I just wanted to share this lovely tale by P.K. Hrezo over at her blog.
Being a parent and trying to write always throws up it's problems. For me personally, my brain often feels as if it's full of Swiss cheese holes (my own four-year old is often found saying 'you always forget things, don't you Mummy?'). I think when half your head is always living in an imaginary world, it's hard to live fully in one or the other!
Anyway, pop over and have a read of P.K.'s great story about how she almost fluffed her son's tooth fairy visit. It's great proof of how having an overactive imagination doesn't always have to be a bad thing!
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Friday, 24 June 2011
SFTW! Interview with Erotic Fantasy Author, Danielle Gavan and Win ALL of Her Books!
Happy Friday everyone! Hope you all had a good week and I'm sure, like me, you're all pleased the weekend is here. Before I introduce my next guest, I just wanted to apologise for my lack of commenting on either this blog or anyone elses. For some reason Blogger is no longer recognising my login details and won't let me leave comments. So, I'm not ignoring you, promise! I'm also aware of a few other people who've been unable to leave comments. If you've had this problem while trying to enter one of the giveaways, please email me your entry at marissafarrar@hotmail.co.uk and I'll be sure to include you!
Now, for my guest for this week, Danielle Gavan. I met Danielle over at the Write in the Shadows blog, where we co-blogged, (and which is now being relaunched as Digital Digest, but I will share more on this venture another time). Not only is she a gifted author, she is also a talented cover designer and a total expert on all things formatting. Seriously, this lady knows it all and she is a great person to get to know!
So, Danielle, thanks for stopping by my blog and sharing a little about yourself and your work.
Let’s start with the most important thing: your books. Give us a brief description of the novel you want to talk about today.
D.G. The novel I’d like to tell you about today is UnWrapped. It’s a novella about four supernatural siblings who discover just how fun getting older can be for a Satyr, Incubus, Dhampire and Fae. Readers who follow Everything Erotic will have seen some of the chapters on the blog.
M.F. So what are you working on at the moment? Have you got any new projects in the pipeline?
D.G. I’m currently working on a few projects. The Lists is a novella about the Elves who supervise the Naughty and Nice lists. Some of the things they get up to in the office, and out, are downright naughty and a whole lot of nice. Untouchable is another novella I’m working on about the children of angels and demons and their fight to save themselves from extermination. Lastly, I have a series in the works called Finders Keepers with fellow author Jennifer Feuerstein. The five books we have planned focus on a group of supersoldiers who must find the one woman meant for them in order to free themselves from the clutches of The Council.
M.F. Lol. So not much then.. ;-) Is writing something you’ve recently got into, or have you been writing for ages?
D.G. I’ve been writing for ages. I can remember sitting in grade school with a friend while we passed notes back and forth. We’d end up with page after page of stories about the rock/pop stars we fantasized about. My pages are no longer filled with rock stars. Instead, they contain werewolves, demons, angels and other supernatural beings.
M.F. What do you make of the changes in the industry, with so many more people going ‘indie’?
D.G. Honestly? I think it’s about time people took back control of what they’ve worked so hard for. We, the authors, spend weeks/months/years creating and yet those who go the traditional publishing route end up with the smallest share of the profit from their blood, sweat and tears. That doesn’t make sense to me. Sure, I understand the publishing houses need to recoup their costs for editing, cover design and all the other minutiae that goes along with putting out a book but when you see an author making $0.48 off a $6.99 book…that’s just wrong, in my opinion.
M.F. I hear you sista! Who is your greatest influence when it comes to your writing?
D.G. Hmm.. I can’t say there’s just one person that has influenced me more than the other. I’ve read so many great authors, it’s hard to pin point just one. I’d have to say it’s a tie between Laurell K. Hamilton, Diana Gabaldon and Gena Showalter. All three are wonderful writers whom I greatly admire.
M.F. Stephen King says when he writes, it is for his wife Tabitha. When you write, is there anyone you are writing for?
D.G. My family. My husband and our two boys. I think, in some way, I’m also writing for my mom. She’s always been an avid reader and if it weren’t for her love of books, I’d never have become the book worm I am. I don’t think she’s read any of my work yet but, I hope when she does it’ll make her proud.
M.F. What sort of books do you read yourself?
D.G. I like paranormal romance/urban fantasy mostly. I do read some YA, but again, it’s mostly the paranormal stuff. The last two books I read were Hit List by Laurell K. Hamilton and City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare. Both were fabulous reads.
.M.F. Now for some more abstract questions: If you could be any character in fiction, who would you be?
D.G. Ooh, good one. Hmm… I think it’s a toss-up between Anita Blake and Meredith Gentry from Laurell’s two series.
M.F. If aliens landed in front of you and offered you anything you wanted, what would it be?
D.G. LOL I’d have to unfurl the extremely long scroll of things I want and play eenie-meenie to answer that one.
M.F. Tell us something quirky/interesting that people probably don’t know about you.
D.G. I can wiggle my nose like a bunny, and I’ve got an extreme paranoia when it comes to bugs.
Thanks so much for taking part Danielle!
![]()
Danielle Gavan lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband of eight years, and their two sons. Danielle has been writing in her spare time since she was in middle school. She is currently writing, editing and doing cover design full time.
You can find out more about Danielle at her Facebook Page, by following her on Twitter!
Her erotic short stories also appear on the blogs site and ebooks, Everything Erotic
Now, for my guest for this week, Danielle Gavan. I met Danielle over at the Write in the Shadows blog, where we co-blogged, (and which is now being relaunched as Digital Digest, but I will share more on this venture another time). Not only is she a gifted author, she is also a talented cover designer and a total expert on all things formatting. Seriously, this lady knows it all and she is a great person to get to know!
So, Danielle, thanks for stopping by my blog and sharing a little about yourself and your work.
Let’s start with the most important thing: your books. Give us a brief description of the novel you want to talk about today.
D.G. The novel I’d like to tell you about today is UnWrapped. It’s a novella about four supernatural siblings who discover just how fun getting older can be for a Satyr, Incubus, Dhampire and Fae. Readers who follow Everything Erotic will have seen some of the chapters on the blog.
M.F. So what are you working on at the moment? Have you got any new projects in the pipeline?
D.G. I’m currently working on a few projects. The Lists is a novella about the Elves who supervise the Naughty and Nice lists. Some of the things they get up to in the office, and out, are downright naughty and a whole lot of nice. Untouchable is another novella I’m working on about the children of angels and demons and their fight to save themselves from extermination. Lastly, I have a series in the works called Finders Keepers with fellow author Jennifer Feuerstein. The five books we have planned focus on a group of supersoldiers who must find the one woman meant for them in order to free themselves from the clutches of The Council.
M.F. Lol. So not much then.. ;-) Is writing something you’ve recently got into, or have you been writing for ages?
D.G. I’ve been writing for ages. I can remember sitting in grade school with a friend while we passed notes back and forth. We’d end up with page after page of stories about the rock/pop stars we fantasized about. My pages are no longer filled with rock stars. Instead, they contain werewolves, demons, angels and other supernatural beings.
M.F. What do you make of the changes in the industry, with so many more people going ‘indie’?
D.G. Honestly? I think it’s about time people took back control of what they’ve worked so hard for. We, the authors, spend weeks/months/years creating and yet those who go the traditional publishing route end up with the smallest share of the profit from their blood, sweat and tears. That doesn’t make sense to me. Sure, I understand the publishing houses need to recoup their costs for editing, cover design and all the other minutiae that goes along with putting out a book but when you see an author making $0.48 off a $6.99 book…that’s just wrong, in my opinion.
M.F. I hear you sista! Who is your greatest influence when it comes to your writing?
D.G. Hmm.. I can’t say there’s just one person that has influenced me more than the other. I’ve read so many great authors, it’s hard to pin point just one. I’d have to say it’s a tie between Laurell K. Hamilton, Diana Gabaldon and Gena Showalter. All three are wonderful writers whom I greatly admire.
M.F. Stephen King says when he writes, it is for his wife Tabitha. When you write, is there anyone you are writing for?
D.G. My family. My husband and our two boys. I think, in some way, I’m also writing for my mom. She’s always been an avid reader and if it weren’t for her love of books, I’d never have become the book worm I am. I don’t think she’s read any of my work yet but, I hope when she does it’ll make her proud.
M.F. What sort of books do you read yourself?
D.G. I like paranormal romance/urban fantasy mostly. I do read some YA, but again, it’s mostly the paranormal stuff. The last two books I read were Hit List by Laurell K. Hamilton and City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare. Both were fabulous reads.
.M.F. Now for some more abstract questions: If you could be any character in fiction, who would you be?
D.G. Ooh, good one. Hmm… I think it’s a toss-up between Anita Blake and Meredith Gentry from Laurell’s two series.
M.F. If aliens landed in front of you and offered you anything you wanted, what would it be?
D.G. LOL I’d have to unfurl the extremely long scroll of things I want and play eenie-meenie to answer that one.
M.F. Tell us something quirky/interesting that people probably don’t know about you.
D.G. I can wiggle my nose like a bunny, and I’ve got an extreme paranoia when it comes to bugs.
Thanks so much for taking part Danielle!
***COMPETITION TIME***
Danielle would like to give away a copy of each of her titles to ONE lucky winner. So that's FOUR books in total! Just leave her a comment below or email me at the address above if you're unable to comment!
Author Bio:
Danielle Gavan lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband of eight years, and their two sons. Danielle has been writing in her spare time since she was in middle school. She is currently writing, editing and doing cover design full time.
You can find out more about Danielle at her Facebook Page, by following her on Twitter!
Her erotic short stories also appear on the blogs site and ebooks, Everything Erotic
Friday, 17 June 2011
Something for the Weekend! Paranormal Romance author Shannan Albright and a Giveaway!
S.A Dark Passion Rising is a paranormal romance/ urban fantasy set in Las Vegas. Here is a quick blurb:
Tambra Ellis has just had her world turned upside down! Surviving a bite from a Lycan, attracted to one hot vampire guy and now she has to look forward to turning into something from some bad werewolf movie.
Marcus Valerian has enough on his plate without the added complication of Tambra Ellis. Fiery and independent? Sure. Beautiful with a body made for sin? Oh Yeh. And a human cop. Tambra is everything he needs to stay away from.
As leader of the Tribunal’s enforcers it’s up to him to find out why the Dark Breeds are going feral and killing humans in ever increasing numbers. Tambra’s life is in the balance as the secrets of her past place her in the middle of old deceits and a betrayal that will change the world forever.
Will Marcus and Tambra’s love survive or will it be too late.
M.F. Sounds great! So what are you working on at the moment? Have you got any new projects in the pipeline?
S.A. I am putting on the finishing touches to a novella called Beloved Wizard and will soon be submitting it. It’s about King Arthur’s return with all of his round table. The first book is about Merlin reincarnated as Drake and sets the stage for future books.
I also am working on the second Dark Breed novel and hope to have it to my publisher in about a month. It’s called Passions Flight.
M.F. Is writing something you’ve recently got into, or have you been writing for ages?
S.A I have been writing for many years, but thanks to eBooks and epublishers I have finally gotten my foot in the door and can say I’m published.
M.F. What do you make of the changes in the industry, with so many more people going ‘indie’?
S.A. I love the changes it opens up so much for a new author and I love that there is now the opportunity available to publish your own work. This is an exciting time in the publishing industry and I can’t wait to see how this all shakes out in the end.
M.F. Who is your greatest influence when it comes to your writing?
S.A. Wow I want to say I’ve been influenced by everyone I read, but if I had to narrow it down it would be Sherrilyn Kenyon, J. R. Ward , Erin Quinn (whom I had the pleasure of meeting and found her to be an absolute delight.)All three struck a chord with me because of their unique blend of characterization, layering of the plot and description.
M.F. Stephen King says when he writes, it is for his wife Tabitha. When you write, is there anyone you are writing for?
S.A. I write for the readers out there who love good stories as much as I do.
M.F. Good answer! What sort of books do you read yourself?
S.A. I love Paranormal Romance, Paranormal Historical Romance, Urban Fantasy and Steampunk.
M.F. I'm still at a bit of a loss about what Steampunk actually is! If anyone can give me a brief run down, it would be appreciated! Lol. Now for some more abstract questions: If you could be any character in fiction, who would you be?
S.A. Maggie the cat from Tennessee Williams Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. I find her a compelling blend of strength and desperation.
M.F. If aliens landed in front of you and offered you anything you wanted, what would it be?
S.A. More time to write. Perhaps they could give me a clone? Humm...scary thought having more than one of me in the world.
M.F. I hear you there! I think all writers want more time to write. Tell us something quirky/interesting that people probably don’t know about you.
S.A. I read Tarot cards and give regular readings to friends. I learned them as a small child from my great grandmother.
M.F. Oooh! I love stuff like that. Maybe virtual readings are possible??? Thanks so much for stopping by Shannan. It's beeen great learning a bit more about you and your books.
S.A. Thanks for this opportunity!
***COMPETITION TIME***
Author Bio
Lynnet Shannan using the pen name Shannan Albright writes Paranormal Romance primarily. She got serious about writing as a business in 2008 when she became a member of Romance Writers of America. She uses oil painting as a way to work through her books and relaxes with a good book. She lives in Las Vegas with her husband, step-daughter, two cats and two dogs.
Her novel, Dark Passion Rising is available to buy from Amazon.
Sunday, 5 June 2011
Writers write for a different reason than publishers publish...
I read this on the Smashwords blog page today and it kind of rang a bell with me.
The problem is that now the boundaries between writers and publishers are blurring. With so many authors turning Indie, we now have to accept that if we want our work to sell, we need to have some of the business nuance of a publisher. We need to be able to produce great covers, with catchy blurbs. We need to be clever with pricing and promotion.
But what about the books themselves? Should we also be writing books we think will sell or simply writing to 'express' ourselves?
A good friend of mine recently told me she modeled her own (now successful) series on that of a number of other already successful author's series'. I have to be honest, when I was told that, I was surprised. It has never occurred to me to produce a book modeled on something I knew would sell. For me, I've just written the story because the idea popped in my head and wouldn't go away until I'd written it all down.
But let's be honest, while I'm sure there are plenty of writers out there who do it purely for the love of writing, this is a business and needs to be treated as such. Writing to a particular 'formula' which I know would sell, makes sense, doesn't it?
I'm struggling a little with a number of things as far as my writing goes at the moment. I have one book currently due out, but I'm getting so many different pieces of advice about the book, my head is spinning. The second problem I have is with an ending of a novel that is basically done--all except the final scene, which I can't bring myself to write. I know how the book is supposed to end, but I know that ending won't please the readers and it will hinder the sales of the third in the series.
So, what do I do? Go with my guts, or be savvy and write what sells?
The problem is that now the boundaries between writers and publishers are blurring. With so many authors turning Indie, we now have to accept that if we want our work to sell, we need to have some of the business nuance of a publisher. We need to be able to produce great covers, with catchy blurbs. We need to be clever with pricing and promotion.
But what about the books themselves? Should we also be writing books we think will sell or simply writing to 'express' ourselves?
A good friend of mine recently told me she modeled her own (now successful) series on that of a number of other already successful author's series'. I have to be honest, when I was told that, I was surprised. It has never occurred to me to produce a book modeled on something I knew would sell. For me, I've just written the story because the idea popped in my head and wouldn't go away until I'd written it all down.
But let's be honest, while I'm sure there are plenty of writers out there who do it purely for the love of writing, this is a business and needs to be treated as such. Writing to a particular 'formula' which I know would sell, makes sense, doesn't it?
I'm struggling a little with a number of things as far as my writing goes at the moment. I have one book currently due out, but I'm getting so many different pieces of advice about the book, my head is spinning. The second problem I have is with an ending of a novel that is basically done--all except the final scene, which I can't bring myself to write. I know how the book is supposed to end, but I know that ending won't please the readers and it will hinder the sales of the third in the series.
So, what do I do? Go with my guts, or be savvy and write what sells?
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
Delays and Contest Winners!
Well, today was supposed to be my publication date for The Followers, but something has come up and so it will be postponed for a couple of weeks. Ah, well...best laid plans and all of that. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow. Naturally, I'm disappointed, but I'd rather my book went out as good as it can possibly be, then rush things.
In the meantime, I have some competition winners to announce! The winner of the anthology 2013: The Aftermath was Denise Zaky (Goodreads entry) and the winners of Armand Rosamilia's extreme zombie novella, Dying Days, are Blaze McRob and Kalex.
This Friday I've got author, C.J. Ellisson stopping by the blog to tell us all about her novel, Vampire Vacation, (which is currently clambering for best-selling status on both Amazon and Barnes & Noble) and the forth coming sequel, The Hunt!
Hope to see you all then!
BTW. I'm having some problems commenting on my own posts at the moment, so if I've not answered any of your comments, please don't think I haven't read them...
In the meantime, I have some competition winners to announce! The winner of the anthology 2013: The Aftermath was Denise Zaky (Goodreads entry) and the winners of Armand Rosamilia's extreme zombie novella, Dying Days, are Blaze McRob and Kalex.
This Friday I've got author, C.J. Ellisson stopping by the blog to tell us all about her novel, Vampire Vacation, (which is currently clambering for best-selling status on both Amazon and Barnes & Noble) and the forth coming sequel, The Hunt!
Hope to see you all then!
BTW. I'm having some problems commenting on my own posts at the moment, so if I've not answered any of your comments, please don't think I haven't read them...
Friday, 27 May 2011
SFTW! Hurricane Katrina, Wizards and Pirates..Oh my!
I had the pleasure of meeting Suzanne Johnson through a joint blog I was invited to contribute to. An editor by day, she has the first in a fantasy series, Royal Street, scheduled for an April 2012 release through Tor Books. She also runs the fabulous Preternatura blog! If you’ve not already discovered it, you really should stop by.
M.F. Welcome Suzanne, lovely to have you here.
Tell me a little about Royal Street.
S.J. Well, Royal Street is the first in a new urban fantasy series that will come out next April. It’s set in New Orleans at the time of Hurricane Katrina. The storm’s fluctuating barometric pressure has caused breaches in the border between our modern world and the Beyond, where the beings of myth and legend live. The heroine of the story is DJ Jaco, a young wizard who evacuates New Orleans for the hurricane and comes back to find her mentor missing and the city flooded with preternatural creatures and the historical undead—famous former citizens kept alive by the magic of memory. She has to fight off an attempt by the ‘pretes’ to overthrow the borders permanently while trying to find her missing mentor and stave off the revenge-seeking pirate Jean Lafitte. Okay, and there are a couple of hot guys in the picture, too.
M.F. How did your own personal experience of Hurricane Katrina affect your life and your writing?
S.J. Honestly, I would never have written a word of fiction had Katrina not happened. At the time of the storm, I was well established in my career in higher education and had been working at Tulane University for twelve years as a magazine editor and speechwriter. Katrina turned everything upside-down.
I had moderate damage to my property from the high winds and levee breach-induced flooding, but much worse was the psychological damage. I came out much better than a lot of others, but the experience really made me step back and reassess what’s important in life. I found myself after two years still trying to deal with the aftermath. Finally, I had to turn all that anger and grief into something positive. I started writing a story, not really expecting to do anything with it. LOL. Then the fiction bug grabbed me and I found a new, very unexpected career.
M.F. It's an incredible turnaround and it's wonderful to hear something positive come out of such a devastating time. What about your day job; does being an editor by trade govern how you write?
S.J. In some ways, although it’s a different process and uses a different set of skills. I don’t think it has much influence on how I write, but it does influence how I look at revisions. As a nonfiction editor, what I do is rewrite and revise. So revisions, even extensive revisions, don’t freak me out—I enjoy the process. I always know a piece of writing can be improved, and I’m lucky to have an editor at Tor who can look at my work and hone in on exactly what needs to be done to make it better. Then the editor side of my brain can go to work and revise.
M.F. What do you like to read and which writers have most influenced you?
S.J. I’m a voracious reader—always have been. I guess if I had to pull one writer out as being influential to me it would be Stephen King. His character development is amazing, and now that I’m writing myself I go back to read his older work and realize what a master he has always been at subtly weaving backstory into his narrative and keeping his language descriptive without losing its clarity and deceptive simplicity. Current favorites to read? I’m a huge urban fantasy fan: Jim Butcher, Kim Harrison, and Patricia Briggs are favorites. In paranormal romance, I adore J.R. Ward.
M.F. Stephen King is mentioned so many times on this blog alone. I'm guessing he has inspired a ridiculous number of authors. So what are you working on at the moment?
S.J. I’m in the middle of revisions for River Road, the second in my series for Tor, and hope to start a third in the series by late summer—unless that YA rattling around in my brain wants to come out first. I’m also a blog-slut! In addition to my own blog, I do a monthly series of blogs called “Fiction Affliction” at Tor.com, and just started a Tor.com read of Stephen King’s Dark Tower series. I read a few chapters a week and post a weekly blog on my reactions as I go. This is a seven book series, so I figure it will take me about three years! My Tor blogs can be found at http://www.tor.com/Suzanne-Johnson. Finally, I have dipped my toe into paranormal romance, and have a series proposal ready to make the rounds.
M.F. Is there anywhere readers can get a taste of your work?
S.J. I have begun a series of short stories based on my urban fantasy series and am posting them on my Preternatura blog, http://www.suzanne-johnson.com. “Chenoire” is a novelette involving a family of Cajun mermen in Southeast Louisiana—one of the mer characters is in River Road. And “Intervention” introduces two major series characters, Jacob and Alexander Warin, a couple of sexy cousins with a fierce, near-sibling rivalry and a little demon problem. Both of them, as well as upcoming stories, can be found under the “Free Read” tabs on my blog.
M.F. Now for some slightly more abstract questions... If you could have one physical possession that you don’t currently own, what would it be?
S.J. LOL. My needs are simple An iPad and a vehicle that gets better mileage than my 2002 Nissan Xterra, much as I love it. Oh, wait! Make that a ten-book publishing contract!
M.F. Well that's just greedy! You gotta leave some contracts out there for the rest of us! ;-)
If you could trade places with any person, living or dead or even fictional, who would it be?
S.J. Hmm. I’d be happy to be a “shellan” of one of JR Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood dudes--I’m not even that picky about which one (well, okay, Rhage). I don’t think I’d want to be any of the heroes or heroines in the books I read because they’re always in serious trouble!
M.F. If you could be a super hero, what super power would you have?
S.J. I’d like to be able to disapparate and apparate. I don’t like to fly—not because I have a fear of crashing but because I’m claustrophobic. So if I could close my eyes and zap myself to NYC or LA (or London), that would be awesome.
M.F. Thanks so much for being here, Suzanne. I’m eagerly awaiting Royal Street to be released!
Thanks, Marissa!
M.F. Welcome Suzanne, lovely to have you here.
Tell me a little about Royal Street.
S.J. Well, Royal Street is the first in a new urban fantasy series that will come out next April. It’s set in New Orleans at the time of Hurricane Katrina. The storm’s fluctuating barometric pressure has caused breaches in the border between our modern world and the Beyond, where the beings of myth and legend live. The heroine of the story is DJ Jaco, a young wizard who evacuates New Orleans for the hurricane and comes back to find her mentor missing and the city flooded with preternatural creatures and the historical undead—famous former citizens kept alive by the magic of memory. She has to fight off an attempt by the ‘pretes’ to overthrow the borders permanently while trying to find her missing mentor and stave off the revenge-seeking pirate Jean Lafitte. Okay, and there are a couple of hot guys in the picture, too.
M.F. How did your own personal experience of Hurricane Katrina affect your life and your writing?
S.J. Honestly, I would never have written a word of fiction had Katrina not happened. At the time of the storm, I was well established in my career in higher education and had been working at Tulane University for twelve years as a magazine editor and speechwriter. Katrina turned everything upside-down.
I had moderate damage to my property from the high winds and levee breach-induced flooding, but much worse was the psychological damage. I came out much better than a lot of others, but the experience really made me step back and reassess what’s important in life. I found myself after two years still trying to deal with the aftermath. Finally, I had to turn all that anger and grief into something positive. I started writing a story, not really expecting to do anything with it. LOL. Then the fiction bug grabbed me and I found a new, very unexpected career.
M.F. It's an incredible turnaround and it's wonderful to hear something positive come out of such a devastating time. What about your day job; does being an editor by trade govern how you write?
S.J. In some ways, although it’s a different process and uses a different set of skills. I don’t think it has much influence on how I write, but it does influence how I look at revisions. As a nonfiction editor, what I do is rewrite and revise. So revisions, even extensive revisions, don’t freak me out—I enjoy the process. I always know a piece of writing can be improved, and I’m lucky to have an editor at Tor who can look at my work and hone in on exactly what needs to be done to make it better. Then the editor side of my brain can go to work and revise.
M.F. What do you like to read and which writers have most influenced you?
S.J. I’m a voracious reader—always have been. I guess if I had to pull one writer out as being influential to me it would be Stephen King. His character development is amazing, and now that I’m writing myself I go back to read his older work and realize what a master he has always been at subtly weaving backstory into his narrative and keeping his language descriptive without losing its clarity and deceptive simplicity. Current favorites to read? I’m a huge urban fantasy fan: Jim Butcher, Kim Harrison, and Patricia Briggs are favorites. In paranormal romance, I adore J.R. Ward.
M.F. Stephen King is mentioned so many times on this blog alone. I'm guessing he has inspired a ridiculous number of authors. So what are you working on at the moment?
S.J. I’m in the middle of revisions for River Road, the second in my series for Tor, and hope to start a third in the series by late summer—unless that YA rattling around in my brain wants to come out first. I’m also a blog-slut! In addition to my own blog, I do a monthly series of blogs called “Fiction Affliction” at Tor.com, and just started a Tor.com read of Stephen King’s Dark Tower series. I read a few chapters a week and post a weekly blog on my reactions as I go. This is a seven book series, so I figure it will take me about three years! My Tor blogs can be found at http://www.tor.com/Suzanne-Johnson. Finally, I have dipped my toe into paranormal romance, and have a series proposal ready to make the rounds.
M.F. Is there anywhere readers can get a taste of your work?
S.J. I have begun a series of short stories based on my urban fantasy series and am posting them on my Preternatura blog, http://www.suzanne-johnson.com. “Chenoire” is a novelette involving a family of Cajun mermen in Southeast Louisiana—one of the mer characters is in River Road. And “Intervention” introduces two major series characters, Jacob and Alexander Warin, a couple of sexy cousins with a fierce, near-sibling rivalry and a little demon problem. Both of them, as well as upcoming stories, can be found under the “Free Read” tabs on my blog.
M.F. Now for some slightly more abstract questions... If you could have one physical possession that you don’t currently own, what would it be?
S.J. LOL. My needs are simple An iPad and a vehicle that gets better mileage than my 2002 Nissan Xterra, much as I love it. Oh, wait! Make that a ten-book publishing contract!
M.F. Well that's just greedy! You gotta leave some contracts out there for the rest of us! ;-)
If you could trade places with any person, living or dead or even fictional, who would it be?
S.J. Hmm. I’d be happy to be a “shellan” of one of JR Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood dudes--I’m not even that picky about which one (well, okay, Rhage). I don’t think I’d want to be any of the heroes or heroines in the books I read because they’re always in serious trouble!
M.F. If you could be a super hero, what super power would you have?
S.J. I’d like to be able to disapparate and apparate. I don’t like to fly—not because I have a fear of crashing but because I’m claustrophobic. So if I could close my eyes and zap myself to NYC or LA (or London), that would be awesome.
M.F. Thanks so much for being here, Suzanne. I’m eagerly awaiting Royal Street to be released!
Thanks, Marissa!
Wednesday, 25 May 2011
Any movie makers out there???
My good twitter friend Daniel (Di) Davidson-Amadi (@TheSplinterCell) has started up a new competition site for film-makers. He's a great guy to get involved with (whether you're a film-maker or not) and he'd love for all you aspiring movie makers out there to get involved!
Here's a bit more info:
You can learn more about it at the facebook page! Or follow the twitter account: @SfSixty
Here's a bit more info:
Hi and welcome to Sixty Second Stories.
In case you're not familiar with it, Sixty Second Stories is a global survey of cinematic storytelling from a new generation of filmmakers.
It's about inspiring new filmmakers all over the world to make short one minute films. Then we'll be pulling the best ones together into a feature which we'll present at the Berlin film festival this year.
You can learn more about it at the facebook page! Or follow the twitter account: @SfSixty
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