Author Interview with Lila Munro

Image by stuartaken via Flickr

Lila Munro is a writer of contemporary romance currently residing on the coast of North Carolina. She is currently under contract for two novels with Wild Horse Press, and a third with Whiskey Creek Press. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading everything she can get her hands on, trips to the museum and aquarium, taking field research trips, and soaking up the sun on the nearby beaches. She loves to hear from her readers.

Tell us about your current title.

The Executive Officer’s Wife is set in Jacksonville, NC and rotates around the military community based there. The heroine, Libby Calhoun, is the daughter of a USMC sniper being held captive. Chase Wayland, the hero, is a former marine turned bodyguard who has been charged with her safety. The road to happily ever after is a bumpy one for them and is filled with twists, turns, and plenty of surprises. There’s also a host of colorful supporting characters that help them find their way.

What qualities do you need to be a successful writer?

I think in order for success to greet one, they must possess patience, persistence, discipline, and the ability to take criticism and use it as a learning tool.

How can people buy your books?

At present The Executive Officer’s Wife is available in ebook format through www.amazon.com , www.allromanceebooks.com , www.1romanceebooks.com , and www.omnilit.com . This fall it should come available in paperback. Bound By Trust, due out in October, will be available at all the same outlets and will also be available at www.whiskeycreekpress.com .

To what extent are grammar and spelling important to a writer?

In my mind being a good writer means having a good command of the written language. Grammar and spelling are extremely important. Yes, editors exist, and their purpose in life is to edit, however, an editor will never see your work if it doesn’t make it past the submissions desk due to shoddy grammar or poor spelling. Learn grammar—there’s a ton of resources available in libraries, book stores, and all over the web. Another option is to take a basic grammar class at community college. As far as spelling goes—there’s a terrific resource called the dictionary. I highly recommend its usage.

How much revision of your MS do you do before you send it off?

I am my own worst critic. First I revise as I write, then do a complete read through with more revisions. After that I leave it to soak a while, then more revising. Sometimes I have to make myself let it go. I owe it to myself to send off the best manuscript I possibly can.

Where and when is your novel set and why did you make the specific choices?

One piece of advice I try very hard to adhere to is to write what you know. Being married to the military, I know about marines. It only seemed natural that I would tap them for heroes. The setting is present day and the place is Jacksonville, NC, the home of the USMC east coast. I’ve lived in and around the area for many years, therefore I felt I could give my readers accurate descriptions and present a realistic experience to them.

How do you know where to begin any story?

That’s a tough one. I think it requires some degree of instinct. Sometimes I sit down and the story basically starts itself, other times it’s a real struggle to get the first few lines typed. One rule I try to adhere to is always begin at a point of conflict. It draws the reader in because they wonder what is this conflict, what caused it, and they need to know how it will be resolved.

Do you think writing is a natural gift or an acquired skill?

I believe anyone can acquire the skills needed to be a writer. Anyone can learn the technical aspects—grammar, spelling, how to formulate a sentence. However, although they possess the skills necessary, that doesn’t make them a good writer. I believe there is a driving force that lives inside a writer. You can call it a natural gift, an inner voice, the muse, or an insatiable desire to make words say something, the fact is, it exists. On the other hand, it is also possible to possess this natural gift and not possess the necessary skills to make it work. Writers must, absolutely must, hone their craft by learning their craft. I cannot stress this enough.

What are you writing now?

I have tons of stuff simmering away on my literary stove top. My main focus right now is a series called The Sergeants of Lima Co. It’s about three marines who each find who they believe to be the girl to fulfill all their fantasies before they deploy again. The problem is these women not only come with more baggage than Coach, they worm their way into these boys’ hearts. I believe these books will live up to the standards and expectations my reader’s have, spicy, monogamous relationships with plenty of conflict and happily ever afters.

Do you have a website or blog that readers can visit?

I certainly do. I have my own personal website filled with useful goodies: my blog, excerpts, video trailers, and links to other great sites. I can be reached there at www.lilamunro.weebly.com . In addition to that, I also participate in a joint effort website with three other great gals. We call ourselves the wicked muses and everyone can check that out at www.wickedmuses.webs.com . I highly encourage everyone to become a member at Wicked Muses as we have some fabulous events and give aways planned for this fall and winter.

Given unlimited resources, what would be your ideal writing environment?

With unlimited resources I would buy an ocean front home on the outer banks of North Carolina and set my office up facing the water. I’m very drawn to the ocean. When I need to center and refocus that’s where I go.

Thanks so much for having me today. If it’s alright I’d like to share a sneak peek into The Executive Officer’s Wife.

“Hey, cowboy.”  With a smile as fresh at midnight as it had been at eight she quickly fixed a Jack straight up on the rocks and set in before him.  “I believe that’s right.”

“Yes, you remembered,” Chase spoke over the crowd and jukebox.  “Are you allowed to take a break?  Or will you get off soon?”

“Uncle Murray,” she shot the older man a grin, “Do you think you can spare me a while?”  What was she doing?

Murray’s eyes darted from her to Chase and back again.  He feigned a scowl and tried to act irritated.  “Just as soon as that tip jar is full.” 

“Well, cowboy, there you go, fill my jar and I’m free for the rest of the evening.”  How he would accomplish it was beyond her.

“Lady, you got yourself a deal.”

Confidently he strode to the karaoke stage, his ostrich skin cowboy boots clicking a cadence.  He picked up the microphone and flipped it on.  “Excuse me, gentlemen.  I realize I’m a newbie here, but it seems the lovely Miss Libby has thrown down the javelin and issued a challenge.”  He held his glass toward her, smiled that wicked grin, winked one of those enrapturing eyes and continued in that honeyed accent.  “I was just wondering if I could get you all to help me fill her tip jar so Uncle Murray will let her dance with me.”

Barks of approval raised the roof as marine after marine lined up at the bar and dropped bills in her jar until it could hold no more.  The last person in line was Chase, and he topped it off with another twenty.

“Okay, lady, how about that dance?”

She smiled and shook her head.  “Well, you did your part.”

Grinning, Murray busied himself with pouring a Jack straight up on the rocks topped with a wedge of lemon, while she vaulted herself backward upon the bar, spun around and slid provocatively down feeling his eyes touching her.  She extended her left arm upward just as Murray slid the tumbler in her hand.

Chase’s eyes smoldered.  “A Jack girl, my kind of woman.”

She knew she was playing with a powder keg, and, yet, she couldn’t help herself.  It had been five long years since so much as a fleeting spark had caught in her middle, and here she was fostering what could quickly become a raging forest fire.  Glass in her left hand, she extended her right and placed it on the offered arm.

“Shall we?”  He asked.

“Certainly,” she scrutinized his tawny face for a moment, “Strange man, from…Texas perhaps?”

“I have a name.”

“I don’t need to know it.”

Why the name game?  He didn’t care, this way things would be less complicated.  He just knew that the tightening he felt in his groin hadn’t subsided since he had first laid eyes on her. Not that it made a bit of sense.  He had been alone hunkered down in the field for weeks and months at a time and the thought of needing a woman never crossed his mind.  And now he was on impersonal assignments for lengthy periods of time and when the need did cross his mind he knew where to find comfort with no strings attached.  The women he sought certainly were not marriage material.  Marriage?  Where did that come from?  Three days on the road and too much humidity must have been playing with his ability to think clearly.

Chase was definitely not in the market for a wife, and was constantly turning down the endless string of women his father relentlessly pushed off on him. Repeated explanations as to why he could not--would not--marry fell on deaf ears.  It simply wouldn’t be fair to marry someone that would be neglected due to his line of work. That was what he told him anyway.  They both knew it wasn’t the truth, but an excuse so that he could push the real reason into the recesses of his subconscious.

“I obviously know your name.”

“Yes, well, Libby is not my given name, so we’re even.”

“And, what is your given name?”

“You don’t need to know.”

New to these parts, or not, he would eventually find out from someone anyway.  Then this fairy tale fantasy, where this man knew her as Libby and not as the Master Guns’ daughter, would subside because he, like everyone else, would start treating her like his sister.  But, does it matter what happens before then?

Writers Plus Writers Equals Writers

Reading the following article from the weekly newsletter of Funds For Writers Small Markets, by C. Hope Clark, I thought it deserved as wide an audience as possible. So, with her kind permission, I reproduce it here for your consideration. The website, by the way, has been one of Writers’ Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers for the past 10 years.

Writers have an incestuous relationship with other writers.
Ever noticed how writers sell to each other? Read each
other? Study each other?

I can't tell you how many times someone has asked me to
advertise his fiction. FundsforWriters has nothing to
do with fiction. The readers aren't seeking fiction when
they visit the website or open a newsletter. FundsforWriters
is a bad advertising choice for anything other than writing
products.

Writers feel more comfortable amongst other writers.
Writers painfully open their creative souls to criticism
when they publish. So instead of baring themselves to
complete strangers, way too many writers remain protected
in their circle of fellow scribes, knowing their peers
understand what it takes to publish. The fear is less
palpable.

Step back a moment and analyze what type of writer you
are. Identify your market. Usually it's not writers.
You go to websites, forums, chats, and so on to find
writers. Do the same with similar venues, only find
those containing your stereotypical reader.

I have news for you. It's easier to appear as an expert
to nonwriters than to your peers anyway. Be bold. Promote
yourself to the folks who need your information, your
stories, your entertainment and inspiration.

Another newsflash . . . writers aren't wealthy. We
can only sell so much to other writers. Ever been to
a writers conference and seen the endless tables of
books for sale? Writers trying to sell to writers when
they ought to be seeking their true readership.

Step out. Target your reader. Go for them and draw
them in. Camaraderie is one thing; incest is another.
Expand your gene pool. You'll be stronger and more
successful when you do. Other writers aren't going
to make you more famous. They're too busy clamoring
up the ladder themselves.

    Hope Clark

Interview with Author, Sarah Barnard

Sarah Barnard is a single mother living, working and writing in Middle England. She describes the place as a bit like Middle Earth in its beauty but without the walking trees. She tries to live a green life, growing some of her own crops, keeping chickens for eggs and doing as much reducing, reusing and recycling as she can. A Pisces and a rooster, depending on the preferred zodiac system, her favourite colours are green and purple. She’s been writing since a very good friend dared her to take part in the National Novel Writing Month challenge - 50,000 words in 30 days; an experience she describes as so intense it's unreal. That was in November 2005 and The Portal Between resulted. She’s completed the same challenge every year since.

Tell us about “The Map and The Stone” in a few sentences.

My latest book to be released is “The Map and The Stone” an urban fantasy written for my own children.

It tells the story of Rhys, a ten year old boy, who sees things moving from the corner of his eye and when he looks closer he often finds things too. We find out that he’s being watched by a goblin like creature that calls itself a Darkling. The creature is trapped in a brightly lit space between Rhys’ world and its own and it needs to get home, and so do its friends. Rhys is the only person they’ve found who can see them properly and they ask him for help.

Rhys lives with his Mum after his Dad left them and they struggle from day to day, emotionally as well as financially but with the Darkling’s help Rhys makes new friends and so does his Mum.

The Map and The Stone is a spin off from my main Portal Series.

How did you come to write this particular book?

I’d already written and released two books and my son complained that I won’t let him read them. So I promised him a book that he could read.

How long does it normally take you to write a novel?

Normally? How long is a piece of string? There is no normal when writing, it takes as long as it takes.

The Map and The Stone, however, was written in 28 days.

Yes, really, 28 days of very little sleep and being so hyper focused that even my friends despaired and longed for the end of the month.

I started writing it on November 1^st 2009 and finished the first rough draft on November 28^th 2009, with a few minutes to spare before I was due to leave the house for a hospital appointment. It was written as part of the NaNoWriMo challenge which I try to do every year.

Where and when is your novel set and why did you make these specific choices?

It’s set now and here because the main Portal series it came from is set here and now. I wanted the book to be easily read by my son and his class mates and for them to be able to relate to Rhys as if he was one of them. I wanted that “this could be me!” feeling.

What is your working method?

I write organically. I’ve tried planning it out, I’ve tried making rudimentary notes, character maps and nothing else works for me. When I write by the seat of my pants it just flows and the stories tell themselves.

Is that what you mean by “method”? If not, I have no idea.

Tell me about your writing habits, Sarah.

Obsessive. I write every day if I can and have a notebook and pen in my bag if there’s the remotest chance of five minutes writing time.

Is there any aspect of writing that you really enjoy?

The creation, the raw power that comes with inventing people, places, relationships. That rush when it works and I’m actually telling myself to write faster because I need to know what happens next. Those moments when a character really comes to life from the keyboard and becomes real in my head. I love all of that.

Then I also love that moment when it’s done, edited, cover sorted and finally finished and ready to release to the world. I love the feeling that I’ve succeeded and that is just spiced by that uncertainty that people won’t like this one.

If there’s a single aspect to writing that really frustrates you, what is it?

I hate editing. I hate having to re-read the same thing over and over. I hate that part. That’s the worst part of writing. Writers block I can get round, distractions too, but I so wish I could avoid the editing.

How do you know where to begin any given story?

I begin at the beginning and then write until I find the end. It’s how I work.

Sometimes I give myself a finishing line. With The Map and The Stone I set myself a target of finishing the whole story within 50,000 words and I did. With my other two books I’ve just kept going until I reached a natural stopping point.

To what extent are grammar and spelling important to a writer?

To the writer, not vitally important. To the reader? That’s a slightly different question. Also, how important in the written word?  Best selling books have been written in dialects and with intentionally odd grammar or punctuation. I read a book once that had no capital letters in, at all. It wasn’t easy to read.

So, I’d say that although they’re not that vital to the writer they are vital to the finished product so the writer needs someone to polish that raw gem they’ve created with the grammar, spelling and punctuation so that the reader can enjoy it without difficulties jolting them from the story.

Where do you actually write, Sarah?

Usually, right here. Sitting here in the corner of my living room at the computer, with a fresh mug of hot Earl Grey tea at my elbow which often goes stone cold before I remember it’s there.

I have written on beaches, in woodland, in the local park while my kids play on the swings and kick a football about. I have written in libraries, coffee shops, motorway service stations. But mainly I write at home, on the computer.

What sort of displacement activities keep you from actually writing?

Hang on while I wash up, make a fresh mug of tea, mow the grass, hoover the floor, wander round Facebook …. Ooh is that something shiny….

You were saying? We all do it don’t we?

Do you think writing is a natural gift or an acquired skill?

Yes.

I’m serious. Some writers have that natural talent with words and that can be honed and polished. Some people are capable of learning how to write and develop those skills. So I think both.

If you have a favourite character in your novel, why that particular one?

My favourite character in the whole series, and she does turn up in The Map and The Stone, is Lily. She just wanders in and saves the day, makes tea and cake when it’s needed and is the best friend anyone would want. The best thing is she wasn’t going to be a main character, she was a very flat description who was there to baby sit the kids while my planned main character went off to discover magical things. But Lily wandered in with more depth than I’d planned and hiding secrets and mystery and she opened up aspects to the story that made it what it is now.

What are you writing now?

This interview.

Oh, in terms of books? I knew that…

I’m currently working on the third Portal book first draft and I’m about 75% done I think. It’s turning into a very different feeling book than the other two and I hope people won’t be disappointed. The first two Portal books are full of fast paced action and blistering magical battles. Not so much with the third one.

How much revision of your MS do you do before you send it off?

Probably not as much as I should and more than I want to.

Given unlimited resources, what would be your ideal writing environment?

A better computer and a more comfy chair, and a bigger mug. All in a large house, set in it’s own grounds with a view of trees and lots of chickens scratching about outside, beside the greenhouse that stands next to the veg garden and near the small apple orchard.

Hmm, I can dream, one day maybe.

So, Sarah, how can people buy your books?

All three of my books are available through Amazon as Kindle books and two are also available as paperback through Amazon. Go to my Author page and all the books are on there.

Other ebook formats are available through Smashwords

All my books are available as paperbacks through my own website too.

You have a website: do you also have a blog that readers can visit?

Yes.

My website is http://sarahbarnard.co.uk and my blog is on there too. I also have a Facebook page

Thanks for this opportunity Stuart, I think I’ve waffled on for quite long enough. But if anyone wants to ask anything else they can always post on my Facebook or leave a comment on my blog. 

Goodreads, A Community For Readers & Writers

Image via Wikipedia

If you’ve never visited the Goodreads website, you’ve missed a real treat. This is a place, ostensibly, for readers to list, comment on and share their opinions about books they have actually read. It’s also a place for authors to promote their own titles. But it is so much more than that.

The insights from real readers are so useful for a writer and give wonderful guidance to other readers about what might be worth trying and what is definitely for the bin. The variety of reviews is so wide that it encompasses all levels of understanding of the written word. The fact that the reviewers on this site are all, by definition, lovers of books, makes their views of real value to authors.

There are opportunities for social networking here; all members can have their own blog, if they so desire, and there’s something very satisfying about adding a title of a loved, or loathed, book to your own growing list of reads and awarding the appropriate number of stars. I especially loved being able to award a single star to a particular novel by a greatly oversold author. And I have had the pleasure of adding books I read years ago to the lists, introducing them to new readers in the process. If you want to add a review, you can, but there’s no pressure to do so.

Books are listed under the website first when searching, but you can also search Amazon and Barnes & Noble to add books that don’t yet appear on the site.

Writers can, if they qualify, have their own ‘author’s profile page’ where they can market their own titles and receive genuine feedback from readers who are actively seeking books to read and review.

This is a really positive site with a great feeling to it. It is serious without being precious and, as more and more readers and writers join, it grows in terms of book titles and opinions expressed.

If you love books, this is definitely the place for you. But, beware, it can be addictive, so proceed with caution!

stuartaken.co.uk

stuartaken.co.uk

Interview with Author, Nick Quantrill

Nick Quantrill, accountant by day, is a recent addition to Hull's literary heritage. Most newbie writers blindly send their MS to publishers or agents hoping someone will decide to publish it, but Nick decided to build a readership first. He set up a website, put his work on it and received compliments for his short stories. So, when he approached a publisher, he could also send a batch of positive comments about his writing. A Hull man (for those outside the UK, Hull - population over 300,000 - is a large port on the east coast of England), he spent his early years playing football for a local team. But, approaching 30, he decided it was time to do something else and took an Open University course on social policy and criminology to help him follow his dream of becoming a writer. He’d always enjoyed crime fiction so he started writing stories in his spare time and put them on his website. In 2006 he won the Harper Collins Crime Tour short story competition.

Tell us about Broken Dreams in a few sentences.

“Broken Dreams” is my debut published novel. It features Hull-based Private Investigator, Joe Geraghty. When the woman Joe is following for a client is found murdered, he finds himself in the middle of a police investigation which stretches back to the days when the city had a thriving fishing industry. The woman is married to a prominent local businessman, so the trail leads Joe into the city’s regeneration plans. It becomes a broad sweep of the city’s recent history and maybe a look at its future. Joe’s a man with his own demons, though. His wife died in a house fire and as he digs deeper, he realises that the case might give him the answers he needs.

How did you come to write this particular book?

I’d written the obligatory failed novel and a fair few short stories, and they’d all been set in my home city of Hull. It’s the city I know best and a city which fascinates me as much as London or New York does. I needed to step things up, so my mind had been slowly turning to the fishing industry. Its legacy still defines the city to a large extent, so it was an area I wanted to hit. I read a lot of books and articles in early 2008 on the subject and found the hook I wanted.

If you have a favourite character in your novel, why that particular one?

Image by stuartaken via Flickr
As “Broken Dreams” is a written from the perspective of Joe Geraghty, I have to say he’s my favourite character. I wanted to make Joe a real person, with real worries, like you and I have. Joe has to roll with the punches, like in all good PI novels, but he doesn’t encounter serial killers or beat up a never ending stream of bad guys. I think what makes him my favourite is that writing about him over a period of time gives me the opportunity to see how he develops and how he discovers more about himself. It felt comfortable from the start; there seems to be plenty of mileage in him. I have noticed that a lot of readers like one of the bad guys, Don Salford. Don’s an ageing man in “Broken Dreams”, but I just might use him elsewhere or in another project...

What are your writing habits?

I work full-time, so I suppose my writing habits are based outside of the 9-to-5 cycle. I tend to write Monday to Thursday nights, usually once I’ve eaten, through to about 10pm. By the time Friday night comes, I’m only fit for sleeping. I usually work hard over the weekend, getting a lengthy writing spell in on at least one of the days. Outside of that, it’s whenever and wherever I can. If I’m on holiday, I’m usually writing something. If I have some of my lunch-hour free, I’ll write. If I’m not writing, I might be researching or reviewing. There’s always something to do. I don’t believe in writer’s block. I just try to make the best of what time I have available.

Given unlimited resources, what would be your ideal writing environment? Where do you actually write?

I often find myself gazing at inspiring views, thinking it’d be great to look out over The Lakes, The Peak District, Manhattan etc etc as I write, but I think I’m learning that it’s more about the striving. If you stop striving and feel satisfied, you might as well give up. I currently write on a laptop in my front room. That means my wife is also in the room, going about her business, and I’m usually bothered by my cat, who seems jealous of the fact she’s not the on my lap. In an ideal world, maybe having my own study would be a nice compromise.

Do you have support, either from family and friends or a writing group?

I always thought writing would be a quiet pastime, which in many ways it is, but I’ve learnt that you’re anything but isolated. In terms of actual writing, I rely on my wife and a friend to give it to me straight before it goes out to a wider audience. I’ve never really felt the need to be part of a writing group. I’m much happier trusting my own instincts. In a wider context, my publisher has been great in helping me improve my work and I’ve always relied on an excellent support network for developing my website and photography etc.

Do you think writing is a natural gift or an acquired skill?

I think it’s very much an acquired skill, but you can acquire that skill in different ways. Formal learning, be it in education or in a writing group is an obvious way of honing your craft, but I’ve always been a prolific reader. I’ve tried to learn the nuts and bolts of writing by studying the good and the bad within the published world and then apply it through practice. I’m not sure you can become a writer without being a reader. I suspect being a genre writer makes it easier to see the path you need to take, but even if you buy into the concept of having a natural gift, it’s nothing if it’s not backed up by hard work.

What is the single biggest mistake made by beginners to writing?

I think it’s expecting too much too soon. I often have people tell me they’re writing a novel, but when we get into the detail, they often confess they’ve never attempted so much as a short story beforehand. It’s like running the London Marathon because you fancied a jog one morning! I know it’s hard not be impatient, but writing short stories helps you learn how to write something from start to finish in miniature. I suspect the vast majority of unfinished novels remain unfinished simply because the writer hasn’t developed the tools to get from A to B. I think you’ve also got to accept that you’ll put a lot in at the beginning for what seems like little in return. I cringe at the thought of some of the earlier stuff I produced, but it was a foundation to build on. Patience is the key.

What are you writing now?

I’m just finishing the next Joe Geraghty novel, ‘The Late Greats’, which will hopefully be published summer 2011. “The Late Greats” sees Geraghty searching the city for a missing musician before his band’s big comeback is compromised. It’s a story about friendship, loyalty and asks what really counts as success. I’m turning my thoughts to book three and will hopefully be on with it by the autumn. I’m also busy working on short stories. “Sucker Punch”, which is a Geraghty short, will appear in the 2011 “Best of British Crime Anthology” alongside the likes of Ian Rankin, Alexander McCall Smith and Simon Kernick, and another Geraghty short, “Police and Thieves”, will be appearing in an American collection around the same time.

Do you have a website or a blog that readers can visit?

I have a website, www.hullcrimefiction.co.uk, which has all the usual stuff on it - there’s an extract from “Broken Dreams”, free short stories and interviews to read. I don’t have a blog, but I’m available on Facebook. I’m not difficult to find!

Info

“Broken Dreams” is available from all good bookshops priced £7.99 (Caffeine Nights Publishing).

Buy online (paperback):

Buy online (download):  

A Bit of Encouragement

Having spent the day with my brother, ripping up carpets and emptying my step-mother's flat, as she is now in residential care, I am somewhat weary. So, here I give you a short piece of unpublished fiction for your entertainment. I'd be interested in your views.

A Bit of Encouragement

‘It’s great. You’ll like it.’

‘Don’t think so.’

‘Scared?’

‘Have to be a bit thick not to be; staring death in the face.’

‘Jeez, it’s only a fag.’

‘Makes you ill and can kill you.’

‘They just say that. Any case; doesn’t happen to everyone. My dad says Winston Churchill smoked all his life and lived till he was a hundred.’

‘Ninety one. Anyway, exceptions are supposed to prove the rule, aren’t they?’

‘Everyone does it.’

‘Josh doesn’t. Kate doesn’t. Sam doesn’t...’

‘Like you said, exceptions prove the rule.’

‘Makes you smell. My dad’s like, he’d never kiss a woman who smoked, even if she was real fit and offered it on a plate.’

‘Your dad said that? Cool.’

‘He’s like, it’d be like kissing an ashtray.’

‘Not if you smoke yourself.’

‘Non-smokers taste different, do they?’

‘Don’t know. Can’t tell.’

‘See, that’s the other thing. Stunts your sense of smell. Nothing tastes like it should.’

‘So, you’re not going to try it?’

‘I’ll try it, if you’ll try something for me.’

‘Yeah. Right. Fair enough.’

‘Up for it, then?’

‘Yeah, whatever.’

‘We go to the cliff edge. I blindfold you and spin you round. You take five steps.’

‘You’re jokin’. That’s like suicide!’

‘Yeah. Right. It is.’

‘What sort of friend would try to get you to kill yourself? I can’t believe you’d do that.’

‘I know. Hard to believe, isn’t it?’

Interview with Author, Sibel Hodge

Sibel Hodge has dual British/Turkish Cypriot nationality and divides her time between Hertfordshire and North Cyprus. A trained fitness instructor and sports and massage therapist, she writes freelance feature articles on health, fitness, and various lifestyle subjects. There are very few British writers of Turkish Cypriot origin who write commercial fiction for the women’s market. Her first novel, Fourteen Days Later, is a romantic comedy with a unique infusion of British and Turkish Cypriot culture. Short listed for the Harry Bowling Prize 2008, it also received a highly commended in the Yeovil Literary Prize 2009.

The Fashion Police, Sibel’s second novel, is the first in a series featuring insurance investigator, Amber Fox. A screwball comedy-mystery, it combines murder and mayhem with romance and chick-lit. She wanted a female character who was feisty and larger than life, yet aware of her flaws.

‘Life’, says Sibel, ‘is about living and laughing. After all, laughing keeps you young! Engrossing yourself in a good comedy is an excellent way to de-stress from our hectic lives. I hope that my novels bring a smile to your face or give you a laugh-out-loud moment and that you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them.’

SA:  Tell us about The Fashion Police in a few sentences.

SH:    The Fashion Police is my second novel and the first in a series featuring insurance investigator, Amber Fox. It's a comedy mystery, combining murder and mayhem with romance and chick-lit.

SA: What qualities do you need to be a successful writer?

SH:  I'll let you know if I hit the bestseller list!

SA: How did you come to write this particular book?

SH: I worked for Hertfordshire Constabulary for 10 years, and having a sense of humour was a very important part of keeping you sane, so it felt natural for me to write comedy. I love reading romantic comedies, but I also love mysteries, thrillers, and crime novels. My debut novel, Fourteen Days Later, was a romantic comedy and I wanted my second novel to be a fun comedy mystery. I love screwball humour, which is still immensely popular. What better way to eliminate the stress of our modern lives than by laughing it away? I usually get my plot and character ideas from a range of things: a book I've read, a film I've seen, someone I know, a snippet of conversation, real life events, personal experiences, then I mix ideas together, topped off with a lot of imagination! The main inspiration for The Fashion Police came while watching a show about supermodels, but the plots and subplots came to me in bits and piece

SA: If you have a favourite character in your novel, why that particular one?

SH:  I love the main character, Amber Fox. She's energetic, feisty, and larger-than-life, but with a sweet side. She gets to do things I would love to do in real life!

SA:  How can people buy your books?

SH:  My novels are available in paperback and various ebook formats. For more info, please see my website: www.sibelhodge.com

SA:  To what extent are grammar and spelling important to a writer?

SH: I think the most important thing is being able to tell a story well. You need to be able to create interesting characters that readers care about, engrossing them in a well thought out plot, and enticing them with your writing style. Grammar and spelling can be easily fixed by editing. But having a love of storytelling is an essential part of being a writer, and it's something that can't be taught or learned – it's instinct.

SA: What are your writing habits?

SH: With my debut novel, Fourteen Days Later, I just wrote! I didn't do any plot outline before I began, I just had a rough idea of what the novel would be about. When I wrote The Fashion Police, I did draft a basic plot outline before I started, making it easier to remember exactly what needed to happen in a particular scene. When I start a novel, I write for about fourteen hours a day. I'm so blinkered, I forget to eat! Sometimes I completely amaze myself, because I don't know what's actually going to come out of my head until I start to type.

SA:  How do you know where to begin any given story?

SH: I think you have to remember that well-known writing phrase: enter the scene late and leave early. It was designed more for screenplays but works just as well with novels. Basically, you don't want to bore the reader with a lot of back story that happened before, as it will only slow down the pace. If you start the scene after events have already begun, it will intrigue the reader to find out what happened previously. Leaving the scene early keeps the reader hooked, compelling them to find out what happens next. 

SA: Is presentation of the MS as important as most agents and publishers suggest?

SH:  Presentation with anything you do in life is important. If you want people to take you seriously, you have to make it the best it can be. If a MS isn't presented to agents or publishers properly, they'll take one look and think that the author doesn't take their work seriously. It's so hard enough for unknown writers to get noticed in the first place, without making it even harder by having a poorly presented document.

SA:  How long does it normally take you to write a novel?

SH:  I actually wrote the first draft of Fourteen Days Later in three weeks. Of course it took a lot longer to polish and edit afterwards. I wrote The Fashion Police in two months, but it took less time to re-work afterwards.

SA:  If there’s a single aspect to writing that really frustrates you, what is it?

SH:  Plotting – I hate it! I just want to get on with the writing, but unfortunately, it's a necessary evil if you want to produce a good novel.

SA: What are you writing now?

SH:  I'm just drafting the plot outline for a sequel to my debut novel, Fourteen Days Later. Then I'm going to write the second in the series of Amber Fox mysteries.

SA:  Is there any aspect of writing that you really enjoy?

SH:  I love inventing characters. Maybe because I love observing people in real life and the possibilities are endless. All my characters are mixtures of friends and family, myself, people in films or books, or people I've met or observed. I usually take an element of one person's character and mix it with someone else's to form a whole new character for a novel. You can even make up the perfect man!

For reviews and purchases of my latest novels: http://www.sibelhodge.com/
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/sibelhodge

Word of the Day is divorced from the post that precedes it and produced in response to a request from a follower to provide just such a service.

Word of the Day; naturalism – not to be confused with naturism, of course – in literature, this is the representation of reality or nature in a faithful form. ‘Candy’s story of the love between the King of the Fairies and Janice, the janitor’s homely daughter, was short on naturalism and long on unbelievable fantasy.’

Tell Me What YOU Want From This Blog

Many blogs act simply as marketing platforms for their authors. Whilst I accept this is a legitimate use of the medium, and I have done a small amount of marketing on this blog, I want to make this particular blog more of a service to my readers.

Image via WikipediaSo, I’d like to know what YOU would like to see and read here. There are more interviews with published authors in the pipeline and I will post these at regular intervals, as I have with those already posted. I have also occasionally shared my views on websites and other blogs aimed at readers and writers. There have been some book reviews and one or two odd pieces that defy classification. I’ve even placed one of my short stories on here.

What I’d like is for as many of my readers as possible to take the trouble to place a comment and let me know what YOU want.

So, go to it. Fire me up with ideas, challenge me, be suggestive, be rude, be demanding, be inspiring, be selective. Tell me what you’d really like to see on this blog that aims to entertain, educate, stimulate and interest all those who care about books. Please.

Word of the Day is divorced from the post that precedes it and produced in response to a request from a follower to provide just such a service.

Word of the Day; ode – a poem, usually rhymed, formed as an address. ‘Having discovered and read Ode on a Grecian Urn by Keats, Claude tried to write an Ode on a Tea Urn, but, somehow, it lacked the gravitas and inspiration of the original.’

Interview with Jake Webber, Author

Image by stuartaken via FlickrA lifelong resident of Louisiana, Jake Webber enjoys researching and studying history. He attended Louisiana State University and is a graduate of the University of Louisiana at Monroe. His professional background is in the medical field. He is married and lives in Baton Rouge with his wife and two children. Jake is an avid reader who loves a good story. He also loves history. In his first novel, he combines the two loves for an interesting adventure.

SA: Tell us about Lafitte’s Black Box in a few sentences. JW: Lafitte's Black Box is an action/adventure set in New Orleans aimed at teens and young adults. Discovering a box that has been buried for two centuries, a young boy finds himself on a quest for Lafitte's treasure through modern day New Orleans. Since moving to the Big Easy, Deveraux Parker has had a hard time fitting in and finding friends, but as events unravel, he makes some unsavory pals and begins an unexpected adventure taking him to the oldest and most mysterious places in old New Orleans. SA:   What qualities do you need to be a successful writer? JW: Imagination, patience, tenacity, and self determination. I think a keen eye that sees things in people and situations that other people maybe don't see. Small things or odd eccentricities that may be beneath the surface that can be incorporated into characters or stories. SA:.  What is your working method? JW: Initially, a rough outline of the story, character development by writing a few paragraphs about them...their personality, look, fears, insecurities, desires, etc.  Research of places, people, time period, etc. Then I close my eyes and imagine the scene and write. Review and rewrite. SA:  What is the single biggest mistake made by beginners to writing? JW: Possibly not putting enough research into the story or into the story's setting.  Maybe poor character development as well. SA:    How did you come to write this particular book? JW:  Lafitte's Black Box came to me literally during a night of insomnia. I began to imagine ways to fall asleep and the premise of the book came to my mind. My main character is pulled back in time through a dream. I mentioned to my wife that I wish someone would write a book as I described what I had imagined. My wife suggested to me that I should write it. The next morning, I thought to myself, why not and began researching writing and my central character and setting. SA:    If you have a favourite character in your novel, why that particular one? JW: Gaston, the pirate that Devereaux befriends is my favorite. He has the look of a killer but a heart of gold. I actually wished I would have developed him a bit more. I can see him coming  back later in the series. SA:    How can people buy your book? JW: My book is available on Amazon, Kindle, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes and Noble, and most Internet book sites. Many independent bookstores have it as well as some Barnes and Noble and Borders. Many of the stores will order it as well if you ask. It's also available on my publishers site, http://www.llumina.com/store/lafittesblackbox.htm. SA:  To what extent are grammar and spelling important to a writer? JW: I think to a great extent. Certainly, an editor and publisher will correct those, although some errors slip through. I believe a writer could lose some credibility. Hooray for spell check. SA:    How much revision of your MS do you do before you send it off? JW: As much as I can and feel comfortable before sending it off. I'll reread it and rewrite many times. SA:  Where and when is your novel set and why did you make these specific choices? JW: Lafitte's Black Box is set in New Orleans both in the present and in the early 1800's. My central character, Jean Lafitte, lived there and during that time. I think New Orleans is a mysterious and interesting place. I wanted to teach a little history of Louisiana and the city of New Orleans to the reader. SA: To what extent do you think genre is useful in the publishing world? JW: It helps classify and define a work. Writers and story's can be grouped and placed. It's useful for the publisher to target writers, audiences, advertising, etc. As soon as you think of an idea for a story, you will begin looking at who your audience will be. You will think to yourself, what kind of story is this. So to answer your question, I think in the publishing world it is very useful. SA:  What are your writing habits? JW: Writing is new to me. I like to write short stories. I am my worst critic and will get frustrated and not write for awhile. I am currently writing the follow up to Lafitte's Black Box. I have the third in mind to write afterwards for at least a three part series. SA:  How do you know where to begin any given story? JW: I think each story is different. Each story is special. The beginning usually comes to me and I let it take me to where it leads. Sometimes that is to a dead end, but sometimes it can me magical. SA:  What sort of displacement activities keep you from actually writing? JW: My real job is a distraction.  That is sort of a joke, but it puts food on the table. I have a hard time writing at home. There is always too much going on around me which makes it too hard to focus on my writing. Finding those quiet moments are a gem and those moments have to be taken before they are gone. SA:  Do you have support, either from family and friends or a writing group? JW: My family is my biggest support. My wife and my mother are a great support. I bounce things off my father as well. He has been very supportive. My friends have shown an interest as well. SA: Is presentation of the MS as important as most agents and publishers suggest? JW: Absolutely. It must be done professionally and must look professional. Shabby presentation or any presentation not done by the guidelines put out will be ignored or worse remembered by the agent or publisher. SA: How long does it normally take you to write a novel? JW: My only published novel took a year to write from pen to paper until I put a period on the last sentence. But that doesn't include the first and second revision. My second is taking me longer however. SA: What are your inspirations?  JW: I have many small inspirations here and there. My family, wife, and kids are an inspiration. Just looking at this beautiful world around me that God made inspires me. People or strangers may inspire me on any given day. I am inspired by other writers and their works. Some writers that have inspired me are Ernest Hemingway, Irwin Shaw, and Stephen King.  SA:   If there’s a single aspect to writing that really frustrates you, what is it? JW: I don't know if it is one thing or another but I'll have moments where I have total writer's block. There will be no writing during that time. It may last a week, two weeks, or more. SA:   Do you think writing is a natural gift or an acquired skill? JW: I think there are writers that are wonderfully and naturally gifted. I also think that some writers maybe aren't so gifted but they can develop and become really good. Some people discover that they are natural writers and those people, with practice, can become great writers. SA:  What are you writing now? JW: As mentioned above, I am writing my second novel which is actually a follow up, or second in a series to the first. I am using the same premise the first used. It will take place in a different time and place but will still have my main character and friends in it. I will introduce some new characters in this next book. It will follow with a third. SA: Is there any aspect of writing that you really enjoy? JW: I enjoy when I really sit down and the story comes flowing out of me, usually faster than I can type. At those times I don't worry about grammar or sentence structure. I'm just trying to get the story out as fast as I can before that moment is gone.  I worry about fixing the grammar and those things later. To me, that is the best part of writing. SA:   Do you have a website or a blog that readers can visit? JW: I have a blog that I would encourage your readers to visit. I started this blog to give a little background on my book. I show the reader the places in the book with photographs and give the reader a little history of the places as well. The blog link is: http://lafittesblackbox.blogspot.com/ SA: Given unlimited resources, what would be your ideal writing environment? JW: A small place away from the home. I would like a small office near some shops and cafes. I write better away from home, somewhere quiet. The cafes would be a nice place to go and people watch, relax, gather my thoughts, and go back and write.   SA:  Where do you actually write? JW: Early in the morning Word of the Day is divorced from the post that precedes it and produced in response to a request from a follower to provide just such a service. Word of the Day; lyrical – enthusiastic, effusive language. ‘In order to enliven the talk on accountancy, Gerald expressed his thoughts in lyrical language, but most of the audience fell asleep anyway.’