Friday, September 28, 2012

Wonderful author Lee Carey interview.

This week it's a genuine pleasure to welcome one of the nicest men around author, Lee Carey. Pick up a FREE copy of his book Gabby... All About Me today!


Gabby...All About Me 



1

When and why did you decide to become an Indie writer?

The idea of Indie publishing really never crossed my mind back in ’99 since it was then called Vanity Publishing. After completing three mystery/crime novels several agents wanted to see full manuscripts, but I soon received more ‘rejection letters’ to go into the ever-growing pile. However, those faceless letters only fueled me to pursue this wonderful craft. After penning my first pet novel about our rescue dog, Gabby, I felt it was special and proudly sent it out to agents. When the rejections rolled in with their normal sorry excuses in form letters, I made my decision to have it printed in paperback. The sales here at the small coastal, tourist town were excellent. Later on I formatted it for Amazon, and the sales and downloads over the past two years have blown my mind. Now NY agents are the last thing on my mind. Indie publishing gives me satisfaction in that all of my novels are now before a huge market of people who want to read something other than what the publishers steer them toward. It’s not about the money…it’s about being read and receiving emails and reviews from loyal readers.

What genre do you write in and what genre do you prefer to read?

 I began my writing career with three Southern mystery/crime novels. I soon tired of the consistent hard language and violent scenes, so I switched to YA/Crossover and Pet novels. I still enjoy reading good mystery/crime novels, and now I only read Indie authors, and am impressed with the talent out there.

Where do you sell most books, USA or UK, Amazon or Barnes and Noble?

 I am currently selling only on Amazon in their KDP Select Program. I like the option to offer my novels ‘free’ at times to get my name out into this huge Indie market. The majority of my sales come from the USA and the UK.

During your childhood who was your biggest influence?

My parents, for many reasons besides writing. The gift of writing was passed down from my wonderful grandmother.

Are you fortunate enough to write full-time?

Yes, I am able to write full time, however, since I live at the beach, it’s difficult to stay inside and write during the summer. Another advantage for Indie writers is there is no publishing company breathing down your neck, pushing for another novel to improve their profits. Writing for me is still fun and not a pressured job.

If Hollywood came knocking who would you want to play your main character?

 I’ve not really thought about who could play Scooter in a movie about ‘Gabby…All About Me’, but if and when I’m faced with that decision, you can bet I’ll have an opinion. I’d worry more about which pooch plays Gabby.

Name 6 people, dead or alive, you’d love to have as guests seated around your dinner-table.

Since I never had the opportunity to meet my wife’s parents (they are deceased), I’d like to have them to dinner and tell them what a wonderful lady they raised. Then I’d invite my late grandmother, along with Wilson Rawls, the author of ‘Where the Red Fern Grows’, and the head honcho from Disney movies, and finally, any young writer who really loves the craft but has become depressed with rejections and doubts and are contemplating giving up.

What one piece of advice have you found the most important in your writing career?


A very talented, published author once told me, “To be successful you must write, edit, read others works, write, edit, write, read, etc.” Truer words were never spoken.

What are your plans for the coming year?

I’m halfway through the first draft of a sequel to “Gabby…All About Me”. I hadn’t planned on doing one and was nearing completion of a family sage; however, I received many emails from readers wanting to know ‘when’ the sequel to Gabby was coming out. So, since I feel my readers’ opinions are priceless, I began one titled “Flash”. It’s proving to be a very enjoyable write.

And finally, if you were stranded on a desert island what 3 books would you choose to have with you?

The Bible. My compilation of short stories about my coming of age years, “If You Dance…You Will Pay the Fiddler”. And the largest book of jokes possible. At least if and when they found me, I’d be smilin’….

Lee’s Bio (if you need it)
Lee Carey lives in a coastal town known as Sandbridge Beach in Virginia Beach, VA. He has been writing since '99. His popular pet novel "Gabby...All About Me" is his first published novel. "Pets in Paradise" came out April '11.
Lee has also penned five other novels in various genres: 3 Southern Mystery/Crime and 2 YA/Crossover and 2 compilations of Short Stories.
Lee enjoys surfing, writing, golf, fishing, and hanging out on the beach with his wife, Kay.
His attitude and slogan is: "Paddle hard for every wave...it might be your best ride." And..."Keep smilin'..."




Friday, September 21, 2012

Today's guest is Horror/thriller writer Shaun Jeffrey.

If you haven't read Shaun's work yet you don't know what you're missing. 

 The Kult (A Prosper Snow novel, Book 1)



1. When and why did you decide to become an Indie writer?
I guess I became a fully-fledged Indie Writer when I got fed up of the burning hoops you have to jump through where traditional publishing is concerned. You can only get burned so many times. That combined with not being paid on time and lack of support from certain publishers put the nail in the proverbial coffin. Going the Indie route I am in total control. In the words of He-Man, ‘I have the power’.

2. What genre do you write in and what genre do you prefer to read?
Most of my work is dark in nature (but then growing up in a house in a cemetery, I doubt it was ever going to be anything else), so I tend to steer towards horror and thrillers. But I don’t like to label myself with any particular genre, as most of my books are multi-genre, comprising elements of horror, thriller, mystery, action and suspense. In that way I hope to cater to everyone’s tastes. When I’m reading, I find that I primarily read thriller books at the moment.
3. Where do you sell most books, USA or UK, Amazon or Barnes and Noble?
Definitely in the USA through Amazon. God Bless America.

4. During your childhood who was your biggest influence?
As a child I guess my main influences were my parents. So they’re to blame.

5. Are you fortunate enough to write full-time?
Unfortunately not. I’d soon starve if that was the case. But even if I had the chance to write full-time, I don’t know whether I would. Writing is something I do for fun. If it was my job then it might take the fun out of it.

6. If Hollywood came knocking who would you want to play your main character?
Well Hollywood didn’t come knocking, but I was fortunate enough that my novel The Kult has already been filmed by an independent production company. The actors are not international stars but they all did an excellent job and they gave it 100%. The film is still awaiting release, but I’m hoping that it won’t be too much longer before it’s out in one format or another. There’s a trailer on youtube, but I believe there’s been a lot more editing since that was released: http://youtu.be/KS-ZF67cEiI

7. Name 6 people, dead or alive, you’d love to have as guests seated around your dinner-table.
Albert Einstein.
Jonathan Ross
Leonardo da Vinci.
Audrey Hepburn.
Bruce Lee
Marilyn Monroe

8. What one piece of advice have you found the most important in your writing career?
Nobody has ever given me any advice. Perhaps that’s where I’ve been going wrong. But if I had to heed any advice, it’s something Bruce Lee said in the film, Enter the Dragon: “Don't think. Feel. It is like a finger pointing a way to the moon. Don't concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory.” I think that quote can be applied to so many things, and writing is one of them. Writing is all about feeling, or more exactly, evoking a feeling. And if you concentrate on the miniscule, you miss the big picture.

9. What are your plans for the coming year?
To stop procrastinating and to write more. I’ll start eventually.

10. And finally, if you were stranded on a desert island what 3 books would you choose to have with you?
The SAS Survival Handbook.
A good cook book that gave simple recipes that you can make with basic food sources.
The Playboy Book.


Sunday, September 16, 2012

Interview with Kenneth Hoss.

Today I have the wonderful thriller writer Kenneth Hoss as my guest. 
Storm Rising - A Kelli Storm Novel

1. When and why did you decide to become an Indie writer?
 
After writing the first Kelli Storm novel, I attempted to go the traditional route and get an agent. After more than six months, and dozens of query letters, I was still unrepresented. One day while on a writers forum someone mentioned Smashwords. I asked what that was and was given the link with the explanation that I could publish my book there, free. Well, I checked it out, found that it was easy and published.
2. What genre do you write in and what genre do you prefer to read?
I write Police Procedural thrillers. As for as a preference for what I read, I read mostly thrillers, some Sci/Fi and occasionally, horror. It really depends on the book and if it catches my interest. I’ve even been known to pick up a little YA fantasy now and then.
3. Where do you sell most books, USA or UK, Amazon or Barnes and Noble?
Most of my sales for the first book have been here in the U.S. on Amazon. It has sold a few copies in the U.K. Storm Rising is currently available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and on iTunes. Storm Warning is going to be exclusive to Amazon.
4. During your childhood who was your biggest influence?
I would have to say my grandfather, my mother’s dad. He taught me about a lot of things and was always an honest, hard working man. He loved to read, and I think that was instilled in me because as a child, I was a voracious reader. I still read of course, just not as much as I did then.
5. Are you fortunate enough to write full-time?
Unfortunately, no, however that is the goal. I hope one day to make enough from my books that I can write full time.
6. If Hollywood came knocking who would you want to play your main character?
Actually, I’ve already considered that. I think that Charliez Theron would be perfect to play Kelli.
7. Name 6 people, dead or alive, you’d love to have as guests seated around your dinner table.
This is a tough one, as I would have a hard time just inviting six. I would have to say my first choice would be John Grisham. I love his work and think he would be a fascinating guest. For the second would be David Baldacci, who I just discovered late last year, and is a dynamic author. For my third choice, Isaac Asimov, who was a childhood favorite, and still is a favorite. Fourth, and someone I would have loved to have known, Mark Twain, aka, Samuel Clemens. Fifth, and not a writer or author, General George Thomas Sumter, a Revolutionary War Hero, and my great-great-great Uncle. (There may be more “greats” in there, I just don’t recall how many.) Last, and certainly not least, Neil Armstrong. Sadly, he just recently passed away, and I would have loved to meet him.
8. What one piece of advice have you found the most important in your writing career?
Just keep writing.
9. What are your plans for the coming year?
Well, the plan is to have the third book written and have it ready for publication by early fall, or possibly late summer, depending on Kelli and her moods.
10. And finally, if you were stranded on a desert island what 3 books would you choose to have with you?
You would really limit me to three books? That is just cruel and inhumane. Okay, I know, this is just a hypothetical. Well, if I could only take three books, then I have to say the first would be War and Peace. Hey, I’d have plenty of time to read it. As for the second and third, I really can’t narrow it down, there are just too many good books out there.


Storm Rising – A Kelli Storm Novel. Currently available on Amazon in ebook and paperback. Also available on Barnes and Noble and iTunes.
Also available on Amazon UK
Storm Warning – A Kelli Storm Novel. Exclusive to Amazon in ebook and paperback. Available on 9/15/12


Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Interview with Fred Brooke.



Today I have Fred Brooke as my guest.


Born and raised in the Chicago area, Frederick Lee Brooke 
graduated from Amherst College and studied writing at the 
University of Montana. He has worked as an English teacher,
language school manager and small business owner. Having lived 
in Germany, France and Switzerland, he has also travelled 
extensively in Tuscany, the setting of part of Zombie Candy. The 
first book in the Annie Ogden series, Doing Max Vinyl, appeared in
2011 to wide acclaim.


  1. When and why did you decide to become an Indie writer?
It was the day a friend of mine gave me an article out of a magazine describing how Amanda Hocking had become a bestseller novelist by publishing her books on Kindle. I had been trying to get an agent interested in my manuscript, any agent, even a bad or dishonest or lazy agent, for the better part of one year. When I learned I could bypass all the gatekeepers, I jumped. Suddenly, knowing this other way existed, I didn’t feel like waiting years for an agent to discover my qualities, such as they are, and then wait again for the agent to convince some publisher to take a chance on me. The system seems pretty random, to tell the truth. Especially when you read some of the books that get published by the traditionals. I am still a believer in the traditional publishing system, and I do love printed books. But I am sure we could agree that traditional publishers do not have a lock on quality any more than that Indie writers all deserve to have their books published.
  1. What genre do you write in and what genre do you prefer to read?
I read all genres, from romance to YA and historical fiction. My books are mysteries with elements of humour and romance thrown in. I’m comfortable straddling several genres at once, even if this makes it more difficult for the reading public to find me. Maybe that’s why I read in all genres. I am a fan of Carl Hiassen, whose books are very funny while also absurd and often with an undercurrent of violence, and also Monika Lewyzcka, who wrote Two Caravans and A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian. What genre do those books fall in? At a certain point, I think you have to do what comes naturally and what you do best, even if it doesn’t suit Amazon’s check-boxes. They definitely need more check-boxes.
  1. Where do you sell most books, USA or UK, Amazon or Barnes and Noble?
My books are set in Chicago, so it’s no surprise to me that most of my sales go to US readers. And most are being bought on the Amazon website, either electronically or in paperback. I’m always very pleased when UK readers get interested in my books. Of course, they have to put up with my US idiom, but I haven’t had any complaints. Since I’ve lived in Switzerland for more than 20 years, I also get quite a few sales from Switzerland and Germany.
  1. During your childhood who was your biggest influence?
You’re going to laugh, but the first thing that occurred to me when I saw this question was: Elton John. I love all his records, especially Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. It was a double album set, with probably 30 songs. Remember those old songs? Songs like Benny and the Jets, Funeral for a Friend, Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting, Candle in the Wind. My parents worried about me because I idolized a gay pop singer. But I didn’t care about his sexual orientation. I just thought the words and music were so brilliant. I loved the colour illustrations on the album cover, and I would stare at them in a dreamy mood, and listen to that music for hours at a time. Now, I don’t think I became a writer because of Elton John, but at that time in my early teenage life, his music put me in a kind of nirvana, and I think that’s one of the things we’re always aiming for as writers, to help our readers find an escape, to help them imagine another world, a higher plane. And I knew already back then, as a 13 year old, that I wanted to help people reach that state of nirvana or escape as a writer.
  1. Are you fortunate enough to write full-time?
Yes, a little over a year ago I quit my day job. With three kids in the house and their education to pay for, this was no insignificant decision. You could safely conclude that I have a very high tolerance for risk. I also feel very stubborn about pursuing my dream of writing. I wrote my first book, Doing Max Vinyl, while still working full time. When I actually managed to finish that book, and realized that my dream of being a writer had actually come true, I was so excited that I decided I wasn’t going to attempt to write another book while working full-time. I know some people can do it. I still don’t know how I managed to do it with Doing Max Vinyl. I just know I wouldn’t be able to do it again. Writing a book puts such an incredible strain on the author’s brain, it consumes so much raw energy and requires so much thinking, just to get it halfway the way you want it to be, I just couldn’t imagine going on like that. Luckily, I have a very understanding and tolerant wife.
  1. If Hollywood came knocking who would you want to play your main character?
Do you think they would really ask me? Well, just in case they did, I could definitely see Reese Witherspoon playing Annie Ogden. Not just because she’s blond, of course. Reese has played such a range of roles ranging from June Carter in Walk the Line to those romantic comedies, the Legally Blonde movies. If Reese were fully booked, I would also be happy with Amy Adams, who starred with Meryl Streep in that quirky movie, Julie and Julia, about a woman cooking her way through Julia Child’s cookbook. I’m sure Amy Adams would have the stuff to play Annie Ogden.
  1. Name 6 people, dead or alive, you’d love to have as guests seated around your dinner-table.
I could imagine trying to coax a few stories out of Samuel Beckett over a glass of Rioja, and if Albert Camus and Marcel Proust were there it would be even more interesting. I would probably have to brush up my French before the dinner. I would not invite James Joyce, because he’s such a downer, don’t you think? But I’d definitely have Albert Einstein along, as well as Stephen Hawking. They’d get along, wouldn’t they? The party would get awfully stuffy with all these men, so I would also like to have Reese Witherspoon there, just to liven things up for Einstein (and me). And if I could invite a couple more women, why not add Virginia Woolf and Grace Kelly? I see Grace hitting it off with Reese, and it might be entertaining to watch the sparks fly between Virginia Woolf and Camus.
  1. What one piece of advice have you found the most important in your writing career?
Attach butt securely to chair. Oft-quoted, but no less true for that. I cry for all the great books that never got written because writers got distracted by alcohol, or the good life, or whatever. Writing is hard work, and there is no substitute for the endless revising that we do.
  1. What are your plans for the coming year?
I’m working on the third and last book in the Annie Ogden series of mysteries, following on Doing Max Vinyl and Zombie Candy. Some time in 2013 it’ll be done, I’m thinking more likely in the fall than any earlier. It’s my life’s work right now.
  1. And finally, if you were stranded on a desert island what 3 books would you choose to have with you?
Can’t I just sneak my Kindle into the bag with me? Oops, how would I charge it up on a desert island? Right, so maybe the Bible, since quite honestly it’s still on my to-read list. Then I think I would include A Suitable Boy, by Vikram Seth, just because it’s so big and rich and wonderful. And finally I would want to have the Oxford English dictionary with me, because it tells the stories of all the words in the English language, and where they were first coined. Sort of like bringing 300’000 books in one. Take your time, rescuers, I’m actually looking forward to being marooned!


Doing Max Vinyl
Zombie Candy




Saturday, September 8, 2012

Today Dakota Franklin is my blog guest.


This week my guest is Action/Adventure writer Dakota Franklin. 

 REQUIEM AT MONZA (RUTHLESS TO WIN)
1. When and why did you decide to become an Indie writer?
I didn’t.  I just wanted to go where my writing guru went, and that turned out to be CoolMain Press, a micropublisher. I don’t know if that makes me an indie.

2. What genre do you write in and what genre do you prefer to read?
I read novels of suspense and that is what I write. I don’t see them as genre fiction, so I think of them just as novels.

3. Where do you sell most books, USA or UK, Amazon or Barnes and Noble?
My books sell equally in the States and in Britain. I don’t know if they’re in Barnes and Noble. Though I’m an American, I live in Switzerland, so I don’t think I’ve ever been in a Barnes & Noble store..

4. During your childhood who was your biggest influence?
My father. He was a consulting engineer in the automobile field, as was my grandfather, as am I.

5. Are you fortunate enough to write full-time?
I suppose I could if I wanted to. But my writing process is bound up with my job and I am extremely loath to disturb it. I spend a huge amount of time in the car, driving across Europe to my projects. Those hours in the car every day I use to dictate my stories to my assistant and to a computer dictation program.  The cutting and rewriting I do at night in hotel rooms. It keeps me sane.

6. If Hollywood came knocking who would you want to play your main character?
In my series RUTHLESS TO WIN, each book has a different main character, who also appears in other books as a supporting character. At the centre of the  first novel to be published, LE MANS, stands Mallory, a female endurance racer. I really haven’t thought on casting the female characters. The female lead in REQUIEM AT MONZA is immensely tall and hugely athletic. I shall have to consult my teenage daughter, who knows the current actresses. Several of the men could be played by George Clooney, but I think I’d cast him as Charlie Cartwright, the diabolical nexus of the series. The book about Charlie, TROUBLESHOOTER  has just been launched.

7. Name 6 people, dead or alive, you’d love to have as guests seated around your dinner-table.
William Shakespeare, Winston Churchill, Edmund Burke, Galileo Galilei, Nicola Machiavelli, Leonardo da Vinci.

8. What one piece of advice have you found the most important in your writing career?
“Good novels are not written, they are rewritten. Great novels are diamonds mined from layered rewrites.” (Andre Jute)

9. What are your plans for the coming year?
To finish a novel called LASHBACK, and to start another.

10. And finally, if you were stranded on a desert island what 3 books would you choose to have with you?
King James Bible, Collected Shakespeare, a book on boatbuilding without tools. 

 Three volumes are already launched in Dakota Franklin’s thirteen-book series RUTHLESS TO WIN.

Dakota Franklin’s RUTHLESS TO WIN series at Amazon:
Dakota on Twitter #thrillsdakota or https://twitter.com/#!/thrillsdakota
Dakota on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003208437090&sk=wall

Monday, September 3, 2012

Debut novelist extraordinaire Joe McCoubrey.

Introducing a classy debut novelist. Joe McCoubrey who releases his first full-length novel today.   



When and why did you decide to become a writer?
Writing has always been a part of my life. My ambition from an early age was to be a journalist and I was lucky to make that dream come true. When I started out it was during the worst of the early troubles in Northern Ireland and I cut my teeth on some pretty intense stories. They were dark days
Throughout the next twenty-five years I wanted to take my writing to a different level. I wasn’t thinking of doing a Woodward and Bernstein but I knew I wanted to write novels. After messing around with a few ideas and countless drafts, I finally took the plunge a few years ago and began writing full-time. Now I feel really fulfilled.
What genre do you write in and what genre do you prefer to read?
I can’t get enough of action and crime thrillers. I must have read literally thousands of books within these genres so it’s little surprise that my own stuff is firmly grounded in these categories. I have to admit though that the one book which got me hooked on reading was ‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Jane Austen! Her mastery of the English language and her storytelling ability still stack up with the best. How’s that for a contradiction with the action genre!
Where do you sell most books, USA or UK, Amazon or Barnes and Noble?
I just recently released my short story DEATH BY LICENCE which is doing really well on both sides of the Atlantic. My publisher, Master Koda Select Publishing, are phenomenal in developing awareness about me and I’m hoping the next year or so will see some big inroads. My first full-length novel SOMEONE HAS TO PAY is releasing tomorrow!
During your childhood who was your biggest influence?
That would have to be my mother. She was a full-time mum striving to bring up a large family on a small budget in pretty austere times. Yet somehow she always found a reason to smile and to offer up a prayer of thanks. I’ve tried to live by her values but have yet to come close.
Are you fortunate enough to write full-time?
Yes, I took early retirement to concentrate on writing full-time, although I still try to keep busy with other projects. I find it’s necessary to take some breaks from writing, if only to recharge the batteries, although I’m always thinking constantly of new storylines and twists.
If Hollywood came knocking who would you want to play your main character?
It would have to be someone like Jason Statham – his screen persona of an all-round ass-kickin’ guy perfectly fits the bill for my lead character, Mike Devon.
Name 6 people, dead or alive, you’d love to have as guests seated around your dinner-table.
Present company excepted, it would have to be Alastair Maclean, Matt Hilton, Stephen Leather, Lee Child, Vince Flynn and Brad Thor. After a few hours of taking notes among that lot you’d have the perfect action hero and enough material to write a hundred books!
What one piece of advice have you found the most important in your writing career?
A lot of top authors are willing to share information and tips but I’m not so sure new writers take enough trouble to see what they have to say. These are people who have overcome all the usual hurdles and have built their success the hard way – why wouldn’t other writers want to know about their experiences?
On the writing side of things you can never place too much emphasis on editing, editing and editing. Before a manuscript is submitted to an agent or is deemed ready for self-publishing it should have gone through at least 5 or 6 full edits, not to mention edits not carried out by the author! No matter what we think, we are no good at editing our own stuff – get a friend (but make sure he or she will be brutally honest) or, better still, get some professional editing. Not only will it increase your credibility as a writer but it will help to point out all the little annoying traits we all have as writers. Even the top authors seem to have recurring pet likes that really should be removed!
What are your plans for the coming year?
I have already completed my second full-length novel which I hope to publish in early 2013 (after all the editing has been completed) and I’ve started on a new Irish crime novel, which is a slight departure from my current works. After that I will just keep writing.
And finally, if you were stranded on a desert island what 3 books would you choose to have with you?
Preferably the biggest anthology of action/adventure stories I could find! Okay, I know that’s cheating but ‘collection’ stories are becoming more and more popular and having about 20 stories between one cover would be a bonus. The straight answer is any of the Lee Child stories concerning Jack Reacher, or Matt Hilton’s Joe Hunter or Stephen Leather’s Spider Shepherd.


Joe McCoubrey Bio
Joe McCoubrey is a former Irish newspaper editor who is now a full-time action thriller writer. In the early seventies he was working in the Civil Service based at Stormont, the seat of the Northern Ireland Government, and was watching behind the scenes as some of the country’s most momentous events unfolded. These were events that reverberated around the world, and somehow served to push him towards his real passion of writing. He became a newspaperman, started his own media business, and took a front row seat as history was played out in Ireland.
His short action story Death By Licence has just been published by Master Koda Select Publishing. His debut full-length thriller Someone Has To Pay is being released on September 3rd 2012. A second full-length actioner is at the editing stages, and work has started on an Irish crime thriller.
Joe McCoubrey has lived all his life in the beautiful Irish town of Downpatrick, made famous by its association with the national Patron Saint, St. Patrick.
You can visit him at: http://joemccoubrey.com/