CHARACTER INTERVIEW: Luc Montague

 Today I'm sharing a character interview I did with one of the cast of Mara Tran's debut novel THE WARD.

Introducing Luc Montague, the Piper. Let's see what he has to say on the subject of the mysterious murders happening in Venisia and the Black Masquerade. 

Thanks to Luc and Mara for doing this interview with me!

Please check out THE WARD if you haven't yet! You can get the paperback or Kindle copy on Amazon

Indie Author Month Book Feature

I talked before about Indie Author Month put on by the bloggers at Aside From Writing throughout May. It's been an awesome month, and I've found so many books I want to read and learned a lot about some awesome authors.

Today, though, it's my turn, and A Case of Poisons has been featured as the Book of the Day with a mini interview! You can check it out here: http://asidefromwriting.com/2013/05/30/hazel-west/

Also, there will be an e-book copy of A Case of Poisons up for grabs in the huge giveaway most of the authors featured on IAM are pitching in books for, so go and enter the giveaway for some awesome books just in time for summer reading!

Enter Here: http://cusick-jones.com/giveaway.html

Don't forget everyone, that Monday is the release party for A Case of Poisons! There's going to be "door prizes" for commenters and other fun stuff, so don't miss it!!!

Slainte, Hazel

Indie Author Month

Hi everyone! I'm excited to announce that I am going to be taking part in Aside From Writing's Indie Author Month. Each day of May, a new indie author will be featured on their blog with a guest post, interview, excerpts and all that good stuff that will make us all interested in their books. I hope all my followers who read this will take part too, and comment on the posts as well, there's lots of fun books introduced and awesome interviews and guest posts to help get to know the authors better.

Even better, there's a huge giveaway of over 30 books from the featured authors, all to one lucky winner! To enter, see this link: http://cusick-jones.com/giveaway.html

I'm doing a book feature for the up-coming first Anthony Maxwell book "A Case of Poisons" on May 28th. I'll be posting the link when we get there, and I'll make sure all my followers know when it's up via Twitter and Anthony's Facebook page. Until then, please do take the time to look at the other posts. There's already several up, that you can read by clicking the "Aside from Writing" link at the top of the post, or the Indie Author Month button at the top right of the page. Don't forget to Tweet and post to Facebook your favorite posts (#IAM for Twitter) *can't believe I actually everyone to hashtag something* as well as the giveaway! (Don't be selfish)

Slainte, Hazel

Interview with Author Amanda McCrina

I'm very glad today to introduce debut author, Amanda McCrina who agreed to do an interview with me and is going to talk a little about her new novel "His Own Good Sword". I just read it recently and it's a great book! You can read my review on Goodreads here.

First off, when did you start writing?

I tried my hand at NaNoWriMo for the first time in 2007, and won, and that was when I really started taking writing seriously. I’d been writing off and on for a long time before that--for just about as long as I can remember, actually--and I’d always thought that theoretically it’d be nice to be an author, but that was when I first started devoting serious time and effort to it.

What inspired you to write “His Own Good Sword”?

My love for Roman history and culture played a big part. I spent a semester abroad in Rome in 2009, and that experience definitely helped shape the story and flavor the world behind the story. I also owe a huge debt to Rosemary Sutcliff, both stylistically and thematically. They say to write what you want to read; to be honest, a major reason for writing “His Own Good Sword” is that I’d run out of Rosemary Sutcliff books to read.

How did you go about creating the world in your book? What were your inspirations for the different people?

The world of “His Own Good Sword,” Cymeria, existed independently before this particular storyline did, though not always in its current form. Originally it was more of a typical medieval fantasy world. But then I fell in love with Italy, and by the time I wrote the rough draft of “His Own Good Sword” for NaNoWriMo 2010, I had reimagined Cymeria as a pseudo-Roman world (an “alternate antiquity,” as a friend of mine likes to put it), with my Vareni modeled on the Romans, and the Cesini based on the ancient Britons. It’s not an exact analogue; I’ve rather indiscriminately mish-mashed several different periods of Roman history, with some tweaks of my own. But I did want it to feel grounded in reality, so it still required a lot of research (did the Romans use horseshoes? How did their postal system work? And so forth).

The specific characters had their own evolutions. None of them are deliberately modeled on real-life figures of any sort. I wanted them to feel totally organic within the world of the story. In creating characters, my basic starting point was to imagine how and why people might react differently to the same cultural stimuli. My hero, Tyren, is concerned for truth, justice, and all those important things (and I love him for it), but he’s still very much a product of his upper-class, privileged environment; he can be arrogant, insensitive, even bigoted. Meanwhile, my antagonist, Luchian, has nearly the same background and upbringing as Tyren, but he manifests it a bit differently, shall we say.

What was the most difficult part about writing “His own Good Sword”?

I had, and still have, difficulties with action scenes. The battle scenes in “His Own Good Sword” were the last things to be written; I actually started querying the manuscript before I could bring myself to finish them. (For future reference, I wouldn’t recommend doing that.)

What was the most fun?

Plotting--by which I mean to say stretching, twisting, and beating the plot into submission--was challenging and frustrating, but so much fun at the same time. There’s nothing more satisfying than having a thorny plot problem (and I had lots of them) finally work out.

Who was your favorite character to write about and why? (You can choose more than one if you have to!)

It’s hard to pick favorites! I love both Tyren and his father Torien, and both of them came fairly easily to me (perhaps because they’re both very similar, though neither of them would admit it). But I’d have to say my favorite character to write was Aino. He stays in the background for most of the book, so the reader really doesn’t get to know him all that well, but I think he’s probably the most complex of all my characters. He gets to play a bigger part in book two, and I’m excited about that.

As a writer, do you have any quirks when you write?

I like having complete silence when I write, so I’m usually in my room with the door closed. I also have the odd compulsion to write my drafts in Notepad, then write the final draft in OpenOffice with the Notepad draft open for reference. I think it’s because it’s impossible to get distracted with Notepad.

What are your favorite books and authors? Who inspires you?

I have too many favorite books to list, I’m afraid. But my all-time-favorite book is Ernest Hemingway’s “A Farewell to Arms” (and Hemingway is my favorite author). Rosemary Sutcliff’s “The Lantern Bearers” is a close second, though. As far as nonfiction goes, my favorite book is George Orwell’s “Homage to Catalonia,” his autobiographical account of the Spanish Civil War.

As for who inspires me... at the risk of exposing myself as a hopeless history nerd, I’ll say that three of my heroes are Patrick Hamilton (16th-century Scottish martyr), Claus von Stauffenberg, and Major Richard Winters of Easy Company.

What do you do when you’re not writing? Have any other hobbies?

I’m a huge cinephile. I also like to dabble in graphic/web design. At present, most of my non-writing time is taken up by school; I’m currently in my senior year at the University of West Georgia, studying history and political science.

What’s your favorite movie?

Guillermo del Toro’s “Pan’s Labyrinth” has been my favorite for a while. It’s just a beautiful film. Ridley Scott’s “Black Hawk Down” is runner-up; in my opinion, it’s the best war movie ever made.

In your opinion, what is most important to you in a book?

Theme is important to me. I’m usually willing to overlook shortcomings in other areas if I like a book’s overall theme. And there are certain themes in particular that appeal to me. I’m a sucker for father-son relationships, villains with redemptive arcs, and honorable characters facing impossible moral dilemmas. (In other words, I like “Star Wars.”)

If your book was made into a movie, do you have any choices for actors who would play your characters?

I usually have pretty clear mental images of my characters, and unfortunately I can’t always think of actors who fit. There are a few exceptions, though. I imagine Muryn looking something like Jeremy Irons. And I almost immediately envisioned Hailee Steinfeld for the role of Tyren’s sister Challe. A dark-haired Alex Pettyfer would fit my vision of Tyren closely enough, I suppose.

What are you working on now?

I’m currently finishing up the sequel to “His Own Good Sword.” It’s called “The Sword Unsheathed” and it’s due out from Winter Goose in August 2013. I’ve also been toying with an idea for a fairy-tale retelling that may end up being my NaNo project this year.

And lastly, what is the best advice you would give to a new writer?

I always hesitate to give writing advice, since I’m still a relative newbie, and because there’s no one “right” way to write. It’s a very indefinite process. But I will say that nothing helps my writing more than reading. If I ever hit a block in my writing, reading is what gets the creative juices flowing again. And while I do think you should write what you want to read, don’t read only the things you like to write. No matter your chosen genre, your writing will be so much more well-rounded if your broaden your reading horizons.

Read an Excerpt Here!

If you want a copy of your own, you can find "His Own Good Sword" through the links below:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Indiebound

Books-A-Million

Winter Goose Publishing 

Interview with YA Author T.J. Dell

Today I'm excited to announce that I'm hosting for my first blog tour for YA author T.J. Dell and she's going to talk a little about her new book "Whispers in the Woods" and her writing life.

Vol. I
When Evie Parker meets Lucas Spencer she begins to feel hope again. Lately she's been going through life in a fog and Lucas is all about teaching her how to have fun again. For the first time since the accident she knows what it means to be happy.

So who cares if Lucas is a little odd. It isn't that strange that she's never met his parents, or that teachers never seem to notice when he's late for class. Evie tries not to care, but on top of all his peculiar behavior she's been feeling kind of sick lately-- ever since she met Lucas actually.

When Lucas decides it is time to come clean with all his secrets Evie has to make some hard decisions.

Vol. II
All Evie wants is a little bit of normal in her life-- is that really too much to ask?
Lucas isn't normal, but he makes her happy. That should count for something. Evie thinks she can find a balance that will let her be normal and also be with him.

Of course she hadn't counted on adding his family into the mix, or his ex-girlfriend.

Life with an elf is never boring.

Vol III
Lucas and Evie were finally at a place where Evie was comfortable with her mix of normal human teenager and fantastical elf boyfriend. Then she went and got herself crushed by a tree.

Evie wakes up with a whole lot of extra issues to deal with. Not the least of which is a trip inside the Veil to see Lucas's home. She never would have agreed to go if she'd known she was going to have her own secret to hide.


Purchase Links:http://www.amazon.com/Whispers-Complete-Collection-Elfkin-ebook/dp/B0084XCRVU/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1343249434&sr=1-2

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/whispers-in-the-woods-tj-dell/1111569369?ean=9781477634967

http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Whispers-Woods-Complete-Collection/Tj-Dell/9781477634967?id=5417972292235

Interview

So how did it all start? When did you know you were a writer?

Hmmm....  Well I have always been a lover of books, and I think the idea of writing a book of my own has been bouncing around in my brain since I was little.  We're talking Babysitter's Club and Sweet Valley Twins age.  However, the first time I actually considered writing a novel as an adult was about eight years ago. 

I had just finished reading the most disappointing series of books.  You know the type where you race out to get each new book and then devour hundreds of pages in a single sitting?  Well when I got to the end of the final book I was completely disappointed, dissatisfied, disillusioned, and every other 'dis' word you can think of.  Later that night I was on the phone with my then boyfriend (now husband) ranting about how even I could have written a better ending.  And Dan (who is always very patient when I go on those kinds of rants) listened quietly and then asked, 'so why don't you?'.  It was an epiphany.  I sat right down that night and created my characters.  That particular story wasn't literary genius and is even now sitting unpublished on my hard drive, but it was definitely a beginning.

Tell us a little bit about your books.

I'm a bit eclectic in the genre department.  I don't like getting pinned down as writing paranormal, or historical, or contemporary; although I do tend to stay beneath the broad umbrella of 'romance'.  Everything I write will make you want to squeal and kick your legs in the air.  That's the goal anyhow.  I am a complete an utter hopeless romantic. 

How did you come up with the idea for Whispers in the Woods?

Whispers in the Woods started out as just one character, Lucas Spencer.  The idea of a young Elfin Lord living among humans in a sort of self-inflicted exile just sprung to life in my head one day.  Before I knew it I had scribbled down so many notes and scenes that I had enough material for several books.  Really good ideas are like that-- they grow like weeds.  Lucas and Evie will be around for awhile.

Are you the kind of writer who follows a certain schedule or do you just scribble things down whenever you get the chance?

I have two toddlers at home.  So most of my writing happens during nap time, or in the evenings after bed times.  I suppose that counts as a schedule.  Although I have been known to abruptly leave a room in search of a pen and paper.  You never know when a new character is going to pay you a little visit.

Do you plan out the whole book before you start writing or do you just write and see what comes?

My mother has a favorite saying ... 'if you want to hear god laugh, tell him your plans'.  My writing is a lot like that most of the time.  I start off with a well organized outline and solidly thought out characters, but most of the time those characters hijack my storyline by chapter three.  It's difficult to make them do something they don't want to... no matter how carefully you explain to them about your 'outline'.

One example is Carter from Whispers in the Woods.  He was never meant to be more than a walk on roll, but once he showed up he refused to leave.  I'm glad though.  I have a little bit of a crush on him.

What do you do when you’re not writing? Have any other hobbies?

As I mentioned before-- I have two toddlers.  When I'm not writing I am usually playing monster trucks, or tea party, or in some instances monster-truck-tea-party.  During my rare time off to be a person instead of a mommy I am pretty tame.  Give me a Buffy the Vampire Slayer marathon and bowl of popcorn and m&ms and I am a very happy girl.

What are your favorite parts to write in a novel?

Would it be too boring if I said I enjoy the experience as a whole?  Alright, well I guess I'll pick something. 

In every romance there is always that first spark of interest.  No matter what else might stand in their way before the couple gets to 'happily ever after', there is always that first moment early on when they realize that they want to get to 'happily ever after'.  I love watching that part of the story unfold.  See the Slurpee scene in Whispers in the Woods for a prime example.

Admit it, all writers are quirky! Do you have any quirks when you write, like favorite music or snacks?

Facebook.  My-while-I'm-writing quirk is that whenever I get stuck or if I lose my mojo I take a five minute time out for Facebook.  At the end of that five minutes my mind usually resets and I am ready to get back to business. 

Who or what are your inspirations and who are your favorite authors?

Wow.  I have many many many favorites.  When I was younger I loved Mercedes Lackey.  Loved.  I still reread her Valdemar books all the time.  She is truly a master at creating a universe.  Not too long ago I inhaled the entire Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs.  That is another inspiring universe.  Most recently I have been experiencing serious fangirl symptoms over Jennifer Armentrout's Lux books...swoon.

I know we try not to choose favorites, but who was your favorite character in Whispers in the Woods?

Uh-oh. 

Okay, well I guess I might have to say it is tie between Carter and Ian.  I love them all, but Carter makes me smile when I'm feeling down, and Ian... well there is a lot more to him than some people realize.  That is all I'm going to say about that.  Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.

So what comes next for you? Tell us a little about your works in progress.

Oh my.  Well I always have a few things in the pipeline.  I just released a young adult contemporary romance, The Last Place You Look, and of course I am hard at work on the next Whispers title.  We are going to see a lot more from Carter this time around.  Look for Whispers in the Dark later this year!

In your opinion, what is the most important thing in a good book?

The most important thing is the connection a reader feels with the characters.  While you are reading those characters should be your best friends, or your worst enemies, or your family, or even just your crazy neighbors.  As long as the characters are real to you than the book will be good.

What is the best advice you could give to young, aspiring writers?

Well first of all don't give up.  Agents and publishing houses see kabillions of manuscripts every day.  A rejection from them is not a final judgment on your talent.  As long as you love what you've written than it is a worthwhile creation.  Indie authors are getting more and more attention every day.  You can have a career as an author just as long as you are willing to say... 'hey, I wrote this and it kicks butt.

Which leads me to second of all.... write what you love.  It doesn't matter if dystopia or werewolves are in.  You won't find yourself with a good product unless you've written something that you would enjoy reading.

About the Author

When TJ isn't reading or writing (which is almost never), she is enjoying a blissfully boring life with her family in Maryland.  Her two greatest wishes are to serve on a Starfleet Starship or to be invited to join the Justice League.  Sure her chances are slim, but she's a big believer in dreaming big. 

A hopeless romantic to her very core, TJ's books explore every corner of the wobbly-kneed-world of romance novels.  She has a particular penchant for Young Adult themes.  Dell's debut novel 'Her Best Friend's Brother' is enjoying its tenth month as an Amazon best seller, and her popular Elfkin Series is hot on its heels.

For more information follow her on Facebook at facebook.com/dell.tj

Excerpt

“Is something wrong with your pizza?”  Lucas paused between giant bites of his dinner.  Two huge slices piled high with every topping on the menu were still waiting on his plate.  He’d already polished off one.

“No.  I’m just letting it cool off.  I prefer to be able to taste my food.”   My own single slice of pepperoni pizza was still piping hot and therefore untouched in front of me.

Lucas held one of his hands over my food, gauging the temperature.  “It should be cool enough.”

As always, he was right.  A moment before steam had been drifting off my plate, and now it was perfectly cooled:  still warm enough to taste good, but nowhere near hot enough to burn my taste buds off.  All thoughts of how wrong that was got pushed to the back of my mind—along with all other similar thoughts I’d been ignoring for the past forty-eight hours.  That area of my mind was getting mighty crowded lately.

“Eat, Evie.  You’re making me self-conscious.”  Lucas’s voice pulled me back to the conversation.  He was grinning around a big mouthful of his third slice.

“I really don’t think that’s possible.  Besides, food clearly doesn’t affect your body the way it does a normal person.”

His jaw hung open.  The way he was staring at me—well, I may as well have smacked him.  “What do you mean?”

I blushed.  Probably I should have kept that to myself.  “Nothing.  I just… well, look at you. I’ve watched you consume a gazillion calories over the last two days and you still look… well, the way you look.”

“I think there is a compliment in there somewhere.”  A grin broke out on his face.

“Umm… yeah.  I guess.”  Man, that was embarrassing! 

Lucas got up from his chair and settled himself next to me in the booth.  “You don’t think I’m normal?”  His whisper was low and husky, and his breath tickled against my ear.

“Are you?”  Could he hear my heart?  Could everyone in the building hear it?  It was certainly beating loud enough.

“If I’m not normal, does that bother you?  Would it matter?  Would you still have agreed to come here with me?”

“Probably.”  My voice was squeaking.

“Which one, Evie?”  He lifted his hands to frame my face.  His beautiful soft eyes bore into mine as though this was the most important conversation he’d ever had.

“Probably I would still have come to dinner with you.” 

Relief flashed in his eyes—and something else, too.  At the time I couldn’t recognize it for what it was: guilt.  “I’m not sure you know what you’re saying, but I’ll take it anyway.” 

He tasted like pizza.  That was the first thought to register in my brain after his lips touched mine.  It was also the last thought.    The entire restaurant melted away.  In a corner to our left a kid was screaming for more French fries.  Two tables to our right a group of kids argued as they counted their pocket change on the tabletop.  All around us arcade games buzzed and beeped while children cheered.  I heard none of it.

I know what you’re thinking.  And yes, we were in a family restaurant surrounded by children.  But I swear it wasn’t like that; not on the outside anyway.  His kiss was soft and sweet.  His hands never left my face.  The amazing, earth-shattering, life-defining moment was happening on the inside.  Something deep inside me snapped.  Not snapped apart.  God knows I’d been broken into enough pieces recently.  It was more like snapping together.  It felt like finding last piece of sky in a big jigsaw puzzle.  I could feel him.  Just like the day before, only times a thousand.

“Oh wow.”  I grinned when we pulled away.

“Uh-oh,” he said at the very same moment.

***

Giveaway: T.J. Will be giving away 2 signed paperbacks of Whispers in the Woods, along with three $5 Amazon Gift Cards during her tour. You can enter to win by signing in on the Rafflecopter button at the top right sidebar. 

Follow the rest of T.J. Dell's tour here!

Interview with Author Daniel Ottalini

Hello readers! I'm very excited to tell you that newly published author Daniel Ottalini has agreed to do an interview for my blog. His book, "Brass Legionnaire", is an exciting alternate history/steampunk novel combing awesome steampunk gadgets with the Roman Empire. Today he'll be talking about his book and writing in general.

First of all, when did you realize you were a writer? 

I've always enjoyed editing, but I had never really thought of myself as a writer until Brass Legionnaire. It was sort of funny, because I've started stories and even books before, but never finished them. In my opinion, writers are people who finish stories, not just start them. Once you finish one, then you are a writer. 

How did you come up with the idea for “Brass Legionnaire”?

Brass Legionnaire is an offshoot of an inside joke between my girlfriend and myself. It stuck in my head all night long and refused to let me sleep until I had written it down. After that, it sort of took a life of its own and grew rapidly. I had the entire novel with parts of other books in the series written down inside of a week.

What made you choose to combine steampunk with the Romans, and how did you come up with all the awesome steampunk machines in the book?

My three favorite types of novels are alternate history, historical fiction, and steampunk novels. Elizabethan England is the most prominently featured steampunk era, and I know that few authors have split from this mainstream era. The fashion and weapons and technology are easier to imagine because you already have a lot of fantastic machines to reference. For Brass Legionnaire, I had to think at a completely different angle. I've always loved Roman history, and this is just a logical progression to me of 'what if Rome had survived?'

The machines in the novel - most particularly the  mechaniphant - are adaptations of animals that they Romans feared and respected. One of the most terrifying weapons of war the Romans faced were the elephants of Carthage - because it took them a while to figure out how to defeat them. It makes sense that the Romans would seek to emulate it and design a 'better' elephant that could be used in war - one that wouldn't be stopped by normal means. The other designs haven't been fully fleshed out yet. But there will be more in Copper Centurion, I promise!

Do you have a set writing schedule, or do you just do it whenever you get the time?

As a full-time teacher, its really hard for me to write during the school year. I aim for about 1000 words on the weekend, but that's rare for me. During the summer, I write at least 1-2k words a day, with more on the weekends. I finished Brass Legionnaire in one summer.

Who’s your favorite character in your book and why?

Hmm, that's tough. I'd say Constantine, although all the characters are like my children and I 'love them equally.' Constantine starts as a jerk, but he grows up somewhat. He might regress next book a tad - not facing life or death situations tends to let him slip up.

What are some of your favorite books and authors? Who inspires you?

I love books by S.M. Stirling, Harry Turtledove, and Rick Riordan. I can't ever narrow down a specific book that is my favorite because it changes all the time! Those same authors also inspire me and help me think about things that I would not normally consider.

Do you have any hobbies besides writing?

Haha, I teach, there is no time period. Although I do enjoying video games and soccer outside of my day-job.

Do you have any strange quirks or habits when you write like muses, favorite music or snacks?

If I'm writing a battle scene, I'll listen to music from Lord of the Rings or Snow White and the Huntsman (that's new) - Any classical music that is really dramatic works well for battle scenes. When I write, its in fits and bursts - I am very distractable and probably have four or five internet windows open while I write. 

I know are working on a sequel to “Brass Legionnaire” but besides that do you have any plans for further books, or even a different series?

Well I've planned the series out to five books. I also have some ideas floating around for a series that takes place at the same time, but on a different part of the globe. I really like the idea of mixing steampunk with cultures that aren't the standard Elizabethan fare, and needless to say, I've got the possibility of one, maybe even two more series lined up in my head.

And lastly, what is the best advice from your own experiences that you would share with any aspiring writers or newly self-published authors?

Finish your writing and find a really good editor and cover artist. They make the difference. Oh, and get people to read it before you send it to the editor. If you're self-publishing, you're responsible for everything. Your book should look good from the outside and read well on the inside. It's all about image. The cover art and blurb grab the reader, while the writing keeps them. If you have both, you can't fail.

Thanks so much, Daniel, it was a pleasure to have you! If you're interested in Daniel's book you can find it on Amazon from the link below:

http://amzn.to/L56IcR


And also visit his blog "Modern Papyrus" for updates on his books and tips for other writers.

Slainte, Hazel