The Same Six Questions - Jennifer Word

Welcome back everyone! I just spent a week in sunny Arizona. Beautiful state, but we were running around like crazy and I'm glad to be home, sleeping in my own bed.

Jennifer Word is an award-winning poet and editor inSouthern California. She holds a B.A. inPsychology from Pepperdine University. Her short fiction and poetry has been featured in The Storyteller Magazine, The Klondike Sun, Dark Moon Digest, Dark Eclipse e-Magazine, and the Frightmares and Slices of Flesh anthologies. She is also the author of The Poe Toaster, All Because of the Cat, and Higher Love.

Jennifer lives with her two beautiful children. When she's not busy writing, she enjoys Yoga, and taking care of her two cats, two guinea pigs and a plecostamus in a homemade aquarium.

The Same Six Questions

1. Have you published a book yet?

The Society - Book One: Genesis is my debut novel. It is a Science Fiction/Speculative Fiction novel, and it's book one of a trilogy now available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I have also published three separate stories through Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing.

2. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I knew I wanted to be a writer from about age nine or ten. I had a fourth grade teacher tell me I was a writer, and it inspired me to dream big. It was a teacher that started all my dreams of wanting to be a writer.

3. What was your first lengthy piece of fiction (say, >1000 words)? What was it about? When did you write it? Do you still have it?

My first story, I wrote in the fourth grade. It was a horror story about a black cat and a curse. I'm not certain how many words long it was, but it won first place in the Make-A-Book contest in my elementary school. Later, I just jumped in and began writing, at age 34, and I wrote five novels in four months!

4. When was your first indication, "I can do this (write)"?

When I received a publishing contract through Stony Meadow Publishing for my trilogy, I said, "Wow, I can really do this!" It was so unexpected, but I was floored! My debut novel is so meaningful to me, and the series means a lot to me. I hope it will inspire many readers to realize that there are no insignificant people in this world. Everyone is here for a reason, and everyone plays an important role in the lives of others, simply by existing.

5. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which would it be?

I would like to meet my main character from my trilogy, Jessica Wembly. She is so lost, yet so important in the role of humanity. I wouldn't mind meeting all the characters from The Society. They are all amazing people, and I have wished so many times that they were real. My children think I am crazy, because I talk about my characters as if they are real people, but to me, they are. They are a conglomeration of people I have met in real life, friends, family. They are everyday people that anyone can relate to.

6. It's a dark and stormy night...you're alone in the house...there's a knock at the door...you open it, look out, and proceed to scream like a little girl. What's on the doorstep?

Vampires, werewolves, all the B-movie monsters. I would say, "Bring it on," and I would have the Monster Squad to back me up, including Rudy with his bow and arrow!! And Stephen King would be right there to chronicle and write about the War that would ensue.

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Thanks so much for sharing with us today, Jennifer! For more of Jennifer and her work, be sure to check out her Web site.

Stop back in on Thursday when my guest will be Aliya Anjum! See you then!

The Same Six Questions - Samantha Warren

Hello there! Welcome to this Martin Luther King Jr. edition of The Same Six Questions. Today's guest is Samantha Warren. In her own words:

Samantha Warren is a fantasy and science fiction author who spends her days immersed in dragons, space ships, and vampires. With her pet dragon, Anethesis, she ventured to the ends of the universe, but the cost of space travel cut into her sock fetish fund, so she sold her ship and returned home. When she isn’t writing, she’s milking cows or trying to feed them Pop-Tarts. She spends a lot of time in her weed patch (aka: garden), watching any show featuring Gordon Ramsay, or posting random things on her blog

The Same Six Questions

1. Have you published a book yet?

Yes, I have one fantasy novel and four urban fantasy novellas. The novel, Blood of the Dragon, is available on Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords (be sure to check Samantha's Amazon page for all of her books). The novellas are all part of a series about a vampire named Jane who decides to become an assassin. The first novella is available for free on Smashwords, but it is also available at Amazon and B&N. The other three in the series are available in all three places and I will continue to publish more. All of my books are also available on my website. I'll be finishing a sci-fi novel for NaNo 2011, so that should be out early in 2012.

2. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Well, here's a secret. I hated English in high school, with a capital H. I loved to read, always have, but I hated the papers and reading books that they forced me to read. Nothing is worse than being forced to slog through a book that you find completely and utterly boring, simply because someone said you had to. But I devoured fantasy and sci-fi books, especially Star Wars books. I loved those, still do. But in college, after trying half a dozen other majors, I was reading through the Forgotten Realms series and found twelve mistakes in eight pages. Drove me nuts. At that point, I was looking for a new major, so I switched to English. And surprisingly, I loved it. I loved the papers, I loved the reading, I loved the classes, I loved it all. But I thought I wanted to be an editor, so I focused on that. A couple more years passed and I realized I didn't particularly like editing other people's work. I didn't have the freedom to fix what I felt really needed to be fixed. So after a couple previously failed NaNos and no other really hardcore creative writing (I didn't even take a creative writing class), I determined that I was start and finish NaNo 2010. And I've been writing fiction happily ever since. So, long story short, I've known for just about a year, and that's how long I've been a writer, as well. Not very exciting compared to most people's "I've known my whole life", but that's the truth of it.

3. What was your first lengthy piece of fiction (say, >1000 words)? What was it about? When did you write it? Do you still have it?

I usually call my first "real" attempt at writing my NaNo (Nanowrimo) 2009 piece, which incidentally became my Jane novella series (the first book of it, anyway). But if I really think back, I have another vampire novel that has maybe five chapters and was inspired by Underworld. I should hunt that down and see if it's salvageable.

4. When was your first indication, "I can do this (write)"?

I've always been told I'm a good writer, and I did well in English, when I put in the effort. But the first time I thought "Maybe this would be a good career" was just before NaNo 2010 when I was plotting. I thought, "This is fun, I enjoy it, I wonder if I could do it full-time." I didn't decide to go it "alone", aka: self-publish, until February or March of this year (I wrote a blog about my decision process, so I won't bore you with it here), and after that is when I truly started to feel like a writer.

5. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which would it be?

I would probably meet Jane. She's snarky and can kick some major butt. She's also a lot like me, if I were an awesome vampire assassin chick, of course.

6. It's a dark and stormy night...you're alone in the house...there's a knock at the door...you open it, look out, and proceed to scream like a little girl/boy (they kinda scream the same anyway). What's on the doorstep?

A copy of Star Wars: Galaxies *shudders at the thought*

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Thanks for stopping by and sharing with us, Samantha! For more of Samantha and her writing, be sure to check out her Web site, www.samantha-warren.com.

See you on Thursday, when my guest will be Robert Lamb!

The Same Six Questions - Chrystalla Thoma

Welcome to this final Same Six Questions interview of 2011! What a long strange year it's been! Today's guest is science fiction author Chrystalla Thoma. Welcome!

Hi Andy! Yes, my name is Chrystalla Thoma, and I’m a Greek Cypriot. Bouzouki music is part of my upbringing, as is smashing plates and drinking ouzo. I own no cats (alas! not yet), I drive a hybrid energy car (Toyota Prius!) and currently work as a freelance translator. I studied languages and speak 5 of them (Greek, English, French, German and Spanish). My favorite cuisine is Indian/Thai, and I am addicted to chilies, especially jalapenos!

The Same Six Questions

1. Have you published a book yet?

I am very pleased to say I recently published Rex Rising, a Young Adult, Science Fiction novel (available exclusively on Amazon and free to Amazon Prime members). The story is about Elei, a young aircar driver in a world where parasites create new human races. He leads a peaceful life — until a mysterious attack on his boss sends him fleeing with a bullet in his side. Pursued for a secret he does not possess and with the fleet at his heels, he has but one thought: to stay alive. His pursuers aren’t inclined to sit down and talk, although that’s not the end of Elei’s troubles. The two powerful parasites inhabiting his body, at a balance until now, choose this moment to bring him down, leaving Elei with no choice but to trust in people he hardly knows in a mad race against time. It won’t be long before he realizes he must find out this deadly secret – a secret that might change the fate of his world and everything he has ever known – or die trying.

I am currently writing the sequel and have published a novelette set in the same world.


2. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I think I was about ten when I made my first pathetic attempts at writing stories, but it wasn’t until I was thirteen or so that I wrote my first novel and the idea lodged itself in my head that I would work as a writer when I grew up. A few years later, I was told firmly that being an author is not a job, and that I should get my head down from the clouds and think of studying for a real job. Duh. This I did, and only found myself revisiting my dream long years later. I still work doing other “real” jobs, but I do hope some day soon to make my childhood dream come true and become a full time writer.

3. What was your first lengthy piece of fiction (say, >1000 words)? What was it about? When did you write it? Do you still have it?

Oh, yes I still have it! I wrote it when I was twelve, and it’s a (hold your breath) 700 page, medieval fantasy novel! Unfortunately, my mother tells me it’s my best piece of fiction so far :( I hope that isn’t true, lol.) It’s a wordy epic following the adventures of Taran, a young man, across a country heading to war, told from multiple points of view, with head-hopping and lots of telling, including also many Tolkienesque poems and songs. I am saving it because it really was a turning point for me as a writer. After all, I proved to myself I could write a novel, which was an amazing thing. It is handwritten and I even made a cover for it back then! (I guess I always was an Indie at heart...)

4. When was your first indication, "I can do this (write)"?

When I was sixteen, I wrote a short fantasy novel (in Greek) which won the national young author prize in Cyprus and was published. I guess that was the first time I ever saw my words published in a book, and it was a great moment. But I still didn’t think I could ever be a professional writer. I think my reluctance to accept my true “writerly” nature also comes with my geographic origin: I used to write in Greek, and I’m not even sure there are any professional writers in Greece. Maybe they are – but just how many copies can you sell to 11 million people, most of whom don’t ever read fantasy and science-fiction?

So, to finally answer your question, I guess my first “I can do this!” moment came when I started having short stories (in English) accepted in literary journals and my YA Urban Fantasy Dioscuri was accepted for publication by MuseItUp publishing last year. That was a revelation.

5. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which would it be?

This is a tough one... I guess it would be Kalaes, from my novel Rex Rising. I admit I find him fascinating, and he’s, well, quite handsome... *blushes* You know, he’s got this wild black hair and two longer, braided strands hanging on one side, and gorgeous dark eyes, and a wide grin, and lots of tattoos. But he’s too young for me, unfortunately (only about 19 years old) – and I also don’t want to cheat on my husband who is my favorite person in the whole world!

Kalaes is a very intriguing character. He’s been through a lot in his past, but he hides his traumas behind a cheerful facade and won’t talk about it (not even to me!), so I need to get him out of his shell and have a long discussion with me. I really need to get to know him better because I’m also writing his story, which forms a prequel of sorts to Rex Rising.

6. It's a dark and stormy night...you're alone in the house...there's a knock at the door...you open it, look out, and proceed to scream like a little girl. What's on the doorstep?

*wonders what would make her do that* Hm. Legolas? Aragorn? Brad Pitt as Achilles? No, wait, you said “scream” not “squeal”. I got it now, lol:

It’s a snake. A huge, undulating, hissing snake. I have a deeply-seated fear of snakes and all slithering things, including fish and worms. They used to haunt my dreams a lot in the past, now they’re either gone, or I don’t remember my dreams anymore. Which is just as well. :)

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Thanks for stopping by today, Chrystalla! For more of Chrystalla's writing, be sure to check out her blog, Facebook Page, Twitter, and Google+. Be sure to check out the trailer for her book here.

My first guest of the New Year will be Borislava Borissova! See you on the other side!

The Same Six Questions - Tracy Rozzlynn

Good morning, and welcome to another edition of The Same Six Questions! Today's guest is Tracy Rozzlyn.

Hi Everyone. I was born and raised in Rhode Island. It’s a unique little state – within thirty minutes you can be in the city, in the suburbs, at the beach, or in the woods. I graduated from URI, but until recently, I never actually used my English literature degree. After college, I worked in retail and then in telecommunications. For a while I lived in Massachusetts and then Maine, but I since returned to my home state. My daughter is the most important thing in my life. My writing and the rest of my family are a close second.

The Same Six Questions

1. Have you published a book yet?

I currently have two novels available. Verita and Fast-Tracked

My Debut novel Verita is a YA (young adult) science fiction novel and is the first book in the Verita series. It's light on the science fiction and interlaced with romance. It's the science fiction I've always wanted to read, but until recently, I had a hard time finding. Brett loses everything that's important to her and decides to create a new life for herself on a newly discovered planet. My books are also available on Nook and through Smashwords

2. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I always thought about it. I remember in second grade making up a story about a girl that gets the ability to talk to computers, but I never wrote it down. I was afraid everyone would think it was a stupid idea. In seventh grade everyone created their own book - drawing the pictures, writing the story and decorating the cover. I loved the idea, but quickly became frustrated. There was no way I could make my story about super smart monkeys fit on just twenty pages. As I grew older I focused more on reading and dismissed writing as a career choice. It wasn't a lucrative career choice I'd write a book after I retired.

Sadly, as an adult, I almost completely stopped reading. Between the demands of work, motherhood and life in general, I never had the time to read. Once in a while I'd pick up a book, but it rarely held my interest. Harry Potter had been the one exception. I thought it was a fluke.

Then, my sisters gave me their copies of the Twilight saga. I had a rare three day weekend to myself. I started reading and didn't stop until I had finished all of them. Time had never been my issue. I had been reading the wrong books. I immediately started reading more young adult books. Then, purely for my own enjoyment, I started to write a story that had been in my head for some time. A story about a teenage girl that was sent to live on another planet.

I wrote the original story in just two weeks. It wasn't very good, it read like a bad middle-grade novel, but it had sparked something in me. So I kept writing.


3. What was your first lengthy piece of fiction (say, >1000 words)? What was it about? When did you write it? Do you still have it?

In 8th grade I had a creative writing class. We were asked to write about one of our earliest childhood memories. The teacher singled me out and asked me to read my story to the class. Before 8th grade I wasn't a very good student so it was a big deal for me. I don't have the story any more, but the memory itself appears in my novel Verita.


4. When was your first indication,"I can do this (write)"?

When I was trying to edit Verita and found myself getting caught up in the story. I still hadn't shown the novel to anyone else, but I figured if I could get caught up in it, then others could too. Since then I've received some wonderful feedback from readers. I can't express just how much it means to me.


5. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which would it be?

As much as I like my female protagonists, I think in real life we'd get on each other's nerves. They tend to be a little headstrong. It would only be a matter of time until we ended up in a fight where neither of us will back down. So, I pick Andi from Verita. She's incredibly smart, but doesn't make you feel dumb. She's the social glue that keeps everyone together. Plus, she guides you to the right conclusion without you ever realizing that she's doing it.


6. It's a dark and stormy night...you're alone in the house...there's a knock at the door...you open it, look out, and proceed to scream like a little girl. What's on the doorstep?

Good luck getting me to open the door. I'll watch all the gore and horror you toss my way, but make a creepy show that's close to real life and I'm out of there. No I'm not just paranoid. I've walked in on a burglar before. So, I don't open the door without knowing who it is. If I hear a strange noise in the basement I'm not going to investigate it.

But, if it's a nice sunny day and I'm not all alone, there’s a chance I’d open the door without checking first. I'd scream like a baby if I found a cockroach on my doorstep. When I was little, I went to a double-drive in. I turned around without my parents knowing and watched the cockroach scene - now I have a bit of a phobia.

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Thanks so much for sharing with us today, Tracy! Be sure to check out Tracy's Web site for more of her work.

On Thursday, stop back in when my guest will be Alyssa Rose Ivy. See you then!

The Same Six Questions - David M. Brown

It's that time again! Another round of The Same Six Questions. Today's guest is author David M. Brown. Welcome, David!

Thanks, Andy! I was born in Barnsley (UK) but moved to West Yorkshire so I could read History with English at Huddersfield. I still live in Huddersfield and I’m now married to Donna and we have six rescue cats: Razz, Kain, Charlie, Buggles, Frodo and Bilbo. Charlie was the only one we named (because ‘John’, as he was called, is no name for a cat!). Obviously I love writing but I also enjoy reading, watching world cinema, anime and films in general and, when time allows, playing RPGs such as Final Fantasy.

1. Have you published a book yet?

I’ve recently self-published my first novel, Fezariu’s Epiphany, which you can find on Amazon, Smashwords, Lulu.com, and many other websites. This will be the first in a series of books set in the fictitious world of Elenchera which has been more than ten years in the making and boasts 47,000+ years of history (I used to have a lot of time on my hands!)

The novels will be self-contained stories allowing the reader to pick and choose whichever book they wish. There’s no specific order but each one will unravel a different period of history in Elenchera and over time I intend to cover all twenty-three lands that make up this unique world. I’m also trying to do something a little different with the fantasy genre, making it more accessible to a wider range of readers. The characters will be more important to the novels than the world of Elenchera though I do hope that readers will find Elenchera to be an absorbing means of escapism from their busy lives. Fezariu’s Epiphany tells the story of Fezariu who suffers many upheavals during his childhood, the most significant being the

abandonment of his mother. Unable to cope with the fresh wounds inflicted by his past, Fezariu flees home to join the Merelax Mercenaries – the most prestigious hired hands in East Elenchera. Fezariu’s hope is that the life of a mercenary will help him to become worthwhile to his peers and most importantly to forget about the past. Fezariu learns the hard way though that the past is something you can never leave behind.

2. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve always enjoyed reading fiction from my early teens and fantasy novels in particular were favourites of mine. Going through school I imagined the life of a writer was a wonderful dream to fulfil but I didn’t have the inclination to begin my own writing until college. I firstly discovered the RPG series Final Fantasy and that led me to Norse mythology which I had never read before. A combination of those two influences gave me the desire to build my own world and writing quickly followed.

3. What was your first lengthy piece of fiction (say, >1000 words)? What was it about? When did you write it? Do you still have it?

I can vaguely recall writing a short story towards the end of primary school which was quite a lengthy piece. I don’t recall if I came up with the idea or whether we were given a title and told to write whatever we could. The story was about a group of people on a stagecoach just travelling from town to town. Such was my naivety at the time that I can remember asking my teacher if the Romans would have been around at the historical period the story was set in. I was given a polite “No!” in response but I do think a chuckle quickly followed from that teacher. Encouraging, eh? I don’t recall any major resolution to that story, just the people travelling in that stagecoach and talking to a watchman at some stage. I don’t own that piece of writing sadly though if I still did I imagine I would have jettisoned it in some cunning and destructive manner!

4. When was your first indication, "I can do this (write)"?

I first conceived the idea of Elenchera in 1999 and began working on a novel entitled Verisimilitude which I never finished though I intend to return to at some point. By 2000 I had started work on my first epic novel, Endeavour, which took four years to complete. In 2004 I had a very productive summer. Before finishing Endeavour I started and finished two short novels, The Anglo-Asininity Chronicle and Amarstrea. When I finished The Anglo-Asininity Chronicle I realised that I had succeeded as a writer. Though I wasn’t published, I knew I could complete a novel, take an idea and see it through from start to finish. Those novels are all obsolete now though I may revisit them one day but I still think of them proudly as testaments to the motivation and commitment I knew I would need to be a writer.

5. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which would it be?

A decade of writing history, 47,000+ years of it, and I have to choose just one character to meet in real life! That’s tough. I’ll make it easier by picking one of the characters from Fezariu’s Epiphany. I do like Fezariu, of course, but he’s a very troubled young man and I’m worried I’d spend our entire meeting listening to his problems! Instead I’m going to opt for Fezariu’s comrade and fellow mercenary, the verbose toldere Vintaro. A lover of alcohol and good humour I think Vintaro and I would get along famously. He can be a serious character on occasion but generally he takes life in a relaxed manner, finishing his battles quickly and heading straight for the nearest inn or tavern. My only issue with Vintaro is his love of the Atlantian herb, Mizuansi, which is smoked in a pipe. I’m not a smoker myself but don’t imagine Vintaro would have much consideration for “No Smoking” zones!

6. It's a dark and stormy night...you're alone in the house...there's a knock at the door...you open it, look out, and proceed to scream like a little girl. What's on the doorstep?

It’s Ben Affleck and he needs a favour. Two of them in fact! He wants me to write the screenplays for his next two projects because they’re guaranteed to be critically acclaimed money makers. The films? Haven’t you guessed? Pearl Harbour 2 and Gigli 2!

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Brilliant, David! Thanks for sharing with us. For more of David and his writing, be sure to check out his web site, blog, Twitter profile, Facebook pages (elenchera and fezariu), and Goodreads page.

Be sure to stop back on Monday when author Sue Santore will be my guest!

The Same Six Questions - Nancy Fulda

Thanks for stopping by The Same Six Questions! If this is your first time, welcome! This feature is all about independent authors and the fantastic work they're producing. If you're an author and would like to be featured, click here for more info.

Today's guest is author Nancy Fulda. Welcome Nancy!

Thanks, Andy! I'm a trained computer scientist, an author, a cancer survivor, and an incurable dance fan. I'm also the mother of a child on the autistic spectrum and the evil mastermind behind AnthologyBuilder.com. Yeah, I know. That's a lot of hats.

Well, thanks for taking some time out of your busy schedule, Nancy!

Now it's time for The Same Six Questions!

1. Have you published a book yet?

Yes! Dead Men Don't Cry is a collection of 10 science fiction stories that originally appeared in print and online magazines. It includes my first award-winning story ever. Also two Writers of the Future finalists and my 2006 Apex Digest Halloween Contest winner. (I'm afraid readers will have to wait until the next collection for my Jim Baen Memorial contest winner. I don't have rights reversion on that one yet.)

The stories are thought-provoking, occasionally disturbing, but generally optimistic about mankind and our future on this and other planets. They were a lot of fun to write, and I hope readers will find themselves pondering the stories long after they've turned the last page.

The book is available in paperback, Kindle, Nook, and DRM-free formats.

2. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Since about the fourth grade. I brushed it off as a childhood fantasy, though. I went to college, traveled the world, founded a family, and still wound up back at the keyboard inventing imaginary cultures. I guess there are some parts of yourself you can't leave behind.

3. What was your first lengthy piece of fiction? What was it about? When did you write it? Do you still have it?

*laughing* It was an ambitious novelette about a winged unicorn named Brimstone who set off on a daring journey to unlock the secrets of her universe. I can still hear her tagging along behind her mother, whining: "But I want to know!" I wrote it in the fifth grade, I think, on my Dad's PC using WordPerfect 5.0. Alas, the floppy disk it was saved on is no longer readable by any modern computer.

4. When was your first indication, "I can do this (write)"?

It happened when I sold "The Man Who Murdered Himself" to the Phobos Science Fiction Anthology. There were a lot of great authors in that anthology: Virginia Baker, David Walton, Eric James Stone, James Maxey... I remember flipping through the galley, reading the biographical information and thinking, "If I can make it into an anthology with these people, maybe I can make it as a writer after all."

Ironically, it was my children who made writing a reality for me. Without children, I would have taken a full-time job doing software development. But I wanted kids, and I wanted to stay home with them. Programming was too brain-intensive for a new mother, but writing worked great. In fact, a large number of the stories in Dead Men Don't Cry were typed one-handed while I snuggled a sleeping baby on my lap.

5. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which would it be?

Good heavens, I wouldn't want to meet any of them! Imagine the flack they'd put me through. "Why did you kill my mother?" "What do you mean, I'm not sentient?" "What kind of author would invent a reality with plasma bees and alkaline lakes?" Nope. Let 'em stay between the pages of their stories. They're less inconvenient that way...

6. It's a dark and stormy night...you're alone in the house...there's a knock at the door...you open it, look out, and proceed to scream like a little girl. What's on the doorstep?

I'm trying to remember the last time I screamed like a little girl. I think it was at a family picnic where a pesky wasp kept buzzing at my clothing and I just couldn't take it. I had a small baby at the time, and I swear, those maternal hormones make me hypersensitive to poisonous insects. I loved tarantulas before I had kids. After? Uh-uh. But I think I'm getting off topic. What was the question again...?

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Thanks so much, Nancy! I had a moment of nostalgia for floppy disks...then I remembered how unreliable they were and it passed. ;) For more of Nancy and her writing, check out her blog and Amazon author page, or find her on Twitter.

The Same Six Questions - S.B. Jones

Another chance to meet indie authors on The Same Six Questions! Today, we welcome S.B. Jones to the blog.

Take it away!

Thanks, Andy! I am 33 years old and writing under the pen name S.B. Jones. I live in South Central Idaho in Twin Falls and Hagerman. I have a passport with a lot of stamps in it and have traveled to the hacker convention DefCon in Las Vegas now for five years.


Thanks, S.B.! Now it's time to answer The Same Six Questions...

1. Have you published a book yet?

Yes, I have published a book! It is the first of a trilogy titled The Eternal Gateway: Requiem. It is available on Amazon as well as Barnes & Noble in both e-book and paperback. I outlined all three books before I began work on the first. It revolves around the hero’s journey in a Steampunk, Science Fiction, and Time Travel setting. The first book is 74,500 words long and took me an estimated 250 hours to write the first draft and several months for the rest before it was launched.


2. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

There never was a moment really that clicked about becoming a writer. I worked for Dell for 8 years in a call center that had me do just about everything from taking calls to getting on a plane and flying to another country to train people. When they decided to shut down the call center I had six months notice and a severance coming. I took that time to trim expenses and invest what I already had to make it last. Then I decided that this was a very opportune time to do something new. The computer world had gotten stale so I decided that I would take the time to do something different. The idea of ‘The Eternal Gateway’ was something I had been kicking around for years.

3. What was your first lengthy piece of fiction? What was it about? When did you write it? Do you still have it?

Aside from writing the outlines for classes, the only thing I had written before was a piece of Harry Potter fan fiction that I posted in August of 2009. It is still out there as I posted it on the HPFF site. I did go back and look at it for this interview and it’s a pretty sad unedited piece of work. However, I was surprised at how many of the objects and ideas that were in there made it into my own book.

4. When was your first indication, “I can do this (write)”?

I think when it dawned on me that I had something going was when I handed the first rough draft of ‘Requiem’ to my parents to read. My father is a lawyer and reads a lot, but does not read for pleasure. When I handed him a copy he told me that he could count on one hand how many books he has read for entertainment with a roll of his eyes. A weekend later and my mom and sister tell me that he couldn’t put it down and joked about him coming out of his study to tease them that he had read it but couldn’t talk to them about it because they hadn’t. If the syntax-butchered rough draft could do that, then imagine what an edited and polished version could do.

5. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which would it be?

That’s a tough one. I would have to go with meeting Angela Atagi, the woman who was born a thousand years ago with the ability to fly. A close second would be Bastiana, the psycho child who commands a lot of magical power. They would be a lot of fun to show up at the movie premier with.

6. It’s a dark and stormy night...you’re alone in the house...there’s a knock at the door...you open it, look out, and proceed to scream like a little girl. What’s on the doorstep?

I have two answers for this. One would be the ex-wife, that would be the most scary thing to have show up on the doorstep, regardless of the weather. The other would be Gwen Stefani and Zhang Ziyi begging to play a part in the film adaptation of my books.

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Thanks for stopping by S.B.! For more of his work, check out his blog or follow him on Twitter.

For more indie author goodness, be sure to stop by on Thursday, when my guest will be Nancy Fulda! See you then!

The Same Six Questions - Brent Nichols

Hi there! Today's edition of The Same Six Questions features author Brent Nichols.

Brent is a professional writer and trainer based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

The Same Six Questions

1. Have you published a book yet?

Bert the Barbarian is currently live at Amazon and Smashwords. It's a science-fiction adventure story with a sword-and-sorcery feel, about a man taken to another planet where he has to escape from slavery, find his friend Janice, rescue her, and try to get back to Earth. I've also got Lord of Fire, which is a fun sword-and-sorcery book, and Cinderella's Blues, which is a re-telling of the Cinderella story in which Cinderella kicks more butt than the original.

2. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I was a voracious reader when I was a little wee lad. These novelists who'd been dead for decades before I was even born were having this huge impact on my life. I knew I wanted to be like them, to wield that same amazing power. I've always wanted to be a writer.

3. What was your first lengthy piece of fiction (say, >1000 words)? What was it about? When did you write it? Do you still have it?

I wrote some epic poetry and some short stories in High School. I don't have any of it these days. I also wrote a novel when I was 18. That one I still have, though it was very much a 'learner' book, and I have no plans to publish it.

4. When was your first indication, "I can do this (write)"?

I remember a High School English class where we had to read our short stories aloud to the class. I remember the whole room going silent when I got to the suspenseful parts, and everyone laughing right on cue when I got to the parts that were supposed to be funny.

5. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which would it be?

There is a minor character named Kali in Bert the Barbarian. She's very lively and likeable. She tended to take over every scene she was in, and her role kept getting bigger and bigger. I'd love to hang out with her.

6. It's a dark and stormy night...you're alone in the house...there's a knock at the door...you open it, look out, and proceed to scream like a little girl. What's on the doorstep?

I have this one ex-girlfriend who scares me green...

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Thanks for stopping by Brent! For more information on Brent and his writing, check out his blog.