Perseverance

I was just sitting by the computer right now. Searching the App Store over for a good journaling app – which means a journaling app review/rundown is probably in the near future. But the point is, I’m not actually doing anything that I’m supposed to be doing. It’s November. November means NaNoWriMo time (see nanowrimo.org for details). I ‘m supposed to be writing.

I’m supposed to have written 13,333 words by now. I’ve written just over 2,000. In fact, this blog post is likely to be almost as long as my entire novel at the moment.

This is my 4th year taking part in NaNoWriMo, make no mistake, this isn’t the first time I’ve very much on purpose procrastinated. There is no other excuse for it, I have been genuinely procrastinating this first week of NaNo. I haven’t had much else besides the occasional class here and there, but nothing to have a genuine excuse for not reaching my daily word count goal. No real reason why I shouldn’t have 13,333 words right now.

The point of all this? It’s perfectly possible to catch up all those words. It’s perfectly possible to still reach 50,000 words by the end of the month. Procrastination is okay… to a point. It’s perfectly normal to procrastinate – especially on things that our minds make harder than the task actually is. There’s nothing wrong with it, on one condition – you do not give up.

The more you procrastinate, likely the more work you’ll have to do, and the more perseverance you’ll need to achieve your goal. It just means that at one point, you’re going to have to be doubly focused on what you need or want to get done.

So if you’re taking part in NaNo – don’t give up. After procrastinating in NaNo in years past, I have written 5,000 words in a hour in order to catch up. So if you get down to the last day and found you haven’t written a word, with enough perseverance, you can actually finish that novel in one day.

Of course, that would be master Yoda writer mind level, and I really, really don’t recommend it. But it’s 2% staying on schedule, 98% perseverance that will get you through. So keep going!

Different Types of Criticism: Post-Publication

A few weeks ago, I explained the different types of criticism you’ll run across as a writer pre-publication. Today, I’m explaining what you’ll face after publishing. I’m going to break it down a differently than I did last time, as you still receive bad and good criticism, I just want to elaborate on how to deal with it, and also the different kinds of places you’ll deal with it.

Post-Publication -

This is when the book has been published and is available either as an eBook, Audiobook, or Print book – after rounds of editing has been complete and it’s up for sale everywhere.

Reviews -

Bad Reviews: You’ll probably receive negative reviews from professional reviewers, unskilled readers, and everything in between. The absolute most important thing to remember post-publication is to not comment. Don’t comment on it at all. You’ll just make yourself look bad.

If you receive the review from a friend, co-worker, or just someone who has done the review for you and they are speaking directly with you via email or some other form of communication, thank them for their honest opinion. No matter what they’ve said or done or how bad the review – thank them.

Good Reviews: Pretty much the same rules apply no matter if the review is good or bad. Indirect review (i.e. Amazon or Goodreads review section, etc.) – don’t comment. Direct review – give thanks.

Regardless of if the readers liked the book or are just slandering your work or name (which doesn’t happen all that often), they put time into reading it and should be thanked for their time.

In Person – So let’s say we’re at a book signing or some other public event and a person who has read your book comes up to you.

Bad critic: They say it was a bad book or they didn’t enjoy it (I’ve only ever heard about this happening once, never experienced it myself, so it’s a rarity). Since it’s face-to-face you can’t actually ignore them… well, you could, but it would be almost as rude as saying something you might regret later. Just bite your tongue and say “I’m sorry” or “I’ll take that into consideration” or something to that effect.

Good critic: They say they enjoyed reading your work or similarly something positive. Thank them. Thank them for reading. Maybe even feel free to tell them about some of your other books.

You can begin to see a bit of a pattern in how to deal with things. If you’re a new writer, you can save these rules and use it as a cheat sheet that way you can stop and take a breath the next time you’re faced with criticism.

NaNo is a Go

Hello readers! I feel like a zombie - just in time for Halloween too. In fact, that’s exactly what I’m going to be… unless I can find a fake wound so I can be a vampire victim, so I’m still between costume ideas. Still, I’ll be one of the two. But this is all absolutely and completely irrelevant!

So, I have a lot of things in the works, I’m setting up online classes, getting ready for a big Halloween party, and two big things are going on this November.

First, is NaNoWriMo (if you haven’t heard of it, click it). I wasn’t sure that I was going to have time to participate this year because of school and work, but I’ve decided to give it a go. Hopefully with a few cheerleaders (I’m adopting NaNo cheerleaders, by the way) I’ll be able to pull through to get my 50,000 words.

What am I going to write this year? Well, I’m cheating - a bit - because I’m not starting a book from the beginning, I’m going to be continuing two novels that I started a few years ago. One is a genuine NaNo novel that I started last year Howl, and the other is the second book in The Artifact Series. Both require about 25k more words to be called complete, give or take. So it seems kind of perfect to do… okay, you can flog me now for not starting entirely fresh this year.

Oho, and you’ll also be able to read Howl and keep up with my progress on Smashwords, I’ll be uploading what I write everyday for your viewing pleasure (and to hopefully cheer me on, because I’ll need it)!

The other thing that is going on in November is Adopt an Indie Month. I’m an indie, and I’m still waiting to be adopted.

*Presses nose against window and looks awfully adorable*  

From what I hear, those who adopt an indie have the chance to win a big, professional, blog makeover. So, if you’re interested, you could adopt me… I don’t chew rugs or shoes and I’m housetrained.

For this last bit of info, I wanted to let you all know that I just updated my Facebook author page – http://www.facebook.com/HCPaye – if you want to keep up with me (and cheer me on for NaNo) this is the place to do it.

This really isn’t a big deal, you’re just opening up a can of worms and turning it into Texas. (Howl quote)

A Few Formatting Basics

Hola readers!

I just finished my school work (for the most part) for this week and now am able to do my work while I listen to Christina Grimmie’s new album (links for her work is at the end of this post).

Before I get to my work, I decided to drop in and give you all a short lesson in book formatting, which doesn’t just apply to book formatters but writers as well.

So, when you’re writing a fictional story, here’s some simple things to remember:

1. Don’t use Bold! I mean, ever. Don’t. Use. It. When you want to convey something with power, we don’t use bold. It’s annoying. We use exclamation points and italics. No bold.
2. Don’t use ALL CAPS! Don’t do it. I have seen this used – rarely – in some books – but only single words, NEVER FULL SENTENCES or PHRASES. ONE word only, if you MUST.
3. When indenting your paragraphs, don’t use tabs and don’t use the space bar! You will enrage your formatter. If you don’t know how to set the indent spacing on your word processor (i.e. Microsoft Word, Word Perfect), then don’t use indents at all. Just double space your paragraphs. It’s so much easier than having to go through and remove all of the tabs (by hand!) or spaces. So either learn how to indent your paragraphs (if you don’t know how and you want to learn, you can message/email/contact me and I’ll give you a hand) or just don’t indent.

What I just did above… don’t do it. That’s why I did it. I’m hoping you’re the learn-from-others’-mistakes type of person.
The difference between formatting fiction and nonfiction is that the rules that I mentioned above, don’t necessarily apply to nonfiction:

1. You can use bold. You should use it sparingly still. I mean, if you can’t convey your message powerfully without the help of bold, italics, or underlining and all that, then you should be rewriting that message, not covering it up. Can you use bold in nonfiction? Yes.
2. You can underline words. Again, use it sparingly. Only when you really need it. I once formatted a nonfiction book where each numbered paragraph started like this one. With the underlines. It was scary and I couldn’t actually focus on what I was reading.
3. The ALL CAPS rule for nonfiction is the same for nonfiction. It isn’t exactly a good idea, but you can let one slide rarely. By rarely I mean, once per 500 page novel.
4. If you are using Bold, Italics, AND Underline in one article or chapter – you seriously need to reconsider. Take out everything you can. Replace it with the classic exclamation point when you want to make – well – a point.

Right now, I’m reading a great nonfiction book for my theatre class: Theatre Arts: Fundamental Theory & Practice by Frank Pickard. There are some severe formatting issues with it… I mean some things that really bugged me. But one thing that is extremely right in the book is the *lack* of bold italic and underline usage. It has more of a continuous read feel to it.
There’s some bold and plenty of italics, but everything that I’ve just discussed in this blog post is very right in that book. So, take a peek at that if you want an example of how to do it right.

(Who the heck is Christina Grimmie? Latest YouTube singing sensation, her new album was released last June.)

If all the world were to form one human, he would be perfect, because there is at least one thing that each person does perfectly.

New Book Covers

Hello readers!

So today - one of my only days off (of school. School is the new work now, haven't you heard?) - I got back to work, and discovered that I really, absolutely love my work. I'm only able to do it on Saturday and Monday now, and I really miss it. Being a graphic designer is amazing, and I can't imagine having any other job... well, that's not entirely true. But the point is, it's an job. And, way easier than school... kills less brain cells than school.

Oh, anyways, on to the point! Today, I finished a new book cover for Elysabeth Eldering's first young adult mystery novel, Finally Home. It's scheduled for release this October. So be on the look out for that - it will be in both eBook format (for you fellow techies) and print.

Anyways, that is the latest and greatest book cover... over there... above this paragraph... Thoughts on it?

So, about two weeks ago, I finished another gem. Water by Terra Harmony. It's the first book in a series of five. It was supposed to be released as an eBook on the 17th of September, but I don't actually have the links for that - sorry!

I am working on more covers, and will be posting them as soon as they're completed.

Another note: I'm starting to get into the whole YouTube thing, and will be posting some videos on there in the near future. So, remember to subscribe - http://youtube.com/kittynadem - and like my blog, I'll be posting random things. Just whatever I'm into at the time.

Remember to stay creative!

Are You a Mother Hen?

     Today, I have some great reading material for those aspiring writers, coming straight from the wonderful VS Grenier. She has an important lesson to get across - and it's quick, so listen hard and listen good.

Heather: VS, take it away!

VS: Today I went for a mile walk around my neighborhood with my son and dog, Taz. We were doing well until Taz decided he could not walk anymore and started chewing at his leash. At first I did what any dog owner would do . . . I chocked up the leash and started encouraging Taz to keep walking. At about the half way point, Taz sat down and refused to take another step. Now, I could have done what most don trainers tell you to do . . . pull the dog along and make him walk. But I didn’t. I went right into mother hen mood. I picked up my dog and began to carry him the remaining half mile to our house.
After I got home, I sat down at my computer and posted about our walk on Facebook. Then I turned to my WIPs. The ones I have been working on for a little over a year now. Then it hit me. I am treating my WIPs like my dog!
Okay, so you are wondering how in the world are my WIPs like my dog. Well, they both give me comfort, but that’s not what I’m talking about. No, what I am talking about is how once my WIPs get too tired, unsure of themselves, or lose their way, I pick them up and carry them around in my mind. I make up excuses as to why they are not ready to be sent out. Just like the excuse, I gave on Facebook about my dog needing to lay off the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
What I realized today is I am afraid to let my WIPs go. I am afraid their not ready for an editor, publisher, or agent’s eyes to look them over. Does it mean my WIPs are not ready to be sent out? Maybe, but most likely not. In truth, many writers do this. They work on a manuscript trying to perfect it. Trying to make it the best manuscript ever written, but the fact is . . . you will never see that day! Why?
Because all manuscripts will be a WIP until they are published. This means they will go through many more revisions, edits, and rewrites before a publisher will put them on the printing press. It means once you’ve had your manuscript critiqued, proofread, revised, critiqued again, revised some more . . . you need to find the right time to send it out into the world. To let your baby fly with its own wings. You may get some rejections and some may even be helpful to help you prefect your WIP a bit more. But if you do not set your manuscript down and let it walk on its own feet, it will never be strong enough to walk the whole mile to publication.
So stop being a mother hen. Let your manuscripts leave your arms and take flight! Or in the case of my dog, Taz . . . walk.

Want to learn more about VS Grenier? This is her second visit to my blog (you can't keep the good stuff away for long) so you can check out my previous posts on her, or you can visit her blog The Writing Mama.

Contine your writing discoveries with

Mari Taylor and Marvin Wilson tomorrow.

A Special Treat!

Da, da, da! Here's a special treat for all of you - finally! A very special, never-before-seen excerpt of the new novel by J.M.Levi MoonZeLent. Hope you all enjoy - oh, yeah, and to those who read and comment, they will receive a free copy of my eBook A Gift From Above (eBooks will be sent on July 24th). So, if you need some last minute summer reads... get to reading below, and get to commenting! 5 copies will be given away, so you have a good chance of winning. Ready... set... GO!

A certain routine set in my days along with rules I followed strictly. My daytime hours consisted of my classes and avoiding too much light, and the night hours became longer with the laboratory, among other things. I looked forward to Thursdays where I could feed. Happy that winter months neared since the days grew shorter and the nights longer, I prepared my new wardrobe glad the clothes covered me up and no excuses needed to be made for covering way up this time of year. Without sunlight, my skin grew pale and powdery.

~~~~~~

          I rarely saw Professor Truitt these days. His actions grew guarded and stranger than ever with each passing day, even Zee notice his odd behavior. The man never talked or had time for any one, not even his own students or his classes. Zeria told me that her father set up a makeshift laboratory in the basement of his home where he locked himself in for hours at a time. In fact, one day I went to the lab, flipped on the computer, and found all of the files pertaining to #302 and vampires deleted. I managed to find some journals the professor forgot about, and lately those files had become my main focus.


          At the request of the professor, I had taken over the laboratory monitoring every day, even weekends—adding more hours to my earnings. This Saturday the evening came quickly and the trek across campus arrived at a rapid pace. I took the responsibility in a serious manner and enforced the rules the way the professor wanted me to. Even though the man became eccentric in his actions, he held the key to my existence and figured the answers forthcoming. While leaving the doorway into the laboratory, an eerie premonition of impending doom loomed over my being for a moment, which I dismissed as gas or something realistic.

          The dim room lit only by a single, flickering computer monitor gave way to the unrelenting grinding of the wheels in the mice cages.

          I sat hunched over Professor Truitt’s composition notes trying to focus on the written scribbles. As I rubbed my eyes from the strain into the palms of my soft, unlabored hand, the semi-catatonic state from too much reading caused me to almost fall into a deep sleep.


          "Brinng, Brinng," the phone broke the midnight silence.


          I jumped to attention, almost falling to the floor and catching my frame on one smarting knee.


          "Jesus!" I shouted, grabbing for the receiver.



          "No, Jesus has nothing to do with this call," an unknown voice mumbled.


          "Who is this?" I questioned as I tried to recognize the almost familiar sound.


          "I am the voice of all that opens up from the pits of Hell," the voice continued as I rubbed the injured knee now paining and throbbing.


          The hairs stood up on the back of my spine, somehow the voice seemed to convey the truest form of evil. At this point in the game almost nothing surprised me, I regained my composure, and dismissed the caller as a fraternity prank. "Okay, guys, very funny..." continued, "Now..."


          The brash voice interrupted the upper-hand I thought I possessed. "This is no joke," the voice continued, "Tell Professor Truitt he better cease or he will erupt his own demise."


          "What the H--" I began as the telephone clicked silent.


          The oddest thing in the lab that night is every single mouse stood silent for a time. No grinding of the wheels, no chewing, and no scratching at the bottom of the cages. My instincts told me a presence beckoned in this room, a form beyond my wildest comprehensions. As I thought a shadowy figured stood before me in the darkness, the mass disappeared into gray.


          I turned about quickly, expecting a shadow to jump out and grab me. As I returned the receiver to its proper cradle, I noticed something odd. The phone cord was not plugged into the wall. In fact, the cord missed the part that plugged into the outlet altogether.


          That was not the only strange thing that happened to me in the past weeks. Even though I tried to go on and keep to my new routine, things had a way of happening. My determination to keep going and the drive of the unknown kept me focused. Although I might have dwelled on these things more in the old days—before vampires, the business at hand and finding a cure for what I had seemed none important to anything else, evil or not.

~~~~~

MoonZeLent will be released for sale summer 2011. You can follow the author on Twitter and you can check out more on J.M.Levi's website.

Meet Deborah Raney!

Meet Deborah Raney author of A Vow to Cherish. She is at work on her nineteenth novel. Her books have won the RITA Award, HOLT Medallion, National Readers' Choice Award, Silver Angel, and have twice been Christy Award finalists. Her first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the highly acclaimed World Wide Pictures film of the same title. Her newest books, the Clayburn Novels, are from Howard/Simon & Schuster. She and her husband, Ken Raney, have four children and enjoy small- town life in Kansas.

I got the chance to interview Deborah, so here are the results -

Heather: To start off, tell us a little bit about your background:

Deborah: I grew up on a farm in Kansas, the oldest of five kids. After I married, I was privileged to be a stay-at-home mom of four kids, but as our kids grew, I soon realized that if I did my job as a mom right, I'd soon put myself out of a job. I'm very grateful God has given me this next thing to do. Being a novelist has been a dream come true.

Heather: How long have you been writing?

Deborah: I wrote the prologue of my first novel on New Year's Day 1994. That book was published in 1996 and I've been writing ever since.

Heather: What started you writing for publication?

Deborah: My desire to stay home with our youngest--a "bonus" baby--meant that I needed to find a way to make money from home so I could help put our older kids through college. Writing proved to provide exactly the amount of extra income we needed, and it's doing so still, as that bonus baby just left for college.

Heather: Do you have a set time when you write, or just whenever you get the urge?

Deborah: Now that I'm always writing on deadline, I don't have the luxury of writing only when I feel like it. But I do vary the times of day I write, depending on what else is going on during a particular week. But for the most part, my word count is met sometime between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., but during the final month or two before a deadline, I often go back to my desk in the evening, or get up early to write in the morning.

Heather: Who is your favorite author?

Deborah: I can't name just one. But some of my favorites are Angela Hunt, Roxanne Henke, James Scott Bell, Tamera Alexander, Robin Lee Hatcher, BJ Hoff, Liz Curtis Higgs...the list goes on and on!

Heather: Have you ever had writer's block, and if so how do you get rid of it?

Deborah: I've had times when the words weren't flowing, but when you're on deadline, you simply have to push through, even if it's not your best writing. There's always a chance to go back and edit, and then rewrite after I get my substantive edits. Some of the things that help me push through: going for a walk, reading someone else's work, brainstorming ideas with writer friends or my husband, and PRAYING!

Heather: What do you recommend to aspiring authors?

Deborah: Don't be in a hurry! It takes time to learn to write, and then to perfect your writing. Many writers I know have written 4 or 5 complete novels before they finally wrote one that was publishable. Concert pianists and brain surgeons don't perform the first day they set out to be a concert pianist or a brain surgeon. They perfect their skill and craft, and then, after years of practice, they are finally ready to perform. It's no different for writers.

Heather: How do you invent your characters?

Deborah: When I first plop my characters into my stories, they are quite one-dimensional. But as the story happens to them, they begin to take shape and come to life. It's hard to explain, but they develop slowly, over the course of writing the story, and then when I write "the end" I go back and "plump" them up and deepen their characterization.

Heather: Do you have anything in the works?

Deborah: I'm working on the second book in my new Hanover Falls Novels series from Howard/Simon & Schuster. The first book is finished and will be released in May. The titles are Almost Forever, Forever After, and After All.

Heather: What was your favorite part about writing your book?

Deborah: Like most authors, my favorite part is writing "the end." But next to that (and this is NOT most authors' favorite part) I love editing. It's during the editing stage that I know my book is becoming the very best it can be, with the input of professional editors who know what it takes to make a story really sing. A novelist gets so very close to her own story, that she can't be objective. An editor adds that objectivity and can make all the difference in the world.

Heather: Has music ever inspired your writing?

Deborah: Often! I write to music most of the time, and I find it very inspiring. It's fun to choose certain kinds of music depending on the scene I'm working on. Movie soundtracks are particularly good to write by, as long as the songs are all instrumentals.

Heather: Keyboard or pen?

Deborah: I used to have very nice penmanship, but after using the computer extensively for so many years, I can barely write by hand in a way that I can read myself, let alone have others be able to decipher it! So keyboard. Always!

Heather: What do you think is the hardest part about being an author?

Deborah: The very hardest thing is disciplining myself to keep my seat in the seat and just DO IT! Too many distractions! The second hardest thing is getting critical reviews. Nearly every author has gotten at least one scathing review, and there's some comfort in that--and in knowing that my writing is not going to suit every reader's taste--but it still hurts when a reviewer has bad things to say about the book that I poured my life into for almost a year! Published writers have to grow thick skins, but I'm not sure I'll ever get past being hurt by bad reviews.

Heather: Some people say that you need to live life before you write a book, do you think that it's experience that writes a book or imagination?

Deborah: A little of both. I certainly couldn't have written the kind of books I write when I was twenty, or even thirty. Imagination is necessary and wonderful, but if you haven't lived through some of the major passages of life--falling in love, marriage, giving birth, raising children, experiencing the death of a loved one, sending a child off to school--it's difficult to write those things authentically. That said, being well-read can make up for a lot of life not lived. And I have known some very young writers who somehow managed to capture the essence of life's passages they had yet to experience. So I would never say never.

I like the colors of: peaches
The sky is most beautiful when it''s: sunset
My favorite feature of a computer is: email
I think inventors should invent a/an: self-mopping-floor
Thing I love most in the world is: family
Things I hate most in the world is: sin
My favorite type of electronic device is: cellphone
My favorite thing that has been available before the year 1900: icecream! (I know it's two words, but I'm making it one!)
My favorite thing that has been available since the year 1960: headphones
The oddest thing you have ever written on (hand, wall, etc.) is: Kleenex

To check out Deborah Raney's books and to learn more about her, head on over to her website - http://www.deborahraney.com/

Meet Tom Grace!

Meet Tom Grace the wonderful author of the bestselling novel Bird of Prey along with many other novels including his most recent release The Secret Cardinal. I got the chance of interviewing Tom, and during the process I was convinced that he was some type of super-human author, but when he said he liked to write in silence, I realized he was indeed human. Anyways, here are the results -

Heather: To start off, tell us a little bit about your background:

Tom: I was born and raised in Michigan, where I reside with my wife and five children. Professionally, I am an architect in private practice, and the focus of most of my work has been high technology research facilities. I have run in several marathons and enjoy scuba diving and the martial arts. As a child, my primary forms of entertainment were reading and drawings, and to have woven these interests into a profession is something that continues to amaze me.

Heather: How long have you been writing?

Tom: I've been writing for fun since I was a teenager. I wrote for and was an editor on my high school yearbook and newspaper. In college, I focussed on architecture but received a nudge from a professor who was so impressed with a paper I'd written in grad school that he said I could have a career in architectural writing if I wanted it. That planted the seed in my head that I could actually get paid to write.

Heather: What started you writing for publication?

Tom: Its second nature for an architect to think of a project as an activity that lasts months or years, so I'm very long-term goal oriented. When planing out the things I wanted to accomplish in life, I listed "Write a novel" just to see if I could hold a coherent thought in something longer than a term paper. The opportunity to take on this goal arose in the early 1990s when, over a year's worth of lunch hours, I wrote the first draft of debut thriller Spyder Web. In writing that 300,000 word slab of prose, I discovered that writing thrillers is very entertaining. At this point, I was still writing for my own amusement and few people knew about this hobby of mine. After a few major edits, one of which involved a sex change for a major character, I let my father and brothers read that version of the book. The response I received was: "I've paid money for books worse than this," which is high praise in my family. That's what got me thinking that perhaps I could get my book published. I sold Spyder Web in 1997 and have been writing professionally ever since.

Heather: Do you have a set time when you write, or just whenever you get the urge?

Tom: I primarily write at night, and with my children's activities becoming more complicated, that pushes late into the night. I still noodle out ideas at lunch and whenever I can spare a few moments on the computer.

Heather: Who is your favorite author?

Tom: Mark Twain holds a special place in my library, if I have to pick one. There are many authors whose skill with the language I greatly admire.

Heather: Have you ever had writer's block, and if so how do you get rid of it?

Tom: I don't believe in writer's block. I never get it. My problem is turning it off.

Heather: What do you recommend to aspiring authors?

Tom: I have one college level english course in my background. What I know about crafting a story, I learned from the masters. I heartily recommend that any aspiring writer read everything they can get their hands on. Some writers are great with dialog, others with setting or mood. In my own mind, I'd read enough thrillers that my brain reached critical mass and I believed I could actually write a novel. Had I know it would be so much fun, I would have started sooner.

Heather: How do you invent your characters?

Tom: When creating the plot, I begin to see what types of people I need to make the story work. I base my characters on experience--people I know or aspects of characters I've encountered in other books.

Heather: I know a few authors who keep records (almost like police records) of height, weight, background, etc., of their characters, do you keep tabs on your characters, and if so, what do you usually make note of?

Tom: I do keep cheat sheets on my characters, just to keep the details straight in my head. It's embarrassing to have your copy editor remark that so-and-so was a blond in chapter 2 and a red-head in chapter 38.

Heather: Some authors say that they feel as though his or her characters are real, do you feel this way, and what do you think about this?

Tom: The hero and heroine of my novels are based on my wife and me, so there is some level of reality at work here. Thriller writers often project something of themselves onto their protagonists, and I admit to a bit of Walter Mitty syndrome. My characters don't tell me things, but I know them well enough that I can tell when a bit of dialog or an action seems out of character for them.

Heather: Do you have anything in the works?

Tom: I'm working on a few ideas.

Heather: What would you say is the neatest thing you know?

Tom: That when children are born, they look all gray and lifeless, but then they take those first breaths and their skin glows with life. I've seen this happen five times and it just amazes me.

Heather: What was your favorite part about writing your book?

Tom: Seeing how different the finished story is from the original concept. I love the happy accidents, those little nuances you discover along the way that make the story better than you imagined.

Heather: Has music ever inspired your writing?

Tom: I wouldn't say inspired, but I do listed to music when I'm writing. Always instrumental, because I can't have words flying around when I'm writing. The soundtrack to Henry V was very motivating in writing The Secret Cardinal.

Heather: Do you like to write in complete silence or does it have to be noisy?

Tom: I prefer the quiet when I'm writing. I can have noise when I'm plotting or storyboarding, but I need the quiet for prose.

Heather: What made you put your characters in the setting that you did?

Tom: The story determines where my characters end up. My last book, The Secret Cardinal deals with the real conflict between China and the Vatican, so my characters spend a lot of time in China and Rome.

Heather: Keyboard or pen?

Tom: Both. I sketch scenes and write notes longhand (legal pads and sketch books). My manuscripts are all on my computer.

Heather: What do you think is the hardest part about being an author?

Tom: Getting paid. Budgeting is very tricky if you don't know when a paycheck will. Or if a paycheck won't come. I've been fortunate to have sold foreign rights to all of my novels. It's not a lot of money, but neat to see my books in Bulgarian or Spanish. About 16 months after El Cardenal (the Spanish edition of The Secret Cardinal) was published I received an email from a reader looking for a Spanish language version of my book. I did a quick Google search to find a link for the guy and discovered the El Cardenal was on AP's best seller list for Venezuela and Uruguay. I did a little more digging and learned that my novel had been #1 in Venezuela for over 70 weeks and had been in Uruguay's top ten for 16 weeks. A few weeks ago, El Cardenal hit it's 100th week in Venezuela's top ten, and I have not received a dime in royalties. Venezuela is notorious for book piracy and it appears that my novel was bootlegged early on and even exported to other Latin American countries. On the plus side, thanks to AP's reports, I can officially say that I am an international #1 best selling author.

Heather: What do you usually do while writing?

Tom: I write, research, and storyboard. It's an iterative process. My first draft is nothing but keystrokes with no editing or spell check. I try to get this fleshed out quickly to keep the pace of the story moving. It's in the second a third passes that I take the rough diamond and polish it into a gem.

Heather: What were the circumstances surrounding your decisions to become an author?

Tom: Opportunity met desire. I knew that I wanted to write a book someday when I had the time, and the time suddenly appeared.

Heather: Some people say that you need to live life before you write a book, do you think that its experience that writes a book or imagination?

Tom: Experience is nice, and imagination is absolutely critical. I don't write what I know, but what I can research, so I get some of my experience vicariously from people who've actually done what I'm writing about. I do try to see the locale I use in my books, and actually managed to reach the North Pole as part of a science team while doing research for my third novel (Twisted Web). Don't let a lack of experience deter you from a great story idea, just go out and talk to the people who do what you want to write about. Most people are thrilled to talk about what they do. I once communicated with the Russian flight controllers who deorbitted the Mir space station, which was very helpful is writing Bird of Prey. Research is experience.


I like the colors of: dawn.
The sky is most beautiful when it's: summer.
My favorite feature of a computer is: speed.
Thing I love most in the world is: lasagna.
Thing I hate most in the world is: asparagus.
My favorite type of electronic device is: massager
My favorite thing that has been available before the year 1900: telescope.
My favorite thing that has been available since the year 1960: internet.
The oddest thing you have ever written on (hand, wall, etc.) is: eggshell.

If you would like to learn more about Tom Grace you can drop by his website - http://www.tomgrace.net

Meet Katie Hines!

Meet Katie Hines she is the brave author of the urban fantasy novel Guardian. I got the chance to interview Katie, and here's what came of it -

Heather: To start off, tell us a little bit about your background:

Katie: With our last child headed off to college this year, I find my days mostly free (apart from regular cleaning and all) to write and follow other pursuits. My husband and I will have been married 24 years on the 24th of this month. How cool is that? I don't have a college degree (one class short), but was a dual English and psychology major.
My number one love is reading, but as a family, we have been involved in a lot of tent camping (many rainy nights), and play a lot of board games. I am now a grandma, which is cool, and we're looking forward to the birth of our second grandchild.

Heather: How long have you been writing?

Katie: On the one hand, I've been writing since 8th grade, when I wrote a short story of my English class. I wrote and published several poems while I was a senior in high school. Then, with the arrival of children, and home schooling, I didn't write again until I was in my 40s. At that time, I took some diaries I wrote during a time of angst while in my early 20s, and fashioned them into a memoir. It was truly awful, and after a couple of rejections, I took the time to educate myself through a number of excellent resources on the internet. I have since written for a couple of newspapers and have a book under contract.

Heather: What started you writing for publication?

Katie: It never occurred to me to write without an aim for publication.

Heather: Do you have a set time when you write, or just whenever you get the urge?

Katie: I don't very often "get the urge." I try to clear out emails and make responses, visiting blogs, etc., before I write. it usually takes me a couple of hours to do that, then I am free to write.depending on what family things I need to do. As much as I love to write, my family comes first.

Heather: Who is your favorite author?

Katie: Terry Brooks, a wonderful fantasy writer.

Heather: Have you ever had writer's block, and if so how do you get rid of it?

Katie: In retrospect, I have, but more in the line of getting stuck plot-wise. When that happens, I sit down and brainstorm with my husband. This usually works quite well, and I get past the spot. I have to admit that I take brainstorming breaks several times during the course of my writing.

Heather: What do you recommend to aspiring authors?

Katie: I think one of the most important thing an aspiring author can do is to join a critique group. My manuscript was advanced and polished to the degree it was because of my critique group.

Heather: How do you invent your characters?

Katie: I know that a lot of people don't do this, but I create my characters, give them a background, a conflict, personality quirks. The story requires certain characters: a good guy, a villain (usually more than one), and supporting characters in between. I'm always trying to make sure that my characters are not flat, but have living, vibrant personalities.

Heather: I know a few authors who keep records (almost like police records) of height, weight, background, etc. of their characters, do you keep tabs on your characters, and if so, what do you usually make note of?

Katie: Definitely keep records. I create not only physical characteristics and their families, but I also find if I create problems that each person faces, their strengths and weaknesses, then all of those things contribute to what they do, think and say, throughout the course of the novel.

Heather: Some authors say that they feel as though his or her characters are real, do you feel this way, and what do you think about this?

Katie: Well, I fall in love with the my characters, or hate, as the case may be. Of course, it is always interesting to see them take on a life of their own, and dictate some of the plot. The ending of the book is always kinda sad because I want to keep "living" with my characters, and have their adventures in life continue. But I always know they're not real in the way that I or my family is.

Heather: Do you have anything in the works?

Katie: I do. I am writing another middle grade urban fantasy, as well as 3-4 chapter books, and a young adult novel. Am currently concentrating on the middle grade story.

Heather: What would you say is the neatest thing you know?

Katie: That I have a family and they are center in my life.

Heather: What was your favorite part about writing your book?

Katie: Getting the rough draft finished. Sometimes, it's like pulling teeth to get that rough draft out, but I really like editing.

Heather: Has music ever inspired your writing?

Katie: No. If there is music going on in the house, I block it so I can concentrate wholly on my writing.

Heather: Do you like to write in complete silence or does it have to be noisy?

Katie: I have the tv on in the background so that I can keep tabs on what's going on, but only have it going on in a section of my mind. Every now and then, I tune in to see if I've missed something, but most of the time I forget it's on, and continue to write.

Heather: What made you put your characters in the setting that you did?

Katie: Because I write urban fantasy, or in the case of the chapter books, I always start with family and their happenings, and go on from there.

Heather: Keyboard or pen?

Katie: Both, but mostly keyboard. I create my characters on paper.

Heather: What do you think is the hardest part about being an author?

Katie: Marketing and promoting.

Heather: What do you usually do while writing?

Katie: I do a ton of research before I begin to write. I cannot tell you how important that is for my stories. I've found that reading that I've done while researching my stories end up being in the story in one fashion or another. it certainly adds depth to my stories.

Heather: What were the circumstances surrounding your decisions to become an author?

Katie: Well, I've "always" known I would write books, it was a matter of getting to it. Like I said, my first 'real' writing was penning the memoir based on my life in my 20s. At that point, I thought it was "easy" to write a book, and hadn't a clue to what I was doing. I remember talking to another writer, and him asking me if my manuscript was in proper format. Proper format? Slug line.what's that! And so forth. Despite those things, I've concentrated on learning more about writing and got excited when I had a "real" book to write.

Heather: Some people say that you need to live life before you write a book, do you think that it's experience that writes a book or imagination?

Katie: Gotta be a combination of both. I think it is difficult to create characters with depth and meaning and purpose without knowing about other people and what makes them tick. Imagination fuels the story in which the characters find themselves.


I like the colors of: purple and rich blue
The sky is most beautiful when it's: cloudy
My favorite feature of a computer is: keyboard
I think inventors should invent a/an: better voice recognition system for the computer
Thing I love most in the world is: my friends and family
Things I hate most in the world is: war, famine, lack
My favorite type of electronic device is: I don't' like electronic devices!
My favorite thing that has been available before the year 1900: I don't know since I didn't live during that time. Was the cotton gin created by then?
My favorite thing that has been available since the year 1960: computers & the internet
The oddest thing you have ever written on (hand, wall, etc.) is: a piece of wood when I was outdoors and a moment of inspiration came that I simply had to write down.

You can find out more about Katie Hines by heading over to her website - http://www.katiehines.com/ .

Meet R.L.Sloan!

Meet R.L.Sloan the blissful author of Embellish, a delightly fantasy novel about a young girl with a gloomy past and a future full of vampires, voodoo, and passion.

I was lucky enough to catch R.L. for a moment to get a quick interview with her, and here's what came of it -

Heather: To start off, tell us a little bit about your background:

R.L.: Hello, I'm R. L. Sloan, author of the paranormal vampire romance novel Embellish. I'm a Licensed Professional Counselor, Anger Resolution therapist, a wife, a mom, and Oatmeal and Raisin cookie monster.

Heather: How long have you been writing?

R.L.: I've been off and on over the years writing skits. Within the last year, I recently sat down and committed myself to finishing Embellish.

Heather: what started you writing for publication?

R.L.: As humans, we are usually motivated after there is some life altering event in our lives. That life altering event for me was the passing of my father. So I decided to find something that would keep me busy and focused. I was able to complete my novel, and I feel that it would have been something my dad would have been proud of.

Heather: Do you have a set time when you write, or just whenever you get the urge?

R.L.:Whenever the urge hits me, I will sit down and write. If that urge hits me when I'm away from my computer, I have a handy little purse-sized notebook to jot down thoughts as I go through the day.

Heather: Who is your favorite author?

R.L.: One of my favorite authors is P. C. Cast. I like the way she keeps all of her characters real. It makes you think you actually know someone like them.

Heather: Have you ever had writer's block, and if so how do you get rid of it?

R.L.: I have experienced writers block, but luckily it has never lasted over a week. When this happens, I try to give myself some kind of adventure or experience that would shake me up, like riding a roller coaster, meditating, or exercising, or watching a program in a foreign language and imagining what the characters are saying.

Heather: What do you recommend to aspiring authors?

R.L.: I would recommend to aspiring authors to live their life to the fullest and write about any and everything that they can, good or bad.

Heather: How do you invent your characters?

R.L.: I invent characters that are the opposite of what people expect for them to be. In other words, if a character is good then he or she will be good in everything they do or say. If the character is bad, he or she will be bad or evil to the extreme without remorse. For good characters, I try to give them characteristics that would make them worthy of Heaven. For bad characters I give them traits or actions that would send them straight to Hell.

Heather: I know a few authors who keep records (almost like police records) of height, weight, background, etc. of their characters, do you keep tabs on your cahracters, and if so, what do you usually make note of?

R.L.: I keep mental tabs on my characters yes. The things I usually make note of are their physical and mental health. If they are criminals they usually stick to their criminal elements of their personalities.

Heather: Some authors say that they feel as though his or her characters are real, do you feel this way, and what do you think about this?

R.L.: Indeed I do feel my characters are real. In fact, before I sit down to write I will tell my husband, "Well honey, it's time to go and visit with Solis and Nacio (Heroine and Vampire in Embellish) or with the Treemounts (villains). Once I have a "mental visit" with them, then I'm able to continue writing the story.

Heather: Do you have anything in the works?

R.L: I'm currently working on Embellish II: Justice Served. This story picks up right where readers left off. People that have read Embellish keep prompting me to hurry up and finish. They want to read the galley copy when it's ready.
A portion of Embellish was done as a stage production and it was awesome. Several actors enjoyed portraying the characters on stage.

Heather: What would you say is the neatest thing you know?

R.L.: The neatest thing I know is that when you fall down, the only way you can go is up. When you know this, it helps you stay focused and keep your eye on what's important.

Heather: What was your favorite part about writing your book?

R.L: The favorite part of writing Embellish was giving the readers twists and turns in a plot that they totally did not expect. I also enjoyed creating characters that were diverse, had accents, and each had some special aspect to bring to the text.

Heather: Has music ever inspired your writing?

R.L.: Yes indeed! Music has inspired my writing! I am a HUGE Smooth Jazz fan. I love Boney James (Jazz Saxophonist). During book signings my theme music is his song "The Total Experience". If I ever get a chance to meet him, I want him to play it for me at a book signing, so if you know him tell him I said whenever he can get to San Antonio, Texas I'll be the first in line with that request.

Heather: Do you like to write in complete silence or does it have to be noisy?

R.L.: I can write anywhere as long as no one is asking me questions, "Where are my socks? Have you seen my glasses? What are we eating? Can I go skating? What's wrong with your hair? Can you come and pick me up?" That sort of thing.

Heather: What made you put your characters in the setting that you did?

R.L.: I put my characters in San Antonio, Texas because it is truly a romantic city. Anyone can fall in love or have an intimate moment along the San Antonio Riverwalk. The city truly holds a lot of our country's history, and for those that have come here, they know exactly what I mean.

Heather: Keyboard or pen?

R.L.: I absolutely have to have a keyboard. There is no way I could write a book with my "Chicken Scrawl" and then expect for someone to decipher it. No way.

Heather: What do you think is the hardest part about being an author?

R.L.: The hardest thing about being an author is not knowing whether or not your fans will like everything you write. It's a chance you have to take as an author.

Heather: What do you usually do while writing?

R.L.: If I'm listening to music when I write and my favorite song is playing I usually break out in a dance during the chorus of the song.

Heather: What were the circumstances surrounding your decisions to become an author?

R.L.: I mentioned earlier, my father passed away, but also I really wanted to see if I could actually write a book. After I accomplished this goal, I looked back and thought "Okay, I realize not everyone can make the commitment to do this." Publishing a novel gives me a whole new respect for authors.

Heather: Some people say that you need to live life before you write a book, do you think that it’s experience that writes a book or imagination?

R.L.: I truly believe experience is the foundation for your imagination to build up on for you to write a book. I know it works like that for me.

I like the colors of: Diamonds
The sky is most beautiful when it’s: Dark
My favorite feature of a computer is: Shift
I think inventors should invent a/an: Robot
Thing I love most in the world is: Freedom
Things I hate most in the world is: Racism
My favorite type of electronic device is: MP3
My favorite thing that has been available before the year 1900: Soap
My favorite thing that has been available since the year 1960: Plumbing
The oddest thing you have ever written on (hand, wall, etc.) is: Leg

If you would like to read more about R.L.Sloan or check out Embellish you can head on over to Amazon.com - http://www.amazon.com/Embellish-R-L-Sloan/dp/1432740334 - R.L. is also on Facebook and Myspace!

Meet Anita Yasuda

Today I have the honor of interviewing a wonderful and very talented author, one whom I am very pleased to be hosting this month. I bring you – Anita Yasuda!

Anita Yasuda is a qualified Montessori and ECE teacher who has lived and worked in many countries. A member of SCBWI, she completed her Honors degree at the University of Toronto.

Anita writes nonfiction for both adults and children. Her work has been featured in Calgary's Child, Kahani, Highlights, and Stories for Children. She is also the author of 10 books, with several more due to be published soon.

When I first heard that Anita has 10 published books, I was truly amazed, it is quite an accomplishment! As you can see on my bookshelf to the left I have added Anita’s books to my bookshelf, you might have to click the little arrow at the bottom of the shelf to see them all. Anyways! Here’s a small little interview for all of you –


Heather: So, Anita, tell me, what encouraged you to write a book about the solar system?

Anita: When I was very young my parents woke me up one autumn evening and quickly ushered me outdoors. What was the emergency? Why the aurora borealis of course. Blue and green flashes of light danced through the sky. They seemed to be directly over my house. From that point on I was hooked on space. What were the stars called? How far away were the planets? Would we ever land on the moon again? I suppose I have never stopped looking up and wondering.


Heather: I love the aurora borealis, never seen one outside of pictures though. So, it sounds like you know quite a bit about the solar system, but what is the coolest thing you know?

Anita: The coolest thing is how we humans interact with the solar system. Spacewalking is one of the most difficult and dangerous things man does to further his knowledge of the solar system. Before an astronaut can rocket off, years of physical and academic training is required. A few weeks after making my version of the astronaut tool belt one astronaut actually lost hers on a space walk, proving that there is never a dull moment in space. For days there was coverage of this astronaut watching helplessly as her belt floated off. That belt is now one of the more than 8,000 artificial objects orbiting Earth.

Heather: That is cool! There are many planets that are all completely different from each other; do you have a favorite?

Anita: I’d like to say the planet that hasn’t yet been discovered but as a resident of a planet, I’ll say Earth. Observing Earth from space, satellites provide us with essential information on our water, land and atmosphere. Just thinking about Earth as the only known planet to harbor life makes our planet special. We haven’t yet discovered everything about Earth or even mapped the ocean floor. This means there are some cool adventures waiting for us just outside the door. So let’s get moving!

Heather: *packs up suitcase* Okay, I’m ready! *laughs* But first, I must ask, what was your favorite activity? Why?

Anita: I enjoy crafting and creating projects with anything I can pull out of my recycling bin. Watching my homemade Mars Rover take shape from a cereal box, juice cans, and wire hangers made me feel as proud as if I had created the original. My daughter and niece, loved making the astronaut suits from old painter suits, embellished with markers, glitter and glow in the dark glue. They were such a hit that the girls wore them for Halloween.

Heather: *takes a step out the door* Arts and Crafts are always my favorite subject, why do you think kids will be interested in reading about the solar system?

Anita: It’s exciting to think about a trip to the planets in our galaxy, exploring the surface of Mars, soaring above Earth in the Space Shuttle, and discovering new planets. How thrilling to imagine yourself working on the International Space Station or being part of a permanent space colony. Wow! For this adventure all a child needs to do is turn a page and get ready for an amazing journey.

Heather: *pulls out map searches for nearest mass of water* It is exciting to think about a trip to our galaxy, and it’s one dream that seems so out of our world which actually can become a true dream, I think it’s awesome. What was your favorite part of writing this book and learning about the solar system?

Anita: I loved learning about space firsts, the men and women who have made space exploration a reality. Also how the Mars rover just kept on exploring years after it was supposed to have finished its mission. It was interesting to read about the importance of international collaboration between space agencies. Without this cooperation, the International Space Station (ISS) would not exist. Thanks to this huge international effort the station is a reality. It was so cool to learn how astronauts eat, exercise, sleep, work and deal with challenges in space. In a short period of time we have moved from Neil Armstrong’s ‘one small step’ to making living in space a reality.

Heather: *heads off for nearest mass of water* How will the activities in the book help kids learn about the solar system?

Anita: As a former Montessori teacher I know how children love to explore and learn using their hands. Children are able to internalize projects, activities and experiments in this book by using all their senses. This interactive book is bound to stimulate more questions about the solar system.

Heather: *Arrives at large mass of water* How long have you been writing for?Anita: Writing and reading are passions I have had since childhood. I honestly don’t remember a time when I wasn’t writing down story ideas. For years I taught preschool and would write before and after school. I’ve been writing professionally for ten years. To date I’ve had ten books published and many magazine articles for both adults and children.
Heather: *pulls out piece of paper* What was it that got you writing for publication?
Anita: After the birth of my daughter I decided that the time in my life had come to just try and get published. Maybe I realized that I wasn’t going to achieve my writing goals if my manuscripts simply lingered in a drawer.
Heather: *begins drawing map of bottom of large water mass* Do you have a set time when you write, or just whenever you get the urge?
Anita: That’s a good question. I write everyday and find mornings the most productive. It’s important for me to set aside a block of time when I don’t answer the phone, check emails, run errands, etc. But I still find there aren’t enough hours in the day!Heather: *finishes drawing map of bottom of large water mass* Other than yourself, who is your favorite author?
Anita: It’s hard to choose just one favorite author or book. My home looks like a library. I guess it helps that my daughter is a library helper as she has done wonders organizing our collection. I am an avid reader of nonfiction biographies for children. I Iove Kathleen Krull’s “…and what the neighbors thought” series, Jackie Briggs Martin’s Snowflake Bentley, and M.T Anderson’s Strange Mr. Satie.Heather: *turns around and heads back home* Have you ever had writer's block, and if so how do you usually get rid of it?
Anita: When I cannot find a way to explain in ‘child-friendly’ terms a concept or event, I take a break from my computer screen. Listening to music, walking the dog and even gardening are helpful in clearing my mind. Heather: What do you recommend to aspiring authors?Anita: I think aspiring authors should read as much as they can in the genre in which they are wishing to write for. They should know what is being published and why. Taking classes and belonging to a critique group are also helpful.


Great tips, Anita, I’m sure they’ll help someone in his or her journey to become a great author like yourself.