Author Interview - Robert Marston Fanney

I am doing the dance. Yip you know the one. It’s the author interview happy dance! Yay.

Everyone say hello to Robert Marston Fanney!

*Clap clap clap*

Did you find the jump from being a writer to being a published author a difficult one to make? 

I started writing Luthiel's Song while in college and continued to work on it over the next ten years. During this time, I held various full-time jobs that added a lot of stress to my life. I think the least stressful of these was my work as a police officer! 

By the end of this time, I'd written a book that my reading group assured me was finally good enough to be published. I submitted it to about one hundred publishers in all. And, in all, I received about one hundred rejection letters! Many of these were kind and encouraging. A few were not. One rejection slip bore the name Robert Finney. I wondered if this was a suggestion for a pseudonym. Finally, after more than a year of rejections and no sign of hope, I decided to start an indie publishing venture. 

Dark Forest Press was born. Over the next six months, we hired editors, artists and designers. Then, we published the first book on our own. That year was tough. But we found a thousand little ways to reach readers and, over time, have done far better than I ever expected.

Has the fantasy genre always been something you have been interested in? 

Absolutely! The first novel I read was 'The Hobbit.' At age 9 I loved it! Bilbo was certainly a character a nine-year-old boy could relate to. After that, I picked up Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain and many, many more. 

What were your emotions when you first held the completed, printed and bound book in your hand? 

It's like holding a magical sword you've forged over years and years of labor and hard work. 

I love that Luthiel is such an independent young woman! What influenced you to write her the way that you did? 

I've been blessed by having strong, positive women in my life. My mother was born in 1947 with Spine Bifida. Her doctors told my grandmother that my mother was ugly and would die. There wasn't much help for Spine Bifida babies back then. But my grandmother didn't give up. She searched and searched and finally found someone to help my mother. A doctor who was working on a new spinal shunt to help Spine Bifida babies performed an experimental surgery on my mother. She recovered from the surgery and is alive and thriving to this day. 

This extraordinary event was just the beginning of an amazing and a heroic life. So I was inspired, in many ways, to write novels that expanded on the heroic qualities I saw in her and in many, many other women. As for my mom, to me, she was the girl who lived.

Do you have a fear of spiders? 

Yes. Ever since I was a small child they've been an object of horror to me. Too many long legs. Too fast. Too predatory and alien. They represent both dominance and a malign intelligence to me. I suppose these notions aren't entirely grounded in facts but I find the idea of spiders and of what they do very unsettling. 

Did you intend Luthiel’s story to span more than one book or did it just grow? 

At first, I wrote it as a short story. Then I wrote a book that was entirely inadequate. Then I settled on the notion of a trilogy. But that didn't seem to be enough either. In the end there will probably be seven or eight books, but with a number of back-stories and tales about characters mentioned in the series. 

I think the story keeps growing because I enjoy the characters so much and because I believe in what they represent, in their struggles. I think it is a reflection of what's going on in this world, and, in part, a reflection of my own hopes and fears, if only fantastically portrayed. 

Hopefully I can finish all that I plan to write! 

If you could walk in one of your characters shoes for a day who would it be? 

Probably Luthiel. She's the one to which I have the least psychic distance (without the obvious exception that she's a woman, which, I'm sure, would take some getting used to). I'd also like to live as Othalas for a day. 100% primal badass. 

Did you have a message that you wished your readers to have got once they had finished your books? 

Follow the good in your heart and believe in the good in others. Love nature, avoid harm, and find balance with your world. If you love someone, don't hold back, give them your all. Don't be afraid to make the right choices or to help those less fortunate, even though everyone around you may be against it. And last of all, don't let the powerful determine your life's path. 

Do you have any further ideas for books once Luthiel’s journey is complete? 

Absolutely. I'm working on a few right now. One series is about Luthiel's father. Another is an urban fantasy. More on that soon! 

Which of the Luthiel books has been your favourite to write?(maybe that’s a little unfair to ask ;)) 

I love them all for different reasons. But the current book -- The Nightmares of Winter -- has been the most difficult due to the situations Luthiel finds herself in. It's a tough story to write because Luthiel's in a lot of tough spots! 

Anything else you would like to add at all? 

May the moonshadow never fall on you... 

Check out luthielssong.com for more information on the series. 

My reviews can be found here - 

Book 1 - Dreams of the Ringed Vale

Book 2 - The War of Mists

Author Interview - Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout

Yip I am doing that dance again.

Author interview time.

Say hello to Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout.

Do you see yourself in any of your characters?

Yvonne: When I was a teenager, I was a lot like Kali in terms of relationships with guys, because I preferred the thrill of the chase to the routine of the catch! I was great with start-up, but whenever a relationship looked like it was going to take off, it wasn't long before I took off too. Luckily, I always managed to turn these guys into good friends.
I also identify with Syd's love of dogs and art, and much like Zahra, I can’t stand conflict in any relationships, romantic, or otherwise.
Sandy: I’m definitely most like Zahra, but I’d love to have Kali’s carefree confidence and Syd’s fierce independence.



Have you always wanted to be an author?

Yvonne: No, although I’ve always loved being creative. I began writing when I was looking for a non-fiction book for my nieces to answer their questions about relationships with boys, friends and family. When I couldn’t find a book with the right, light-hearted tone, I called Sandy and suggested we write one. That led to Totally Me: The Teenage Girl’s Survival Guide. It was a natural fit, since Sandy and I have spent our entire (very long) friendship talking about relationships with boys, friends and family.

Sandy: Yes, I’ve always wanted to be an author, but didn’t put enough work into writing until Yvonne suggested writing Totally Me. After that, I couldn’t wait to try fiction.


In one word, how would you describe your book? And why?

We’d sum up Love, Inc. with the word “Framily”: The book is about friendships that are as strong as family.
Zahra, Syd and Kali experience the breakdown of their own families, followed by deception and heartbreak in their romantic lives. This helps them appreciate how friends can support you through the tough times. They learn to celebrate their differences and leverage them to create a successful business. Together, they’re greater than the sum of their parts.



Would you ever consider using the services of Love, Inc?

Hell, yeah! We’d love to be able to call on Love, Inc. to tidy up a few relationship problems even today. But as teens, it would have been so great to have Syd teach some scoundrels a lesson. And it would have prevented a whole lot of heartache to have Kali set us up with the right kind of guy the next time around.



If you could be one of your characters for a day who would you like to be?

Yvonne: Syd, definitely. I’ve always played too much by the rules. It would be fun to let loose with some spray paint and leave behind some clever graffiti, a la Banksy. And if anyone gave me a hard time about it, I’d channel Syd’s ability to tell them exactly what I think of them!

Sandy: I’m a Syd wannabe, too. I grew up hearing, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” Syd isn’t constrained by nice-girl rules and she doesn’t let fear hold her back. I admire that in a character!


Did you find writing as a team difficult?

After 10 books, we’ve worked out the kinks in our writing method. The hardest part has always been shooting down ideas in a way that isn't hurtful. If you eavesdropped on us brainstorming at Starbucks, you’d hear the word “or” a lot. As in, “That could work. OR... we could try this.” The “or” is code for “your idea sucks,” but it’s a mutually understood technique for keeping things flowing. You can’t get too stuck on one idea when you’re working as a team.



What is the first novel that you can remember making an impact on you?

Yvonne: The entire Little House on the Prairie series. Laura Ingalls Wilder brought her experience to life so vividly. I still shudder thinking about the dark clouds of locusts that destroyed their crops one year.
Sandy: I read each and every book by L.M. Montgomery, and Emily of New Moon is the one that made me want to be a writer.

Check out loveincbook.com for more information!

My review for Love Inc can be found here

Author Interview - Lucy Kevin

*doing the author interview happy dance*

You may remember that a few months ago I reviewed the e-book Gabrielle by Lucy Kevin - a novel based on the story Gigi.

Well, Lucy was kind enough to agree to do an interview for the blog.

Without further ado say hello to Lucy everyone *clap, clap, clap*


Interview

1.       Was writing something that you just fell into doing?
Well, I've always read romance (often at a pace of one book a day, if I can fit it into my schedule!) and I've always been a writer - although I was a songwriter first! But once I started writing romance novels, I was hooked. 

2.        Did you find the leap from being a writer to being a published author daunting?
Some days it feels more daunting then others. :) But the truth is, I absolutely love what I do for a living and I want to continue doing it for a really long time. Of course I'm dealing with deadlines and turnarounds and the production side of publishing, but my education background is as an Economics major at Stanford so I'm okay with that side of the business.

3.       What influenced you the most when writing Gabrielle? Gigi the book or Gigi the movie/musical?
I'm an author so of course I'm going to say the book (but it's true, too...the book!)

4.       Though the idea of courtesans is a fascinating one I would think it would be a difficult subject to present (I loved the way you did this), how did you find writing about it?
I got my start writing sexy romance novels and we're fortunate that little is too taboo nowadays so I wasn't uncomfortable with writing about courtesans. I was mainly concerned with getting Gabrielle's feelings right - what would it be like to know you were descended from a family of courtesans and to feel trapped by that destiny? The history of courtesans is really fascinating and there was a time that being a courtesan meant you were a successful, independent woman of power so I wanted to present that side of it, too.

5.       The very idea of having songs to go along with the story was brilliant, I was wondering though what came first? The songs or the story?
Thanks so much for saying that. I hadn't realized how much I missed songwriting and singing until I started this project. I wrote the songs to be sung by Gabrielle so I had to know where she was emotionally at each point in the story, but I had all the stories written and recorded before the final draft of the manuscript. It was a little chicken and egg that way.

6.       Who would you choose? The bad boy or the good guy?
Depends - what am I choosing him for? :) 

7.       Your favourite literary love triangle?
Can I say Tristan and Isolde? That's the mother of modern love triangles, right? 

8.       What Disney heroine do you most identify with?
Like Ariel in The Little Mermaid - I love to sing! 

9.       If you could live in a novel, what novel would it be?
One of mine, haha! The guys are so hot in them.. 

10.   Biscuits or cake?
Cake. With frosting. Chocolate frosting!

Author Interview - C.A. Kunz

The wonderful duo that is Carol and Adam (C.A. Kunz) kindly agreed to answer some questions for me...


So here goes. 

1. Did you write your own blurb?

Carol and Adam: Yes, we did indeed write our own blurb. After many days of trying to figure out how to sum up our entire novel into three short paragraphs (no easy task mind you), we finally settled on what you see on the back cover. We went through several edits, and too be honest we’re still not 100% satisfied with how the blurb turned out, but we are about 95%, haha!

2. What made you chose to write about a heroine opposed to a hero?

Carol and Adam: Well, to be honest, we don’t really think we were the ones who chose. Cat Colvin really just came to life as we began hammering out the details for The Childe. We had this great idea for a story, and it just so happened that our protagonist turned out to be a female. I (Adam) will say one thing though, we might have been influenced by the strong female leads in shows like Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Charmed, and Dark Angel (which were some of our favorite shows to watch together back in the day). I (Adam) think we could have easily written this story with a hero, but to be honest, I don’t think it would have been as effective. Also, I (Adam) think writing for a character of the opposite sex is a lot of fun, because you get to tap into, and connect with a part of yourself that you might not normally get to.

3. What was the first book that truly made an impact on you?

Carol:  The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. I’ve read the whole series so many times that I have lost count.  My original copies, which are over 45 years old, look absolutely ancient now. Because my dad was in the military, I moved around constantly with my family and this entire series definitely helped with the transition. They felt like old friends, and it’s what I needed to cope with my constant upheaval. J

Adam: Well, growing up I used to love reading anything about things that go bump in the night. I was a huge fan of the Goosebumps series and also the Fear Street series by R.L Stine. But if you really want to know what book had a huge impact me, I would have to say Harry Potter (I know it’s a stereotypical answer). This series single-handedly got me back into reading. For a while I put off books for school work, but once J.K. Rowling introduced Harry to the world, I was hooked, and school work took a back seat! Also, being picked to help decorate the entire Wizarding World Of Harry Potter park at Universal Studios in Orlando, FL, only further cemented my love for this series, and the impact it has had on my life and writing!  

4. Was writing as a duo a sudden decision or something you fell in to?

Carol and Adam: Writing as a mother and son duo was definitely something we planned from the get-go. When Adam called me up one day and said that we’re going to write a book, he was very adamant (no pun intended). He said there was going to be no discussion about if we were going to or not going to, we just were. I giggled at how unyielding he was being. That is, until I heard the idea he had. To say the least, I (Carol) was totally sold. This idea was right up our alley in terms of genre we both loved to read/write/watch. Writing a book was something he knew I have always dreamed of doing, and because of him, my dream has come true. What a wonderful son, I am truly blessed. J

5. What were your emotions when you first held the completed, printed and bound book in your hand?

Carol: I was speechless, and in a state of awe. I walked around the house repeating, ‘we wrote a book, we wrote a book.’  I also slept with my proof copy beside my pillow for many nights. I still look at our book and can’t believe it, and the fact that we’ve almost finished the second, is even more of an awesome feeling! J

Adam: The proof copy of the book arrived at my house first, and was waiting at my front door step for me after work. I immediately tore through the box it was delivered in, and proceeded to marvel at the sight before me. I don’t think I have ever felt that excited about something before in my life, and it was truly a great feeling! I called my mom shortly after and we both squealed together on the phone. It was kind of funny really. I joked with her that I was going to wait until the weekend (it was a Wednesday) to bring it over to her, since I live 45 minutes away, and I had to work the next day. She was so mad at me (jokingly of course), because I got to hold it first. I surprised her by taking the book to her that very night, and we jumped up and down together singing, we have a book, we have a book. To say the least it was quite an emotional experience, and one that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

6. Would you describe yourself as an introvert or an extrovert?

Carol: I’d say for the first half of my life I was an introvert, shy and quiet unless around family and friends. During the second half, I have definitely turned into more of an extrovert, even more so after my accident 16 years ago, when I broke my neck and had two major surgeries. I died on the table during the second surgery, and since then I am not scared of dying, in fact I’m not really scared of anything anymore. I love to interact with everyone I meet. Making people smile by giving them smiley face pennies makes my day, and hopefully theirs as well.  J

Adam: For most of my life I have been loud and outspoken. There are times though where I can definitely be an introvert, but I live most of my life as an extrovert. I love mingling with people, and most of the time I can even easily talk in front of crowds (though I do still get a tad nervous from time to time).

7. I loved how Cat is so close to all of her friends, what made you decide to have her surrounded by such a quirky group of characters?

Carol: I think we all would love to have friends like Cat’s. I know I would have while I was growing up. As I mentioned earlier, I moved so much during my childhood, and always wished I had friends that I could’ve grown up with. Cat’s friends have so many differences, but they seem to click perfectly to me. J

Adam: We wanted Cat to be surrounded by love, and not heartbreak and sadness (like so many YA novels do these days). We wanted her story to be a tad different, and start her out with a solid foundation of friends and family, so that when things got tough, she would have people to support her and be there for her. Mom and I both hold friendship in high regard, especially since we both moved a lot as kids and had to make new friends a lot. It wasn’t until high school and college until I met my core group of friends that I keep in constant contact with. Actually, Cat’s friends are a combination of many of my closest friend’s personalities, which made writing their parts all that more fun to do. I could envision how they would interact with a character like Cat, and this made these scenes resonate highly with me, and made me feel a part of their group.

8. Did your ideas and visions for the book clash over specific sections of the book?

Carol and Adam: Of course, especially during the first book because it was all so new, and we were creating this whole world from scratch. We would list specific scenes that we clashed on here, but we don’t want to ruin them for possible readers because they are some of the bigger scenes in the first book. But we will say that we did indeed have different ideas on how things should play out during certain scenes, and how certain chapters should end, but we worked out the differences, and we believe it made our book better. When we do have disagreements though, we take a time-out, and then resume with clear heads. Most clashes are taken care of very quickly because we have such a great rapport with one another, and we actually talk it out. Fortunately for us, we didn’t disagree on the whole book, because if we had, we’d probably still be working on it haha!

9. Any ideas for a future series?

Carol and Adam: Well, we have four more books planned for The Childe series (five total), with the second one almost finished. We do, however, have a few ideas for other books that we intend to pursue after wrapping up Cat’s adventure. They will all be geared toward the YA crowd, since we have so much fun writing for this age group! Unfortunately, these titles are way too early in development to actually give any details about them.

10. If you could walk in one of your characters shoes for a day who would it be?

Carol: Cat, definitely. I was the complete opposite to her when I was in high school. I absolutely love her confidence, and how strong she is.J

Adam: I would have to say Jewels (weird, I know!). The reason being is because who doesn’t want to experience the world through an animal’s eyes at least once in their lifetime. I think it would be great to be a Cat that can come and go as they please, nap whenever, and get taken care of! Not to mention all the things Cats can do. I’m just saying it would be neat to be a Cat for at least a day.

Thank you Carol and Adam for taking the time to answer some of my more random questions :).


I can't wait to continue reading Cat's story in books 2!

  

Author Interview - Ann Mauren

*Skips along, throwing daisies from a basket with blue birds fluttering around my head and forest animals following behind*

Y'all remember how I was singing and dancing about the Mayne Attraction series by Ann Mauren?

Well, Ann kindly agreed to answer some questions for me.
I KNOW RIGHT!

Interview


When you began writing In the Spotlight was it a spontaneous process or did you have to work yourself up to begin writing?

It was quite spontaneous. I had finished reading a certain saga (that shall remain nameless due to its polarizing nature) and thought “I wonder if I could write something that I enjoyed as much as this?”


What message do you want readers to go away with at the end of your book?

If you are young and especially if you are female, develop yourself into the grown-up you want to be long before you pursue romance. Reversing those steps rarely ever works out.

With the YA scene being filled with so much of the paranormal element did you feel some trepidation over how your book would be received?

I’m hoping the change to a real world feel will be refreshing and relatable to YA readers. I like to joke and say that my characters do all their own stunts (without special paranormal powers!)


As it is unfair to ask whether you would chose Grayson or Ash if you were in Ellery's shoes... I'll ask, who would you chose, Mr Darcy or Mr Rochester?

I would choose Fitzwilliam Darcy every day and twice on Sunday! Though both men are revealed to be deeply misunderstood, the uncovering of Mr. Darcy’s character never ceases to satisfy and please me, no matter how many times I read it.


I loved that Ellery was a sleepwalker (I thought it was pretty cute). What made you give her this disorder?

I was a sleepwalker as a girl, so I am familiar with the many humorous variables this behavior can create. Books two and three of the series will bring more of Ellery’s sleepwalking hijinks to light.


If you could walk in any other author’s shoes for a day (past or present), who would it be?

One of my very favorite authors is Bill Bryson who is particularly known for his humorous brand of travel writing. I would have loved to walk in his shoes the day he visited the island of Capri, off the coast Italy.

Why did you opt to go down the self publishing route over the traditional route?

I am ‘do it yourself’ oriented by nature, so it was very much in keeping with my style to pursue this new endeavor in the most accessible, rejection free manner available: self-publishing.

Would you say that the satisfaction of independently publishing your book was worth the extra work that you had to put in?

I am also a perfectionist and a control freak about my work, so yes, though the extra effort was par for the course, I find it very satisfying. And I have a completely new respect for publishing in general and authors in particular.


Did you plan on making Ellery's story span three books or did it just happen?

I originally envisioned just two books, each one written from Ellery’s and Ash’s perspectives. But as I began working my way through the story, it became clear that Gray’s perspective was too important to leave out. So he got his own book in the middle, though I’ve regretted this decision a time or two when I’ve had trouble getting into his mind. He’s complicated.


If you could describe your book in one word what would it be and why?

For ‘Spotlight’ the word is “Misconception”. The main character suffers from chronic misconceptions about her own abilities and value as a person, and the way she is perceived by others. Her security team completely underestimates her capabilities and intentions. Gray miscalculates her reaction to his reappearance in her life.

For the Mayne Attraction series as a whole the word is “Layers.” When you apply Gray’s filter over Ellery’s story, and then rest Ash’s perspective over top of that, what you will get is a rich tale with many layers of emotion, intention and detail. I want it to be fun, even amusing at times, to reread the first two volumes after having completed the third to see how seemingly minor details and dialogue take on new life through the application of these layers.

Anything else you would like to add?

One of the recurring comments in reviews has been the fact that the opening scene in the book’s prologue is seemingly never discussed again. Let me clear the air on this, if I may. The main body of the story is told from Ellery’s perspective, and as she was sleepwalking through that scene, she is unable to give further details of it in her narration, though she does meet up with Artan and Dritan Agoli again at the drug store, and glimpses their cousin Besnik at Kings Island. So in truth, they are not completely dropped or forgotten. And the brothers Agoli will play a major role in books two and three, where full disclosure of who they are and what they want will be made. (Wow, it feels good to get that off my chest!)

If you’d like to check out the world of Mayne Attraction, please stop by www.MayneAttraction.com and have a look around. Be sure to leave a quick comment somewhere so I know you were there. It makes my day—it really does!
Thanks very much for this opportunity to “blether” about my book!

Thank you very much Ann for your time and for answering my questions! I can't wait to read more of Ellery's story.