Stephanie O' Brien Interview

First off, tell us a little bit about you, Stephanie... 

I’m a genre-hopping fan and creator of fiction, who spends more time with my head in fictional worlds than is entirely good for my schedule and navigational skills. (Oh, I was supposed to turn left there? Shoot, I was busy writing a novel in my head.) My favorites tend to be sci-fi stories, but I also love fantasy, and if something is really good, genre is no object.

Tell us about your books/What genre do you consider them? 

I’ve written in multiple genres. “My Fugitive” and “Voice of a Silent Fugitive” are wartime psychological suspense novels, starring a mute, wounded warrior and a young civilian girl who are trying to keep each other alive in enemy territory. “Heroic Lies” is a superhero sci-fi novel which takes the classic hero-villain-reporter trio and puts a dark new spin on it, and “Catigrl Roommate” is a comedy novel.

When did you start writing? 

About as early as I knew how. I finished my first full-length novel when I was 12, and wrote a short book and a few half-finished projects before then.

Why do you write? 
Because I enjoy it. I like creating and exploring worlds and characters, and evoking emotions, that reflect and yet differ from the ones we encounter in everyday life.

What would be your choice for a superpower? 

The ability to magically create any object I wanted, with no negative side effects to myself or the universe. This would pretty much enable me to replicate any other superpower.

Who is your favorite author? 

That’s a tough one, but I’m going to say Karen Hancock.

What are you reading now? 

 “The Wizard’s First Rule”.

Who is your favorite character to write? 

I think so far Zorei from “Heroic Lies” has been my favorite. He’s one of those rare gems who practically writes himself, but I enjoyed writing Alexandra, too. They play off each other so well.

Do you have a writing process? 

 First, I write a quick outline. As much of each scene as pops into my head at the time. This lets me see an outline of the whole story, and rearrange parts of it if need be to ensure that it flows well and that all the events are in order. Then I go through the whole book and flesh it out. If a new scene pops into my head, or I get a burst of inspiration to write a scene later in the book, I write it down and then go back to where I left off.

What advice would you give to an aspiring author? 

For one thing, don’t wait to write “candy bar scenes” until you get to that part of the book. If you’ve got a scene that you’re REALLY looking forward to writing, and it’s vivid and wonderful in your mind, write it down NOW. There have been several times when I’ve had an amazing scene write itself in my head, but I waited for months to actually type it out, and by the time it did, the sparkle was gone. It was three times as hard to write, and the result was half as good.

Another piece of advice is, don’t be afraid to make your characters really unusual or unique. Give them quirks, even if the characters and quirks are minor. How many times have you seen a minor character become an internet sensation, just because people loved the one little oddity that they displayed?

A third is to remember that bestselling authors are just that: best SELLING authors, not best WRITING authors. I really hated this piece of advice when I got it, but it’s true: if you don’t sell many books, it isn’t necessarily because you’re a bad writer; it’s because you aren’t marketing and selling your book effectively. So if you plan to self-publish, or even if you want to catch a publisher’s attention, you need to learn how to get people interested.

What inspired you to pursue writing? 

As noted earlier, I enjoy it. Despite my above advice, I’ll admit that I probably don’t spend nearly enough time marketing my books, because most of my marketing efforts are focused on my other business. And yet, I keep writing, because I like it.

What are your favorite TV shows/Movies to watch in between writing? 
“Farscape” is my current favorite. “Puella Magi Madoka Magica”, “Firefly”, “Serenity”, and “Star Trek” are also high on my list.

What are your current projects? 

I’m currently working on a comedy novel for cat lovers, called “Catgirl Roommate”. It’s about a poor college student who accepted an offer of free rent in exchange for taking care of his “special needs” roommate. Unfortunately for him, his new roommate is a catgirl. She’s the size of a human, but with all the bad habits of a cat, so I’m sure the cat owners reading this can imagine the crap he has to put up with.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to readers? 

Would it be cliche and obvious of me to say “check out my books”? Haha. (PS. Go check out her books here! ~ GFV) Just as importantly, for all the fans and writers who are reading this: have fun with it, fearlessly. If you have a story to write, go and write it, just the way you want to – not the way that you think will sell best, or the way you think other people want you to write it. And if you have a story or franchise you totally adore, geek out about it. Get into communities of people who share your passion, and be honest about your obsession. After all, fiction helps us to connect with each other, and with parts of ourselves that don’t have enough room to stretch their legs in day-to-day life, so why not love it?

Quick Fire:
Cats or dogs? Cats, even if their bad behaviour inspired me to write a book.
Coffee or tea? Tea.
Favorite food? Chocolate.
Vanilla or chocolate ice-cream? Chocolate, of course. :)
What are 3 things you never leave home without? My purse, the clothes on my back, and my cell phone.
Laptop or desktop? Laptop.
Who are 3 famous people you would to hang out with? Masashi Kishimoto, Wayne Pygram, and Mary Morrissey.

TV or Movies? TV. I like how it has more time to develop the characters, world and plot.

Visit me on my AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE to borrow any of my books for FREE!

Best-selling author of Wake the Dead! On Amazon Kindle here!

All Artwork and covers of my works by William J. Kenney & Carlos Cara

All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2014 unless otherwise noted.

Natalie Buske Thomas Interview

Thanks again for stopping by for another round of interviews with some fabulous authors as I continue to give you more options to choose from. Today we have the pleasure of finding out some things about mystery writer, Natalie Buske. 

Tell us a little bit about you, Natalie

I write the Serena Wilcox mystery series, and a few stand-alone books. I’m also an oil painter. I’m part Irish and I enjoy that culture – I want to visit Ireland in the near future. Faith and resilience are driving forces in my life, as I have suffered many losses.  I was born in upstate New York, raised in Indiana, lived in Germany for the first three years of my married life, and now reside in the Twin Cities area with my husband and three children.

Tell us about your books

The Serena Wilcox Mysteries began in 1998 with a small red cheaply-printed paperback.  I wrote three mysteries before taking a decade-long break from mystery writing. I wrote and directed plays and screenplays for local community theater. I sank myself into choreography, set design, and videography. When I moved on from my theater program I returned to writing mystery novels.

 The early books, that I started when I was in my twenties, are so light on word count that they are novellas or short stories, not full length novels as I thought I was writing. Those first three books (Gene Play, 1998, Virtual Memories, 1999, and Camp Conviction, 2000) are now bundled into a 3-book e-book for 99 cents. There are few print copies floating around. I literally burned hundreds of them in a giant bonfire, thinking I had moved on to a career in theater anyway, so what’s the point of keeping those around? Now of course I’m kicking myself for not saving at least a few extra copies of the first book I wrote, the one that is laughably bad.

The series evolved from those early works (short stand-alone page-turners) into full length futuristic thrillers (storylines that are deeply connected and must be read in order).  In 2011, the Serena Wilcox Mysteries “dystopian trilogy” was launched. The first book in the series, Angels Mark, 2011, was my break-through novel. It was followed by Covert Coffee, 2012. Bluebird Flown  is in progress now, scheduled to be published September 2013. After the current political-thriller trilogy wraps up, the Serena Wilcox Mysteries will take off in a new direction. The theme for the next trilogy is a secret for now.

The Serena Wilcox Mysteries includes an interactive reading game. Choose Your Own Mystery: Agent Estep is available now, free, at www.nataliebuskethomas.com .  Additional games will be added on a regular basis, featuring different characters from the series. The game is played from the POV of the female protagonist: You are Serena Wilcox, former private detective, hired by President Ann Kinji to flush out corrupt government insiders and politicians.

The series, beginning with Angels Mark in 2011, is hard-hitting and hardboiled, but clean. The series is set in the near future, with many of the plot lines turning up in the news after publication. The books are fast-paced and switch POV from chapter to chapter. They are quirky and unusual books, and are often categorized as “humorous” by readers. It is the kind of series that has attracted passionately loyal fans, and haters alike. It seems that readers either love it or hate it, there’s no “meh” option.

When did you start writing?

My first published work was a poem I wrote when I was eleven years old. My father sent it off to the local newspaper and we were all so proud when it was published. I haven’t stopped writing since.

Why do you write?

It’s how I’m wired.

What would be your choice for a superpower?

I get only one choice? Can I time travel? If not, then I’ll take flying, even if I have to wear a cape.

Who is your favorite author?

I can only choose one? This is an odd choice for me, given that I dislike animal stories and I’m usually bored by classic literature, but I’d have to say James Herriot. His writing style is an escape for me. I’ve read his books several times over and I've also watched the BBC television series based on his books. I’d love to take the tour of the areas he wrote about. It would mean traveling abroad though, and I hate to fly. If only I had the super powers you offered me earlier.

What are you reading now?

I’m reading an inspirational self-help book right now about healing. I was my mother’s caregiver and every now and then I feel a little blue. I lost Dad to cancer when he was thirty-seven years old, I had just turned sixteen. With no one else available, taking care of Mom fell heavily on me. That journey was fairly recent, two years ago. I’m still working through a few things.

Who is your favorite character to write?

I can only choose one? You've been rather stingy. I’d go with President Ann Kinji or The Beav, but I've turned things around with Serena Wilcox in this book (Bluebird Flown) and I like writing from her POV more. Usually my answer is nearly any other character but Serena, because she is too much like me and therefore I find her boring and even annoying. I've stepped up some though, I guess I like myself better.

Do you have a writing process?

Yes. I didn't use to; I always “winged it”. Thus the first three novellas-that-were-supposed-to-be-novels are an embarrassment to me. Nowadays I’ve matured. I've been forced to. I’m juggling family needs and other career projects. If I don’t have a system not much gets done. I spend the groggy first hour or two in the mornings catching up with social media and other promotional tasks, including writing guest blogs or any other writing that takes me away from writing books. Next, I work on my current book project. I keep at it until I reach a natural stopping point. I don’t usually write more than two hours on any given day. When I write, it’s fast and furious. When I find myself staring at the screen too much, it’s quitting time. Between writing sessions I jot down ideas, stray thoughts, and brilliant plans in one of my many journals lying around the house. I also do research and promotion between writing sessions. Some of my other projects relate to writing. So even though I only spend a good solid hour or two of actual in-the-zone writing, it is quality writing that has been well prepared for through research and notes ahead of time. I do give myself flexibility to free-write also. And, if I am in-the-zone past my usual time-frame I keep going. Sometimes I crank out a ridiculous amount of work in one day. I go with the flow, but I stay on a schedule. I am on a one-book-a-year schedule, with other book projects and other creative projects in between.

What advice would you give to an aspiring author?

As hard as it is to see the big picture, do your best to see your writing projects as only one rock in the career wall you are building. Someday your wall will be impressively high, but it must be built one rock at a time. Yes, some authors plop down a huge boulder, usually with the help from a whole team of people, from book one: Off they go – instant success! But the reality is that this scenario is like winning the lottery and it does rely more on luck than skill. If you are not exceptionally lucky, your realistic plan for success is to keep adding more rocks to your wall, no matter how small, and no matter how many years it takes you. Each promotional tool, each contact, each new reader, and especially each new book, is a rock. One day you will climb your wall to place a new rock on it and you’ll be nearly dizzy from the height! You’ll realize how far you've come. You’ll look down at where you used to be and you’ll be so proud of all you've accomplished.  You will also have a paycheck.

What inspired you to pursue writing?

I needed no inspiration. It’s what I do. How fabulous to get paid for it, sort of. I have to do a lot of other work I don’t particularly enjoy to promote the books that I write. That’s why I add an element of fun to the (mostly unpaid) non-writing work that I do. For example, next weekend is an author event held at a local winery. Yeah, don’t feel too sorry for me.

What are your favorite TV shows/Movies to watch in between writing?

Finally you are letting me choose more than one! I love, love TV. I hate watching a show that I don’t like though, I can be intolerant. The TV is off all day because I can’t bear the noise. But in the evening when I’m ready to zombie out, I enjoy: Doc Martin, Doctor Who, NCIS, Covert Affairs, White Collar, The Office, and more. I’d love for my own books to be a TV series. I’d rather watch a book than read it, which is a totally uncool thing for an author to say, I know, but ooh the HD! The soundtrack! I just love doing book trailers. I’m an oil painter in my “other” job – I am a highly visual person. And well, I really like eating snacks and watching TV with my family, hard to share a book that way.

Natalie Buske Thomas, author of the Serena Wilcox Mysteries

www.nataliebuskethomas.com

Twitter: @writernbt

 Please join me and the other amazingly talented authors over @ Skulldust Circle where we have formed a Writer's Circle that must be seen--a collection of brilliant, up & coming independently published speculative fiction authors with much to give both now and in the future!

All of my work can be found on AMAZON -- Kindle versions here

See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!

Please visit MY HOME PAGE to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to purchase my full length novel, Covenant of the Faceless Knights, the short stories: Wothlondia Rising, and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!

All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2012 unless otherwise noted.

A ROSE IN BLOOM FREE AGAIN!

This Friday and Saturday (May 18th & 19th), My Wothlondia Rising 2: A ROSE IN BLOOM will be absolutely FREE! This will be the last 2 days for the FREE promotions, so snag yourself a copy and step into the gritty world of this youthful rogue as she learns some valuable life lessons!

CLICK ME!

DISTANT FAMILIARITY Continues

I felt I needed to revisit this subject to clear things up. I simply wanted everyone to know (especially new readers to the Realm of Ashenclaw series) that all of the Wothlondia Rising 99 cent short stories are prequels to my novel, Covenant of the Faceless Knights (which is getting a makeover shortly--in progress--will keep you posted).

The short stories take one of the main characters and describes life-altering events approximately twelve years prior to the novel which helps place the characters on their chosen paths. I've had a few readers ask me questions regarding my Wothlondia Rising series, so I wanted to reiterate their purpose.

The events that take place specifically in DISTANT FAMILIARITY detail happenings that continue right here! Enjoy this free excerpt from my novel and I hope you come back for more!

                                                          

                                                

(If you've read Distant Familiarity, please read this!)

PROLOGUE

to Covenant of the Faceless Knights

                                                                                                 

 

            The heavy oak door to the council chamber creaked open, swinging wide as three battered and bruised forms entered the room. They each sat heavily in one of the many plush chairs surrounding a conference table at the center of the room.

"Me thinks that could have gone better," Rolin Hardbeard sighed, wiping a contrasting bit of dried blood from his full and white beard. Even for a dwarf who was obviously past his prime adventuring years, Rolin was a ruggedly built warrior, but this hour had him looking haggard and tired. His age was evident, as was his broken spirit.

"You have a talent for stating the obvious my dwarven friend," slurred a beautiful half-elven woman with hair the color of polished silver through what was quite possibly a broken jaw. Rolin managed a brief laugh as he removed his heavy, steel helmet and ran his fingers through his blood specked and thinning hair. His hard, gray eyes lightened somewhat to regard his emotionally distraught friend.

"Me dear Nimaira Silvershade, after all the years we spent takin’ down giants and ogres, countless trolls and undead, and ye are only now realizin’ I be a dwarf of many talents?" Rolin asked sardonically.

Nimaira began to laugh, but the pain in her jaw immediately distorted that laugh, twisting it instead into a grimace as tears slowly welled in her sapphire eyes. Rolin's light hearted visage turned down sympathetically at his friend’s obvious pain.

The human priest, Tiyarnon, directed a weak smile at his two closest friend’s familiar banter as he tugged thoughtfully at his ever-graying beard. It was comforting for him to have his friends nearby at a time like this, having dealt with the pain and guilt for so many years himself. It also brought a bittersweet twinge of nostalgia.

How long had it been since the three of them had time to spend together outside of official duties? Tiyarnon thought. By The Shimmering One, it had been too long!  If they survive this nightmare he silently pledged to ensure that they would make more time for camaraderie and reminiscing in the days to come. Tiyarnon's musings were interrupted by the arrival of a servant, standing within the shadows of the doorway.

"My Lords, My Lady,” he began with a reverent bow and then continued. “We did not know you had returned; forgive us for our incompetence," spoke the servant humbly, keeping his eyes down and bowing repeatedly from beneath a hooded, brown robe.

Rolin Hardbeard, never comfortable with being doted on, waved the groveling attendant's concerns away and directed a comment toward him. “Stand up straight ye durned fool! How many time must we be tellin’ ye that we are folk just as yerself? Just bring Nimaira some medicinal balms, for my beard’s sake!” Rolin barked after a short pause, then continued, “Tiyarnon here has exhausted himself and we got nothin much left.” The servant retreated backwards through the door, still insisting on bowing the entire time. "And bring me some durned ale while yer at it!" The dwarf shouted after him as the man disappeared into the hallway and out of sight.

"Now what do we do?" Nimaira said, addressing the topic at hand. Rolin simply shrugged, resigned to the fact that they had given a superb effort in their task.

"Get some rest, and try again on the morrow. What else can we be doin?" Rolin responded confidently, his pride obviously still at the forefront of his façade. The dwarf, despite his age and markedly weakened frame, was not one to give up. Stubbornness was evident in all dwarves and this one doubly so, thought Nimaira as she shook her head in clear respect for the brave warrior. She had witnessed that bravery firsthand hundreds of times throughout their careers.

"I'm afraid it won't matter,” Nimaira admitted as she shook her head gingerly. “You were there Rolin! You know as well as I do that we do not have the resources or the raw ability to succeed," Nimaira continued and winced at both that realization and her smarting jaw.

 The thought of failure sat heavily in the dwarf's heart. Never being comfortable with losing a battle or even an argument and always willing to fight to the very end for his beliefs, Rolin started to protest. All of his objections died before passing his lips as he recalled the scene in his head and recognized that any further attempts would ultimately end in failure. Rolin knew Nimaira was right. Neither of them knew the answer, and both of them looked just then to Tiyarnon.

Tiyarnon was wise and calculating beyond his years despite his shorter lifespan compared to the others in the room. While not nearly as old as the dwarf or the half-elf in years, they always thought of Tiyarnon as their patriarch, as did many others in Oakhaven.  He had an intuitive way of looking at a situation from multiple points of view, and making the proper decision based on what was best for everyone, even in times of personal grief. Because of that, his two closest friends were looking to him for a solution now, during what certainly was their darkest hour.

Tiyarnon sighed as he ran his hands across the gray stubble atop his head, the remains of a thick head of hair, further reminding him of his age. As he spun his chair away from them for a moment, he caught his reflection in the glass of the conference room window and saw the leathery skin and prominent gray beard encompassing his face. After a moment of silence, he sighed deeply and turned back to face his friends. 

Looking his companions in the eyes Tiyarnon said in a steady and serious tone, “We must appeal for help to the Inquisition,” he began.  “And not only the Inquisition, but the chapter of holy warriors that exists within the walls of Safehold.”

The half-elf woman’s eyes widened as a look of realization crept across her face, and then asked “Does that mean…?“

“Yes,” Tiyarnon said, picking up where the half-elf left off. “We must call upon The Order of The Faceless Knights."

(Special thanks to Nicholas Titano for helping me with this!) 

 See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!

Please visit MY HOME PAGE to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to purchase my full length novel, Covenant of the Faceless Knights, the short stories: Wothlondia Rising, and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!

Cover art on Distant Familiarity provided by William Kenney!

All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2012 unless otherwise noted.