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AUTHOR INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Q1. Tell me about yourself – biography, career, likes, dislikes, hobbies etc…anything you would like to share about yourself? Any fun, interesting facts? Please insert a photograph if possible.

Hi Julia,
Thanks for having me on your site.
Well first, before we begin, I need to admit: I’m a recovering Nutella addict. I’ve gone through withdrawals and still get the shakes walking by the big jars at the store. My doctor offers guidance, medicine and therapy, but as luck would have it, her family is from Piedmont Italy, where the luscious delicacy is made. That’s why, though she completely understands my predicament, it wouldn’t be hard to convince her to join me on a bender.
When I’m not writing, or reading, I’m chasing two rescued chihuahuas around the backyard on a daily basis. While they look adorable, I can finally understand why Stephen King wrote Cujo. Perhaps someday they will inspire me to write horror. Currently, I prefer writing romantic fiction and faith-based fantasies. I also write poetry. My hobbies are swimming, and crocheting.

(Let sleeping dogs lie.)

Q2. Can you tell me about your work – what have you written, what is it about, what type of genre is it?
I have written a romantic adventure novel titled Penniless Hearts and a faithful story about breaking The Fifth Commandment. There’s a sort of follow-up to my first book coming out soon called Penniless Souls which takes place twenty years later.

Q3. Can you tell me about your writing process e.g do you prefer to plan or write spontaneously, favourite writing times, pen or computer, how long do you spend writing?
I used to write things down on paper first. I still think it’s a great way to get past some cobwebs in writing. Once a basic idea is on paper, the computer writing seems to flow. I think they call a person who doesn’t outline a pantser. (Seat of the pants type writing.) Usually, I go with a basic outline: Beginning, middle and end with three to five plot twists in a 70,000-word book. The book I’m currently writing is called The Tenth Commandment and I wrote a complete short story as my outline and now I’m deleting and adding parts into the story. As I wrote, the plot developed.

Q4. What inspires you? How do you come up with your ideas?
There’s an intangible element to love, nature and all relationships that guides me. I call it faith but simply put, it’s that unknown or mysterious element behind things we see. My blog is called Intangible Hearts and I’d love for everyone to come take a look. https://evegaal.blogspot.com
Anyway, that’s what inspires me. The unknown and our human reaction to discovery.

Q5. How long does it take you to write a book?
Two years.

Q6. Favourite part of writing a book / least favourite part?
Favorite: I like getting to know my characters, even though they can keep me up at night. Least favorite: Technology and marketing.

Q7. Favourite character and why? From your own work.
Penny is a graphic artist and a loving mother. She is a strong, petite redhead who fantasizes too much about things that may or may not happen. I wrote her as the woman I wish I could become. Sadly, I’ll never be petite.

Q8. How did you break into publishing?
I worked my college internship, writing for a company newsletter. I also graduated with a degree in English Literature. My first professional job was at a community newspaper where I wrote and designed ads for car dealerships.

Q9. How do you market your books?
I go to local writing groups, book fairs, critique groups and of course belong to many groups on Facebook. I also tweet. I’ve had a few signings and I also do some public speaking.

Q10. What is the strangest thing you have ever had to research?
Human trafficking for Penniless Souls. It made me cry and it stopped me in my tracks. I almost couldn’t finish the book.

Q11. Any tips for new / aspiring authors?
Listen to your heart and write. Block out the noise and the endless chatter on social media and get in touch with the quiet sounds that will not only give you hope but tell you what to write!

Q12. Do you think writing is an innate gift or something which can be learned?
That’s a fascinating question because authors are as different as artists in the museum. Can you compare Jackson Pollack to Michelangelo? Is Salvador Dali anything like Thomas Kincaid? Try comparing Nicolas Sparks to James Joyce. I prefer Sparks.
Famous people hire authors to write their autobiographies because they are not writers. And yet, I don’t remember reading too many biographies that pulled me into the narrative.
I guess the gift of an author comes from the heart. The rest of the stuff is reportorial, technical, legal writing or textbook. The world needs those types of writers too.
Q13. Have you ever participated in any writing courses / retreats? Have you any writing related qualifications? If so have they been beneficial?
I went to a big—three-day–expensive writing conference once and they were—as a whole–very negative about publishing. Decided I’d stay away from writing conferences in the future. I have a B.A. in English and and M.A. in Human Behavior.

Q14. Who are your favourite authors and why?
Too many to mention but my favorites usually pull me along on a journey. I’d have to start with Frank L. Baum, Margaret Mitchell and go up through Yann Martel. I’m only mentioning a few but Ann Tyler, Nicholas Sparks, Paul Coelho, Alice Hoffman and modern, independent authors like Lynne Morgan Spreen, Mari Collier, Arch Font, Karen Robertson and Suzanne Saunders are incredible. Each one took me on a wild vacation and that is so cool!

Q15. What is your favourite novel and why?
My answer might change by next week. Not that I’m flaky or anything, it’s just that there are so many wonderful novels out there to read right now.

Q16. If you weren’t an author – what would you love to do?
I’d be a singer.

Q17. What are your plans / dreams / ambitions for the future?
To write good books that people will love reading.

Q18. What’s next for you? What are you working on now?
I’m working on the Tenth Commandment. I’d also like to publish a small chapbook of poetry and I still have a long-term goal of writing some children’s books.

Q19. Can you supply a favourite excerpt from any of your works? Here’s a piece from chapter 33 of Penniless Hearts:
“As a passenger on the small plane heading for Oahu, he looked around waiting for someone to sit down next to him. He needed someone smart to talk to so he could unload his guilt and testify about his innocence. When no one came, he imagined himself in a trial where he could declare that nothing serious had happened in front of a judge and jury. Granted, he had reached for the jar of honey, but reaching for and obtaining were two different things. Right, your honor? Closing his eyes, his fantasy envisioned the judge calling Penny to the witness stand. As she held up a hand to take the oath, his eyes lingered on Penny’s cute little curves. He had been so close….”

Your social media links / website etc…
http://www.evegaal.com
https://evegaal.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PennilessHearts/
Book links

Thank you, Julia, for taking time out of your busy schedule to get to know me. Hope you and your friends and followers enjoy reading Penniless Hearts and The Fifth Commandment.

 

Q1. Tell me about yourself – biography, career, likes, dislikes, hobbies etc…anything you would like to share about yourself? Any fun, interesting facts? Please insert a photograph if possible.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to be interviewed. I hope it’s interesting and maybe informative too.
A Short Bio:
Mary Deal is an Amazon best-seller and award-winning author of suspense/thrillers, romance, a short story collection, writers’ references, and self-help. She is a Pushcart Prize nominee, Artist and Photographer, and former newspaper columnist and magazine editor. She is currently writing the third story in her Sara Mason series.

She has travelled a great deal and has a lifetime of diverse experiences, all of which remain in memory as fodder for her fiction. A native of California’s Sacramento River Delta, where some of her stories are set, she has also lived in England, the Caribbean, Hawaii, and now resides in Scottsdale, Arizona. She is also an oil painter and photographer. Her art is used to create gorgeous personal and household products from her online galleries.

Personally….
Through the decades, I have worked for myself as a consultant so have held many positions. I’ve worked in insurance, banking, tourist hotel entertainment manager, and general offices, usually cleaning up their procedures and such. I was a licensed real estate agent, then a certified travel agent. I’m a great organizer and single-handedly organized a few large conventions. Then, since I’ve known and understood self-hypnosis and meditation from childhood, I went back to school and became a Clinical Hypnotherapist. The latter was my last “job.” After being rear-ended in a car accident and having physical therapy for three years, I found sitting at my computer greatly satisfied my curiosity. That’s when I began to write.
More recently, walking or hiking with my cameras along is a joy. Some of my oil paintings are a result of a few of my images. Perhaps I have too many interests for one person. I love to sew and at one time, made all my clothes, draperies – I’d sew anything. Other interests are swimming, ballroom dancing (the old fashioned way), yoga, Tai Chi, reading, gardening, and on and on.

Q2. Can you tell me about your work – what have you written, what is it about, what type of genre is it?
Multi-genre author is a term that fits me.
“The Tropics,” an adventure/suspense trilogy
“The Ka,” a paranormal Egyptian suspense (time-travel)
“River Bones, Sara Mason Mysteries Book One,” a thriller set in my childhood hometown area in California’s Sacramento River Delta.
“Down to the Needle,” a thriller, taking place along the West coast
“Legacy of the Tropics,” a re-write and expansion of The Tropics, set in the Caribbean and Hawaii Islands
“The Howling Cliffs, Sara Mason Mysteries Book Two,” a thriller set in the Vietnam jungle and on Kauai in Hawaii
“Off Center in the Attic – Over the Top Stories,” a collection of short stories and flash fiction pieces
“Write It Right – Tips for Authors – The Big Book” is a reference volume of writing tips for authors from fledgling to published and beyond
“Hypno-Scripts: Life-Changing Techniques Using Self-Hypnosis and Meditation,” nonfiction techniques as the title implies
“Sea Cliff – A Love Story” – a romance set in San Francisco, California
Have also written a feature screenplay titled “Sea Storm” – taken from the book “Legacy of the Tropics.”

Q3. Can you tell me about your writing process e.g do you prefer to plan or write spontaneously, favourite writing times, pen or computer, how long do you spend writing?
Once a spark catches in my mind that could be fleshed into a story, I immediately start to see the plot taking form. I don’t necessarily see things from beginning to end. Various scenes of a story will take precedence in my mind. Often scenes come for more than one story at a time. I write them down not trying to connect them at all. When I have a good sense of where a particular story may go, I begin to write my next book, or short story.
My writing habits are sporadic. I MUST use a computer, even when taking notes, because my mind seems to move too fast. Writing by hand, I cannot keep up with the information that pours out. However, in writing poetry, I might use a pencil, and even then, erase a lot.
When I’m heavily involved in getting the story parts to jibe, and when I’m in the final stretches, I’ve been known to write 15 hours a day almost without let up. Scenes and dialogue and all of it just comes fast. When that isn’t happening, I might write 2-5 hours a day.

Q4. What inspires you? How do you come up with your ideas?
Every one of my books presented itself to me in different ways. I usually get a spark of an idea from something I’ve seen or thought about, or read in the news, a simple comment someone made, or from a dream. Yes, a dream! Could come from anywhere.

Q5. How long does it take you to write a book?
Every book was different. For my big Egyptian novel, The Ka, I spent four years researching 3500 years of Egyptian dynasties for the right niche in which to place my little threads of fantasy. During those four years, I wrote two more novels and published one. Then, writing The Ka took another four years, during which I published the second competed story. But this was an exceptional experience.
When I begin a new story, it usually takes two and one half months to complete the first draft. Then another year to edit and polish – many times over. Then it goes to an editor.

Q6. Favourite part of writing a book / least favourite part?
My favorite part is the ending. I will have labored diligently to get the plot directed to the coup de grace. I get utterly excited putting the ending on a story. Sometimes I have to walk away from my PC so I don’t rush too fast and spoil it all.
My least favorite part is the beginning. I might change the beginning of a story numerous times. On the book I’m writing now, which is the third book in the Sara Mason Mysteries, I couldn’t come up with a place to start. So I simply kept writing scenes that popped into my head. Then I hit on one critical bit of action and knew I had a place to start the story. With that bit of a scene, I could jump into the middle of the action, the best place to start any plot.

Q7. Favourite character and why? From your own work.
That’s a difficult question. I love all my characters and during the writing have had many conversations with them. First, I believe we authors imbue our characters with bits of ourselves. After all, it’s what we know.
That said, the strongest character I favor is Abigail (Abi) Fisher in Down to the Needle. My preference is not for perfect characters, but ones with flaws, and Abi has a big one. She has angina pectoris, a heart condition. In this story, the health malaise could claim her before she finds her daughter who was abducted decades earlier. Yet, she doesn’t let up. Then she finds a young woman on Death Row facing lethal injection for a crime she didn’t commit, and who is the same age her daughter would be. Trying to learn if the inmate is her daughter wreaks havoc on Abi’s heart condition. Yet, she persists in trying to prove the inmate’s innocence to save her life whether or not she is her daughter. All this brings Abi’s strengths to the story.

Q8. How did you break into publishing?
At the time I first published, I looked for a company that would format my books and make them public. I chose an on-demand publisher, the best route I found at the time. After a few years, publishing drastically change. I pulled my books and moved on to self-publishing. More recently, I have signed with a new publisher and am thoroughly pleased with what’s happening to my books now, given some of them are older. Yet, in republishing, I’ve updated all my stories.

Q9. How do you market your books?
In the past, Border’s did incredible marketing for me. I was told my first book outsold all the famous books on the shelf as you walked through the doorway. That was on Kauai. I also travelled a bit from Kauai to California, Nevada, and Arizona and arranged my own book signings in Border’s and B. Dalton Bookseller, but those stores are gone now.
Presently, having moved to Arizona and not knowing the venues yet, I am doing all my promotion online in groups and numerous social and promotion sites. Too, I have just attended a meeting of Scottsdale Society of Women Writers and will be joining. Yet, I still must find venues to appear in person with my books – and to meet people who will become cherished followers of my writings.

Q10. What is the strangest thing you have ever had to research?
It’s a toss-up. I spent those four years researching Egyptian dynasties for The Ka and learned the strange history of those Ancients. But then, I also spent a lot of time researching the gruesome procedures for lethal injection for Down to the Needle.

Q11. Any tips for new / aspiring authors?
Oh yes: The first draft is NEVER perfect. No matter how it turns out, glue yourself to your chair and get the first draft written. You will be amazed at how it validates your dream of becoming a writer. After that, even the editing is fun because you are making your story perfect and you are then close to becoming a published author.

Q12. Do you think writing is an innate gift or something which can be learned?
My take on that is that writing is part of all creativity. Everyone has the gift of creativity but each chooses to express it in different ways. An artist feels the urge to paint. The writer feels the urge to write. It’s not so much a learned gift as it is an innate gift. It is the life style we live that directs us toward one form of expression or another. When some people say they have no gift, it’s my opinion they simply don’t know themselves that well. They are denying their inner wants and needs.

Q13. Have you ever participated in any writing courses / retreats? Have you any writing related qualifications? If so have they been beneficial?
In 1996, I lived on Kauai in Hawaii and founded Kauai Writer’s Roundtable. I resigned after two years when my tenure as President finished. During that time, club members attended the Maui Writer’s Conference as a group. I, myself, did not learn anything I didn’t already know or hadn’t researched. But it is the place I found my first literary agent. None of this proved beneficial. On the pretext of helping me with a manuscript which she loved, instead of helping, the literary agent shopped my first draft to 12 of the largest publishing houses in New York. That finished off any chances I had with those companies. No one wants a first draft.

Q14. Who are your favourite authors and why?
Hemmingway and Steinbeck for their portrayals of what happens in human emotion and being able to build a story around that. Regardless that modern mind-sets have changed somewhat, we humans all still feel the some emotions. In writing they simply need to be put into words and phrases suitable for today’s readers.
Joyce Carol Oates because she, too, understands the human mind. While her book, Zombie, was gruesome, Oates wrote it from inside the mind of the killer. This was a lesson for me in examining the pathology of the minds of perpetrators, or any characters, for that matter.
I have several newer writers I favor but they don’t seem to deeply scratch the surface of human psyche.

Q15. What is your favourite novel and why?
The Grape of Wrath. My mother came across the country with her parents and 11 siblings during the Great Depression. They lived in a beat out school bus. Mom said that book was exactly what her life was like, except for the way some people fed others. Mom’s family was lucky. They were all singer/musicians and earned a penny now and then. My mother explained her life and that book to me in detail. That book brings memories of my departed mother closer in thought.

Q16. If you weren’t an author – what would you love to do?
Oil painting and photography. Maybe I’d branch into other forms of art. Lately, watercolor has captured my interest a bit. But I’d also like to slow down a bit and do some travelling… with my cameras.

Q17. What are your plans / dreams / ambitions for the future?
Many stories rumble around in my brain. I am constantly making notes, even writing nearly whole chapters at times. I hope to see all my stories published before I get too old. I’m getting up in years though I really don’t think it’s holding me back. I dream of bookstores carrying my books, if only locally. I want to see my original art selling. I dream my online galleries are successful and that I find places to show my art locally.

Q18. What’s next for you? What are you working on now?
My next novel is the third story in the Sara Mason Mysteries. I have no title for it. This is the first book where the list of potential titles hasn’t enticed me to choose one. I’ll know it when it pops out of my mind suddenly. In this case, probably while I’m writing the story. The Sara Mason Mysteries may end with this third book because I have many more stories to write. But then, I could simply change the protagonist and continue the series. I haven’t decided.

Q19. Can you supply a favourite excerpt from any of your works?
From River Bones – Sara Mason Mysteries Book One
No alternative existed to salvage or transport the concrete pad of the workshop. The front loader bucket of the backhoe was used to haul a heavy boulder-sized rock from the backfield. The rock was lifted high as possible and dropped onto the concrete floor in several places, rendering the pad full of spider cracks. One by one, the pieces were moved to a growing rubbish pile in the field beside the garage. As the concrete was lifted, sunlight gleamed off the exposed fool’s gold rocks that Orson had playfully laid down when constructing the foundation.
“I would have liked him,” Sara said to the worker who knew the Talbots. She felt more than a twinge of sadness. “I’m glad Esmerelda chose to stay away.”
Sara went to retrieve one of the rocks and turned it over in her hands as it sparkled. A deep sadness for this missing man, who surely had a laudable sense of humor, crept over her. She seemed connected in ways she only now began to understand.
“Pile all the pyrite over there,” Sara said, yelling to the backhoe operator and pointing to an open area. To the others standing nearby she said, “If a guy name Isidoro shows up, let him have it all.” Isidoro would need more than a pickup for that load.
The grader dug deep and lifted a scoop from near what had been the front wall. The woman demolitionist went to pick up stray rocks dropped from the backhoe load. She bent down and then jumped back quickly. “Stop!” she said, yelling, her feminine voice barely audible over the sound of the equipment. She shouted and waved her arms and stooped down again and threw a couple more rocks aside, then straightened, shaking her head. “Hey!” she yelled to the foreman. She motioned for him to come quickly and then pointed to the area at her feet. She turned and motioned with a finger swipe across her throat for the backhoe operator to kill the engine.
The contractor bent down and pulled at the edge of a dirty polythene sheet. Pieces of the black plastic flaked off in his hands. He straightened and his hand went to his forehead in a gesture that Sara read as disbelief. He turned and motioned. “Get back, everyone,” he said, yelling. He shook his head and kept motioning for everyone to clear the area. “We’re done here for a while.”
“Done?” Sara asked as she moved closer to see. The grader had torn the sheet of plastic and disturbed what it was wrapped around. Uncovered were remnants of bug-eaten clothing, a human skull, and other bones.

Your social media links / website etc…

Her Social Sites:
Website: http://www.marydeal.com
FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/mdeal
Facebook Author Page: https://facebook.com/MaryDealBooks
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Mary_Deal or @Mary_Deal
Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/in/marydeal
Google+: https://tinyurl.com/y8j723lr
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mary.l.deal
Goodreads: https://tinyurl.com/hvvomeo
Cold Coffee Press: http://www.coldcoffeepress.com/mary-deal
Her Art Galleries
Mary Deal Fine Art – http://www.marydealfineart.com
Island Image Gallery – http://www.islandimagegallery.com
M Deal Art – Mary Deal Fine Art and Photography
Pinterest – Mary Deal Fine Art

Book links

Amazon Author Page: https://tinyurl.com/y9ca5u8t

Q1. Tell me about yourself – biography, career, likes, dislikes, hobbies etc…anything you would like to share about yourself? Any fun, interesting facts? Please insert a photograph if possible.

3 main things define me: an overactive imagination, almost-obsessive love for dogs (and anything furry) and an undying love for caffeine 
I was born in Romania, in the Transylvania region, so I grew up with stories of vampires, werewolves, dragons, you name it! I fell in love with mythology when I was 6 and read a series of books my grandma gave me on Mount Olympus. After my obsession with the Greek pantheon came to an end, it was followed by a thirst of knowledge for Ancient Egypt. I’d fallen upon an article about the discovery of King Tut’s tomb, and it sparked a whole new type of obsession!
It was around this time we moved to Canada – I was 11. The adjustment was hard, and because I was a book-nerd and more into dragons than guys, I got used to being isolated. People felt I was different, so they left me alone. I was lucky enough my martial arts training never left room for bullying  But the years were still hard, and moves around Canada didn’t help.
All the reading turned into writing, and I eventually wrote and self-published my first book at 14. It was book I of The Sage’s Legacy, though it has now been revised 
Aside from writing, I love spending time with my dogs – or anyone’s dog haha! We go for long hikes or adventures around town. I’m an avid reader of thrillers and suspense (the opposite of what I write!) and I love the Marvel movies and TV shows. I also dabble in handmade jewellery and crafts 

 

Q2. Can you tell me about your work – what have you written, what is it about, what type of genre is it?

So, for some reason or another, I’ve always stuck close to the fantasy genre. I have three series out now:
• The Avalon Chronicles – it’s a fantasy-romance retelling of the Arthurian legend. Set in modern times, it follows Vivienne du Lac, who’s the reincarnation of the Lady of the Lake, as she tries to save herself from evil – and the world, in the process. Her guardian demon dog, Alistair, and soulmate who’s turned corrupted, Sébastien, make life interesting 
• The Sage’s Legacy – a young adult fantasy/urban fantasy series, it follows Freya Hayes, a Sage, and her adventures in an Earth populated by ghosts.
• Moonlight Rogues – my newest series, it’s a paranormal romance. Each book focuses on one of four werewolves and their love interests, as well as enemies, in the fictional town of Rockland Creek. What makes this unique versus other werewolf romances is that each book has a bit of a cultural nuance to it. Book I follows Dominic, who’s a Romanian werewolf. So his powers, abilities, even enemies, are based in Romanian folklore. Book II will follow Tristan, who’s Brazilian, hence his story will be rooted in Brazilian culture and myths. Books III and IV follow Finn and Lucas, respectively, who are Celtic and Italian. So, loads of fun 

 

Q3. Can you tell me about your writing process e.g do you prefer to plan or write spontaneously, favourite writing times, pen or computer, how long do you spend writing?

I hate planning my stories… And to be honest, they always hit me randomly. I always carry paper and pen with me (I’m old-school!) and when the mood strikes, I write. Unless I’m cramming for a deadline, in which case I have a schedule and write a few chapters per day to meet it  In general, I can write anywhere from 3-9hrs a day. The shorter times are spent writing by hand, the rest by computer. I always complete the first draft of a book by hand, then type it up. Always done it 

 

Q4. What inspires you? How do you come up with your ideas?

My dogs haha! No, seriously. You’d be surprised how many strokes of genius I get while walking them, especially if it’s at night! Other times, I’ll dream of a book and wake up, then spend the rest of the night writing.
Quiet places inspire me. After travelling to Ireland, I was inspired for 2 new novels! Mountains, great expanses of land, that’s my jam 

 

Q5. How long does it take you to write a book?

Two months. I write the first rough in usually 1-2 weeks, then fill it in over the course of another 2 weeks. I spend about 2 weeks in the editing phase, and another 2 to do the last changes and last read 
The only books that have broken that rule are The Sage’s Legacy books 1 & 2, and my latest romance-suspense, Blood Ties, Love Binds. That’s because I wrote all three when I was 14, 16, and 17 respectively, but the final versions were only completed in 2017 (for Sage) and 2018 (for BTLB). 

 

Q6. Favourite part of writing a book / least favourite part?

EDITING!! – least favourite part
Free writing – most favourite part 

 

Q7. Favourite character and why? From your own work.

That’s hard!!! Especially with Moonlight Rogues haha…
I’d have to go with Alistair. He’s a demon dog that appears in The Avalon Chronicles, with a history all of his own! A deity cast from the skies to the Underworld, he became its ruler until eventually he was cast from there too by darkness. He got pulled in by Vivienne’s light magic and swore to protect her – which he does, multiple times, sometimes at the risk of losing his life. His loyalty, his wisdom, his snark – they’re all part of why I adore him. Plus, he’s a dog! I mean, he’s practically what I always imagined my dogs would be if they could talk haha.
I loved Alistair/Atrox (his deity name) so much, that I’m actually planning a novella to chronicle his last “quest”, of sorts, for next year!

 

Q8. How did you break into publishing?

I self-pubbed originally at 14 – bad experience. My mom was trying to help me out and we ended up (mistakenly) going with a vanity press. 8 years later when I was ready to put out my new series, I did research – loads of it. And after self-pubbing my series, I’ve now signed with Creativia for Blood Ties, Love Binds 

 

Q9. How do you market your books?

Social media, Fiverr, website submissions, blog tours, author interviews like this one  I find they’re great for exposure! I also hold bi-monthly sales and dabble in Facebook and Goodreads ads.
I’ve found the most important thing to have is a mailing list, and exposure. So my marketing efforts of late have focused on that. I’m actually holding a game (of sorts) called BookaramaFest on my social media accounts for 6 weeks. Each week will spotlight one of my books. Each day in that week has questions I’ll be putting out and answering about my characters, the plot, the setting, and even fun stuff like “which Hogwarts house would they be sorted in”  Plus, there’s loads of excerpts from each book and giveaways I’ll be holding!

 

Q10. What is the strangest thing you have ever had to research?

Ha…Ha… Don’t judge me on this. 
“How long does it take for a body to decompose” followed by “how many stab wounds does it take for a body to die”.
It’s not for my fantasy romances, as you can guess 😛 But for a new book I’m working on, a thriller! Yep, I’m stepping out of my comfort zone haha. Anyway, it’s made for some interesting browser history, that’s for sure!

 

Q11. Any tips for new / aspiring authors?

Write. Write. And WRITE some more. If you’re passionate about writing, then find the time  It’s there for the taking!

 

Q12. Do you think writing is an innate gift or something which can be learned?

I think you need to have the passion for it. A lot of people might think writing is easy, but don’t realize you need to have the passion in order for the writing to actually touch readers.

 

Q13. Have you ever participated in any writing courses / retreats? Have you any writing related qualifications? If so have they been beneficial?

I’ve taken Writer’s Craft in high school and university, which is a course on writing. I’ve also had a few publications in newspapers 

 

Q14. Who are your favourite authors and why?

Hardddddd!!!
James Rollins and J.K.Rowling, hands down. P.C. Cast comes in third for her YA fantasy series, House of Night. Diana Gabaldon, for her Outlander series, is right up there with J.K.Rowling.

 

Q15. What is your favourite novel and why?

Outlander – the first one. Something about Jamie and Claire, and their love that spans time… I love it! Probably why I also love my Avalon series so much haha.

 

Q15. If you weren’t an author – what would you love to do?

Make money from travelling  After writing, travelling is my other passion. I’ve been to a few spots – Ireland, Spain, France, Romania, Netherlands – and we’re travelling to Scotland this fall. I feel like it’s the only other thing that makes me as happy as writing does 

 

Q16. What are your plans / dreams / ambitions for the future?

Become a full-time author, without a pesky day job to interrupt my writing, and travel loads and LOADS.

 

Q17. What’s next for you? What are you working on now?

A few things! I’m stepping out of my comfort zone and working on a new standalone novel, a thriller (as of yet untitled). This will be another book that breaks my 2-month record of writing, because I’m taking my time with it.
Book III of my Sage’s Legacy series will be out August 21st! It’s called Relics of the Underworld and it’s the last instalment in my YA urban fantasy series, and quite probably the last novel for a YA audience….at least for the time being  I’ll never say never.
And for fall 2018, I’m working on Book II of the Moonlight Rogues series, Second to Surrender. 

 

Q18. Can you supply a favourite excerpt from any of your works?

Hard, hard, HARD! But… Here’s a tidbit from First to Fall, Book I in the Moonlight Rogues series. 
EXCERPT

Finn steps in at that point, not fooled in the least by my resenting silence. “He’s our alpha, Dom.”

I ignore how in my face he is, trying to keep my tone curt as I continue to fiddle with the timing belt. “I’m well aware.”

“We promised him loyalty.”

I throw the piece on the table, ignoring the clank of metal on metal that echoes. I face Finn, failing to appear calm. “He’s still new as alpha. And if I recall correctly, I promised him my obedience as his beta, but not my allegiance—and not forever.”

Finn glances towards Luz and Lucas, then back at me. “Pack law is clear, mate.”

“He hasn’t made a claim.” The words are more than a growl, but enough to quiet even my wolf.

Then Lucas gets up to go in his office, and Luz watches him with longing. A thought strikes me and before I have time to reason it through, I’m already moving.

This is a terrible idea.

Or so I keep telling myself, even as my feet inch towards Luz. Before I know it, my mouth is running off again—without me. “I can help.”

Luz turns those otherworldly eyes to me, the gold more clear up close, and I gulp. I’ve never had an issue with women, but hell, this one will be the death of me.

“Dom?”

I snap back to with a very unintelligent, “Huh?”

Luz laughs, and I rub the back of my neck.

“Help me with what?” Again, her eyes slide to where Lucas disappeared to.

“With him.”

She turns so fast I’m afraid she got whiplash. “What are you talking about?”

“I can help you with Lucas.” I drop on the couch, ignoring her stunned expression and those lips I want to kiss so bad my mouth tingles.

Your social media links / website etc…
https://www.facebook.com/alexawhitewolfauthor/

http://www.alexawhitewolf.com
I’m also on instagram @alexa.whitewolf 

Book links
Avalon Dreams (The Avalon Chronicles, #1)
Avalon Wishes (The Avalon Chronicles, #2)
Avalon Nightmares (The Avalon Chronicles, #3)
The Dragon Medallion (The Sage’s Legacy, #1)
The Dragon Manuscript (The Sage’s Legacy, #2)
First to Fall (Moonlight Rogues, #1)

Q1. Tell me about yourself – biography, career, likes, dislikes, hobbies etc…anything you would like to share about yourself? Any fun, interesting facts? Please insert a photograph if possible.

Careers: After being a child I was in the military, then becoming educated enough to enter the workforce as a public-school teacher. Later I went to law school and practiced law for thirty years. Born and raised mostly in Arizona though I lived in San Francisco and L.A. as a little boy. Education was in Arizona schools, including degrees from N.A.U. (2), and U. of A. Three children, all successful women in their own right, but single by choice for many years.
Love life and live it as fully every day as I can, with a mantra. Each day is a new day, a new life.

Q2. Can you tell me about your work – what have you written, what is it about, what type of genre is it?

My books range from westerns to mysteries, police investigatory work, dystopian, a romance with a twist, adapted factual stories. I have published 12 books with Creativia with one which will be removed in about two months or so. I have published three books with Life After Death Publicationz and have two more ready to be published with them. There is a western series I call the Hendershot series, A TALL MAN RIDES, A RUNNING MAN, REVENGE FOR JANIE. There is a five-book series of mystery/police procedural starting with THIRD TIME NOT A CHARM. My dystopian novel is 2024.

Q3. Can you tell me about your writing process e.g. do you prefer to plan or write spontaneously, favourite writing times, pen or computer, how long do you spend writing?

I have no times of day which are my favourite, but I am at my best in the early morning. I write in fits and starts. My writing may occur for several months in a row, then I will edit and rewrite for several additional months before thinking about publishing. Polishing my craft has become very important to me as time has passed. I paid it less credence in the earlier days of writing and I am embarrassed about that currently. My work is all done on computer though in the past I have handwritten three books.

Q4. What inspires you? How do you come up with your ideas?

Many of my ideas come from current events, current problems of one kind or another. In the U.S. today there is a deep-seated problem with NAZISM. I wrote about it in a book titled SONS OF THE AMERICAN FATHERLAND. I have a sequel in production as I write these remarks. One of my books is called THE GHOST. It is a tale of a serial rapist who becomes a serial murderer. It generated out of my disgust over the cover-ups of campus rapes on campuses all over the U.S. in places like Florida State, Texas Christian, Stanford, Duke, etc.
Sometimes my ideas are generated by people I meet, or those about whom I have been told by others, or from my family history, or the history of my family members.  One book, A TALL MAN RIDES, was generated out of a story my mother told of a sheriff in the ghost town of Swansea, Arizona the first time I ever went there.

Q5. How long does it take you to write a book?

It depends on the intensity of the topic to be truthful. Some have taken as long as several months, some as little as a few weeks. One I wrote in three weeks. But the writing is just the start of the process. No matter how long the actual writing takes it is the editing and rewriting which takes the longest amounts of time.

Q6. Favourite part of writing a book / least favourite part?

The characters and building their image in my mind so it can be seen by any reader is my favourite things. My least favourite thing is editing. Isn’t that true with all writers?

Q7. Favourite character and why? From your own work.

My favourite character from my work is NEWTON RAMSEY, the star of NEWTON RAMSEY, SHOOTIST, a western novel which begins in Kansas, and becomes a travel and life story of a fifteen-year-old lad. This book will soon go out of publication but then will be republished somewhere with a sequel.
Q8. How did you break into publishing?

In the first instance I engaged a “vanity publisher.” That was a disaster which cost me a lot of money. Their editing was horrid, and I didn’t know enough at the time to do my own editing in a fashion like what I now would do. I engaged an illustrator who is wonderful for one of my books. Her name is Melissa Stevens, theillustratedauthor.com and she suggested several publishers I might consider. One of those was Creativia where I began publishing about 2008.

Q9. How do you market your books?

Marketing is done primarily on Facebook and Twitter. My publishers’ market in ways of which I am not aware. I market on many Facebook readers sites, but I also have marketed on Book Bub, and through other overseas sites including some in England. I have marketed with Writers Inspiring Change, a Swedish marketing and review company. Apparently, my marketing is successful in Germany where I have sold many books.

Q10. What is the strangest thing you have ever had to research?

Information concerning Satanism.
Q11. Any tips for new / aspiring authors?

Don’t quit, don’t despair, learn how to edit, learn to use a strong editing tool that is unforgiving such as Prowritingaid.com, and never, ever give in to the bull offered by a vanity publisher. Never pay to publish your books.

Q12. Do you think writing is an innate gift or something which can be learned?

It is both I think. Not all can tell stories of one kind or another. The part of writing which is learned is the hard work of building your ability at your craft.

Q13. Have you ever participated in any writing courses / retreats? Have you any writing related qualifications? If so have they been beneficial?

I took part in writing courses in law school but other than that no. I have no particular writing qualifications except human experience.

Q14. Who are your favourite authors and why?

Too many to mention but I will give you a few. Trad published writers: David Baldacci, Robert B. Parker, John Sandford, Stephen King, Michael Crichton, Robert Ludlum, Lee Child, Catherine Coulter, Robin Cook, Charles Alden Seltzer, Leon Uris among many, many others.
Indie Authors: Mari Collier, Eileen Thornton, Sahara Foley, Mary Deal, Kenna Mc Kinnon, Eve Gaal, A.J. Griffiths-Jones, Julie Northup, Carole Gill, P.S. Winn, Janine Pestel, Harry Porter, Malcolm Archibald, John Wood, H.I Defaz, Rich Penney, John Reinhard Dizon, Stuart G. Yates, Frank Scozzari, Ted Jonson, Stephen Bentley.
The trad writers simply do a great job with great editing. All the Indie writers do wonderful work, tell wonderful stories. These lists are not exclusive, leave out far too many I have read who are wonderful writers. A couple of others to illustrate would be Stieg Larson with the “GIRL” series of three, and James Redfield with the Celestine Prophecy stories, and Jean Kilczer, another wonderful Indie writer.

Q15. What is your favourite novel and why?

If I must name one, and there are too many, way too many to do that, it would be THE STAND, by Stephen King. It is such a great story in so many ways. It illustrates every novel ever written about the battle between good and evil. It creates characters that are so real you think they will knock on the door tomorrow, always a goal of mine in every book I write.

Q16. If you weren’t an author – what would you love to do?

I wish I had the skill and the patience to be a great photographer and painter like my friend, a great writer named Mary Deal. She embodies the “artist” in every sense it seems.

Q17. What are your plans / dreams / ambitions for the future?

The future is today. You must live many years, as I have, to learn the future is today. My future is living every day as a new day, a new life, a beginning with an ending of falling asleep. We all should learn this lesson and should have learned it as children when reciting our evening prayer, “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.” As one ages it is easy to realize the truth of the prayer no matter what sect you belong to, or whether you are an atheist. Each of us owes everyone else the grace of living the best day we can every day. No day is ever guaranteed. Not one minute of life is long enough to let it pass in sorrow.

Q18. What’s next for you? What are you working on now?

I have just finished editing and rewriting three books written either this year or last year but set aside. I have two which are being edited for publishing by the publisher. I will have three more ready to go when those two are in publication. I am working on a “zombie” story as well. Fun stuff, that.
Q19. Can you supply a favourite excerpt from any of your works?

I have written too many words onto blank pages to have a favourite excerpt but here is something from one of my new works called A NEW LIFE, not yet published.
This is being narrated by one of the two stars of a tale beginning with two major catastrophes that bring two people together into a maelstrom of a life. It is a love story among other things. Mike and Dani are the characters. In this scene he is hunting to provide meat for them. Think of it, if you are not a vegetarian how would you react to being without fresh meat for over a year?
“For several days I was successful in harvesting a few of the many rabbits on the golf course I was hunting. Then, some two weeks after I started these hunting events I brought home a deer. It was small, and it would not yield more than a few meals of good meat with some jerky as well, but it was meat, it was fresh, and it would work for a variety of dishes. I thought Dani was a little picky about eating the animal’s meat ad asked her, “Are you thinking of Bambi?”
“Damn you Mike,” she said, laughing, “how could you possibly know I was thinking of Bambi. Poor little thing. It wasn’t any bigger than a minute.”
“Just think about how good it feels in your tummy and you’ll forget all about Bambi, trust me.”

Your social media links / website etc…
Facebook, Berkeley Rourke
Twitter, frogster828, Berk Rourke
No web site, no blog

Book links
2024, mybook.to/berkandhisbooks3
A TALL MAN RIDES, mybook.to/berkandhisbooks2
A RUNNING MAN, mybook.to/berkandhisbooks4
REVENGE FOR JANIE, my.book.to/berkandhisbooks5
NEWTON RAMSEY, SHOOTIST, mybook.to/theshootist
THE GHOST, mybook.to/berkandhisghost
These six are representatives of the body. Go to Amazon.com, click on any of the book names and my author name, H. Berkeley Rourke, then click on my name and you will be at my Amazon book site.

Thanks to Julia Sutton for this opportunity.

Thanks for sharing Berk 😊 xx

 

1. Tell me about yourself – biography, career, likes, dislikes, hobbies etc…anything you would like to share about yourself? Any fun, interesting facts?

My name is Chris, as you know, and I’m 43 and live in Westcliff-on-Sea, Southend. I am the author of science fiction horror novel Blurred Vision, and poetry anthology Dark Days. I love my footie (Man. Utd fan), my music – especially Kasabian – and work as a Learning Support Assistant with students with educational needs at SEEVIC College, Benfleet. I am also three years into an English Language degree. My partner and I have five cats (yes five!), and they keep us on our toes!

2. Can you tell me about your work – what have you written, what is it about, what type of genre is it?

Blurred Vision is a delve into the human psyche and how each of us reacts differently to a specific situation. In this case there are six individuals who come together in a room on an alien craft; their behaviour might not necessarily compliment their original personalities within outcomes of their specific situations. We then get the back stories following each character’s abduction on the craft. Dark Days is a horror poetry anthology that again jumps into the darkest recesses of the human mind. There are a few ‘light’ poems, but predominantly it’s a look at how different we all really are.

3. Can you tell me about your writing process e.g do you prefer to plan or write spontaneously, favourite writing times, pen or computer, how long do you spend writing?

I don’t really have a set plan for writing. Things just come into my head – anytime, anyplace – and I just write them down. The notes on my phone or paper can be very messy! I don’t write as often as I used to. Homelife, degree and work make things tough, and I usually only write sporadically or when I’ve an idea.

4. What inspires you? How do you come up with your ideas?

Again, most ideas are sporadic. Something might just pop into my head or there may be a whisker of something I’ve seen or heard which piques my interest and allows me to elaborate on the initial idea.

5. How long does it take you to write a book?

It took me a few years on and off to finish Blurred Vision. Each time it was left I was reasonably satisfied with it; when going back it was a case of rewriting stale sentences and ideas. Dark Days was different. This was several years of previously published works that I decided to form into a small anthology of my own.

6. Favourite part of writing a book / least favourite part?

My favourite parts of writing are when an idea forms and my fingers are going hell for leather on my computer keyboard! It’s really satisfying when your passion matches your ideas, and the excitement and feelings once you get into the story yourself. Least enjoyable parts of writing are the edits. Blurred Vision has 12 edits by myself, a once over by an editor and then another edit by another editor! It’s a laborious task but necessary.

7. Favourite character and why? From your own work.

I think my favourite character from Blurred Vision has to be Mark. He’s level headed and rational in thought. He is the guy you want as a friend – especially in a crisis!

8. How did you break into publishing?

I’d sent my work off several times and had always received pretty good feedback. However, many publishers didn’t like the dark and violent content of my writing so either asked me to tone it down before publishing discussions, or just reject it. Finally I was given a chance by a previous publisher who published it in all of its gruesome glory. Following this, I made the decision to change publishers and again they republished it without any qualms regarding its content.

9. How do you market your books?

Marketing can be tough and time consuming, but again vital. I have made a lot of good friends, like yourself, via social media and together we share each other’s works. Also Twitter, Instagram and good old fashioned word of mouth are very useful tools.

10. What is the strangest thing you have ever had to research?

It’s not strange, but for BV I had to ask an American Professor if I could borrow and reword his explanation on wormholes and space. He was very accommodating so long as I wrote it as my own.

11. Any tips for new / aspiring authors?

If you want to be a big success as a writer, then you have to really be a full time writer. As we know that’s not always compatible with home life and jobs et al, but write consistently, research thoroughly and don’t give up (believe me, there have been times when all writers ponder this!).

12. Do you think writing is an innate gift or something which can be learned?

Personally, I’ve always had the creativity and vivid imagination and liked to write stories as a child. However, as we all know, grammar and punctuation are extremely crucial to any writing, and although I’d already written a third of BV, I went back to the drawing board and taught myself the correct grammar and procedures as I continued writing BV.

13. Have you ever participated in any writing courses / retreats? Have you any writing related qualifications? If so, have they been beneficial?

The only writing related qualifications I did were retaking my GCSE English to improve my abilities and a casual writing hobby course for likeminded adults a few years before BV began.

14. Who are your favourite authors and why?

Tough question Julia. I would have to say that Anne Rice (of Interview with the Vampire fame) is a favourite of mine. Her rich language, detail and storytelling really puts you into the world that she has created. Her characters’ traits, sentimentality and emotions are truly wonderful. Another favourite author is Erich Von Daniken. Known more for his theoretical ideas and works into that of linking humanity and alien species’ together, he is right out there and has some interesting ideas to discuss.

15. If you weren’t an author – what job would you love to do?

Well, I’m lucky in so much as I already have a job that I love working as an LSA with SEN teenagers at college level. It’s a rewarding job that matches that of being a published author.

16. What are your plans / dreams / ambitions for the future?
I would love for BV to be made into a TV series or movie, but realistically it’s just to keep pushing BV and developing more poetry works.

17. What’s next for you? What are you working on now?

I’m slowly toying with an idea for a novella of short short stories, but that’s a fresh plan that needs more thought. Other than that, I still write poetry now and again when the mood takes me.

18. Can you supply a favourite excerpt from any of your works?

“The words of the alien echoed around Daniel’s thumping skull.  He struggled to understand how the being spoke, especially since its mouth failed to move.  He guessed that it was some sort of telepathy, that was the only explanation.  With that, the alien shook the cage again as though teasing a tied up pet.  Daniel fell onto his backside, still unable to stop the shaking.  He squirmed in the dirt, kicking out at the bizarre, grubby little insects that shared the confined space with him.

He couldn’t think straight; his brain felt scrambled.  Whimpers and cries emanated from the hundreds of cages that lined the cargo hold.  He stretched as tall as possible and stared across the vast space at the perfectly positioned rows of steel.  Each row had a two foot drop below the long stretches of the wide metal walkway.  It was like a giant warehouse.”

Here are Chris’ social media links:-

Facebook: Blurred Vision by Chris Botragyi. @blurredvisionbook
Twitter: @Chris Botragyi
Instagram: Chrissyb41

Thank you Chris 😊

WRITING BLOG 1 WRITING PROCESS

So here I am, writing the last book in the School of Dreams series. I started the
series in 2015. I was having a clear out and found a boxful of essays from when
I attended the University of Wolverhampton way back in 2001. I had such a
fantastic time there and have so many happy memories of the place, it inspired
me to write a story which turned into a book and then a series.

It took me about ten months to write the school of dreams. I wrote most of it
longhand in notebooks first, then transferred it to the computer. I planned each
chapter out, making a rough outline of what I wanted to happen, basic plot
ideas, what the characters would be doing etc… I know a lot of writers who
don’t like to plan their books, but I’m definitely not one of them. I’m very
organised, I don’t like chaos I like order, so for me a rough idea of what I need
to be writing helps keep me focused. I think this is especially important when
writing a series, as there are a lot of characters and a lot of things happening.
After finishing each chapter I would print it off and read through it, this would
help guide me where to go with the next chapter. Sometimes I would
completely change the plan, sometimes my imagination would take me
somewhere else, this is where the creativity comes in and you pretty much have
to just go with it, don’t be afraid to lose yourself in your writing.

My writing day usually starts around 6.00am. I find I’m more productive in the
mornings when the house is quiet and there are no distractions. I try to write a
1,000 words, more if I can. If I don’t achieve this I don’t stress about it, life is
busy, there’s work and family commitments to consider, so some days I’m not
able to commit to writing as much as I would like. For me though writing is not
a hobby, I take it seriously and I am determined to forge out a career in the
writing industry. To help make this achievable I read a lot, anything and
everything, horror, romance, thrillers. Reading enriches creativity, it expands
on your vocabulary, it increases your knowledge of the world, it entertains and
it calms you. It is a wonderful pastime to immerse yourself in and that is a key
theme within the school of dreams; how books and reading can transform lives.

So I’m writing the first chapter of book four. It’s been hard work writing a
series, sometimes emotionally draining and the editing process can be
challenging, but overall I have loved creating The school of dreams and I’m
really excited about what I can write next.  I have an idea for a Christmas
romance book and I am always conjuring up stories for children. For me
writing is about patience and resilience, determination and focus. Nourishing
and trusting your imagination – which most importantly of all is completely free 😊

[The first three books in the School of Dreams series are available via Amazon as an e-book or a paperback: http://www.mybook.to/Schoolofdreams http://www.mybook.to/Visionsoftheheart      http://www.mybook.to/Studentaffairs

Working on book 4 😊]