All posts tagged author

Interview with C.G. Coppola

interview

Today we have C.G. Copolla, author of Better Than This, with us. Let’s pick her brain! (Not literally, that would be too messy, and no one would ever agree to it anyway. Besides, I left my brain pick at home.)

Jo: Welcome Caitlin! Please tell us a little something about your newest release.

Caitlin:  Better Than This is my first Contemporary YA Romance and I started writing it in 2016 without any intent to publish. I’d been toying with a scenario about a high-school girl who discovers the quiet skaterboy has been keeping a sketchbook of her, and I decided to write the scene. Again, there was no plan to let anyone read it, so I indulged myself and paired them together, just to see what happened. I kept going until I realized I was writing a series, but it wasn’t until I heard Kodaline’s “All I Want” that I understood the depth of my story. The boy with the sketchbook becomes a current-day famous musician known for his songs about the girl who got away. (I write HEAs. Just FYI)

J: It better be a HEA because I’m already invested! I love your characters, seriously, and not just these, but those in your sci-fi series as well. Speaking of the sci-fi/fantasy, what inspired you to write contemporary YA?

C: Like I said, it was just a scene playing in my head. Although, if we can be honest, there was some *slight* inspiration. The characters, Autumn and Alex, were originally modeled after the Extra Gum commercial couple featuring sketches on gum wrappers. I was such a sucker for that commercial that I Youtubed it on more than one occasion, and would quiet the room whenever it came on television. I was a little obsessed, but it worked out well in the end I think.

J: Hee-hee, I’ve seen that commercial! What was your favorite part of writing Better Than This?

C: Oh, geez. I loved writing the entire thing, but I’d say my favorite part is the ending. I wish I could say more, but that’d be silly.

J: No, no, you can tell me. *looks convincing* No? Alright then, what was your least favorite part? 

C: Not sure. I kind of like it all, but, maybe…the parts that made me cry when I was writing? I didn’t enjoy them so much.

J: Um…crying? Oh-oh. I guess I better buy some Kleenexes! What do you have planned next for us?

C: I have the second book (Better Than Now) coming out in August and the then the third and final installation (Better Than You) releasing in November. I’m excited for these two because while BTT shows the origin of the story, BTN and BTY explore the meat of the relationship and the thing that everyone wants to know: what’s happens ‘after the girl got away’. Told in both Autumn and Alex’s voices, the last installment answers the question of how and why he’s become one of the most famous young musicians, and what happens when the two are thrust back together.

J: Thrust back together. Thank God. I know you said HAE, but I still worry! Where can people find more of you and/or your work?

C: I have a very lovely blog that I update regularly; it should tell you anything you’d need to know about what I’m up to/what’s next. For those more interested in the in-depth, I have a Patreon where I keep an even more detailed account of writerly things, including original drafts, flash-fiction, how I do certain Indie items (cover image/blurb) as well as scenes from different POVs. After that, maybe try twitter -@writercgcoppola – or my author fb page – @Cgcoppola.

J: One final question before you escape.. erm, I mean, have to go…Leave us with something interesting about you or your book.

C: There was a lot of doubt writing this, even when I thought I wasn’t going to show anyone. Since I’m used to writing Fantasy/Sci-Fi adventures, conflicts come in the shape of monsters and impossible tasks and plagues and armies set to destroy everything. In high-school, you don’t get much of that. I was worried my conflicts wouldn’t be that bad, but as I went on, my characters assured me quite the opposite. All problems—whether big or small—can have a huge impact, even if you don’t see them at first.

J: This is very true! I know I’ve loved what I’ve read of it! And now, I suppose I’d better let you go (or I could pull a Misery and make you get those last two books edited. Hmmmm.) Thanks so much for coming in today and talking to us!

You can pre-order Better Than This from Amazon!

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by Joleene Naylor on May 11, 2018  •  Permalink
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Posted by Joleene Naylor on May 11, 2018

https://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/interview-with-c-g-coppola/

Interview with Stephan Morse

interview

Today we have Stephan Morse, author of The Fiasco in News, with us. His book will release August first. To celebrate, he has a Rafflecopter contest going on that you can enter for a chance at a paperback copy!

TheFiascoInNews800CoverRevealPromotionalJo: Welcome Stephan! Please tell us a little something about your newest release.

Stephan:  My newest book is The Fiasco In News, which follows Adam Millard­—a sarcastic and cursed person in a world of high superpowers like Marvel of D.C. universes. Adam’s power attracts superpowered events of all sorts and keeps him alive. Since he has no other powers of note, we end up getting a chronic kidnap victim’s point of view on all these hero and villain events. I took a chance to showcase less desirable abilities, how they impact people, those trying to find their place in a crazy world, and the repercussions of being constantly yanked around by people with too much power.

J: That sounds really interesting! I love superheroes and I always find it interesting when they’re looked at from a different perspective. What inspired you to write this story?

S: Over the years I’ve read a lot of comics, seen the movies and series coming out, and a ton of books. I love the genre backdrop that super powers can bring to a story and sought a lesser used point of view on the old situations. The idea sat on the back burner a few years while I finished another series. Since that other series wrapped up July of last year, I found myself drawn to The Fiasco as a chance to be deliberately humorous while still writing a serious plotline. It was a great chance to branch out into new genres.

J: What is your favorite part of The Fiasco in News?

S: There are a ton of parts to The Fiasco’s first book which amuse me greatly. So much, that I’m fairly sure someone else sneaked in while I slept (or one of the many editors who’ve perused the piece) wrote all the humor. I assume I did all the dry and boring bits. In this case the best part was a specific line that I got to hear over and over as part of the audiobook auditions. There’s a snippet in there where Adam, narrating to the reader, tries to provide a lesson. It makes me laugh every time. I dug up the full line for anyone interested.

“So I’ll pause the recount here with a hard-learned life lesson. If a woman whose hobbies include gutting children’s storybook villains is even remotely attracted to you, don’t ever mention another girl in her hearing. Don’t even mention that you know other girls. Don’t mention that your mother or grandmother are technically female. Hopefully you just popped into being and grew up in a vacuum. Of course that’s insane, but so is The Alice. And please, if you meet The Alice, don’t tell her I ever mentioned any of this. Just smile and tell that wonderful woman that I’m counting the seconds until our next reunion.”

J: Hahahahahahahaha! Yeah, that is a good one – and some good advice! What was your least favorite part in writing The Fiasco?

S: Knowing that I wrote one book that feels amazingly creative, humorous, and slightly maddening. I rarely, ever, feel proud of my own work (despite my wife’s support), but this one struck me as a great combination of those elements. The least favorite part comes in knowing I may not be able to pull it off twice more to finish out the series. I aim to try.

J: I bet you can! Or else you can bribe the writer elves who did it this time. I sometimes think writer elves nip in and do the good parts of my own books while I’m asleep! Especially with some of my characters…Speaking of characters, do you have a favorite from The Fiasco?

S: There were a lot of side characters in this novel, probably too many to pick a favorite one. Of the main characters, of course I identify a bit with Adam. He’s sarcastic to the point of painful dryness. Giving voice to that was a wonderful activity. Alice sneaked up on me as a character in terms of enjoyment. However, if I were to pick a favorite one, it would be Flux—for reasons that would contain spoilers. He’s the small flying camera orb on the cover with a red eye, and was fun to write.

J: Okay, since you can’t tell us too much about your characters, tell us something interesting about you!

S: I’m utterly useless on my own and this is all my wife’s fault. So if this interesting fact makes it to the final page, you’ll know she agrees.

J: Ha ha! Well, she must agree! What do you (and your wife) have planned next?

S: A lot. Most immediately, I’ll be finishing the fourth book on an Urban Fantasy series I’m writing. After that I’ve got a Fantasy Apocalypse series to debut, and of course the second book in The Fiasco’s series.

J: Sounds like you’re both going to be busy! Before you escape to get to work, erm, I mean, head out, tell us where we can find more of you and your work.

S: Me, myself, and all my ineloquent musings can be found at FrustratedEgo.com—which is my website. My wife (who’s super awesome) also posts from time to time on stuff she finds, books, games, television shows, and so on. We try to share what inspires us.You can also follow me on twitter @FrustratedEgo, or drop a line through FrustratedWriting@gmail.com. My work can be found on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B016RBSS8G

J: And we’re out of time. A huge thank you to Stephan and his (awesome) wife! Don’t forget to check out that rafflecopter!

 

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by Joleene Naylor on July 29, 2017  •  Permalink
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Posted by Joleene Naylor on July 29, 2017

https://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/2017/07/29/interview-with-stephan-morse/

Interview with Paris

jl-hendricks

Hello! My name is Katelina, and welcome to the Character Interviews. Using state of the art-mumbo-jumbo author magic, Jo has temporarily bent the laws of fictional space and time to allow various literary universes to converge long enough for me to ask different characters a few questions. Since I spend a lot of time in the Amaranthine series quizzing vampires on what they’re doing, where they’re going and why, Jo thought I would be the perfect interviewer. 

Today we have Paris from the sci-fi romance Worlds Away, by J.L. Hendricks

Katelina: Welcome Paris! Can you tell us a little about yourself?

coverParis: Well, my name is Paris and I have just been abducted by aliens! But, oh my word, are they hot, hot, hot!!!! I guess I shouldn’t complain too much because I have a very able bodied Commander who is taking good care of me now. You see, I used to live on the streets of LA. I was homeless after my parents died and I never was able to get out of my rut. But, I am only 22. My alien Commander, Venay, is in love with me, although a bit over-protective. If you read Worlds Away, by J.L. Hendricks you will see what I mean.

K: Oh wow! I guess we know you’re involved in a romance, then!

P: Yes, I am the soul mate to an alien commander. His name is Commander Venay, but I call him Venay. Some of the other girls tease me about it, but they are jealous. Sheila wanted him if I was going to turn him down, but I think she ended up with the right guy. Venay is a strong warrior who actually has a great moral compass. He isn’t happy with abducting slaves, but he doesn’t know how to change the situation of his people. Letting them die out is not something he can do, so I think he will work with me to change their society for the better and abolish slavery and human abductions.

K: He sounds hot *fans self and looks to make sure her vampire boyfriend isn’t hanging around* Um, anyway, he sounds almost perfect, except for that slave thing.

P: I am still having a hard time supporting Venay because he is responsible for abducting humans and bringing them back to his home planet to be either slaves, or mates. I can understand why he is doing it, his species almost died out due to a disease, but there are better ways to rebuild a society than forced slavery or marriage.

K: Exactly! Though as you said, he isn’t happy about it, so hopefully he will work for change.  Since we’re talking about his evolution, how do you evolve during the story?

P: I have always been strong and independent, so I am that way even when I am abducted. At first I choose to be a slave, but then I start to realize that I can make change happen much faster if I agree to be the mate, or wife, of the alien commander. For these aliens, once they meet their true, fated mate, they never love anyone else and will do whatever they have to in order to keep their mate safe. I start out taking advantage of his bond to me so that I can try to free the prisoners he has in his cells. Their intent is to sell them as slaves once we reach their home planet. Well, a lot of the women will agree to be mated to the warriors on the ship, but not all. So over the course of the trip (book) I realize that I have fallen in love with the giant alien. He is over 7 feet tall! And did I mention he is gorgeous? I do try to help keep my people from being used as slaves, especially one girl who is only 18 and hasn’t even graduated high school yet! What were they thinking abducting a kid like that? Some men are just stupid, whether they are aliens or humans, doesn’t matter. I hope to talk the alien government into changing how they view humans, and to stop the abductions, but that is something that will take time. I hope by the end of the series all humans will be free and the V’Zenians will stop abducting my kind.

K: I’m guessing when you got taken they didn’t give you time to pack. If you could have anything of yours from back on Earth, what would it be?

P: Lola. I miss my dog. She is the most loyal and loving pet a person could ever hope for! If you read my story you will learn about how she chose me to be her companion. I really hope that one of our friends is taking good care of her. If anyone reading this can go to the Santa Monica or Venice Beach area, could you look for Lola? She must be missing me something awful by now.

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Not Lola, but it is a dog at least.

K: Poor puppy! I’m sure she’s okay, though I’m not sure if anyone reading this can cross into our dimensions…my author would say sarcastically, “Do you think your life and universe are real?”

P: Yes, of course they are! How else could you be interviewing me if I wasn’t?

K: Exactly. Authors have a weird sense of…I don’t know. Megalomania if you ask me. Speaking of authors, if you could say one thing to yours, what would it be?

P: I have two things: 1-don’t make me pregnant! I have too much work to do and no time to care for a baby, especially if I am going to change an entire society. 2-don’t kill off any of my friends! I have read your Eclipse Series and you kill off a lot of great characters, like Xandrie! So please leave my friends alone. And by friends I mean Lisa, Sheila, and their mates. Please!!!! I will gladly do whatever you want if you grant me my two wishes.

K:  Do you have an enemy, aside from the whole alien kidnapping thing. Though they sound less like enemies and…*cough* anyway…

P: The Zateelians attack my ship right after we leave the solar system. Well, not MY ship, but Venay’s ship. They have acquired some advanced weapons and attack us which forces us to crash land on a planet that is controlled by the V’Zenians, thankfully. But a few of them get on my ship and try to kill me, but to be fair, they are trying to kill us all. However, I prove to them that I am a force to be reckoned with! Well, I have a laser pistol. Sooo, I guess my pistol is a force to be reckoned with.

K: I need a laser pistol! What is the one event that you think helped to shape your personality?

P: When I was 17 my parents died, I don’t wish to go into the details, it is still a tough subject for me. However, I have survived living on the streets for the past 5 years. All of the things I have had to deal with, like finding dead bodies of other homeless people I knew, and fighting off men who wouldn’t take no for an answer, have all made me the strong fighter I am today. I don’t think I could have survived this current situation if I was still living a fairy tale life with my family. Not that I am happy about it, but it has made me the warrior I am today.

image by Yogendra Joshi via Flickr used under a CC license

image by Yogendra Joshi via Flickr used under a CC license

K: And it looks like we’re running out of time. If you could say one thing to your readers, what would it be?

P: Keep an eye out for some recruiting opportunities to join the V’Zenians on their home world!

K: Hee-hee! Right? I mean, um…For a final question, if you could have anything in the world, what would it be?

P: For my parents to come back to life. But this is real life, for me at least, and people don’t come back to life. So what I want most, is to help the V’Zenians to save their species and to stop abducting humans. I know there are better ways. How many people on Earth would jump at the chance to mate with an alien? Or to come to an alien world to work, not be a slave, but for an actual job with benefits? A ton! They would have to get in line and only the best and brightest would be chosen, but the V’Zenian society would benefit so much from this. Earth would too!

K: Yes! I can see the possibilities! And with that we’re out of time. Thanks so much to Paris for letting me interview her. You can read more about her in Worlds Away, by J.L. Hendricks.

Worlds Away, available on pre-order now for only .99c at Amazon. Price will go up after launch date.
http://amzn.to/2caV2gQ

And a special thanks to J.L. Hendricks for playing along!

 

If you’re an author and would like your character(s) to be interviewed by me, then check out this very cool page that has all the details:

https://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/character-interviews/

worlds-away-99c-sale-ad

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by Joleene Naylor on September 16, 2016  •  Permalink
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Posted by Joleene Naylor on September 16, 2016

https://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/2016/09/16/interview-with-paris/

Interview with Josh and Cherry

terry-compton

Hello! My name is Katelina, and welcome to the Character Interviews. Using state of the art-mumbo-jumbo author magic, Jo has temporarily bent the laws of fictional space and time to allow various literary universes to converge long enough for me to ask different characters a few questions. Since I spend a lot of time in the Amaranthine series quizzing vampires on what they’re doing, where they’re going and why, Jo thought I would be the perfect interviewer.

wantedKatelina: Today we have a special two-fer  from Terry Compton’s Wanted – in other words, two characters. Please meet…um…

Josh: My name is Josh Gunn.  That blue pile of junk over there is Cherry Kang.  In case you can’t tell, he’s an android.

Cherry: A very special android.  You’ll have to excuse him, he’s still too young to have matured yet.  He’s only thirty-two.  I on the other hand am over a hundred.

K: You’re both older than me. Since this is a text only interview, would you mind describing yourselves for our audience?

J: 6′ 2″  black hair hazel eyes.  Scar on left cheek.

C:  6′ 8″ humanoid shape.  Blue skin with lights underneath.

K: The blue skin is interesting, I have to say. Where do you guys live?

J: Right now we’re living on a spaceship or the asteroid city we found.

K: A spaceship could be cool.  Are there any other interesting characters in your story?

C: Well, I’d say a rogue Hanami captain would be interesting.  We have to find out if we can trust him.

K: I imagine that’s pretty hard to determine. So is this story your only adventure?

J: No, we have a few others and I think we’ll have more.

K: Do you guys have an enemy, or a nemesis?

J: A really stand out enemy or just an enemy?

C: Yeah, he has a tendency to invite trouble when he acts without thinking things through.

J: I do not.  I’ll have you know…  Oh, never mind.  Let’s just say our main nemesis is Lobos.  She’s a real piece of work.  Works several sex palaces from her spaceships.  We’ll shove one of them —

C: Josh, let it go.  The readers can see for themselves.

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space, the final…wrong story

K: Ooookaaaaay. Are either of you in a relationship? Like, with someone else? I mean, a romantic…

 C: He definitely has a sweetie.  What she sees in him is beyond me.  Humans are just impossible to understand.  Her name is Kassie Stevens.

J: What about Lemmy?  Isn’t she your honey?

C: Bite your tongue.  How you made that crazy Ezrawe a partner, I don’t know.  She should be committed but she’s the best ship’s engineer we’ve ever seen.  And man can she eat.  Don’t hold any food in your hand when she’s around or you might lose your hand.

J: She’s not that bad.  He just doesn’t like it because she calls him Twinkles.”

*Cherry shakes his fist at Josh.*

K: *laughs* Twinkles? Oh, because of the lights, right? Or is there something more? Never mind, I bet it’s in the book. Okay, next question, would you kill for those you love, and would you die for them?

J: I already have – umm killed that is.  I almost died but that’s a different story.

C: I agree with him.

K: This sounds like an exciting story. What’s the biggest challenge you face in it?

J: Oh, I don’t know.  Maybe trying to keep from him and Lemmy from killing each other.  Getting a spaceship that’s workable is also a bit of a problem.

C: A bit?  Taking two derelicts and piecing them together is a bit?  And you in a body cast so all you can do is give ‘helpful’ hints.

J: What can I say?  I’m just good.

K: Body cast? Oh my! You guys must be living dangerously. Do you have any family?

J: *frowns* I’d just as soon pass on that.

C: I only have factory made family.

K: Can you give me an interesting fact about yourself?

J: We’re both from 500 years in the future.

K: Oh wow. And with that we’re out of time. Thanks so much to Josh and Cherry for coming in today! You can read their adventures FREE in Wanted by Terry Compton.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N1LNDJA

And a special thanks to Terry Compton for playing along!

If you’re an author and would like your character(s) to be interviewed by me, then check out this very cool page that has all the details:

https://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/character-interviews/

2 Comments
by Joleene Naylor on September 15, 2016  •  Permalink
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Posted by Joleene Naylor on September 15, 2016

https://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/2016/09/15/interview-with-josh-and-cherry/

Interview with SM Randle

interview

Today we have SM Randle, author of Night of the Shadows: Murder and Mayhem. 

NewBookCV_upd3Jo: Welcome ! Please tell us a little something about your newest release.

SM:  This story picks up where the Night of the Shadows: The Beginning left off.

Night of the Shadows: Murder and Mayhem weaves a spellbinding tale of murder, love, deceit, and revenge.

In the summer of 2013, in Miami Florida, a series of brutal, unspeakable, seemingly random murders captured headlines across America. Bobbie Jean Pratt and her lover lured their victims to their horrible deaths with such ease; they were able to carry out these murders for months.

J: You had me at murder! What inspired you to write it?

SM: Writing is very comforting to me.  It helps me to relax.

J: That sounds like a good reason! Do you have a favorite character? 

SM: No, I don’t have a favorite character.

J: Fairness to all. That’s a good policy. What was your favorite part of writing the book?

SM: My favorite part about writing is developing the characters and telling their stories.

J: That is the best, isn’t it? What’s your least favorite?

SM: My least favorite part is actually ending a book.  The characters always want to live forever.

J: That is so true! Can you tell us what  you have planned next?

SM: I’m currently writing a mystery book.

J: Mystery is a good genre, too! before you go, can you tell us where people can find more of you?

SM: My Website is at https://divinepubs.wordpress.com

J: All right! Thanks so much for stopping in today to chat with us, and thanks everyone for checking this out. 

You can find Night of the Shadows: Murder and Mayhem at:

Are you an author? Would you like to be interviewed? Check out the info at: https://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/author-interviews/
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by Joleene Naylor on June 25, 2016  •  Permalink
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Posted by Joleene Naylor on June 25, 2016

https://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/2016/06/25/interview-with-sm-randle/

Interview with Rami Ungar

interview

Today we have Rami Ungar, author of Video Rage, with us. Let’s pick his brain! (Not literally, that would be too messy, and no one would ever agree to it anyway. Besides, I left my brain pick at home.)

gas mask

“Are you my mummy?” (sorry – gas mask and British flag… *cough*cough* Never mind.) Meet Rami!

Jo: Welcome Rami! Please tell us a little something about your newest release.

 

Rami:  Video Rage is the sequel to my first novel, Reborn City, and the second book in the Reborn City series. The series follows  Zahara Bakur, a young Muslim teenager who moves to the futuristic city-state of Reborn City and finds herself forcefully initiated into the Hydras, a rising street gang in the city’s western projects. As time goes on, Zahara finds out that the leaders of the Hydras have mysterious powers. And when she finds out where the leaders got their powers, she gets caught in a conspiracy that jeopardizes not only her life but the lives of all whom she holds dear.

J: That sounds really good! (So good in fact that it’s the next book on my TBR list assuming my new kindle cable ever arrives!) What inspired you to write it?

R: The movie Freedom Writers. I’d just seen the movie, and it really resonated me, especially its theme that you could overcome your past and your environment and become something great. And then one day, I was walking home from the library, listening to some rap music, and thinking about how the music could’ve fit in the movie. And then I thought, “I should write a gangster story.” I spent the next hour over ice cream and rap music planning details, what sort of story it was going to be. Seven or eight years later, here we are, with Book 2 coming out!

J: I haven’t seen that, but maybe I should. Do you have a favorite character in Reborn City? Why are they your favorite?

RC coverR: I think Zahara is definitely my favorite character. She starts out as not much of a heroine: timid, shy, very adverse to violence. However as time goes on, she grows braver and much more confident, and I love that about her. I really enjoy heroines who grow into their roles. They are so fun to watch as they grow and evolve. I also love antagonist Jason Price, whom I modeled after Samuel L. Jackson. He’s diabolical, motivated by his desire to keep power and by his old prejudices. He’s a great villain, and I love myself a good villain.

J: I love a good villain too! Can you tell us what  you have planned next?

R: After Video Rage is out and I’ve done all the necessary marketing, I’m going to edit another novel that I haven’t touched since I graduated college last year, and then I’m going to write the final book in the Reborn City series for National Novel Writing Month. I’m thinking of calling it Full Circle. That’s a catchy title, don’t you think?

J: Yes! I like that title – but then you’re good at titles! Where can people find more of you and/or your work?

R: You can find me on my blog, Rami Ungar the Writer, as well as on Facebook and Twitter. If you want to check out my books, they’re available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Smashwords, and Kobo.

VR CS front coverJ: And it’s an awesome blog, might I add. One final question before you escape.. erm, I mean, have to go…Leave us with something interesting about you or your book.

R: I’m about to start a new job and move into my own apartment. That’ll make writing soooo much easier!

J: Yes it will – and congrats on the new place ans the new job! Thanks so much for stopping in today to chat with us.

You can find Rami Ungar’s books at:

Reborn City:
Video Rage: 
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by Joleene Naylor on May 21, 2016  •  Permalink
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Posted by Joleene Naylor on May 21, 2016

https://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/2016/05/21/interview-with-rami-ungar/

Author Interview with Lori Soard

Today we have Lori Soard, author of the Cupid’s Crossing series, with us. Let’s pick her brain! (Not literally, that would be too messy, and no one would ever agree to it anyway. besides, I left my brain pick at home.)

Jo: Can you tell us about a little about your newest release?

lori-head-greenLori: My latest release is Cupid’s Quest. It is the first in a new series called Cupid’s Crossing. Cupid’s Crossing is a fictional town I created where magical things happen. In Cupid’s Quest, the two main characters are both participating in a scavenger hunt put on by a local radio station. They have a little help from their friends, a zany bunch of senior citizens. Along the way, they find true love. It is a Christian contemporary romance.

J: That sounds like a lot of fun! What inspired you to write it?

L: Believe it or not, I kept thinking about the town and what if there were this picture perfect little town where amazing things happened. I created a map for the town and started to plug in the people who lived there. It all started with an abandoned book idea. The book just did not fit the lightness of the town. Over time, the characters and stories took shape.

J: I love it! Especially the idea of making the map. With all those characters it might be hard to pick a favorite, but do you have one?

L: Libby Henderson, the senior citizen I mentioned above, is definitely my favorite. Like most other people, there are times I don’t like Libby very much. She is cantankerous and she constantly tries to take everything over, even my stories. However, like my heroine Gracie, I see that Libby has a heart of gold underneath it all. She is wise, smart, sassy and a very strong woman. She will appear throughout the series.

J: Speaking of favorites, what was your favorite part of Cupid’s Quest?

L: My favorite scene in Cupid’s Quest comes after the senior citizens break out of the nursing home, steal a van, and go on a “high speed” chase at about 20 mph through Cupid’s Crossing. When Gracie, the heroine and director of the nursing home, arrives at the police station, Libby Henderson (in her 80s) has the officers cowering from her cane. You have to know the characters to really understand how funny the scene becomes and how quickly things escalate.

J: Ha ha! Even without knowing them I am chuckling, so I imagine it’s hilarious in the book! What would you say was your least favorite part of writing Cupid’s Quest?

L: There is a side story where the hero’s mother is very ill. I didn’t like writing those parts. It hits very close to home. We’ve had to deal with a lot of death and ill family members. However, I think it helps me write the emotions the characters are going through in these situations. When my husband was a deacon, we would often go visit church members in the hospital and pray with family members. There are some basic emotions that everyone goes through when faced with these things, believer or not.

J: I think sometimes it helps reading about them, too – kind of cathartic to have characters who are going through the same thing you are or have. You mentioned being a deacon’s wife, can you tell us something else interesting about yourself?

loritornadoL: The town I live in was the birthplace of Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame and one of my best friends is related to him. The only other thing the town is famous for is an EF4 tornado that tore our school apart in 2012. Lady Antebellum came to the town and put on a concert for us after and we’ve slowly rebuilt until you can barely tell the tornado was ever here.
We were so blessed. The second tornado that went through brought tennis ball size hail that did about $25K in damage to our home, but the EF4 beast went behind our neighborhood. My husband took some pretty startling pictures of it. It missed us (barely). I hope we never have to experience anything like that again. It was terrifying and an ungodly sound that can best be described as a growling monster, which is why I call it the beast.

J: Tornadoes are one of my ultimate, all-time fears, so… wow! Terrifying! So glad you were both unhurt! What do you have planned next?

L: I am working on the next book in the Cupid’s Crossing series. This one will be Sinclaire’s story. Sinclaire works with Gracie at the nursing home. She is broken in every way imaginable. Her heart has been damaged almost beyond repair, she is discouraged, and she does not believe in God when the story opens.

J: That sounds like a good read! Good luck, and before you go I have to ask, where can people find more loribookof you and your work?

L: I am on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google +). I often update people on what I have going on there. I also have a website: http://lorisoard.com. All my books are on Amazon.

Thanks so much to Lori for stopping in an letting us… talk to her today. (You thought I was going to mention brains again, didn’t you?) Be sure to check out her website and her newest release Cupid’s Quest. It sounds like a lot of fun!

Want to be interviewed? Check out

 

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by Joleene Naylor on March 6, 2016  •  Permalink
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Posted by Joleene Naylor on March 6, 2016

https://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/2016/03/06/author-interview-with-lori-soard/

Interview with Kin Diego

Hello! My name is Katelina, and welcome to Weekend Character Interviews. Using state of the art-mumbo-jumbo author magic, Jo has temporarily bent the laws of fictional space and time to allow various literary universes to converge long enough for me to ask different characters a few questions. Since I spend a lot of time in the Amaranthine series quizzing vampires on what they’re doing, where they’re going and why, Jo thought I would be the perfect interviewer. 

Today we have Kin Diego from… Um… Hang on. What book are you from?

Arts and digital painting by Ven G Books. Copyright © 2015 by Venancio Cadle Gomani Jr.

Arts and digital painting by Ven G Books.
Copyright © 2015 by Venancio Cadle Gomani Jr.

Diego: You go right on ahead and ask Venancio Cadle Gomani Jr. yourself. I’m sure he’ll be happy to tell you the rest of the books I’m featured in from the Crest of Dreams series. But as for my origin story; it’s a comic book named after my military project codename, Zue Beta, and based around the Crest of Dreams world.

K: There we go! Would you mind telling our readers a little bit about yourself?

D: The name’s Diego—Kin Diego and I’m a 21 year old teen super soldier killing machine designed to rip apart anything and everything in my path. I guess you can call me an experiment by the Damiroo military gone wrong. Before my parents were murdered, we lived in a city called Bisenti here in the Mnematode denomination in Damiroo. The only thing I love doing more than my hitting up some rapids and mountain climbing with my buddy, CJ, is taking my motorcycle for a spin. It’s perhaps the fastest machine on two wheels.

K: An experiment? And I thought my author was horrible. Can you tell us a little bit more about this?

D: Of course.Among the few people who survived the ATS-Dc epidemic in El-Versium 20 years ago my parents were one of them, and they gave birth to me. But as a child I wasn’t quite normal; having been born from two people who had been exposed to the virus I kinda grew immune to it—but that came with a few things: I was stronger than most people around me, my focus was sharp, I was a near-perfect human. And that’s when “they” decided to start rounding “us” up (people like me whose bodies had evolved to a super human state). They murdered my parents and thought to carry out experiments on me. They were trying to enhance me further beyond my physical abilities and now I live on borrowed time—whatever they did to me, it’s killing me. My cells and tissue are dying each time I exceed my compensation point and the only thing keeping me alive is a vaccine CJ created for me—what’d I say? Super genius! But whatever it is they did to me, they did it to the rest of the people like me. They chose to wage war against us and now we’re bringing the fight to them. We have to save the rest of the kids they keep locked up in their research facility and prevent them from taking any more of us.

K: You say “they”? Who are they?

D:  The very same people responsible for turning me into this “thing” that I am—this violent beastly reflection I see smirking at me in the mirror. We have no leads as to who the real person is that is in charge of the teen super soldier experiments but rest assured we will find them, and when we do there will be bashing and tones of smashing.

K: Wow. I can’t even begin to imagine which is tough: dealing with what they made you, or with all of your past or –  what would you say is your biggest challenge in this story? 

D: Overcoming my rage. How am I supposed to not want to kill the very monsters that murdered my family, turned me into a reckless killing machine, and keep doing it to who knows how many more children around the world? I want to kill them so very badly, but is that really worth it? They wanted to turn me into a warrior and killer and if I do to them what they want me to do to the rest of the Domiciles then what’s the point of it all? I might as well go back and work for them.

There are a tone other challenges I face, though: dealing with the loss of my family, trying to find a way to stay alive in a dying body, and fighting against an organization I barely even know much about. But I blame Venancio Cadle Gomani Jr. for it all. I swear the day I get to see him I’ll punch him across the face—maybe that’ll make me feel a little better.

K: We could swap. I’ll kill your author if you kill mine. *looks nervous* Um, I mean, uh, we’ll talk later. Moving on, how do you feel you evolve during this story?

D: From the get-go I’m super pissed—but that’s exactly what my enemies want; I’m angry that my parents were murdered, I’m frustrated that I was injected with the newly improved ATS-Dc virus to enhance my body’s physical abilities yet it kills me more and more each time I exceed my compensation point, and I’m…afraid—that I’ll lose against my enemies; that they’ll take me back to the lab and have me lead the rest of their teen super soldier army in war against the other Domiciles; that I’ll die. But as the story goes on I loosen up a little after realizing that I’m not the only person who’s going to affected by this, and if I just sit around alone here in the forest countless innocent people will be killed by even more children that are in my exact situation. So I take up the responsibility along with my super genius buddy, CJ, and we move to taking down the organization spearheading this war and become the leader of the team of teen super soldiers.

K: Wow. What one event do you think really helps to shape your personality and future?

D: In all honesty, I believe it’s my parents’ death. Now before you kids go around and start having your parents murdered, let me explain a little. My world was happy before they died and at one point I always thought the story was all about me—that’s how my parents made it feel. I was their only child. But ever since I lost them I felt this gaping hole inside of me and I hoped to satisfy it with letting out my rage on anything that I feel deserved it. But I was wrong, I realized that the only way I was ever going to deal with it is becoming the man they always wanted me to be: strong, brave, sacrificing my own life for the sake and safety of everyone else around me—being responsible with the abilities that fate has given to me—that’s what drives me.

K: I have to ask, is that a cat hair on your shirt? Do you have pets?

D: One of CJ’s best attempts at keeping me from killing anything in my path was getting me a pet ferret and my only objective was to not kill it. It didn’t matter if I never fed it or didn’t clean it or walk it but so long as I never killed it then I would be a better control over my rage. By the way, the ferret is still alive and I’m starting to take a liking to it.

K: Oh, okay. I only asked because we once had an interviewee with a crazy cat…I didn’t want to relive that! But, anyway, that shows you have a soft spot. Does that extend to romance?

D: Emphatically yes, and I don’t get why! Like I said, I’m punching Venancio across the face for this. I mean really, c’mon? A romance of this magnitude? In the midst of a war that could reduce humanity to ashes again? Really, Venancio?

I have a friend I’ve been wanting to get together with for a really long time now, and she’s kinda a tech wiz. But I’m not just talking about any tech wiz, no this chic has a body of armor she engineered to help me and the rest of the teen super soldiers take down the people behind this madness. And as though that’s not enough, amongst the teen super soldiers is a girl just like me. She’s the one who freed me from my cell and risked her own escape for mine in order that I may go out, get help for the rest of the children trapped inside the facility. She was in the cell right next to mine, so we had a lot of time to talk. She has this insane belief that I’m the one who’s supposed to save the rest of the teens.

So now the fight is between the one that’s known me the longest and the one I relate with the most.

Arts and digital painting by Ven G Books. Copyright © 2015 by Venancio Cadle Gomani Jr.

Arts and digital painting by Ven G Books.
Copyright © 2015 by Venancio Cadle Gomani Jr.

K: OooOOoooO! Triangle much? Your author is evil.

D: Yeah. That’s why when the series is over I’m going to start looking for a cure for this super human virus that they injected us with that’s killing us. And also I’m leading a troop to look for Venancio and bring him back to me alive!

K: Right? These authors think they’re God or something! We’re just supposed to put up with unbelievable scenarios and horrible things happening! I wish I could just escape to Hawaii or Tahiti sometimes. What about you? if you could have anything in the world, what would it be?

D: That’s a tough one. Well, it would have to be between saving the world from going into a state of total chaos and being normal. I’ve always wanted to be normal, but someone has to save the world and as my dad used to say “if not me, then who else would I trust enough to dump this responsibility on and expect to win?”
I do want to be normal, don’t get me wrong, and I’d give anything in the world to have that. Maybe that way I would have never lost my parents. But I have a responsibility to carry out, and though it’s sad that I lost people so dear to me it would be pointless to start crying around about it and let the world down because of my sorrows. So what I want the most in the whole world, is to win!

K: Not a bad thing at all. Though it looks like we’re getting short on time. If you could say anything to your readers, what would it be?

D: Don’t become a villain, otherwise start expecting a visit from me and it’s not gonna be pleasant.

K: And lastly, any special message for your author:

D: Venancio Cadle Gomani Jr. I swear to God I’m going to punch you across the face

 

K: Yep, that is about what I figured. Thanks to Diego for stopping by today. You can find him ZUE BETA by Venancio Cadle Gomani Jr. Visit the author’s website at https://cadlegomani.wordpress.com and the Crest of Dreams series Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/crestofdreams/

And a special thanks to Venancio Cadle Gomani Jr for playing along!

If you’re an author and would like your character(s) to be interviewed by me, then check out this very cool page that has all the details:

https://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/character-interviews/

3 Comments
by Joleene Naylor on January 9, 2016  •  Permalink
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Posted by Joleene Naylor on January 9, 2016

https://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/2016/01/09/interview-with-kin-diego/

The Seventh Question

logotype-element-5-publicdo

from vectorportal.com

Simon Goodson, author of The Wanderer’s Escape, among others, was kind enough to interview me on his spiffy updated website. His cool interview format is a twist on the traditional interview, with the seventh question being one the author asks themselves! So check it out, and see what question I wish interviewers would ask me more often.

While you’re there, sign up for the free starter pack – four books by Simon delivered straight to you. How cool is that?

SimonGoodson.com

And on a side note, hubby finished the Meet the Characters page updates. Yes, he is awesome.

2 Comments
by Joleene Naylor on November 17, 2015  •  Permalink
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Posted by Joleene Naylor on November 17, 2015

https://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/2015/11/17/the-seventh-question/

Author Questions Part I

joleene naylor 2 (1)Those who missed the week long facebook party missed a lot of games and fun. One of the games we played was “Ask ANY Character a Question” – I shared the resultant questions and answers in a pair of blogs earlier. Another game we played was “Ask the Author”. I got a LOT of really good questions, and some of the answers might be interesting so I thought I’d share those too.

Have a question no one asked? feel free to post it in the comments!

What stops you from getting your books out and in the mainstream?

Mainstream is subjective. If you mean bookstores, you can order the books from Barnes and Noble’s counters (at least the first one anyway) but as for being in stock, they only stock books they can return and CS won’t allow returns. If you mean a traditional publisher or small indy press, I don’t want to hand my rights over to them. That’s a matter of choice and some authors prefer it, but indy authors usually get higher royalty rates and, no matter how you’re published, unless you’re a power house name you still have to do your own advertising anymore.

Is there any part, in any of the books in this series that you wish you would have written differently? Or parts that you want to change?

Ooooo. I wish in the first book we’d gotten to see more of the action, but I still can’t think of any way to do, it short of writing a different character, because there’s no way they’d have allowed Katelina to *see* it. There are several other scenes in the series – like that – that I’d like to “see”, so I guess sometimes I wish I’d done as romance and fantasy books do with multiple PoV. It sometimes gets hard to make Katelina always in the right place at the right time.

When you started writing the series did you have a long term goal in mind or has it just evolved book to book and how many books do you foresee for this series?

Nope! I had the first two in mind (originally they were one book that got cut in half) but past that it’s kind of been touch and go. I know there will be Masque of the Vampire (book 8) and book 9 (might be Goddess of Night) but after that I don’t know. I have a poll set up for reader input. (Feel free to go vote! ha ha!)

Have you ever considered a different genre?

My brother and I are working on a fantasy novel – as yet untitled but fun- and there’s a fantasy romance I and a friend would like to write someday (it will be awesome if we can get out schedules aligned!) And I’ve done sci-fi and contemporary horror short stories. I can do straight contemporary, but it’s usually awful. Not so much awfully written as awful things happen to the characters. The Patrick prequel is a pretty good example of that, and it even has vampires.

Who inspired you?

As far as vampires go, I took a good dose of inspiration from the movie Interview with the Vampire and then later from the first few Laurel K. Hamilton books (before it became Erotica). But as for who inspired me to write, that would be my mom – Bonnie Mutchler. She’s a writer and poet (she has poetry books on Smashwords, B&N, Kobo, and iBooks for free) and so I grew up with the concept that that was just “normal”.

Do you ever see yourself adding some other supernatural creatures to the books

I’ve actually thought about it (Jorick and Katelina discuss it in book 2, even) but at the time EVERYONE was doing that (it was all vampires and werewolves mostly) so I refused because I figured there were enough of them already. At this point I think I’d probably do a new universe for other creatures because it would be too difficult to weave them into what I’ve already set up.

Are your drawings of the characters a reflection of how you see them in your mind?

They’re close. Like I always picture Zuri with white hair instead of black and Claudius I see as a skinny version of Bradly James – bowl haircut and all (probably sort of based on a younger version of the guy who played Gisbon in the old BBC Robin Hood with Michael Praed.) In my head they’re a mix of anime and real people – And of course there’s the artist’s lament that it “never comes out exactly as you imagined it”. I’m currently working on gathering images of real people – okay, my mom is actually gathering them. I just say “yea” or “nay”.

How did you get started to get your books out there?

First I queried agents – everyone was apparently sending in vampire stories at the time, and so what few letters I got back said “no vampires”. I had some friends on MySpace (this dates it!) Who had indy published (this was 2008 when it was still a dirty word) and though I thought about it but was too scared. Then a friend of mine named Dan – who had the manuscript to read – made me a ” fake ” publishing website and formatted the book into paperback (along with writing the awesome review which is still on Amazon) and said “See? This is what it would look like. You can do it.” There was still a lot of research and terror and learning and research, but he gets the credit for the push.

If you could rewrite one scene from any book, what would it be and why?

Ooooooo. The fight in Claudius’ den when Jorick rescues Katelina. Troy just rolls down the stairs already dead, and after writing the prequel he is waaay more important than to die unseen like that. He needs a more satisfying death. I might work in into a short story somehow.

If you wrote a romance novel, what would the plot be?

It would probably end up being fantasy… Actually the one my friend and I want to write is a romance. It’s a pair of angels who end up on earth in human bodies and forget who and what they are so they have to find one another again. Meanwhile Lucifer wants them.

I have two questions – 1 if the books were made onto a movie who would you like to play Jorick and 2 would you ever write any of the book from Jorick’s point of view. I would love to know what he is thinking. I would also love to have a look at what is was like for him watching Katelina and coming to terms with falling in love with her. 

Hmmmm… I honestly don’t know. With makeup they can do wonders, but the actor would need to have a presence. Kind of like Roman Reigns on WWE has. Here’s really not as big as a lot of the guys he wrestles but he “seems” big. Jorick needs to have that kind of presence about him. And YES! I want you see that too! That’s why I did the flashback in Katelina’s dream in book 2, but it wasn’t really enough. I’m actually turning over writing a Jorick book either after Masque or else after Goddess of Night.

How many years have you been writing stories?

Since I was a tiny tiny kid. I have an illustrated story somewhere of a girl who gets a telephone call and goes roller skating that I wrote before I could read (the spelling is phonetic ha ha!) She had curly hair and her dress color changes on every page. It’s hilarious.

Do you foresee this being a long running series?

I’m actually not sure. After book nine I’ve been thinking about taking a break from the main series and doing some stand alone books – I have Patrick’s written and rewritten already. Also considering a book about Jorick’s past (which my brain is ahead running with) and there are a lot of other characters that might be fun. But I’m undecided because I don’t want to disappoint anyone. There is actually a poll on my website about whether the series should continue.

 

What advice would you give someone who is wanting to write ..

The most important advice is: write. Just write the story/book/novella and then get someone who can be honest to read it. This is really hard to do because most people don’t want to hurt your feelings or don’t know how to edit. It took a long time for me to find someone – and you NEED someone. I don’t care how good a writer you are, your story can be eighty percent better if you have someone honest who says ” this isn’t working ” because even the best writer has parts that aren’t working. But this honest person has to be someone you trust because if you don’t trust their suggestions you’re not going to take them. Not that it means you have to take every one of them. My best critic right now doesn’t read vampire books, so there are things he says he’d change that are important to the genre. I ignore some of those suggestions, but on other things he’s completely right. Anyway. Important advice. Write. Find an honest editor who can tell you the truth nicely and can also tell you what DOES work, because that’s just as important to know. And the compliments help break up the ego crashes.

Do you have ideas you can share on how you see this series ending?

Right now I see it ending, whether at the ninth book or not, with Katelina and Jorick retiring to their house in Maine to live happily ever after. In the end I’m a romance junky and I want a happy ending!

Have a question they didn’t ask? Put it in the comments and I will add it to Part II!

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5 Comments
by Joleene Naylor on October 28, 2015  •  Permalink
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Posted by Joleene Naylor on October 28, 2015

https://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/2015/10/28/author-questions-part-i/

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