L.J. Grandi's Blog

I’m super excited to be kicking off the Indie and Proud campaign by hosting an interview with fellow author Ingrid Hall. Woohoo, here we go… Which part of the world do you live in Ingrid?

Hello or G’day as I think you greet each other down under…I am REALLY excited to be firing the opening salvo of Indie and Proud with you right now!  I am from Newcastle Upon Tyne which is in England, very close to the Scottish Borders.

What is the title/ genre of your latest book, and what inspired you to write it.

My latest book is a novella called The Tunnel Betwixt… it is not published yet, however it is scheduled for release imminently.  It revolves around Julia, a young woman who as a result of a horrific accident finds herself catapulted into the tunnel that we go through when we die and is all about her near death experience.  I was inspired to write this in part due to a similar experience I had when a routine operation went badly wrong in my mid-twenties and I was inches away from death, however because of the quirky nature in which I write then Julia’s journey is most definitely unique!

Do you find the writing process challenging, or are you constantly bombarded with ideas?

I think most writers at some point or another find the writing process challenging, however if I am having one of those days I don’t beat myself up about it, I simply move onto one of the many other stories that I am developing! I think because I started seriously writing later in life (I was 41 when I published my first novel) then I have clocked up the life experience that I needed and I have several stories bubbling away at different stages of development in my head at any one time.   I am pretty focused though and have the whole of 2014 mapped out in terms of what I will be writing and a fairly solid idea about what will be coming in 2015.

How do you create your characters – are they based on people you know, aspects of yourself, or are they entirely fictitious?

I let my characters develop themselves.  They quite literally come to me when I am sleeping and I have some very interesting conversations with them! Irene Wilde is a little dead grandma who finds herself in the afterlife, I love her to bits but she can also be a pain in the backside at times because when she goes off into one, then she simply won’t shut up.  Julia, my lead character from The Tunnel Betwixt… is obviously much younger and is more refined than Irene.   Of course there are elements of me in all of my characters, I think any author that says otherwise is lying through their teeth however those traits are sufficiently mashed, I think, so that the characters have their own outright identity.

Have you always wanted to write, or is this something new for you?

I have always known that I was put on this planet to write however for the first four decades of my life, I simply couldn’t cut it!  I used to lock myself away in my bedroom as a child, or hide under the kitchen table and dream up stories.  As a teenager I kept really detailed diaries but binned them all when a boyfriend at the time read them and found some unfavourable stuff in there about him! During my early to mid –twenties I wrote a lot of stuff, mostly autobiographical as at that point, I hadn’t grasped the art of storytelling.  I also took some creative writing classes at around that time and met some fabulous people but hated being told by the tutor what I had to write each week!   Life then got in the way and I didn’t really write at all for over ten years until an emotional meltdown unexpectedly put me back on track…

Do you write a synopsis/outline before you start your books, or do you just jump in and let the story take you on its own journey?

With Granny Irene’s Guide to the Afterlife – Revenge – I was at such a bad, raw place in my life that I simply sat down and let it all come out.  250,000 words later and I published the book however then realised that it was way too long and needed some tweaking, so I have broken it down into parts.  I have republished part 1 and parts 2 and 3 will be released at some point either later in 2014 or early 2015.   I like to think that The Tunnel Betwixt is more structured stream of consciousness. I knew where the stepping stones where when writing it however I wasn’t afraid to wander slightly off track, knowing full well that I would always be able to find my way back.  I am now in the process of tightening it up and feel that I have had a much better grip on the entire process this time.   I have an outline in my head for my first foray into erotica as my alter ego Luna Ballantyne which I will be working on and then releasing during 2014.

Ingrid If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

I am hoping that The Tunnel Betwixt is going to come out as near damned perfect as possible! I do definitely have regrets about Granny Irene, looking back I know that I published ahead of time and it was a real test of ego to rework and then republish.  That said, it was a learning process which I feel that I have wholeheartedly benefited from because instead of breaking me or making me quit, it actually served to make me stronger.  I am definitely now on my correct life path and I will keep on writing and bending those genres until the day I die.  For the first time in years, I am really excited about the future and I am incredibly optimistic about 2014.

Did you learn anything from writing your book, if so what was it?

I have learnt lots from writing both of my books.  First and foremost I have learned never to under estimate the need to edit, edit, edit.  I have also learned to take what people say about me on the chin. You can’t whack a healthy dose of constructive criticism if it is delivered correctly.   Accept the positives, learn from the negatives, ignore the nutters and then move on.  I know who I am and I am incredibly comfortable in my own skin.

What do you love about being an author?

Well, that is a question and a half isn’t it?  I think I should answer in two parts!  In general I love the fact that every single day I wake up and I step into worlds that are entirely of my own creation.  I get to interact on every single level with characters that have sprung from my soul.   I also love the fact that with my writing, I am in control.  In terms of specifically being an indie author, I love the freedom and flexibility that I have in not having to answer to an agent or a publisher.  I love the fact that I decide what I write and that I can publish my books and make them available worldwide in a heartbeat…There are downsides however I am not going to focus on that!

Do you have a special routine to get in the mood for writing, or do you just go for it?

I prefer to do the creative stuff, the actual story writing early in the morning, anything from 5am and no later than 2pm.  Editing, tweaking, I can do that anytime but the pure, raw creative stuff seems to flow when I am up with the birds.

If you could give some advice to a budding author what would it be?

Know who you are and be true to yourself.  Don’t get downhearted because of criticism but don’t be so arrogant that you think your work is above criticism!  Always remember that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, accept it graciously, take from it whatever you can and then move on.   I would also urge budding writers to think carefully about the path that they wish to take.  Do they want to write purely for themselves, or do they want to be commercial?  It’s a tightrope that we walk and if a writer only wants to work within one specific genre then they need to think very carefully about how financially it is all likely to pan out.

What are three things you can’t live without?

Easy, that would be my husband and my two children!

If you could have dinner with three people (either alive or dead) who would they be and why?

Well, you obviously so that we could compare notes! J.K Rowling because of the way she just took over the world with her Harry Potter books and Ingrid Bergman because I would like to meet the woman that I was named after!

If you were stranded on a deserted island, what two books would you want with you?

Gone with the Wind because even after all of this time I still love Scarlett O’Hara and it is my all time favourite book and also Fifty Shades of Grey, because in spite of threatening to read it a million times over, I still haven’t actually read it!

What do you do for fun?

Watch silly reality shows and soaps with my daughter. Annoy my teenaged son.  Get ridiculously drunk (even at my age) with my best friend and hang out with my husband.

If you weren’t a soon to be best-selling author you would be…….

A best- selling author, silly!

What are you reading now?

Because I review indie books for my blog, I always have at least two on the go at any one time.  Right now it is Beautiful Sorrow, a memoir by Jenn London and Sex in the Title by Zack Love.

Is there any special message you’d like to share with your readers?

Expect the unexpected!

How can we contact you or find out more about your books?

You can find me at www.ingridhall.com   on Twitter @authoringrid  and

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AuthorIngrid...

What can we expect from you in the future Ingrid?

You can expect The Tunnel Betwixt… my novella which is due out imminently. Beyond that you can expect my first paranormal erotic novel based around the Newcastle witches writing as Luna Ballantyne as well as Part 2 of Granny Irene’s Guide to the Afterlife, Revenge beyond that, well, I have lots bubbling away in the cauldron that is my mind…

AWESOME!! That was a fantastic interview Ingrid, thank you so much! Hmm I love getting into the mind of an author. Now the next stop on the Indie & Proud campaign is on the 9th of January when DZC will be hosting Daniel Klock. So don’t miss out on it, check it out at http://www.dzc-books.co.uk

As this year quickly rolls towards its end, I’m looking towards the future – I’m very excited about the coming year – for a variety of reasons. One of them being that I can happily and excitedly announce that I am taking place in the Indie And Proud campaign. What’s that? I hear you ask. Well dear reader us Indie authors have gotta stick together. We are a maverick bunch of renegade writers, intent on being kick-arse authors who do whatever it takes to get our books out there – often against outrageous odds. Well that’s how I romantically think about myself, I’m guessing that other authors have a similar outlook – don’t you??!!!

I’d like to confess something here if that’s ok. I’m holding my breath and crossing my fingers that this doesn’t shock you too much…. a year ago I’d never even heard the term indie author! Sure, I’d heard about self published authors, but not Indie authors, which is basically the same thing. Oh the liberation of fessing up to that!  You see I’m still a bit of a newbie to all of this being an author thingy. There’s a lot to learn, a lot to take in. So when I saw the opportunity  to join a group of other like minded writers, intent on marketing their books, I jumped at the chance to join in. Have a look at the Indie And Proud page, to see all the other amazing authors that are taking part in the campaign. 2014 is going to be a big year, I can feel it in my waters!

Now for my Christmas wish list.

Dear Santa, all I want for Christmas is to sell 1000 books every week for the next year, get 100 five-star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, and lastly but not leastly can I please have a new computer, one that doesn’t take fifty million years to load a page? And that can do three things at once without throwing a hissy fit.

Thanks Santa, would you like to buy an autographed copy of my paperback, to read on your sleigh between stops xxxooo

L J Grandi – soon to be best-selling author!

Oh joy of joys, happy days are here at last… finally my book is on Amazon! In paperback AND eBook form! That means I’m going to become an instant best-seller right?! That means agents and publishers will be banging down my door, fighting over who gets to work with the illustrious L J, while having a bidding war over my manuscript…. for millions of dollars!

Dear reader, this is why I’m a writer. I have such an active imagination I can actually make up, and believe that the above scenario will happen instantly! I mean Davis has been on Amazon for two whole weeks now, so surely that million dollar offer should have happened by now right? WRONG! For some strange reason I thought that once I got my book on Amazon people would flock to read it, but the reality is that you’ve got to work it baby!

I’ve discovered that I need to be a lean mean marketing machine. It really is noisy out there in cyber-space or whatever you call it. Lucky I’m a loud mouth. I was always getting told off for being too noisy as a kid, and nothing has changed, my hubby often cringes at the decibels I emit. Especially when I sell a book, or if chocolate or something sparkly is involved. So I’m going to master this marketing and become a best-seller. Sure, I might have to wait another week or so to land that million dollar publishing deal, but that’s ok. In the meantime I’ll have mastered the art of being patient, which is something I’ve always struggled with because I don’t have any!

Wow, I’m having blog writers block today, which is unusual because normally I’ve got plenty to say. So to get me over this rough patch of blogging I’ll use one of the techniques I apply when I get stuck writing a novel. The good old stream of consciousness blurb. Oh yeah it works every time, sometimes you just gotta get something down, get the words moving, free up your creativity.

Right here I go, I’m just going to write whatever comes into my head, apologies in advance for whatever comes out. Chocolate cake! Is that relevant? No, but I’d like some right now. With a super strong hot chocolate mmmm, hey that the cup on the top right hand side of this website doesn’t have coffee in it – I don’t drink coffee, I never have, and never will. No that cup of dark murky deliciousness is a cup of wickedly strong hot chocolate. God, now I’m salivating. Hairspray! who invented it and what did they used to use in the old days? Maybe the first hairspray was a sheen of egg white, sprayed out of the mouth of a servant onto the head of their mistress. This might not be as wacky as you think, did you know that egg whites make an excellent hair stiffener. No? Well they do, and I know this from first hand experience. I got suspended from high school when I smugly used egg white instead of mousse – which was banned, along with hairspray – to produce an amazing gravity defying hair do – a la Robert Smith from The Cure. Yes I know it’s sooo eighties, but I was such a rebel back then. I honestly thought I was the bees knees for having hair that messily stood up on end.

Ha! it’s a miracle, my blog block has completely disappeared! Yey Me! And thank YOU for letting me indulge myself publicly with this. Ahh I feel so much better now. So that’s my tip on overcoming writers block – you’ve seen it in action here and it works a treat. The important thing is to write whatever pops into your head, and then follow that stream of consciousness, no matter how weird or wonderful it is. Here’s one more example. Stinky farts! ewww, I like my stinky farts, but not other peoples, why do other peoples ones……..

When I embarked upon the delicious task of writing my first book I had no idea that I would soon be entering a whole new world. The magical and mysterious world of self publishing. Like Little Red Riding Hood tippy-toeing her way through the woods collecting flowers, I too kept being distracted by shiny bright tips, tricks and must-have courses. I’d chop and change from one thing to the next because there was soooo much I had to learn. Honestly, writing the book now seems like the easy part, because this whole publishing and marketing caper is, to put it nicely, a doozy.

But I like a challenge, in fact I relish having to overcome so-called obstacles. (Universe, in case you interpreted that as me wanting more obstacles put into my life, well that’s not what I meant. What I meant was that I’ll happily deal with the current ones- but you don’t have to bombard me with more just to prove a point ok?) Sorry about that, but I really believe you get what you ask for in life – you know, law of attraction and all that stuff, so I Just wanted the universe to be clear on not giving me gratuitous obstacles!

So, through countless hours of trawling the internet, reading various books and enrolling in different courses, I have now given myself a fairly broad education on this self publishing lark, which I will soon be putting into practice. There are two particular tips I’d like to share with any other would be author/self publishers.

One; don’t chop and change from one thing to the next, constantly looking for “the thing that’s gonna get me published and make me a fortune right now”. For your own sanity I would recommend sticking to one strategy, because from personal experience, if you don’t, you’ll drive yourself completely insane (and waste a lot of time.) And…

Two; yes this is a plug, but it’s a bloody good one, because after all my research I believe I’ve finally stumbled upon what for me is the holy grail of self publishing. Imagine angels singing as I impart this priceless piece of information to you…. The Author Marketing Club… is incredible. Maybe I wouldn’t have this new frown wrinkle etched upon my face if I’d found it earlier!

As soon as I discovered them I signed up to become a premium member, and I’ve gotta say it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, because the trainings they provide are sensational. I love love love that they supply you with countless sites to list your free kindle book if you are doing KDP select. But don’t take my word for how good it is, see for yourself. Here’s a link – you can get a free e-book on how to nail your Amazon book description so you sell more books. http://nanacast.com/vp/113596/321275/free-ebook/?redirecturl=http://authormarketingclub.com/members/submit-your-book/ 

I’ll keep you posted (ha ha!) on my upcoming book launch. Ta ta for now.

It’s lucky I’ve got a very understanding husband because I’ve been spending a lot of time with another man. In fact I’ve been spending hours, days, even months with him – I even dream about this other man. I’m absolutely obsessed with him. And guess what my hubby does when I tell him about the crazy things I’ve been doing with this guy? He bloody laughs! There’s not a jealous bone in his body bless him.

Ok I confess, this mystery man is actually the main character in my latest novel Who Is Davis Spanx? (unashamed plug right there folks!) And I think it’s fair to say that I have a bit of a crush on Davis. Is that wrong? Do other writers suffer from this too?

Like a hormonally imbalanced, loved up sixteen year old I have a desperate need  to talk about my crush worthy Davis. But oh where to start! It’s not just his tall dark and handsome good looks that get me all quivery. No no no, (although that always helps!) It’s Davis’ truly awesome personality that has weaved a wicked spell upon me. I mean this guy absolutely rocks!  Why? Because he’s unafraid to be authentic. He stands up for what he believes in and doesn’t care what other people think of him – which is hot. And he’s kind. Davis has got such a big heart, I’m in awe of the way he treats everyone with respect. His core values of truth, honour and respect make me feel all protected and girly. Ahh I’m swooning!

But the thing that I really really love about my hero is that he’s not scared to give things a go. He’s not scared of pushing his own and other peoples boundaries. He just decides he’s gonna do something, and bam, he’s doing it, which is so cool. Oh and the fact that he’s intent on making respect a cool thing is just brilliant. He’s brilliant, oh Davis I love you!

Let me babble for just a little longer, pleeeease. I love that Davis is really close to his family, he even likes hanging out with his two grans which is so sweet. He can be such a dickhead sometimes, but it makes me love him even more because we’re all dickheads every now and then aren’t we? Ooh ooh I know what else is great about him, he can whip up a mean dish of curried sausages. Mmmm curried sausages, yum!

Did I mention he’s rich, has his own number one hit and is best mates with Big Mal one of Australia’s richest men? What’s not to love about that? Oh and his penthouse, wow! Right I’d better stop babbling now and go and do some work – with Davis, woohoo! (yes lucky me I’m working on the second instalment of Davis’ antics.)

Checkout his website at www.whoisdavisspanx.com

You might have heard that laughing is good for you, but do you really know what happens to your body when you laugh? I was pretty amazed when I did a bit of research into it. Sure I knew it’s good to have a giggle, but I never realised how powerful, and healing having a laugh can be.

Here’s what I discovered. It takes less than half a second for your brain to register that something’s funny and start working its magic. Now this is cool – your left side of the brain analyses the words of the joke while the right side simultaneously ‘get’s’ it. The visual, sensory part of your brain creates images while the emotional (limbic system) makes you feel good and happy, while the motor sections go to work and put a smile on your dial. And all this happens in less than a half a second – wow! I’ve totally underestimated my ability to multitask!!

Ok so that’s the mechanics of it, now we get to the nitty gritty of how laughter effects our bodies. Here’s some of the benefits  it lowers your blood pressure, reduce stress, increases learning and memory, oxygenates your blood , it can help reduce colds and flu, help you sleep better, reduce pain – because laughter helps the pituitary gland release pain-suppressing opiates. It can also help relieve depression, prevent heart disease, and ease anxiety or fear.

Now if that wasn’t enough, get ready for this…. drum roll please… oh my god, it gives you a work out too!  Involving all these different muscle groups; face, abdominal, back, respiratory and legs. Right, that’s it - I’ve gotta start laughing more, I don’t want to miss out on all this good stuff, how about you? It seems that laughter really is the best medicine, and it’s free!

So apart from amusing myself ( which I confess I do on a regular basis), this is why I’m compelled to write funny, inspiring stuff.  My aim dear reader is to help you get a dose of the most powerful medicine there is – laughter. Why? Because life is way too short, and most of us take it far too seriously. So come on, let’s lighten up, let’s have some fun! Dr HaHa’s  prescription is for you to start smiling and laughing immediately!

One of the things I absolutely love about being a writer is that I can be stealthily working hard wherever I go. Sure, sometimes to the uninitiated it might look like I’m zoned out, with my mouth half open resembling an idiots as I stare blankly into space. But looks can be deceiving my friend. Don’t be fooled by my apparent inactivity because I’m working baby, and working I’m hard!

Just this morning while I was lying in bed staring at a cobweb on the ceiling, I was toying with a veritable tsunami of thoughts. Yes I could have been mistaken for being asleep with my eyes open but I wasn’t. I was running through some plot lines for the book I’m currently working on, I was getting into the head of a new character I’m creating, I was being an imagineer and I hadn’t even gotten out of bed yet!

Inspiration can strike at any time and I happily admit to being its slave whenever it appears. For example, it might seem that I’m following along with your conversation, as I nod my head in all the right places and utter umms and ahhs accordingly. But the reality is I’m not paying you any attention at all. I’m engrossed in a nearby conversation that I’m intently listening in to, I’m trying to remember the juicy dialogue so I can use it in my work later. Be warned, I have sonic hearing like a bat’s – if good dialogue is uttered, or even muttered somewhere close to me, I’ll hone in on it at once.

So there are a couple of keys to unlocking the mysterious and wonderful character traits that I’m sure all of us glorious creatures who call ourselves writers possess. Non writers please remember to A; Respect our genius that is often disguised as a look of utter blankness. We don’t disturb you at work, and now you know how hard we are working in these quiet moments, I’m sure you will show us the same courtesy. And B; Please engage us in interesting conversation – even if you have to make it up! That way you will have our full attention, and we won’t be tempted to listen into anyone else’s. Unless it really is exceptional dialogue, and if that’s the case sorry, aaah yes nod nod!