Showing posts with label indie writers unite. Show all posts
Showing posts with label indie writers unite. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Meet Author Laura Vosika


 Write from the Heart warmly welcomes Historical Author, Laura Vosika

 
Hi Laura, Congrats on your new release, The Minstrel Boy.  Please tell us about your series:
Hi, Lynn.  Thank you! 
 
The Blue Bells Chronicles is the story of two men, polar opposites except for their looks and love of music.  Shawn Kleiner is an arrogant, self-centered philandering musician of the twenty-first century who finds himself caught in the life of his cross-century look-alike, Niall Campbell, with the fate of medieval Scotland resting on his irresponsible, party-loving shoulders.  The devout medieval Highlander, Niall, is no happier to find himself in Shawn's modern life of ease, dealing with the fallout of the messes Shawn has left behind--a pregnant girlfriend, angry mistresses, amorous fans, and a conductor threatening to 'fire' him--as he tries to find a way back to save his people.
 
As their story progresses through the series, they each grow and change, influenced by one other and the unlikely friendship that springs from their original animosity.
 


 
These books give a different twist to time travel. Where do you get your ideas from?
I think it is less common to have a time travel story where two people switch places.  Blue Bells of Scotland was originally Shawn's story, but the rest grew from asking questions about what the other characters were doing while he was gone and the What if's that kept popping into my head as a result.  I'm fascinated by the way people view times and places different from what they know, and how attitudes change through the years.  It was interesting to me to see how someone from medieval times might react to what Shawn considers normal, while at the same time seeing how Shawn reacts to Niall's world and what he considers normal.  As the story progresses, they have some discussions about this.  At the same time, I think many parts of human nature, emotions, and experience never change, and this is a place where Shawn and Niall find that we're not so different underneath it all.
 


If you could time travel would you go to the past or the future?
Definitely the past.  I would love to witness some of the events we know of from history, or learn more details, learn the things that we don't yet know from historical records, learn more about the way people really lived and thought.
 
Which character do you like the most? The least?
Wow, that's a tough question.  I like most of them in different ways.  I like Niall because he's definitely more of my mindset, but Shawn is fun to write.  (Or should I say, it's fun to watch and see what he'll decide to do next?)  Yes, he's arrogant and obnoxious, but I think these characters are often fun because we all sometimes wish we could bulldoze through life doing as we please.  I also like him because, despite his many, many flaws, he is usually cheerful, makes people feel valued, and is capable of finally learning and redeeming himself.
 
I guess the character I'd have to say I like least is Rob.  He certainly thinks he's nicer than Shawn.  He behaves with more integrity and morality, and would never cheat on Amy, but he's an annoying, clueless sycophant who is, in his own way, as unable as Shawn to think of what anyone else wants or needs.  And it takes Rob awhile longer than Shawn to see where he needs to make changes.
 
 
What inspires you to write?
Well, I think I'm similar to many writers in that these stories and people are just there, and they really need to get out of my head.  I can't not write.
 
Where is your favorite place to write and why?
I'm not very particular.  My laptop goes everywhere with me, and whenever I have spare time, I write--in my music studio, at my kitchen table, in my office, living room, in my car in a parking lot or at a coffee shop or the library if I'm out and about and have time in between appointments.
 
You are blessed with many children, are any of them interested in writing?
Yes, I have nine children, from 22 down to 6.  At least three of them--two sons and my younger daughter--like writing.  Another draws cartoons with stories.  My older daughter writes movies with her cousin and friend, which they then film.  Most of them are big readers and all are creative in some way, if not writing, then in music or art.
 

A Trilogy is mentioned, do you have a date or title for the last book?
Well, it seems I've inadvertently followed in the footsteps of Douglas Adams, and my 'trilogy' now has more than three books.  So The Blue Bells Trilogy has officially been renamed The Blue Bells Chronicles.  The Minstrel Boy, Book Two, was just released.  Book Three, The Water is Wide, is scheduled for 2013.  The last two books are titled Westering Home and When the Battle is Over, and I'll be aiming for releasing one each year. 
 



Where can your fans find you?
I'm at www.facebook.com/laura.vosika.author and www.twitter.com/lauravosika. I also keep a blog, largely on medieval Scottish history, but also touching on topics in theChronicles such as time travel, music, and instruments, at http://bluebellstrilogy.blogspot.com
 

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Is there Good in Evil? Interview with Athanasios creator of Mad Gods

  
Blog talk radio interview

Note: I was going to call this post "Good Versus Evil" but talking with Athanasios changed my mind. Life is not as simple as that. There is good and evil in everyone; it's a constant battle which roars on in Mad Gods.


Athanasios, welcome to my humble abode! 



As you may (or may not) know, I am a visual person. I love art, design, and your book covers. What do you try to capture in your covers and how long does it take for you to create them? 
It varies with each cover and who I'm making it for.  They can take between a few minutes to a few hours and sometimes days. I'm not necessarily consciously working on it but I'm thinking on it.  I'm a firm believer that no matter how hard you try to do something if it's not coming it won't unless you leave it alone to let your own subconscious, luck, providence or whatever you want to call it, help.  I try to capture what the author intends to portray, sometimes it's enticing a reader to look further than the cover others it's being literal with what the story contained therein conveys. I know in my own covers I first tried to be literal and then saw they weren't doing much for sales so I just switched to being enticing and moody and it's worked better.

Your books give a new twist to darkness. Reminds me a bit of Pandora’s box. Lots of bad stuff going on but there is still hope.Tell us about them.
The darkness I'm taking from your question is evil? It's great that you brought up Pandora's box, the myth I mean, not some bad 1980s Ron Jeremy or Vanessa Del Rio porn. I've researched, not for the writing but because it's interested me, religion and why we must look outside ourselves for justification of our motivations and life's trials. In that research I discovered many other people's works, notable and varied intellects from Thomas Aquinas, Joseph Campbell to Bill Hicks and many of them have a pliant view of darkness. I've come to agree with this view that there isn't any total darkness there's always degrees. Not the trite shades of grays that many use to describe despicable behavior but the darkness or evil within everyone they must accept in themselves. I try to portray EVERYBODY in Predatory Ethics from Mad Gods to Commitment and the forthcoming In Whom To Trust as multidimensional. I want to have GOOD, SYMPATHETIC and BELIEVABLE reasons for what they all do. I think I've even given Satan a reason for becoming the embodiment of evil and a bitter, rejected, fallen angel. Yet I also scuff up and bloody most of the good guys too. Most are portrayed as stiff and humorless to the point of being without compassion or empathy for anybody or anything save their view of good and evil.

Adam, the main character is the Antichrist: introduced through a codex about his past lives. It describes his unwillingness to enslave the world and fulfill the destiny. Satan, his biblical father, still wants to go through with Revelation and Kosta, his adopted father, wants to give him the freedom to chose. Kosta could've just killed him as an infant, or raise him in ignorance of who he really was but wanted to Adam to know everything and make the choice with nothing hidden. He saw what he was doing as the real Revelation and also chose to let Adam see what a life filled with simple pleasures and pursuits could be. 


What inspires you to write?  
I want to see where I'll take the story, something I don't know myself until I start to write. Do you want to call that inspiration, then so be it. I do have an idea of the direction but I don't reach it until I start on it's path. Sounds like artsy-fartsy bullshit I know, but it's true in its sincerity.  I'll go further down the artsy-fartsy, metaphysical, starry-eyed, hippie, tree-hugging road: I liken it to an old pagan belief of paradise, the Elysian Fields where you went and did whatever you enjoyed when you lived. They didn't believe paradise as the modern Christians do, there was no specific direction that everyone shared and  nobody was any different, like walking around clouds and doing ABSOLUTELY nothing.  My inspiration is the Elysian Fields, where I stand without knowing where I'll go but just walking in my feet & imagination go wherever they will.  Then sometimes I go and have a great meal or drink and feel content.


I know you have been writing over ten years. With age comes wisdom. What do you know now that you wish you knew then?  
I wish I knew about indie publishing then. It's been around since that time so I wish I was one of the pioneers. That means I wouldn't still be looking with dread at the fact that it's Sunday tomorrow and then the next day I'd have to wake up extra early to write, before going to work. At least I've got a job that pays the bills, so I'm lucky enough in that respect. 


Do you sleep with the lights on?
No, I haven't slept with the lights on since I was 10 and saw the Omen. 

Boxers or briefs? (This is a romance blog!)
Neither!  if you know what I mean! Unless the mother-in-law is sleeping over, then I've got to resort to briefs.

Where do we find your books?
MAD GODS
AMAZON                 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004QOA768
SMASHWORDS    https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/48579 ISBN:9781610612562


COMMITMENT
AMAZON                http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006098CSC/




Sunday, December 18, 2011

A Peek into Hell - These Hellish Happenings by Jennifer Rainey



I had scheduled an interview with author Jennifer Rainey but she had to cancel at the last minute. The bearded lady needed more shaving cream so off she went to assist. In her stead we have Jack Bentley from the book These Hellish Happenings. Good thing a copy fell from Jennifer’s purse as she ran out the door!
With much ado I give you Jack.
So Jack, it seems like you have lived a charmed life for a while. When did it all go wrong?
There’s not really one moment where it all went wrong. I mean, there are at least fifty. Thousand. Fifty-thousand is probably a little closer. Making a deal with the Devil tends to mess up one’s existence. Any charmed aspects of my life come in waves, I’ve found. I’ve had my fair share of time on the top of the world, but I’ve also spent a lot of time in the mire, to put it politely.
Being a Vampire sounds cool. What are some of the pros and cons?
It’s rubbish! I can’t actually think of any pros. Living forever is not all it’s cracked up to be, the blood-sucking process is time-consuming and after a few centuries, you get bored with it.  Not only that, living without a pulse makes certain sexual acts incredibly difficult. It’s really not that great. I don’t have any special powers, either. I’m just a guy… who happens to need human blood to live.
Do you ever regret your pact with the devil?
I used to. That was before I actually settled down in Hell. It’s really not that bad, and I can’t believe I’m saying that. Think about your worst day on Earth. Multiply it by no more than three and a half. That’s living on The Administrative Level of Hell. It could certainly be worse. I could be on one of the lower levels cleaning up after Cerberus.
I’ve read about your plight in hell. Sounds a lot like my last job but more colorful. Tell us about your day.
I wake up, go to The Registration Office here in Hell, register the incoming dead and send them to wherever in Hell they’re going to spend eternity. Think St. Peter but with fangs (and, I imagine, better looking).  And I work nine to five, Monday through Friday. The weekend is when I tend to get in trouble, usually with Alex. He tends to gravitate towards trouble.
So Alexander huh? I see you blushing, do tell!
He’s a demon who stalked me for fifty years. Perfect way to start a relationship, wouldn’t you say? Alex, despite the fact that he has terrible taste in music (The Doors? Really?), makes Hell very unhellish for me. And don’t tell him I said that. He’s got an ego through the bloody roof already. I’d never hear the end of it.
Well thanks for stopping in today if you see Jennifer tell her she should be very proud.
No, thank you for getting me out of twenty minutes of my shift!
LINKS:
Blog: http://independentparanormal.blogspot.com

Monday, November 28, 2011

Guest Blogger: Romance Author Sarah Woodbury


Historical Romance Author Sarah Woodbury stopped into day with a wonderful History lesson!
 As you know, I love history and am tickled to death to have her visit!

Sarah has several wonderful titles. Today she is sharing Daughter of time, only .99, just in time for Cyber Monday!






Women in Celtic Society

It is a stereotype that women in the Middle Ages had two career options:  mother or holy woman, with prostitute or chattel filling in the gaps between those two.  Whether we like it or not, for the most part this stereotype is accurate and the status and role of women in that era revolved around these categories.

This is one reason that when an author sets fiction in this time, it is difficult to write a self-actualized female character who has any kind of autonomy or authority over her own life.  Thus, it is common practice to make fictional characters either healers of some sort (thus opening up a whole array of narrative possibilities for travel and interaction with interesting people) or to focus on high status women.  Such women may or may not actually have had more autonomy, but their lives didn’t consist of drudgery and child care from morning until night.

This is not to say that men in the Middle Ages weren’t equally restricted in their ‘careers’.  A serf is a serf after all, of whatever gender.  Men as a whole, however, did have control of women, of finances, of government, and of the Church, and thus organized and ruled the world.  Literally.

There are obvious exceptions—Eleanor of Aquitaine, anyone—but women such as she were one out of thousands upon thousands who were born, worked, and died within five miles of their home.

At the same time, within Celtic cultures, women at least had the possibility of greater personal autonomy.  In Ireland, where the Roman Church had less influence, women had a viable place both within the Druid religion and within the Celtic/Irish Church.  Wales too was less subject to the restrictions of the Church.  There, women had a higher status than in Christendom as a whole, including the right to divorce her husband and societal acceptance of illegitimate children. 

The Laws of Women (part of the Laws of Hywel Dda) included rules that governed marriage and the division of property if a married couple should separate. Women usually married through contract, but elopement was allowed, with the provision that if the relationship lasted seven years, a woman had the same entitlements as if she’d been given to her husband by her kin.


My book, Daughter of Time, tells the story a young widow, Meg, who falls through time into the Middle Ages—and into the arms of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, the last Prince of Wales.  One aspect of the book that I found very interesting to write was her reaction to the status and role of women in medieval Wales, and how a modern woman might deal with it.  




Links:

Links to my books: 


Friday, September 16, 2011

Interview with Author Melissa Smith

Visit: www.lynnhubbard.com & www.lemonpresspublishing.com

Hello, I’m hosting a Blog Tour for Indie Writers Unite! A new up and coming author will be featured weekly. Thanks for tuning in!



Interview with Author Melissa Smith


What inspires you?
My imagination. My dreams. My kids. I am a wife and mother that simply loves the written word. All the places you get to visit by simply separating some pages. The people you get to live through and love. All the adventures you get to have. The worlds you get to visit and travel.

How long have you been writing?
I've been writing off and on since I was in High school but started writing professionally a little over a year ago.

How many books have you written?
I have three that are currently available with a short story in an anthology that should be out by October 2011. Then I'm working on a novella and another paranormal romance that should be ready to go by late November!


What are the names of your books?
Cloud Nine and Thunderhead are a part of the Guardians of Man series; The Heir Apparent is from the Waiting Throne series




I was looking through Heir Apparent and I love the maps. How difficult was it to create a map from your fantasies?
It was really easy! I could see what the land looked like in my mind so drawing it out was just putting pencil to paper.

Who is your favorite character and why?
So far, I would have to say its Ariana from Cloud Nine. She's just so much fun. The kind of friend you want to have, always.

Who is your target audience?
Everybody who loves a good love story!
I'm teen friendly so everyone can read it.

Is there anything else you want people to know about you or your books?
I just want people to take the chance and open one of my books. I know they'll end up loving them just as much as I loved creating them!

How can your fans contact you?
Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/Melissa.Smith.Books

Twitter
https://twitter.com/Melissa__Smith_

My blog
http://melissasmithbooks.wordpress.com

My website
http://melissasmithbooks.zoomshare.com/

Thank you for your time Melissa and I wish you the best of luck!