Author Interview: Alicia K. Leppert

Let's welcome debut author, Alicia K. Leppert for an interview today. This is one of the stops in her book tour. Enjoy the insight on her life and book, and the beautiful romance in her life. Thanks you, Alicia, for being here with us!

One city of 600,000 people.

One broken girl.

One mysterious boy.

One fateful night,

Two worlds collide.  

Seattle, Washington. The sprawling, industrious city set in a blanket of pine. I have never known a day that wasn’t spent inside this concrete jungle. It’s my home, and for that I love it. But it’s also the setting for the tragedy called my life, and so I loathe it.

I live alone in a cold, empty studio apartment. The tiny square room closely resembles a cell. That’s my life: solitary confinement.

Here, in this desolate place that perfectly reflects my soul, my story begins.

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1. Tell us about your novel first in five words then a whole sentence/few sentences.

Young adult urban fantasy romance. It's about a girl who lives in Seattle who is alone and broken and ready to give up on life. After an exceptionally rough night, she meets Jude, a mysterious but kind guy who shows an unnatural interest in her well-being. Let's just say after that her life is flipped upside down.

2. I see that Washington has made an impact on your novel. How is that so?

I have lived in Washington state my entire life, and I have a deep love for it. I was born in Seattle, and have been back countless times throughout my life, and all the surrounding areas. My dad loves the outdoors, and when I was growing up he took us all over the state, camping, hiking, four-wheeling. So I feel I got to know it very well. And although it feels like two very different places--the green forested west side and the brown desert that's the east side, where I live--I love them both. When I started writing Emerald City, I knew right away I would set in somewhere in Washington, because it's all I've ever known.

3. Your love story with your husband was incredible. Can you share it with us? And can we find some bits and pieces of your love in Emerald City?

Our story is amazing, one of those things that's so incredible you just couldn't make it up. It would make for one heck of a novel, and I've always thought maybe I'll write it one day. We "met" online in a chat room almost exactly 12 years ago. We saw we were both from Washington, so we started instant messaging privately within the chat room. At first it was pretty casual, but quickly went beyond that, and it wasn't long before it was very apparent we both felt something. We exchanged email addresses and chatted online all night long, every day for four or five days, by which time we had told each other how we felt. By day three I knew this was the guy I was going to spend the rest of my life with. This was back when technology didn't allow for sharing pictures online as easily as it does now, so we had no pictures of each other. On day six we spoke on the phone for the first time and he told me he loved me. On day seven we spoke on the phone again, and this time he proposed. I said yes without hesitation. We were unable to meet in person for almost another week due to our work schedules, but when we did, we started a whirlwind romance and began planning our wedding, which happened just over three months later. 12 years later we are happily married with 2 amazing kids and he is my best friend in the world.

There are definite bits and pieces of us sprinkled throughout Emerald City, like our first date on the pier and Jude's dimples. I couldn't write a love story without adding some of my own in!

4. What are the crazy stuffs you do everyday?

I don't know if anything I do every day would qualify as crazy! Boring, maybe. Typical stay at home mom stuff: carpooling, grocery shopping, cleaning, laundry, volunteering at my kids' school. Exciting stuff like that. I do take a nap, usually the highlight of my day. And right now I'm almost constantly working on some kind of marketing for my book. Soon it will be back to writing all day long!

5. Can we get an idea of what you were writing before Emerald City?
Bits and pieces of such insignificant stuff I can't even remember. Nothing that could even be considered a story. 

6. Any advice to aspiring authors?

Write what you love, and make that your focus--not getting published, not while you're still writing. When you've written your masterpiece and have it exactly where you want it, there will be plenty of time to worry about getting published. If you're spending all your energy on getting published while you're trying to write, it will come across in your work. If you put everything you have into your work, every drop of blood, sweat and tears, you'll have something amazing that you're proud of that people should want to publish. And you'll believe in it so much that you'll do whatever it takes to make that happen.

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Alicia's Website 

Alicia's Facebook

Alicia on GoodReads

Pre-Order Emerald City on Amazon

Cedar Fort Blog 

Cedar Fort Facebook 

Cedar Fort's Twitter 

Cedar Fort on GoodReads 

Here's the calender for the book tour. Be sure to visit other blogs!

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
			March	1	2	3
				Getting Your Read On/ Literary Time Out/	Love of Books 409/	Krazy Book Lady/
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Daisy Chain’s Chocolate-Covered Books/	Twisting The Lens/ LDS Women’s Book Review/	It’s All About Me/	Curiosity Killed the Book/	A Daydreamer’s Thoughts/ Lovey Dovey Books/	A Casual Reader’s Blog/ Jez’s Bookcase/	Book Spark/
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
Blackbird in my Window/	Jessy’s Bookends/	Totally Booked Solid/	Small Southern Girl Writing in A Big Big World/	Bookworm Lisa/ The Write Web/ Roro Is Reading/	Book Briefs/ Jera’s Jamboree/ Blooming with Books/	So Simple Sara/
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Author Cindy C. Bennett/	Dandee Designs/	Family Reads/ Fiction Fascination/	Diana’s Amazing Book Adventures/	Bonnie Gets a Say/ Bloggin’ ’bout Books/	Book Lover’s Paradise/	Let Them Read Books/ Becky’s Barmy Book Blog/
25	26	27	28	29	30
	Fire and Ice Photos/	Sweet Southern Home/	Mundie Moms/

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Giveaway and Book Tour

One city of 600,000 people.

One broken girl.

One mysterious boy.

One fateful night,

Two worlds collide.  

Seattle, Washington. The sprawling, industrious city set in a blanket of pine. I have never known a day that wasn’t spent inside this concrete jungle. It’s my home, and for that I love it. But it’s also the setting for the tragedy called my life, and so I loathe it.

I live alone in a cold, empty studio apartment. The tiny square room closely resembles a cell. That’s my life: solitary confinement.

Here, in this desolate place that perfectly reflects my soul, my story begins.

The Book Tour of Emerald City has started! There will be an author interview on March 9, be sure to come back for it. The giveaway's to be started on March 9, and ends on March 31. Here's the Rafflecopter:


a Rafflecopter giveaway 


Alicia's Website 

Alicia's Facebook

Alicia on GoodReads

Pre-Order Emerald City on Amazon

Cedar Fort Blog 

Cedar Fort Facebook 

Cedar Fort's Twitter 

Cedar Fort on GoodReads 

Here's the calender for the book tour. Be sure to visit other blogs!

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
			March	1	2	3
				Getting Your Read On/ Literary Time Out/	Love of Books 409/	Krazy Book Lady/
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Daisy Chain’s Chocolate-Covered Books/	Twisting The Lens/ LDS Women’s Book Review/	It’s All About Me/	Curiosity Killed the Book/	A Daydreamer’s Thoughts/ Lovey Dovey Books/	A Casual Reader’s Blog/ Jez’s Bookcase/	Book Spark/
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
Blackbird in my Window/	Jessy’s Bookends/	Totally Booked Solid/	Small Southern Girl Writing in A Big Big World/	Bookworm Lisa/ The Write Web/ Roro Is Reading/	Book Briefs/ Jera’s Jamboree/ Blooming with Books/	So Simple Sara/
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Author Cindy C. Bennett/	Dandee Designs/	Family Reads/ Fiction Fascination/	Diana’s Amazing Book Adventures/	Bonnie Gets a Say/ Bloggin’ ’bout Books/	Book Lover’s Paradise/	Let Them Read Books/ Becky’s Barmy Book Blog/
25	26	27	28	29	30
	Fire and Ice Photos/	Sweet Southern Home/	Mundie Moms/

Recap: Giveaways, Book Tours and Others

Okay, here is the brief note of what's happening on my blog.

Giveaway:
Fractured Light
The New Death and Others

Book Tour
Emerald City Virtual Book Tour

Interviews
James Hutchings

Guest Post
James Hutchings on Creative Commons

Review
Another Jekyll, Another Hyde
New Girl
Fractured Light

Interview: James Hutchings

I'm honored to have microfiction author, James Hutchings for an interview today. He published  Two-Fisted Tweets and The New Death, which you'll soon read a review of. Without further ado, let's hear what Hutchings have to say: 

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1. Tell us about your new book
 
It's a collection of stories and poems, 63 pieces in all. It's only a bit over 41,000 words in total, so most of them are quite short. Most of the stories are fantasy, but there's some 'general fiction' in there as well. The style ranges from funny to very grim. I'm much more influenced by older writers like Tolkien and Robert E Howard. In fact I've never read any of the Harry Potter, Twilight or Game of Thrones series, or most other popular modern fantasy authors.

2. Why short stories and poems? You seem to have a career in science fiction already.
 
Fantasy novels nowadays tend to be very long books in long series, but the writers I read, with the obvious exception of Tolkien, mostly wrote short stories. Even when they put out novels they were often 'fix-ups': several previously-published short stories with the same setting that were then turned into parts of a novel, perhaps with some rewriting and new material. So I guess I've followed that.

The poetry I write isn't as obviously influenced by my reading though. Perhaps Tolkien's poetry in Lord of the Rings is the clearest link.

I've had a few things published, but I certainly wouldn't call it a career.

3. Can you share your journey of writing and publishing with us?
 
I did a Bachelor of Arts majoring in creative writing and media, but I didn't do anything with it after graduating. Years later I created a fantasy city called Teleleli or Telelee as a background for role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons. Once I finished I realised there wasn't any demand for it. My ex suggested I write stories instead, and that's how I got started.
 
4. Tell us how was a day in James Hutcherson's shoe.
 
Probably pretty relaxed, since I usually go barefoot (or just wear socks in the house).

5. Is there any thing you need when you're writing?
 
Not really. I've heard some writers say they can only write in a particular room, or only on an old typewriter or something, but I've never had anything like that. I do a lot of writing on bus or train trips.

6. Was writing what you'd always wanted to do?
 
I think I've wanted to do something creative since I was a teenager. But I've tried several different things, such as music and filmmaking, before I finally settled on writing. To be honest, if it turned out that I was actually better at, say, painting than writing, I think I'd be happy to change. So in a sense I still haven't decided.

7. Books and writing aside - what is you favorite:
- novel (okay, just one book related question) 
I mostly read short stories rather than novels, so these are individual stories rather than books:

HP Lovecraft, The Doom That Came to Sarnath
Robert E Howard, The Tower of the Elephant
Clark Ashton Smith, The Garden of Adompha
Franz Kafka, Jackals and Arabs
Ursula Le Guin, The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas 

- movie     Titanic.
- drink       tea.
- past time 
My main hobby after writing is coding online games. I spent several years writing an online game called Age of Fable (www.ageoffable.net). I don't have any plans to do more on it, but it's still online, and you can play it for free. I'm currently working on an online 'card' game, like Yu-Gi-Oh or Pokemon. I've also done a few smaller projects. For example I did an online version of the computer game Oregon Trail.

8. What is the one thing you can't live without?
 
My computer. Or my internet connection, if I'm allowed to count that as a 'thing'.

9. Describe the following in one word:
- your collection                  Sparse.
- you             Freshly-shaved (this is actually true: I shaved my head just before writing this).
- your favorite past time    writing.
- your daily routine             Slovenly.
- your writing routine          Persistent.
- your journey of publishing  Quick (since I self-published).

10. Since you made it - what is your advice to inspiring authors? 

I really haven't made it. But since you asked:

Nowadays anyone can self-publish. If you can make a Word document, you can have an ebook on Smashwords or Amazon. However that means that if your work is no good, no one's going to stop you. I'd recommend that people get onto Critique Circle(www.critiquecircle.com) and/or Scribophile (www.scribophile.com), put their work up, and listen to what people tell you. Don't 'defend' your work against people's 'attacks'. They aren't attacks, they're helping you. I've found that the people who defend their work have a strong tendency to have the worst writing, I suppose because they're not making the changes they need to make.

My next point doesn't matter if you're going to self-publish, but it is important if you want to be published by a regular publisher, or if you want to submit stories to magazines. Most places won't publish work that's already been published. And most places count putting a story on the internet as publishing it. In my opinion that's silly, but that's what they do. Scribophile and Critique Circle are exceptions, because google doesn't index them and you can't see any stories without logging on. However there are writing group websites out there where, if you put a story on the site, that counts as the story being published. That seems like a really terrible way to set things up, but they're out there.

I'd also say that getting a book out isn't the final step. It's just the start of the work of self-promotion. This is true even if you're not self-publishing: I'm told that authors are expected to pretty much arrange their own book signings and so on (if you just want to have a book out to show family and friends then this doesn't matter, of course).

There are a lot of sharks out there, who make their money from authors and not from readers. They will make all sorts of promises about how they're going to promote you and help you, but these are lies. Authors do not pay publishers, ever, and if they're asking you to pay then it's a scam. Of course if you're self-publishing you might end up paying someone to design a cover for you, or you might pay for internet advertising, but those are different things. You might also pay a printer to print your books if you want to get physical books rather than ebooks - but in this age of the kindle and print-on-demand I don't know why you'd want to. Preditors and Editors (www.pred-ed.com) is a good website to look at, and you can get good advice at the forums of Critique Circle.

Finally, I'd suggest learning to touch-type if you can't already. You're going to be doing a lot of typing, and every hour you spend getting faster at typing will save you ten in the long run.

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That's it from James for now. Remeber to check back for review, guest post and giveaway!

Find The New Death on:

Amazon

Barnes and Nobles

Smashwords

Interview : RHIANNON PAILLE

     

    Hi! We're flattered to have Rhiannon Paille for an interview today. Rhiannon a psychic, a metaphysical therapist and the author of The Ferryman and The Flame series. Her first book, FLAME OF SURRENDER is coming out on November 1st, 2011, which means it's just a few weeks away. Without further ado, let us hear what Rhiannon has to say.

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Tell us about your new book

Flame of Surrender, the first book in The Ferryman and The Flame series is a tragic love story between a boy that is destined to become the ferryman and a girl that is a flame, one of nine individually hand crafted weapons hidden in the body of a seemingly harmless girl. 

Can you share your journey of writing and publishing with us?

Sure, but it's not all that interesting ;) I did what everyone else does, I wrote stuff, it was horrifying, I beta tested it, revised it, queried, got shot down, and eventually by chance began talking with an editor who was interested. The whole thing about my publication deal is that technically, I called him about his company coming out to an event I work with, and I ended up pitching him over the phone. About 8 weeks after that, I signed a book contract with him.

What was the spark/inspiration that made you write Flame of Surrender?

Have you ever thought you heard a story as a kid, and you know it so by heart that you can recite it by heart if asked? That's how The Ferryman and The Flame has been for me. I've known this story like the back of my hand for as long as I can remember that part of me feels like it really happened at some point history and that the story was lost. That Chapter 0 bit about Kemplan finding the lost parchment . . . I actually own the original parchment that was based on. I found it pressed into the pages of a book in my husband's house. No, I've never gone so far as to have it checked out, it just provided endless inspiration for the building blocks of a story that I've known bits and pieces of my entire life.

Tell us how was a day in Rhiannon Paille's shoe.

You're right, some days I'm only wearing one shoe and about ten different hats at the same time. I'm a mom, a store owner's wife, a secretary for a major annual festival event, a metaphysical therapist, an author, and a freelance writer for various spirituality publications. 

Half the time I have no time to breathe.

What's your favorite thing about being an author?

I don't have one favorite thing about it, I have about ten thousand favorite things. I love writing down the scenes that have been stuck in my head forever. I love seeing the cosplayers in my character's costumes, I love shooting the book trailers, I love the fans and their perceptions of the book (both good and bad) and I love the entire process.

Better question would be what I dislike and by far, the copy editing process wins.

Was writing what you'd always wanted to do?

No, this might sound awkward but I wanted to be a singer. I had dreams of being a major recording artist and touring the world. When I was 18, I tried out for Canadian Idol and I failed, and those dreams just faded away. I replaced them with other dreams of becoming one of the best metaphysical therapists in the country and writing great books both non-fiction and fiction. 

Is there any thing you need when you're writing?

 I need music. I found I couldn't write something without the perfect music to go along with the character's mind frame. 

Books and writing aside - what is you favorite: 

- novel (okay, just one book related question)  Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater 

- movie        The Holiday with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet

- drink         Canadian Iced Tea and 7-Eleven Slurpees

- past time   Karaoke . . . it's an addiction, and admittedly I don't do it enough. 

 What is the one thing you can't live without?

My husband. There used to be a lot of people that would tear me down for my lofty goals. They wanted me to have more realistic goals and to be like everyone else. The problem is, I'm not like everyone else, not even a little bit. My husband embraced me for who I am and he had similar lofty goals. Together we have helped each other get to where we are today. I can't live without him, he can't live without me, we just make a great team. 

Since you made it - what is your advice to inspiring authors?

If you have a really awesome idea for a book, but you've never written a book before, write something else. Once you get your pacing, style, and personal preferences down, then you can take out that shiny awesome idea and turn it into the best book you've ever written. 

In case you're wondering, Flame of Surrender was the first full length novel I've ever written and I wish I had written something else first because I will always feel like there's something still flawed in this first book. I suppose that's because this was a growing book and I had to rewrite it about four times before I finally got it right and I feel in some ways that it'll never be perfect.  

At least that's behind me now, I won't be able to change things when it comes out so all I can do is move on to the train wreck that book 2 is and the shiny first draft of the third book. 

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Thanks Rhiannon, for sharing your life in one shoe! We will be waiting for your book. Have a nice day!


Find Flame of Surrender on :
Goodreads

Find Rhiannon on :

Twitter 

Facebook 

Blog 

Website

Another author interview : Raymond Rose

Interview : RAYMOND ROSE

Raymond Rose is the author of The Fire Inside and Better Together. He is now a loving husband and the father of two kids. 

Here is my interview with Mr. Rose :

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1. What's your opinion on everything's that happening in Egypt right now?

So you asked me this question when Egypt was just starting to go through Arab Spring.  Now, by the time I answer the question, President Hosni Mubarak has stepped down and the transitional government is setting things up.  Obviously, I'm pro-revolution if it means the end to a regime that is suffocating its people.  In many ways, watching what happened this spring must be much like watching what happened in America many, many years ago.  Just without Facebook.

2. What's your thoughts on radioactive substances?

This is definitely one of the many areas where I am not smart enough about such things to have strong opinions.  On the subject of nuclear energy, I guess I'm pro-nuclear.  I would have to be since I live less than three miles from a massive nuclear power plant.  It seems like the safest viable form of energy creation right now (solar and wind energy being just not there yet).  The history of coal and natural gas is littered with bodies.  But, then there's Chernobyl and now Japan.  Such events horrify me.  Plus there's the toxic waste.  All I can say is that we need to step up our game in the solar and wind energy creation.  Short of a windmill or solar panel falling on someone, the risks seem very minor.

3. What's your take on social websites?

Love 'em!  I love Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare (I'm a big user), LinkedIn, GoodReads, and many more that I'm totally forgetting.  I love meeting new people, sharing things, starting events, looking at pictures, talking to people, finding new things, all of it!  We wouldn't have indie authors reaching their audiences right now if it wasn't for Social Media.  The Publishing Revolution is televised... because of Social Media!

4. What's the place you would want to visit at this moment?

Scotland.  I've been dying to go since I read Diana Gabaldon's and Iain Rankin's novels.  I want to walk the streets of Edinburgh, stroll through Inverness, hike the Highlands.  I want to go to Scotland so bad.  Soon enough.  Right now I've got small kids so traveling's been put on the kibosh.  But soon enough...

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Raymond's books : 

Paul Rhoads, a successful horror novelist, has moved back to his hometown in Pennsylvania.  Moving back home turns out to be more than just returning to his roots but starting up a relationship with his high school sweetheart, Annie.  Annie, recently divorced, is the mother of a precious eight month old, Max.  However, when Annie dies in a freak car accident, Paul finds himself catapulted into the role of father and decides to do something he would never have imagined himself doing: raise Max as his own.

Jack’s life isn’t the most exciting but it’s a life. One that he’s created over the past ten years to suit him. That is, until Bruce, Jack’s best friend comes to town. Bruce, a Federal Agent, is on an uber-secret mission to save the city. Instead, he’s murdered. Suddenly, Jack has no choice but to become what he was before: a crime-fighter.

Ten years ago, Jack and Bruce were Teen Protectors, costumed crime-fighters under the tutelage of their mentors, The Protectors. One night, a horrible battle erupted between superheroes and villains that left half of the city ruined and thousands dead. The government banned all superpowers and Jack, presumed dead, remained that way.

However, now, Bruce is dead and Jack sets out to solve his best friend’s murder. With the help of new allies (including a man who can turn invisible and a woman who can become pure information), villains old and new (including his ex-girlfriend) bent to stop him, Jack will walk a world he left – a world more complicated and dangerous than he ever knew – and find some answers.

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Find Raymond Rose on :

Blog : http://raymondmrose.tumblr.com/

Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/pages/Raymond-Rose/156167557775194

Twitter : @TheRaymondMRose