THOUGHTUL THURSDAY: TIE DIED IS PUBLISHED!!

For all of my mystery fans, it's time to check out my new mystery, Tie Died, with Brianne James as the main character. I am always open to new readers as well as reviews of my books. Let me know if you're interested in reviewing and I'll set things up.

Kathryn

Get the Book at Amazon

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Anne Allen

1.     Tell me about yourself. What got you started in writing?

By profession I was a psychotherapist with little time for writing, bringing up three children single-handedly. So it was a bit late in the day when I did start. I was about to become a grandmother when my mother ‘pushed’ me into entering a writing competition. Bless her! She knew I’d started to write a novel and thought it would be a useful experience, assuming that it was a fiction short-story comp. Instead the national magazine wanted a true-life story in 500 words based on a significant life event. I still entered (my life had been anything but boring!) and won! It was quite a boost and spurred me on with my book which, Dangerous Waters, which turned out to be the first in an unplanned series, The Guernsey Novels. I’ve now published five to date and they are a mix of family drama, mystery and romance, set on the beautiful island of Guernsey in the English Channel.

2.     How do you schedule your writing time? When do you write?

A few years ago I retired from psychotherapy and can now spend as much time as I wish writing. I’m not a morning person so I tend to focus on mundane tasks before lunch and then settle to write in the afternoon and into the evening if the words are flowing.

3.     How and where do you write? Do you prefer a lap top or some other method of getting your words down?

I first started writing by hand and then typed the result into my laptop but this is long-winded and my hands suffered. Then I invested in a PC and it’s so much more comfortable to use! A lovely big screen to see what I’ve written and a big comfortable office chair set in my own study. When I’m away from home I’ll use the laptop, but it’s not the same. I’ll jot down notes and outlines in a pad before typing anything.

4.     What's your favorite part about writing? Your least favorite part about writing?

Planning the outline of the story and deciding on the characters and what parts they’ll play is my favourite part of writing. At that stage I don’t need to know how various objectives will be achieved, so there’s no pressure. My least favourite part  of writing is more to do with the promotion and marketing aspects. I’d love to just be able to write and let others do everything else.

5.     How did you come up with your book idea? How long did it take you to write your book?

With my first book I’d been inspired by reading books by Katie Fforde and Joanne Harris. One had written about an old house in need of restoration and holding a secret and the other had set their story on a small island off the coast of France which reminded me of Guernsey, where I’d spent many happy years. So I ended up combining both themes!

It took me about six months to write the first draft, but several years, on and off, to re-write after seeking professional guidance.

6.     What types of marketing do you do to promote your writing?

I’m fairly active on social media and will offer price promotions on the kindle version a couple of times a year. I’ve built up several retail customers who are happy to sell my paperbacks and I take part in radio and blog interviews to spread the word.

7.     What are you currently working on? Do you have a new book out?

Book six in the series, The Betrayal. It’s set in dual time, partly in 1940s Guernsey during the German Occupation and partly in the modern day and the link between the two eras is a previously unknown Renoir painting, now worth millions. When it turns up hidden in an antique shop, it leads to murder and the victim’s sister, Fiona, is forced to find out what happened not only to her brother, but during the Occupation.

My latest published book is Echoes of Time, again set between the German Occupation and modern day in Guernsey, and focuses on two women from each era who live in the same house 60 years apart. Family secrets and a suspicious death are unearthed by the present day woman, Natalie, as she is haunted by the past.

8.    What would you tell a beginning writer who wants to publish but doesn't believe he/she has enough talent?

It’s tough to believe in yourself when you start out writing, but if the passion is strong enough then just carry on writing. Write from the heart, write the story you want to share and when you’ve made it the best you can, seek professional advice in the form of an editor or critique partner to take you forward. And remember, self-publishing is a great way to go if you can’t find an agent ☺

***

My website: http:www.anneallen.co.uk

Amazon Author Page: http://Author.to/AnneAllen

Trailer on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iBYFRyCOoQ

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Lesley Cookman

Tell me a about yourself. What got you started in writing?

I’ve always written, from a very young child, when I wanted to make up my own books. I won regional prizes while I was at Grammar School, but didn’t start to write professionally until much later when I began to write features for trade magazines.

How do you schedule your writing time? When do you write?

It’s my day job, so I have an office and try to work office hours. I don’t work in the evenings, and I must admit to having time off when I want it!

How and where do you write? Do you prefer a lap top or some other method of getting your words down?

I have an iMac in my office. I write on my MacBook when I’m on holiday, and occasionally edit on that on my sofa in front of the fire!

What's your favorite part about writing? Your least favorite part about writing?

My favourite part? As a career, it’s better than stacking supermarket shelves! My least favourite part is the need for self-discipline. I’m bad at that.

How did you come up with your book idea? How long did it take you to write your book?

I write roughly two books a year under contract, and as my favourite reading has always been mysteries and detective fiction, particularly that of the Golden Age, my choice of subject was easy. It was also a commercial decision between my publisher and me to start a mystery series.

What types of marketing do you do to promote your writing? 

My publisher, luckily, does most of it, but I have a blog, a website, a Facebook page and I’m on Twitter.

What are you currently working on? Do you have a new book out?

I am currently working on the revisions and edits for the 16^th book in the Libby Sarjeant series, Murder Dancing and writing the 17^th.

Do you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it.

Not exactly the back burner, but the first novella in a brand new series set in Edwardian England came out on Boxing Day, Death Plays A Part. I will be writing this series alongside the Libby Sarjeant series.

What would you tell a beginning writer who wants to publish but doesn't believe he/she has enough talent?

Work hard, read a lot, and keep submitting. Do NOT leap straight into self publishing before you’ve honed your craft. It will show.

The question most people ask me at talks and events is “where do you get your ideas”. There is no simple answer to that, and I frequently tell them I go to the ideas shop. However, my children do supply me with scenarios, especially  my eldest son, who has come up with many of my recent book settings.

Answered by Kathryn: I get many of my ideas listening to ideas others have for me. I also get ideas simply by living my life and putting my experiences on paper when they come up. Writing what you know is so important, but also being willing to do a little research when necessary. Writing prompts have also gotten me going, especially when I get a temporary writer's block.

***

Thanks, Lesley!

Learn more about Lesley at the following sites:

http://www.lesleycookman.co.uk/

http://lesleycookman.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/news

https://www.facebook.com/SteepleMartinMysteries/?fref=ts

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Lori Knutson

Tell me a about yourself. What got you started in writing? 

I remember wanting to write after reading Tom Sawyer in Grade 9. I wanted to be able to convey that sense of time and place, that humour that’s funny on different levels. I can’t tell exactly when it happened, but I also remember that the wanting to write had turned somehow, at some time into a need to write.

I’m the author of five books and I teach Grade 3. It’s busy, but I get to do two jobs that are very fulfilling, and not everyone is that lucky.

How and where do you write? 

I write in my office at a stand-alone computer. 

Do you prefer a lap top or do you prefer writing freehand? 

I do bring a thick notepad and pens with me whenever traveling. Then I jot down ideas for books, blog posts and even write some poetry. But writing by hand seem tortuously slow now and it doesn't have the spell-check features on which I've come to rely. Heavily. When writing by hand I now catch myself watching for the red squiggly line to appear under my messy script. It never does.

What's your favorite part about writing? 

The best thing is the creative process, and working alone and independently. I kind of enjoy the business end of it, as well.

Your least favorite part about writing? 

Editing a bazillion times and grammar rules. Ugh.

How do you come up with your characters? 

I write and they come to me. I wish I could be more profound about this process, but that’s what it is for me.

Why would readers want to get to know them? 

My characters are authentic. They don’t do anything that their character wouldn't do. Also, they are relatable and fallible – like the rest of us! The reader can empathize with my characters’ thoughts and actions.

What types of marketing do you do to promote your writing? 

I attend farmers’ markets here and there. I advertise in local newspapers and on Facebook prior to attending and always have a great time and a great turn out.  I enjoy bringing my work directly to people and having the opportunity to meet my readers.

Online marketing has been very successful for me, as well. It’s a great way to connect with people and get them interested in what I write. Old-fashioned newspaper coverage is still very effective, if you can get it.

How do you schedule your writing time? When do you write? 

I write and promote my books whenever I’m not vacationing or teaching school. During the fall of 2013, my school board granted me a sabbatical. During that time I completed two manuscripts, a young adult novel and Denby Jullsen, Hughenden.

What are you currently working on? 

Right at this moment, most of my energy and time is spent developing my online presence. I have a blog on my website and Google+, and I’m working to market my writing online.

Do you have a new book out? 

My latest book is called More Simplicities. It was published in December of 2014 and is a sequel to my first collection of inspirational anecdotes, Sacred Simplicities (Path Books, 2004). Sacred Simplicities won an award for best in a Life Stories category.

My first novel for a general audience (not young adults, that is) is Denby Jullsen, Hughenden, also published in 2014. It would be considered literary fiction, and revolves around the murder of Denby Jullsen in 1935. Denby is now available as an e-publication – my first one. All my other books will follow Denby into ebook form soon.

Do you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it. 

I have two projects on the back burner(s). Likely, the first to come into print will be the story of how I came to live where I do – in my Grandma Knutson’s former house in rural Alberta, Canada. About nine years after she passed, Grandma’s house stood empty for a long while after being a drug house for a couple of years. The dealer was hauled off to jail and the house was repossessed by a mortgage company and put up for sale. The book will tell the story of how, over many months and obstacles, I got the house, and how living in Grandma’s house has changed my life. I’ll also incorporate past stories of the house before its near demise and slow resurrection.

There’s another murder-type mystery I want to write based in a seed of truth, as Denby Jullsen is and set in this area of Alberta in the 1930s. Our old newspaper, The Hughenden Record, tells of a so-called murder-suicide that took place in 1935. In reading the strangely and obviously biased account of the incident, it was clear to me that the man held responsible for the murders was framed. He lies in an untended paupers’ grave outside the fence of a local cemetery. I want to write his story.

What would you tell a beginning writer who wants to publish but doesn't believe he/she has enough talent? 

I would tell them that writing is a long game. I wanted badly to be a writer for a long time, and I wrote badly for a very long time. The great thing about the craft of writing is that it does seem to inevitably improve with practice. Be patient and keep writing. And give up hope of fruition, as the Buddhists say. You’d better be writing for the experience of writing because, honestly, that may be all you get, just the experience. Be sure you can accept that.

Kathryn, how long have you been marketing your work through social media and how long have you been blogging? In your experience and opinion, is social media one of the best marketing tools or just a different tool that does a different job? (i.e. targets a different market?)

Are you traditionally or independently published? I am both, but have just had the rights of my last publisher-owned book reverted to me. I now own all my books.

Great questions!

First, I have been marketing my work through social media for a few years now, although when my first book was released in 2002, I was doing very little social media. Through the years, however, I have learned that social media is up there at the top. Reviews, interviews like this one, places to post for free advertising, as well as other online sources, gets the word out easier and cheaper than ever.

I have been blogging for less time, but enjoy the opportunity to share what I am learning with writing, publishing and marketing, even as I experience the journey. I have readers who return to hear what I have to say next, and authors like yourself who graciously interview for my blog.

I also do quite a few author signings through the year at various locations (other than bookstores). I find that getting out there is just as important as sitting behind my desk and working on social media.

I was first traditionally published, but later bought the rights back to my first book. I am now strictly on my own and love the freedom it gives me to design my own covers, choose my own interior layout, my own price, etc.

 ***

Thank you, Lori!

Links to Lori's websites and books:

Author Website: www.loriknutson.com

Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lori-Knutson/634083073301555?ref=hl

Google+:

https://plus.google.com/105033071468694761217/posts?hl=en

To Purchase Denby Jullsen, Hughenden as an Ebook:

Book Page:

http://www.primediaelaunch.com/product/denby-jullsen-hughenden/#.VO06EivF-So

Primedia Elaunch Author Page:

http://www.primediaelaunch.com/author/lori-knutson/

Twitter Account:

https://twitter.com/lori_knutson

In personal anecdotes written over the last decade, Lori Knutson shares with readers her observations of the world. Inspired by both rural and city living, by joyful and painful events, by rainy and sunshiny weather, these stories serve as a reminder to slow down and notice the lives we live. The miracles we yearn to experience are here, in the moments that we pause to savour. This book offers a larger perspective on the smaller things in life.

Lori Knutson is an author and elementary school teacher living, teaching and writing in east-central Alberta. You can visit Lori at www.loriknutson.com.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Patricia Stevenson

Tell me a about yourself. What got you started in writing?     

I have written most of my life.  It was always for my enjoyment, not for publication.

How and where do you write? Do you prefer a lap top or do you prefer writing freehand?

I write freehand at lunch.  Computers and food do not do well together.

What's your favorite part about writing? Your least favorite part about writing?

Writing is a joy and it is exciting.  Correcting, editing, and marketing are a pain.

How do you come up with your characters? Why would readers want to get to know them?

The main character in my series is Professor Del Channing, and the idea for him came from my Grand Daughter when she went to UMass in Amherst Massachusetts for her Masters.  The rest of the characters in my series are developed to the rolls of life they portray. Professor Del Channing and his side kick Lieutenant B. I. Fredrickson (Bif) are good and interesting people.   Del realizes that history repeats itself, so he solves the mysteries because they remind him of something from the past.  The reader gets a taste of history in 

the solving.

What types of marketing do you do to promote your writing?

Basically I sell Book Stores into carrying the full line of my series.  My only intent is for people to purchase my books from a book store.

How do you schedule your writing time? When do you write?

I write long hand at lunch and input the work at my home at night or on weekends.

What are you currently working on? Do you have a new book out?

The seventh book in the series.  The fifth book has just come off the press and the sixth is written and will be published next year.

Do you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it.

Yes.  I've written a first person book and will soon see if it is publishable.

What would you tell a beginning writer who wants to publish but doesn't believe he/she has enough talent?

Have faith in yourself and your writing.  Seek advice from successful professionals; but, don’t let anyone change your voice.

***

Thank you, Patricia

Patricia's website: www.patriciagstevenson.com

Get her books here: http://patriciagstevenson.com/booksa.html

You can also read the character interview here.

Knowing Your Genre

Knowing your genre is kind of like knowing how to bake a cake. Without all of the right ingredients, your cake might come out flat or lopsided. It might even taste funny.



Photo by: Rhonlynn, courtesy of Flickr

I remember the time I mistakenly put in salt instead of sugar. We keep both our salt and sugar in large white tubs, preferring to buy it in bulk, and this one time I mistook the one for the other.

Nasty, I can tell you.

Photo by: Rasdourian, courtesy of Flickr

We may even bake our cake too long or put in the wrong ingredients, especially if we think we can remember the ingredients in our head and don't need at recipe.

Consider a cake that's frosted before it's cooled.

A science fiction book can be like that, or a murder mystery or a Christian fiction novel. Keeping in mind that not one of the options I've listed above is written the same as the next one, you need to know some specifics in writing the genre of your choice. You need to know the ingredients, the temperature it needs to be cooked at and how long.

If you've never read a science fiction novel you shouldn't be writing one, and that goes for a murder mystery, a Christian fiction novel or anything else. It just doesn't work for you to guess. Trust me.

I tried to write a romance once, having never cared to read one. I thought mine would be better. What I soon discovered was that I had no idea what I was doing and eventually scrapped the project. Sure, I write very small scenes sometimes with a little romance in them, but I haven't considered starting a romance novel since.

Another good way to know your genre is to read nonfiction books from authors who also write the fiction variety. Orson Scott Card, for example, writes Science Fiction and Fantasy. His book, "How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy," offers writers knowledge in time, space, magic and story elements needed for these two genres of writing.

Some writers will tell you that the best genre to write is the one that's selling the most, but I beg to differ. Write what you love.

The bottom line is like the bottom of the cake. You don't want it to be burnt so do all you can to know what you need to know to write it right.