16 Year Old Spawns of My Imagination

This week's writer's spotlight is  a bit different. I happened upon this very talented young writer by chance during an Indie Ink writing challenge a couple weeks ago. His mother, Deus Ex Machina, forced allowed him to do her writing challenge for that week and I was blown away. It was the first time I had seen his writing and it was amazing. If she had not said that he wrote, then you would have had no idea. It was that freaking good! So I thought I would have Jake on here and introduce him to you. I think it's important we encourage young people especially those who are as talented as Jake is. There are so many young kids today that have no passion, no desire, and  no drive to be anything more than someone who says "Do you want fries with that?".

I did a little interview with Jake and was able to squeeze a few words from his 16 yr old boy body which is no small task. So without further adieu, here's Jake in the words of his very proud mamma:

Jake is one-half of an ongoing social experiment my husband and I call "raising children."  It started 16 years ago, on July 8, 1995.  On that day, Jake burst through my uterus and forced himself upon the world 5 weeks early, all 2 pounds 13 ounces of him.  He was indeed a wicked tornado from day one.   An old soul.  The kind of kid you just know has walked this Earth before.  Part of our little social experiment has included forgoing formal education in lieu of a more relaxed and natural approach to life learning.  It's a fancy way of saying we homeschool.  More to the point, we unschool.  That's fancy homeschooling insider lingo for "we learn shit without books and junk."  And you want to know what's weird?  It actually works.  I know, I know.  It blows my mind, too.  Jake is a writer.  He is a musician, a self-taught guitarist.  He is a 16-year-old boy with an amazing imagination, a brilliant conversationalist, and an utterly filthy mind.  The apple doth fall not far from its mother tree, methinks.  I love him and I am proud of him and I will show him off to the world with the last breath in my lungs. 

My Q & A with Jake:

1.  Where do your inspirations/ideas for your stories come from?

I get most of my inspiration from my life, music, and the author Jeff Lindsay.

2. Do you plan on making some sort of career from writing or is it more of a hobby?

I wouldn't mind making my writing a career but I don't think I'm that talented. I'd love to but right now I'd just rather keep it a hobby.

3. Do people ever say that your writing is inappropriate for someone your age? How do you respond to that?

I've gotten a lot of horrible feedback for the content of my writing. Many people have told me that I'm going to hell, or that I should never be able to write again, a few people have told me that if they were my parents they would've raised me right. Which I find funny because that would SUCK for them. And I say the same thing to all to those people. "Go complain about it on FaceBook you sensitive Martha Stewart fangirl fuck face."

4. Does your family read your stories? What is their response?

Well, my mom reads my stories. My dad's not much of a reader and my brother...I wont get into much detail with him. But my mom seems to like them; she gives me helpful tips along the way.

5. Who are your favorite authors and what is your favorite book?

My favorite author, by far, hands down, no questions asked is Jeff Lindsay. He wrote the Dexter novels which is about a blood spatter analysis who has an urge to kill the ones who deserve it. It's written in first person which inspired my first person style of writing.

 

Places you can connect with Jake and read more of his writing at:

Blog: Spawns of My Imagination

Writing profile: If I get a100 fans my mom says she'll stop spanking me

What you'll find when you visit Jake:

Deadly Night 

 

He was walking on the dark and rocky sidewalk in the middle of the night (12:32 AM to be exact). He was coming from his twelve hour shift at McDonald's. His job was shit, his one bedroom apartment was shit, his pay was shit, he looked and felt like shit. His shitty name was Rich...Rich Crews. Rich is not a very lucky person when it comes to his job. He got punched by a customer because he accidentally gave him the wrong change back....even though it was only thirty-eight cents. The cool winds of the night made it all worth it though. Stuck in that god awful smelling building all day long isn't good for a man.

As the last bit of greasy french fry sweat dripped off his slowly cooling white face he heard a high pitched scream coming from the woods to the left. Rich couldn't see anything of course, it's too dark. He stopped for a second to see if he can look through the trees, but gave up and kept walking. Not even five minutes he was walking until that fearful scream can back, words followed it, words that echoed through the air and into Rich's ears. “Help me! Someone help! He's going to kill me!” the female voice screamed. Rich's curiosity took over and pushed through the bushes. As the screams got louder Rich grabbed his knife from his black pants and flipped the blade out.

What he saw made his eyes bulge, his face pale and his lip quiver in fear. He dropped his knife and started sweating again. His veins instantaneously filled with fear and fright. He stared at what was happening right in front of him: a beautiful blond woman was lying on her hands and knees completely nude. Struggling and squirming to get away from the large hairy claws holding her waist. The arms following the claws were just as hairy. It's chest was thick, and just as hairy as its arms. The beast had large pointy ears sticking out of its mane-like fur, reddish, brownish fangs stuck out of its snout slowly dripping a combination of blood and drool onto her arched back. It's eyes were red, bright red, bright blood red. read the rest of the story here

Building Your Writing Empire

Now that I am starting to get back into a bloggy routine I thought I would again start my Writer Spotlight, but this week I am doing things a bit differently. I don't have a "writer" to spotlight. Instead I wanted to share with you a couple blogs and writers who are doing amazing things to help writers promote/market/sell themselves and their books. I have utilized a few of their strategies and have found them extremely helpful in gaining more views on my blog so I know they will definitely be able to help you. 

I am sure you all remember Lizzy. She is a fabulous YA paranormal/fantasy/romance writer. I have been working with her for several months now and recently her IT sherpa (aka her husband Matt) has started a series on their website Guerilla Wordfare. Not only are his tips extremely useful but he explains it in a way that even someone like me who knows jack squat about SEO and all of that can understand. I have learned so much from his posts and if you're not getting many hits on your site/blog/books then I definitely suggest you to read Matt's helpful tips. They are easy to do and the best part they are absolutely FREE!! 

Here are a couple of Matt's previous posts. Check out Guerilla Wordfare for the entire series. 

Building Web Presence for Authors: Introduction

Building Web Presence for Authors: Google Analytics


Every writer wants to get as much exposure as possible for their books and one way is by getting them reviewed. Jenn has just started her own review blog so if you're looking for a place to get your book reviewed and/or interview then she is definitely the place to start. She loves all things indie and is an absolutely fabulous person.  Jenn describes herself and her blog as:

 a sarcastic, strong willed chick with a huge fear of spiders and june bugs. My passions are my family, books, music and animals. I love me some gooey brownies, coca cola and can slam a Starbucks Vanilla Frapp like it's a shot. My purpose here is to review and discuss books, support indie authors and just have fun.

So if you're looking for a good place to get your book reviewed, then head over to Jenn's blog.

Vampires Rule You Drool

It's me again Margaret!! I had big plans in August. Things were going to change. I was going to be able to start posting again. I even announced it to the world which was my first mistake because the universe just laughed at me and said "Oh yea? Really? Let me see what I can do to change that" and it did. Sigh. I meant to post this last week. I had a whole series of posts lined up for last week. Their drafts sit in my unpublished folder. Waiting. Like me. Maybe September will be the month that I return. Shh!! Don't tell the universe though. So until then here is a great guest post from Kasi. She was originally published by Harlequin but  has jumped onto the Indie train. She has two books out, Vampires Rule and Crushed. You can read more of her shaningans on her blog, Ghost Writer. Thanks for stopping by Kasi!!!

It's All About Control

When I was asked to write a post on my experiences in self-publishing, I didn't know where to begin.  This is my fourth attempt.  The last three were dry, boring, and all over the place.  I finally decided to narrow my focus.  Today I want to talk about control; specifically, who has control over your book?

If you go the traditional route, which I did several years ago, you have to sit back and watch control slip through your fingers as other people take your book on as their project.  In some ways this is a good thing.  When I published with Harlequin, I had a team of editors going over my manuscript line by line.  That alone will give you real peace of mind, but you have to give up control.  It isn't just your baby anymore.

On my first book, the title was changed to something that makes me cringe even now.  I tried to offer my editor a list of new titles, but she was set on the one that I hated.  In the end I gave into pressure, half-afraid my book wouldn't be published if I didn't let them have their way.  On the second book, almost every single aspect of it was changed by the editors.  First, they wanted me to change my main character's name to something they liked better.  Then they wanted me to get ride of her family, move her out of town, and basically rewrite everything.  I think the only thing they liked about the story was the idea of it.  To this day the book feels like it is more theirs than mine.

But now I've self-published a book called Vampires Rule, a YA Urban Fantasy with a unique twist on the whole vampire thing.  I have total control over this book, which isn't always a good thing.  There were a few times when I wasn't sure if I should leave something in or take it out.  I asked a friend and she said, "It's your book."  Then one day the truth of it hit home.  It is my book.  I am totally responsible for how it turns out.  Not only do I have to make sure it's edited properly, I have to create the cover, format it as an ebook, and do all the marketing. 

It's been kind of rough to be honest with you.  There have been times when I thought I should forget the whole thing and stay in bed, but the book is available on Smashwords now.  I'm hoping to have it on Amazon someday soon.  The marketing, I think, has been the worst part.  Starting a blog and joining social networking groups like Facebook has left me very little time to write.  Sometimes I feel like I am going up to everyone in the world one person at a time, tapping them on the shoulder and asking, "Would you like to read my book?"

I am learning so much about the publishing business and about marketing.  It seems like I find a new and wonderful site online to help me with marketing every day.  For instance, yesterday I found Book Blogs, and my blog followers shot up by ten overnight.  Also, a few people have asked to review my book because they saw my blog on this site. 

I love it that I don’t have to just publish one book a year like with traditional publishing.  Vampires Rule hit the cyber-shelves in April, and Crushed was released a few weeks ago.  Now I’m getting ready to put out the second books in each of those series, Werewolves Rule and Witch Hunt.  Both should be available sometime this year.

I've given up time to write, sleep, and inner peace, but I have total control over my book.  If you want to know if it was worth it, ask me next year after I've had time to promote it some more.  I'll be able to answer you then.  Hope this was helpful.          

Where you can find Kasi:

Blog   http://kasi-kcblake.blogspot.com/

Kasi's Books:

 Click HERE to read a sample chapter

To view a sample chapter of Crushed click HERE

or you can buy on Amazon by clicking the links below

                      

Eye of the Crystal Ball

One of the things I have missed the most this summer is my Writer Spotlight. I always enjoy finding new books and meeting all of the up and coming new authors. Then when they are famous I can brag about how I had them on my blog way back when. So today I am handing my blog over to T.P. She has written a guest post and you can find out more about her book, The Eye of the Crystal Ball at the end. Take it away T.P. Thanks for stopping by!!!

A lot of people ask me when I came up with the idea for ”The Eye of the Crystal Ball”, and I answer them that the story is very new, but the main character - the gypsy-girl Sara – has been with me always. She appeared in my head when I was still a child.

Where did she come from? Well, my parents actually. It is kind of strange I admit, but I think it is part of the reason why I have such a great imagination still as an adult. The thing is, my parents (mostly my dad – but my mom didn’t contradict him) used to tell me that I wasn’t their child. According to their story I was left on the doorstep at their house as an infant. They found me there in a small basket with a note on the pillow telling them to take good care of me. They told me I was a gypsy girl and that my real parents were going to come and get me one day soon.

I know it sounds like a horrible thing for parents to say to their child, but it wasn’t like I was young enough to really believe them. But I loved the story, and it made me very interested in gypsies and whenever we went on vacation to the South of France – where we always went because we had an apartment there – I would always go out looking for gypsies and try to get in contact with them. I didn’t believe the story – but I think maybe a big part of me wanted to. And that is where I think my love for storytelling began. My dad would tell me vividly about the gypsy way of living (in order to prepare me for when I had to go back, he would say while winking his one eye) and I would get drawn right into these stories of the dark and mysterious people from distant and exotic places. Stories filled with music and dancing and fluttering skirts. And my new best friend became Sara, the gypsy girl in a long red dress that would dance in my mind and make me dream of being different, or at least something else than the pretty ordinary girl from a middleclass family in Denmark that I really was.

As I grew up she followed me. I knew in my heart that I would one day write her story, and after having written four mystery novels, three in Danish that are published in Scandinavia and Germany, and one in English, I finally realized some time this spring that Sara had returned and she was getting ready to go on a dangerous quest to find a cure for her little brother’s strange illness.

I told my parents that I had written the story and they laughed a lot about it. So did I. To their defense I can tell you, that they told my older brother that he came from the monkeycage at the local Zoo, so I would prefer my story anytime over his.

But to be honest I loved that they gave me a world of imagination and they made me believe that I could do anything. Even fly. Yes, you heard me. Fly. My dad told me that he could teach me how to fly and every weekend for a long period of time we would practice in the driveway. My dad would put me on our garbage can outside and then he would have me jump towards him while he yelled: Flap your arms, flap!

And I jumped, of course, and flapped firmly believing that I one day would fly over the top of the roofs and look down at the small world underneath me. Some small part of me still believes that one day it will happen. As long as I keep flapping … and believing.

Who is T.P. Boje?

T. P. Boje is a mother of two, a stepmother of another two and a hardcore cartoon lover, Tim Burton enthusiast, and enjoys any movie the Coen Brothers have made (with the big Lebowski being her favorite strongly followed by Burn after Reading). She is also a Y/A fantasy and mystery-writer. She is originally from Denmark but currently living in Florida, USA. Her books are translated into several languages.

To learn more follow her on Twitter, visit her fansite on Facebook or check out her web-page: http://www.tpboje.blogspot.com/

Synopsis of The Eye of the Crystal Ball:

When Sara was newborn her parents left her at the doorstep at Mr. and Mrs. Schneider’s house.

When Sara was ten she discovered she was telekinetic. She began to move stuff around when she got angry just by her will alone.

When Sara was twelve her real parents came for her and took her with them to live like the Gypsy that she was – or Romani as they like to call themselves. They told her she was going to fulfill a prophesy. That it was once said that out of the Romani people the greatest sorceress who had ever lived would be born.
When Sara was thirteen she had a baby brother and when she was fourteen he got very sick with a strange illness.

To save her baby-brother Sara sets off on a quest to find his cure – well knowing that it will cost her dearly.
Soon Sara finds herself going through the Singing Cave, crossing Wild Witches Valley, talking to a ten foot giant snail, rescuing the Beads of Souls from the Hell-hounds, escaping a spell in Vamila, the Forest of Vanity, visiting the king at the City of Lights before she finally reaches the Black Castle where she is told the Eye of the Crystal Ball can tell her how to cure her brother’s strange illness.

But nothing is free in this world - and as Sara soon will know - everything has a price.

Get The Eye of the Crystal Ball on Amazon:

Zombies, Murder, & a Little Black Dress

June 22nd Indie Support Day

To find out more about Indie Support Day and how you can support an Indie author/musician/filmmaker visit Tamworth Grice's blog, Griceland.

In honor of  Indie Support Day  I am excited to share with you an amazingly talented Indie writer who not only can scare the socks off of you but make you laugh while he’s doing it, Jack Wallen. For the most part, Jack writes thriller and horror fiction. However he also has a chic-lit novel in the works. Yes you read that right although according to his Sample Sunday there is a BIG twist that will blow you away. Just to tease you a little bit, you can read the first chapter of his gender bending chic-lit novel, Shero, over at his blog, Get Jack'd.

Here's my Q & A with Jack: 

Indie author Jack Wallen

Where do you find inspiration for your characters? Do you find it difficult to get into the minds of serial killers and zombies?

The inspiration for my characters comes from many sources. One of the  primary sources is music. When I was writing Gothica, I had the skin of  the killer, Joshua Freeny, in my head, but not the meat and bones. It wasn't until I listened to the song "Pet" by A Perfect Circle. The lyrics:



"Lay your head down child
I won't let the boogeyman come
Countin' bodies like sheep
To the rhythm of the war drums
Pay no mind to the rabble
Pay no mind to the rabble
Head down, go to sleep
To the rhythm of the war drums"

Helped me to realize something fare more sinister with Freeny -- that he was, in some way, connected to some darker spirits that would aid his return from death.

When I set out to write "I Zombie I" I knew the thrust of the story was going to be a journalist chronicling his downward spiral into the zombie abyss. What I had to come up with was:

1) What that felt like
2) What drove the zombies to want to break open the skulls of the living and eat their gray matter.

What I discovered was quite fun to play with. I decided, one of the most maddening things for myself is when tinnitus overtakes my hearing (for whatever reason) and I have trouble hearing. What would happen if that sound was multiplied and never went away. That is where the core of the suffering Jacob Plummer experienced. This also lead me to discover a reason why the zombies hunger for brains (I'll let the readers find that out for themselves.)

What is the hardest part of the writing process for you and how do you overcome it?

The hardest part about writing is marketing. I find the whole of the actual creating process a joy. I love creating and story-telling and dialog. What I loathe is the pimping process. I would have made a horrible, horrible pimp. I want my work to speak for itself and don't want to come off as a car salesman doing everything they can to win a commission. I feel dirty when I post on Twitter or Facebook basically saying "Please buy my book!"

Which character was your favorite (and/or least favorite) to write and why?

My favorite character I have written so far is probably the title character in Shero. That book (due out in July) was simply a joy. There wasn't a single agonizing, stressful part of that character. Not only that, but I spent much of my Shero writing time laughing.

My next favorite character was probably Bethany Nitshimi from the "I Zombie" trilogy. She's a smart, sexy, strong woman that I think a lot of people will be able to relate to. That and she's might well be able to save the world.

I can't say I have a least favorite character. Even the bad guys have some redeeming qualities. But I will say the third book in the "I Zombie" trilogy has probably been the most challenging to write because it was the first in the series that introduced a totally new character as the "protagonist" (You'll have to read the book to know why I used the "".)

 Do you have any special quirks that you do  while writing?

I incant a magical spell and infuse the ink with the souls of a thousand clowns. ;-) The only "quirk" I have is that I always write the first draft out with pen and paper. I feel a much stronger connection to the work that way.

Do you have a current WIP?

How much time do I have? ;-) Here's what I have in the works:

Second book in the "I Zombie" trilogy in the hands of the beta readers. First draft of the final book in the "I Zombie" trilogy is fifty percent done.

Outline for my first YA Paranormal book done (NOTE: No sparkely vampires included in this novel).

Outline completed for two more Fringe Killer books (plus ideas for about five more).

Outline completed for "The Nails of Cavalry".

Sequel to Shero twenty-five percent complete.

I have ideas for quite a few other books in the works as well. I am always jotting down ideas for new stories.

What’s the one piece of advice every Indie writer should know before starting on the self publishing process?

Keep writing. As soon as you write the last word of that first book, take a breath and a moment to feel pride, and then immediately start writing the next book. Never, ever stop. The more you write the better your art, the better your art, the more you will sell.

Why do you think there is so much friction between the Indie world and the world of traditional publishing? Is there a way to bridge the gap?

Traditional publishers are scared the indie authors are going to severely cut into their bottom line. Not only that, but if we continue to be successfully what's holding all of the best selling authors back from joining our ranks? It's the same thing that happened in the music industry and the publishing industry is reacting in the same way the music industry did. If that's the case, we will win in the end.

Places you can connect with Jack:

Blog: Get Jack'd: http://www.monkeypantz.net
Twitter: jlwallen
Facebook: jlwallen

Places you can find Jack's books:

I Zombie I:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/I-Zombie-ebook/dp/B004LGTRX0
B&N: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/I-Zombie-I/Jack-Wallen/e/9781452404363
Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/I-Zombie-Jack-Wallen/dp/1461134137
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/3679

A Blade Away:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002NPBSME
B&N: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/A-Blade-Away/Jack-Wallen/e/2940012551863
Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Blade-Away-Jack-Wallen/dp/1461082218
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/34698



Gothica:

Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/Gothica-Fringe-Killer-ebook/dp/B002OL1Y3A
B&N:http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Gothica/Jack-Wallen/e/2940012527219
Paperback:http://www.amazon.com/Gothica-Jack-Wallen/dp/1461163633
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/35382



 I'd like to thank Jack for stopping by. If you missed a previous feature, you can catch up with all of my past interviews by visiting my Writer's Spotlight page.