Today, we have Sarah Anderson! She's an awesome designer, reviewer, and skyentist. Here's a bit about her in her own words.

​Hi! I'm Sarah, and I'm studying Astrophysics in the South of France. Graphic design has always been a passion of mine, and I'm using this to fund my way through university.
 
I first started designing book covers as a hobby, and it took off from there. I love helping people take their ideas and make them real, taking manuscripts and making them really feel like books. Authors will often ask me for bookmarks, banners, and other designs, and I'm always happy to oblige! 
 
I learn a lot from every author I work with, picking up new skills along the way. No challenge is too much for me to take on! My prices are adaptable to any budget, and can work on short deadlines. 
 
I'm not limited to book merch - don't hesitate to ask me about other design requests. 

D.R.- Coffee or tea?
S.A.- Tea for pleasure, coffee to drug.

D.R.- Castiel or Crowley?
S.A.- Crowley. King of hell, sassy as can be, fun at a party. 

D.R.- What is your quest?
To travel to space one day! 

D.R.- What is your favorite color?
S.A.- Blue!

D.R.- What's your Patronus?
S.A.- An otter, like Hermione.

D.R.- Where'd you get the idea for your business/goods/services?
S.A.- It was an accident, really. I always loved making my own covers to commemorate the end of Nano. Then one day, I was talking with Ronnie and suggested making him a cover, since his book was so awesome. And now… Now I have a business!

D.R.- What genres do you feel comfortable supporting?
S.A.- Science fiction and fantasy are my comfort zone. But I’ve been dying to do some 'High Lit' at some point! I’m excited to try anything.

D.R.- What do you have to offer authors?
S.A.- Not only do I give you design work, I’ll share with you everything I’ve learned about marketing over the years. I’ll help you with promo in any way I can. And I’m not afraid to tell you when an idea seems like it’s going to backfire.

D.R.- Do you have any goods/services that might benefit readers or other artists?
S.A.- I also do book photography for my Instagram. Pitch me a book, and if it fits the blog, I’d love to promo it! Check me out as @Readcommendations on Instagram and Tumblr.

D.R.- Where can we find your goods and services on the Internet?
S.A.- Check out my website, here. I also run a book blog: Find me on twitter @Readcommends, Tumblr & instagram @readcommendations, and finally readcommendations.com for your everyday book reviews. I love doing promo for self published authors, so let me know if you're interested in being featured.
​

Today, I'm interviewing an author who has quite a bit in common with me. She's got a wicked awesome sense of humor, loves doggies, can't live without music, and her muse moves on liquid fuel. Give it up for Kyleen Valleaux! Here's a bit about her. 

​Kyleen is a Michigan native and telecommunications veteran. She has been writing since the age of twelve, often forgoing homework for either reading the latest Anne McCaffery novel or penning her original stories. (Said stories are locked in a trunk in her bedroom, never to see the light of day.) She was highly active in the early online Elfquest Community and helped found two round robin writing Holts. Because writing was never enough to pay the bills, she’s worked in Graphic Design, as an IT Professional, and is deep into her third career as a Site Acquisition Specialist having worked for most of the large wireless carriers in building and upgrading their networks. She writes an average of two and a half books a year and is working diligently to publish with an insanely ambitious schedule. She lives in Michigan, works full-time in the mundane world, and is responsible for the care and feeding of three German Shepherds, one cat, and a Millennial.

Hold on to your seats, because Kyleen has some cool videos and fun pictures to share with us today!

D.R.- What's your favorite song for editing?
K.V.- Silence. Editing is hard and I need to keep my head “out” of the story and focus on the words and grammar. Because of that, I try to minimize distractions.

D.R.- Do you have a writing routine?
K.V.- I don’t. I should, but I don't. I’ll often write either first thing in the morning before I have to start my day, or before I go to sleep on my laptop in bed. Weekends, because I have a challenging job (which is a nice way to put it), are mine for writing and editing (and laundry, grocery shopping… and all the other things that go along with masquerading as functioning adult).

D.R.- ​Beach or woods?
K.V.- Both. Being a Michigan girl, the two are tied together. This past summer I rented a campsite in the Manistee National Forest for five weeks. I didn’t get to stay up there during the week, and the deal was for “come and go camping.” I did, however, get to live my little trailer (aka “the Party Can”) there and plugged in and ready. Where I was situated was about 30 minutes east of Lake Michigan. I got a lot of reading, writing, and just enjoying the peace of nature done.

D.R.- Coffee or tea or something else?
K.V.- Tequila.  

But I do drink Coffee daily, that’s usually my go to drug in the morning. But with the cold nights of winter coming, I’ll have a nice cup of green tea before bed.

D.R.- ​Who is your favorite animated character and why?
K.V.- Sailor Moon! I love both the manga and the anime. I think the appeal is that a 14-year-old screw-up can save the world with the power of love. Even though I give my characters a lot of road blocks to their happy ending, I am a HUGE believer in it. I think the harder they have to struggle for it, the sweeter it is. ​

D.R.- What's the food or drink you always tell other people to try?
K.V.- Sushi and Miso Soup. I think a lot of people are ick’ed out by it because of the raw fish, but really, it’s not gross at all. It’s really good - you just have to get by the cultural bias of eating meat raw.

D.R.- How do you get ideas for stories?
K.V.- I get them everyday - they just come to me. I’ve got a whole notebook devoted to story ideas. Just living and observing the world is enough to inspire anyone, I think. My problem is that I have too many ideas to ever write them all. This frustrates me. 

D.R.- What's your best writer's block buster?
K.V.- A shot of tequila, leash up big dog, and go for a three to four mile walk on the river trail. It quiets my mind and lets me focus on where the story really needs to go next. 

D.R.- What's the best advice you've gotten about writing?
K.V.- Never stop. Writing, that is.  If you get stuck, you may have to put that story aside and work on something else. Also, write for yourself first. If you fall in love with your own story, other people will too. If you’re only “meh" about it, expect the same from your audience. 

D.R.- ​Tell us about your plans or ideas for a new-to-you genre in the future.
K.V.- I have published the first Chronicles of the Garlon T’zen book - there are about eleven of them already written, but they need to be broken up into novels and edited. My first ambition was to publish two a year, but I’ll do two this first year, and then probably one a year after that. (Real life got in the way with a new job that is far more demanding than my last one.)

I am also nearly ready to release my second novel, in a different 'world." Right now I just call it Dragon and am working on a proper title for it. The first book is one of two that tell the overall story. The first book ends on a bit of a cliffy, but I've been assured that it works. Book 2’s events take place five years after the events in Book 1. My plan is to have Book 1 out by the end of November 2016 and Book 2 by June of 2017.

And then I have a stack of “one off” novels that are just fun. I plan to release one of those a year. The first one is a Super Smutty Romantic Comedy about a Romance Writer (who is a man but writes under a female name) who is over a year behind on his deadline. His long-suffering editor decides that he needs a Nanny and hires him one. It was a ton of fun to write, so I’m pretty others will like it too!

Here are some of my links where you can find me!
Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon, my website. 

“An estimated 5.4 million Americans of all ages have Alzheimer's disease in 2016. Of the 5.4 million Americans with Alzheimer's, an estimated 5.2 million people are age 65and older, and approximately 200,000 individuals are under age 65 (younger-onset Alzheimer's).”
www.alz.org/facts/

On March 12th, 2015, the writing world lost one of its greatest contemporary heroes - Sir Terrence "Terry" Pratchett. To honor his life, a group of writers published an anthology of stories that showcased his influence on their writing, and which also helped bring awareness of the disease that contributed to his end, Alzheimer's Disease. That anthology was The Longest Night Watch, volume 1.

It was a success, and the group--now known as "The Longest Night Watch" Volume 1--went on to enter a writing competition, coming in second by fractions of a point. The submissions from that writing competition are in this volume, along with original short stories and poems from many of the contributors to the first volume, and a slew of new authors. Contributors to this volume are: Amanda Parker Adams, Andrew Barber, AR Harlow, Becca Bachlott, Brittany Tucker, Carol Gyzander, Cayleigh Stickler, D.R. Perry, Debbie Manber Kupfer, Fiona Teh, Georgette Frey, Janet Gershen-Siegel, Jennifer Stibbards, Joshua L. Cejka, Kate Post, Katelyn Scarlett, L. Anne Wooley, Michael J. Medeiros, Michael Walton, R.R. Virdi, Ryn Richmond, Skye Hegyes, Thomas E. Harper, Trine Jensegg, Virginia Carraway Stark and the team of The Longest Night Watch.

The statistics are frightening. 5.4 million Americans have Alzheimers. Worldwide, nearly 44 million people have Alzheimer's or a related dementia. (Alzheimer's Disease International) Only 1-in-4 people with Alzheimer's disease have been diagnosed.

Chances are pretty much everyone knows of someone, perhaps a relative, who has it or has died from it. The stories in this anthology range from humorous Terry Pratchett-eqsue tales, to intimate looks into the lives of Alzheimer’s patients and their families.
Announcing Volume 2 of The Longest Night Watch. 50% more aliens, 700% more heart!

Preorder the ebook here, or click the cover image above. A paperback version will go live in October.

D.R.- Who is your favorite animated character (comic, anime, manga, graphic novel) and why?
S.R.- Ok this is a really hard one. So many. I’m a huge fan of most Alan More characters- he does these wonderfully grey ones like Roscharch, or V or Dr Manhattan or V or Alan Quatermain-  I love deeply layered and inherently conflicted characters and he does them so well. Which is why I can’t end this list without mentioning Dr Doom from the Fantastic 4 franchise- sorcerer and scientist, ruthless yet ultimately very principled, a tyrant who overthrew a tyrant, and probably the one great Roma character in all comicdom. Such depth.  It genuinely bothers me how Marvel can be so blind as to tone and dumb down the most fascinating character in the stable every time they make a F4 film. It’s a sad mistreatment of the greatest character Lee and Kirby ever created. 

D.R.- What's your best writer's block buster?
S.R.- Brooding. I take a walk and think and play with options and alternate story plans. And drink a lot of coffee. Maybe read a book or play a game. But mostly, I brood. It serves the dual purpose of getting things done while not feeling like I’m getting things done and keeps both my conscience and my laziness happy. 

D.R.- Tell me about the biggest surprise your own character, story, or setting has given you.
S.R.- Well, existing. Take Marcus from Domechild. He wasn’t in the outline, was created for a one scene bit, refused to go away, survived about 5 attempts to kill him and in a lot of ways, hijacked Domechild. And he seems to be the favourite character from the book of so many readers. I guess he’s doing something right, even if it means I an always on edge when he’s in a scene because 9 times out of 10- no 10 times out of 10, bye bye outline and plans. He’s an incredibly fun character to write, and I’ve grown attached to him, but there was a time I was tearing my hair out and screaming “why won’t you die??” at the page. I guess we’ve come a long way and learnt to live with each other now. Maybe.

D.R.- Share a guilty pleasure with us. Cake or pie? 
S.R.- All the sweet things all the time every time. Cake and pie both.  

D.R.- Breakfast, brunch, or lunch?
S.R.- Dinner, actually, A large part of my process is carrot and stick, and food is usually my go to reward for meeting word count. I usually grab a quick bite when I get up and then don’t eat till I finish wording for the day. Coffee is my friend. 
 
D.R.- How do you get ideas for stories?
S.R.- I’m not sure. I think I subscribe to a certain misinterpretation of Plato’s theory of ideas. They're entities with existences of their own. Every so often they choose a medium, this person or that. This may not be a very scientific theory, but I like the idea, if you’ll pardon the expression.
Which explains why some people get great ideas so often but also why some of the most amazing creative works have come from the most unlikely sources. La Marseillaise for one. De Lisle was one of the most mediocre composers alive and out of the blue came up with this work of genius- genius he never exhibited in any form ever again.  In that sense, its not so much about me getting ideas but that certain ideas get me. And I’m glad they chose me. 

D.R.- What's the best advice you've gotten about writing?
S.R.- That would probably be something Michael Swanwick once told me, which was, “never be afraid to be terrible. I could name you dozens of promising writers who weren’t willing to be, but their names would mean nothing to you because they never sold anything.” It makes a lot of sense to me. Fear is the mind-killer, Frank Herbert wrote. And he was right- its what ruins us as writers.  Never doubt that you may suck, but never let sucking be the reason you don’t write or submit. The only way to fail as a writer is to fail to write. 

D.R.- Tell us about your plans or ideas for a new-to-you genre in the future
S.R.- Well, I’ve actually been experimenting with new formats over the last year- I’ve done short stories, novelettes and am currently working on a novella and a few more shorts as well as wrapping up Wrathchild. As far as genre goes, I’m pretty excited about my next project- high fantasy based squarely on Indian mythology. I’m with everyone who says we’re tired of high fantasy that’s basically Tolkien Ver. 2636671890. There’s so many more traditions out there. Indian ones especially are woefully underdone and underrepresented. I’m actually really excited about this one. 

D.R.- What's your favorite song for writing?
S.R.- Silence. Always silence. I hate writing to music. 

D.R.- Do you have a writing routine?
S.R.- ​Well, it usually involves pacing, typing and talking to myself in varying doses. But usually, I set up coffee, light a smoke and pace till I work myself up enough to go smash at keys. And then I usually sort of have this wait what happened moment a while later and realise I’ve got 3 or 5k down. Its kinda spooky each time it happens because I never know if it’ll ever work again, but so far, it always has. 

Yes, my friends. When writers draft, we need to do the above. Not only that, but we need more people to look at our words and edit. All. The. Words. But editors only have so much time, and none of those blue boxes which are bigger on the inside (although if you know of a Timelord Editors, I would love to interview them).

Anyway, because of the limitations on the time-space continuum, it's a good thing multiple people have decided to offer editing services. Especially people like Ellie Mack, who I just interviewed! Here's a little bit about Ellie. 

Ellie Mack received her BS in cartography from Southeast Missouri State University. After leaving the corporate world for the title of MOM, she has pursued her writing dreams. Nowadays Ellie charts unmapped territory through her fiction and humor writing. She lives near St. Louis with her husband of 30 years and their two teen daughters. When she's not writing, she can be found scrapbooking, crocheting, or cooking. You can find her musings on her blog Quotidiandose.

D.R.- Coffee or tea?
E.M.- Coffee.

D.R.- Marvel or DC?
E.M.- DC Villains, Marvel heroes!

D.R.- Castiel or Crowley?
E.M.- Castiel.

D.R.- Cake or pie?
E.M.- Pie.

D.R.- Dogs or cats?
E.M.- Dogs.

D.R.- Darts or billiards?
E.M.- Darts.

D.R.- What is your favorite color?
E.M.- Red

D.R.- ​What is your favorite song and why?
E.M.- This changes nearly as often as the Billboard charts because there is always a cool new song. Currently, my favorite is “Try Everything” by Shakira. My second favorite right now is Trust You by Rob Thomas, and then Smooth  by Rob Thomas and Carlos Santana.
(Here, have some music, courtesy of Ellie)

D.R.- Why do you love/hate winter?  
E.M.- I love winter because of the cooler weather. I love snow, absolutely love snow. I hate the bitter cold temperatures we get in January. I think when I get older, I will become a snowbird and flee to Florida. Yes, I will be one of those cranky old women walking around with funky sunglasses on. 

D.R.- Where'd you get the idea for your services?
E.M.- This probably is going to sound really mean. I’m not really a mean person, truly I’m not. My idea came from reading Indy books that were atrocious. The story would be fine, but oh my gosh the grammatical errors, tense shifts, ever changing POV’s, all telling and no showing -  it was a natural fit for me being a grammar Nazi.

D.R.- What genres do you feel comfortable supporting?  
E.M.- Romance, paranormal fantasy, science fiction, mystery, suspense. I’ve supported others as well, but those are the ones I feel the most comfortable with. 

D.R.- What do you have to offer authors?
E.M.- As an editor - different levels of editing services. The basic package is grammatical, context, and story arc. The master level is a line edit, sentence structure evaluation as well as grammatical, context, and story arc. There are other levels between the two.  My prices are very reasonable. Right now with my Penned Con sale,  it’s 16% off all services. As a blogger I try to host at least one author, writing professional a month. Sometimes I do more. Over the summer, I had a guest scheduled for every Wednesday. For a guest spot, pm me on Facebook or email me. 

D.R.- Do you have any goods/services that might benefit readers or other artists?
E.M.- Absolutely! Every writer needs an editor. I am an editor and I need someone else to edit my work. I can revise a story ten times, practically have it memorized word for word, but I become blind to my own issues. These can be simple things like overused phrases, repetitious words, incorrect words like irregardless, or massive plot holes that you could drive a semi-truck through.
​
D.R.- Where can we find your goods/services on the Internet?  
E.M.- Right here!

D.R.- Do you do live events?
E.M.- Yes! As a matter of fact, I am doing Penned Con next week, September 23, and 24 at St. Louis City Center Hotel; 400 South 14th Street; ST. Louis, MO 63103. There are going to be over 950 people there.  

Click through the slideshow to find links to Ellie's work and social media. And if you're in St. Louis, check out Penned Con. It's for a great cause!

Unleash the dragon on your manuscript! Michelle is an editor, providing meticulous and amazing editing. Here's a bit about her:

Michelle Dunbar is a writer, reader and developmental editor of science fiction and fantasy. She assists authors from the very first draft and up to (but not including) copyediting. She holds a BA (Hons) in English Literature and is an entry level member of the Society for Editors and Proofreaders (UK). She has been a freelance editor since August 2015, but editing since June 2014 (prior to which she worked (online) as an intern for an overseas (American) independent publisher for one year.

I know a few of her clients and they tell me she's like an editing superhero, rescuing manuscripts and plotlines from mistakes and holes. 

Anyway, Here's her interview! The initials are fun, because together we are Dr. and MD. Crazy, right? And plenty of super heroes are doctors also. Hmm, maybe Michelle can teach me a thing or five...

D.R.- Coffee or tea? 
M.D.- I’m English, so it’s tea for me. Always tea. 

D.R.- Marvel or DC? 
M.D.- Star Wars! I’ve never been into Marvel or DC and only know Batman from Spiderman because the costumes give it away. I grew up on science fiction – Star Trek, Flash Gordon and Battlestar Galactica being my favourites. 

D.R.- Dogs or cats? 
M.D.- Dogs. I have two border collies to keep me on my toes.

D.R.- Cake or pie? 
M.D.- Oh, cake. Chocolate. Preferably with a nice cup of tea. 

D.R.- Where'd you get the idea for your business/goods/services? 
M.D.- Well, my business is developmental (and line) editing, which came about after I spent a year working as an intern for an independent publisher (online placement). I received excellent feedback from the publisher and by the time the internship came to an end, I’d already that I wanted to be an editor. I spent the following year beta reading and editing for free as I ‘practiced’ on many a manuscript, using the feedback I received from authors to fine tune the working practice and service I wanted to offer. In August last year, I took my first steps towards becoming a freelance editor, and haven’t stopped reading and editing since. 

D.R.- What genres do you feel comfortable supporting?
M.D.- I decided early on in my editing ‘career’ to specialise in science fiction and fantasy genres (and sub-genres thereof), to only do developmental and line editing, and to only work with independent authors. 

D.R.- What do you have to offer authors? 
M.D.- I’m particular about high standards as I believe indie authors need to aim high, to produce their very best work, and to never shrug their shoulders and say ‘well, it’s self-published, so it’s bound to have mistakes…’
I’d like to think that what I offer authors is a friendly, respectful, yet honest round of edits. It’s not in my nature to engage in a brutal, nasty, rip-it-to-shreds style edit, but that doesn’t mean I won’t turn a manuscript blood-red. I would much rather explain how specific effects can be achieved using a section of the author’s writing as an example and encourage discussion. It also brings me great job satisfaction to watch that writer’s craft strengthen and develop and know that I helped in some small way.  

D.R.- Do you have any goods/services that might benefit readers or other artists?
M.D.- In addition to editing, I also run a sort of book promotion site. I say sort of as I’m not a professional book promoter. Although I sell the occasion ad, most of what I do is free. Its purpose is to help independent and small press authors spread word of book releases and their achievements. Oh, and - surprise, surprise - it’s dedicated to books within science fiction and fantasy genres. 

D.R.- Where can we find your goods/services on the Internet?
M.D.- My editing website can be found here and my ‘sort-of’ book promotion website can be found here.

D.R.- Tell us about your partner/helper/staff/assistant.
M.D.- I don’t have any official partners or assistants, but I do have three new editors under my wings at the moment: two developmental editors, and one who will edit through all stages of the editing process. They have been assisting me with some of my work (for which I sought the authors’ permission), thus gaining experience, testimonials, but most importantly, I can vouch personally for each of them.

You can find Michelle on Facebook and Twitter as well as her websites listed above. I made her a slideshow with a few of her favorite things. As usual, click through the pictures to get to her links. 

It's that time of week again! Friendly Friday, where I interview people who help authors get their books out where you awesome readers can see them. And today, I've got a cover designer! Cover designers rock because they give a face to our books. Without a cover, would you seriously be clicking over to check them out? Of course not! So, I'd like you to meet Lia Rees!

​​Lia Rees is a designer living in London. After several years bringing authors' books to life, she's finally publishing her own in January 2017. "But I'm Not Depressed" is about her ten-year battle with the beast of undiagnosed chronic illness. You'll find its haunting trailer below.