Maria Savva's Blog - Posts Tagged "ebook"

Okay, so for the past few weeks I have been introducing you to some of my favourite authors, and will continue to do so in the coming weeks, but some of you (I hope) will have been wanting to hear more about what I have been getting up to recently.

I thought this would be a good time to update you with my news, just before the release of my new novel.

I have been working hard putting the finishing touches to my latest novel, 'The Dream'. It's not yet published, but will be soon. Look out for an announcement in the next few weeks. 'The Dream' is a romantic comedy, edged with a touch of the paranormal and featuring a time slip. It's my first paranormal novel, but I had so much fun writing it that I may well write some others in the future.

Here's a sneak preview of the cover, which I designed myself:




The final edits will take me a few more weeks, then I'll be announcing its publication with a couple of interviews.

In other news, I'm currently participating in author Stacy Juba's ebook spring sale: Stacyjuba.com

Take a look at Stacy's blog, she has four books on sale at just $0.99 until 8th May 2011. Take a look at the comments from other authors and you'll find lots of bargain ebooks!! I hope you'll find lots of books to read there.

My own short story collections Pieces of a Rainbow and Love and Loyalty, are also currently at $0.99 on kindle at Amazon. I'll keep them at that price throughout Stacy's sale, until 8th May, then the price will go up to $2.99.

Also, don't forget that Cutting The Fat, the murder/mystery novella I wrote with Jason McIntyre is available at $0.99 on kindle.

A reminder that you don't need to own a kindle to read kindle ebooks, as there are free apps you can download from Amazon, so you can read them on your computer or phone.

A recent interview I did with Jason McIntyre about 'Cutting The Fat', can be found on author R A Evans's blog: 7 Deadly Questions

That's about it for now. If you want to keep up with all the latest, visit my website for all the links to my networking sites.

My author interviews will resume on this blog on Friday, with the lovely Lisette Brodey, author of 'Crooked Moon'.

Bestseller Bound Anthology by Darcia Helle

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


One of my short stories is featured in this collection, 'Flames'. My review does not include that story.



This is a diverse collection of stories, there's something for everyone in this anthology.



Wish Upon A Star by Lainey Bancroft

An insightful tale about a gifted singer who falls prey to the ravages of fame. Lainey is an author who understands the human psyche well.



Tears For Hesh by J. Michael Radcliffe

An entertaining fantasy tale, containing wizards, magic, curses, and spells. Hesh is a likeable character and I felt compassion for him. Well written with a tragic twist.



You Can Call Me Ari by Darcia Helle

A chilling, suspense story to keep you on the edge of your seat. By far the most vivid story in the collection. The descriptive quality of the writing pulls the reader in. Fans of Darcia's writing can be assured that even though this is just a short story it is just as scary as her novels!



Minor Details by Jaleta Clegg

A humourous tale about two teenage girls, one of whom can't spell. This leads to an unfortunate turn of events (or, fortunate, depending on how you look at it!) A fun read.



Ice Cream Man by Neil Schiller

Having read and enjoyed Neil's collection of short stories Oblivious, I was not disappointed by this story. It contains the same moody feel as much of his writing. It is in essence a poignant story of disappointment.



No Eyes But Mine Shall See by Sharon E. Cathcart

Sharon Cathcart sets the scene well in this heartbreaking story of a love denied. I liked the descriptive quality of the writing. Much of the story is written in the form of a letter that will never be read, making it all the more heartrending.



The First Texas Twister by Magnolia Belle

A fun and entertaining tale about how the Wild West collided with Native American culture to create the first tornado.



Shadow Lantern by Gareth Lewis

An interesting concept. A short story told entirely through dialogue with no narrative. At first, I didn't think it would work, and must admit to being a bit confused as to which character was speaking at times. By the end, however, I found myself entertained by this fantasy tale.



Stained by Amy Saunders

I hadn't read any of Amy's work before this short story, but now I will be seeking out more of her writing. I was very impressed by the way the author deals with the main character's emotions after a traumatic event. The tale is enthralling and the ending is moving. All believable characters.



All in all, this is a great collection and a wonderful way to introduce readers to some very talented independent authors.



View all my reviews

I met Michael Scott Miller through BestsellerBound.com... it seems I meet some of the best authors there. Michael's book Ladies and Gentlemen...The Redeemers caught my eye as it has a live band on the cover... you know me.
I can never resist a bit of live music; combine it with a book and I'm in heaven.

A couple of months after Michael's book went on my to-read list, I spotted it in one of the emails I received from Bookpleasures.com (I'm a reviewer for that website.) I instantly requested a copy, knowing that it would be my type of read.

I didn't know what to expect, except that it was a book about a man trying to put a band together. I was very impressed with the book. It's hard to believe it's a debut novel. I can see a bright future for Mr. Miller.

You can read my review of his book here on Goodreads.

As I am on a mission to introduce you all to the best in indie writing, I just had to invite Michael to my blog. He kindly agreed to answer my questions and has offered to give away one paperback copy and three ebooks versions of the book!! All you have to do to enter is 'like' this blog post or leave a comment below! A winner will be picked at random on 20th June 2011. If you have a preference, you should state in your comment whether you're entering for the ebook version or the paperback.

Here are Michael's answers to my interview questions:

Your bio says you work with numbers by day and words by night. That’s an interesting combination. Do you enjoy working with both, or do you have a preference?

At this stage of my life, I am enjoying working with words more. The numbers side comes easily to me and I’ve made a great career in business out of that. However, I’ve found that I love expressing myself creatively through writing and I thoroughly enjoy the challenge of that. Plus, in all my years in the business world, I’ve never had a stranger tell me how much they enjoyed one of my spreadsheets.

Your background in writing appears to be non-fiction. I understand you’ve had work published in the Welcomat (now Philadelphia Weekly) and wrote music reviews for the Wharton Journal. How does writing non-fiction compare with fiction, in your opinion? Do you find it easier to write fiction or non-fiction?

Non-fiction is certainly easier for me since I don’t need to think about the story line or the style of music. I just need to come up with the appropriate words to describe it. I prefer the freedom of fiction though.

I’m assuming that a background in writing music reviews means you have a passion for music as well as words and numbers! (I’m also guessing this as your debut novel has a musical theme). What is your favourite type of music and do you keep up to date with new music?

I have an extensive music collection, mostly rock, but ranging broadly within the genre. My favorite style is pop-punk which is how I would characterize many of my favorite bands including Green Day, The Ramones, The Clash, Social Distortion, and Rancid. I also like more mainstream musicians like Bruce Springsteen and I confess to being a Deadhead. I keep up with new music actively and have been to see both Green Day and the Black Eyed Peas with my kids, which is very cool for me.

What was the last CD you bought?

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, by Kanye West

When you did music reviews for the Wharton Journal, what did the reviewing involve? Did you attend live performances to review them, or was it based on listening to CDs?

It was purely based on CDs. The editor of the paper would supply me with a batch of demo CDs and I would listen to them and get to choose the ones I wanted to review. I discovered one of my all-time favorite CDs that way, Fire of Freedom by Black 47. Another time, I gave a bad review to this glam band whose name now escapes me. Days later, I saw a review in a major publication where this band was professed to become the next big thing. They didn’t, and my review was vindicated.

Your debut novel is a wonderful book. I absolutely loved it. I’m a music fan, and I feel it really captured the essence of a band and the passion behind music. Have you ever worked in the music industry? The book was so realistic, it made me wonder.

Thank you (*blushing*). That’s awfully nice of you to say. I have not worked in the music industry so I am immensely flattered when readers tell me how true the story feels. I did my homework when I was writing the book so I’m glad that paid off.

How much research did you do for Ladies and Gentlemen...The Redeemers, and how long did it take you to write?

I did a fair amount of research both on the music industry and the setting. My former company had offices in San Jose, so I was able to extend business trips to go to San Francisco and UC Berkeley. I spent a couple days there walking around, visiting the BART stations where many of the early scenes in the book take place, and wandering through the UC Berkeley campus, which is beautiful, by the way.

I have a tough time answering how long the book took to write. I started it about ten years ago, but there were long stretches of idle time.

Most of the characters in your book are musicians. Do you play any musical instruments?

I don’t. I dabbled with piano and guitar as a kid but never became proficient. My teenage son plays the trumpet and drums very well and I am enjoying performing vicariously through him.

Did you base any of the characters on people you know?

Abe Jackson was inspired by a blind singer that I saw regularly in Suburban Station in Philadelphia. There is a bit of me sprinkled throughout the other characters, both good qualities and bad.

Which of the characters in your book can you most relate to and why?

Bert Ingram. Like Bert, I am a dreamer and an eternal optimist.

Do you have any tips for someone who is considering self-publishing their own book?

You have to really want it. It is a long journey, not only the writing, but doing all the marketing and promotion afterward. So my advice is to be prepared for long hours, but don’t let that stop you. Writing and publishing has been one of the greatest experiences of my life.

Who are your favourite authors and what is it about their writing that you like?

Douglas Adams – brilliantly clever and utterly hilarious
J. K. Rowling – how could anyone not love the contribution she has made with the seven Harry Potter books.
J.R.R. Tolkien – I read Lord of the Rings as a teenager and it remains my all-time favorite
Robert Ludlum – I haven’t read much from him lately, but his stories are intriguing and captivating -- the definition of page-turners.

Is there a book you own that you’ve read more than once?

I generally don’t read books more than once, but the one notable exception is The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.

What was the last book you read?

I’ve been reading books from other indie authors of late. The last couple were Wish List by John Locke and Rock & Roll Rip-Off by RJ McDonnell.

Are you reading a book at the moment?

I’m reading My Blood Approves by Amanda Hocking to see what all the hype is about. I’ve never read a paranormal romance and am unlikely to read many of them, but I just had to see.

What do you think of ebooks?

I love them. As an author, especially a relatively unknown one, publishing an ebook allowed me to first test the market by publishing the book for free, and later set the price at a very low $0.99. As a reader, they are also wonderful. I mostly read indie authors now and it’s great to be able to pick up books for under $5.

How important are reviews for you as a writer?

Reviews are extremely important. Truly independent reviews (read: not from my mother) validate the quality of my novel and give potential readers the confidence to invest in the book. Reviews are also really important for my psyche. There isn’t anything that lifts me up more than reading a positive review or comment about my book.

How did you go about choosing a cover for your book?

I first put together a cover using clip art and sent it to my wife for feedback. She promptly told me it was awful and guided me to find a photographic image instead. I then searched iStockphoto for scenes from a concert and immediately fell in love with the one on the cover here. It is just perfect – a silhouette of the band with an orange-yellow glow symbolizing the sun rising on the Redeemers.

What are you working on now?

I have a basic outline put together for another character-driven novel, but I’m reluctant to say more out of superstition. I will say that it takes place in Northern England, so Maria, I may be coming to you for help ϑ

Where can people buy your book?

Ahh, my favorite question. Here you go:

Amazon

B&N

It’s also available at many other sites including Smashwords, Kobo,the Sony Reader store, and Apple’s iBooks store.

Where can people go to read more about your work?

At ladiesandgentlementheredeemers, people can read the first chapter and access all the novel’s reviews and comments.

Thanks for the interview, Maria!

You're very welcome Michael. Thanks for being a fabulous guest. I don't know how much help I can be with your new book as it's set in Northern England and I'm in London... But give me a shout if I can be of assistance!



Remember to click the 'like' button or leave a comment below to enter for your chance to win a copy of this great book. It's an international competition. Good luck!

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I am thrilled to be introducing you to one of my favourite indie authors today,Jen Knox.

I met Jen online over a year ago. I was interested to read her memoir,Musical Chairs, as it had been getting some great reviews. It's one of those books that made me realise that memoirs can be just as entertaining as fiction books. I used to only read fiction. Musical Chairs is written about Jen's decision to run away from home at the age of 15, the reasoning behind it, and all the ensuing problems. It's a book of hope and inspiration against the odds. It really is an interesting read, and even if you don't usually read memoirs I would recommend it because it is written by a born storyteller.

I could tell, when I read Musical Chairs last year, that this was a writer with a gift, so I was very happy when I found out that she also writes fiction. I recently read and enjoyed her collection of short stories,To Begin Again.

She is an award winning author, a creative writing tutor, and an all round fabulous person.

As well as agreeing to answer my interview questions, Jen is very generously giving away 2 ebook copies of her short story collection! All you have to do to be in with a chance to win is leave a comment on this blog post, or 'like' the post. It's that simple! Winners will be announced on 30th June 2011.

Here are Jen's answers to my questions:

From the bio on your website, I see that you are a creative writing professor. Do your students ever read your books and if so, what kind of responses have you had from them about your writing?

Yes, and I love teaching writing. So far, most of my students read more fantasy and thrillers, so I haven’t had too many approach me about my own work. Those who have seem to like my stories. But who knows? I mean, if I’m in a position to grade a person, how objective will s/he be?

Have any of your students ever written anything you wish you had written?

I don’t tend to read things and wish I’d written them, but I’ve read some remarkable work by my students—work I’d love to read again.

How do you go about telling a student that his or her story or writing is not very good? Is there an easy way to do that?

It’s never that simple. We all, as writers, have something positive to work with. I’m a very generous reader in that I give a piece time to develop the way the author intended. Often, critiques are balanced. What’s remarkable to me is that it’s often the writers who struggle most and have to work the hardest that really stick with it. I think the most common error I find in student writing is too much imitation, but this may just be a stage all beginning writers go through.

Many of your short stories and essays have been published in online literary magazines and journals. Do you have any advice to give to other writers who would like to approach such websites for inclusion of their stories, and are there any websites that you would recommend in particular?

Read the magazines. Familiarize yourself with what they publish. Unless you’re independently wealthy, I recommend picking journals, online or print, that pay. Or, if they don’t pay, ask how they represent their authors; many journals are very supportive of their authors, and as any writer knows, we need as much support as possible right now (as do the journals). NewPages.com is a great resource.

To Begin Again, is a collection of stories, some of which have been published before in other media. Did you write any of the stories specifically for the collection, or were they all stories that had already been published?



Most were published, but a few were written for the collection. “Absurd Hunger”, for instance, was written for the collection. I’m hoping the protagonist of this story, Wallace, will have his own novel one day.

Do you have any favourite stories from the collection?

“Disengaged” and “Absurd Hunger” are nearest my heart.

I think that some of the stories in the collection may be true stories, is that correct?

Yes, this is a collection of short fiction and nonfiction. The original title was To Begin Again: A Collection of Fact & Fiction but my publisher dropped the subtitle. I kind of liked this idea, though, it makes for interesting conversation.

In your fiction stories in To Begin Again, did you base any of your characters on real people?

Well, half of them are essays, such as, “At the Window” and “Dandelion Ghosts”; but those that are fiction, such as “Disengaged” and “Soft like Snow”, are purely fiction.

I enjoy reading your blog whenever I get a bit of time. I have worked out that you like to experiment a lot with writing. You were trying out different music to listen to whilst writing, and recently I’ve seen that you have started writing poems and short pieces inspired by art and photography. Have you concluded anything interesting from your experiments that you would like to share with us?

This is what I tell myself: Don’t get too comfortable with routine when it comes to writing. Mix things up a little. It’s fun, and what’s more, you may surprise yourself with what you can accomplish outside of your comfort zone. Writers can stop growing if they turn themselves into little factories, churning out variations of the same story again and again. There’s so much more out there to explore.
I think I’ll always be experimental with writing.

I read that you recently tore a tendon in your wrist in your writing hand. That must have been a bit of a nightmare as most of your work involves writing and typing. I hope you’re on the mend. Have you discovered any ingenious ways around this problem that you can share with us?

It is a nightmare. I’m in pain even now. I’m getting good at typing and writing with my left hand, but it’s painstakingly slow.

One of the stories from your collection, To Begin Again was featured in an anthology Short Story America Anthology, Volume 1 this year. How did that come about?



"Disengaged" has made its way around the literary landscape, and I’m quite proud. It was originally published in Superstition Review then reprinted in Short Story America. Because it was a “Story of the Week”, it also made it’s way into the SSA anthology. I’m very proud of this story. It’s my favorite in the collection, and I hope of all the work I’ve done before 2010, it will endure.

Congratulations on your recent award. I understand To Begin Again has won the Next Generation Indie Book Award for short stories 2011. That is a wonderful achievement. How did it feel to win that?



It feels good to get recognition for the work. But awards are a temporary high.

I read that you recently suffered a bout of writer's block. Did you discover a good way to get around it that might benefit other writers?

I tend to write a lot, so when my writing slows I get dramatic. I’m not really sure what writer’s block is, but days that I don’t write are tough days, so when I’m not writing creatively, I tend to complain about not writing. I’ve never figured a way around writer’s block. I just wait it out, and write about it. Any tricks outside of this technique have not worked. Luckily, the blocks I’ve faced have not lasted long. (Perhaps the key is to write about writer’s block?)

Your memoir, Musical Chairs, launched you as a writer. It’s a very honest and open account of your life. It can’t have been easy to write as you would have been re-living many traumatic memories in doing so. Reviews have been very positive and it seems that readers find the book very inspirational. Would you encourage people to write a memoir, and what have you learnt by doing so?



I would only encourage it if the writer is already 100% sure s/he wants to write a memoir. The genre is tricky. The writer has such a huge responsibility to tell the truth and also protect certain identities. There were details in Musical Chairs, for instance, that might’ve made the story arc a little smoother; but these details would also compromise certain privacy rights of those I wrote about. These decisions are not easy. The genre is tough to do well with such constraints.
Further, there tends to be a backlash. Some readers tend to analyze the writer instead of the writing. I’d tell a writer of memoir to be ready to face personal attacks as well as a lot of judgment (positive and negative). Just don’t let it catch you off-guard. All that said, memoir is also the most rewarding of genres. It’s liberating in a way no other genre has been in my experience. So, if you’re in for an emotional roller coaster and some tough decisions, but you feel your story could truly benefit people or tell a story they’ve not yet heard, write a memoir!

Having written both fiction and non-fiction, what is your preference?

Fiction, I find, is far easier to write well. It’s more enjoyable to write as well, but there’s something about nonfiction that feels so raw and important. Nonfiction, when well done, will always be my favorite genre to read. Fiction will always be my favorite to write.

Who are your favourite authors and what is it about their writing that you like?

Tobias Wolffand Erica Jong, for their memoirs. Vladimir Nabokov because his sentences are perfect. Amy Bloom and Mary Gaitskill because they write such realistic, nuanced fiction. There are so many more…

Do you have a favourite book?

Nabokov’s Lolita. It’s brave and beautiful, and it makes readers face real demons—people need to do that more, quit ignoring what’s uncomfortable.

What was the last book you read?

Caraliza by Joel Blaine Kirkpatrick, a remarkable new author whose work I look forward to reading more of.

Are you reading a book at the moment?

I read two to three books at one time. Fusion by you, Maria Savva; The Boys of My Youth by Jo Ann Beard and Our Story Begins: New and Selected Stories by Tobias Wolff.

What do you think about ebooks?

Not a fan. I don’t mind them for short stories, but novels are tough to read on ebooks. I just don’t like clicking a button to turn a page—as silly as that sounds, I’m on the computer all day, clicking. At the end of the day, I just want to curl up with a book.

How important are reviews for you as a writer?

Pretty important. Feedback is not something a person should ignore just because someone’s decided to publish my work.

What’s your favourite part of the writing process?

The third revision. It’s when things start to come together like a puzzle I’ve finally figured out.

How do you go about choosing a cover for your books?

My father’s design is on the first. He’s an artist who has recently started a business, so I have to plug his site: knoxworx
For the second cover, I actually solicited the services of Laura J Miller because I liked the covers of her own works (she writes under Jaimey Grant). She is incredibly talented.

What are you working on now?

I’m trying to give Wallace that novel—to take "Absurd Hunger" from a short story to a 250 page book. I have written a lot of pages, but they are pages that need a lot of work.

Is there anything you’d like to say to your readers?

The early adopters tend to be the most daring, intelligent, remarkable people on earth. I appreciate you all.

Where can people buy your books?

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Barnes & Noble

Indie Bookstores can order from IndieBound

Thank you, Jen for answering my questions!

Remember, to enter to win an ebook of To Begin Again just 'like' this blog post or leave a comment below. Good luck!

I have lots of news for you, but I'll start with the most exciting! I am so happy to tell you that the BestsellerBound Short Story Anthology, which includes my short story 'Flames', shot to #1 in the Amazon kindle bestseller lists for 'short stories' and 'anthologies' yesterday when Amazon.com decided to make it available free for kindle. As many of you already know, this anthology is already free to download on Smashwords and we wanted to offer it free on Amazon as well, but Amazon has a policy whereby the author must charge at least $0.99 for any kindle book. Yesterday, however, our luck was in and Amazon listed it free for a day. In that short time we had over 5000 downloads and it entered the top 10 in the free kindle downloads chart on Amazon.com!
At BestsellerBound.com, we are very proud of this achievement. Darcia Helle, Stacy Juba, and I, created BestsellerBound.com last year as a way to raise the profile of indie authors, and this Amazon success has really shown us that with a lot of hard work and determined effort it is possible to get some recognition in the publishing world whether you are published by a large publishing company, or whether you publish in your own home using just your computer.
It's all very exciting.
We are intending to publish more volumes of the BestsellerBound Short Story Anthologies as we have attracted so many talented authors at BestsellerBound, we need a way to showcase that talent. If you're an indie/small press author and would like to contribute a story for an upcoming collection, please visit BestsellerBound.com for details on how to submit.



Now to news about my soon to be published novel, 'The Dream'.




Firstly, sorry for the delay in getting the book published, this has been due to a combination of very boring reasons, such as I now finally have a full time day job so less time to spend on editing. I have now reached the final proof stage and believe the book is ready (subject to a final read-over by me).

Some of you may be aware that my good friend and fellow author Darcia Helle has a new novel coming out in July, Into The Light'. We have decided to launch our two books together as they both have a ghostly/paranormal theme. Stay tuned for news about the launch and an exciting contest where you will be able to enter to win a copy of both books!



Finally, I have news of an award "honouring brilliance and 'reach' in the world of book marketing, sales and readership" The 2011 Farthest Reach Award.

This award is the brainchild of author Jason McIntyre (my co-author for Cutting The Fat).

I would encourage you all to vote in the award. Nominations are now open, so if you know of an author, publisher, marketing professional, who has excelled in the field of book promotion, fill in the form on Jason's website and tell the world about them. I like the idea of this award because as authors (especially indie authors) we rely on word of mouth for book sales, and are eternally grateful to people who go out of their way to promote and help with marketing.

I am very excited to be introducing you to my guest today. Bill See is a talented musician and gifted writer. His band Divine Weeks made a bit of a splash in the LA music scene in the late '80s and early '90s. They toured America and Canada for a month in the 1980s, and that tour is documented in his book, 33 Days: Touring In A Van. Sleeping On Floors. Chasing A Dream..

As you can tell from the title of the book, Divine Weeks was not a major label rock band that stayed in plush hotels when they toured; Divine Weeks were a grass roots, indie band, touring because of their passion for music. They were four young men willing to take risks to chase a dream. The book is an inspirational memoir. Bill See's words exude wisdom. He is a man with an enthralling story to tell about his experience as an indie musician, and about his life journey.

Anyone who has ever had a dream will be able to relate to Bill's book.

I met Bill through Bookpleasures.com. He had requested a review of his book, and being a music fan, I could not resist reading it. I'm glad I did. It's now one of my favourite books.

As well as taking the time to answer my questions, Bill has very kindly agreed to give away an ebook copy of 33 Days to one of my blog followers, this is an international giveaway. (If the winner is from the US or Canada he/she will have the choice of either an ebook or paperback!).

To enter, all you have to do is 'like' this blog post or leave a comment below!
A winner will be chosen on 20th July 2011.

Here's the interview:




I read on your blog that you do not consider yourself an author and that you put 33 Days together to document the Divine Weeks tour. When I read 33 Days, I felt like it was written by a born writer. I definitely think you have a talent as an author. Have you ever dabbled in other writing, apart from writing song lyrics?

That's very kind of you to say. That's just my self effacing humor. I've always written. After all, "33 Days" is taken from the journals I kept at the time. I guess I just meant I'm a musician first and never fashioned champion myself as an author per se.


One very interesting thing about 33 Days is the way it’s like an interactive read because you have a website where fans of the book can listen to the band’s music and there are also lots of photographs of the tour contained in the book. I have listened to the free mp3s on your website and really enjoyed the tracks. Are Divine Weeks’ albums still available to purchase, or do you have any plans to re-release the songs?







Divine Weeks' first record "Through and Through" is out of print, but you can find copies on ebay all the time. Maybe it'll get reissued thanks to the book. That would be a nice bi-product. Our second record "Never Get Used To It" and the singles that were released around that time are available on itunes and amazon, I think. I did try and make the reading experience interactive and the 33 Days website is designed for that purpose, but the truth is I initially thought about making "33 Days" fictional or just slap a "base on true events" tag on it because I didn't want the book to be limited or relegated to the band memoir scrap heap. Because it's not a conventional story about a band's conquests on the road. If anything, it sets out to debunk a lot of rock and roll myths and show what it's really like at the most base level and show that, like a lot of other tragically under appreciated bands, we made music because it hurts too much not to.



Your bio states that you released 5 solo records. Can you tell us a bit more about those?

After Divine Weeks broke up, I spent a lot of time staring into my ceiling trying to figure out what to do next. I spent a few years dabbling in different genres and my first solo record "Lovecoats" reflects that. Kind of all over the map. "In Sickness and In Health" was my second record and as the title suggests is sort of me musing on the mysteries of marriage. After that I did a record called "That Mercury Sound" which is a more a soundscape record. Soundtrack stuff. Then I did a record called "Union" which was my response to 9/11 and George W. Bush's America. And the last thing I did was "Hillflower Grace" which is about love, intimacy, and finding out my heart was still capable of loving and being loved. It's funny, after making music for 25 years I'd never really done a record completely about love. I've always said if you want to know something about me listen to my music. It's all there. I don't write lyrics so it makes you feel like you're reading tea leaves. My life is all there in the songs and my records all capture a time and place and specific portion of my life. And as I say at the end of "33 Days," I'll be making music until my last breath. Whether it's music that ends up on the radio, on record or just stuck in an old shoe box stuck in the back of my closet. I'm a lifer.

From reading 33 Days, I got the impression that the month you spent together as a band touring was pretty intense and emotional; you all learnt a lot about each other. Do you still keep in touch with the other band members?

Well, we grew up out there on the road. Our lives were changed. It's impossible to deny or play down an experience like we had. I can't say we knew what was in store for us when we left, but we did leave town all feeling like it was going to be a watershed moment if just let it. And it was. We all had a lot of baggage we tried to leave behind, but it followed us anyway. We were 22 and facing big nagging life decisions. Rigid cultural expectations, stultifying family dynamics, decisions on school, deteriorating relationships. Had we not been best of friends first, maybe things would have been simpler albeit lonelier. "33 Days" is as much about friendship and finding out what you're really made of for the first time in your life. And that's why I chose that time period for the book because there's nothing like that 22 year old voice -- first time out on your own and no where and no one else to turn to but each other. So to answer your question, yeah, I'm in touch with the band. It's like having war buddies who share near death experiences. It makes for life long bonds.

Divine Weeks certainly seemed to create quite a stir in the LA music scene in the late ‘80s. Are you still quite well known as a musician out there? And, since releasing the book have you re-connected with any old Divine Weeks fans




Divine Weeks had modest success. We were a big deal around L.A. for a time but on a relative scale. We were not a big major label band. I'm not well known so much anymore, but sure, the book has stirred some interest, and I've been reacquainted with some folks who followed us back in the day. I've got a lot of friends who were in bands that had more success so in promoting "33 Days" I've tried to make it clear the book is not the Divine Weeks story. I didn't set out to try and prove my case that Divine Weeks not making it was some great act of injustice. Basically I wanted to write a book about a moment at the crossroads of our lives. That now or never moment we all have at about 22 where we have to seize or moment or fold up our tent. "33 Days" is for two distinct audiences. For those of us in our 40s or beyond, it's supposed to make you sit up in the middle of your life and ask yourself did you seize your moment? And it's for kids in high school or college just coming up to that crossroads, and it's a cautionary tale about the perils of sitting on your dreams.

Many bands from the ‘80s have regrouped for reunion tours lately. Have you ever considered doing this with Divine Weeks?

Divine Weeks regrouped for one show in 2004 as a send off to our bass player George Edmondson before he headed back east to become a professor at Dartmouth. I'd never play a Divine Weeks show without each original member of the band in place. Our guitar player Rajesh Makwana and I played a few Divine Weeks songs as part of my book release party here in L.A. last month, and it was a great to revisit those songs, but no, unless it was all four of us, I could never call it a Divine Weeks show.

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For those who may not have heard of the band, or listened to the free mp3s on your website, how would you describe Divine Weeks’ sound?

Divine Weeks was a live band. Very physical, visceral band. In the book I called us musically close to The Who at Woodstock circa 1969 crossed with early REM. That's a fairly close description but probably still not quite there.

Many people have been comparing the recent changes in the indie book publishing world (the advent of ebooks, and self-publishing becoming more acceptable) with the way the indie music scene broke through into the mainstream. As someone who has experience in the indie music scene, what is your take on this?

I think there's a lot of similarities so far as technology opening up the possibilities to authors in the same way the internet fazed out total reliance on the middle man in music. That being record companies, record stores and distributors. The music business was revolutionized by the internet whereas in the publishing world, we're still in the early transition period so it remains to be seen whether we'll see the same overhaul or not. I think it'll depend on how the publishing world reacts to it. History has already shown us the music industry reacted slowly and arrogantly to file sharing. For all the talk of the morality of illegal downloading, the music business itself has only itself to blame. File sharing and illegal downloading was the reaction of consumers who didn't want to pay $20 for a CD that had only one good song on it. I don't know if you can make an equal comparison with the publishing industry, but certainly the insular world of publishing elicited a similar level of outrage from aspiring authors. So, we'll see.

In your opinion, is it easier or harder for a new band to make it in the music industry these days than in the 1980s?

I think the answer is, “making it” has been redefined. I mean, it all comes down to motives. If flying around in Leer jets is your standard of success, well, that takes a lot of money and hype behind you, so you'll probably have to find a major label and then pray for a lot of luck. But honestly, the old model of getting signed to a major record label and slowly building a body of work over a number of albums is a thing of the past. It's all about "the song" now. With the music industry in such a state of flux, “making it” is such a relative term now. What’s happened the last 10 years in the music business is the full maturation and modernization of the original D.I.Y. indie credo: eliminating the middle man, no longer having to be reliant on record labels, radio stations and traditional media outlets. Going indie is not just some middle finger to corporate America. It’s actually the only logical choice. But you can’t be afraid of work, rejection, and learning how to become web savvy.


I imagine that as a musician you keep up to date with the current music scene? I saw your video on YouTube about the music scene in LA back in the ‘80s. How much has it changed since then?

Well, you have to keep in mind, I came by way of the punk rock D.I.Y. movement of eschewing major labels, putting out your own records and booking your own tours. I was inspired by the whole idea that success doesn't come to you. You go to it. So while a lot of my peers in the 80s sat home making demo after demo and sending them off to big record companies who didn't know what they were doing, I was following the breadcrumbs left on the highway by bands like Black Flag, the Minutemen and Husker Du. The culture was to do it yourself. Get in a van, and take it to the people, forget staying in hotels, ask from the stage for a floor to sleep on. That's still going on for a lot of young bands. What's changed is the internet.

It's revolutionized everything and empowered indie bands everywhere. With a mobile network, laptop, and printer, you can make CDs, stickers and t-shirts from the back of your van, and consequently you can actually make some money while on the road. With Facebook, Twitter and YouTube you can get the word out about gigs, post live clips, release new downloadable songs anytime you like – self-promoting with little or no overhead cost.

It’s a new world now with bands finding alternative ways to get the word out. Some are still hitting the highways like always and some are “touring” virtually by monetizing its videos on YouTube. It's an exciting time. We’ll see where we are in 10 years as bands continue to evolve the new paradigm of touring, weaning themselves from reliance on labels and reestablishing an intimate connection with the audience.


What music do you enjoy listening to these days? Do you have any favourite bands?

Arcade Fire is the best big band in the world right now. And they still seem hungry. The proverbial sky is the limit for them. Anything Jack White does I love. I like Death Cab for Cutie's new record. Wilco has a new record coming out without a major label behind it that I'm looking forward to. I didn't love Radiohead's new record, but I'm still a fan. I'd like to see a strong willed producer come in and order them around for their next record. The Kings of Leon next record will be telling. They're at the same place U2 was in the mid 80s before they made the Joshua Tree. They could become the biggest band in the world with the right record, but we'll see how bad they want it.

CDs or mp3s/downloads? Which do you prefer?

I still listen to vinyl and cassette tapes! But I do listen to CDs, I do download MP3s, and I do love my ipod. So as a music fan, I welcome anything that improves the listening experience. For the music maker, taking a historical perspective, I'm saddened that the art of album making is dying. I'm a fan of bands and artists who show over the course of an entire album where they are and where they're headed.

In the mid-90s with FCC deregulating media and the rise of media conglomerates people forgot that record companies were beholden to radio, who were beholden to advertisers, so radio would hone in on only a snippet of a song. Radio would go back to labels and say your music didn’t test well and ask bands what else they had. So, it really became the search for THE SONG. Not a body of work. “What’s that song?” Not WHO does that song. We don’t care about a band’s career anymore. What we care about is hunting and gathering. We’ve got to have it. Not much different than the search to find the shades or shoes you saw Angelina Jolie wear in her latest movie. Gotta have it.


What was the last CD/mp3 you purchased?

Can't remember which was the last, but it was either the new Death Cab for Cutie's record or Adele's "Rolling In The Deep." I'm late to the Death Cab for Cutie party, but like their new record. And I love Adele's voice and love that she doesn't have a perfect pop star body.

Do you have any tips for musicians who may be starting out now and maybe planning a similar tour to Divine Weeks’ 1987 tour?

What did Bette Davis say? "Growing old isn't for sissies." Same thing for trying to make it on your own in the music business. It ain't for sissies. Basically it comes down to motives. If making music to you is art and a source of salvation and sustenance, going indie is a true viable option now. Forget trying to get signed to a major label and forget trying to get played on commercial radio. That old model is dead. Don't sit there waiting to be discovered. Go out there and make it happen. Don't tell me you would if you the had time or the know how. Those are just justifications for inaction. What’s happened in the last 10 years in the music business is the full maturation and modernization of the original D.I.Y. indie credo: eliminating the middle man, no longer having to be reliant on record labels, radio stations and traditional media outlets. But you can't be afraid of work. You've got to be web savvy, singular minded and committed to your goals, and reconcile that success is relative and something you have to define for yourself. Going indie is not just some middle finger to corporate America. If you know what you're doing and if you align yourself with band members that share your desire and vision, you can make a sustainable living now out on the road. What's great is there are so many resources to get tips for how to do it now. When we headed out on our first tour, all we had was word of mouth.


Your book is ultimately all about following your dream. What is your dream these days?

I spent 12 years writing my book so that, at the end of the day, I had exactly the story I needed to tell. No compromises. The motive was to be completely at peace before I let it go. That's something I knew I needed to achieve in order to be in the proper frame of mind to try and sell the movie rights. "33 Days" is filled with these made for the movies set pieces. I didn't set out to make it like that. It just naturally worked that way. So that's the next dream, I guess. And you know, it would be odd seeing someone take something so close and intimate and change it, but hey, I wrote the story I needed to tell and if someone buys the movie and changes it, this would be a good problem to have.

Do you have any tips for someone who is considering self-publishing their own book?

Don’t wait until you publish to start researching marketing and publicity. The one concession I’d make to commerce over art would be titling the book. That’s the number one search tool. Really think about the keywords people would use to find not just your type of book but things that may be connected to it and get those in your title. Utilize facebook, twitter, youtube and have an interactive website. And most importantly, don’t let go of editing the book until you are truly at peace with it. Because if you put yourself in the position of standing there waiting for someone to validate something you’ve poured your heart and soul into it’s like — holding out a beggar’s bowl and letting what’s dropped in there determine the value of your creation. And that — is a bad scene.


Who are your favourite authors and what is it about their writing that you like?

Well, of the classics, I love Kerouac, Salinger, Bukowski. These are authors that kind of shoved me out the door and hunger for experience. Of the more current ones, I really dug Mark Edmundson's "The Fine Wisdom and Perfect Teachings of the Kings of Rock and Roll" and Mahbod Seraji's "Rooftops of Tehran." Both are great modern day coming of age stories. I tend to gravitate to that genre and like I said, "33 Days" is modeled on that.

Is there a book you own that you’ve read more than once?

Gosh, several. "To Kill A Mockingbird," "On The Road," and "Catcher in The Rye," to name a few.

What was the last book you read?

Rob Sheffield's Love Is a Mix Tape. Very moving, very funny. Highly recommended.

Are you reading a book at the moment?

I'm reading the new Bob Mould book. He's a personal hero of mine. Plus it's put out on my old friend Reagan Arthur's company who also put out Tina Fey's book. I love to see great things happen for great people.

What do you think of ebooks?

I love them. I have my Kindle, and it's really made me get back into reading all the time. I think for self published authors, it's great because it's so affordable to produce and get out there. I don't agree with the criticism I hear from other self published authors who say we shouldn't sell ebooks for $2.99 or $1.99 or whatever because it makes it impossible for people selling them for what the major publishing houses sell them for. I think that's short-sighted. Especially if we're talking about a first book. It's all about getting as many eyes on your book as possible, building a brand name, and then slowly building a body of work. If you got into self publishing to make money, good luck to you, but personally I'd rather have people actually read my book than be obsessed over my profit margin.

What are you working on now?

To be honest, publicizing "33 Days" is a full time job. I had no idea finding time to write the next book would have to take a back seat like it has. It's frustrating on one level, but for me, I've always moved onto the next project too soon and not stood up for my stuff. I'm not going to let that happen with "33 Days." I believe in this story and I want to see the book get its just due and maybe get it on the big screen.


Where can people buy your book?

All the links to buy the book are on the 33 Days website at http://www.33daysthebook.com/

The ebook is at:
Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Smashwords

ibookstore

The paperback is at:

Lulu.com


Amazon

Thank you Bill, for answering my questions. It was a pleasure to chat with you.

Remember, you can enter to win a copy of Bill's book by 'liking' this blog post, or leaving a comment below. Good luck!

I am pleased to welcome back to my blog my good friend and fellow author Darcia Helle.

Earlier this week, Darcia and I launched our new novels, her book, Into The Light, is all about a ghost, Max, who refuses to rest until his killer is brought to justice. I was very lucky to be able to read an advance copy of the novel. I thoroughly enjoyed Max's adventure. At the moment, Darcia is holding a giveaway here on Goodreads. If you go to the book's page you'll find details as to how you can enter to win a print copy (limited to US and Canada).

She has also very generously offered to give away two ebook copies to readers of my blog. All you have to do to enter is 'like' or comment on this blog post. A winner will be picked at random on 31st July 2011.

The interview:

I think I read on one of your blog posts that when you started writing Into The Light, your intention was to kill of Max, who ended up being the main character, in the first chapter of the book, is that right? Tell us a bit about how you decided to keep him in as the main character.

I always intended for Max to die right away and for his character be a ghost. But Joe Cavelli, the private investigator, was supposed to be the main character. Max was to be a sort of comic sidekick, who interfered as Joe tried to solve his murder.

I don't write outlines first or do any real planning. The idea marinates in my mind for a bit and the characters come to life. Then I start writing. The characters typically have a lot more control of the story than I do. With Max, that control was magnified to the extreme. By the time I finished writing the first chapter, I knew that his character needed to be center stage. He'd have it no other way. He also wasn't leading me down my normal suspense road. At first, I tried steering the story in one direction and he'd immediately dig his heels in the ground and say, "No, this way." Max's story wasn't all about the mystery and suspense. His story was something altogether different and I'm happy that I followed his lead.

Into the Light, in my opinion is a bit like a romantic comedy, but there is also a much deeper side to the tale. I think behind the fun, and the excellent mystery, there is a lot in the book to make the reader think about the way they are living their life, and how it can effect other people's lives and ultimately their own fate. When you set out to write the book did you mean to examine how our behaviour effects others or was that something that developed while you wrote the book?

I'm not completely sure what I meant to write but I know it's not at all what I wound up with. When Max emerged as the main character, I found myself exploring issues outside of the mystery of his murder. In coming to terms with his death, Max had to confront his regrets and admit his own culpability in allowing circumstances to shape his life. Max, like many people, held a lot of resentment about the way his life turned out. Blame is an easy thing to place but, when looked at with honesty, not as easy to maintain.

In the book, I hope I'm not giving too much away by saying that Max meets quite a few people from the past who have touched his life in some way. There was an underlying theme, I feel, revolving around the regrets we can sometimes carry with us. If you could meet someone from your past for a day, who would that be and why?

Wow, this is a question that I could ponder for weeks! I've tried to come up with a lighthearted answer but I'm striving for honesty here. I would go back to meet the eye doctor my mother took me to when I was about eight years old. An odd choice, right? I'll briefly explain. I had begun having vision problems - letters moved around the page, words were slightly out of focus. And I was getting intense headaches. Making the obvious assumption that this was a vision issue, my mother took me to an eye doctor. He examined me and declared my vision perfect. Then, in front of me, he told my mother that he believed I was manifesting the symptoms. He suggested that I had a friend who wore glasses and maybe I wanted to be like her. Or, perhaps, I was looking for attention.
I was an extremely quiet, impressionable child. This man, with his few callous words, had left me feeling responsible for creating symptoms that supposedly didn't exist. He'd made me question myself in ways that no child should ever have to do. And that continued on for many years.

Naturally, my mother believed this doctor. This was 40 years ago, after all. No one questioned doctors back then. And what reason would my mother have to disbelieve him? I stopped talking about my symptoms, even as they got worse. I learned to chase the words around the page. I still do. Many years later, too late to change the course of the illness, I found out that the headaches and vision issues were early signs of Lyme disease. Now it's late-stage and chronic.
I don't blame that one doctor. There were many after him, well into my adult years, who made similarly callous remarks. But I would like that first doctor to know that his offhand comment, about a young girl he didn't know anything about, altered my life in profound ways.

Max is a ghost. You and I have discussed our own ghostly experiences in the past. Indeed, we're putting together a group here soon on Goodreads 'Supernatural Book Talk'. Max has a very interesting journey after he dies, did you do any research into theories about death and ghosts before you wrote the book, and if so how did you go about that?

I didn't do research specifically for this book. This is a topic that has long intrigued me and I've read countless related nonfiction and fiction books. I also think growing up in a haunted house has given me a slightly different perspective than the average person has! Part of Max's journey is a mixture of various things I've read and experienced. But most of it is the result of my imagination and Max's character merging into what I hope is a perfect fit.

Are you a reader of ghost stories? If so, do you have a favourite?

I do love ghost stories! I'm not so much into the 'horror' genre, where ghosts are all evil poltergeists or out to possess living people. I like the human factor, when you're able to picture that ghost as a person, understand what his/her life had been like and why he/she is lingering in the world. I also like love stories related to various psychic abilities. One of my favorite ghost stories will always be Caraliza by Joel Blaine Kirkpatrick. Awesome book! I'm a big fan of Kay Hooper, who writes a series based on a special F.B.I. unit of psychics. Another of my favorites is While the Savage Sleeps by Andrew Kaufmann, which is a fast-paced suspense but also deals with a bit of psychic abilities.

Since our last interview on my blog, a lot has happened. You've been busy collecting stories for the BestsellerBound Short Story Anthologies. Tell us a bit more about what gave you the idea to publish these volumes and what are your plans for the collections?

We have some of the most amazing authors as part of our BestsellerBound group. The amount of talent in these relatively unknown authors is astounding. I wanted to give readers a sample of our talented group and hopefully introduce us all to a wider readership.

These authors are not only talented, they are truly nice people. We're all happily compiling our stories and giving them away free for readers to enjoy. Writing the words means nothing if we have no one to share them with.

Volume Two is in the works. Each volume will have ten stories. I'm awaiting the final story for the second volume. Jaleta Clegg has already designed the cover for us. I hope to have it formatted and sent out to the world by mid August. And we've started collecting stories for volume three!






As well as having many novels to your name, you have now published a few of short stories. We discussed The First Kill in your last interview. I was definitely drawn in by your latest short story, 'You can call me Ari', which appears in the BestsellerBound Anthology - Volume 1. It's an engaging read. Tell us a bit about the inspiration behind writing that fabulously imaginative but very scary story...

I have voices in my head that I can take no credit for. If I didn't write, I'd be heavily medicated in a padded cell. :)

The idea for this story came to me while I was lying on my chiropractor's table. If you've read the story, you'll know that I did not want to be having those particular thoughts at that particular time! I kept trying to brush it aside but the idea would not leave me alone. The chiropractor's table is truly a great setting for torture! By the time my adjustment was over, the idea was formed and the characters were speaking to me. I got home and immediately had to sit down and write the story.

Name one thing you like more about short stories as compared to novels.

In reading them, I like that short stories require a shorter commitment. If I've just read an in-depth novel or a detailed nonfiction book, I sometimes like to break away and read something that asks less of me as a reader. I also like the fact that short stories often leave more to the reader's imagination. In a way, they are only a glimpse into someone's window. You don't get to see what happens when the blinds are closed.

In writing them, again, I like that they require less commitment. Novels take months, if not years, to produce. I can write a short story in one afternoon. I'm a fan of instant gratification. :)

Now, name one thing that you like more about writing novels as compared to short stories.

With reading and with writing, I will always lean more heavily toward novels for the same reason: Better character development. For me, characters drive the story. I want to know what drives this person. Why did he make one choice rather than another? Character depth is difficult to achieve in a short story.

Having read a few of your books now, I have to say that I love your style. I would not usually choose crime fiction to read mainly because I have found that much of it includes gratuitous violence. You seem to have found the perfect balance between writing very violent scenes but in a way that is not likely to put off a discerning reader. Is that just an inherent skill you have or do you purposefully try to construct the violent scenes in a more digestible fashion?

I think that comes from my own reading preference. I am drawn to mystery and suspense but not for the blood and gore. As I've mentioned before, human nature fascinates me. I love placing (fictional) people in challenging situations, then stepping aside to see how they respond. Twisted minds are, for me, more intriguing than the happily married P.T.A. mom who bakes cookies every Wednesday. (Not that P.T.A. moms who bake are a bad thing!)

When I read, I don't want to be shocked by what the killer is doing with his knife. I want to be shocked by what he's thinking while he does it and what he feels afterward. I want to be even more shocked because I understand his motive. I also want to be in that moment with the victim. I don't necessarily want to read about the pain the knife inflicts. I want to experience the remorse of knowing she will never see be able to apologize to her husband or the guilt because he's done horrible things to others and now knows how his own victims felt. When I write, those are the goals I'm reaching for.

Now that you have ventured into the paranormal with 'Into The Light' do you have plans to write more supernatural stories?

I would love to, if my muse cooperates! I had a lot of fun writing Max's story. I've considered using Joe Cavelli, the private investigator in Into The Light, as an ongoing character and writing a type of series about a P.I. who hears ghosts and solves their cases. But the different ghosts would be the main characters in each book and Joe Cavelli would remain the minor character. For now, that's just a thought and might or might not ever play out.

What are you working on at the moment?

I'm currently working on digging myself out from under the pile of assorted projects and tasks I've let build up! I want to get volume two of the BestsellerBound Short Story Anthology completed. I've got some work to do on my website and assorted mundane tasks to catch up on. Once I get regrouped and clear the debris that is covering my desk, I plan to work on the third book in my Michael Sykora series.

Thank you, Darcia, as always for being a wonderful guest.

Remember, if you'd like to win an ebook version of 'Into The Light', leave a comment below, or simply click the button to 'like' the blog post!



P.S. It's a great cover, isn't it? It was designed by the multi-talented Jason McIntyre, author of Road Markers and Thalo Blue (and a whole lot more) I'd also recommend you try his books.

My short story collection, Fusion is now available as an ebook on Barnes and Noble, for those of you that like Nook books :)

Click here to purchase the Nook version of 'Fusion':

Fusion at B&N

Here is a list of the story titles:

1. Only time can divide us (you can read an excerpt from this story here:Excerpt on Goodreads)
2. Untold Crimes
3. There but for the grace of God
4. The last time he saw her
5. A vicious circle
6. Me and my dictionary (read a fun introduction to the main character in this story, here: Meet Giles)
7. Waiting on a Train
8. Justice for Ernie
9. Cold calling
10. Make hay while the sun shines
11. The legacy
12. Hope springs eternal
13. The reunion
14. Something new
15. Obsession
16. Visions
17. A Virtual Affair
18. Till death do us part
19. Seize the Day
20. One woman’s stand
21. The Time Machine
22. The Valentine’s card (Read the whole story on Bookbuzzr, here: The Valentine's Card)

And, in case you missed it, I did post a blog a while back about the inspiration behind some of the stories in the collection. Click here to read it: Inspiration behind Fusion

The ebook version of 'Fusion', whether you buy it on B&N, Amazon, or Smashwords, also contains bonus material by a few of my favourite indie authors:

A short story 'Soft Like Snow' by Jen Knox, from her collection, To Begin Again
An excerpt from the story, 'Inside Out', by Neil Schiller, from his collection, Oblivious
A short story by Darcia Helle, called 'Wilted Brown Eyes'
'Smoke Break' by Susan Helene Gottfried, from ShapeShifter : The Demo Tapes -- Year 1
An excerpt from, 'East meets West', by Jason McIntyre, from his soon to be released short story collection, 'Black Light of Day'.

The idea behind including this bonus material is that you can get a taste of other indie writers' work and maybe go on to purchase one of their books. I would highly recommend all of the above
writers.

Remember, 'Fusion', along with some of my other kindle books, is available for just $0.99/£0.86 at Amazon until the end of this month!

The BestsellerBound Anthologies, Volumes 1 & 2 are now both FREE on Amazon Kindle!

Get your copies by clicking the links below:

Volume 1 on Amazon US

Volume 2 on Amazon US

Volume 1 on Amazon UK

Volume 2 is still priced at 86p on Amazon UK, but we are hopeful it will be available free in the near future. UK readers can download a free kindle version from Smashwords.com

Here are the list of contents:

Volume 1:
Wish Upon A Star by Lainey Bancroft
Tears For Hesh by J. Michael Radcliffe
You Can Call Me Ari by Darcia Helle
Flames by Maria Savva
Minor Details by Jaleta Clegg
Ice Cream Man by Neil Schiller
No Eyes But Mine Shall See by Sharon E. Cathcart
The First Texas Twister by Magnolia Belle
Shadow Lantern by Gareth Lewis
Stained by Amy Saunders

Volume 2:
1. What Was Lost by James Sophi
2. The Art of Breathing by Jaime McDougall
3. Soul Windows by Jaleta Clegg
4. I Didn't Know His Name by Darcia Helle
5. Red Route by James Everington
6. Make A Wish by Susan Helene Gottfried
7. The Last Chance Motel and Mausoleum by Joel Blaine Kirkpatrick
8. Isolation by Maria Savva
9. Beyond The Green Hills by Tom Gahan
10. From Joy We Come, Unto Joy We Return by Ami Blackwelder

My guest this week is the multi-talented Sandra Yuen MacKay. She is an artist and writer. I first connected with Sandra via Goodreads over a year ago.
When I read her memoir,My Schizophrenic Life: The Road to Recovery From Mental Illness, I was in awe at how someone who had battled through a mental illness was able to achieve so much. She is a special person and a kind and generous friend. I'm happy we became friends, and would recommend that everyone read her memoir if only because it blows away some myths surrounding mental illness and tells the story through the eyes of someone who lives with the struggle and is able to stand as an inspiration and role-model for others.

As well as agreeing to answer my questions, Sandra is giving away an ebook copy of her memoir, or her new book, Hell's Fire, to one lucky reader of my blog. All you have to do to win is leave a comment below, or simply 'Like' this post, and we'll enter you into the draw. A winner will be picked at random on the 1st October 2011.

Here's the interview:

Do you have any tips for someone who is considering self-publishing their own book?

Self-publishing isn't for all writers. Ask yourself, how much money, time and effort are you willing to put into it? Self-publishing gives you control over the content and design of your book and also a larger profit per book sold. If you do self-publish, make sure you edit and proofread your work closely or find someone to do it beforehand. Having said that, you may have a quality book but you still need to promote it.

Weigh your options. If you are concerned about upfront costs consider print on demand or e-books. Do you need an ISBN and do you need to register it? BestsellerBound, an indie website, may connect you with other self-publishers who can answer questions you may have. Word of mouth and building a professional website are a good starting point. Free book giveaways or blog tours may be useful. Even if you have a traditional publisher, you still should promote yourself.

Your book ‘My Schizophrenic Life’ deals with your personal journey and road to recovery from mental illness.  I think it’s a book that should be read by mental health professionals as it gives insight into what someone with schizoaffective disorder is thinking and feeling. Have you had any feedback from any psychiatrists or psychologists who may have read the book and if so, what sort of comments do they have?



Yes I have. David Laing Dawson, a psychiatrist, writer, and filmmaker wrote: "Puts the reader nicely in her shoes experiencing the paranoia, misinterpretations, hallucinations."

Julie Holland, a psychiatrist and author in New York wrote: "There are precious few people who have experienced psychosis and can convey it accurately, clearly, and concisely. Sandra MacKay's story is an important one for all of us in the mental health field - doctors, patients, and their families. It is imperative that we take in the lessons she is imparting to us all, on how to manage, and in many ways, triumph over chronic mental illness."

I've received many favourable comments from people in the health field including occupational therapists and psychotherapist Laura Schultz (see link below for reviews).

You have suffered from your mental illness since you were a teenager.  Do you think the mental health system (doctors/hospitals) has improved in the time since you were first diagnosed?  Also, what do you think they could be doing better?

Previously, medication and electric shock treatment were the most common ways to treat the mentally ill. Since then, they introduced the recovery model, which puts the client first and is built around his or her needs and goals. Health professionals are moving toward a more holistic approach to treating clients. In Vancouver, BC, there seems to be more community supports and organizations to help people with mental illness. There's more community awareness and education in schools to reduce stigma. However, I'd like to see better medications without major side effects and more access for family members and caregivers to get support.

I understand that your creativity helped you to some extent when you were going through difficult times.  I also know that you are or were involved in a project that offered creative classes to people with mental illness.  In what way would you say creativity helps someone with mental illness?



There is a longstanding belief that mental illness and heightened creativity are linked. Personally, I see an association between my imagination and motivation to write and paint, and my illness. Creativity is a constructive outlet for my positive and negative energies.

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What is the one message you would like readers to take from your memoir?

People with mental illness aren't so different from everyone else despite our portrayal in the media. With the right treatment, there are people with mental illness who function well and contribute to society. I could have fallen by the wayside, but I received support and developed insight into my symptoms.

I know that you’re an artist as well as a writer.  I have enjoyed looking at your art work on your website and of course, the cover of ‘My Schizophrenic Life’ is one of your paintings.  You have a distinctive style, very colourful and eye-catching.  If you had to choose between writing and art, which would you choose?

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That's a difficult question to answer! I seek variety in what I do. My creativity comes in cycles. Sometimes I paint for days, sometimes I'm really involving in a writing project for months at a time. I don't prefer one over the other, but rather do both at different times.

Do you have any favourite artists?  If so, what is it about their art that you like?

As I have a background in art history, there are a lot of major artists and movements I appreciate. However, I particularly enjoy the Fauvists, Expressionists, and many Canadian painters like Tom Thomson, Jack Shadbolt and Gordon Smith. Each of these artists has given me something in the development of my own style especially in the use of colour.

Your latest book is a fiction story. ‘Hell’s Fire’ is a science fiction novella.  Is science fiction your favourite genre to write, or have you tried writing other genres?



I've written other unpublished stories in different genres. Some explore mental illness, culture, romance, murder, suicide and the paranormal. So I haven't limited myself to one genre however, all of these stories have pieces of my own experience or what I've observed in others.

Who are your favourite authors and what is it about their writing that you like?

I enjoy Margaret Atwood, Jeffrey Archer, Arthur C. Clarke, and Lorna T. Suzukiwho wrote the Imago series. I might add Maria Savva to that list as well! Each of these writers has the ability to wind a tale that totally engrosses me as a reader without a lot of fluff. Reading diverse genres suits my tastes.

Is there a book you own that you’ve read more than once?

I don't own it, but I've read The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood more than once. I've also read Stephen King's On Writing over again.

What was the last book you read?

Recently, I read Kathryn Stockett's The Help. I liked the way the point of view changed between chapters. Each narrator has a unique voice and personality. Also reading about the racial tension and struggle struck me deeply.

Are you reading a book at the moment?

Currently I'm reading The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson. I find it interesting to see how the characters develop and change over time.

What do you think of e-books?

I don't own an e-book reader but more people are moving that way. Some people still say they prefer to hold a book in their hands, but technology is moving to more paperless communication. I envision e-books in the future that are more interactive where readers can click on words or phrases and link to other trivia sources, or choose the character's next move, complete quizzes, and communicate with authors.

How important are reviews for you as a writer?

Reviews inform potential readers about the quality of a book, which may increase sales. In turn, reviews give me objective feedback, which hopefully can aid me in fine-tuning my future writing.

How do you go about choosing a cover for your books?

For My Schizophrenic Life and Hell's Fire, I designed the covers using my art and photography. The cover may be the customer's first impression of one's book so they have to stand out on the store shelf. I choose images that are a unique, refer to the content in a way, and as you said are "eye-catching."

Are you working on any other books?

I recently submitted a manuscript to some publishers. It's a novel about a Chinese girl who sacrifices for her sister when her parents divorce. Other than that I'm mostly working on my editor's column for "Majestic," an online newsletter for Lit.org, a writers forum.

Do you have any upcoming events that you’d like to tell people about?

On November 1st after 7 pm Pacific Time, I'll be on a Sound Therapy radio broadcast at CJSF 90.1 FM in Burnaby, British Columbia. I will be selling my book and art at some local art fairs if you live near Vancouver and would like to contact me.

Where can people buy your books?

My Schizophrenic Life is available in print & ebook at:
Amazon USA
Amazon Canada
Chapters Indigo - Canada (print only)
Amazon UK
Smashwords (ebook only)


Hell's Fire is available as an e-book at:
Amazon USA
Smashwords
Amazon UK

Some versions of my book are also available on Amazon in Germany, Italy and France.

Where can readers and fans find you on the internet?

Psychopia video at: http://vimeo.com/27794085
My blog, reviews, and radio/video interviews are at: Letters From Sandra

My art can be viewed at: http://symackay.webs.com
or http://www3.telus.net/sandra_yuen_mackay

I'm the editor for Majestic

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Linkedin

Thank you, Sandra!

Remember, if you want to enter the draw to try to win a copy of one of Sandra's book, leave a comment below, or click the 'Like' button. Good luck!