David Fingerman's SPYDER

It's always nice to have authors on the blog more than once. I welcome David Fingerman for a return visit to discuss his new book, Spyder.

David, it's great to have a fellow Dreamspell author over to the blog, and even though I have previously interviewed you, please give new blog visitors a brief bio.

Hi Susan ~ thanks so much for inviting me back. I was born in St. Paul, but once out of the hospital I've lived my entire life in Minneapolis. During the summer months when the sun is shining and birds singing, I'm perfectly content to sit in my office, with blinds drawn, typing away at my computer. My favorite day of the year is the first day I pull a flannel shirt out of the closet. After 24 years of working in the court system, I walked away to write full time. Edging past Reality is my first book of short stories. Spyder is my second novel and quite a switch from the first. While Silent Kill (first novel) is a suspense/thriller, Spyder is more of an urban adventure.

I remember interviewing you about Edging past Reality and that cover was a fainalist in my book cover contest.
What books came along at just the right time to influence your reading/writing?

Shatterday by Harlan Ellison. As for timing, I have to give a lot of credit to a couple of friends who introduced me to the book. College had sapped my creativity to write. It had been a few years and this book reignited my passion to write for pleasure again.

Please give us a short synopsis of your new book.

Spyder is a very intelligent and very street-wise punk. He realizes, in the words of Bob Dylan, the times they are a changin'. Homeless living isn't as safe as it once was. Gangs now battle for turf and don't care about who's caught in the crossfire. Once respected on the streets, now Spyder, entering into his 30s, is just another nameless victim waiting to happen. Instead he decides to clean up his act and try his hand at mainstream society. Unfortunately, 'friends' and addictions seem to block every path.

As dark as this sounds, Spyder does have a deliciously warped sense of humor and there are plenty of yuks throughout.

I like warped humor.

How has your writing progressed since your first book? Has it changed you?

For starters I'm a much better writer ~ and still learning. It's turned from a hobby to a full time job. I used to send short stories to magazines and if I was lucky enough to sell one I'd get a check big enough to let me supersize at McDonalds and that would be the end of it. When my first book came out, that opened up a whole new world I was totally unfamiliar with ~ marketing. Even after three books I still find it very uncomfortable promoting myself but it needs to be done. That part has certainly changed me by forcing me out of my comfort zone. Also, my whole attitude has changed being that I'm now doing what I love to do.

I've been through the comfort zone thing too, and I congratulate you for taking the challenge.

When do you accomplish your best writing?

It's more of a mood thing than a when thing. I write during the day usually starting around 9am and going until around 4. But on those days when the creativity is flowing, I've been known to wake up at 2 or 3 in the morning and start. Or, if the creativity hits late in the day, I can go until about 2 or 3 in the morning before collapsing. I find it next to impossible to pull an all-nighter anymore (sigh).

Is there another book on the horizon?

Always. Right now I'm working on a horror novel. After that it will be the third Louise Miller suspense/thriller. The day I die there will be an (at least one) unfinished novel on my computer.

After hours of intense writing, how do you unwind?

Usually veg out in front of the TV (I'm usually done for the day by the time Jeopardy starts). On those rare occasions when I've got pent up energy, I'll exercise.

Are your books available in print, ebook, and Kindle?

Yes, yes, and yes.

Where can we purchase these books and get more information about you?

If you live in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, my books are available at the local libraries and most of the independent bookstores. For those not in this area, they're available online at Amazon, B&N.com and many other book ordering sites. But please feel free to go to your bookstore or library and have them order copies. If anyone wants to know more about me (and I shudder as to why anyone would) go to http://davidfingerman.com or my blog http://davidfingerman.blogspot.com/.

Ah, David, you're a delight. Thanks for another interview, and continued success, my friend.

                                                                                 

Deena Remiel's Trinity

Deena Remiel, author of Trinity, is my guest today. Welcome, Deena. Congratulations on the release of Trinity.
Tell us about this book.


TRINITY, A Brethren Novel, is the first in a paranormal series that follows the compelling stories of The Brethren. They are a group of angels manifested on Earth who battle against Evil, protecting and saving the human race along the way.

Is it available in print, ebook, and Kindle formats?



It is available in most e-book formats, including Kindle. It will be released in print in a few months.
Here’s a blurb about it:

One way or another, terror will reign tonight.

School teacher and single mom, Emma Livingston, has been through hell—and back so she thinks. While dealing with the night terrors and active imagination of her five-year old daughter, Hannah, she attempts to lead a normal life. That is, until the demon from those nightmares pays her a visit, too, and threatens both of their lives. Desperate, she reaches out for help—and finds Michael waiting.

Michael D’Angelo is known to everyone in Prophet’s Point, Arizona, as their loving elementary school principal. But to The Brethren, he is the most powerful Protector. Immortal and angelic does not mean he’s without doubts or fears, as protecting Emma and Hannah from Evil tests his ability to fight his tortured past.

As the Trinity is formed, ancient secrets are revealed and faith is tested. When a prophecy is exposed, Hannah becomes the main target and Emma wonders if a normal life will ever be possible again. Hope is like an anchor, but can a mother, her daughter, and an angel overcome the evil determined to annihilate the world?

How do you determine voice in your writing?

It’s not a hard decision there. My voice, my sass, my fear, my love, my insecurities, my hatred, my humor, they channel through all of my characters at various points in the story.

How does your environment/upbringing color your writing, Deena?

Growing up as an asthmatic child, with little medication that was worth anything, I was relegated to activities that were more sedate in nature, but more creative as well. Art, piano, writing, and playing pretend, all shaped who I have become as a writer. I am reflective, introspective, confident yet insecure, a champion of the innocent. These qualities come through the kinds of stories I tell.

Describe your ideal reader.

My ideal reader is one who, when the book is opened, believes everything the author has written. If it’s normal to have angels among us, so be it. If humans are living on other planets, believe it. For the life of that book, a reader should become totally immersed in the world the author has created and accept all that is presented. I love readers who believe in total immersion, who let themselves enter the fantasy. After all, reading is an escape, and to question is to not fully escape. Yeah, I’m one of those kind of readers!

After hours of intense writing, how do you unwind?

I do fun stuff with my family, like watching funny shows on TV, or going for ice cream. I also like to decompress with my author friends. Sharing with them has brought me such joy. Shopping is always a good time, too!

Any current projects?

Yes! I’m currently working on the second and third books in the series. RELIC is in the editing stages, and ELIXIR is still in the writing stage. I’m so excited about RELIC. It picks up where TRINITY leaves off, but if folks haven’t read TRINITY, they’ll still be able to read RELIC without a problem. RELIC is Raphael’s book. It’s a fascinating study of a soul’s reincarnation.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

If people go to my website, they’ll find heaps of information there. I have a page that tells where I can be found on the Internet each month. Here is where you can connect with me, find my online serial about the Brethren, and purchase TRINITY from March 22nd onward:

http://www.deenaremiel.com/                                                                  

http://brethrenbeginnings.wordpress.com

http://www.decadentpublishing.com/

Thanks so much for having me here, Susan! It’s been so much fun sharing myself with you and your readers. 

Susan, here's a buy link for Trinity:

http://www.decadentpublishing.com/product_info.php?products_id=234&osCsid=qhuc4gbau5e6tjhd74e6giprm0

Pender County book signing

I just returned from a book signing at The Book Cellar and Courthouse Coffee Shop in Burgaw. Wow! So many wonderful people came out in stormy weather, some driving over 40 miles to be there and all buying books. I'm truly blessed to have such a fantastic network of love and support. I appreciate all of you so much. I realize that friends are among my most cherished possessions.

Cody Toye and Toyebox Collections

Cody Toye is the author of two children’s books, The Adventures of Zorza the Alien: Book 1 The Journey and Toyebox Collections: Bedtime Stories. He lives in SW Missouri with his wife, Heather (the illustrator of his adorable books); his son, Gideon; weiner dog, Artie; and labradoodle, Rose.

Welcome to the blog, Cody. I love the Toyebox Collections cover. Your wife is very talented.
Tell us about Toyebox Collections. Is it available in print, ebook, and Kindle formats?

Thanks, Susan. Toyebox Collections: Bedtime Stories is a collection of nine short stories. It features such characters as a magical roach genie, a traveling goldfish named Gurpie, and a boy on a mission to get back at his sister. These tales are filled with humor and mystery and will make you question “how is that even possible?” This collection is meant primarily for children age’s eight to twelve, but even parents will love these tales. It is currently only available in ebook and Kindle formats through http://www.smashwords.com. It was recently picked up through Trestle Press and needs to undergo some editing and formatting before being print ready.

Any current projects?   

After the release of The Adventures of Zorza the Alien: Book 1 The Journey, I started Book 2 Xander’s Demise. I kept getting sidetracked with other stories, which I put into Toyebox Collections: Bedtime Stories. I am now back on track with Book 2 of The Adventures of Zorza the Alien and hope to be finishing it soon.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

For now you can keep track of events and my books at http://www.Toyebooks.blogspot.com. I also make regular posts on my facebook page. I’m a big fan of Gelati’s Scoop which can be found at http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com/. You can find some of my information there.

I'm also a fan of Gelati's Scoop. Cody, do you have specific techniques you use to develop the plot and stay on track?

Honestly, I take a bath. While I’m there, an idea pops into my head for a story. If, while I’m writing, I have a block…I take another bath. Our water bill is astronomical.

LOL! I often have my best ideas in the shower. That's funny. You must be the cleanest writer around.

Do you think your writing has improved since your first attempt? If so, in what way?

Yes, I think it has. For one thing, I have been paying closer attention to the spell check button. I think I have put more thought into the characters; I’ve made them easier to relate to. I have also infused more humor into my latest works.

What is your most rewarding experience during the writing process?

I would have to say, telling my son these stories at night before he went to bed. My son is my greatest critic; if I don’t get several giggles from him I know that I need to change something. When he asks to hear the same story the next night, I know I’ve done something right.

How special that must be!  Thanks for letting us get to know you better, Cody. Continued success!

David Lee Summers: A variety to savor

David Lee Summers is my guest on the blog today. Welcome, David.
Please tell us a little about yourself.             

Thank you , Susan. I'm the author of four science fiction novels and two vampire novels. I have edited two science fiction anthologies and I edit a science fiction and fantasy magazine called Tales of the Talisman. In addition to writing and editing, I'm an astronomer who operates telescopes at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona. I love to delve into the history of places I've lived and traveled to.

Tell us about your latest book. Is it available in print, ebook, and Kindle formats?

My latest novel is a vampire adventure/romance for adults called Dragon's Fall. Spanning the ages from Hellenistic Greece to 15th century Transylvania, it tells the story of three vampires who come together to form a mercenary alliance, as well as their loves won and lost along the way. The novel is being released as five ebook novellas. Once all five novellas are released, the whole collection will be gathered together as a print novel. Part two of the series, The Dragon's Quest, has just been released. You can learn more about the series at http://dlsummers.wordpress.com/       

                                                                                                                            

My latest novel for all ages is called The Solar Sea. It tells the story of humanity's first voyage to the outer planets aboard a solar sail spacecraft. Along the way, they discover clues that suggest humans might not be alone in the solar system. The novel is available in print, ebook, and Kindle formats. You can learn more about this novel and see a book trailer at http://thesolarsea.com/           

What are you currently working on?

I just sold my seventh novel, a Steampunk adventure called Owl Dance that tells the story of Sheriff Ramon Morales who meets a beguiling Persian woman named Fatemeh Karimi. When an ancient lifeform called Legion comes to Earth, they are pulled into a series of events that will change the history of the world as we know it. In their journeys, Ramon and Fatemeh encounter mad inventors, dangerous outlaws and pirates. I'm currently waiting for the first round of edits from the editor. We're tentatively looking at an autumn release.

I'm also formulating a collection of stories centered around the band of space pirates from my novel The Pirates of Sufiro. In the novel, the pirates are marooned on a distant world. However, I've recently been writing short stories set during the time when they are still raiding ships and being scourges of the galaxy. In essence, this new book would become a prequel to the novel.

Do you think your writing has improved since your first attempt? If so, in what way?


Absolutely! I think I have become better at crafting believable and unique characters who each have their own voice. Also, I feel like I'm better at crafting plots with interesting twists that come to a satisfying conclusion. It's all been a matter of practicing my writing, then reading good books and stories by authors whose work I admire, and effectively comparing notes. It's also important to go through life with your eyes and ears open, listening to people and understanding the ways people are alike and different. An author needs to understand what motivates people.

Were any of your books more challenging to write than the others? If so, why?


My two most challenging novels were Dragon's Fall and Heirs of the New Earth. In both cases, I felt like I wrote myself into a corner and had to set the books aside for a time before I could finish them. In Heirs of the New Earth, the protagonist must travel into an alternate reality to solve the central problem of the book. As I wrote, I felt like the novel was getting too surreal and I had a difficult time suspending my own disbelief about what was happening. In the case of Dragon's Fall, I felt like I was getting too bogged down in writing history and wasn't telling the story of my characters.

Looking back, the problem was that I didn't have a clear idea of either book's ending when I started. As a result, I lost sight of my characters and their stories. In each case, I set the book aside, then came back to it a few months later and wrote an outline of the novel as it stood and looked at the plot threads. I found where I had gone astray, cut out sections of each book, added some new material, and then set myself on course again.

David, this is excellent advice for all struggling writers. I think most of us have learned how important it is to put the book aside for a while and look at it later with fresh eyes.
Do you have an other specific techniques you use to develop the plot and stay on track?

After struggling with Heirs of the New Earth and Dragon's Fall, I'd been asked to write a number of short stories for anthologies. Doing that, I developed a technique of coming up with an idea, writing out a few paragraphs of description, then going away and fleshing it out in my mind. Basically, I got into the mode of "visualizing" the story in the same way as I might recall an event that had happened in real life. Doing that, I could sit down at the keyboard and recount the story rather than try to invent it while staring at a blank computer screen.

I have to do the same thing. Somtimes my best thoughts come while I'm in the shower. LOL.

I ended up expanding that technique for Owl Dance. Only this time, I did it chapter-by-chapter. I started by envisioning the overall layout of the book. Then I wrote a paragraph to describe each chapter. When it came time to write each chapter, I would flesh the idea out a little further on paper, then go out for a walk and visualize the events more fully. Once I was satisfied that I knew what happened, I would sit down and write the chapter. So, in essence, I used an outline to develop the plot and stay on track, but I also stepped away from the computer and visualized the story in depth without actually writing. This allowed my characters speak in their own voices and do the actions in their own unique way.

How does your environment/upbringing color your writing?

Growing up and living in the Southwestern United States with its history and character has strongly influenced my writing. I loved science fiction from a very young age, but my parents preferred westerns. Now westerns and science fiction really have a lot in common – they both have action and adventure and tell stories of exploring and taming new frontiers. I've often borrowed from local history and reworked the stories into science fiction realities. In Owl Dance I turned that around and imagined my local landscape as it might be influenced by mad scientists and even aliens.

As noted in the first question, I work at an observatory. Of course, seeing the science that comes in can give me ideas for science fiction, but the job has also influenced me in less obvious ways. As a telescope operator, I work almost exclusively at night. At one time, one of my co-workers and I talked about how we were the vampires of the mountain. This particular co-worker was also a fan of vampire fiction and introduced me to some good books. That ultimately led me to write some of my earliest vampire stories

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

The general clearing house for information is my website: http://www.davidleesummers.com

For breaking news, check my blog at: http://davidleesummers.wordpress.com

People interested in my vampire novels can get information at: http://dlsummers.wordpress.com

David, thanks for taking time for the interview. I wish you continued success!



Giovanni Gelati's opinion of Sin Creek

Giovanni Gelati really likes Sin Creek! Take a look at what he had to say about my latest novel:

The week just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Today's novel has a really cute cover but a really creepy and intense inside. Susan Whitfield has a winner here in Sin Creek.

"A gruesome murder leads Agent Hunter into wicked waters.

Some call Gator Creek "Sin Creek"--where the Cape Fear River snakes through eastern North Carolina, past the stunning port city of Wilmington. A sliver of water where wickedness and decadence take precedence over decency.

When SBI Agent Logan Hunter discovers a dead UNC-Wilmington coed used porn to pay tuition, she tracks down and questions other coeds. Far too many of them have been coerced into the raunchy business and have the scars to prove it. Hunter battles dens of iniquity, zeroing in on a brazen but somehow elusive ferry to find a deranged killer and bring down the porn operations, while trying to keep her marriage to Agent Chase Railey from falling apart.

Even though she succeeds in finding the killer, the investigation changes her life in ways she never could have imagined."

I like character driven fiction, this is just that. The story line wasn't my focus but a vehicle to enjoy the writing of Whitfield as she crafts a great novel. Her characters are well described, defined and fleshed out. She allows the reader into their minds and makes them come alive in ways that surprised me. For me that was the best part of the read. I felt as I was getting into this she made Logan Hunter very tangible, visceral and yet naked as the author laid it all out there to drive the novel forward and propel it to its conclusion. The rest was just icing on the cake.

Thank you so much, Giovanni!

C.L.Bledsoe's Sunlight

My guest today is C.L. Bledsoe.
Welcome, C.L.   
Tell us a little about yourself.

I grew up on a farm in eastern Arkansas. We raised rice, soybeans, catfish, and cattle, among other things. My father felt there was no real future in farming, so I went to college to study writing. Now, I teach high school English and am a college counselor. My wife and I currently live near Baltimore.
I’ve been writing since I was a little kid and publishing for about 10 years--if you count my first literary journal publication.

What books came along at just the right time to influence your reading/writing?


The Adventures of Tristram Shandy, Gentlemen, by Laurence Sterne. Good Omens, by Neil Gaimen and Terry Pratchett. Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Doestoyevski. So many others.

What are your writing goals?

I would love to actually make a living writing, but right now, it’s more a side job.

Tell us about Sunlight.


My latest novel is called Sunlight. It tells the story of Sol, a teenage boy who, shortly after the death of his mother, is sent to stay with his aunt and uncle on their sunflower farm in Arkansas. This is where his mom grew up, and once he gets there, he realizes that the story she used to tell him as a bedtime story might actually be true.

In what formats is it available?



 It was just released as an ebook by etopia press.

How do you develop characters? Setting?

I like to get my characters moving around and interacting in situations--that’s how I really get to know ‘who they are.’ I work from outlines, usually, but when I leave the outline and have the characters really start acting and speaking as they should--that’s when I figure out who they really are. With settings, I try to focus on important details--enough so the reader gets a sense of place, but not too much so the reader drowns.

Describe your ideal reader.

Someone willing to put behind preconceptions and enjoy a piece of writing.

After hours of intense writing, how do you unwind?

I watch movies, go for walks; anything to step away from the story.

Any current projects?

I just signed a contract for a novella based on my experiences in a punk band when I was in my late teens/early 20s. I’m also working on a supernatural mystery series set in a morgue in Baltimore.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

clbledsoe.blogspot.com