Category Archives: Author
JC ANDRIJESKI: I EVEN WRITE WHEN I’M ON VACATION FOR THE MOST PART
JC Andrijeski’s stories were part of anthologies, fiction magazines and many others. Her Allie’s War Episodes became a big hit with many positive reviews. JC is writing fantasy, sci-fi and romance. Let’s hear from our next feature author more about her novels.
– What is your book The Morph: The Gate Shifter Series: Book One about?
– THE MORPH features Dakota Reyes, a twenty-something private eye who specializes in “hard-to-prosecute” cases, who finds herself in a dark alley one night, about to end up dead at the hands of a budding serial killer…when a lost, shape-shifting alien named Nihkil rescues her, and inadvertently takes her home with him. The problem is, Nik’s home is in a different dimension, and Dakota has no clue how to get back to Seattle, or Earth, or even her own time period. And it kind of goes from there…
Read the rest of this entry
HAROLD TITUS: CROSSING THE RIVER TOOK ME 17 YEARS
Harold Titus published his book Crossing the River three years ago. The history novel received very positive feedback (av. 4.4 stars from 10 Amazon reviews). We are very happy that the author was kind to tell us something more about his writings.
– What is your book Crossing the River about?
– Crossing the River is about the singular experiences of both famous historical figures and ordinary people engaged April 19, 1775, in frightful combat. It is about why British Commanding General Thomas Gage was compelled to send an army of 700 redcoats out of Boston to Concord to seize and destroy illegally stored gunpowder, cannon, and military supplies and why the colony’s rebellious Provincial Congress wanted to confront him. It is about major and minor mistakes made by both sides, bloodshed at Lexington, courage, stupidity, honor, callousness, fear, rage, empathy, selfishness, and senseless slaughter. It is a portrayal of all aspects of human nature. It is a detailed, accurate depiction of the Battles of Lexington and Concord and the fierce combat that occurred during the British army’s harrowing retreat to Charlestown, told through the viewpoints of its participants. It is a story about crossing the river, about not being able to turn back, about individual beings choosing to risk all to attempt to obtain great reward.
Read the rest of this entry
MAGNUS VON BLACK: I INTEND TO BE A PASSIONATE AUTHOR UNTIL I DO MEET MY ULTIMATE END
The author of The Song and the Pendant Magnus Von Black is tough to be described with few sentences. He says for himself that is a glitter spilling, noisy, well-spoken lunatic who can always be counted upon to be having wild, passionate romances with new ideas and tasteless color schemes. Let’s hear from Magnus about his novel and songs.
– What is your last book The Song and the Pendant about?
– The Song and the Pendant is the typical age-old tale of girl meets boy, boy is gay, space vortex almost kills them, girl goes to opera, boy and girl get sucked into interstellar time war, girl punches dinosaur, boy meets other boy, girl throws piano at super villain, Jesus discusses his favorite band, the creation of the universe is at least partially explained… you know, just your average, run of the mill science fiction romance time travel dragon karate super power nanotechnology love story about a girl who doesn’t get along with her dad.
Read the rest of this entry
ROBERT DUGONI: I HAD NO IDEA MY SISTER’S GRAVE WOULD HIT #1
Robert Dugoni’s next release My Sister’s Grave is staying as Amazon bestselling book #1 for the last few weeks. The official premier of the novel will be on November 1. One of the most popular author on the planet will be our guest for today’s interview. He found time from his busy schedule around the release for a very special Q&A for our blog.
– My Sister’s Grave will be released on November 1. What is so special about your next novel that the readers love it so much and you reach #1 in Amazon (av. 4.5 stars from almost 700 reviews!)?
– They seem to have fallen for my protagonist Tracy Crosswhite and her relationship with her younger sister, Sarah. What I wanted when I wrote the novel was for the reader to feel the haunting sense of loss when a loved one is taken too early in life. In order to do that, I had to establish Tracy and Sarah’s relationship as young sisters and as young women so they could experience the pain Tracy feels when Sarah disappears and understand why Tracy is so determined to find out what actually happened to Sarah.
Read the rest of this entry
CHARLIE WADE: THE PUBLISHERS ARE SETTING THE PRICE TOO HIGH FOR E-BOOKS
Charlie Wade is a specialist in crime fiction. He is working as accounts manager, but finds enough time to publish full novels. Let’s hear from our next feature author something more about his book Seven Daze.
– Charlie, what is your last book Seven Daze about?
– Seven Days is about a petty criminal called Jim who’s introduced to the world of contract killing. His first hit goes wrong when his intended victim has a heart attack before he can pull the trigger. The gangland Boss who ordered the hit isn’t impressed and demands ten thousand pounds in compensation from Jim and gives him only a week to find the money.
Read the rest of this entry
RACHELE BAKER: I FOUND MY MOTHER’S JOURNAL TWENTY YEARS AFTER HER DEATH
Rachele Baker’s emotion were put on one place at her book Eighteen Months To Live. She wrote a memoir about her mother, who was diagnosed with cancer. How tough is to remember once again all those moments and to combine them into a novel? Let’s hear from the author herself. I must warn you that the following lines are extremely touching.
– What is your book Eighteen Months To Live about?
– Eighteen Months To Live is the real life story of my mother, Midge Rylander, in her final months of life after being diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma. Malignant pleural mesothelioma is cancer of the lining of the lung from prior exposure to asbestos. After her diagnosis, my mother decided to keep a daily journal to document her experiences so that her experiences could help other people. Eighteen Months To Live is the transcription of my mother’s handwritten journal as well as letters that she wrote to me during that time.
INTERVIEW FOR PATTY J SMITH’S BLOG
I was invited to do interview for Patty J Smith’s blog after she was my guest at Ognian Georgiev’s space. Check below our conversation or visit her blog, where you may find many interesting articles and authors presentations.
– What inspired you to become a writer?
– My job is related with writing. I am working as a sports reporter in “Bulgaria Today” daily newspaper. In the last 15 years it was a daily routine for me. However, writing a real book is something very different. The main character of my first novel “The white prisoner: Galabin Boevski” was the reason that I was inspired to put everything in one big story. My editor-in-chief encouraged me to write the story and this was just the beginning.
– Which of your books do you consider your pride and joy? Why?
– Easy answer, because I’ve got only one book “The white prisoner: Galabin Boevski’s secret story”. For now it’s my pride. I gave a lot in order to produce the final output. It was a joy as well, because the adrenaline during research and writing period was very high. Sometimes I had some problems with the sleep, because I was thinking non stop about the book and how to pave the readers’ road.
– Do you have any preparation rituals before you begin to write?
– I need silence. Because of my daily assignments in the newspaper, I don’t have much time to focus. This is why I worked on the novel after my work. Sometimes I was staying until 3 at the night in my office to develop the story chapter by chapter.
– If you had to come up with a book title to describe your life, what would it be?
– The Angel Who Saved My Life. I’ve got many risky situations since I was born. Thanks to my personal angel, I am still alive and in good condition. Now, at the age of almost 34 (next Monday is my birthday), I started to realize many things, that before were just passing by my mind without paying enough attention.
– If you had a chance to have dinner with any author who would it be?
– I will give you Top 3, ok? The first one would be Karl May. The German writer was my favorite during my child years. He describes by incredible way his characters and is a real teacher of the best human qualities. Number two would be Raymond Feist. He is my favorite fantasy author. I was very deep into his Midkemia world and all his great personages. Number 3 – Michael Connelly. He is a great master of crime literature and a person who I would like to interview one day.
– We all have family, work and other obligations…how do you maintain balance while in the middle of a writing project?
– The sad thing is that my family suffered when I wrote my book, because not much time left for them. Sometimes I feel kind of guilty about that, but my girlfriend and my daughter always supported me. They were very happy when the book finally was published and I would like to thank them once again for all the hugs they gave to me, when I had some bad moments during writing and publishing period.
– What is the one piece of advice you received about writing that helped you the most?
– Probably when I read somewhere that I need as much as possible eyes to take a look on my script before being published. I am very grateful to all test readers, who helped “The White Prisoner: Galabin Boevski’s secret story” to become better novel.
– Where can we purchase your books and how can we keep up with you?
– You may order the print version of the book here
– Last, but not least…..What and when is your next release? Provide a brief synopsis….
– I started recently with the research for my next book. Once again it will be a non-fiction sport book about the last man who beat the richest athlete in the world, Floyd Mayweather, and his incredible fate. Plans are the Bulgarian version to be published at the beginning of 2015 and the English version to be ready for the start of the next summer.
LYDIA RODRIGUEZ-CLEMENT: THE GUARDIAN STORY CAME TO ME IN DREAMS
Lydia Rodriguez-Clement is probably the best example of the indie publishing phenom. We are not speaking about the sales, but about the desire to have a complete novel, without relying on publishers. Our next feature author is very busy, but still finds time to write, edit, self-publish and market her novel. Lydia is a very strong woman and a real fighter. Check out the interview about her last book The Guardian and you will see why the word respect must be added to her profile.
– What is your last book The Guardian about?
– Well, The Guardian is a story about how Sarah’s spiritual beliefs are reaffirmed when the existence of Angels and Demons are horrifically revealed. Never had she dreamt that her mundane life would be caught in not only a struggle to stay alive in this clash of worlds, but also in a sadistic plan by the Dark Angels to lure Jacob, her own Guaridan, to fall. It is also about finding love and acceptance under extraordinary circumstances.
Read the rest of this entry
BRYAN MURPHY: THE POINT OF MY WRITING IS PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL DRAMA
Bryan Murphy had a chance to travel a lot during his life. His stories are gathered from earned multinational experience. You may check his sense of humor at the end of the interview. Enjoy!
– What is your latest novella, Goodbye, Padania, about?
– On the surface, it is about an extraordinary woman struggling against heavy odds to become ordinary in very hard times. At a deeper level, it is about the stupidity of racism.
– How did you decide to write the story?
– As a foreigner living in Italy, I was disturbed by the rise of a racist political party, to the point where it became part of the governing coalition and its leader was put in charge of the country’s immigration policy. I wanted to suggest politely that a racist state in the heart of modern Europe was not a viable proposition. And I wanted to have fun with my character, Daria.
– What was the biggest challenge during the writing process?
– Keeping track of the timeline, because the story dips into the past as well as the future.
– Tell us something more about your main character. Is it close to someone from your real life?
– I first named my main character Dario, after my boss of the time. Then I thought, “Why not make the killer a woman?”, and so Dario became Daria. A teenage victim of a predatory priest, her emotional detachment and single-mindedness allow her to flourish as a professional assassin. She gets fed up with killing people she does not personally hate, and tries to develop an alternative, but still finds herself having to choose between killing and being killed.
– How much time did you need to finish the story and to publish it?
– I wrote the novella as a series of short stories over a couple of years. Most of these appeared in an online literary magazine, The Hiss Quarterly. I published the novella as an e-book in 2012.
– What can you say about the Linehan series and your book Murder By Suicide?
– Linehan is an anti-hero, a sort of negative Candide. He, too, arrives in “Padania”, and what he encounters reawakens his long-dormant conscience. A second adventure sees him in China, trying to be good in the face of multiple temptations.
Murder By Suicide suggests how our secret services manage to kill with impunity.
– Who are you?
– An international vagabond, born in England and now happily retired in Italy.
– What are your writing habits?
– When I was still working, I wrote in the evenings, when inspiration struck me. Now that I’ve retired, I write during the day and keep the evening for other pursuits. Working on my first novel has made me more reliant on planning and less dependent on inspiration.
– Are you satisfied by the sales of the book, and do you plan another one?
– All my publishing efforts so far, namely this novella and a number of short e-books, have been preparation for publishing and marketing my novel, Revolution Number One, now in its second draft. I think I have learned a satisfactory amount, without unduly inflating my bank balance.
– What are you doing to promote your book in the best possible way?
– I belong to an authors’ mutual cooperation group and post on its blog, The Write Room. I also post on social media and I’m about to start a newsletter. However, the best sales tool that I have found is old-fashioned word of mouth (allied to new-fangled word of mouse).
– You have worked in many fields during your life. Which one of your jobs did you do with the greatest pleasure?
– I’m a soccer fan, so my best job was working as a translator at the Media Centre in Rome for the 1990 World Cup. The Olympic Pool was drained to house the Media Centre, and we could enjoy a swim in the training pool before and after work. I also got in to see the Final on a service ticket.
– Your books are in different genres, such as speculative fiction, psychological drama, poetry, short stories. How do you manage to switch between different themes and styles of writing?
– The point of my writing is psychological and social drama. I concentrate on that and let the “genres” take care of themselves.
– What is your Top 3 of the best places in the world that you have visited?
– The Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, Halong Bay in Vietnam and Inle Lake in Burma. I’d also like to say that although Sofia is not the most beautiful city in Europe, I really enjoyed the year I spent living and working there, in the late Nineties.
– Ask yourself a question (And don’t forget to answer!)
– How can a writer with a tight deadline go eight days without sleep to meet it? By sleeping at night.
Check out more about Bryan Murphy at his Web page or Twitter
Take a look at his books
Murder By Suicide
Linehan’s Trip (Sean Linehan Book 1)
Goodbye, Padania (Daria Rigoletti Book 1)
RICKI WILSON: I WOULD RATHER DELAY PUBLICATION THAN INSULT READERS WITH A MEDIOCRE EFFORT
Ricki Wilson’s only novel Maggie’s fall received very positive feedback (av. 4.4 stars from 28 Amazon reviews). She is teaching English in a high school as her main profession. Let’s hear more about the book and the author in our next Q&A.
– Ricki, What is your book Maggie’s fall about?
– Maggie’s Fall is about Maggie McClellan, a single and single-minded woman whose sole purpose in life is to protect the M-Bar Ranch and the M-Bar Ranch family: her son, T.J., Martha and Jonah (who have lived on the ranch as long as Maggie), the M-Bar horses, and one stray dog who knows all Maggie’s sorrows.
Maggie is smart. She knows how to run a ranch and how to keep her guests happy; she knows when to stay out of Martha’s kitchen and not to leave Jonah’s tools lying around; she knows how to soothe a frightened colt, and that T.J. worries too much for a little boy, but she doesn’t know how to stop an anonymous investor from buying out her leases. Maggie will not lose everything her parents built. Saving the M-Bar is the only way to keep her parents’ memory alive. When the pressure of holding everything together weighs too heavily, Maggie breaks a long-standing rule: she rides off alone across the M-Bar pastures without telling anyone where she’s going.
Witt McCreigh has been Maggie’s best friend her whole life. When Maggie never returns to the ranch, Witt saddles Maggie’s best mare, abandons the formal search party, and follows his heart. Witt rides with one hope—to find Maggie alive, and one regret—that he has never told her how much he loves her.
Read the rest of this entry
Land Of Books 