Let your motivation be, “I really want to read this story that I am writing.”
Martin Baggen – 21 November 2016 Continue reading
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Politics are the setting of my book, but the real story is about a family. To me, family is the best cradle for story-telling: marriage, siblings, parents.
Kelley Rose Waller – 17 November 2016 Continue reading
Posted in Indieview author, Interviews
I read voraciously as a child growing up in Ukraine – there was only one TV channel and no computers, after all. Books were the only way to learn about the world – Russian, European and American classics. None of them have influenced my writing though, as I am not a writer but rather a doctor who wrote a book.
Dr Svetlana Kogan – 14 November 2016 Continue reading
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I got to work with the likes of Barbra Streisand, Bob Hope, Kirk Douglas, Jackie Chan, The Bee Gees, Bob Dylan, Sylvester Stallone, Michael Jordan and David Copperfield. What a joy… and an eye-opener it was meeting so many of my boyhood heroes.
Lonnie Ostrow – 110 November 2016 Continue reading
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It is necessary to do some editing as you go. If you don’t you find the guy you killed on page 74 turns up eating a sandwich on page 108. Don’t laugh, I did it!
Fran Connor – 7 November 2016
A passionate, thought-provoking tale of love, jealousy and revenge set in nineteenth-century England. Follow the progress of a poor, orphan girl serendipitously elevated to High Society.
Her aim is to marry a rich man, regardless of love, so she will never be poor again; instead, she falls in love with a handsome, young landowner with whom she can have it all; love, security, and wealth.
As fate would have it, there are obstacles to their romance: her jealousy, his wife, an evil aristocrat, a beautiful gypsy, and Gallows Hill.
About the book
What is the book about?
The main theme is about how a woman overcomes the jealousy that is stopping her from marrying the man she loves.
When did you start writing the book?
I started writing this novel In October 2015
How long did it take you to write it?
From the first word to the edited end, six months though the embryo was milling about my head for some time before I started writing.
Where did you get the idea from?
My butterfly mind.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
Not really
What came easily?
Because I’d kicked the idea around in my head for some time, I found writing it quite easy as I knew the characters very well and the plot.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
Most are totally fictitious but some are composites of people I know. I enjoy building minor characters to the point I sometimes begin to feel I have to let them have their own story. In Honourable Lies, a minor but essential character “Rawnie” has wheedled her way into my brain and demanded her own novel. I will be writing her story in a series of three full-length novels next year. In the Devil’s Bridge, a minor but essential character “Elvira” haunted me into writing her own story which I have in draft and hope to publish next year.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
I enjoy Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch series, Clive Cussler’s novels and James Patterson and it would be fair to say they have influenced my writing in the Thriller genre even though the first and the last authors would be classified in the Crime genre. Sometimes the genre police have to be ignored! I also write Historical Romance and one can not avoid the influence of Jane Austen. And why would one? She is the benchmark. Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe series is another influence on my writing in this genre as is Georgette Heyer.
Do you have a target reader?
I know I should have. All the pundits and advice tells me that I should have a target reader. But I don’t really. I do aim most of my work at women, but that ranges from thrillers to historical fiction; young adult to septuagenarians; Brits, Americans and anyone who can read English.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
I incubate stories in my head until I have the skeleton. I write my novels between two thirty and seven thirty most afternoons in my study at my desk on my PC. I have a laptop and could sit outside on the terrace or down by the pool and write but it just doesn’t work for me. I have to be at my desk surrounded by my posters/photos and books.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
I outline the story but not in chapters, just a brainstorm. It gives me the beginning, the middle, and the end most of the time but sometimes I go off piste when my imagination takes me for a ride.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
It is necessary to do some editing as you go. If you don’t you find the guy you killed on page 74 turns up eating a sandwich on page 108. Don’t laugh, I did it! If my Grammarly picks up a spelling or grammar mistake, I’ll correct it but the real edits I leave until the end.
Did you hire a professional editor?
Some of my work is self-published and some is published by small press (never ones you have to pay!). For my self-published novels, I use a professional editor to critique the work for structure, characters, plot etc. After I have made the alterations that are necessary from this edit, I use a professional copy editor.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
No, I never listen to music when I am writing. I don’t have any distracting sound to take me out of the ‘zone.’ When I’m researching on the net or doing the admin, I sometimes listen to music, usually opera and usually a female belting out an aria. Anna Netrebko is my favorite.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
I have in the past, and I have a drawer full of rejections to prove it!
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
The first novella I had published was with a small indie publisher. It had been rejected by Mills and Boon. I wasn’t happy about the publisher as they didn’t do any advertising and the sales were poor. At that stage, I didn’t know how to advertise myself. After my two year contract with this publisher was up, I re-released the novella myself after I had carried out a lot of research on advertising and it did reasonably well. I can’t put all the blame on the Indie publisher. I should have been doing some of the advertising from the start but in my ignorance thought they would do it all.
I then self-published two more full-length novels. Then I got a contract from an Indie publisher to write a series of Historical Novellas, we stopped at volume nine. And then I got a contract from a different Indie publisher to write a series of three full-length Thrillers. One is published. I’ve nearly finished number two.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
I started out with my self-published novels doing it myself. Frankly, it shows! Now I hire a professional. My Indie publishers do the cover work at their expense, of course.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
I know I should have a marketing plan. I don’t have what one could call a real marketing plan, but I muddle through with social media and other outlets that are interested in books.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Read as many novels as you can whether they are by the great writers or other indies. You can learn from reading bad work not least because you see what to avoid.
About You
Where did you grow up?
Rochdale, Lancashire. A mill town in northwest England. I moved ‘down south’ in my twenties.
Where do you live now?
I live in South-West France among the vineyards, orchards and ancient hill top villages. It rains less here than in England.
What would you like readers to know about you?
I write because I enjoy the process. When I stop liking it, I shall stop doing it.
Most of my work has a woman protagonist. This is not an accident. I find women far more interesting and complex characters than men. Romance is at the core of my writing because I am a romantic at heart. Writing about women and romance may sound odd coming from a hetero male ex-police officer but it shouldn’t.
When I moved to France, I met up with some other oddballs, and we set up an English/French theatre group putting on traditional British pantos in dual languages for the ex-pats, French and on Friday afternoons a hundred and fifty school kids. I wrote the scripts and acted as the front end of the pantomime cow.
I wrote several screenplays and managed to get one accepted. It is currently in pre-production in the UK.
What are you working on now?
I have a contract to ghostwrite a novel for a client. It is a Historical Thriller/Romance
I have a contract to write three full-length Thrillers for an Indie publisher.
I have a contract to write a screenplay from a novel (not one of mine). It is a Contemporary/Romance/Comedy.
End of Interview:
For more from Fran visit his website or follow him on Twitter.
Get your copy of Honourable Lies from Amazon US or Amazon UK.
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P J O’Rourke and Hunter S Thompson taught me that whatever everyone else is doing, I should step outside of it and lampoon it cruelly.
Dominic Green – 3 November 2016 Continue reading
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I really believe a wide range of readers will connect with the overriding “human interest” aspects of this book, from the way Bernard fully embraced living a long life of exploration, creativity, and adventure, to his insatiable quest for human connection.
Michael Schreiber – 31 October 2016 Continue reading
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The character, Erin, shares many of the same qualities as her namesake: imaginative, adventurous, kind and enjoys helping others.
Lori Forrest – 27 October 2016 Continue reading
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About Reviewing
How did you get started?
Procrastination! During a week’s break before my last AS exam, I started playing around with the idea of a book blog. During that week I did a lot of research into which blog type I should use, trying to find a name that I liked. I’d used both Tumblr and WordPress before, but I decided on WordPress because I was most comfortable that it suited the content I wanted to produce. Novellique came about as a combination of ‘novel’ and ‘unique’ – yes, technically it should be spelt Novelique but I added in the second ‘l’ for aesthetic value. Once exams had finished, I started looking for other blogs to follow and then started posting content.
How do you review a book? Is it a read first, and then make notes, or do you make notes as you go along?
I try to make notes as a go, but when I’m busy I don’t always get the chance to write my thoughts down. My opinions definitely change shape as I read, so when I’m looking back at notes I’ve written I generally tend to have a more developed and complex opinion. I’m still trying different things out even now.
What are you looking for?
I’m looking for, most of all, something that makes me want to disregard perfection. I’m looking for something that will mean something to me, that will suck me in and refuse to let go. Be it fantasy, contemporary, science fiction: I want it to challenge me, make me question my own viewpoint and expose me to new perspectives and ideas. Nothing much, really.
If a book has a great plot, great characters, but the grammar is less than perfect, how do you deal with that?
It depends to what extent – if the grammar is preventing me from understanding what is happening, I’m not going to be able to read it. It’s also about the frequency: small grammatical errors I can ignore if they only happen once or twice – I might not even notice them if the story is that good – but if there are errors on every single page I’d be likely to stop reading. If I’ve been given an ARC (or the book has yet to be published) I’d send a note to the author explaining that I find the grammar makes it hard to read and leave it up to them how they wish to deal with it. If it’s already published, I’d still send the note but I would imagine it would be much more difficult to fix one already in print.
How long does it take you to get through, say, an eighty thousand-word book?
A quick google search has told me this is an average of 320 pages, but I have no idea if that is a paperback, hardback etc. It’s difficult to say, so I’ll rate books by length in terms of examples I remember reading. The Mortal Instruments, at the time of reading a five book series, took a week to read (a book per day, I had plenty of time to read). Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, the entire series) took six months to read. I’m a relatively fast reader even if I don’t like a novel, but the flow will change how fast that ultimately is. There are a lot of different factors that will change how fast I read something.
How did you come up with your rating system, and could you explain more about the rating system?
I used to do both a star rating (like Goodreads) and a percentage rating – however, I now stick with a star rating. It’s the same as Goodreads. One star is a DNF, two stars is finished but didn’t like, three stars is okay or neutral, four stars is good and five stars is excellent. I don’t post anything below three stars in most situations, especially if I’ve been asked to review something. On Goodreads I’ll still rate it but I won’t do a full review unless I want to talk about something specific.
What advice could you give to authors looking to get their books reviewed?
I actually made a post about how to approach book reviewers with a request. To shorten it down into the simplest advice ever, be polite. Respect that a book reviewer is doing this off their own back, for a hobby, and is not required to accept. Don’t shout about your awards and feedback from other people (I’ve spoken to several others about this – we’ll likely just delete the request, we aren’t interested in what other people have to say, only what we think). Don’t pester a reviewer, although if it’s been several months you may want to check in with them again. Don’t try to create drama – contact them directly via an email or twitter DM, never in a social forum. Lastly, don’t feel bad if they reject you: even after checking their review policy, they are many reasons (none of them your fault) why the reviewer has said no.
Do you get readers emailing you and thanking you for a review?
I don’t get readers emailing me, but I do get authors emailing me – which is always nice. One author in particular (Adara Quick, author of The Dream Protocol series) was super nice about thanking me over Goodreads, sharing my review and also gave me a physical copy of the book once it was published – of course indie authors can’t do this for everyone, but if you want to show your appreciation, helping share the review is a good way to go about it). Readers will usually comment, which will generate further discussion and is always a welcome thing.
My advice to authors on getting a ‘bad’ review (hasten to add that might mean a perfectly honest, well written, fair review – just bad from the author’s point of view) is to take what you can from it and move on. Under no circumstances to ‘argue’ with the reviewer – would you agree with that?
Definitely, especially if they’ve read the novel off their own back, but also if you’ve requested a review from that blogger. Trying to argue with a reviewer comes off as rude, even if you’re trying to be diplomatic – it makes it sound like you don’t respect the opinion of the reviewer. I can see this might be difficult when the review isn’t constructive and is being rude, but authors have to learn to be the bigger person. Respect reviewers and most of us will respect you in return.
About Writing
What are the most common mistakes that you see authors making?
Two things immediately spring to mind. The first is either describing too much (interrupting the natural flow of a novel) or not describing too much (disorientating the reader). The second is introducing too many new terms, names and phrases (especially in fantasy or science fiction) too quickly.
We’re told that the first page, paragraph, chapter, is absolutely key in making or breaking a book. Agents typically request only the first five pages of a novel; what do you think about that? If a book hasn’t grabbed you by the first five pages, do you put it down?
The first five pages is a little extreme (for me, personally, as a reviewer). If the book has a good hook – a good first chapter, I would say – I’m more likely to rate it higher because it controls my initial opinion. Take the opening chapter to City of Bones and Nevernight (two of my favourite opening chapters). These books are both 5 starbooks, for me. I can’t remember other books with openings which I didn’t like, which I suppose is the point – a good opening will make it
Is there anything you will not review?
Anything except erotica, pretty much.
About Publishing
What do you think of the oft-quoted comment that the “slush-pile has moved online”?
To some extent I agree. A novel physically published doesn’t necessarily mean it is automatically better than those published online (there are many examples I can think of but won’t name) but with self-publishing becoming more accessible, it means anyone can publish – even people who aren’t necessarily producing writing to the best of their ability or putting in the effort to edit. That being said, without bad writing we wouldn’t appreciate good writing so much!
Do you think attitudes are changing with respect to indie or self-published titles?
I think opinions are to some extent. Indie and self-published novels are still reviewed differently for the vast majority of people – I like to take the form of publishing into account, because applying the same expectations of a mainstream novel to a self-published novel wouldn’t be fair. Large publishing companies can afford better editors, better cover designers and better marketing – therefore I’m less willing to ignore mistakes, especially in the writing (grammar, spelling and typing mistakes, for example).
Do you have any ideas or comments on how the industry can ‘filter’ good from bad, aside from reviews?
I guess the most important thing is for an author to never settle for second best, and then to learn from their reviews – always trying to improve and get better. I believe that, with practice, anyone can produce something good – even if it needs editing and developing and second (and third, fourth and fifth) opinions.
End of Interview:
To read Lottie’s reviews, visit Novellique.
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I published a couple of non-fiction books on the financial markets and economy in 2011 and 2015. This novel brings some of that content to life via characters.
Jim Mosquera – 20 October 2016
Chandler Scott, a rising TV journalist, tries to connect the dots in a country mired in another financial crisis. Cyber terrorists add to the flames of fear. The public yearns for help from its leaders who respond in ways previously unimagined. Politics and economics collide during the Presidential election of 2020.
About the book
What is the book about?
Chandler Scott is a TV journalist working for the international network, El Mundo. He hosts a show covering financial and political topics. The backdrop of the story is a United States mired in a financial slump and terrorized by cyber hackers. The public demands government do something, which it gets in unexpected ways. Chandler uncovers, with the help of his mentors, a plan to mold the US and world economies giving the government more control over the affairs of its subjects. The novel culminates with the presidential election of 2020 and a historical action taken by the President.
When did you start writing the book?
Fall of 2015
How long did it take you to write it?
4-5 months
Where did you get the idea from?
This is an original idea. I classify the novel as realistic fiction. The backdrop of the story consists of actual events with a slight projection into the near future (4 years). The characters are fictional though many of the organizations/institutions in the novel are real. I published a couple of non-fiction books on the financial markets and economy in 2011 and 2015. This novel brings some of that content to life via characters.
I also anticipated an explosive 2016 election cycle, which is why I hoped readers would have interest in a novel with a political storyline.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
There are parts of the book that I understand will not be of interest to the casual reader. There are certain things that need to be explained in order to maintain the credibility of the work and to add to its gravity. There is also a very important figure in the book serving as the protagonist’s mentor and some of his dialogue may not be of interest to many readers, though this was necessary to establish him.
The above, however, will not detract from the story or its explosive sections.
What came easily?
The storyline came very easy. I could foresee the political problems facing the country after the 2008 election. I wrote about the intersection of politics and economics in my non-fiction texts. This novel brings politics, financial crisis, and cyber terror together in an ending that will make the reader wonder if such an events were possible in the country’s future.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
The characters are entirely fictitious though there are small elements of their personality that were taken from real people.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
The majority of my reading has been non-fiction. There are no authors that influenced my writing. From a subject matter perspective, there may be parallels to Tom Clancy novels in the following respect: he uses realistic military/spy details and creates stories around Jack Ryan whereas I use realistic financial/political/cyber details to create, what will be a trilogy, around Chandler Scott.
I read that when Clancy wrote Hunt for Red October, the text was so replete with detail that his publisher told him he needed to pare the novel substantially. I’ve tried to be conscious of the detail component to ensure readability.
Do you have a target reader?
My sense is that if you like young adult, erotica, fantasy or love stories, you probably will not like this. If you enjoy reading something with a potent storyline based on realistic things supported by strong characters, you are probably a better fit. The book could also be of interest to someone wanting a peek into the near future, though not from a science fiction sense.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
I start with a short (one paragraph) description. Then I create an outline with a little pseudo-manuscript within it. Separately, I create a spreadsheet with scene and chapter numbers that detail location, time/date, characters in scene, and brief description of scene.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
I do outline. Once I have a good sense of how it’s going to lay out, I use Scrivener, an application tailored for authors that has many more capabilities than I ever use.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
I use multiple passes for editing, marking each scene in the process. The Scrivener app allows me to mark an editing “stage” in the process.
Did you hire a professional editor?
I have not to date.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
Seldom. When I do, it tends to be something that would tend to be more mellow than strong.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
I didn’t for my first two non-fiction books. I did for the fictional work.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
For my first two books, I didn’t have any expectation of any publisher wanting to print my work. For my third book, I solicited many agents. That process is quite time consuming since it is essential to find someone who markets your genre. After finding such an agent, each has their own desired format for project submittal. By that point, I had already completed the novel so I had to wait for many weeks for a reply, if any.
I then attempted through a smaller platform called Inkshares that proved wholly unsuccessful so I simply went forward, once again, on my own. I had the experience from my other two books so it was no big deal.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
The first two covers I did myself. For the third, there was what I would term minor assistance though I could have easily done it myself. I am going to publish my fourth book later in the year and I designed the cover myself. Many years ago, I purchased a simple cover design software package whose best attribute is formatting for publishing layout. You still have to do all of the creative work.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
Marketing plan has always consisted of FM/AM radio interviews and podcasts. This time, I joined a book club where authors and readers review work and post them to Amazon, Goodreads, and Facebook. I also have someone attempting to secure broader radio interviews.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Honestly, I would discourage it with the following qualifier – do it for fun. If you approach it more as a hobby, you will be more satisfied. Much like music and film artists, there is an element of good fortune in discovering someone. There are probably many good musicians and actors who’ve never been discovered. The same could be said for authors.
About You
Where did you grow up?
I was born in the Central American country of Panama and raised there and in St. Louis, Missouri.
Where do you live now?
Suburb of St. Louis, MO
What would you like readers to know about you?
There are important changes which will occur in our country in the coming years The public is largely unaware of what is causing these changes and the 2016 presidential election is the seminal example of the nation’s divide. I have attempted to explain the country’s condition in my non-fiction work and tell a near-term story in my novels.
End of Interview:
For more from Jim visit his website or follow him on Twitter.
Get your copy of 2020 from Amazon US or Amazon UK.
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