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Interview With Danny Kemp

8/29/2015

3 Comments

 
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Today, Danny Kemp, a writer specializing in murder and mayhem, is here to share his work and thoughts with us.

Danny Kemp is an ex-London Police Officer who was once arrested for attempted murder. He's been a tenant of three public houses (pubs) and is currently a Licensed London Taxi Driver.

His debut novel, The Desolate Garden, a story of murder and espionage, is currently under its fourth consecutive years paid option to be rendered into a $30,000,000 movie by a London-based Film Production Company.
Is there anything you can share that your bio doesn't?
My bath time has been ruined by my two-year-old grandson who has taken the yellow, plastic duck that I used to serenade whilst bathing. I've lost my singing voice as a result!

Please tell us about your latest work.
The title is Percy Crow. It's the follow-up to my first published novel The Desolate Garden published in March 2012. In May 2012, that novel was optioned for filming by a London Film Production Company to become a $30 million movie. It is still under their paid option until 2016, however, problems with the distribution may hamper that coming about.

Percy Crow carries the original story forward to the present day using characters I established previously, but can equally stand on its own as a tale of murder, mystery and deceit.

Where did you gain inspiration for Percy Crow?
I think all my stories simply came from a love of writing and an overworked imagination.

Why did you become a writer?
At the time I started there was nothing else I could do. I had suffered a road traffic accident and was effectively out of work for almost four years. It was during that time that I began. After hundreds of inquiry letters sent to literary agents, one telephoned me and offered representation on the strength of a synopsis along with three chapters I had sent him. That story was never published, but he encouraged me to write another with The Desolate Garden being the result.

Where is your favorite place to write?
I'm lucky in having a ten-foot by eight-foot garden shed which is my office. There is a desktop running the whole length of one side where I can spread out and write. I use a storyboard for most things I do, and the space I have is ideal for such a thing. There is heat and light in there.

Can you pick a favorite among your own works?
I can't, Mike. I do sometimes read the opening lines of a work and wonder who wrote the book with my name on the cover.

What are you working on right now?
A relevant point! I was writing another espionage story titled "What Happened in Vienna, Jack?" putting the first four chapters out as a teaser on Kindle, but I have decided to stop writing for any foreseeable future. I'm disillusioned by it all.

Initially, I enjoyed the promotion, being invited to many Waterstones bookshops for signing events and even appearing on national television, but nowadays I find insincerity and dishonesty everywhere I look. Promotion on social media is hard and can become unrelenting. At one stage it took over my life with little result. I don't believe that writing for profit is viable in today's world unless one is really lucky. If the filming of The Desolate Garden does take place, then I've been lucky; no more than that!

What is your favorite genre to write and why?
Espionage, with all of what that genre can offer a fervent imagination.

What do you like to read?
Everything of John le Carre.

How can readers connect with you?
All about me can be found at my about.me page: http://about.me/DannyKemp

Where can we buy your books?
On various internet sites and in national UK bookshops including independents such as Daunts and Heywood Hill.

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Danny-Kemp/e/B001KC3VSU/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Danny-Kemp/e/B001KC3VSU/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1
Thank you for joining us and sharing your work and world with us, Danny.
Thank you for inviting me to this interview, Mike. I wish you success in all that you do.
3 Comments

Interview With Ian Thompson

8/26/2015

2 Comments

 
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Today we're talking with Ian Thompson, author of thrillers, fantasy, horror, and more. 

Ian Thompson was born in Liverpool, England, but has lived most of his life in a small town in Cheshire. Throughout his life, he has loved good tales. He likes fast-paced adventures, strong and unusual characters, gritty action and unexpected twists. Being taken away into the realm of someone's imagination has always appealed to him and has driven him to create realms of his own. 
What can you tell us about you that we can't learn from your bio?
The answer has to be: Hawaiian shirts. From the start of my working life, I always wore plain, nondescript clothing--probably a result of my somewhat introverted nature. About four years ago, for some reason, I decided to try something new. Now I wear Hawaiian shirts every day of the year--in Britain, where the weather is never Hawaiian! Crazy, perhaps, but I've grown to love them.
Please tell us a bit about your latest book.
My last release was an action-fantasy novella entitled Survival I: Slaughter At Ghastar. It's the first in a spin-off series from Era of Darkness. In Era of Darkness, there is a whole fantasy world at war and a lot of the narrative tends to be on a huge-scale--armies of tens of thousands fighting, for example. The Survival Series tells the story of a handful of simple villagers. These aren't people who will change the destiny of the world, they're flung into the middle of a conflict and just want to get through the next day alive. Slaughter of Ghastar begins with a sudden, overwhelming attack upon a village by the demon armies. Amidst the chaos, many of the villagers try to flee. A small group decide to warn a nearby hermit of the danger; and this act of kindness has an unexpected result. When the demons quickly catch up to them, the villagers' courage is tested to the limits.
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Where did you gain inspiration for the Survival Series?
On this rare occasion, I gained the initial inspiration from myself, which is weird. In Era of Darkness, there is a scene where characters are looking through a telescope-apparatus and see the village of Ghastar. They are horrified at the aftermath of a demon attack... When I was polishing the final draft, I couldn't help but think, 'Wouldn't it be great to tell the story of that place?' Months later, I decided to embark on a novella series and it just clearly had to start at Ghastar. That led to the whole concept of the series: simple survival. I hope that this enables me to tell some strong, character-based tales. Each one can have a straightforward premise--such as "get from A to B without getting killed"--and then things can go horribly wrong!

What made you want to be a writer?
Thinking back as far as I can, I was drawn to telling stories. I can remember being the only one in school who loved English homework, because I got to write a story of some kind. When I started work, I always spent my lunch breaks writing or editing--I always felt that I was a writer first and that the job I was getting paid for wasn't my career.

I think the major attraction is that writing is one of the few activities where you can totally exercise your imagination: you create a world, from the depths of the oceans to the stars in the sky, and, most importantly, to the people inhabiting it. I find the process very immersive and probably addictive.

Where is your favorite place to write?
I almost always work in a "writing den" I have set up at home. It could easily be the world's most distracting place--I'm surrounded by shelves filled with fantasy ornaments (from dragons to sword-wielding fighters); sci-fi memorabilia; Star Trek models I've made; and all other kinds of "stuff". Maybe this surreal atmosphere helps me write. I don't think I'm the kind of writer who could work on a laptop in a busy location like a park--I need a familiar comfort zone.

Do you have a favorite among books you've written?
For me, there are a whole bunch of things I love about every story. In Paradise Exhumed, it's the camaraderie between the main characters most of all. In Era of Darkness Vol I, the overpowering thing was the scale of the tale--I'd never developed so many characters before for one story or told a story across an entire continent. For the novella, Survival I, it was taking some very normal people and making them react to extreme circumstances. Each one is unique and special to me, so I can't really determine a favorite.

Paradise Exhumed, though, will always have an extra special place for another reason. It was my first release and the first title I got to hold in my hands as a printed book. Those are magical memories.

What can you tell us about your next release?
I'm polishing the final draft of my horror novel, God of War. My editor has green-lit the book, but I always like to have a last careful read-through before I release a story. This is my third book release and also my third genre, the previous novels being a mystery-thriller and a fantasy. God of War is built around the concept of cause and effect. The effect is set during modern day, in an underground cave network--in which, a small group of friends encounter a strange and vicious predator. The cause is set during the Roman occupation of Britain, featuring an ambitious Roman who seeks to create "something special" for Nero's gladiatorial arenas. These tales are tightly interwoven. One is a desperate hunt-and-chase, the other is in the style of a twisted Edgar Allan Poe story. On top of that, I think readers will find the creature of the novel is quite special and unique.

This week I will be releasing a free short story volume entitled "Into the Hole". This forms a prelude to God of War, and will include the first two chapters of the novel as a bonus.

What is your favorite genre to write and why?
Years ago, I would have answered, "Either fantasy or science fiction." Nowadays, I think in terms of characters, plot and action. I feel just as much at home writing a thriller as a fantasy, sci-fi or horror story.

Each genre has its own comforts and challenges. Here's an example. Paradise Exhumed is set in and around a modern-day city, so the "world-building" is simpler than creating a land of Emeran for Era of Darkness. This allowed me to focus more on the twists of the narrative for "Paradise". On the other hand, for "Era", the extensive world-building was a fantastic experience for me. In God of War, I had the pleasure of creating two worlds: the cave environment and the Roman-occupied Britain of the AD 60's. I love it all.

What has been your most surprising experience since becoming an Indie Author?
Definitely other authors. Indie authors certainly don't inhabit a "dog eat dog" community. Each one hopes for the success of the others and contributes to the community as a whole. Everyone I've encountered has been polite, friendly and supportive. I'm very grateful for all I've learned through blogs, author's websites and e-conversations, and I try to give something back myself. The experience of connecting with other writers has been truly and unexpectedly great.

Speaking of other authors, what are your favorite books to read?
In fantasy, I enjoy many of the classic "pulp" authors, such as Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E. Howard--who were real pioneers of the genre. I'm drawn to hard-boiled private eye stories, with their fast, tough and action-packed tales--favorites including Mickey Spillane, Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. In Sci-fi, I've read a lot of the Star Trek and Dr. Who novels (which range from excellent to mind-numbingly dull), and authors such as Harry Harrison and H.G. Wells (a writer well ahead of his time). For more modern reads, my go-to author is Stephen King--I just love the richness of his characters and plots. I'm currently savoring King's "Finder's Keepers".

Once I've depleted my current stack of "books to read", I've made a promise to myself to try some new authors...ones to take me out of the comfort-zone of "old favorites". Looking forward to that... Must read faster!

How can readers connect with you?
In order of most to least up-to-date:
  • My Author Website: http://ianthompson1701.wix.com/authorsite
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/ianthompson1701
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ian-Thompson/995938977100104
  • Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13830038.Ian_Thompson
Readers can also try my Entertainment blog at http://ianthompson1701.wix.com/views or contact me directly by email at ianthompsonwriting@gmail.com

Where can we buy your books?
My thriller novel, Paradise Exhumed, is available at:
  • Amazon: http://amzn.to/16YH3FZ
  • Smashwords: http://bit.ly/1BzYHZk
  • Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1JoqSlN
My fantasy novel, Era of Darkness Vol I: The Apocalypse Begins, is available at:
  • Amazon: http://amzn.to/1GIas6N
  • Smashwords: http://bit.ly/1FOqvOM
  • Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1RngPyv
My fantasy novella, Survival I: Slaughter at Ghastar, is available at:
  • Amazon: http://amzn.to/1PwFy1F
  • Smashwords: http://bit.ly/1MTl4kG
  • Barnes & Noble: http://buff.ly/1NznlmD
My range of free Short Tales can all be downloaded via my Smashwords Page at http://bit.ly/1QjOeJU

Excellent!
You have given us plenty to dig into and think about! Thanks for taking the time to share with us. I'm looking forward to getting lost in the worlds you've created!
2 Comments

Interview With Claudette Melanson

8/23/2015

9 Comments

 
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Today we interview author of Amazon bestselling vampire books, Claudette Melanson.

Claudette Melanson writes & edits in Kitchener, Ontario, with her husband Ron and four bun babies: Tegan, Pepper, Butters & Beckett. She graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a BA in English and an MA in Literature. She's wished to be a Vampire since age five. She hopes to one day work full time as an author, since there are many, many books living inside her head.

We'll be discussing her work, her interests outside of weaving fantastic tales, and what inspires her.

Please tell us something about you we can't learn from your bio.

I have a favorite vacation I've taken with my family twice. We hoped to make it a yearly event, but finances have been so that we've only gone twice. Hope to again in October, 2016. My son, husband and I take this cruise to the Bahamas on Royal Caribbean. It's surprisingly affordable and so much fun! The four days include one at Cocoa Cay, which is Royal Caribbean's private island, and all day in Nassau. When we're there, we go to this private island called Sandy Toes. It's beyond beautiful and not overcrowded at all--and they have an all-inclusive drink package...hehe. After we get off the boat, it's two days at Universal Studios Orlando and a night at my favorite--Halloween Horror Nights. We went the year they had Cabin in the Woods and that house was phenomenal. They even had all the monsters in their little boxes. I love all things horror and that was the best house I've ever seen. The Silent Hill house was a very close second with a patch of zombie nurses to wade through and Alessa standing at the top of the stairs.

Please tell us about your latest book.

My latest book that isn't part of the Maura DeLuca series is a murder mystery with a very twisted killer, who chooses quite the twisted setting for his/her bad deeds. The female detective, my protagonist, is still being developed, but so far I really like her J. The book is set in Canada, but I don't want to give away my setting yet. It will definitely be full of twists, turns and surprises!

Where did you gain inspiration for your latest book?

For the third book in my Maura DeLuca series, I've gained inspiration from Maura, the main character, herself. I dreamed about her many times before writing her story. As I'd think about her in my waking hours, her story came together more and more, each time, inside my head. I started writing this book a long time ago and it's set, in the beginning, in the little town where I went to college--some of the best years of my life. I included a character based on my college love, well, how I would have liked for him to be. He turned out be far less appealing than I imagined him to be. So, I turned him into an 'upgraded' version. Many of the characters start off reminding me of someone I really know, but they definitely grow into their fictional skin right away. I've always loved vampire fiction, so I'm sure there's a little of all I've read all mixed up in there too.

Why did you to become a writer?

I've always 'written' inside my head from about the age of five--that I can remember. I'd look at trees and people around me and my brain would create running descriptions that I really wish I could've written on paper. I wrote a continuing story for my ballet class that my teacher would read at the beginning of each week's lesson. My mother started reading to me from birth and so I always had books playing out inside my head whether my own or someone else's. I wrote many stories during high school and college, but they were all just prep for my first novel, Rising Tide.

Where is your favorite place to write?

At home with my furbabies.I have four bunnies: Tegan, Pepper, Butters and Beckett. I love to be at home with them and stop to pet and play with them. My home is my escape from the world and I love being there with them. I hate quiet, and so always have a movie or familiar TV series on while I'm writing. I simply can't write without noise. Sometimes I'll have the theme song I use for each chapter playing. But it's usually something I love--but have seen and don't have to pay attention to--Dexter, Castle, Criminal Minds.

Can you choose a favorite among books you've written? If so, what makes it stand out from your other work?

Definitely Rising Tide. I suppose because it's the first novel-length work I ever finished. And I worked on it for six years, until I had the story just right. It's a vampire mystery, and the mystery is reserved to the thoughts of the main character, Maura. It's a book that sets the scene for the series, dropping lots of little clues that readers will find the answers to in other books. The reader knows what is going on with Maura, but she, herself, does not. I've read comments from readers who say they can't believe she doesn't figure it out, but what is happening to her is paranormal. If you had weird things happening to your body, would you think something paranormal was happening to you? No, a normal person wouldn't, and that's the world Maura lives in. There is no reason for her to think what is happening could be. So, of course, she ends up receiving the shock of a lifetime.

What are you working on right now?

My main focus with my writing lies with finishing the Maura DeLuca series. Most of my writing time is spent completing the third book, Riptide. At the end of Undertow, Maura is left alone, after making some very bad life choices--very typical of an eighteen year old--and encounters yet more danger.  I can include an excerpt from the WIP:

"Maura! Are you...alright? Is it healing?"

I nodded, while wincing at the burn of cells knitting my face back together. I felt like a mute--too shell-shocked to utter a word. I wanted to go home, wanted my father and Caelyn, my mother. I couldn't help the tears that came against my will, though I was forbidden to cry in public places. My knees refused to support my tall frame any longer. I sank to them like my bones had all gone soft.

Aldiva stopped struggling so she could better stare at me in contempt. "Ughhh," she spat in disgust. "A fine addition to our race she'll make."

I simply lowered my eyes. I had no right to defend myself in the least. I had no fire inside to defend myself with. I'd been beaten down and stripped of anything that felt remotely Maura DeLuca to me.

"She is the daughter of Alexandru Aldea...a princess of Wallachia. And you would do well to remember that, Aldiva." This was a new voice, one I'd never heard before.

"Millicent?!" Gregor sounded exasperated. "I refuse to believe I am that easy to track!"

The new female in our midst chuckled with a sound too heavy for a woman. I gaped at her in wonder as she strode forward in dark perfection. If Aldiva were a blinding winter's day, Millicent was the soft velvet of a starless night. There would still be moon on this night, exemplified in the pallid luminosity of her skin. Her over-sized, black-as-death eyes were set in her face like two sparkling pieces of obsidian. The makeup accentuating them had an overdone gothic flair to it, deepening her eerie beauty. Her perfect, full lips were painted the same color as her hair, undefined in length as it melded into the black of the shirt she wore.

What is your favorite genre to write and why?

Anything about vampires is definitely my favorite. I love other paranormal types of writing as well, but vampires are my passion. I have another vampire novel of a much darker type that is half-finished. I don't know why I developed such a fascination for the creatures, but when I was little, I studied endlessly trying to figure out the way to become one--to my mother's absolute horror. She tried to tell me becoming one, if you could, was a sin and took away all my vampire books, which only served to make me love them more. There's just something so delicious about a being who sucks away the life essence of others so they can live.

What are your favorite books to read?

I love the Twilight books. Not afraid to say it, either. Right now, I'm completely addicted to the Dexter book series. I do love my Indie Authors too: Wings of Darkness by Sherri Wingler, Bloodgifted by Tima Maria Lacoba, The End by Adam Booth, Regina: The Monster Inside all top the list. I always enjoy reading Grimm's too, grew up on those. And classics like Wuthering Heights and The Sun Also Rises.

How can readers connect with you?

Web Site: http://www.claudettemelanson.com/
Amazon Author Page: http://bit.ly/cmamzauthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cmelansonauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bella623
Tsu: http://www.tsu.co/vampyauthor
LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/pub/claudette-melanson/6/366/27b
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7881896.Claudette_Melanson
Pinterest:https://www.pinterest.com/claudemelanson/
Wordpress: https://cmelansonauthor.wordpress.com/
Tumblr:https://www.tumblr.com/blog/authorcmelanson
Instagram: https://instagram.com/cmelansonauthor/
Book Gorilla: http://www.bookgorilla.com/author/B00IHS7GBI/claudette-melanson

Where can we buy your books?


Rising Tide: Dark Innocence
http://amzn.to/1h0bktb

Undertow: Death's Twilight
http://amzn.to/1JYRDgt

Minion:
http://amzn.to/14pT7Pi

Shimmer:
http://amzn.to/1fzBLEd

Your Turn:
http://amzn.to/1dVirl6

Do you have any events coming up we should know about?

Oh, life is so busy right now! Both Rising Tide and Undertow are being made into audiobooks at the moment by Beacon Audio Books. The narrator is reading away as I type! 

On September 4th, I'll have my first radio interview with the Writestream Radio Network with S. Evan Townsend on the Speculative Fiction Cantina, which airs Friday nights at 6:00 EST. More details can be found on their web site:  http://writestreamradio.com/ 

September 17-20, I will be attending the InD'Scribe Writer's Conference in Palm Springs, California. I will be sharing a signing table there with author, J.C. Brennan, as well as attending some of the exciting author sessions. Rising Tide is a finalist this year for a RONE Award for the category YA Paranormal. I hope to be taking home the trophy for the category overall, but will be extremely happy to display the finalist trophy, no matter what happens. More information on the conference can be found here: http://www.indscribe.com/.

You have an exciting giveaway coming up. Can you tell us more about it?

I love being an author, but at one time I wanted to be an English Teacher. I studied at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and earned my Secondary English Education degree, along with a Masters in Literature.  

My student teaching assignment was completed at Altoona Area High School in Altoona, PA. I was disappointed with the reading material for my classes. It was a book that wasn't relevant to their lives or the issues they faced. I believe reading should be an adventure and should be enjoyable. I want to give back and would like to do so for the classroom, its students and its teachers, who go too often unnoticed.  

I'm announcing a contest open to all Middle and High school, as well as colleges in the US and Canada. I will donate signed copies of my bestselling YA Paranormal novel, Rising Tide, to a classroom and will also come to pay a visit so we can discuss books and writing.  

Contest is open to teachers, students, and parents--all can feel free to enter using the Rafflecopter. There are many entry options and one winner will be drawn at random. Contest runs August 16 - February 29, 2016. Date of visit and material covered during is to be determined by the classroom teacher. Entries can be made here: http://bit.ly/1Pt4Ez2
Wow!

You have quite a bit going on right now...very exciting stuff! Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us. We look forward to seeing what you come up with next.
9 Comments

About the Author - Interviews With Storytellers

8/23/2015

0 Comments

 
What are you going to read next? More than a million new books are published each year, probably more than twice that number. How do you decide where you’re going to invest your time? Maybe I can help you sift through the pile and find your next favorite book.

Over the next several weeks, I’ll be inviting some of the authors I follow to tell us a bit more about themselves and their work. Hopefully, we’ll be able to learn some things about where they gain their inspiration and what fuels their desire to paint dramatic worlds for us to lose ourselves in with their words. And maybe, just maybe, we can find the next story you’ll get lost in.

I’ll be posting the first interview later today. I can’t wait to share it with you.

Happy Reading!
0 Comments

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