
I like all parts, as they can be useful to my readers. Each little chapter is some concrete help to access a more fulfilled life.
Thanks so much!

8) Why did you choose to write a self help? Did you have any moments of worry that it wouldn’t be worth it?

I chose to write on this topic, because I have been interested in improving myself for years…I wanted to share what I have learnt from my personal experience with all my readers.

No, I never experience such kind of worries. I am very passionate. When I decide to go forward with a writing project, I am always confident in the outcome.

9) Did you go the traditional publishing route or did you take it upon yourself to publish?
My friend Donna Kshir who is also a writer and who is the CEO of a publishing company called Hayden Kian Publishing House read my book. She was very enthusiastic about her read and decided to publish it. So she is also my agent.

I usually publish my books traditionally.

10) Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?
Yes, absolutely. I want them to know that life is a gift, that it is beautiful and that they deserve the best! Also I want them to know that there is no recipe on our spiritual path, we are all learners and everyone discovers spiritual laws in a different way…but this is also what makes the journey so fantastic!

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Interview with Tiffany Carmouche author of The Impostor, A Love Story which is available on Amazon here. http://www.amazon.com/Impostor-Story-Alaska-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B009KDVRSC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1367768821&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Impostor%2C+A+Love+Story

1) Please tell me what your book is about. A blurb would be great.

The Impostor, A Love Story is the first novel in a Suspenseful Romantic Series about unexpected love and a woman’s fight for survival. It is a story of growth, acceptance and having the perseverance to begin again.
Nicole, a young single mother, escapes from an abusive ex-boyfriend and the broken dreams of becoming an artist and she travels to a place she knows little about.
Nicole’s scared of getting hurt again, but Dylan’s chiseled body, charm, and chocolate brown eyes captivate her and she fall in love. In Alaska, she discovers the power of friendship and true love and begins to let down her guard. But her security is a façade.
Soon Nicole’s innocent beauty, taunts a sinister man, and she is caught in a web of deception and danger. Someone evil is stalking her. Someone she had trusted. Will she be saved? Or will she be hunted?

Review: “Wow – what an amazing job Tiffany has done. There wasn’t a moment that I wasn’t engaged with the characters or the plot. The build up of mystery and tension in this suspenseful romantic novel is superbly done. I found myself constantly holding my breath and nervously listening for creaks in the house. There were some beautifully crafted romantic moments that had me swooning for Dylan, and several moments when I shed a tear. Stunning! The novel flowed very well, effectively creating a good balance of suspense, character interaction and the lovely romance. The ending. Oh my! Tiffany, what an ending you have created. I have no idea what to expect for book two, Obsession and Sacrifice, other than I can not wait to read it. And no doubt it will be as wonderful as The Impostor.” -Becky Johnson, Bex and Books

2. What is the name of your book and how did you arrive at the name?

The Impostor, A Love Story is the title. The original book was about my experience with someone who had gained my trust and ended up stalking me. It was the perfect title because he truly was an Impostor. When my muse took over and my suspense novel became a romantic suspense I added the A Love Story so people wouldn’t be disappointed if they were not looking for a romance.

3) What is your target audience? If it is a book for younger readers, what is the age range?

I write New Adult novels but any adult can read them.
If it is for adults, is the sexual tension aimed more at romance, or erotic elements. Is this more adventure or mystery?
It is romance not erotica but there are some sensual scenes in this series book. I would say more suspense.
3) Characters set the tone, so what brought them to life for you?
Nicole has aspects of me in her. I did escape an abusive relationship in my early twenties to begin a new life in Alaska. I did sky dive, and almost decapitate myself on a horse and I did have to escape a killer. So, yes I would say there is some aspects of her that are the same as me. As for the other characters the daughter, Jessica is based on my daughter. The best friend Emily is based on my best friend Julie who traveled to Alaska with me to help me get away. The other characters are based on aspects of people I know. I think it helps keep them authentic.

4)Is it a male or female protagonist or both?

Female

5)How difficult do you find it to have a Point of View character of a different sex from your own?

I don’t find it hard at all. But I grew up with brothers and all their friends and most of my best friends growing up were guys.

6)Who is your favorite character and why?

I would say it is a tie between Bradley and Dylan. I joke that if I met either one I would consider getting married again. Bradley is the layal sexy boy next door you can’t help fall in love with. Dylan is the Roman God you who gives you butterflies when he just looks at you.

7) Settings give the flavor, so is this a made up world, or one people would recognize? If the latter, then how much research of location, flora and fauna, weather patterns, seasons, and altitudes when into the book? If the former, then what inspired it?

I went to Alaska for two weeks and stayed for 3 years. I loved it. I would have stayed there if my parents didn’t live so far away. It was before cell phones could be used for your long distance. I did everything in Alaska. Most of what I write about I have experienced in some manner. I like to visit, experience what I am writing about. I hope readers fall in love with the magic of Alaska…I know I did!

8) Plot is the backbone holding the story together. Did the plot come before the characters or visa versa? Was the book outlined before the started, or did the idea stay in your head and evolve as the writing commenced? What inspired the plot?

My book was outlined as a suspense and then I wrote a chapter with the character and before long he was flirting with Nicole. I couldn’t stop writing about him so finally I gave in and changed the genre to Romantic Suspense or Suspenseful Romance.

9) Is there a single paragraph in the book of which you are most proud? It can be about characters, or setting or plot and a snippet would be great if you are allowed to put this up. If not, describe it and what earned this snippet pride of place for you.

Neither of these are my favorite paragraphs but they were something I found quickly. 

Quick teaser from The Impostor, “I froze in his grasp–unable to move away. His lips were so soft, warm, moist; his hands–so gentle. I felt fragile–desperate to collapse in his arms and have him whisk me away. Kiss me–I silently pleaded but blinked, and slowly pulled my face away from his, trying to break the captivity of his almost ebony eyes.”

Here is a little taste of Alaska from the book:
The gentle breeze through the trees seemed to whisper and gently caressed our hair. I just sat as we made our way up the mountain listening to the sounds of nature. The steady strike of the hooves as they hit the dirt began the symphony with the drum beat.
It was as if I was on a drug, my senses were being stimulated, awakening in me things I hadn’t felt for a long time.
A choir of song birds filled the air with music. And the breeze became the cello, adding an underlining warmth transporting me into a world of my own–like my dad’s classical music did while growing up.

10) Pacing carries the reader along, so how was this achieved in your book. Also, did you leave any hooks in the last chapter to indicate a sequel?

My first book was the hardest because I had really two books, the love story and the suspense. I also knew I wanted it played out in at least 3 books so I plotted all three books out and moved around chapters and added details to make the series work. My muse went nuts the other day and my trilogy is now a series. She can be sassy!
Some of my readers joke about my Tiffany signature endings… what fun would it be if there wasn’t some kind of cliffhanger to the next book right?

Thanks so much!
Thank you for having me it was a pleasure!

Check out the trailers.


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In the Shadows by H.R. Hyacinth

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BS34YQY/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_dp_kSFprb0NX19F0

Interview with H.R Hyacinth
1) Please tell me what your book is about. A blurb would be great. What is the name of your book and how did you arrive at the name? – My debut novel is called In the Shadows.

It is about Emma Mayweather who is being bullied in High School and ends up contracting Conversion Disorder and losing her eyesight. During the course of this, she meets a few friends and finds out some things about the bullies that help her realize why she was their target. I don’t want to give away too much, but let’s just say that this book is about overcoming struggles. It is based on my real life experiences.

2) What is your target audience? If it is a book for younger readers, what is the age range? If it is for adults, is the sexual tension aimed more at romance, or erotic elements. Is this more adventure or mystery?

This is a young adult book, but can and has been enjoyed by adults as well. The ideal age range would be 16-19, because it does take place in High School, but it also has a few swear words and some “uncomfortable” scenes.

3) Characters set the tone, so what brought them to life for you? Is it a male or female protagonist or both? Did they protagonists come before the antagonists and how sympathetic did you let your antagonists become? How difficult do you find it to have a Point of View character of a different sex from your own? Who is your favorite character and why?- The protagonist is a female.

She is based on me, as I’ve already said, but she also holds part of each bullying victim inside of her. She’s meant to inspire victims to overcome the struggles and realize that life doesn’t revolve around the bullies or what others think of you; it revolves around you and what you make of it. In addition, the bully character in this book is also meant to be inspiring, because we get to see that there is more behind her bullying than meets the eye. It’s not that way for all bullies, but sometimes we need to look beneath the surface and see the truth.

4) Settings give the flavor, so is this a made up world, or one people would recognize? If the latter, then how much research of location, flora and fauna, weather patterns, seasons, and altitudes when into the book? If the former, then what inspired it?

Everyone will recognize this world, because it is the crazy world of High School. However, older adults may not recognize EVERYTHING, because their High School experiences may have been very different. More recent High Schoolers will understand it more. It didn’t take much research, since it was based on my own experience, so was the school.
5) Plot is the backbone holding the story together. Did the plot come before the characters or visa versa? Was the book outlined before the started, or did the idea stay in your head and evolve as the writing commenced? What inspired the plot?- Again, it’s based on my real life, so the character came first, but the plot was part of the character and vise versa.

6) Is there a single paragraph in the book of which you are most proud? It can be about characters, or setting or plot and a snippet would be great if you are allowed to put this up. If not, describe it and what earned this snippet pride of place for you.

I’m proud of the whole book.

7) Pacing carries the reader along, so how was this achieved in your book. Also, did you leave any hooks in the last chapter to indicate a sequel?

There is no indication of a sequel, but I am seriously contemplating writing one; this time purely fiction and about other obstacles in High School.

Thank you so much for hosting me! If you could include that portions proceeds from the book go to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and portions of the proceeds also go to the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Thanks so much!

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Shah Fazli gives a great interview to Tricia Drammeh about his book. Reprinted with his permission.

Shah Fazli

Tricia Drammeh
Welcome, Shah Fazli and all our guests for the LIVE INTERVIEW. First of all, I am veyr excited for the opportunity to meet with Shah, who is the author of The Interpreter. Shah, it’s wonderful to have you. Would you like to say a few words before we begin?

Shah Fazli Thanks a lot Tricia for hosting this show. And thanks everyone for joining this live interview with us. I am super excited to be a guest of a very nice lady Tricia who was kind enough to offer this opportunity. And I am thrilled to be with all of you for an hour or so. I do know that everyone in this group and everyone who is following us live is very supportive of each other. Please feel free to ask any question from me at the end of this interview, I will be glad to answer them.

Tricia Drammeh Yes, as Shah says, please join in any time with questions or comments.

Tricia Drammeh Shah, can you please tell us a little about yourself for those who might not know you?

Shah Fazli Thanks Tricia, of course, with pleasure. I am Shah, and I was born in a village in Kabul, Afghanistan, which was a few miles away from the cernter of the Kabul city. The village was called Guldara, which was made of the mountains surrounding it. I grew up in that village playing in the mountains along with my siblings and the other boys from the village. We went to the top of the mountains or we played in the farmlands, climbing the trees. I have six beautiful sisters and three brothers now living in Kabul. I live in Germany. I miss my family every day of my life. But this is life.

Tricia Drammeh Thank you for that introduction. I just finished reading The Interpreter. It was wonderful and very fascinating reading! Can you please tell us about your book and the experiences in your life which led you to write it?

Shah Fazli At a very young age, I left our village and moved to the center of the city, why, because our village was attacked by the Russian forces. Then in the city, we went through the communist regimes coming to power one after the other. Then the Mujahidin and the Taliban. It was during the Taliban that I left Kabul, after experiencing a lot of their cruelties and barbarism in the city. They beat women, they jailed people for not wearing the right clothes, etc. In Europe the only job that attracted me was to work with the forces that went to Afghanistan to fight the Taliban. I met so many officers and soldiers and heard so much from them that it led into writing The Interpreter.

Tricia Drammeh I’m sorry for the terrible experiences you had to endure. In your book, I could tell by your writing that you are trying to bring to light the torture the innocent men, women, and children must endure. Can you tell us about Shabir, your main character in The Interpreter?

Shah Fazli Of course, Shabir is the protagonist in the book who is working with the American forces as their interpreter. He was a Karate boy when he lived in Kabul. He was a calm and quiet boy until one day when the Taliban came to their club beating everybody. But when the Taliban started whipping his master, Shabir couldn’t bear it. He breaks one of the Taiban’s nose and tooth, and he ends up in jail. In jail the Taliban commander beats him so much, trying to kill him in a very slow a painful manner. But then his parents pay a ransom to get him out of the jail. When he works in Helmand as an interpreter, he listens to the Taliban chatter over the ICOM. Shabir is shocked to think the Taliban commander there is the same commander who jailed him in Kabul. Is he the same commander?

Tricia Drammeh Shah, can you please tell us when you began writing? Is The Interpreter your first novel?

Catherine Mahoney While we wait for Mr. Fazli to gather his thoughts I thought to add in the description of this poignant story, This novel is the story of an Afghan national working for the US army as an interpreter. The author writes from experience in an original and simple way, highlighting the complexities of the Afghan war through his interpreters.

While the author writes in a free and poetic style, the reader is there in the story experiencing the war, scene by scene. Shabir Khan and Mullah Aslam is well known to the reader as two opposite characters, who also have a personal vendetta.

In this book the reader experiences action, drama and horror facing the foreign forces, the Afghan interpreters and the local Afghans by the Taliban.

Readers can see how the Taliban leader send men to follow interpreters, until they catch one and behead him. The American officers report the men to the Afghan army and police. When the man is captured he confesses that he is a Mullah Aslam’s man and he is responsible for the death of two interpreters.

One night, Shabir goes to visit his fellow interpreter in another camp. One the way back, Shabir and his friend Sami encounter a Taliban check point, where the reader experiences the most horrifying fighting scenes between the Taliban and these two men. In the cover of a stone, Shabir and Sami fire the rest of their bullets and keep one bullet each.

Tricia Drammeh Thank you for that, Catherine Mahoney!

Catherine Mahoney this paragraph sent chills through this reader; This paragraph sent chills through me, to think of the dangerous perils facing the unknown; Come to mountains of Afghanistan and watch my battle with the Taliban for one day, then imagine what I go through every day.

Melanie Dent I haven’t read it yet but I have tremendous respect for Shah and well done Tricia for giving him the chance to talk about his work for a change

Tricia Drammeh It’s excellent, Melanie Dent, I assure you. I just finished reading it. Thanks for joining us.

Melanie Dent my connection is spazzing a bit tonight so will be on and off a bit I fear but will try to hold on

Catherine Mahoney Let everyone here, in on a secret, Ms. Trica Drammeh, was the amazing artist of the cover for this event, kudos to her it is so dramatic and the book’s setting, dark with hope

Shah Fazli Yes, Tricia, as soon as I started working with the NATO forces, I told my colleagues and friends that I would write a book about my experiences with the soldiers, they couldn’t believe it. But then it took me a few years to seriously consider writing it. My first draft was in a total mess, because it was my first novel, and I was writing it in a totally different language to mine. Imagine to have done a few courses in a different language, going through a lot during years of war and bloodshed, and then trying to write in that language is not easy. It took me a few years to complete it. All of my time going into the editing part.

Tricia Drammeh That’s very impressive that you were able to write this in a language that was not your native language and that you were able to turn such a dark experience into a story for others to learn from and enjoy.

Tricia Drammeh Shah, are you currently working on any new writing projects?

Catherine Mahoney As he is gathering his thoughts, I like to add one of his favoirte videos music, http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Q7kv9nuhTB8 for all to listen to

Le Le Maza Le (Full Song) | Wanted | Salman Khan
Subscribe our channelhttp://www.youtube.com/tseries Like us:http://www.faceboo…See more

Tricia Drammeh Thank you, Catherine.

Shah Fazli Yes, remember at the start of this interview I mentioned about our village and my childhood, the best part of my life, and the best place I have ever seen on earth, my village surrounded with the mountains, where I drank water from its underground water sources, or from its clean rivers, and went up to the mountains to play or ski during the winter. And remember that I said that the Russians attacked and everything ended for me there, I think I was dead there, life never felt the same. My new project is called Running from Life, and it starts from when the Russians attacked our village.

Catherine Mahoney This is an international Facebook Live Interview, how awesome is that, listen to the music, wow

Tricia Drammeh I’d love to read your new book when it’s finished. It sounds fascinating. I’d like to go back to a previous statement you made about writing a book in a language that wasn’t your native language. What is your native language and how many languages do you speak?

Catherine Mahoney Tricia, if I may add a comment, when a reader sees the cover, they are scared but you are bringing the humanity out in this interview and we should read it to understand what violence can do to a town, village and it’s people anywhere in the world and unite to stop the violence.

Tricia Drammeh That’s a very good point. I would also like to point out that for someone who sees the book cover, they might think this is a book that only appeals to those to like to read about war or military. That is not so. This is a book for everyone.

Catherine Mahoney That is exactly the point, it is a human side of what terrorist does to a human and his existence and the struggles one has to face when a refugee, or someone looking for escape.

Catherine Mahoney from terrorists, and thier distorted view of controlling the masses

Catherine Mahoney He is communicating from Germany so it takes time to transmit everyone

Shah Fazli Thank you so much, my native language is Dari. I can speak English and German as well. Dari is a bit sophisticated version of the Persian language. That is how we know it. It’s been the language of the eastern literature for centuries. Lots of poets and writers have left a lot of useful literature behind. Even the poets and writers in India wrote in the Dari language because it’s sweet and the language of literature, like Eqhbal and Bidel who lived in India.

Melanie Dent unchallenged yet dangerous ideals can make monsters of any nation. Look at Hitler and Nazi Germany

Tricia Drammeh Shah, since Catherine and Melanie have been pointing out some of the lessons in your book they find the most valuable, is there anything you’d like to add? Are there any other lessons in this book or values you’d like to instill in the readers?

Catherine Mahoney I know another secret, if Mr. Fazli wants to share his files, he is developing little stories in the back door or under files on other site, https://www.facebook.com/groups/shahsight/ if he like to share them with others. There are there to be enjoy. As Tricia indicates there is alot of human psychology and lessons in this humanistic book about life, trails and how to over come.

The Interpreter: A Literary Group

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Catherine Mahoney trials and to see the world through almost a hostage if they were not skilled enough to leave in time, like Mr. Shah did and them to work for the American gov’t against the emenies, definitely a life transformation experience.

Shah Fazli Thank you so much, I think apart from the fact that the book teaches a lot of lessons about the war in Afghanistan and the difficulties the locals have to endure, and also to show the real Taliban as they are, it’s also important for the readers to see the sacrifice and difficulties the foreign soldiers have to make and face to bring peace and security in Afghanistan. It also should show and be part of the history of what these brave men and women had to go through to bring stability and fight our common enemy, the Taliban. This shouldn’t be forgotten by anyone in our country or elsewhere.

Catherine Mahoney actually The NATO, sorry about that,

Tricia Drammeh When we think about our brave troops overseas, I think we sometimes forget about the bravery of those who work alongside the troops at great risk to themselves and their families. Shah and other interpreters should be commended.

Tricia Drammeh Shah, thank you for that answer. Well said. Would you like to take a moment to thank your supporters? Family, friends, or people who have helped you in life or on your writing journey?

Shah Fazli First of all I thank most of my writer friends on facebook who have been so much involved and supportive in completing The Interpreter. Most of them showed me my way step by step, even correcting my spelling mistakes, I am so grateful to them. As for my family, I would say I love them all as they have been by my side, especially my youngest sister Massouda who I love more than the whole world. She is never away from my thoughts. She is the source of every motivation in my life, every success that I make she is there with me. I wish you could see her how beautiful she is.

Tricia Drammeh And, Shah, I’d like to thank you for the help you’ve given other authors. You’ve provided a wonderful platform for authors to share their work. It’s greatly appreciated.

Tricia Drammeh Does anyone else have any questions they’d like to ask before I ask a couple of ‘fun’ questions?

Tricia Drammeh Also, I’d like to remind everyone that this interview will be posted to to my blog later and given a link so we can share it with others who might have missed out. Also, I’ll keep this interview ‘pinned’ to the top of this group for a while so it will be easy to find.

Tricia Drammeh Shah, I know we’re a bit past the hour-long interview, but could I ask a couple more questions just so we can get to know you better. Do you have any hobbies and interests you indulge in when you’re not writing?

Shah Fazli Thanks, I don’t see myself a successful full time writer like many other authors, but I love listening to music when I do anything with writing or reading. My hobbies or sports, I can’t live without it. I love swimming, dancing. I am a professional salsa dancer, and I love it when I get the time to dance.

Tricia Drammeh Wow! That’s really good to know. Thanks for sharing that. How about travel? Where’s the most interesting place you’ve been? And, where would you go if you could choose a destination anywhere in the world?

Shah Fazli Back to my village Tricia. I love meeting my friends no matter where they are, anywhere in the world. But if I want to travel, I would love to go back to my village. I can’t afford to think of other places, not financially, and not time wise.

Tricia Drammeh I can understand that, Shah. I hope you can go back to your village some day for a wonderful reunion. You deserve all the peace and happiness in the world.

Tricia Drammeh Since it’s getting late for some of our viewers and we’ve been speaking well past the hour-long scheduled time, I will end the formal portion of the interview, but leave the post open for additional conversation for those who still want to chat.

Tricia Drammeh Shah, thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity to speak with you. I appreciate your openness and willingness to talk with us not only about your book, but about your life.

Tricia Drammeh Thank you Melanie Dent, Catherine Mahoney, and everyone else who joined us. Please check back later for the link to the interview on my blog. I will also post the link on the Authors to Watch facebook page and on Twitter.

Catherine Mahoney The event under Facebook for the Soiree today will have some of the conversation posted there too. It was a blast helping and visiting what we learn about the authors and their works are amazing. Congrats to Tricia and Melanie for keeping the reader enticed and entertained.

Catherine Mahoneyhttps://www.facebook.com/events/333948243371363/

Live Interview with Shah Fazli
3 March at 12:00 in CST
Virtual Facebook Event – Authors to Watch

You went

Catherine Mahoney all invited to leave comments or share thoughts and contact Shah, and do not forget Authors to Watch has their guests, let’s support each other as authors and readers, as a community.

Shah Fazli Thanks Tricia and everyone for giving me the opportunity, it’s greatly appreciated.

http://www.facebook.com/groups/120916241377283/253022131500026/?notif_t=group_activity
Posted by Shah at 03:51

Here is an extract from the launch party of Darkspire Reaches on Facebook. The original can be found on my FB page under C.N.Lesley, but was a tad too long to reproduce in its entirity, so I cut this to mostly comments on the story. Thanks so much to everyone who attended!

Jeanne Haskin I know that in your Arthurian research, you developed a huge hatred of the central source of antagonism which related to the “ick factor” and seeing women of power cast in that role. Do you think any of that affected your portrayal of Raven?

C.N. Lesley that is a good question. The Arthur women came about as a result of extensive research and finding exactly where and why in history that the original legend had been contaminated by one mysogomist monk. One had to wonder where his mind had been to think those icky thoughts! But Raven, I am not sure. Maybe I need to be contrary and cast the witch in a good role

Jeanne Haskin I have just read the snippet of your unfinished project below your first chapter and I love it. Is the story tied to Darkspires? Or in a world completely different?

C.N. Lesley you read the first little bit of what will probably be called Grayling Deeps. It is set on the same sort of world as Darkspires but is more of a science fantasy. Yes, there will be magic, but there is also tec.

Jeanne Haskin *Want!*

Jeanne Haskin But you did cast Raven in a good role. Naturally, it’s her persecution that reminded me of your research.

C.N. Lesley now you have gotten me thinking. In the first instance the persecution is the basic men are bigger and stronger thing. In the second, it is a being different problem. She is finding out who she is and who she is not, so is growing.

Jeanne Haskin Elizabeth, I also have to say one of the things I really love about your books is the degree of visualization. I’m too analytic to have that kind of talent.

C.N. Lesley I guess I have to be able to see what the characters see to place them. Once I know what the world is going to be like, I have to get the idea across with flora and fauna. However, I refuse to call a bunny a flubagone, or anything stupid. If it looks like a bunny and behaves like a bunny, then it is a bunny
Jeanne Haskin lol, “flubagone”? Who suggested that?

C.N. Lesley Oh no one. It is just my personal dislike of having the obvious named the exotic in an attempt to make a world seem alien. I have seen this done and it doesn’t work.

Jeanne Haskin Not it if elicits laughter, no.

May-Lin Iversen Demetriou Hi, coming in a bit late. I noticed that Darkspire Reaches also addresses the issues of a girl becoming a woman in very different cultures, was this a conscious theme or did it develop with the story and with Raven?

C.N. Lesley this happened with the development of the story. I didn’t know it would turn out like it did as I am not an outliner. The story evolved and Raven along with it.

Jeanne Haskin Having seen this book in its growth stages, would you say that workshopping mainly helped with mechanics or did it also spawn ideas?
C.N. Lesley I think the work-shopping helped with the mechanics, but also gave me an idea of whether something was working or not. This book had at least three different starts until I settled on the one I have now. I could see the failed ones weren’t working with the reader response.

May-Lin Iversen Demetriou Now… I am terribly curious and I don’t think I’ve asked you this before, but how much time do you spend on writing? Do you have a set writing schedule or does it fluctuate?

C.N. Lesley it depends on whether you mean writing new stuff, or working on existing stuff. I have three stories I am completing, one that is just a first chapter and two more that I am editing. I also have times when I just need to think about the plot and the characters, so writing would probably take about two to three hours. Editing maybe five and thinking another five. Yes, it is a full day.

May-Lin Iversen Demetriou It certainlly sounds like it. That is dedication to the craft.

C.N. Lesley LOL. This is me entrenched in my ivory tower having so much fun. Grins.

Dave Crosby OK, so it’s not true what Mr. Schwarzenegger said, that the world revolves around California? Imagine that! Elizabeth, I read the first chapter on your blog, as well as the Kindle chapters on Amazon and, like the first reviewer, GG from Houston, I was carried away. Congratulations on a tour de force–I WISH I could write like that. The crafting of the characters Raven and Margie, the setting of their humble cottage in the deep woods, the shunning of Raven by the villagers, everything in these first chapters is like a master diamond cutter with her monocle and eyeshade, sitting hour after hour creating a gem that will make the world draw a breath. I WISH I could write like that.

C.N. Lesley Actually, north of the boarder, we are encouraged to believe the world revolves around Toronto, where all my Amazon parcels come from. LOL. Thanks so much for your kind words on my book!

Jeanne Haskin But it was hardly a one-way street. You have a tremendous mentoring capacity that you don’t hesitate to share.
C.N. Lesley having been helped as a new writer way back when, I try to pay forward to others.

Jeanne Haskin Elizabeth, would you say that realism in fantasy stems less from the setting and more from convincing characters?

C.N. Lesley I would say for fantasy to work it must have the ability to suspend disbelief for the reader. Grounding with familiar things in the setting and in the behavior of the characters is crucial. No one is all good, or all bad and characters should reflect this. I also think it is very, very important to get right inside a character’s head. If this is a male character, then it is even more important for a woman author to understand what makes men tick. The workshop helped me hone the male characters in my books by helping me with a deep understanding.

Jeanne Haskin Even more fun now with your cutting-edge new toy 🙂

C.N. Lesley Oh, you mean my Scrivener, or my new laptop? Both are mega fun.

Susan Elizabeth Curnow Leaving a question since I have to go to work. The dynamics of Raven and Connor’s relationship is full of sparks. Did you deliberately try to take what you perceived as a wyvern’s personality to create that, or did he ‘arrive’ fully formed in your head?

C.N. Lesley There was a need to create a race of beings and they had to stand apart. What would such a one consider as good and bad? How would he perceive the other races. The relationship developed in stages.

Susan Elizabeth Curnow So for readers, are they going to find the wyverns very different from humans?

C.N. Lesley Yes, because wyverns are predators. That makes a huge difference to outlooks and perspectives.

Crash Froelich There are so many great moments in the story that several have stuck with me. I wondered if you have a favorite scene, or perhaps one that was particularly difficult or fun to write?

Jeanne Haskin I think you can tell the parts she likes best from her wry sense of humor. For instance, when Connor is thinking of whether they’ll have a son or daughter and bemoans the possibility of two waspish women pursuing him through life. That totally made me laugh.

Jeanne Haskin And Raven feeding him gruel.

C.N. Lesley My favorite on of all? Kryling losing the rat in the force field that he wanted so badly to give to someone he shouldn’t. I think as Jeanne has just said that it is where the humor shows through. Those were the scenes I love writing.

Crash Froelich You used humor very well. Even (or especially) when it was at Connor’s expense. Kryling is a character that new readers won’t expect but will truly enjoy. One of my favorites is when Raven, er, um, maybe that’s a spoiler.

C.N. Lesley Poor Connor has to grow and for that, he must become more human.

Robert Peett Congratulations, Elizabeth, I look forward to working with you again, and I am sure Darkspire will be very successful.

C.N. Lesley Thank you so much, Robert.

Crash Froelich Hey, Elizabeth. Congratulations on this well-deserved occasion.

Marjory is a central character in the story, but unlike Raven she is far from likeable. However, she is sympathetic. Can you talk about inspiration for her and the challenges in creating such a person?

C.N. Lesley Marjory is an ordinary person with all the ordinary failings. She might have been a nicer person had she been in a different environment to begin with, but she wasn’t. When it all went to rat shit, she became enbittered. Now, she is suffering from the onset of cruel eld, which is not helping her mental capacities or her tolerance for others. While Raven is growing through adversity, Marjory is disintegrating.

Crash Froelich Loved the irony of her being the beginning and the end of Raven’s misfortune.

C.N. Lesley She is the catalyst. The story would have been quite different if she hadn’t changed what was the intended fate of Raven.

Jeanne Haskin It also make the character stronger when she does things you personally hate. I could feel that in the way Raven’s outrage leapt off the page.

Crash Froelich So true. She got me going more than once.

C.N. Lesley Oh thanks. She was meant to get outrage going. Grins.

Dean Lombardo Elizabeth, Congratulations on Darkspire Reaches. I look forward to reading it.

C.N. Lesley Thanks, Dean!

Joanne Hall Congratulations Elizabeth! 😀

John Bayliss Congratulations, Elizabeth. How does it feel to be a published author?

C.N. Lesley Much the same as it did to be an unpublished author, aside from tax time coming around and maybe I can offset the cost of my new laptop. I am trying to stay away from the stats on Amazon as I know they change so much. LOL. I am also trying to stay busy writing.

John Bayliss That sounds like a good strategy to me.

Sammy HK Smith Congratulations Elizabeth! We’re very excited to be publishing Darkspire Reaches.

C.N. Lesley Thank you so much!

Gillian O’Rourke Hi Elizabeth, congratulations on the launch of your book! I look forward to reading the book, especially after the little snippet left on your blog.

Richard Hull That is some cover ! who did that ?

C.N. Lesley Alex Boca was the artist. The concept was by Ken Dawson from Holland House.

Jeanne Haskin The blend of soft, hard, and light is lovely.

Sammy HK Smith Alex’s art http://zyklon8b.deviantart.com/gallery/

Zyklon8B’s deviantART Gallery
zyklon8b.deviantart.com

Zoe Harris Congratulations, Elizabeth! The book looks fantastic. Well done.

C.N. Lesley Thanks, Zoe.

Kendra Highley Hi Elizabeth! Congratulations on seeing Darkspire Reaches go out into the world! I really loved this story. What made you decide to write about the wyvern?

C.N. Lesley I am not quite sure. It started off as a short story about Raven and sort of got totally out of hand. The wyvern suddenly appeared and that is when it expanded into a book.

Jeanne Haskin Elizabeth, what gave you the inspiration to turn him into Connor?

C.N. Lesley Dragons have such a bad rap that is came naturally as I felt sorry for him.

Jeanne Haskin I always wondered about your inspiration for Kryling as both a character and source of comic relief. The little guy is one of my favorites. Were aspects of his personality, perchance, inspired by your cats?

C.N. Lesley there is an immense sense of dignity surrounding a cat of any size. If they happen to make a flub then the whole world is at fault and everyone must be reminded not to notice.

Jeanne Haskin lol, so true!

Mary Wood Have tweeted, so if anyone sees this tweet: Darkspire Reaches by C N Lesley – New release by this fab author #AuthorRT #WKBtweet http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00BWZ6FZQ/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_OQxtrb1910RKN via @amazon PLEASE RT, thank you, much love and every good luck in the world to our, Elizabeth Hull Just going to facebook and google share xxx

Darkspire Reaches
http://www.amazon.co.uk
“…the kind of enveloping world-building and characterization that can cause you to look up hours later and only then notice that while you were immersed in the book the sun has set and you’ve missed a meal. Or two.”Wendy S. Delmater, Abyss & Apex MagazineThe wyvern has hunted f…

Kendra Highley I tweeted!

C.N. Lesley Thanks so much, Mary and Kendra!

My guest today is Marlene Lee, who writes Literary Fiction and Mysteries. Now over to Marlene for how she was inspired.

I was inspired to write The Absent Woman when my husband (at the time) and I kept a wooden sailboat in Anacortes, Washington. There I met some residents of an all-but-abandoned old hotel overlooking the fishing harbor.

The characters are drawn from life and from imagination. Twilah Chan, the pianist, is a complete figment, but Virginia has elements of my own adventuresome, dare I say attracted-to-risk, personality.

I’ve always written but never particularly wanted to be a writer. In grade school I loved ink pens and handwriting. And of course I’ve always read anything I could get my hands on. A sixth-grade teacher, Miss Mary Benninghoff of Tulsa, Oklahoma, promoted my patriotic poems
about Washington and Lincoln and asked the principal to read them in assembly. That was the beginning of ambition!

Finally, in middle age, I got down to business and began writing seriously. It’s taken quite a while for me to find acceptance in the publishing world, but Holland House Books is the one. I’m thankful to have landed with HHB.

THE ABSENT WOMAN
The Absent Woman by Marlene Lee
The main character in the novel The Absent Woman, suffering from an unhappy marriage, leaves her family in Seattle and travels north to live alone, study piano with a gifted musician, and discover the significance of one of the rooms she sublets from “the absent woman.”

In the small fishing town of Hilliard, Washington, at the edge of Puget Sound, Virginia Johnstone learns to live a life quite different from the one she has been accustomed to. In so doing, she retains her relationship with her sons and solves a personal dilemma.

Guest Blog today features a delightful visit from talented author Crash Froelich. So where does the inspiration for stories come from. This is Crash’s answer.

Background: Interesting stories can come from anywhere, anytime. I wanted to write about the place where I grew up, Saint Joseph, Missouri, and tell a story set in the ‘Sixties as I remembered them. One reason for the setting is an assumption of regional interest but I also believe there is a place for a narrative set before cellular phones and personal computers, when time strolled rather than flew and many of the people and places that defined it have faded into memory. I’ve read many stories that expanded my understanding of the past. The intent of NEVER is to impart such remembrances without mawkish sentimentality.

When I was two, my family moved to Saint Joseph, Missouri and an apartment across the street from the Krug Park Lily Pond. I’ll be forever grateful to my parents because growing up in that place was magic. The magic lasted until I was in fourth grade, when the family, now including two younger siblings, moved into a split level ranch on the east side of town and the wilds of a partially developed area with woods, creeks, and construction all around. Exploring and baseball took the place of magic. Soon the wildness of the place became tame and well-ordered. So did I. High school was followed by a few frustrating years in college. Restlessness prompted me to join the Army. I traveled the world, drank deeply from the cultures of Germany and Korea, but the magic called to me in a weak voice and stirred me. Out of the service, I finished graduate school. Years in aerospace and defense contracting were fulfilling and rewarding, but the magic still whispered its siren song. Finally, after years of struggling, I set the magic free. Stories took shape, guided by characters who have become somewhat real to me because I know them so well.

NEVER relates the personal struggle of a wild and amoral nature against mollifying humanity. The protagonist is Tinker Bell, although this isn’t explicitly revealed. I add a twist to Barrie’s tale in order to create a story appropriate for adults. After Tinker Bell drank the poison Hook left for Peter Pan, he pleaded for the children of the world to save his friend. Most kids ignored him. Some sneered. But none wished her well. Those spiteful acts forever changed them. In return for that selfless act of love, Peter sacrifices his eternal childhood to save Tinker Bell. As a result, she is a fairy no more and Peter becomes that creature he most despises, an adult. Adults aren’t welcome in Neverland. For years afterward they roam the planet as father and daughter. Tinker Bell’s acts of vengeance, for the “bad thing” done to her, force them to move from place to place to avoid the consequences. In 1963, they wander into Saint Joseph, Missouri to find friends and hope for ordinary lives.
Although the plot conflict, consequences of personal choice, and moral aspects of Tinker Bell’s outlook on life are inherently serious, the prevailing mood of the story is upbeat. When Tinker Bell interacts with people, the human side of her nature blossoms. She learns tolerance and compassion are almost as satisfying as magic and mayhem. Having a boyfriend is fun, too, after some renovation. She may find peace and happiness at long last, unless Tinker Bell’s ornery ways get her into trouble with the police. Or until the Seleighe discover Peter’s plot to regain his lost youth.

The story is related as a series of vignettes so that each chapter stands alone as well as advances the central conflict. The protagonist is never the POV focus. Instead, the people with whom Tinker Bell interacts provide the narrative perspective. I did this to avoid unnecessary explanation of Tinker Bell’s strangeness and to create tension through discovery. The reader “sees” her evolve through the eyes of those around her.

I have another book coming out this Spring. SARANGONG is an SF thriller. Dave and Debbie Douglas seem to be on vacation, but they aren’t. After spending thirty-seven hours in airplanes to get to Sarangong, a tropical island-nation in the Sulu Sea, they won’t be relaxing on a beach. Unknown to the goons running the country, the Douglases have come to rescue Dave’s father. Charles Douglas went incommunicado under mysterious circumstances and they’ve called upon his friends to help them in their search. Unknown to the Douglases, before they find Charlie they’ll have to deal with hostile police, rely on wanted criminals, rescue persecuted natives, shoot it out with paramilitaries, play hide-and-seek with the army, and prevent a nuclear incident. After that they can go on vacation.

I’m participating in a fun author blog hop called The Next Big Thing. I was tagged for this exercise by the super-talented Kendra Highly , author of Matt Archer, Monster Hunter. http://www.kendrachighley.com/ma2coverreveal/ the second of her thrilling YA adventure books. I had the privilege of beta reading this book. All I can say is wow and stand aside Harry Potter, this is the new kid on the block.

What is my next big thing. A fantasy novel coming out in spring 2013.

What is the working title of your book? Darkspire Reaches.

Where did you get the idea for the book? It originally started out as a short story that grew out of hand. I got a mental image of a very poorly constructed shack in the center of a storm. An older woman and a young girl were flinging together belongings to escape from witch hunters. The story escalated from there. After I hit the twenty thousand word mark, I knew I had a book in the making as the ideas just wouldn’t stop coming.

What genre does your book fall under? Dark Romantic Fantasy.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Raven: Oh lordy, I don’t know. She is petite, with long, dark hair, a slightly olive skin and green eyes. I can’t think of any one actress. I suppose a cross between Keira Knightley and Angelina Jolie.

Connor: A really large version of Viggo Mortenson http://www.imdb.com/media/rm614697472/nm0001557 with dark hair.

The Emperor: Derek Jacobi http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1999670784/nm0001394 . He looks the part.

Captain Merrill: Orlando Bloom http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1792578560/nm0089217 with blond hair.

Drakken Lady Imelda: Nicole Kidman http://www.imdb.com/media/rm328971520/nm0000173 .

Lady Marjory Istestor: Helen Mirren http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1624542976/nm0000545 . She did a great queen.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Can Raven learn to stop hating the creature she fears? She must accept the wyvern to win Connor’s heart.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
It is going through a publisher. Here is the link. http://www.kristell-ink.com/future-releases/darkspire-reaches/

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Now that is a tough question as I tend to work on several projects at once. I suppose the first draft took about nine months.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Goes to steal from publisher’s comments. This is for lovers of Ilona Andrews, Karen Chance, Sherrilyn Kenyon and such like.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I think the characters. Once they came into my head, they just wouldn’t shut up.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Decisions always have consequences. Cleansing a world of magic creatures is one of them, especially if the magic creatures don’t go a bomb on the idea and can fight back. Holding on to secrets, even if this comes with good intentions, implodes lives.

Next up, I’ve tagged awesome authors to participate and tell you about their Next Big Things:

Susan Elizabeth Curnow http://www.artemaepress.com/susan-curnows-blog.html http://makoiyi.livejournal.com/ Sue’s book, Game of Adversaries is fast-paced, with vibrant characters and set on another planet. The plot twists and turns in a delightful way.

Jealousy, hatred covetousness and greed for power inspire a space going race to invade a medieval planet. When Yiahan’s space craft crashes, the inhabitants have to know if he is one of the guilty. Marcus, responsible for the safety of his king, and hurting from the loss of his family to the invaders, must find the truth. The world and lives of all his people are at stake.

Paige Daniels http://www.nerdypaige.com Paige has a science fiction book, Non-Compliance. The Sector, newly released. It is an intriguing take on an alternative world, which is ‘apparently’ fine for some, those who have complied, but not the objectors, who are relegated to a ghetto of sorts. The non-compliant are the free thinkers, but also the poorest.

Crash Froehlich http://mrcrashhappy.livejournal.com/ Crash has a book coming out shortly called Never. I had the privilege to beta read this and can say it is a stunning story about what happens after the story ends. Every action, or the lack thereof, has a consequence. The children were supposed to wish Tinkerbell better after she drank the poison intended for Peter. They didn’t, leading to drastic consequences, full of the unexpected, and yet grounded in a vivid and real setting.