I got 0 words written on any project yesterday, but it was for a good reason. Preparing for Rhode Island ComiCon. I unpacked all my books, got my cards into them, took inventory, tested swag setup. But then, I hit a hiccup. Every single copy of Better Off Undead looks like MissingNo Pokemon. Gotta catch em all some time, I guess.

Apparently, the file got corrupted going from the CreateSpace website to the printer, and green for that last third didn't get printed. I called them and the tech team is quadruple checking the file in order to make sure the 15 replacement copies they send print correctly. Will they get here in time for ComiCon on Friday? I've got no idea. They're awesome for replacing these, though! 

Looks like I have 15 new souls for the Island of Discounted Misprint Books. Poor Lane. It's just his luck for something like this to happen with the book he stars in.

Happy Halloween! Today, I'm interviewing Madeline Dyer, which is appropriate because she loves everything spooky. Here's a bit about her.
​
Madeline Dyer lives in the southwest of England, and holds a BA honours degree in English from the University of Exeter. She has a strong love for anything dystopian, ghostly, or paranormal, and can frequently be found exploring wild places. At least one notebook is known to follow her wherever she goes. Her debut novel, Untamed (Prizm Books, May 2015), examines a world in which anyone who has negative emotions is hunted down, and a culture where addiction is encouraged. Madeline's second novel, Fragmented, released in September 2016, and she has a fantasy short story forthcoming in a charity anthology in April 2017, raising money for Lift 4 Autism. 

D.R.- Who is your favorite character of all time and why?
M.D.- I think I’ll have to say Jane from Jane Eyre, mainly because I love Victorian gothic/sensation novels, and Jane is such a great protagonist. She’s strong, and knows what she wants. 

D.R.- What book do you recommend the most?
M.D.- Hmm, this is tricky! And it also depends on which books I’ve recently read. When I was at University, I was constantly recommending Villette (Charlotte Bronte) and Mary Barton (Elizabeth Gaskell) to everyone. But I also really love The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Stieg Larsson) and I recommend that one a lot now (it was actually on my University reading too, but during my very last term). And I recently read Girl In Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow and that’s always top of my lists for book recs! 
I’m not sure which of those titles pops up more in my recommendations! 

D.R.- How do you get ideas for stories?
M.D.- From all around me! 
The idea for Untamed (the manuscript that became my debut novel) was sparked by a scene from the music video for “La La La” by Naughty Boy ft. Sam Smith. It was the scene where what appears to be a human heart is being sold at a market, and I just thought: what if the things a human heart symbolizes—love, lust, etc.—could also be bought at a market, as easily as food and clothing? Shortly after that, the idea of chemical emotions (the augmenters in Untamed) evolved, as did my main characters, and the plot. 

D.R.- Which genres do you write and what's your favorite one?
M.D.- I mainly write in the fantasy, science fiction, and dystopian genres—I just love speculative fiction—but I also dabble a bit in thrillers. My favorite genre varies a lot, and it also depends on what I’m currently writing. At the moment, I’m in the dystopian zone, so that one comes out on top. 

D.R.- What do you do if you see your idea has already been done?
M.D.- Well, many people say there’s no such thing as a completely original idea. I read somewhere that all plotlines fit into seven different concepts—that essentially there are only seven different ideas, seven stories. And you do see ideas being done over and over again (you know, the same tropes that come up many, many times—but are also so popular with readers). 
The thing is that each writer approaches his or her idea differently, even if it is the same—or similar—idea to someone else. You could ask five different writers all to write a forbidden romance with aliens, and you’d end up with five completely different novels. The main characters would be different, and they’d have different goals, motivations, and backstories. The subplots would be different, and so would the worldbuilding. Each book would be an individual story, even if it has the same, very basic premise. 
So, I don’t think seeing that your idea has already been done is a problem, because you’ll do it differently. It hasn’t already been written like how you would write it. One of my writer friends even found a book that appeared to be really similar (going by the back cover copy) to a manuscript she was working on. Yet, once she read it she found it was completely different and hers was going in a vastly different direction. 
And look at how popular (and different) fairy tale retellings can be! Yet, they’re all derived from the same idea. For me, the excitement is in the execution of the idea. It’s about how you tell an idea and where you take it, rather than just the idea itself. And anyway, you can always combine multiple ideas and surprise yourself (and readers) with unexpected plot twists. Or take an idea or trope that’s traditionally found in one genre and throw it into another. Or both. 

D.R.- What's the most unexpected thing that's ever inspired you?
M.D.- Hmm. This is a tricky one, because I get inspired all the time by pretty mundane things. Just seeing the way the light catches a saucepan can make me think about a new detail I could put in a manuscript, and then that in turn can put me in the writing zone and inspire me to write a couple of thousand words once I’m there. 
I also get inspired a lot by conversations that go on around me. Particularly in supermarkets…

D.R.- What's your best writer's block buster?
M.D.- I’m one of those people that doesn’t really believe in writer’s block. Sure, I have days where I don’t feel inspired, or don’t want to work. But writing is my job and my calling. And once I’ve sat down with my manuscript for twenty minutes or so, I’m usually able to get into the zone and write, regardless of how I initially felt. 

D.R.- What's the best advice you've gotten about writing?
M.D.- To write the story that you want to write. You have to feel it. It has to be important to you. 
If you write the story someone else wants you to write, you might not feel it. And if you don’t, how can you expect readers to?

D.R.- Tell me about the biggest surprise your own character, story, or setting has given you.
M.D.- I think the biggest surprise one of my characters has given me actually happened rather recently. I’ve been drafting the third book in my Untamed Series, and a huge thing happened. But I can’t really say much, because of spoilers. Sorry! But it had me on the edge of my seat, tingling, and wanting to discuss it with someone. 

D.R.- Tell us about your plans or ideas for a new-to-you genre in the future.
M.D.- Well, at the moment, I’m working on my third draft of a thriller manuscript, so I hope to have this completed soon, and be querying it. 
But I’ve always wanted to write a YA contemporary too, so maybe that’s in the future too. 

It's live! You can find A Change In Crime on Amazon in both paperback and ebook. 

In November of 1929, the last autumn leaves started a domino effect in Fall River. At a time when most give thanks, others lurk at society’s fringes, waiting for a shot at revenge. Power. Redemption. 

A Mafia hit leaves Leo Riley homeless and at the mercy of Oguina, a powerful monster under an ancient curse. A hunter with skin in this game stalks the streets, playing cat-and-mouse with the creatures he’s sworn to eliminate. The capo di tutti capi with a secret gazes into a moral abyss, threatening to take his men with him if he falls. All struggle to hold on to humanity. 

Unlikely allies join forces, fighting for their rights to Fall River’s streets and their very survival. Some will fall, some will rise, but can there ever be a winner when crime and change come to call?

"Wow" is what authors want people to say about their books. But we have to fix them first, because first drafts, and even second ones, tend to be more "ow" than "wow." And that's where James Osiris Baldwin and his book come in handy. What book, you ask? Fix Your Damn Book, of course! James is also an editor for hire. Here's a bit more about him.

Dragon Award-nominated author James Osiris Baldwin is a transgender man from Australia who writes gritty LGBT-inclusive, dark fantasy and science fiction. He was the former Contributing Editor for the Australian Journal of Dementia Care and has also worked as an editor and website manager for Alzheimer's Australia.

He currently lives in Seattle with his lovely wife, a precocious cat, and far too many rats. His obsession with the Occult is matched only by his preoccupation with motorcycles.

On to the interview about James, his editing services, and how Fix Your Damn Book can help you (even if you're not an author, it has great advice on polishing any written work).

D.R.- Coffee or tea?
J.O.B.- Coffee. Emphatically.

D.R.- Dogs or cats?
J.O.B.- Cats. Emphatically.
 
D.R.- What is your favorite color?
J.O.B.- Blue, which is why I picked blue for the cover of Fix Your Damn Book. Also, because the whole ‘red pen’ thing is kind of harsh as a concept – sky blue offsets the red.

D.R.- Who or what is your biggest inspiration?
J.O.B.- I count Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, and Dick Francis as my primary literary inspirations. In regards to editing… editing isn’t really something you get ‘inspired’ to do. It’s the necessary blue-collar part of the writing business, and some people are more into it than others. I think editing is great fun and am happy to edit for a living.

D.R.- What's your Patronus?
J.O.B.- An angry Velociraptor with a Wacom stylus. It figured out how to use tools, Alan!

D.R.- Why do you love/hate winter?
J.O.B.- It’s cold and dark, like my flinty, grammatically-correct but blackened heart.

D.R.- Where'd you get the idea for your services?
J.O.B.- Again, editing isn’t an inspired profession in the way that fiction writing is. I’ve been a freelance writer since 2006, which led to a full-time editing position for a magazine where I trained in editing under two senior editors, one in England and one in Australia. They came from different backgrounds (British lady was a veteran book editor and has worked in publishing for 20 years or so; Australian lady has worked in newspaper editing and layout), and so I was trained comprehensively. Editing is one of those jobs that you get into via apprenticeship, even if you study it at college. Theoretical knowledge is not as useful as practical application.

D.R.- What genres do you feel comfortable supporting?
J.O.B.- I believe that one of the features of editorial training is a good understanding of register, which is a word that refers to the ‘voice’, ‘style’ or formality of a piece of writing. Magazine articles have a register, essays have a register, every genre of fiction has a register. Any editor worth their salt must understand what the genre or subject demands of the author in terms of register, and then edit their work to bring it in line with the requirements of that genre or level of formality or whatever without obliterating their individual voice.

As an editor, I’ll work on anything except looney-bin religious or conspiracy literature, or anything containing hate speech of any kind.

D.R.- What do you have to offer authors? Where can we find your services on the Internet?
J.O.B.- The frontline offering for authors is Fix Your Damn Book!, which is a summary of everything I learned about editing applied to fiction, and which is intended for use as a self-editing guide for people on extremely small budgets. I also take on editing projects at any stage of editing (developmental, line editing, copyediting and proofing) at middle of the market rates. Full novel projects generally cost between $400 – 650. I am happy to do a free sample edit of the first chapter of a client’s novel and a follow-up Skype consultation.

I usually take on jobs via word of mouth or direct contact via email, which is [email protected]. My blog also has a ‘Writerchat’ category where I publish my craft of writing and editing posts. 

D.R.- Do you do live events? Where and when?
J.O.B.- I occasionally emerge from my lair to run video presentations and seminars about my fiction, non-fiction and editing, which are put up on Youtube. The next one will be on the 29th, where I’ll be talking about the Russian Mafia and the occult background of my novel Blood Hound. I’ll be blogging and vlogging about editing and the craft of writing all the way through NaNoWriMo.

Today, I've got an interview with Allison Barnard! She wrote what just happens to be one of my favorite dystopian books, Unforeseen. Here's a bit about Allison in her own words!
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Wife, mother to two toddlers, book blogger, and equestrian. Now I'm an author? What? 
I've always loved books. My mom would actually take my books from me instead of sending me to my room when I was in trouble (it was terrible!). I've dabbled in writing for years, had some poetry published in high-school, but it wasn't until after I had my first child that I started writing. Unforeseen is the first book that's fit to be read by the public, but there are a few other stories I've finished that I'm working on.
​
I read everything I can get my hands on but I love sci-fi with dystopian elements, steampunk, fantasy, urban fantasy, mysteries, and some romances and I love to discuss books with other readers!

D.R.- Do you have a writing routine?
A.B.- When the characters are talking to me, I'll stay up all hours to write, even if it means typing out short scenes on my phone at work. (Shh!) Usually my days off are when I get to write. I do most of my writing in the morning, when the house is quiet and my daughter is at preschool. I can crank out 1-3k before I have to pick her up. 

D.R.- Share a guilty pleasure with us. 
A.B.- I love nothing more than to buy books. If it's an author I know, I buy straight from the source, but thriftbooks has really expanded my bookshelves. I also have this odd habit of waiting days or weeks to read a physical copy of a book. There's something special about opening a book for the first time I like to prolong.

D.R.- Who is your favorite TV or movie character and why?
A.B.- Dean Winchester. Not only is he pretty, strong, smart and loyal, he's always dropping nerdy pop culture references.

D.R.- What's the funniest book you've read and why?
A.B.- This Is All I Ask by Lynn Kurland. In one scene, the character is delusional with fever and thinks what's keeping her warm is a grumbly blanket with arms when it's really her husband. The scene always makes me laugh and I've ready the book over twenty times.

D.R.- What's the food or drink you always tell other people to try?
A.B.- Pierogies fried in butter and onion. Pierogies are a polish dumpling stuffed withmashed potatoes, onion, cheese, or a combination thereof. 
What book do you recommend the most?
This Is All I Ask by Lynn Kurland. Historical romances are a favorite genre of mine.

D.R.- Which genres do you write and what's your favorite one?
A.B.- I write fantasy, urban fantasy, and science fiction. And those are my favorite to read as well. I've always wanted to try a historical romance along the lines of Outlander but I always get bogged down in the research. One day!

D.R.- What's the most unexpected thing that's ever inspired you?
A.B.- The introduction to Dumbo actually inspired my sci-fi dystopian, Unforeseen.

D.R.- What's the best advice you've gotten about writing?
A.B.- I found a quote by Conner McGregor that always inspires me. It says, "There is no talent here, this is hard work. This is an obsession. Talent does not exist, we are all equals as human beings. You could be anyone if you put in the time. You will reach the top, and that's that. I am not talented, I am obsessed."

D.R.- Tell us about your plans or ideas for a new-to-you genre in the future.
A.B.- I definitely plan on continuing my Finding Paradise series. Right now I have two more novels to write, as well as two novellas to complete the series, but that's always prone to change. 

I also started and plotted the first three novels in my new UF series I'm penning under the name Amber Renard. Here's an excerpt for the first book in that series, titled Blood Moon A Case File from The Supernatural Specialist. 

Vet student Kaelen O'Cur has two secrets that could cost her her biggest dream, owning her own veterinary clinic.One, she's running an illegal clinic for supernaturals and their pets from a storage units, and two- let's just day there's more to Kel than her smart mouth and girl-next-door good looks.Business is slow until a werewolf shows up, carrying a wounded packmate full of silver buckshot. In a heated moment, the wolf, Heir to the local pack, vows a blood debt -a life for a life- should his wounded packmate not survive.That one rash vow and a string of shootings entangles Kel deeper into pack politics than she ever wanted to be, forcing her to reveal big secrets and forge new alliances in order to stop the shooters before they hit closer to home.All without flunking out of vet school.

Hello! For Friendly Neighborhood Friday, we have Grace Snoke. She does something that helps authors and all kinds of people. Web design and SEO optimization. Grace is also an author, so she understands what we need in that department. Here's a bit about her in her own words.

​I’m a 34-year-old corporate journalist who enjoys the past times of gaming, reading, writing and jewelry making. My day job involves handling internal communication, maintaining websites  and writing a couple of quarterly newsletters for the same Fortune 500 company, and handling a plethora of tech issues as well as some of the company’s (who I am employed by) website and social media.

Anyway, now that we're no longer distracted by an assertive browncoat, on to the interview!

D.R.- Marvel or DC?
G.S.- Marvel. I have a love affair with DC, but I had a discussion with my husband regarding DC and with the exception of a few characters, DC characters are often too disconnected which makes them make bad decisions that they regret later. Same is true for Marvel, but there’s more Marvel characters that are everyday joes and far less billionaire heroes. 

D.R.- Castiel or Crowley?
G.S.- Crowley! He’s an interesting Neutral Evil character. I know some would argue that he’s chaotic evil, but I’m pretty sure he’s Neutral Evil. And a well portrayed one.

D.R.- Dogs or cats?
G.S.- Cats - I have two. The oldest, Marie, is turning 14 years old in November. The youngest, Felicity, is 9 and is my lucky kitty. She was the runt of the litter born on 07/07/07.

D.R.- Cake or pie?
G.S.- Cake.  Especially Death by Chocolate Cake.  I haven’t had that in forever, now I want that. If there’s a Death by Chocolate Pie, I’d prolly say pie.

D.R.- What is your quest?
G.S.- I seek the holy grail. 
>.> 
<.<
I quest to become a well-known author and reporter. I’m sort of on my way there, just have to get the rest of the way there.

D.R.- Who or what is your biggest inspiration?
G.S.- Anne Rice. She is the author I am, one day, aspiring to become. She lives her life to the fullest and is completely open about why she writes, how she writes, how the characters talk to her, etc. She’s lived her life quite publicly as an author and that’s really quite impressive in this day and age.

D.R.- Where'd you get the idea for your services?
G.S.- I’ve been designing and maintaining websites since I was 16 years old - so 20 some odd years. I’ve done website maintenance professionally as one of my day job responsibilities for the past 10 years and I’ve done freelance work as such for even longer. Many authors want a website, but don’t necessarily know where to begin or how to design templates for the CMS they are using or even if they should use CMS or should they use something else. I like being able to help people with their sites - whether it be designing a custom theme, customizing an already designed theme, doing copy writing for them or doing Search Engine Optimization.
Search Engine Optimization has become more important as the years go on. Being able to be found is really important and some people can easily grasp what they need to do to be found, but for others it’s more difficult. I try to help wade through the alphabet soup of SEO and get results that help them be found easier. I also provide advice on ways to improve search engine listings which includes work they have to do on their own as well.
I’ve been doing press releases for entities in the video game industry for many years. I know how to write and do releases and would be glad to work with authors on press releases to get their books out there.
Social media planning is often time consuming for authors and sometimes they’re not sure what to do. I can provide guidance on this and a plan to help them get going. I can also recommend individuals for hire to handle author social media in addition to myself

D.R.- What do you have to offer authors? 
G.S.- Custom website design for WordPress as well as straight HTML site design. 
Website maintenance. One of the largest problems many people, including authors, face is keeping the website plugins and program updated. When they aren’t up to date, they put the site at risked for being hacked.
Search Engine Optimization
Press releases
Social media planning
I feel like I’m forgetting something here….oh well.

D.R.- Where can we find your goods/services on the Internet?
G.S.- I am currently revamping my website, but it can be found here. 

I'll tell you what happened while you admire these delicious waffles. Friendly Neighborhood Friday went to a convention right along with my interviewee. I'm talking about Jeffery Cook, one of the authors of Working The Table, which is a book about bringing your books to conventions. I can haz ironywaffles and they are tasty! Irony. Waffles. Gah, yeah you see what I did there. Anyway, here's something about Jeff, whose convention experience can be measured in loads (literally, as in dragging loads of books with him plus working loads of shows).
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Jeffrey Cook is an award-winning science fiction and fantasy author, primarily affiliated with Clockwork Dragon Books and the Writerpunk Press charity project. In addition to ten novels, four novellae, and numerous short stories, Jeffrey has published a work of non-fiction for independent authors, Working the Table: An Indie Author's Guide to Conventions, co-written with his convention partner, author Lee French.

D.R.- Dogs or cats?
J.C.- Among my work are charity anthologies, for which I am both a writer and an organizer, to benefit a local animal rescue and wildlife sanctuary. Specifically, we pay for a large dog kennel at the rescue in honor of my dearly departed, four-legged writing sidekick.
I love animals in general -- but I'm particularly a lifelong dog person.

D.R.- Darts or billiards?
J.C.- During high school, the more competitive pool players declared me the perfect opponent: just good enough to practice on without much fear of them actually losing, unless they made a major mistake (hence worth practicing with), and perfectly cool with losing a lot.
I figured it got me a lot of free games.

D.R.- Cake or pie?
J.C.- Both can be wonderful, but having to choose -- pie.

D.R.- Why do you love/hate winter?
J.C.- I moved around a lot while growing up. The one commonality between nearly everywhere I lived, though, was lots and lots of snow. Even places that aren't particularly noted for brutal winters hit record snowfall years while I was there, by pure chance.
Due to that, and experiences such as shoveling a quarter-mile long driveway multiple times over a North Idaho winter, I really do not like snow.
Otherwise, I'm perfectly comfortable with winter time. I like the cold -- as long as it doesn't actually snow. (Which is one of the features that I like about the Seattle area: typically, the snowfall per year is pretty limited.)

D.R.- Tell us about your partner.
J.C.- I have two people who are absolutely crucial to the general process.
Lee French is another science fiction and fantasy author. She has 13 books out, covering genres as diverse as epic fantasy, sci-fi superheroes, cyberpunk, and YA urban fantasy. She's also critical to success on the convention circuit, as she's a master of set-up and tear down, very good at observing trends and what's working for others, and integrating new ideas into our table.
Katherine Perkins is my editor and some-time co-author. She had some critical observations on this book, and, in general, I couldn't operate without her.

D.R.- Where'd you get the idea for your book, Working the Table: An Indie Author's Guide to Conventions?
J.C.- Lee and I have worked close to 50 conventions together now. After the first dozen or so, we started having people who watched us set up, work together to sell books, etc. suggest that we should write a book about it. For quite some time, we laughed at the suggestions.
Eventually, another author insisted she was very serious, and we should do it, or she might try her hand at it. We laughed it off again that time -- but it got my brain going. That night, staying on a hostess's floor at her apartment, I couldn't sleep. Eventually, I stayed up until 3:30 writing down outline ideas.
I didn't know it, but Lee had a similar situation, but in her case, it led to her waking up at 4:30.
We compared notes on the drive home from Portland, and finally decided that, yes, we had to do this.
Ultimately, it does come from having a lot of experience -- and a lot of learning experiences to share -- and other authors telling us that those would be valuable things to share.

D.R.- What genres do you feel comfortable supporting?
J.C.- I think Working the Table is potentially valuable for pretty much anyone intending to take their books to live events (and probably other sorts of vendors as well.) We've had positive feedback from romance writers, non-fiction authors, literary fiction authors, etc., along with people in our usual sci-fi/fantasy circles.

D.R.- What do you have to offer authors?
J.C.- Working the Table is, we hope, a valuable guide to anyone who has one or more books published, and either is thinking about venturing out into the world of doing signings, fairs, conventions, and other events where they'll be interacting with, and selling to the public, or who is already doing so, but uncomfortable with the experience. There's help for what to bring to set up a table, what to be prepared for, what book pitches you need to devise, sales approaches, and more.

D.R.- Do you do live events? Where and when?
J.C.- That's part of the point, of course. Lee and I maintain an active, and mostly successful convention schedule. We primarily attend shows in the Pacific Northwest, in the Seattle-to-Portland corridor, but conduct a couple of road trips each year.
This year, between us, we covered 32 events. Next year, we're scaling back to about 18 or so. We'll definitely hit a lot of the major conventions around Seattle and Portland and will also be at Gencon for certain, and a few other events outside our area, specifics to be determined.

D.R.- Where can we find your goods/services on the Internet?
J.C.- Working the Table can be found on Amazon. 
Our convention schedule of live events can be found at Clockwork Dragon.  Here is my personal web site. 

Hello! Today I'm here to introduce you to Nan Sampson. She loves doggies and crayons, which is awesome! Here's a bit about her in her own words:
​
​Nan Sampson has been writing stories since she was old enough to hold a crayon. She writes primarily mysteries, fantasy and space opera – sometimes all at once. She also gardens (and indeed, some of the plants actually grow!), foists herbal concoctions off on friends and co-workers, reads voraciously, and dreams of one day living on a space station, where she will use her education in Anthropology, Linguistics and Psychology to build trust with the alien life forms mankind will one day encounter – and hopefully prevent them from annihilating us!.

In the meantime, she makes her home northwest of Chicago with her husband, teenage daughter and Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson (aka, the very pushy poodle).

Aren't doggies so cute! I love their beady little eyes and muzzles and little noses, floppy ears, doggie feet... Anyway, it's on to the interview questions! 

D.R.- Beach or woods?  
N.S.- Beach.  There is something magical about the water.  I’m crazy about the ocean – there’s an energy there that totally feeds me.  Sadly, at the moment, I live near Chicago.  And as much as the locals try to tell me Lake Michigan is like the ocean, it just doesn’t cut it for me.  (No offense out there to all the Lake lovers!)
 
D.R.- Coffee or tea or something else?  
N.S.- My doctor would like me to say herbal tea.  In reality, I like a little coffee with my sugar and cream.  I like my coffee VERY Boston.
 
D.R.- Share a guilty pleasure with us.  
N.S.- Oh, that’s a fun one.  My guilty pleasure are bad TV shows from the 70s and 80s.  Think:  When Things Were Rotten, Quark, Planet of the Apes, Wizards… basically, if it only had one season, chances are I watched it and loved it.
 
D.R.- What book do you recommend the most?  
N.S.- Anything by Roger Zelazny, but most often Roadmarks or Doorways in the Sand.  Zelazny was not only an amazing story teller, but he played with structure in ways I’ve never seen anyone else do successfully.  He knew enough to break the rules successfully.  Doorways in the Sand is my absolute favorite and my “go to” book when I need comfort or I’m away from home and needs something to read.
 
D.R.- Where is the one place you think everyone should go?  
N.S.- Anywhere that is different from home, anywhere that gets people out of their comfort zone.  Doesn’t even have to be that far away, just far enough that it’s different from where you live (for instance, for me, New York City might as well be another country!).  The world is such a diverse and amazing place.  And wherever you go, talk to people!  Cab drivers, store clerks, people in restaurants, anyone other than other tourists.  Get to know the real people who live wherever you travel.  You’ll learn amazing things, build amazing bridges.  And don’t forget the local cuisine!  Don’t just eat familiar foods, grab a burger from Mickey D’s.  Eat what the locals eat.  Food is love and is embedded in the local history and culture.  It’s a great way to connect with the locale.
 
D.R.- Who is one person you'd like to meet from any point in history and why?  
N.S.- That’s a toughie.  I’m fascinated by history and read about it voraciously.  Narrowing it down to one is nearly impossible.  But Two come to mind immediately:  Amelia Earhardt (who was one of my heroes growing up) and Alexander the Great.  Amelia, because she was so driven, so focused on achieving her goals.  Alexander because he was clearly both brilliant and bipolar – I wonder what drove him, what his vision was, and what happened to him while he was in Egypt.  I also keep wondering if Hephaestion had lived, what more might he have accomplished.
 
D.R.- How do you get ideas for stories?  
N.S.- Ideas come from all kinds of places.  Dreams, a snippet of something I hear on TV (I watch a lot of documentaries), some conversation I overhear.  But the most prevalent source is usually music.  I listen to a lot of soundtracks and other instrumental artists.  Sometimes I’ll hear a track and a scene will just appear in my mind.  I wrote an entire paranormal romance about time travel listening to a Peter Buffet album – I was driving through the foothills of Tucson, on the way toa friend’s house and as I drove, the whole thing just played out in my mind as I listened.  So for me, music is instrumental to my writing process.  (haha, instrumental, get it? J)
 
D.R.- What do you do if you see your idea has already been done?  
N.S.- This is a really important question.  I can’t remember which pundit said that there are only 6 plots in the world, but bottom line, with as many books out there as there are and more coming all the time, truly unique ideas have to be as rare as hen’s teeth.  It is also true that as a writer, as a human being, I am unique.  I bring a unique history, world view, personality to every story.  So if I have an idea I think has been done before, my job as a writer is to be true to the story I want to tell, and do my best to write the best story I can.  My individuality, my unique perspective on life, will infuse the story, and I hope, give the story individuality.  You have to write the story you are driven to tell.  Don’t let others turn you away from it, if it is the story that you really want to write.  There is only one YOU.  Tell that story will every fiber of YOU and give it your best.
 
D.R.- What's the best advice you've gotten about writing?  
N.S.- I met P.N. Elrod at GenCon one year.  We had a drink together and she was just so amazing.  She related to me what she had heard from (I believe) Heinlein.  She said there are three rules for writing.  First, Write Everyday.  Second, Write Everyday.  And third, and most importantly, Write Everyday.  At the time, I took it in, but didn’t act on it.  It wasn’t until I actually started paying attention and following that advice that I began to achieve real success.  After all, writers WRITE.
 
D.R.- Tell us about your plans or ideas for a new-to-you genre in the future.  
N.S.- While most of my novels to date have been in the paranormal mystery genre, I am currently work on a Steampunk novel and will be releasing the first book in a space opera in early spring.  I also have a fantasy series in the planning stages that I’m very excited about.  So while I love cozy mystery, and have another series in the offing for the end of 2017, I’m not locked into mystery as a genre.
 
Thanks so much for this!  It’s been a blast!

Hello! It's Monday and that means it's time to meet a new author. Here's Scarlet Rose Bonnett, author of Call Me Ana. Here's a bit about her:
Scarlet spends her time writing, chasing feral children (her own, mostly), and caring for her chickens, dog, cats, mice, and guinea pig. 
Scarlet writes romance and has some lovely quotes over at her Twitter page. I also found out that Scarlet has some flash-fiction writing prompts on her blog. Fun city! She likes to post some of her own there, as well. 
She's got a novel coming out on October 12th, just two days from now. Here's a picture of the cover! You can click it to pre-order.

D.R.- Do you have a writing routine? 
S.R.B.- I write whenever I can. I’m trying to get my butt out of bed in the morning since that is the one time I know I will consistently be left alone, but it’s really hard for me to wake up early. I tend to write during my son’s nap time since my daughter is old enough to entertain herself for brief periods, and when the kids are in bed.

D.R.- Beach or woods? 
S.R.B.- Both. I was sixteen when I first saw the beach. Now, I live about an hour away from Galveston, Texas, so I go to the beach every chance I get. I love taking my kids there and catching anything that isn’t fast enough to get away from us – crabs, fish, snakes. It almost makes up for the fact that my kids won’t get to partake in sledding every winter like I used to. As for the woods, I grew up surrounded by them and spent many hours of my free time there. My best friend and I had favorite places that we had names for – the waterfall, the cliff, the vine. The vine was great – we found it growing from the tippy top of a tree all the way down to the ground. My best friend’s dad cut it for us so we could swing on it. It happened to be in an area that was naturally clear of trees, but it was right in the middle of the woods. Someone had also dumped a bunch of huge tires there, so we stacked them up to give us more of a jump. It was awesome. We caught salamanders, we hiked up the waterfall (a creek that ran downhill in a series of small waterfalls), we made forts out of logs and moss. Many of my favorite memories happened out in the woods. 

D.R.- Share a guilty pleasure with us. 
S.R.B.- I write and read romance novels. I write in other genres as well, but I still have a hard time telling people I write romance. Many of my friends and old coworkers are in the science world, so that’s probably why.

D.R.- Who is your favorite TV or movie character and why? 
S.R.B.- It’s hard to pin down a favorite, so I’ll just say that right now, the one who comes to mind is Jessica Jones. It’s nice to have a female lead in a comic series who gets shit done.
 
D.R.- Who is your favorite character of all time and why? 
S.R.B.- How can I possibly answer this?  I will say, if there was a character I could trade places with, for at least part of a story, it’d be Arthur in Once and Future King. Only in the beginning of the story though, when he gets to turn into a bunch of different animals to learn life lessons. 

D.R.- What's the food or drink you always tell other people to try? 
S.R.B.- Crawfish. It’s so good, especially with a light beer. Not light as in low calorie, but flavor/body wise. There is a scene in the movie A Time to Kill when Matthew McConaughey and Sandra Bullock are eating crawfish and doing tequila shots. It makes me want crawfish every single time I see that movie. So good. I’m pretty sure I’m part Cajun. Love Cajun food. I’m originally from New York and whenever I get a friend to come down to Texas to see me, I take them for crawfish if it’s in season. 

D.R.- What book do you recommend the most?
S.R.B.- Lamb by Christopher Moore. It is a delightful read. Despite the fact that it is a wildly inappropriate account of the first 33 years of Jesus’s life (the bible doesn’t talk about this period except for the part where he runs away from his parents around the age of 12 to spend time in the temple), it is actually taught in seminary school in some places. It’s my favorite book.

D.R.- Where is the one place you think everyone should go? 
S.R.B.- Ithaca, New York. Home of Purity Ice Cream (bittersweet is the best flavor) and a bunch of beautiful waterfalls to hike around. One of the loveliest places in the US for sure.

D.R.- How do you get ideas for stories? 
S.R.B.- I get ideas from the strangest places. Usually it’s from people watching. I tend to be character driven and people are interesting to me. Sometimes I have a weird dream that sparks an idea. A lot of my sci fi projects are from dreams, and the book I’m releasing in October – Call Me Ana (a coming of age/romance) started off as a dream. 

D.R.- What do you do if you see your idea has already been done? 
S.R.B.- Cry. J/k. But it’s always very sad. I do remember reading that if something has been done before with success then it’s worth doing again, but I think you can only take that philosophy so far.

Without further ado or a don't, here's the interview!

D.R.- Coffee or tea? 
R.L.- Coffee is life.

D.R.- Dogs or cats? 
R.L.- I have fifteen cats, so I had better say cats if I value my life. They are staring at me as I answer this, after all!

D.R.- Cake or pie? 
R.L.- Cake. Especially any variety of chocolate cake.

D.R.- What is your favorite color? 
R.L.- I love all shades of pink and purple, but my all time favorite color is lilac.

D.R.- What's your Patronus? 
R.L.- According the official Pottermore quiz, it’s a wild cat.

D.R.- Where'd you get the idea for your business/goods/services? 
R.L.- I got the idea when talking to a fellow writer. She asked me if I could proofread her book for her, as her previous editor had missed many grammatical errors. I said yes, she liked my work, and I began Lemons to Lemonade Editing.

D.R.- What genres do you feel comfortable supporting? 
R.L.- I am most comfortable with fantasy (high fantasy in particular) as that is the genre I write myself. I enjoy others as well, however, and am perfectly happy to edit dystopias, romances (but not erotica), young adult books, and pretty much anything in between.

D.R.- What do you have to offer authors? 
R.L.- I offer proofreading services. I hunt down spelling and grammatical errors and make note of awkward sentences and phrasing, then suggest changes.

D.R.- Do you have any services that might benefit readers or other artists? 
R.L.- My services as a proofreader are very valuable to both readers and writers, as reading books full of spelling and grammar mistakes often takes away from the story. No one wants to read something that is so error ridden that it makes no sense. I ensure that books have as few mistakes as possible.

D.R.- Where can we find your services on the Internet? 
R.L.- You can contact me and learn more about my proofreading services on my Facebook page.

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.

I'm here to tell you about Roundtable Redcap. It's just about done, but I'm waiting on my cover. I'm expecting it, still, by the end of the month, September 1 at the latest. 

So, because I don't have a beautiful, awesomesauce cover of my own to show you right now, Here's one from another author. Her name is Ellie Mack, and her book is called Quotidiandose: 30 Days of Sass, and it's high in freaking lariousness, which I know all of you like. Check out that smirk!

Here's a bit more about Ellie's Nonfiction Humor book.  
This collection of daily musings combine edgy, funny, practical, everyday reality with a dose of personal sass. There are life-lessons in the words that are applicable for everyone. I hope they will put a smile on your face and brighten your day!

But wait! There's more! I am so excited about this because you all know I work on charity anthologies. Well, this book is awesome for yet another reason: a portion of proceeds from print copies of this book will go to Action for Autism. 

And here's a little something about Ellie herself, whose smiling face you can see right here. 

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. 

You can also follow Ellie on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. 

​Thanks, Ellie, for letting me talk about your book!

It's the second to last week in the Summer Splash set of interviews. For week eight, we have Cat Banks! Here's a bit about her.
​
​Catherine Banks is the author of the Artemis Lupine Series, Little Death Bringer Series, Ciara Steele Novella Series, and the novel Daughter of Lions. She began writing fiction stories when she was only four years old and finished her first full length novel at the age of fifteen.
 
Catherine is a Northern California native and has lived within a twenty mile radius her entire life. She plans to travel to as many places as possible in her thirties to make up for her lack of traveling experience. She is married to her soulmate and best friend, Avery, who blessed her with two amazing children. After her full time job she reads books, plays video games, and watches a lot of anime shows and movies with her family to relax.

D.R.- Dancing or singing?
C.B.- I’m not good at either, but I would choose singing.

D.R.- Beach or woods?
C.B.- I like both, but for different reasons. I would visit the woods more and would definitely live in the woods and not the ocean.

D.R.- Coffee or tea or something else?
C.B.- Tea or water.

D.R.- What book do you recommend the most?
C.B.- Anything by Ilona Andrews.

D.R.- Where is the one place you think everyone should go?
C.B.- Pismo Beach, California. It’s beautiful.

D.R.- How do you get ideas for stories?
C.B.- There are lots of ways that I get ideas. Sometimes I get an idea from a song lyric, a piece of scenery as I’m driving, or a feeling.

D.R.- Which genres do you write and what's your favorite one?
C.B.- I write in fantasy, but have been dabbling in steampunk lately. Fantasy is my favorite to write in for sure.

D.R.- What do you do if you see your idea has already been done?
C.B.- Think of a different set of circumstances for my characters or scrap the idea.

D.R.- What's your best writer's block buster?
C.B.- Either work on a different story or make your characters go a random direction. 

D.R.- What's the best advice you've gotten about writing?
C.B.- ​If you’re stuck on a book, think of the most unlikely thing to happen to your characters, something that would never happen, and then make it happen to them and make them find a way out of it.

You can find Catherine on her website, at her blog, on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads. 

Hello! I'm trying something new for a while. 
You see, us authors have friends. We have friends who illustrate, friends who promote, friends who edit, friends who are just plain awesome. So, I'm going to use Friday as a way to introduce some friends to other friends. Like this guy right here.

This is my friend, J.D. Cunegan. Yeah, okay, so us folks who go by initials flock together sometimes. Don't give us grief, or we'll initialize your names, okay? No, that's not okay? Eep! Okay, I won't do anything to your names, but I will initialize the rest of this post now.

Anyway, One awesome thing about J.D. is, even though he writes some amazing superhero fiction, he also helps other writers edit their work. Keep that in mind when you check out his links and such in the slideshow after the interview. Oh, I said there'd be an interview? Well, I'd better go ahead and post it, then!

D.R.- What's your favorite song for writing?
J.D.- I have a few playlists at the ready that I go to depending on what I’m writing. My generic writing playlist is full of hard rock and metal, because for some reason, having something hard and heavy to listen to gets my butt in gear. If I’m in the middle of writing an epic fight scene or something like that, I have an instrumental playlist I turn to. I know a lot of writers prefer to write in silence, but I find I need something in my ear… and a lot of times, it’s the same stuff I listen to when I’m not writing.
 
D.R.- Beach or woods?
J.D.- One might think that I would go with woods, since I live by the beach. But I’ll go with beach, because there’s no telling what lives in the woods, and I’d rather not inadvertently run afoul of a bear. At least on the beach, I’m relatively safe – especially if I stay out of the water.
 
D.R.- Coffee or tea or something else?
J.D.- In the morning, give me coffee. In the evening or late at night? A mug of hot tea is lovely – and it makes for a great writing partner.
 
D.R.- What book do you recommend the most?
J.D.- Lately, it’s either been Grave Beginnings or Grave Measures by R.R. Virdi, Untamed by Madeline Dyer, or the Daggers & Steele series from Alex P. Berg.
 
D.R.- How do you get ideas for stories?
J.D.- The majority of the stories I write center around the premise of “what if such-and-such happened to this character?” or “what if this character decided to do X?” I try to make every story character-centric, because to me, characters are more important than plot. As a reader, if I’m not emotionally invested in the characters, I won’t care what they do or what happens to them. That philosophy has carried over to my writing.
 
D.R.- Which genres do you write and what's your favorite one?
J.D.- My current series is a hybrid murder mystery/thriller/science fiction. One wouldn’t think those genres would go together, but they do. The juxtaposition of my main character being a homicide cop and a superhero is, ultimately, what makes that mashup work so well. Among the other books I’m writing, one is a fantasy/supernatural epic, another is a supernatural thriller, and the last is a political thriller. I’m kind of all over the place, it would seem.
 
D.R.- What do you do if you see your idea has already been done?
J.D.- Either find a twist that would differentiate mine from the other work, or focus my attention on making sure the characters are unique and can stand out on their own merits. I find that if readers are invested in the characters, they’ll overlook or forgive some of the other issues. It helps to know there’s nothing truly original anymore, understanding that everything derives from something.
 
D.R.- What's your best writer's block buster?
J.D.- Reading. I find that when I get blocked, it’s because I’ve been swimming around my own words for too long. Stepping back and letting myself get lost in someone else’s words for a while helps break up the cobwebs are recharge the batteries.
 
D.R.- What's the best advice you've gotten about writing?
J.D.- Don’t worry about being perfect right out of the gate. No one’s writing is publish-ready on the first draft. Even the millionaire bestsellers churn out relative crap when they sit down to write something for the first time. A bad sentence can be fixed; a sentence that’s never been written cannot.
 
D.R.- Tell me about the biggest surprise your own character, story, or setting has given you.
J.D.- To reveal all of the details would spoil the end of my most recent novel, Behind the Badge (which is the third book in my Jill Andersen series), but suffice to say, that book ends with my protagonist making two major, life-altering decisions that I never saw coming when I first sat down to write the book. She did two things I never expected her to do, but it ultimately worked out so well that I decided to keep it. Because if I’m surprised, then chances are, my readers will be surprised.

You can find J.D. on his website (that's where the editing magic happens), Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, Goodreads and, of course, Author Central. 

​Okay, folks, it's slideshow time!

Hello! This week we have an interview with A.M. Nestler! Here's a little bit about her:
​Ashley Nestler (A.M. Nestler) is a published author. Her first novel, "Beautiful Nightmare: Some Dreams Become Your Reality", was published when she was eighteen. "Into The Fog" was released when she was nineteen.  She is currently working on a secret third novel that will be released by April next year, and writes under the genres of young adult, epic fantasy, historical fiction, and literary fiction.
She is also a big part of the indie author movement and is the owner/creator of the Go Indie Now! Bibliotherapy Box, as well as a book reviewer and an educator on the publishing experience - both indie and mainstream. 

D.R.- Dancing or singing?
A.N.- Dancing.  I have been a ballerina since I was little, and dancing is a big part of my life.  I love being able to express with movement.

D.R.- Beach or woods?
A.N.- Woods.  I love the earth and the mystery that woods hold.  The smell is also wonderful, and growing up in Colorado conditioned me to love the mountains and the woods there.
Coffee or tea or something else?
Definitely tea.  I have more than three cups of tea daily.  I am a bit addicted.

D.R.- What book do you recommend the most?
A.N.- My favorite book is The Pact by Jodi Picoult.  It is a beautifully haunting tale about a young girl who commits suicide.  However, they think that her boyfriend killed her because she was pregnant and he was with her when she committed suicide.  It is a must read!  Picoult is a master of the human experience.

D.R.- What do you do if you see your idea has already been done?
A.N.- This is a trick question, because in all reality most everything has been done in terms of literature.  However, I don’t think that any one author owns any one concept.  If your idea has “already been done”, just find a way to make it your own.  Create your own characters and story-line, and make your story something that hasn’t been done before, but may have the same concepts as others.

D.R.- What's your best writer's block buster?
A.N.- When I have writer’s block, I just make sure not to push myself.  I let my mind rest, and absorb myself in my reading.  I think letting yourself rest is the best way to take time before getting back to writing.

D.R.- What's the best advice you've gotten about writing?
A.N.- The best advice I have ever gotten about writing is to make sure that your characters don’t run away with your story.  This means, don’t make your story so complicated that you can’t even keep up with all of the details yourself.  Sometimes your characters can become so alive that you can’t keep up with every little thing about them, and it is best to have a well-executed simple story than an overcrowded novel.

D.R.- What's the food or drink you always tell other people to try?
A.N.- I always tell people to try this chocolate cream soda that a small brewery makes here in Colorado.  It is to die for, and tastes like a liquid tootsie roll.

D.R.- Where is the one place you think everyone should go?
A.N.- I honestly think that everyone should try and find the hidden treasures in their own cities and towns.  There are so many things that people miss in their own cities just because they live there, and I think that everyone should live like a tourist for at least one day in their city.

D.R.- How do you get ideas for stories?
A.N.- I honestly let stories come to me.  I know that sounds lame, but I don’t sit down and plan out a story.  I just let my mind come up with a concept and let it grow from there.

D.R.- Which genres do you write and what's your favorite one?
A.N.- I write across just about every genre, but my favorite one to write is epic fantasy.  I think that that genre allows for the most freedom as an author, and I love being able to create my own worlds.

Ashley is on Goodreads, Facebook, Author Central and has a blog where she reviews books. Check out her covers in the slideshow below and click for links to her work. 
You can even get a Bibliotherapy box with Ashley's work in it here!