Author In The Zone ~ Nina Croft

Our first Author In The Zone of 2011 is Nina Croft.

Hi Nina. Welcome to Author In The Zone. Tell us a little about yourself?
My name’s Nina Croft and a long time ago, I used to be an accountant. I really didn’t like it. So, I planned my escape. After a few years spent wandering the world, I have now settled to an almost hermit-like existence on a remote, and rather ramshackle, almond farm, on a mountaintop, in southern Spain. Here, I alternate my time between gazing at the scenery, writing romance, and picking the occasional nut (when funds run alarmingly low).


Sound idyllic. How long have you been writing?
A long, long time, but seriously – with a view to getting published – around four years.

Give us a little background to your writing work to date?
I started off trying to write contemporary romance. I got some positive feedback—they liked my writing style, but I wasn’t getting the stories quite right, not enough internal conflict. So I decided to try something where more external conflict was allowed and encouraged. I’m also a strong believer in writing the sort of things you enjoy reading, and as I was reading a lot of paranormal romance and urban fantasy at the time, I decided to have a go. And I loved it.
Although I do write mainly paranormal, I love to try different things and my first novella to be published - in January 2010 - was actually a Space Opera romance, Tiger of Talmare. I had four other novellas published in 2010, all paranormal romance, but my latest work is a full length thriller.


Where does your interest in the paranormal stem from?
When I think of the books that stand out in my mind from my childhood, there were a lot of paranormal and fantasy. One of my first favorites was Weirdstone of Brisingamen. I also loved the Lord of the Rings and later, Anne Rice’s, Interview with a Vampire had a big impact on me.

Who are your favourite writers?
They tend to change, but this year Laurell K Hamilton, Brent Weeks, Joe Abercrombie, Patricia Briggs, Manna Francis….


Do you have a process when writing?
No. I’m sure I’ll get one eventually – or maybe not.
I keep telling myself that I’m still trying to work out what works best for me. But I think the truth, is I just have a low boredom threshold, and I hate routines, so I try something different each time. Currently, I’m a manic plotter. I recently discovered some software for writers called, ywriter. It’s great, you can plot scene by scene, and it gives you pretty color coded story boards and things. I used it for my nano story, and whenever I got stuck, I’d go and play with it.

What's the last book you read?
JD Robb’s, Naked in Death, recommended by one of my crit partners. It’s a sort of futuristic murder mystery, and I loved it, which is great because there are loads of books in the series. I love finding authors I’ve not read before who’ve written masses.


How do you market your writing?
Well, here I am. Is this going to work?
And I did buy my other half a ‘Nina Croft’ T-shirt for Christmas. He’s going to wear it around our local village (population approximately 300 – all over 80 and no English speakers). I’m expecting an enormous boost in my sales figures!
The truth is I find the whole marketing thing a complete mystery. But I’m doing my best to solve it. I have a website, but not a blog. I’ve been resisting it – as I find blogging incredibly hard. But I’ve been doing some guest blogs and author interviews and things.
My current strategy is to concentrate on getting stuff out there. I figure it’s the best way of getting my name recognized. I’m probably deluding myself, but at least it means I get to spend most of my time writing.

Do you do your own editing?
I revise and self-edit before I submit anything to a publisher. I also have a fantastic group of critique partners who help enormously. But all my books have been edited by an external editor as part of the publishing process.
One of the reasons I would not, at this time, consider self-publishing is I would have to pay an editor – my grammar is pretty crappy. But I think all writers need an external editor, as it’s so hard to see your own work clearly. Mind you, I think you also have to realize that editors aren’t always right. If you feel strongly about something then you need to stand your ground. If you don’t feel strongly then they probably are right after all.


What's your view on self publishing via traditional publishing?
I personally would not self publish. At the moment. But then, I write romance and there are a lot of ebook publishers around, that deal with the genre. If you have written something of publishable standard then you will find a home for it. And I’d personally rather go this route than self-publish.
I do recognize that other genres might be more difficult, but again, there are so many epublishers now willing to take the chance on new authors. Because the epublishing process is so much cheaper that traditional print publishing, epublishers are willing to take more risks with the types of books they publish. Which is great for writers and readers.

Where can book lovers find examples of your work?
You can find links to my books on my website
Tiger of Talmare – Shadowfire Press (January 2010)
The Prophecy – Harlequin Nocturne Bites (February 2010)
The Darkness – Harlequin Nocturne Bites (October 2010)
Bound to Night –The Wild Rose Press (August 2010)
Mid-Winter Magic – Decadent Publishing (November 2010)


What advice would you offer new writers?
Don’t let rejection get you down. It’s a part of life, a very painful one, but you have to learn to deal with and even gain from the experience. When you get to the point where you start getting feedback on your rejections it’s great – you know you’re getting somewhere.
Also, you can’t know immediately what works best for you – so don’t be afraid to experiment, try different things, write in different genres, but most of all write the sort of things you love to read.

Thanks Nina. I think I'm still in search of my own little almond farm somewhere. Best of luck in 2011.

***

Nina's Website.

Author In The Zone ~ Lynn Mullican.

Our latest Author In The Zone is Lynn Mullican.

Lynn Mullican is a horror, paranormal, suspense and psychological thriller author. She weaves distinct, intricate and intriguing storylines with a hint of reality, horror, romance, and anything else her mind may ponder. Lynn twists up reality to deliver believable characters, interesting plots and plenty of action.

Hey Lynn, Welcome to Author in the Zone. How long have you been writing?
I’ve been writing about 30 years.

Give us a little background to your writing work to date?
I had my first poem published in 1987 while I stayed home and raised my children. I didn’t have much time to myself, so my writing time was minimal. I had a few poems published here and there from 1987 to approximately 1992 in a few different anthologies. I found that after having 3 children, you don’t really have a lot of time to yourself. I wrote more poems and a book throughout the course of raising my children, but didn’t get vigilant about publication of anything until I wrote, Bad Elements: Crystal Dragon, which is due to be released in the next couple of weeks.

Have you attempted to secure the services of an agent?
I have tried and found it to be a very difficult process. After many attempts and many rejections, I started weighing other options.

Who are your favourite writers?
Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Robert McCammon, Charlotte Harris, Sandra Brown, Bram Stoker, Edgar Allen Poe.

What's the last book you read?
Do You Believe? by Ann Lawrence.

How do you market your writing?
Well, since my debut novel is coming out in just a couple of weeks, that’s a little difficult to answer at this point. But for the time being, I have been promoting it and marketing it through social websites, though I don’t have it in print just yet. I have several people interested though. I might be able to answer this question better once I have it available.

What's your view on self publishing v traditional publishing?
I have my pros and cons on both. As far as self publishing goes, it’s great for those who are not able to get their book into print via a traditional publishing house. The economy has put a bit of a strain on agents and traditional publishing houses as far as having to be selective. It’s understandable, though I think first time authors should have a chance to get their work out in the field. There are so many talented writers that have phenomenal stories out there. I guess I don’t believe you should have to pay to publish your work, but self publishing is there for those who do have some difficulty getting their work into print. And, I also believe writers should be able to keep their rights on their books, and should also be able to have input into their book, which you can do in self publishing. I believe you lose most of those rights when you go with a traditional publishing house. But, as far as traditional publishing goes, I think most of them have a keener sense of commercialism than some self publishing companies and of course, what writer doesn’t want a traditional publishing house to pick up their book. That’s always a good thing!

What services do you use to print your writing?
I’m currently with a publisher, YES Publishing Group.

Where can book lovers find examples of your work?
My debut novel is going to press this week, so my book, Bad Elements – Crystal Dragon, should be coming out in the next couple of weeks. I don’t have the specific time frame just yet, but I do believe it should be towards the end of November. You can pick up a copy on my website here.

What advice would you offer new writers? Write, write, write! Write to your heart’s content and remember to keep those creative juices flowing, do the editing after the fact. You don’t want to interrupt the flow with edits. I’ve done that before and when you lose your train of thought, it’s very frustrating. And, remember, never, never give up!

Thanks Lynn for taking park and good luck with your new book.
Thanks Noel.

Lynn's Website.

Author In The Zone ~ Sarah James.

Our latest Author in the Zone is award-winning poet, Sarah James.

Sarah James is an award-winning poet, short fiction writer and journalist based in Worcestershire, UK. The mother-of-two also runs writing workshops and has been both poet and writer in residence at Oxfam Bookshop in Worcester. She is a member of the National Association of Writers in Education and the Poetry Society stanza representative for Worcester and Droitwich. Besides poetry and art, the 35 year old says she loves swimming, mulled wine and cookie dough ice-cream – but not all at the same time!

Hey Sarah, Welcome to Author in the Zone. How long have you been writing?
I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. I used to make my own newspapers – all written by hand. My first poem was when I was six – about a flea that loved shopping!

Give us a little background to your writing work to date?
I was editor of the school magazine in sixth form, then got involved in student journalism at university. After graduating I did a post-graduate diploma in newspaper journalism. Since then I’ve worked in regional newspapers mainly but also some freelance work for writing magazines and I’ve had a few pieces in the national papers.It wasn't until about ten years ago that I had the time to also start writing fiction and poetry seriously. I have had both poems and short stories published in anthologies, literary journals and online, as well as placed in competitions. My first full-length poetry collection ‘Into the Yell’ was published by Circaidy Gregory Press in July.I did a certificate of higher education at Birmingham University seven years ago before having my two boys. I started my MA in creative writing (online poetry route) with Manchester Metropolitan University in September.Recently, I've also been doing a lot of poetry readings, recordings for Internet radio and making poem videos.

Who are your favourite writers?
I dip in and out of poetry collections and magazines – contemporary poets mainly. I like Michael Symmons Roberts, Judy Brown, Jean Sprackland, Carol Ann Duffy, Philip Gross, Catherine Smith, Angela France, Pascale Petit....So much depends on mood.

What's the last book you read?
Poetry-wise, I’m currently enjoying Hilary Menos’s Forward prize-winning first collection ‘Berg’ (she’s also on my MA course) and I’m part way through two novels: ‘The Language of Bees’ by Laurie R King and ‘The Secret Five and the Stunt Nun Legacy’ by John Lawrence.

How do you market your writing?
Readings, my website and blog (which I update regularly), and just generally being involved in the writing scene. Essentially, by doing what I enjoy doing - interacting with other writers and readers!I’ve also been experimenting recently with using art and photography to bring non-poetry readers to my poems ie using my poems/phrases from my poems with collage and paint in poetry canvases or displaying poems alongside photos that inspired or are connected with them. The feedback has been good. I think it’s another way of dispelling the unnecessary fear some people feel when they hear the word poetry!

What's your view on self publishing via traditional publishing?
I do think self-publishing is a legitimate and justifiable way of producing a book these days. But it wasn’t the right option for me. I needed the external approbation of a traditional publisher.

Where can book lovers find examples of your work?
Buy my collection 'Into the Yell' (Circaidy Gregory Press, ISBN 978-1906451240)! Or check out my website. I recently had a poem in Poetry News and have poems coming up in Magma magazine and the Bugged anthology (ISBN 978-1849140539).

What advice would you offer new writers?
Don’t forget to read as well as write, both for enjoyment and so you know what else is out there. Most of all have fun!

Thanks Sarah.

Sarah's website can be found here.

Author In The Zone ~ Sam Gridley

Next up in the Author in the Zone Series is, Sam Gridley.


Sam Gridley is the pen name of a fiction writer who, like his latest protagonist, has bounced all over the American landscape, from New England to Southern California. His novel The Shame Of What We Are, illustrated by Tom Jackson, is being released this fall by New Door Books.


Hey Sam, Welcome to Author in the Zone. How long have you been writing?
If you count scribbled poems in grade school, I’ve been writing for--wait, I don’t have enough fingers and toes to count on. More than 50 years, I think.


Give us a little background to your writing work to date?
After my undergraduate years at Berkeley, during which I avoided “creative writing” courses, I got serious about writing fiction. A couple of years later, I landed a Stegner Fellowship in fiction at Stanford, but still didn’t have much understanding of my themes or how to approach them. It wasn’t until age 30 that I began to publish stories in small literary magazines, and that practice has continued to this day. Along the way, I’ve also written four novels, some satirical essays, seven nonfiction books, and miscellaneous other stuff. Only the fiction and satire are published under the Gridley moniker.


Tell us a little about The Shame Of What We Are?
It’s a novel about a nerdy kid growing up in a dysfunctional American family in the 1950s and early 1960s. Or trying to grow up, because it’s not clear how well he succeeds. In tone, SHAME is tragic, comic, ironic, silly, and serious at the same time. In form, it’s chronological, but the chapters skip across years in such a way that the narrative becomes fragmented--a “novel in pieces,” I call it--and the reader experiences some of the protagonist’s own dislocation as the family breaks up and reshapes itself, jumps from one part of the country to another, and generally goes through all the confusing transitions that created contemporary America.


Who are your favourite writers?
Ford Madox Ford, first of all, the great 20th-century British stylist with a romantic 19th-century mind. Among current authors, Richard Russo, whose novels helped me learn how to write with warmth and benevolence about deeply flawed characters.


What is New Door Books?
It’s an unusual collaboration between a private company, P. M. Gordon Associates, and a group of writers, the Working Writers Group of Philadelphia. Under the New Door imprint, the company publishes “innovative fiction” chosen by the group.


What's the last book you read?
The River Between, a 1965 novel by the Kenyan writer Ngugi wa Thiong’o, a tale that combines politics with a Romeo-Juliet love story. It’s set in colonial Kenya when resistance to English rule was beginning to build.


How do you market your writing?
Any way I can! Blogs, reviews, interviews like this one, readings, book fairs, press releases.


What's your view on self publishing via traditional publishing?
Since the big publishing houses have largely abandoned serious literature, it’s up to those of us who care about it to find a way to get it out there, whether through small presses, self-publishing, cooperatives, handing out poems on the street--whatever works. The publishing landscape is changing so fast that it's hard to tell where these trends will end up five years from now.


Where can book lovers find examples of your work?
The Shame Of What We Are can be ordered at the New Door Books website and at dozens of Internet booksellers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.
An earlier novel, The Big Happiness, is available as a free PDF here.
One new story is in the current issue (4.3) of Prick Of The Spindle magazine.
Another is coming out soon in Carve magazine. Finally, a number of my older stories are in the archives of online magazines; by googling “Sam Gridley” (this works best with the quotation marks included), you’ll find a number of them, including ones in Paradigm, The Piker Press, Superstition Review, and Decomp.

What advice would you offer new writers?
Beyond what everyone else says? I guess I’d stress one thing: patience. If you get some recognition quickly, that’s great, but if you don’t, and you’re really serious, you’ll want to keep writing anyway, and that’s when you’ll need all the patience you can muster.

Thanks Sam for the interview. Best of luck with everything.

Sam's Blog's here.

Author In The Zone ~ Ana Y. Rodriguez

Our new Author In The Zone is Ana Y. Rodriguez, who lives in New Jersey.

Ana Y. Rodriguez writes under the pen name “LatinTemptress.” She began posting her short stories and blogs on Yahoo 360 in 2004 and on MySpace in 2005. She quickly gained a loyal audience with her bold opinions, in-your-face attitude and tongue-in-cheek, politically incorrect humor. Encouraged by her friends, she posted a short story online. An overnight sensation, what was supposed to be a two-part blog became the seed to her novel Latin Temptress. The Encounter. The book is self-published and was released in May 2008 under her company, LT Publishing.
Ana operates an online clothing store at http://www.spreadshirt.com/ and more information on her book is available on http://www.latintemptress.com/. The book can also be purchased online also at SubstanceBooks.com and vendor tables and stores in the NYC/NJ area.
A former South Bronx resident, she moved to New Jersey in 1993. She graduated from Downstate University in 1992 and earned her B.S. in Computer Information Systems in 2003. Her favorite quote sums her best: "Some women aren't meant to be tamed. Maybe they need to run free until they find someone just as wild, to run with" ~Carrie Bradshaw, SATC.

Hey Ana, Welcome to Author in the Zone. How long have you been writing?
I have been writing poems and short stories informally for over 30 years and formally for two years.

Give us a little background to your writing work to date?
In 1995 I had my first published work in a poetry anthology, self-published my first book in 2008 and am currently penning a second.

You run LT Publishing? Tell us a little about that?
I am the Founder and CEO of LT Publishing. LT Publishing is a joint venture with Raej Entertainment offers the services of editing, publishing, photography and graphic work keeping costs low and quality high for authors. Most companies outsource part or all of their work, so I created a company that offers all of the above services for a fraction of the cost thus maximizing profits for the author.

Do you have an agent?
I am currently in talks with a prominent agent in Las Vegas.

Who are your favourite writers?
Anne Rice, J.K. Rowling and Stephen King.

What's the last book you read?
Butterfly, by Deborah Cardona aka Sexy, a well-known, self-published author.

How do you market your writing?
I take advantage of popular social network sites, book clubs and book fairs such as Book Expo America where I can give that personal touch to each potential reader. I also have contracted online publicity with SubstanceBooks.com.

What's your view on self publishing via traditional publishing?
Personally I prefer self-publishing due to the control factor. I can control the process from publication and marketing/promotion to sales and profits. Maximizing where I can and when I can without having to neither consult nor surrender my vision to a third party.

What services do you use to print your writing?
I use a traditional book printer located in New Jersey.

Where can book lovers find examples of your work?
They can check out these websites:
http://www.latintemptress.com/,
www.AuthorsDen.com/anayrodriguez,
www.myspace.com/latintemptress,
http://www.goodreads.com/,
http://www.substancebooks.com/.

What advice would you offer new writers?
Do your research and don’t let anyone rob your wallet by giving you false promises and selling you a quick-scheme dream. Ask other writers questions on how they got started and on how they were published. Make sure you own all rights to your work by copyrighting. Writers can ask me questions on this topic by contacting me at latin@latintemptress.com.

Thanks Ana. Sounds very much like you have exciting times ahead.
Thanks Noel.

Author In The Zone ~ Heather McAlendin.

Author In The Zone ~ Heather McAlendin

Heather McAlendin is a fiction writer located in Toronto, Ontario Canada. She is originally from the Northern Ontario town of Timmins.

Hi Heather, Welcome to Author in the Zone. How long have you been writing? I have been writing for as long as I can remember. Started off with short stories and poetry in High School and now concentrate on novel length work and some novellas.

Give us a little background to your writing work to date?
I started writing supernatural or paranormal fiction (vampires,dream-walkers etc.) and have recently branched out in erotic romance and suspense. I don't like to be boxed in to one genre or another. I love to go wherever my imagination takes me!

Have you had any dealings with agents? I had an agent for a brief period. Unfortunately she passed away before being able to really get a start with me. I have been looking for a new agent but so far have not had any luck. I will plod along as an independent author for now.

What's the last book you read?
"Spying in High Heels" by Gemma Halliday.

How do you market your writing? I have a limited budget, so I try and make use of what I have at my disposal. I utilize social networking sites; my own website; twitter; target marketing via email and I write my own press releases.

What's your view on self publishing via traditional publishing?
I have utilized both self publishing and small traditional publishers. I think in this day and age there no reason to restrict how you get your work out there. Admittedly the self publishing route is more difficult as you are responsible for your own marketing and editing, but I love the creative freedom it offers. I do hope that one day i will been able to go bit more mainstream.

What services do you use to print your writing?
Currently I use Lulu.com and I upload my work for Kindle downloads via Amazon.com in order to self publish. My current publisher for my more mainstream work is Eternal Press.

Where can book lovers find examples of your work?
Readers are quite welcome to visit my website where there are links to all my work, including my photography.

What advice would you offer new writers? The only advice I have is to keep writing! There will be naysayers and those who will give you negative reviews. Stay true to your vision. And remember that most reviews are not authors. Go where you imagination leads you and see what happens. Have fun with it. When is stops being fun, then it may be time to look into another line of work. A writer's life is not easy nor is it financially stable so be prepared, but if it is your passion...Go For It!

Great advice Heather. Thanks for taking part.
Thanks Noel!

Heather's Website can be found here.

Author In The Zone ~ Natasha Bennett

Next up in the Author In The Zone series is Canadian writer, Natasha Bennett.


Natasha is a writer based in Canada. She is the author of War of the Soulites, a science fiction/horror series on kindle. When Natasha is not writing she enjoys watching bad horror movies and playing video games.

Hi Natasha, welcome to Authors In The Zone.
Hi Noel, thank you for the interview!

How long have you been writing?
I have really been writing since grade five, but my first short story was published in 2007. My first novel, War of the Soulites, was published in 2009.


Tell us a little about your books, War of the Soulites and War of the Soulites 2: Ouroboros.
I wanted to write a book that was not a typical science fiction story. It was not going to be 'a ship goes somewhere and explores the galaxy'. Instead War of the Soulites is a dark, gritty story with unusual characters-for example, a Captain who spent most of his life as an accountant, a mass-murdering first officer, and a medical officer with trembling hands. These characters often have to make tough moral choices.



How long did they take to write?
The first one took about two years to write, and the sequel took roughly one year.


Tell us about your route to publication? Who, if anyone, helped you along the way?
I spent the first six months submitting my novel to agents, and then I decided to go straight for a publisher instead. I did some research and discovered that Lyrical Press had a great reputation and beautiful covers.
My family was a great help to me after writing my first novel. My mom, being a writer herself, spent a long time editing War of the Soulites, and my brother Campbell pointed out a few technical flaws.



How do you market your books?
I have sent both of my books to multiple review sites and I have participated in several interviews. I also like to spend my free time in chat rooms talking with fellow authors and readers. It's a great way to meet new people!


What are you currently working on?
Currently I am working on War of the Soulites 3, and I have a couple of horror novellas being considered for publication as well.



Tell us a little about your writing process?
With a full-time job my writing process is a little random. I generally write on weekends, and sometimes on weekdays. Sometimes if I'm lucky I will also write in the early hours of the morning.


What advice do you have for new writers?
I genuinely believe that anyone can be a successful writer, but it requires two things. One is the ability to accept that your writing is not perfect. No matter how good a novel is, another set of eyes will usually find a way to make it better. Secondly, a writer needs patience. Lots and lots of patience. Any work submitted can easily take six months to two years before a publisher will even look at it! And of course, the best way to pass the time is by more writing.


Thanks Natasha, and best of luck with the books.


Natasha's Blog.


Natasha on Twitter.


Natasha's Website.


If you would like to feature as an Author In The Zone you can contact me via the Contact Page.

Author In The Zone ~ Graham Storrs.

The latest Author in the Zone is Australian based writer, Graham Storrs.

Graham is a science fiction writer based in Queensland, Australia. He is the author of the time travel thriller, TimeSplash, his debut novel.
When Graham is not writing he enjoys hanging out with his family and their Airedale terrier, Bertie, at their rural, bushland property. After a career in artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, and multimedia, Graham has finally settled down to do what he really loves: writing science fiction.

Hi Graham, welcome to Authors In The Zone.
Hi Noel and thanks for having me over.

How long have you been writing?
As long as I can remember. I may have been the only Scout in the UK to earn his hobby badge by turning in a sheaf of sci-fi stories. I've always written fiction, but I've only been serious about having it published for just over two years now. Until then, I had not had a single piece of fiction published. Since then, I've published ten short stories and now my first novel is out.

Tell us a little about your book, TimeSplash?
TimeSplash is a science fiction adventure story about a young couple trying to hunt down and stop a time travelling terrorist who has damaged each of them in different ways. There is a quirky romance along the way, but this is a fast-paced thriller with the fate of a whole city hanging on their success.

How long did it take to write?
It took about nine months from idea to submission - which is very fast for me. After that, of course, there were still months of editing to do as I worked with the publisher to get it out.

Tell us about your route to publication? Who, if anyone, helped you along the way?
The publication of TimeSplash has been very complicated - perhaps a sign of how the market is changing at the moment. I thought I'd find an agent and they'd find me a publisher, but that didn't happen. Instead, just after I'd started querying agents, someone in my writing group mentioned a small press publisher in New York that was looking for manuscripts just like TimeSplash. So I sent it to them directly. That was Lyrical Press. They wanted it, but they only wanted to do an ebook version - which is their main market. I signed with them and the ebook came out in February 2010.
That left me with the print rights and the audio rights still to dispose of.A few months later, another writer, Emma Newman, wrote and said she'd like to record an audiobook version of TimeSplash that she and I could then jointly self-publish and market. Emma had already recorded and podcast her own novel and won a publishing contract on the strength of it - another unusual route to publication - so I agreed. It was almost complete when, in discussions with a publisher in Denmark - Greg McQueen of Big Bad Media - Emma told him about the recording she was making and let him listen. He asked for more, so I sent him the manuscript and he called me a day later to say he loved it and wanted to do the print and audio versions!That was just a few weeks ago and the audiobook is now complete and will shortly be released. The print edition is also in production and should be available before Christmas. It's very exciting.
And what it means is that TimeSplash now has two publishers, each in a different country from me, each licensing different bundles of rights, and not an agent in sight.I intend to find an agent for my next book (which I completed a short while ago) because this kind of direct selling, while thrilling and fascinating, is time-consuming and I find it quite nerve-wracking. It would be nice to have a professional looking after that side of things.

How do you market your book?
It's all done with wires. I've become a social networking expert since my book was launched. It's impossible to get big media outlets to review an ebook so I've had to learn how to use the Internet. I blog, TimeSplash has its own website (and its own blog), I've got pages on Facebook, Goodreads, Librarything, Amazon, and Myspace, and I Twitter.
If I'd known a year beforehand what I needed to do, I'd have built up big followings before the launch. As it is, publication took me somewhat by surprise and I was late getting started. My followings are only just now building up to respectable levels. I like to make myself available for interviews (and thank heavens for kind souls like yourself who give unknown authors like me a platform!) and I did a blog tour that lasted two months and took in about twenty sites. Trying to be creative, I did a round-the-world 24-hour Twitter tour, which was great fun and pretty effective, but very tiring!

What other works have you written?
I've got quite a few novels and short stories in my 'bottom drawer' including two fat space operas, another time travel novel, a sci-fi comedy and so on. I've just finished another near-future thriller. Like TimeSplash it is fast and furious, but this time involves Moon colonies and transhumans. I call it The Credulity Nexus - but you never know what it might end up being called after a publisher has finished with it. This is the one I've just started trying to find an agent for.

Tell us a little about your writing process?
When I was working, I used to write in my lunch breaks, in restaurants - it was the only time I seemed to have to myself. Since I moved out into the country, I have much more time for writing. I like to take my little netbook outside - even in freezing weather - and sit in the gazebo, surrounded by forest for an hour or two (sometimes more) each day. Sometimes I take the netbook and the dog and spend the time beside a nearby lake. It definitely beats city-centre restaurants.

Where do you see your writing in ten years?
Having a book published is a huge milestone, but it is far too easy for a writing career to end there. I don't suppose I'll feel like a real writer until I've pulled this off at least three times. Then I'll know it wasn't a fluke. A book a year on average would be good, and I know I'm quite capable of that. So, if in 2020 I'm not celebrating my tenth novel, I'll be asking myself some hard questions.

What advice do you have for new writers?
Take all the advice you can get about learning the craft of writing, persisting, networking with other writers, and so on. It's all worth doing. But also, take some time to understand this business you want to be in. Understand all the stages and roles in the publishing industry.
View it the way you'd view any other business you're involved in. Find out what each stage in the process needs from you - the agents, the editors, the publishers, publicists, booksellers, everyone - and make sure you are anticipating what each of them will need. It will help you in drafting query letters, negotiating contracts, and selling your book. It wasn't until this perspective finally clicked with me that I started selling my work.

Graham thanks very much for taking time-out to offer up your wisdom. Personally I found the way you handle your rights eye-opening, as I'm sure other writers having to consider such options will too. Thanks again.
Cheers Noel.

TimeSplash Blog.

Graham's Blog.

Author In The Zone ~ Maureen Vincent-Northam.

Our next Author In The Zone is U.K writer, Maureen Vincent-Northam.

Maureen Vincent-Northam is based in Hereford. She writes both fiction (children’s mostly) and non-fiction. Maureen has two non-fic books published; one on genealogy tips and the other, a writers’ guide, The Writer’s ABC Checklist, which was co-written with Lorraine Mace.
Maureen's articles have appeared in print magazines and online, she won The Writers’ Advice Centre for Children’s Books 2008 competition and she’s a contributing author to the 100 Stories for Haiti book project.
When Maureen is not writing she enjoys crime-solving (strictly novels and TV) and other puzzles. She enjoys research and worked as a genealogist for many years.

Hi Maureen, welcome to Authors In The Zone.Tell us a little about your writing to date?
Thank you, Noel. Even as a child I loved writing stories. Before I’d heard of the word plagiarism, I spent many a happy hour bashing out Enid Blyton-like works on a Petite typewriter. Years later, egged on by my husband (and with a computer replacing the Petite), I began studying with a correspondence writing course. I’d already had a few things published, but learned some valuable lessons from the course.About eight years ago, I joined a writers’ resource site called WriteLink and became friends with another member, Lorraine Mace. We decided we’d like to write a book together and hit upon the ABC idea. The Writer’s ABC Checklist is the book Lorraine and I wished had been around when we first started out. We wanted to cover all the angles writers need to know in order to get their work published.

What are you working on at the moment?
I’ve just finished revising my genealogy tips book; it was taken on by a new publishing house earlier this year and will hopefully be in print again soon. A novel for young adults is a few chapters in and I’m also working on several shorter books for younger children. I write articles too, mainly for the writing market.

Tell us a little about them?
The YA novel is a psychological thriller, told in first person from a teenage girl’s point of view. I have it all mapped out, though I do keep dropping other things in! The other books are aimed at the 5-8 year old age range – a group I enjoy writing for immensely as they contain humour and mad people.

Tell us about your route to publication? Who, if anyone, helped you along the way?
The ABC was written in an unusual way as Lorraine and I never met until the meeting with our publisher. We started by listing dozens of topics and then dividing them up, each of us taking the subjects in which we were competent. We wrote our chapters and sent them over by email for the other to comment on. We chatted daily on msn and did the final edits on instant messenger too. We approached a few publishers and were taken on fairly quickly, only to have our publisher go under in the credit crunch. Undaunted (for undaunted, read bloody-minded) we sent the ms to Accent Press and the lovely people there signed us up straight away.

How do you market your books?
We’re fortunate in that there are two of us to market it! We’re members of various writers’ sites and social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter and we both have websites. This summer I ran a workshop at a writers’ conference and of course Lorraine has a column in Writing Magazine. I also have a blog set up for writers where I post news, competitions, useful sites and advice from experts.

Tell us a little about your writing process?
I don’t have a fixed schedule and don’t aim to write a certain number of words a day – that just doesn’t work for me. I find I can write straight on to the computer when I’m doing non-fiction, perhaps because it’s factual data and therefore I’m following a certain logical path. But I often need to get away from the computer altogether for fiction and find a large writing pad and a fine ballpoint pen works much better.

What advice would you have for new writers?
Don’t forfeit your own style, but study what’s current in the areas that interest you. Keep that in mind and then offer the editor a new slant on it. Take time to learn your craft; never be precious about your writing and if an industry professional offers advice, then do take it onboard.

Thanks very much for your insight Maureen.
Thanks Noel.

Maureen's Website.

Maureen's Blog.

* If you are a writer and would like to talk about your work, writing experience and process please use the contact form on the Home page to get in touch so we can organise it for you. Thanks.

Author In The Zone ~ Marit Meredith

Next up in the Author In The Zone series is Marit Meredith.

Marit Meredith was born and brought up in Norway, but travelled to London in 1972 on what was supposed to be what we now call a 'gap year.' She met her future husband weeks into her stay and married three months later. She settled into family life (six daughters, and now eight grandchildren, too) in a lovely little Welsh village where the Bard himself is supposed to have been inspired to write Midsummer Night Dream.


Hi Marit. Welcome to the series. How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing ever since I could put a sentence together on the page. My essays were always read out in school – but of course, that was all in Norwegian. I started writing articles and readers’ letters in English, in my early twenties and it evolved from there.

Tell us a little about your publishing endeavours?

I have had comments, articles, poems, true-life stories and short stories published, as well as having work published in anthologies: Against The Clock by Grail Writers (in aid of the Alzheimer Society), MS Talent: Volume 1 (in aid of the MS cause), 43 ‘L’ Plates by Fygleaves and recently in the SlingInk anthology Anti-clockwise.

I published ‘Another Haircut?’ after challenging fellow writers to write on the subject, in aid of the Children’s Chronic Arthritis Society (through Lulu), and last year – after another challenge, I published 24 Stories for Advent (Lulu again), in aid of Save the Children.

I also self published a short story collection, ‘Tea Time Morsels’, and have several projects on the go, the most important being the Children’s Stories Anthology challenge ‘Shambelurkling and Other Stories’ which I aim to have published in time for Christmas. The recipient of the royalties will be The National Autistic Society (NAS) EarlyBird Plus Programme.



Have you had any dealing with mainstream publishers?
I have sent manuscripts off to mainstream publishers in the past, but after a few rejections I decided to look at smaller publishers. One Indie publisher was going to publish my ‘Rheumatically Challenged’ ms, but decided that the readership was not big enough (the ms is currently with another publisher). From smaller publishers to self publishing seemed a very small step to take.




You run an eZine. Tell us a little about it?
The Apprentice Writer, the website I run with my daughter Kristina, and that's where we run our eZine, The Pages. We started the magazine 2 years ago offering a platform for novice writers and the more experienced writers alike, and it’s going strong. It can be hard work, but it is definitely a labour of love.


Do you have a writing process?
I don’t suppose I have a process as such. Ideas float round in my mind, begging to be written, and whenever I get a chance, I sit down and just write. I have tried mapping out in advance when writing fiction, but it doesn’t work for me. My characters dictate, if you like. Writing non-fiction is a bit different, as there are various areas to cover, but all I do is writing down suggested chapter.

What are you working on right now?

Works in progress includes a completed novel where Alzheimer's wreaks havoc with family life and memories, and 'Diary by a Would-Be-Protagonist', where the character explores everything between heaven and earth and has an on-going tussle with my alter ego (Anna Reiers). It is still up on Authonomy. It was doing very well, but I just couldn't give the time I needed to comment on other writers' work, so have left it alone for the past year or so.


Your charity work via your books is obviously important to you. What made you decide to align some of your work to various charities?
I believe in giving - or ‘paying forward’, if you like. There are always someone one worse off than ourselves, and if I can help in a small way, I will. It actually started years ago when I wanted to give money to help a charity working in the Sudan (Médecins Sans Frontiéres) , but I was broke. Instead I wrote a short story and sent it to a magazine with the request that if they decided to use it, they pay the fee straight to the charity. They did, using it for a double spread call for help for The Sudan, hopefully making even more money for them. The story, ‘Sudanese Cries’, is included in my collection.


Where do you see publishing in the years to come?
I hope that the book will survive in all its guises, but I think that eBooks and Audio Books will become more and more popular, while hoping that the traditional books will survive, too. Unfortunately I can imagine a world where all publishing is digital, but I don’t want to see it happen.


Do you have any advice for new writers?
Write from the heart and don’t let anything discourage you. There are lots of good books out there to help you in the early days, but it’s your own voice that is important. Start small, set yourself challenges, just to get into the flow. Flash fiction is a good primer. …and keep reading!



Marit, thank you for your time and wisdom.
Thanks Noel.


For more information on Marit's writing and books visit here.


Marit can also be found on Blogger where she writes an occasional writing blog and a blog on gluten free diets.

Author In The Zone ~ David Robinson.

Next up in the Author in the Zone series is writer, David Robinson.
David lends us his insight on a variety of things after nearly 30 years in the writing game.

David is a writer based in Greater Manchester. The author of 4 novels, the latest of which is entitled Voices, scheduled for multi-media publication by Big Bad Media in the late autumn of 2010. David admits that he has such a sad life that he rarely takes time off. He even takes a netbook on holiday so he can work. But at those times when he’s not writing, he enjoys reading, photography and winding up family and friends on Facebook. He’s recently become hooked on audio recording and has just completed the audio book of Voices.

Hey David, welcome to Authors In The Zone. You've been writing for nearly 30 years now. That's some innings on any writing crease. What made you take it up?
I’ve always had a hyperactive imagination and a low threshold of boredom. I hate TV, and I always need to be “doing something.” I’d written short stories since I was a teenager, but in the early 80s, past my 30th birthday, I started to look at the future. I was a trucker at the time, and I didn’t have a future. So I began to take the writing more seriously.


You've published a number of novels? Tell us a little about that?
As I learned the craft, so I got better at it, then I struck paydirt in 1991 when Club 199 accepted two submissions. They went bust before they could get the titles out, but it spurred me on. In 2002 I struck gold again when I had two novels accepted in a space of months. They were social farces but shortly after publication, that publisher went under too. I got the feeling that I was the kiss of death to publishing.
By now I was blogging and selling occasional pieces to small press magazines. Then I joined Writelink and through their peer review system, I cleaned up an idea I’d had about a team of ghosthunters. In 2007, Virtual Tales, an American e- and POD publisher took The Haunting of Melmerby Manor, a Spookies mystery. I also got hooked into self-publishing and a year later, I put out Twaddle from DW, a book of sledgehammer humour blog posts and I followed that up with DW’s Guide To Holidays. Both are basically grumpy old man humour.
Despite a number of rejections, I persevered with Voices, and my old mate Greg McQueen wanted it for his new venture, Big Bad Media. We signed contracts on that about 2 months ago. Greg’s a media wizard. Everything from print to e-books, iPhone apps, audio and video. It’s the perfect outlet for sci-fi/horror novels like Voices because we can exploit all possible avenues with it.


Who, if anyone, helped you along the way?
Writers News was the first “help” I found. I subscribed from issue 1. It’s packed with advice for newbies and seasoned pros, as well as highlighting outlets for all kinds of written work.
I think the Internet was the biggest source of help. It’s no coincidence that my writing began to take off just after the millennium, because that’s the time when the Internet began to boom, too. I joined a number of writing communities, and in amongst the dross and ill-informed twaddle, I found gems of wisdom that help me polish and streamline my work.
I’ve been a round most of the communities like YWO, Authonomy, ABC Tales, but the only one I’ve ever stuck with is Writelink. It’s a gentle community which encourages the writer and there’s none of the envy or spite you find on other communities. The best advice I got on there was from two ladies who have since become firm friends. Lorraine Mace and Maureen Vincent-Northam. They produced the Writers ABC Checklist and really know the game.

Tell us a little more about Voices?
It’s the tale of a college lecturer who survives a terrorist bomb attack only to find himself haunted by voices in his head and phantom determined to take control of him. In an effort to be rid of them, he uncovers a terrible secret experiment of the Cold War.
I’ll say no more than that, because, obviously, I don’t want to give too much away.
The catalyst of the tale came to me over Christmas 2008. I lost my hearing after turning 50. I’m not totally deaf, but very hard of hearing. When that happens, your brain tricks you into thinking everything is normal and it produces sounds right at the limit of audibility. It’s like you can hear next door’s TV. You can’t distinguish a single word, but it’s there.
Over Christmas 2008, I was off work with a broken ankle. I tied the hearing and ankle troubles together and asked “what if?” What if the voices weren’t a trick of my mind, but real? I wrote the first draft of 130,000 words in January 2009.

Tell us a little about your writing process?
I don’t plan. I get an idea and I think about it. When I know where it starts and where it ends, I hit the word processor. I type at about 35 wpm, and when I get going, 1,000 words an hour is no problem. I just keep on typing until I’ve exhausted either myself or the ideas.
I describe myself as an insomniac workaholic. I suffer from arthritis, I had a recent heart wobble, and I smoke too much, which means I don’t enjoy the best of health. As a consequence, when I’m not at work (I also hold down a full time job) I have little to distract me, so I write and write and write.
I can usually knock out a first draft in a month. I then put the piece to one side and work on something else.
A couple of months later, I dig it out again and start to go through it. The first draft of Voices was written in a month. The finished product took 18 months.
And when I’m revising, I am ruthless. I may find 200 words of dream prose, but if it doesn’t belong, then I cut it out.
Then eventually, I say, “enough.” And I stop. From there, it goes to a publisher.

You decided a long time ago that you were going to work with Independent publishers? What, if anything, made you come to that decision?
The difficulty of breaking into the system is the short answer. A lot of factors have to come together to hit it with the big publishers. You have to be in the right place at the right time with the right product. If any of those factors is missing, you won’t get in the door, no matter how good your writing.
Here’s an example. In 1995 I produced a 5-hour TV script based on an unpublished novel. I managed to interest an independent producer and director. We worked on it for a year and took it to one of the big UK broadcasters. We got as far as the script/sub commissioning editor and persuaded him. Sell? I was on such good form that day, I could have sold him fivers at a tenner each. He came on board and took it to his commissioning department. They rejected it. Too expensive. We were in the right place with the right product, but the timing was off.
It’s the same in publishing, at least with the mainstream. To add to the misery, most large houses won’t talk to authors. They talk to agents, and have you tried getting an agent? With a few exceptions, they don’t want to know you unless you already have a contract.
So you look to the indies. Technology, the ability to print on demand, and spread the word via the web gives them greater freedom of action. They still put money into it, but where a mainstream house may need to invest anything from £10-30,000, an indie can crop that to as little as a few hundred.
They also work much faster than a large house. The general consensus is that from acceptance to publishing is from 18-months to 2 years. An indie can cut that to a few months.
It’s true that indies don’t pay advance, but so what? Large houses will pay an advance, but anyone who is dreaming of megabucks needs to wake up. The ballpark figure is about £5,000 and that comes in three stages, and your agent will want his 15% of it. By the time you’re published you’ve picked up £3,500 over a timespan of maybe two years. I can earn more than in two months as a trucker. By publishing through an independent, if you market aggressively, you’ll certainly make more in royalties.
But going through an independent or doesn’t mean the work has to be inferior. Look around at some of the small houses and see the work they’re turning out. Virtual Tales is a fine example. I don’t say my title, but some of the books they have on site are superb.

How do you see publishing evolving over time?
Technology is the way forward. It may take a few years yet, but the e-book will become the norm.
The big houses pretend to bury their heads in the sand, but they’ve seen the writing on the wall. Power is coming to the author, not the publisher. If the big corporations try to screw the royalties down to 25% on e-books, authors have the option to go it alone and hang onto 80%.
If we look at my answer to the last question, then it prompts another question. Why should I leave my cherished novel with a publisher who will mess it about for two years, when I can have it out there in a matter of weeks or months, keeping my readers happy and making me a pound or two?
Technology, the web, offers openings for non-niche writing. I’m under no illusions about my work. It ain’t literature, it’s not mega. I turn out workmanlike novels with well rounded plots and characters, but they’re DIFFERENT.
I write sci-fi horror, but I don’t clutter the pages with vampires and werewolves, or laser swords and galactic knights seeking to overthrow the evil emperor. I put ordinary people into extraordinary situations and let them react.
The only way I can get that out there to a reading public is through the indies and the web. The big houses don’t want to know, and I figure that the reading public will vote with its feet. There will always be the Stephenie Meyers, Dan Browns and JKR’s who sell mega-volumes. They’re a rarity now, they’ll be even rarer in the future. The real gems, those works that are different, will be found on the web and not in the catalogues of mainstream publishers.

What advice would you have for new writers, in terms of their writing and promoting their work?
This is a tough one because it’s a multi-faceted question with many answers.
Ask yourself a question: do you believe in your writing?
If you English (or whatever your native language) is poor, it doesn’t matter. You can get training in language. If your structure and plotting is not up to the mark, it doesn’t matter. The members of many web communities like Writelink, will help with that. But if you don’t believe in your writing, you characters or your plots, neither will the readers.
Work at your work. Polish, revise, revise and polish. Eliminate every extraneous word until you can’t take it any further. I offer a manuscript advisory service. It’s not something I would advise a newbie to take on because it’s expensive. You can get the same advice (in smaller doses and more generalised) on web communities.
Don’t be afraid of putting your work out for critique, and when you get reviews, try to balance them. If 8 out of 10 reviewers point to a particular problem, then it’s sure to be legitimate. If only one or two highlight it, then it may be just their opinion.
Next, be persistent. Most “overnight successes” happen after years of overnight rejections. Some editor turns down your masterpiece. Why? He won’t tell you but for all you know he might have broke up with his girlfriend the night before he read your piece, and turned up for work in a bad mood. So don’t take the rejection personally, but put the piece out to another publisher or agent.
When you finally publish, then network like hell. Get the word out on Facebook, twitter, Myspace, put it to review sites like Authors on Show. Give away free copies. When Virtual Tales published The Haunting of Melmerby Manor, I bought 50 copies. I sold some, but for the most part, I gave them away to my local press and other, web-based reviewers. I also put up copies as prizes in a writing competition and I gave some away to charity functions as raffle prizes.
Blog frequently. I have three blogs (one of them remains unused for the time being. I’m waiting for the publication of Voices.) My posts tend to be varied, but often concentrated on the writing process. I do not put up posts that are blatant adverts, but I mention my novels and publishers frequently in them. It all helps get the message across.
When you have sufficient experience, don’t be stingy with it. Pass it on to newbies. That way you develop friendships. Many of my friends on Writelink are unpublished, but I offer advice where I can. It helps cement a relationship and that’s vital when it comes to networking.
Above all, enjoy the creative process. I lavish a lot of time on writing, but I don’t do it for my readers. I do it because I enjoy it.

You described yourself as a 'workaholic insomniac.' I've been accused of the same on occasion, so this one is for me in particular. How do you fight those symptoms and relax. Help...
Music mainly. I don’t watch TV unless there’s live football on. I have a range of DVDs, mainly older movies, which provide a distraction, and I like to read: Stephen King, James Herbert, Tom Sharpe and Keith Waterhouse.
But in the main, when I’m up to here with it all, I shut everything down and slip the headphones on. I have wide tastes to suit all moods, but if I need to wind down, it’s Beethoven (the 6th symphony) Bach (particularly the Brandenburgs and the preludes) and I’m a big love of the Adagio from Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez, performed by Julian Bream. A masterly piece of music.

If you had one wish for your writing moving forward, what would it be?
You do ask some awkward questions. I suppose that I’ve gained some recognition as a writer of sci-fi and psychohorror, I’d like to be recognised for my flatcap humour. It’s nothing strikingly original, but it is cynical and the feedback from readers indicates that it hits the spot. I’m quite outspoken and politically incorrect in real life, but when you add an ignoramus-type punchline to it, the effect can be hilarious (I think).

If I may I’ll post an example. It’s from an unfinished book (print and audio when I get round to it) entitled Flatcap’s Guide to Marriage.

“Overnight, you’ll become an expert on the mechanical iniquities of cars, intruder alarms, cookers, microwave ovens, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, TV’s, radios, dishwashers, central heating boilers, steam irons, curling tongs, lavatories and drains. The moment you are married you will simultaneously become a tree surgeon, gardener, concreter, bricklayer, plumber, carpenter, painter and decorator, roofer, TV aerial rigger, carpet fitter, floor and wall tiler and an accountant.
As if all that’s not enough, you will be expected to understand the ramifications of a 0.05% decrease in GDP, a 1.2% increase in incidence of irritable bowel syndrome amongst junior executives, and the fine print in obesity discrimination legislation which is due in from Brussels. At the same time you’ll be expected to come up with an analysis of the last three months’ winning lottery numbers so you can come up with a system to make a profit on it. And that profit will go in her purse, not your pocket.
And what’s do you get in return? A packet of sandwiches and flask of tea every day, and a spot of the other once a fortnight as long as it doesn’t clash with Dancing on Ice.”

Hmm. I've avoided marriage thus far. Perhaps it will remain that way after that. Where do you get this sense of humour?

I think it’s a counterpoint to this disastrous world we live. I switch on the news and I see the devastation in Pakistan and Haiti and the developed world making the right gestures before going back to their wars, and I think, “How bloody awful.” I’m one man, I can’t do much. I can drop a few quid in the collection box to ease my guilt but no more. So I think to myself, “you have to laugh,” and I sink into my wealth of one-liners and repartee.
For example, a friend of mine, a wonderful poet called Sarah James put up a post on Facebook just the other day. “I’m having a fencing lesson.” Right away the obvious occurred to me and I responded, “It’s sinking the posts in concrete that’s the hard part, Sarah.”
It’s fun. I rib my friends, daughter, sons and my granddaughters constantly on Facebook and for a few brief moments, that chuckling takes away the horrors of this godawful world. If you check it out, me and my old mate Trevor Belshaw, whom you interviewed a few days ago, ran a huge thread of archaic one-liners on his Facebook page. They’re all played out gags from the 60s and 70s but it’s fun and the inherent one-upmanship, trying to put one over on each other distracts us from the gloom and doom of the real world.

Trevor: I met the wife in Australia.
I said, “How the hell did you get here?”

David: The wife went into Dorothy Perkins and asked for something to make her look slimmer. They suggested having her photograph taken alongside the Royal Albert Hall.
It’s daft and in many ways, childish, but children don’t know about the terror of the adult world and I think that by indulging in that kind of humour we can forget it for a little while, too.

Anything that makes this life a little more bearable at times is most welcome in my world. Sometimes I think without a little laughter at the absurdity of it all at times we'd never survive.
David, thanks very much for your experience, knowledge and dare I say, your philosophical wit.
The best of luck with everything.

Thanks Noel.

David's Website.
David's Blog.

Audio

Author In The Zone ~ Trevor Belshaw

Our seventh Author In The Zone is Trevor Belshaw, from Nottingham in the U.K.

Trevor Belshaw writes for both adults and children and lives in Nottingham with his wife Doreen and two Springer Spaniels, Molly and Maisie. When not writing he listens to rock and blues music.
He is an ardent supporter of Nottingham Forest Football Club. Trevor is 56 and took up writing late in life, but has been rapidly making up for lost time. Over the last eighteen months his articles, poems and short stories have been published in a variety of magazines, e-zines and paperback anthologies. Trevor is a regular contributor to The Pages e-zine and is one of the contributing authors to the 100 Stories for Haiti charity book project which raised money for the victims of the Haiti earthquake.
His eBook, Tracy's Hot Mail, has just been published by MA2books. The paperback and audio book of Tracy's Hot Mail, is due to be published soon by the new kid on the block, publisher, BigBadMedia. Trevor has four children's novels under his belt and is currently working on the second Tracy book, Tracy's Celebrity Hot Mail.

Hi Trevor, welcome to Authors In The Zone. Your book Tracy's Hot Mail will be released later this year. Can you tell us a little about it?
Hi Noel, it's a pleasure. Tracy's Hot Mail is an unusual book, it has no chapters as such. The text is laid out as a series of emails sent from Tracy (the new girl in the office,) to her friend Emma who works at the bank.
Tracy is a gossip collector and dishes the dirt on friends and colleagues alike. No one is spared, her benefit fiddling father and porn obsessed boyfriend get the same treatment as her boss, Mr Tugger, and the office tart, Olivia. The book is a rowdy romp, detailing the life and longings of a typical British working girl.

Tell us about your route to publication? Who, if anyone, helped you along the way?
I wrote Tracy's Hot Mail over a period of nine months. It began as an experiment. Each individual email was posted onto a website which I had opened to get feedback on the project. The initial reaction was favourable to say the least, and I was often asked if I was planning on publishing it as a book. I wasn't really sure if there would be a market for it, so I decided to try the e-Book route to begin with.
The first company I approached accepted it immediately and it was available for download a day or two later. A few days after that I was approached by Greg McQueen, the man behind the 100 Stories for Haiti charity book project. He had just set up his own publishing company called BigBadMedia, he offered to publish Tracy as a paperback, an audio book and Iphone audio app. To say I was gobsmacked by the interest would be a major understatement. Within a couple of weeks he had booked Emma Newman to be the voice of Tracy and work had begun on recording the audio project.

What is the release date for the book?
The Iphone app and paperback will be available before Christmas. The full audiobook will follow later.

Tell us a little about your writing process?
I write whenever I can. I have to work in the day, so I'm mostly limited to evening and weekends. When the muse is with me I can turn out three to four thousand words a day, but on average I knock out between one to two thousand. I tend to write Tracy between breaks in the children's books, it gives me something different to think about.
I'm lucky in that I don't really suffer from writer's block. If I am struggling, I'll write down whatever is in my head at that time just to get something on the page and I go from there. It could be the shopping list, a memo, anything to get a few words down. Once my brain realises it's not looking at a blank page it kicks into life and away we go. My desk is in my workshop (I repair computers for a living) and because of that I tend to be interrupted a fair bit, which can be annoying. My dogs will bark at anything and my wife thinks that because I'm sat in front of a computer screen I must be available any time she wants to go shopping.

Ah yes, I get that too. Sometimes I think our significant others feel when you work on a computer you're not really at work. Grrrr. ;)
You've had positive news from publishers with regard your childrens books. How important is this for writers?
I've had positive feedback from children's book publishers a few times in the last few months. One of my books, Magic Molly, was pretty much set to be published. Unfortunately the board of directors decided that they couldn't afford to set up a children's imprint in the current financial climate and the editor wrote to me saying that although she loved the book they couldn't publish. She did add that if the book was available when the imprint was set up, they would still want it.
That gave me a lift as I had been getting the usual, form replies from publishers until then. Recently I had an email reply from a quality children's book publisher regarding my latest novel, Peggy Larkin's War. She said that although she loved the book and thought it was a beautiful story, the book needed a bit of a polish before it was publishable.
It's a shame more publishers can't spend a little more time on their replies when they reject work. A bit of encouragement goes a long way, and one half decent reply can lift an author's spirits and make them realise that they do have a bit of talent after all.

How do you see publishing evolving over time?
eBooks will eventually become the de-facto standard for publishing, but it will take a few years yet. Children's books may take longer to make the move to digital, as kids don't really have the same access to e-readers and Ipads. When schools start handing them out for free to pupils, that may change. In the meantime, more and more small, independent publishers like BigBadMedia will arrive on the scene, and that is good news for authors everywhere.

Do you belong to a writers group?
I did join a writer's group a few years ago but the members were so full of themselves that I soon gave up. I tried again last year with a different group but soon realised that it wasn't for me. The group was so cliquey that there was virtually no chance of a new member getting his work heard.
Instead I joined an online group called Writelink. They really are a friendly bunch and you can post your work into their 'arena,' where it will be commented on by the rest of the membership. The community is made up of published authors and new writers, they're a real friendly bunch and tend to concentrate on the positives while letting you know where you're going wrong. They helped me a great deal and I would recommend the site to any aspiring writer.


What advice would you have for new writers?
Don't try to write that best selling blockbuster right at the start. Writing is like any other trade, you have to work at it to become proficient. Try your hand at short stories before you attempt a novel. You'll find a variety of websites and magazines asking for flash fiction and short story submissions all over the Internet. Don't just go for the ones with prize money, you can earn writing credits for your CV without going for the big prizes.
Above all, Keep at it. Rejection hurts and it can knock the heart out of a writer, but try to understand that it's not a personal thing and a book that one editor doesn't like may charm the pants off another one. Don't just rely on your friends and family for feedback on your writing. They will mean well but they won't help by telling you something is wonderful, when it isn't.

If you had one wish for your writing moving forward, what would it be?
For now I'd be happy to get one of my children's books in print. Once that has been achieved I'd like to find an agent. I worked with one for a few weeks last December but sadly, I let her escape. She did ask me to send her anything else I write though, so all is not lost yet. I'd like to finish an adult novel I started this year too, it's about a new writer who joins a cliquey writers group...

Thanks very much for your time and insight, Trevor. Hopefully you will drop in again in time and share more of your wisdom with us about that new writer and that cliquey writing group...

Trevor's website.

Trevor's blog.

Trevor's ebook, Tracy's Hot Mail is available here.

Author In The Zone ~ Gerry McCullough.

Here is a previous Author In The Zone interview with Belfast writer, Gerry McCullough. Gerry's debut novel, Belfast Girls, has just been released by Night Publishing. It is available here.

Gerry McCullough, born and brought up in North Belfast, has been writing since childhood. Belfast Girls, which will be brought out by Night Publishing in September or October, will be her first full length novel to be actually published. Gerry has had over forty short stories published to date, both in magazines and in anthologies, as well as two broadcast on Radio Ulster, including several prize winners. Gerry is married to singer/songwriter and Media Producer Raymond McCullough, and has four children, so when she’s not writing she loves spending time with her family and friends.

Hi Gerry. Is Belfast Girl your first book?
Belfast Girls is not the first book I’ve written, but it’s the first to be accepted by a publisher, and I’m really thrilled about it.

How long did you spend writing it?
How long is a piece of string? The book was written over a period of about six months, but then it was edited, revised, and, after a break, completely rewritten. I’ve continued to edit it until quite recently. So the answer is six months, or several years, depending on how you look at it.

Can you tell us a little about the book?
Belfast Girls is the story of the lives and loves of three girls from different religious backgrounds, who become friends as children, and remain so. They experience the last years of the troubles as children, and then, as adults, the new, emerging Belfast of money, drugs, and gang warfare. The plot contains a kidnapping, a drug overdose, a prison sentence, a shooting, the life of one of the girls as a fashion model, and much more. It’s not just a romance, by any means.

Tell us about your route to publication?
About nine months ago I put my book up on the Harper Collins site, Authonomy.com. I wasn’t offered a publishing deal by Harper Collins, but several other publishers saw the book on site, liked it, and offered to publish it. I thought Night Publishing was the best of these, and am very happy to have signed a contract with them.

Have you an agent or tried to secure the services of one?
I have had an agent for several years, Bill Jeffrey of the Wordsmith’s Forge. It was on Bill’s advice that I put Belfast Girls on Authonomy.com, so I owe my present success to him, and I’m very grateful for that. Bill is an enthusiastic and supportive agent, and has encouraged me consistently.

Who else, if anyone, has helped you along the way?
I owe a lot to my husband, Raymond. Raymond set up and maintains my website, put me on Facebook and set up a group page for me there, reads and edits almost everything I write, and has been a constant support and help; all this, while living his own very busy life, producing, among other things, Celtic Roots Radio. I don’t know where I’d be without him!

How will you market your book?
My book will be marketed by my publishers, although I’ll do everything I can to help. Night Publishing is one of the new ‘indie’ - independent - publishing houses, and they sell online, and market online. As I’m sure you know, more books have been sold through the Internet than over the counter in conventional bookshops, during the last decade, so this is certainly the way of the future. Just as iTunes gave an enormous boost to ‘indie’ musicians, so online sales are creating a great move forward for 'indie' publishers, allowing them to operate outside the major publishing houses. Night Publishing will be producing an actual paperback book, not just an ebook, but it will be sold on Amazon.com, etc.

Do you write everyday?
I aim to write every day, when it’s feasible. When my daughter got married last week, I certainly didn’t write on that particular day! My strategy is to reread and edit the work done on the previous day. This is an easy way in and works against ‘writer’s block.’ Then I move on from where I left off, feeling close to the book again by now, and write about another thousand words.

What's the last book you read?
I’m currently rereading Agatha Christie, one of my favourite authors. I read a lot of detective stories, although not the blood and guts type usually. I also love Barbara Pym, P.G. Wodehouse, Jane Austin, C.S. Lewis, Tolkien - the list is endless, but perhaps that gives you some idea.

When is the book released?
The book will be released and available for purchase now.. I don’t have an actual date yet. I’d be happy to let you know at the time! As I said above, it’ll be on Amazon.com, and probably on other outlets.

Where do you see your writing career in ten years?
I hope in ten years to have published lots more books, but who knows? And to be known worldwide would be nice. Selling through the Internet means that I can reach people in America as easily as here. I know from the comments left on my book by American readers on Authonomy.com that Belfast Girls, and indeed anything about Ireland, is likely to be popular in America.

What advice have you for new writers?
My advice to new writers is, ‘Keep writing! And don’t let people put you down. Every writer gets hundreds of rejections to one acceptance. It’s important not to give up. You’ll get there in the end.

Thanks Gerry. That was very insightful, especially the little twist of fate that got you found on Authonomy. It must have been a great feeling. Hopefully you'll speak with us again in the future and let us know how Belfast Girls is going.
Thanks, and all the best.

Please support Gerry by filling some of your Christmas socks with here new book.
Available here.

Author In The Zone ~ BethAnn Buehler

Our fourth Author In The Zone is Indianapolis based writer, BethAnn Buehler. Below, BethAnn talks about her new book, Broken Together.

BethAnn Buehler is a writer based in the heart of the States, Indianapolis, Indiana. BethAnn is the author of Broken Together, the first book in the Rebel Canyon Series, which releases on September 14th. A former teacher turned stay-at-home mom, when BethAnn isn't writing she enjoys reading and playing tennis, but can usually be found folding laundry and burning dinner.

Hi BethAnn, welcome to Authors In The Zone.
Hey there. Thanks so much for having me. Had to cross an ocean to get here, but it's more than worth it.

What is your forthcoming book called?
Broken Together.

Is it fully complete or are you still tweaking?
It's completely finished and ready to go. I can't wait!

Tell us a little about it?
Broken Together is the first in a three part series of novels featuring a small town called Rebel Canyon, where readers invest in the lives of three close friends.
Bryn Baxter is hugely successful professionally, but when it comes to relationships, let me just be candid--she's a mess. When her otherwise orderly life falls apart, Bryn gets help from a hired gun, Beck Reynolds. Bryn wants the fairy tale, but she doesn't want to have to think about how to make it all work. So Beck takes control...

Tell us about your route to publication? Who, if anyone, helped you along the way?
Well, Broken Together took thirteen months to write and I have to say my oldest and dearest girlfriend was there every step of the way offering opinions and questioning my story line and ideas. I always tease that without her my novel would have been a paragraph.

How do you intend to market your book?
That dirty word--marketing. No, honestly, marketing is so important. I take multi-faceted approach which includes visiting with great folks like yourself, networking through blog sites and review forums as well as social networking sites such as facebook. I market locally as well. Everyone from the people at my local Starbucks, to the dry cleaner to the dentist to the secretary at the school my son attends knows about Broken Together!

What is the release date for the book?
September 14th, 2010

Tell us a little about your writing process?
I try to write something every day, even if it's just as simple as character name, research or setting. While my muse, Arje, and I are both work horses and prefer the 3,000 word days, I'm raising a nine year old so I wear a lot of hats around the house/office.

What advice would you have for new writers?
There are several things that I think are key for new writers. Take an editing/proofreading course early on. It's so much easier to write well the first time than re-write (learned this little tip the hard way). Network with other serious writers and join a writer's group if at all possible.
I am blessed to have four critique partners, women whom I respect and trust to give me honest feedback. They are the best! Relax. It seemed to me that once I started writing and networking, everyone was writing and getting published. I'm competitive by nature so sometimes I have to remind myself that there's room for everyone and this career isn't a race.

BethAnn's Wesite can be found here.

BethAnn's sister blog here.

Authors In The Zone ~ Lila Monro

The third installment of Authors in the Zone features American writer, Lila Monro.

Lila Munro is a writer of contemporary romance currently residing along the coast of North Carolina. She is currently under contract for three novels, and when she’s not writing she enjoys reading everything she can get her hands on, taking field research trips, and soaking up the sun on the nearby beaches. She loves hearing from her readers and can be reached at her website www.lilamunro.weebly.com or her sister site www.wickedmuses.webs.com .

Hi Lila, welcome to Authors In The Zone.
Thanks for having me, Don, I appreciate the opportunity to be here.

What's your new book called?
My debut novel is titled The Executive Officer’s Wife.

How long did it take to write?
From conception to contract, TEOW, as my friends fondly refer to it as, took approximately four months to complete.

Can you tell us a little about it?
The Executive Officer’s Wife is set in Jacksonville, NC and rotates around the military community based there. The heroine, Libby Calhoun, is the daughter of a USMC sniper being held captive. Chase Wayland, the hero, is a former marine turned bodyguard who has been charged with her safety. The road to a happily ever after for them is bumpy and filled with twists, turns, and surprises. There’s a host of colorful supporting characters that help them find their way.

Tell us about your route to publication? Who, if anyone, helped you along the way?
When I first began researching the possibility of becoming published I was as lost as one could get. I knew I wasn’t quite ready for mainstream and after some hunting discovered a smaller press suited my current needs and goals. Thus my union with Wild Horse Press was forged. I also decided that ebook format was the direction I wanted to go. It’s catching on, there are countless, easily accessible ways to download, and it’s environmentally friendly. As far as help, I just got out there and did the ground work alone. I felt in control of my destiny, and along the way I learned so much.

Have you an agent or tried to secure the services of one?
At present I don’t have an agent, and have not tried to secure one. At this point in my career I don’t feel the need, but I’ve not discounted it as a possibility in the future.

How do you intend to market your book?
I market my work in a wide variety of ways. Personal contacts, word of mouth, and networking are key. I maintain a personal website where I blog regularly and showcase excerpts of my work. In addition, I also participate in a joint effort website with three other great gals. For my debut release, I held a virtual release party on facebook that included chat time, an excerpt from the book, and a give away for a twenty dollar Amazon gift card. To be eligible, anyone who purchases the book prior to 8/31 should email me proof of purchase to lilasromance@gmail.com to be entered in the drawing to be held 9/31. It will continue to run until 8/31 if anyone wants to find me on facebook and join the fun. Other tools I use include guest blogging, interviews, and seeking out author resources on the web that offer free or reasonable advertising.

Do you write everyday?
There is rarely a day that I don’t write, even if it’s just a few hundred words, or reworking a part of the story that just doesn’t seem to work. My muse controls my schedule more so than I do, and at times she is very demanding.

What's the last book you read?
The last book I really enjoyed was The Art of Desire by Cherie Feather. It was a great erotic romance story told in a very unconventional way by convering two stories to run parallel.

Has the book been released yet?
The Executive Officer’s Wife debuted August 10. It is available through www.amazon.com , www.allromanceebooks.com , www.1romanceebooks.com , and Omnilit.

Here’s a sneak peek into the book:

“Hey, cowboy, what’s your poison?”
Libby eyed him with her breath caught in her throat, wondering when he landed, and why she felt suffocated by his presence.Chase had never seen eyes the shade of glaciers. They were set inside a pair of the darkest, longest lashes he had ever seen. Her jet black hair fell in wavy layers around soft round shoulders and wisps of bangs framed a sun-blushed face. Her lips were full and, though a bit thin, her bare arms were well toned and were as beautifully sun-kissed as her face. The tank top she wore barely contained what, in his assessment, were the most perfectly formed breasts he had ever seen, at least still covered. The rest of her was concealed behind the bar, which he was tempted to climb atop to get a look. He may well have had the sound of her laughter tinkling like ice in a glass not brought him back to the real world.
“Yoo-hoo, cowboy, I asked what you’d like,” she said cocking her head in a sidelong glance. He had to take a moment to remember what he had started to order, but he damn well knew what he’d like. He’d like to have her. Maybe he could coax her into helping him with those kinks later after she was through working.
“Uh, let’s see, Jack straight up on the rocks,” Chase finally let the words slide from his tongue like butter off the side of a hot biscuit. Libby quickly recognized that his lazy accent wasn’t from the southeast, but perhaps the southwest.
“A Jack guy, my kind of man.”He reached in his front jeans pocket as she set the tumbler down shaking her head. He tried to give her a twenty, but she closed her fingers around his sending a shock up his arm.
“That’s okay, cowboy. This one’s on the house,” she said smiling radiantly.
“After that one you’re a regular and on your own. He smiled back at her and dropped the twenty in her tip jar. She knew he assumed she needed those tips. He probably wouldn’t have been as generous had he known she didn’t keep a dime of it, but donated all of it to help fund recon’s Marine Corps Birthday Ball every year. How rich. And to think, she didn’t dress up because she didn’t plan on any new faces drifting in.Feeling flushed she watched him turn and walk away. He was easily six-two or six-three, towering over her by several inches. Broad shouldered and chiseled she wondered what it would feel like to run her hands over him. His golden eyes gave her gooseflesh. She suspected him to be a few years older than her, but that had not affected his physique as far as she could tell. And the way his ass filled out those faded jeans… Maybe you should be my distraction.

Tell us a little about your process?
I don’t know how to describe my process other than organized madness. Once an idea is conceived, I turn to my character sketches, which I spend hours developing, to match my players with their identity. I know everything about my characters, from their physical features to their likes and dislikes to their fears, worries and dreams. They are like dear friends to me. Then I sketch a rough outline of where I think the story is going, and believe me, there is always a more than healthy dose of conflict—external, internal—you name it. Then my dear friends volley for time to sit in my office and tell me what’s been going on. Usually what I thought was going to happen changes in so many wonderful ways. Also, I’m my own worst critic. I self-edit like crazy.

What advice would you have for new writers?
For new writers, my advice would be to never give up, and always, always aspire to do better. If you receive a rejection, don’t whine or complain. Brood a bit if you must, but move on. Figure out what you are doing wrong and fix it.