My Book is Becoming an Audiobook!

And, I have to say, I'm pretty geeked about it. Back when I first published Multiples, a few friends joked around with me that they'd buy it when it was available in audio format. I never thought they'd have to follow through on that promise. Creating an audiobook even just a few years ago cost serious money. But, as technology has become more accessible, so has the process for creating an audiobook.

I am book, hear me roar!

ACX.com is a division of Audible.com which, in turn, is a subsidiary of Amazon.com. They've essentially created a place for authors, narrators, and producers to come together and make audiobooks. As an author, You simply sign in with your Amazon account and create projects based on your books. You upload a sample that you want to have read and, eventually, you may receive an audition or two. You can also browse through auditions from their library of narrators and request to have them work with you. The best part, at least from the indie author perspective, is that it can cost as little as $0. With their 50/50 contract, and exclusive distribution through Audible, Amazon, and iTunes, you can have your book narrated for no cost at all to you.

I recently received an audition from a career voiceover actor and was absolutely blown away. I had uploaded my Prologue several months ago and had sort of given up hope of ever hearing back from someone. And, to be honest, I hadn't really put much effort into finding a narrator. It seemed like a superfluous thing to have. I mean, it's not like every book has an audio version, right? Well, after listening to the audition, I think I'm changing my tune. Get the right narrator and your story takes on a whole new life.

It was both terrifying and exciting to listen to my own words come back at me, acted out as I had heard them in my head. He had really nailed the intended voice, which made me feel pretty good about how I'd written it. I can only imagine what it must be like for someone to watch a movie based on their book. Listening is one thing; watching is a whole other story. It's still early yet, but I hope to follow up with more details and perhaps a sample chapter.

Have you used ACX, or are you considering it? Would love to hear your thoughts!

Top 10 Social Media Sites for Authors

...and Whether You Should Be There

You can't turn around on the internet nowadays without running into some form of social media. As you read this, you'll see cues in the sidebars of my blog (as well as in the article itself) directing you to connect with me here, there, and everywhere. You can like, tweet, pin, plus and...ummm stumble to your heart's content. That's just how things work nowadays. So, let's take a look at some of the top social media sites, as well as some of the others I specifically recommend for authors. We'll look at the opportunities and challenges of each.

1. Facebook - Despite its recent poor history in regard to stock prices, Facebook is still tops when it comes to social media, connecting people around the world.

The Social Media Juggling Act

Should I be there?: According to the data, >40% of global internet traffic is through Facebook. Global! And the average user spends almost a half hour there. If you or your books are not on Facebook, you're missing out on what potentially may be your largest source of an audience. Their integrated advertising system is fairly simple and it's even easier to "promote" individual posts now. More likes = more chance for viral reach.

Challenges: Be sure to separate your author business from your personal account. Create an author page and invite friends to like it. You don't want to alienate friends with repeated calls to "Buy my book!"

Connect with me on Facebook.

2. YouTube - From cats playing patty cake and staring ground hogs to car accidents and behind the scenes videos. If a video isn't on YouTube, it's not being watched.

Should I be there?: Book trailers are not unheard of. Whether or not they lead to success is another story. However, the potential virality cannot be denied. Make the right video about your book and you might

Challenges: The tutorials on how to make a trailer for your book are out there, but in order to make something truly special, you either need to have video-making talent, or know some. While that shouldn't deter you from trying, I wouldn't put in the effort unless I knew the end product was going to be something to be proud of.

3. Twitter - Changing the world 160 letters at a time.

Should I be there?: Definitely. Revolutions have begun through Twitter. It would be foolish to think it couldn't help your branding or book sales. It can be hectic though and you've most often only got a small window of opportunity to make a good impression.

Challenges: There are millions of people on Twitter and they all have something to say. That means you have only a small window of opportunity to be heard. Pick up a Twitter tool like TweetDeck to help you sift through all the noise and find your crowd. Don't underestimate the power of tagging (#). And don't get overwhelmed. You don't have to spend all day in order to see an impact. 15-30 minutes of focused interaction every other day can make a world of difference.

Connect with me on Twitter.

4. LinkedIn - Looking for a job? Or looking to hire someone? This is the place to be.

Should I be there?: This one is two-fold. If you're a job candidate, there's no better place to be. With just a few connections, you may find yourself indirectly connected to someone who may have the opportunity of a lifetime. As an author or writer, it also provides another avenue for viral communication of your books and writing.

Challenges: While good for connecting with other writers, I'm not quite sure it's the place to be trying to sell a book (unless you're going the traditional route, in which case it might be a great place to meet up with potential agents). While I have connected my personal profile, I have not yet set up an author profile.

5. Tumblr - A blogging tool that allows you to customize your own stream with a variety of tools.

Should I be there?: Well, if you don't already have a blog, consider using this. It combines the possible virality of a social media site into the blogging mix. It also allows for more simplified posting.

Challenges: Less control of content. Personally, I use Blogger and I can code it just like a web site. I know a lot of folks also use WordPress and a handful of others.

6. Pinterest - Ask nearly any woman aged 25-44 about Pinterest and you might hear it's great for fashion, cooking, and interior design. Well, it's way more than that.

Should I be there?: Pinterest is simple. You visit a web site and "Pin" images to boards you create. Book covers are images! By pinning your book cover, you can link pinners directly to the point of sale, or to your web site. If the image catches on, with almost 21 million monthly active users (as of 01/24/13) there's great potential for viral takeoff.

Challenges: It's addictive! Don't get sucked into the pretty pictures. Allot yourself a little time each day, but don't let it break into writing time!

Connect with me on Pinterest

7. Reddit - Reddit's tagline is "The front page of the internet". It's a forum for posting links to interesting articles and conducting discussions about topics from memes to politics to writing and books. Readers (or redditors as they're called) can vote items up and down depending on their like or dislike of a subject matter.

Should I be there?: The Writing forum is a great place to pop in a see what's going on. It's also a great place to make connections and get the word out on your work. Don't hawk your book there, but engage in conversations and, if you post writing related articles to your blog, you may find that posting it here drives additional traffic. You may also want to check out the Books forum.

Challenges: Did I already say don't hawk your book there? Ok. Don't expect anyone to put the kid gloves on if you ask for a critique. And don't expect them to flock to your new ideas with praise and adoration. It's a cruel world out there, kid, and this corner doesn't pull any punches. While folk are generally cordial, you have to be on the up and up, or you'll hear about it.

8. Stumbleupon - Another addictive time waster tool for finding new stuff on the internet, Stumbleupon allows you to enter a subject matter and then "stumble" from site to site (supposedly at random) that fits that category.

Should I be there?: Another chance for viral recognition. I'm not completely sold on this one. While I've had some visits directed to my site from Stumbleupon, it's been a bit hit or miss. In my mind, I've simply added it for the sake of adding it, but I don't do much stumbling myself.

Challenges: Another potential "time suck." Don't get caught up in it.

It's been so long, I can't even remember my StumbleUpon password... yeah.

9. Google Plus - Google's valiant attempt at one-upping Facebook. Not quite there.

Should I be there?: There's still a lot of active users having a lot of conversations about books and writing. It's certainly got the potential for getting your name out there. The ability to group followers into categories and reach out to them directly via email has its advantages. Hangouts are also a potentially great tool for interacting. Just make sure you've got pants on when your web cam kicks in.

Challenges: No one is exclusive to Google Plus. If they're having the conversation there, you can guarantee they're having it over on Facebook or Twitter as well.

Connect with me on Google+.

10. MySpace - OMG! They're still alive? Yep. Alive and kicking.

Should I be there?: Well, to be honest, the answer might be "No." While they still make it into the top ten, MySpace has had to remake itself over the past couple of years in order to remain relevant. They recently rolled out a new design, but I closed my account years ago and have no intention of going back at this point. It might be the perfect opportunity to get a foothold when there might not be a whole lot of competition, but I'm not sure it's the right venue for books. Now, if you also have a band, it might be the perfect place.

Challenges: Well, the challenge is, it's MySpace, which has become the punch line to a few jokes. Not sure the ship has completely sunk, but I'm not planning to get back on board. And, unless they show me something that Facebook can't compete with, I don't see that changing.

Honorable Mentions for Writers and Authors

These are some of my personal favorites that I recommend for authors:

11. Kindle Boards - A great place for the writing community, the Writer's Cafe is an invaluable resource for the fledgling independent author.

12. Goodreads - Possibly the largest reading community on the internet. Authors can create their own profiles, make sure their books are searchable there, create advertising campaigns, and join the conversation about great books and great writing. You can check out my profile here. [UPDATE: On 3/28/13, Amazon announced that it had purchased Goodreads. This definitely changes their importance, from a self-publishing perspective, and position on this list.]

13. Triberr - It took me a while to understand exactly what was going on here. Essentially, you join "Tribes" in order to promote blog posts. Get in with the right crowd and you may find your reach spread to as many as 600,000+ as I've seen in just a matter of weeks. Tribes consist of people willing to tweet, repost, plus, like, etc your blog posts all in an easy and automated fashion. Beware the automatic feed tribes. These are groups that remove the choice of whether you want to post the subject matter or not. Check it out and join my tribe.

Thanks for taking the time to read through. Did I miss any of your favorites? Post in the comments below!

Plotting Your Novel

Four Steps to Putting Your Plot in Order

I've spent a bit of time on Reddit's writing forum over the last couple of weeks. One of the recurring questions I kept seeing was about plotting (or outlining) a novel before starting to write. To be honest, I was never a big proponent of plotting. Until, that is, it worked for me.

Do you remember the movie How to Train Your Dragon? Well, the morning after seeing that movie with my then 4-year-old son, I woke up with a name in my head and the title of a book on the tip of my tongue. While the title quickly died (for being a bit too similar to an existing series), the character thrived and within 48 hours I had plotted out the first book of a proposed trilogy. Six months later, I had translated that outline into a 55,000 word YA novel (which is still on the proverbial shelf). As soon as I finished that book, I sat down and plotted book #2. I was thrilled at how easy it came to me. But, it doesn't always work that way. Let's take a look at some of the key points to successfully plotting your novel:

1. Know where your story begins

When I sat down to write my suspense thriller, I cranked out 40 pages of writing. It was the least suspenseful pile of drivel ever imagined. I shelved 98% of it. It was back story. I had spent ~10,000 words trying to build up a sense of who my character was, without realizing he had accomplished absolutely nothing in that time. You need to establish your starting point. If you're protagonist is a 24-year-old, the reader doesn't need a detailed description of the 24 years that preceded the story's starting point. These are details that can be infused throughout the rest of the story (y'know, the one you really want to tell?). Don't be afraid to throw your characters immediately into the fray. Whether it's drama, fantasy, suspense, or sci-fi, nothing will tell the reader more about your character than seeing how they react when the pressure is at full tilt. Finally, don't be afraid of being vague at this point. We're not writing yet, we're plotting to write. A sentence will do if it conveys Who, What, Where, and When (Why can wait a while). When you recognize your starting point, give yourself a pat on the back. You've found the starting line. Now, stop the self-congratulations and move on.

2. Know (roughly) where your story will end

This one can be tricky for a number of reasons, but it's possibly the most important part of the whole process. Why? Because knowing the ending allows you, as the author, to seed the path with the kinds of things that readers eat up. Nothing impresses me more as a reader than when I get to the end of a book and find that the author has tied together little bits and pieces of the story that were sprinkled throughout. Plus, as a writer, it gives you a point of focus (we'll talk more about focus in step #3). So, where do you want your characters to be at the end of your novel? Can't see it? Imagine the end of your five favorite movies. Happy endings, sad endings, poignant endings, doesn't really matter. But, the best endings are those that show how life has changed the characters involved, for good or bad. As fiction writers, we're conveying a series of events that happened to people. And, despite what some people may believe, life changes us (if it didn't we'd all be pretty damn boring). So, what are the results of the events in your story? What sort of consequences do your characters have to deal with? This is where you may discover the "Why" of your story. When you find that, you'll have found your finish line.

3. Know where the middle point of your story is

Scranton, home of The Office and... not much else.

Consider this a way point in your plot development. We're trying to get from the start to the finish, and a good plot rarely takes a straight line to get there. If it does, it probably won't be very entertaining. But, there's a difference between a plot detour and a major plot detour. Sure, we could just jump on the Jersey Turnpike to get from Philly to NYC, but it might be more interesting to take a detour through Scranton. Essentially, don't be afraid to take side routes to get to where your going. But, it's important to keep your middle point within shouting distance of your proposed ending. Go to NYC from Philly through Cleveland and you're going to lose readers (and potentially drive yourself insane). Why? You're prolonging the trip. Readers aren't dumb; they can often see where you're going. And, even if they can't, when you do finally get where you're going, you may leave them scratching their heads. Why the heck did he walk around the block to visit the neighbor?! So, what is the middle? Well, in my mind, it's the part of the story that leads right into the climax of the story. Your characters have been introduced and the catalyst of the story has been introduced. The middle is where it all begins to come together and it's a straight shot to the end game.

Your riders (ie, readers) might be a bit ticked at your "short cut."

4. Fill in the gaps of your story

Now, comes the hard part for some folks. You know your beginning, middle, and end, but now how to get from one to another. Well, this is where your ability to build a story shows itself. Here's what I do. Thirty is my magic number. It's the number of chapters I start with. I jot down my starting point at #1, my middle goal around #15, and my finish line at #28 (I like to have some room to let things settle at the end). I then mark out the first 5 chapters, the next 10, and the final 15.

The first 5 chapters are character development and initial action. It's in these chapters that you will capture your audience. Some writers will argue that it has to happen in chapter 1, which is true, but you can't place all of your hope on one chapter. Give the reader 5 strong chapters at the beginning of your novel and they will let you take them on whatever journey you want. Grab their attention and empathy for your character in those chapters and you'll be set. No empathy = no care for what happens to the characters = no reason to read on.

The next ten chapters are entirely a setup for the end game. This is where your characters are challenged, poked, and prodded into their point of no return. The reader should be able to look back at this point of the story and say, "That's where it could have changed." If he had only taken the blue pill!

The final 15 chapters are are where the roller coaster plunges over the precipice and the laws of gravity take over. This is where the novel should run at full speed to the climax of the story. Everything chapter should have a distinct effect on how the story will end. Anything else is just slowing the coaster down.

Now, obviously, 30 is just a number I like. You might have 50 chapters or 20. Either way, you should be sure to balance out the plot so that it makes sense for your story; beginning, middle, and end. End too soon, without enough transition, and you'll leave your readers feeling short-changed. Put too much filler into the "middle" and your readers will get bored before they can get to the end. And, a weak beginning won't stimulate the reader to continue reading about your characters.

Would love to hear your opinions on the subject! Questions? Suggestions? Best practices that have worked for you?

Resolutions Shmesolutions

It's that time of year. You know. The last day of the year as determined by a certain group of little beings that populate the third planet from the sun (that's us, btw...unless you're some of those other little beings that have a different New Year...rebels). It's a time to raise a glass of (alcoholic or non) beverage of choice and say one of two things "Here's to a better year" or "Here's to a year as good as the last." And it's also that time of year when people make promises to themselves (and sometimes others) about the coming year (promises may vary depending on alcoholic content of aforementioned beverage).

Being a writer, you can imagine that most of my previous resolutions involve, well...writing. And, this year is no different, but it occurred to me today that it's a waste of time to make a resolution today just because everyone else is doing it. What we should really be doing, whether you're a writer or not, is to stop making promises of what we will do and commit to taking action every day to reach our goals. So, join me in making a promise to stop making promises we can too easily ignore. Let's change our attitude. Let's make a commitment each day to do something that will make a positive impact on the things we want to change. So, here's my top five daily "resolutions."

1. Work on my novels every day, even if it's only a paragraph.
2. Read more.
3. Spend less time procrastinating (eg, surfing internet, playing video games).
4. Work out at least 3 days a week.
5. Eat out less.

Comments are very much welcome and feel free to leave your own daily resolutions! Happy New Year everyone!  

Stop Pointing the Finger

An event like the recent shooting in Connecticut will stir emotion from the coldest heart. I have seen the argument begin with gun control, shift to mental health issues, and land with conspiracy theory. And it all comes back to the fact that, as human beings, we need to justify what happened, even if it's on the most base level. We have a need to try and make sense of the senseless. And, the problem is, no matter how many details come out, we'll never truly understand what led a young man in Connecticut to gun down his mother and then proceed to an Elementary school and kill small children and educators.

People want to blame guns. Being a liberal, I'll admit to leaning in favor of gun control myself. I understand that guns don't kill people, people kill people. Yadda, yadda, yadda. I understand your desire to hunt. I understand your desire to protect your family. But, you know what? There needs to be a limit. I don't care who you are. You shouldn't be able to walk into a store, or shop online, and purchase a fully automatic weapon. Bambi isn't that fast/stealthy/monstrous. You don't live in a war zone. And collecting? I don't know. I think collecting anything in such a quantity that it could be used to wipe out a battalion is a tad excessive, to say the least. And don't give me that bullshit about the Second Amendment being in place in case the government needs to be put in its place. No matter how bad you think it is, we don't live in that country. Get over it.

People want to blame mental health care, or the lack of ease with which it can be obtained. To be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about that topic. Mental health is a slippery slope at best. It may seem obvious when someone has a history of mental health problems, but it's not something that can be "seen" in most cases. And, even if it is something that’s being dealt with, as in the case of the Colorado movie theater shooter, there’s nothing to stop the individual from taking action. Mental health care is only going to work if it’s being applied to an individual who is willing to be cared for. Its usefulness ends the moment care stops.

People want to blame the media. Well, they want to blame the media for a lot of things. But, we only have ourselves to blame for that one. The media simply feeds the beast what it wants. If we didn't want interviews with 6-year-olds about the horror of what happened, they wouldn't occur. If the websites that had these stories were getting no hits, you wouldn't be reading about how frightened little Tommy was, or how one child was "heroic," or the gorier details of how the six kids who ran got mown down. But, we want to know the details, don't we? We can't help but try and look into death's eyes and see ourselves or our children. What would we have done in their shoes? Would we have thrown ourselves in harm’s way? Or prayed for divine intervention? Or stared in the face of a crying child and told them it would be alright even when we knew it would not? And, for those of us with children, the toughest questions of all: What would your son or daughter have done? What if that was your son or daughter? That is when I have to turn it off, for I have no desire to imagine the possibility. So, blame the media all you want, but they are only giving you what you want, what you've asked for. We cry out "Why?" and they answer. Personally, I agree, in theory, with keeping the killer's name out of the media. I haven't mentioned it here because I don't want to contribute to his historical record. A part of me does believe that these people do such heinous things in order to leave a mark on a world that would have otherwise forgotten them the moment they passed. In a world that glorifies so many for so little, the average person is made to feel inconsequential. To the irrational mind, what better way to make your mark on the world?

People want to blame a God-less society. Please, don't get me started. I'm going to tread cautiously here because I don't want to really offend anyone. But, if there's one thing this world could use, it's a little less God-based judgment and a little more open-minded common sense. The things that have been done in the name of God (whether Christian, Muslim, Jew, matters little) over the years is shameful. And just because your religion has found some semblance of humanity in the last 50 years or so does not wipe away hundreds of years of oppression. So, don't dare tell me that having a God, any God, in his life might have changed his actions. God's "will" has been manipulated to justify cruelty to man a million times over. When 9 men flew planes into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania, they did so with the understanding that it was their God's plan. 'Nuff said on that point.

I think it's important to talk about things like this. However, I think it's more important to understand how it happened and not who perpetrated it. What, as a society, can we do differently today that will make something like this a thing of the past? It will happen again, we know this much. There are horrible people in this world and all the rules, regulations, and prayers will not stop them. A knee-jerk response is the easiest. The tough part is taking a good look at who we are and what we can do to make a change. Because, in the end, the killer was a product of the society in which he lived. This society. Our society. We made him. We have only ourselves to blame. So, there you have it. Stop asking why. Stop trying to point the finger. Change what you can. Have a positive impact on those around you. Don’t expect others to step up and take responsibility. Do what you can to craft an open-minded society that takes care of its own without shutting out what we don’t understand. Do what you can to make sure that we never have to ask “Why?” ever again.

Yes, I'm Still Alive

It's been a very distracting summer. But, more than likely, I've sought out distractions because I haven't been happy with my writing. Part of that was due to the fact that I'd never truly pinned down an ending to my trilogy. Kind of hard to get somewhere when you don't know where you're going. Well, I've pinned it down. I know how book #3 of the Trilogy of the Six will end. Now, it's a matter of un-distracting myself and finishing the job. I hope I'll still have a few readers left when I finally release book #2. It has now been over a year since Multiples was released, and the excuses are starting to wear thin. I hope your writing is going smoothly.

Cheers,

Andy

The Same Six Questions - C.W. LaSart

Hello there, and welcome back to The Same Six Questions! Today's guest is C.W. LaSart. In her own words:

A lifelong horror fan, C.W. LaSart resides in the Midwest with her beloved Lou, 3 young children, and 2 neurotic dogs. A mother with a love for horror movies and a father who read her Poe from an early age, fostered in her a love for the horror genre and she has done her best to do the same for her own children, often warning teachers at conferences that it's Halloween at her house every day of the year, and not to worry too much about their gleeful darkness.

The Same Six Questions

1. Have you published a book yet?

Yes I have. My first collection of short stories,
Ad Nauseam: 13 Tales of Extreme Horror, was released in early March by Dark Moon Books and is doing quite well. I entered a contest for extreme horror and the publisher liked my submission so much that he closed the contest and contracted me for the whole book. I'm excited by the responses I've gotten from it, and it's just fun to be able to share my stories with so many others. The stories are extreme in nature, so they aren't for everyone, but if you're tired of the same old slasher/
zombie/vampire stuff, it may be just what you're looking for.

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

I can't remember a time when I didn't want to be a writer. I didn't necessarily dream of being an author when I grew up, but I always enjoyed writing and planned to continue on. It wasn't until a couple of years ago that I even entertained the thought of publishing what I wrote. Until then, I wrote just for the fun 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 think it was probably an essay in Jr. High School. Something dreadful about teen suicide and depression. Before that I only wrote poetry. I have a folder full of everything I've ever done, but most of it is embarassing in its immaturity. I used to make little books for my mom in elemetary school. They were blatant plagiarism, but I think she still has them somewhere.

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

I submitted my first short story about two years ago and it was accepted at the first place I tried. Over the next twelve months, I had a phenomenal acceptance rate wherever I tried, but it wasn't until I got contracted for Ad Nauseam that I started to think I may be able to actually do this for a living. I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the three winners of the Cemetery Dance Amatuer Writing Contest, which qualified me to become an Affiliate member of the Horror Writer's Association, which also cemented my resolve that I may be able to do all right.

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

Oh lord. None of them! They are all such twisted and miserable creatures. I suppose in a way I have already met all of them, since I tend to borrow bits and pieces from people I know, but in their entirety, they are a bit too horrific for my tastes. I would much prefer to meet someone else's characters. Maybe someone from Stephen King or Robert McCammon.

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?

A huge spider, selling Avon and wearing toe-socks. I hate toe-socks!

__________________________________

LOL...thanks for sharing with us today! For more of C.W. and her writing, be sure to check out her Web site, Facebook page, and Twitter profile.

The Same Six Questions is always seeking independent authors to interview. If you're a fan and you know someone who might be interested, please be sure to send them my way.

The Same Six Questions - Aliya Anjum

Hi there and welcome to this special birthday edition of The Same Six Questions. Whose birthday, do you ask? Why, mine! :D Give a warm welcome to today's guest, Aliya Anjum.

Thank you, Andy! Thank you for this opportunity to engage readers on your blog. As for me, I am from the coastal city of Karachi, Pakistan, which happens to be quite like NYC as it's the commercial capital of Pakistan, oozing with diversity. As of now, I am a full-time author, but I have briefly owned the avatars of an international banker, university lecturer, and government employee. Wanderlust runs in my blood and I simply love to travel. I love cats, shopping, chocolate, and reading. I am an avid swimmer and I enjoy the outdoors a great bit. One day I hope to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, explore the Amazonian rain forests, and see Yeti on Tibetan mountains!

The Same Six Questions

1. Have you published a book yet?

I have published more than one book, but since I am to discuss one of them I'd talk about my short story An Arranged Marriage. It is based on true events in the lives of four Pakistani women Physicians in the US. The story is close to my heart because it was the first adult fiction I wrote. It touches upon many themes, including immigration, diversity, assimilation, diaspora socio-economics, and, last but not the least, relationships.

Its available through Amazon, Smashwords, Apple iTunes, Barnes&Noble, Sony Books, and Kobo books.


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

I was always the writer. I used to write short snippets and poems when I was barely seven years old. They did'nt make it to print, but my family did appreciate my efforts. I wish I still had those small notebooks but, unfortunately, I don't. Till recently, when I was pursuing a regular career, I did write for newspapers as a freelancer and I had plans to one day write books, after retirement maybe. Then, one day, after a tiff with my boss in 2008, I got motivated to write fiction and I wrote 8 horror short stories for YA. I sent them off to the National Book Foundation's Competition and ended up receiving a Commendation Certificate. I was then encouraged to write more and ever since then I have penned down adult fiction and non-fiction. I am now a full time author.


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?

As I already mentioned, my first piece was a horror short story for YA. Titled The Farmhouse, I plan to publish it on Amazon soon and it may be available in print by the time this interview is published. I find that when I write about a character, I find myself playing that character in my head. In this story, the protagonist is a 14-year-old boy and I could feel his adventurous spirit enter me as I wrote about his tryst with the supernatural. I may add, that I borrowed a part of the story from two real unexplained encounters I had heard from a friend and an acquaintance, respectively. Quite likely they were making up the stories, but even then it's good matter for my story.


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

I never had a Eureka! moment, as far as writing fiction is concerned. However, I have been a creative person all my life. I could improvise stories that I would tell my younger cousins when I was 14. During my undergrad, my advertising project was top rated, so much so that years later my professor remembered me and my project, when I ran into him. Even my graduate thesis in the US was linked to animated characters, and the thesis committee was impressed with my creativity. As I stated that I had a tiff with my boss, and it stoked the flames of creative expression in me, as I felt I was not being appreciated. In hindsight, it was a blessing in disguise, since now I do what I enjoy doing!


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

I am writing my first novel these days. If there was one character I could meet in real life, it would be the hero of my novel. I am in love with him! He's just so likable! :)


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?

A mouse or, even worse, a wet rat! I can see myself not just screaming, but also quickly shifting on my feet, lest it touches me. Its a black rat, I see its eyes, they seem to be looking at me. Eeek! its moving towards me at lightening speed. Good God! how can such a small thing move so fast. Better close the door before he comes in. Hurry! hurry hurry! Still shifting on my feet *phew* door closed. Safe at last!

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Thanks so much for sharing with us, Aliya! For more of Aliya and her writing, be sure to check out her blog!

Stop back in on Monday, when my guest will be C.W. LaSart! See you!

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 - Axel Howerton

Welcome to today's edition of The Same Six Questions! Give a warm welcome to author Axel Howerton!

Author. Film reviewer. Music writer. Time Lord. Bookhouse Boy. Coffee Addict. Dudeist. Sox National. Enmascarado. Reformed pugilist. Ink Monkey. Best known for his work as an entertainment journalist, Axel is thelong-time Managing Editor of www.eyecrave.net. Axel also recently acted as Associate Editor for the first four issues of the horror fiction quarterly Dark Moon Digest. His work has most recently appeared in Kitschykoo Magazine, Dark Eclipse #4, EWR: Short Stories, Fires on the Plain, Dark Moon Digest #3, and many more. He is also the co-founder (with fellow author Julie Jansen) of the annual "Coffin Hop" horror author online event, which takes place in October and has featured over one hundred of the best Indie writers and artists of at least four continents.

Axel spends most of his time in Calgary, Alberta, traversing the frigid tundra of Canada - usually two steps behind his brilliant young sons, and a wife that is way out of his league.

The Same Six Questions

1.Have you published a book yet?

I have been published in books. I have actually just put the finishing touches on my novel Hot Sinatra which should be available in the next couple of months. I've had incredibly positive feedback from some fellow authors like Red Tash (author of the amazing This Brilliant Darkness) and Scott S. Phillips (Squirrel Eyes, Gimme Skelter). Here's the quick synopsis:


Moss Cole is a private detective. The kind you thought only existed in old movies and afternoon reruns. He's looking for a stolen Sinatra record... one that may be a figment of one cantankerous old bastard's imagination.

Of course, if that were true, Moss wouldn't have so many people busting down his door and threatening his life. He's smart, talented, sometimes even charming. You'd think he could find a better gig than carrying on his grandfather's legacy as a 'Private Dick'.

A vivacious redhead, a foul-mouthed Irish rock star and half the crazies in L.A. add up to business as usual, when all Cole wants is some fresh coffee and a Hot Sinatra...

The first three chapters are available as "added-value material" on the kindle version of my novella Living Dead at Zigfreidt & Roy. Axel's Amazon writing.


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

Can I use the ol' standby of “always”? Like a lot of writers, I was a very voracious reader at a very young age. I started writing stories in some form or another as soon as I had figured out the alphabet. By elementary school, I was putting out my own comic books and books of jokey poetry with my friends. I first had articles published when I was twelve. I focused more on poetry for a long time, just because it was better for wooing. I also gravitated towards screenwriting for a while, making terrifically bad movies in High School.


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?

Probably a story for grade ten English class. I think it was supposed to be a page or two, mine ballooned to twelve or thirteen pages of prime Steven Seagal-inspired hitman/ninja madness. I remember the teacher was supportive, but duly shocked by the content. There were numerous episodes of dismemberment and beheading, a couple of “creamy white breasts”, and a whole lotta F-bombs. I'm still pretty fond of the F-bombs. I'm sure I probably have it buried in a box somewhere, along with a couple of slasher movie scripts from the era and a few books full of bad poetry inspired by Red Hot Chili Peppers lyrics.


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

Also, like most writers, I am a hopeless feedback whore. I doubt I'll ever be entirely confident or believe I'm accepted as a real writer, but that's just one face of the beast that drives us. Positive comments from writers I really admire and respect goes a long way, so I try to be very open and thankful when I get it. I also try to pass it on when newer writers ask for advice or validation. I know a lot of people who treat this industry as a cut-throat competitive battleground, but I think that is really counter-productive. How much better would it be if we all helped each other get better? How much greater would a world filled with amazing tales and rich, colorful, ORIGINAL stories be? Am I avoiding the question?


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

Good lord. That's a hullabalooza. I think most characters come from facets of the writers own psyche. So, in a sense, I've met them all because they all are me. That's kind of a dippity pseudo-psychology answer, though. If I was going to hang out with one? Foxy Thunders from Hot Sinatra is a good pick. He's a wild, foul-mouthed, womanizing party-hound. Good-time incarnate. If I didn't have to worry about getting beaten or arrested, I think I'd have a hell of a time with him. Conversely, I'd love to just sit in a room and have a coffee with the old cowboy from Living Dead at Zigfreidt & Roy. He's basically all the best memories of my dear departed Grandaddy, who flavors pretty much everything I do. I miss him something terrible most days.


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?

An army of ghosts, the spirits of legends passed, James Joyce at the fore. A bottle of whiskey in one hand, one of my books in the other. “Well? Come on then.”

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Thanks for sharing with us today, Axel! Be sure to stop back and let us know when Hot Sinatra is finished! You can find Axel at his Web site and follow him on Twitter.

The Same Six Questions is on Spring Break for a week! We'll see you back here on April 16th.