Guest Post: Author Callie Kingston Shares Her Story!

Today, Callie Kingston is back, sharing with us the story of her journey as a writer :). She recently published her first novel, UNDERTOW. 


Take it away, Callie!

My mother passed away unexpectedly a few years ago. For a week afterwards I stayed up late each night to write her eulogy, after having spent the day planning her funeral, cleaning her apartment, and taking care of myriad details. I hadn’t written anything for years, although I had wanted to be a writer since I could hold a pen.

Something gave way in those midnight hours. I haven’t stopped writing since.

The months that followed found me turning over plots and characters in my mind. Twilight had taken the world by storm, and I started imagining Belle as a young girl who was suffering a delusion, a girl on the brink of a psychotic break. What would that be like, I wondered? What if the story was not about her union with a magical creature, but instead focused on her resilience and recovery from a mental illness? Undertow was born.

At first, I wrote in secret. In longhand. Months later and at risk of developing carpel tunnel, I had a rough draft. Finally, I shared my “hobby” with others and discovered an amazing community of supportive writers. Rounds of critiques and revisions were followed by the standard next step: querying agents and pitching editors.

My timing couldn’t be better. Traditional publishing was just getting hit by a tsunami of incredible proportions.  The rise of indie publishing, the demise of the legacy model, and the massive implosion caused by the recession; all of this was eroding the likelihood of a new author like myself getting picked up. Especially with a genre-bending novel about a girl in college who was losing her mind.

The indie publishing journey has been a wild ride, and one I wouldn’t give up. I like the freedom, the control, and the fact that my work remains mine and true to my vision.

Thank you so much, Callie, for sharing your journey with us :). You've been through a ton, and it's inspiring that it brought you to such a great place, publishing your novel!

Check out UNDERTOW, Callie's fascinating debut!

Interview with YA Author, CALLIE KINGSTON!

Callie Kingston is a YA Author and friend of mine, who just launched her new YA novel, UNDERTOW.


I have the privilege of being part of her kick off blog tour, and snagged an interview with her about the new release!

Tell us a little about UNDERTOW. You said it was a genre-bender--how so?

When I set out to write Undertow, I knew the story would be directed to the young adult audience, but target the older end of the age range. With a college-age protagonist who experiences a mental illness, and themes focusing on family relationships, redemption, forgiveness, Undertow crosses over into the women's fiction genre, as well as what many are now referring to as “New Adult.”

Sounds fascinating! What are your favorite novels of all time? :) Which genres/writing styles attract you?

I adore lyrical, literary novels in many genres, especially those which include touches of the supernatural as they address serious issues. Novels such as The Mermaid Chair, Wintergirls, Mists of Avalon, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, The Shadow of the Wind, and A Tale of Two Cities are all favorites. But I also love great stories, especially ones with a twist from what's expected. The Adoration of Jenna Fox,as one YA example, and Vibes, for another. 

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is one of my all-time favorites as well! 

If you could go back in time, what's one piece of writing advice you could give yourself?

Have confidence in the story, and my ability to tell it as no one else could. Also, to give up writing long hand! Not only was it much slower, but deciphering my handwriting so I could convert the first draft to Word was brutal!

My hand just cramped up thinking about that... What's next for Callie Kingston? Any other projects in the works?

I have another YA novel entitled Upstaged, which will launch late summer 2012. Also, I've begun a new novel and am currently heavily involved in research, outlining, and drafting.This is the most exciting stage of a project, in my opinion--a lot like falling in love. 

Tee hee :). Love it!

A huge THANK YOU to Callie Kingston for the interview, and best of luck with UNDERTOW!

Here's a sneak peak of what it's all about:

Marissa is nearly eighteen and can't wait to leave behind her traumatic past. With long time boyfriend Drake, she thinks she has her future all figured out--until she discovers his betrayal. She flees to a desolate beach on the wild Oregon coast hoping to escape her pain, where, overcome with emotional and physical exhaustion, she dozes off beside a log. When the first icy waves strike her, it is too late: a rogue wave drags her out to sea.


Somehow she survives, and now each night she dreams of a creature who rescues her. Determined to discover the truth, her obsession deepens until she once again risks her life in the frigid ocean. Will the creature Marissa seeks save her? Will she be lost forever in the eddies of her mind, or will Jim, her new boyfriend, keep her from drowning in the abyss? 

Check it out here on Amazon.

I'm giving away one copy of UNDERTOW to one of the people who comments on this post, by tomorrow! :) 

About Callie:


My home is in the Pacific Northwest, where I live with an assortment of furry creatures (husband included). I have a masters degree in Psychology. When not writing or working, I like to explore the outdoors, especially the forests and beaches along the Oregon coast. I also enjoy a great cup of cappuccino, which happily is easily found in this part of the world.

Don't miss the rest of Callie's blog tour for more chances to win a copy of UNDERTOW!

Author Interview over at Sandra Ulbrich Almazan's Blog!

Hi, guys,

Today I'll be hanging out over at speculative fiction author Sandra Ulbrich Almazan's lovely blog!  She was kind enough to interview me, and asked a ton of great questions.  Go check it out.  There's even a picture of some of my "art"  (Note the usage of ironic "" marks.) 

Also, as a bonus, I wanted to let you know that for the rest of the summer, Legacy of the Empress is on sale for .99 cents!  This is an experiment, and I'll let you know how it goes :). 

Thanks, all!  Hope to see you over at Sandra's place.

Guest Post at Author Cole Drewes' Blog Today!

Hi, All,


Today, I'm a guest poster over at Author Cole Drewe's blog. Go check it out :)!  I've been getting a lot of questions from writers about how I made the final leap into indie publishing Legacy, so I go into more depth about why I did it, why I think it was the best thing for me, and why I'm optimistic about my career.

Cole's book, Hounds of Heaven, just launched as well--Congratulations, Cole!

___

If you haven't entered my fabulous Launch Day Giveaway, then why haven't you? It's AWESOME! It's exactly the kind of thing you should enter.

Right now.

Go.

Do iiiiit. ;)



Here's how to get entries into the drawing for cool books, delicous chocos, and a $25 Amazon giftcard:


Be a follower of this blog: Old followers get 1 entry, and New followers get 2 entries!

Tweet about this giveaway: 1 entry per tweet (as many as you'd like)

Link this giveaway on Facebook: 1 entry per link!

Review the book on Amazon or on your blog: 5 entries!

Talk about this giveaway on your blog: 2 entries!

Tell me who your favorite Fantasy character is in the comments: 1 entry

"Like" my book on Amazon: 1 entry

Link a picture of you brandishing a sword: 3 entries! (cause seriously... that's cool)

Interview me on your blog: 5 entries!
Tell a friend about my book : 1 entry each time! (honor system, yo)


Leave your comments in the contest post with what you've done along the way, and rack up those entries! The contest runs until the end of the month.

I'm excited to see who wins!! :)

My First Author Interview: Achievement Unlocked!

Hi, All,

Blogger and fellow writer, Callie Kingston, was kind enough to  interview me on her blog today!  Her questions are great, and I had a blast answering them :).

Please come say "Hi!"  I'll be hanging out answering any questions in the comments all day.

It's so cool to finally get to this moment:  My first author interview!  You bet your ass I'm totally printing it off and saving it in my Milestone Drawer for posterity ;).

Guest Post: Laura E. Bradford, Author of FLYDAY!

We're fortunate to have another guest poster here today:  Laura Bradford, indie author of FLYDAY (a futuristic time-travel adventure). 

I met Laura on an internet forum I frequent that doesn't have anything to do with authors, read her book, enjoyed it immensely, and then asked if she could share her story with us.  Why indie publishing?  Why now?  She was kind enough to share her thoughts below.

***

Take it away, Laura!

My journey so far:


I have been writing for about as long as I can remember. I currently blog over at A Writer's Notes, which serves as my personal writing blog, and I released my first novel, Flyday, in January. I'm currently working on the next novel in the series, and this week I released a free collection of short stories, Sunset on Mars.

It took a long time to finish the novel, off and on. I started with the basic ideas and characters in 2006; in early 2008 I tore it apart and completely rewrote it. I gave it to my betas, took their advice, and eventually finished it the following year, and then I had to put it aside for nursing school.

I gave serious thought to releasing the book myself after reading J. A. Konrath's blog. I had been submitting to agents, sending carefully crafted query letters, and kept receiving either form letter rejections or "Interesting project, but not for us" or, worse, no response at all. One agent's assistant asked to see the first fifty pages, but ultimately passed. I took someone's advice and rewrote the beginning of my novel, and everyone agreed it was much improved. But aside from a vague idea that ebooks were taking off, I had no idea about e-publishing.

Enter: Zoe Winters' book on self-publishing, Becoming an Indie Author, which describes exactly how one would go about uploading an ebook and setting everything up. I dove into the project on a break from school, hired an artist, and released my first novel in January. I also set everything up on Createspace, so my book is out in paperback as well.

I'm still figuring out the "promotion" aspect. Someone convinced me to give Twitter a chance, and I'm exploring areas, so right now I'm balancing promotion and writing. All in all it's been quite a whirlwind experience, and I hope to release many more books and see how e-publishing goes for everyone.

Promotion seems to be the toughest part for indie and traditionally published authors alike!  Thank you for taking the time to share your story with us and best of luck with your novel, Laura! :)

If you haven't, definitely check out Laura's blog or Flyday over at Amazon.com.  What really impressed me was the way Laura effortlessly interweaves timelines through the story.  Definitely worth a read, especially at $2.99!

Also, if anyone here is an author and would like to guest post, I'd like to make this a regular thing on this blog :).  I'd love this to be a place where writers share their stories, both their writing journey AND their fiction! 

Shoot me an email if you're an author--I'd love to have you!

Guest Post: PJ Jones, Author of ROMANCE NOVEL

Today we have a very special guest poster:  P.J. Jones, author of the twisted spoof ROMANCE NOVEL!  I met P.J. while goofing around on the Kindle Boards talking to other authors, and something about her cover... struck me.... and I just knew I had to hear her story!

So, without further ado, take it away, P.J.!

From Tragedy to Parody, the Birth of ROMANCE NOVEL…by PJ Jones

A little over two years ago I’d become too tired to read, too sick to write and in too much pain to take care of my family. I was worse than a walking zombie. More like a sleeping zombie. Doctors couldn’t figure me out, so they just loaded me up on pain killers and anti-depressants. Whatever was attacking me seemed to come and go, and for a few brief days every month, I’d get these strange bursts of crazed hyperactivity. I was a zombie on speed. And during those short respites of wellness, Romance Novel was born.

It’s amazing how a writer can discover her funny bone when wallowing in self-pity. The first scene came to me when my husband had taken us on a trip to the coast, hoping that a change in environment would improve my condition. I don’t quite remember how it came about, but on the drive down, I frantically wrote a crude love scene on scraps of paper. I had no idea what to do with the scene, but I knew that somehow it had to go in a book.

I showed it to my critique group the following week and they laughed hysterically. They told me I must complete the novel. And so I wrote. By August of ’09, I, not my doctors, discovered the root of my illness, and after finding doctors who actually knew what they were doing, we began successful treatment.

By November of ’09 Romance Novel was finished. The only problem was that no publisher wanted it. Before my illness, I’d already published a few ‘real’ romance novels under other pen-names and thought I still knew the romance industry well. But what I didn’t know was that none of the many agents and editors I’d queried had a twisted enough sense of humor.
So the book sat, and sat, until my critique partners convinced me to self-publish through Kindle and Nook. The self-publishing model is fairly new, especially to someone who hadn’t been keeping up with the market. But I dove in headfirst and haven’t regretted my experience. From day one, I had my fingers crossed that romance readers and writers would ‘get it’. And get it, they have! I’ve already gotten two fabulous reviews from respected romance review sites and many more emails and reviews from readers wanting more from PJ Jones. None of my other published books were this well-received.

I’ve posted the love scene that started it all below. But before you read it, I’d like to leave you with this thought - if ever your life takes a nosedive right into the bottom of the toilet, remember that laughter really IS the best medicine. PJ

Becca:  So true, P.J. :)  I love hearing how your [s]crazy[/s] awesome book came about!  Now, let's get to that love scene....


Smella glared at him while tapping her foot. “Are you going to kiss me passionately or what?”

“Yes, of course.” He sat up and grabbed her in a passionate embrace, thrusting his tongue deep inside her mouth, moving it about for a reasonable amount of time, until his pants felt so tight, he worried he’d bust a seam. Pulling back a few inches, he looked into her heavy lidded eyes, noting with satisfaction how she panted and swooned. “How’s that?” he asked.

She brushed the sleeve of her tweed coat across her passion-soaked lips. “Gawd, did you have onions for dinner?”

“Sorry.” Snake winced, wishing he’d laid off the salsa when he’d eaten those fish tacos. “Do you want me to brush?”

“No,” Looking like she had her own dirty little secret to share, she toyed her fingers while playfully biting her lower lip. “I haven’t washed my delicate blossoming flower in over a month, so now we’re even.”
“That’s disgusting!” He gagged, releasing Smella’s shoulders. He was so disgusted, that a tiny amount of bile projected into the back of his throat.
She flopped back into her bean bag. “Women hardly bathe in medieval times,” she huffed.
“It’s 2011,” he corrected.
Smella sat up and jammed a finger in his chest. “Are you going to point out every historical inaccuracy in this convoluted story-line?”
“I guess not,” he grimaced while wondering if three condoms would be enough to shield his penis from her skanky crotch.

Grasping his hand, she placed his palm on her ample breast.
That seemed to do the trick, because Snake had already forgotten what had him so grossed out just a few moments earlier. All that mattered was that he had a boob in his hand.

Leaning over, she rasped into his ear in a sultry voice. “I’m going to faint next time you kiss me. That’s your cue to carry me into the bedroom.”

A thing of rare beauty :). 

Click HERE to sample or purchase ROMANCE NOVEL for $0.99, or to get to know P.J. better, check out her blog:  Unicorns, Tampons, and Other Girly Things.

Thanks so much for coming, P.J., and best of luck to you!

Author Interview: Lisa Dale

I have a special treat for you today: An interview with contemporary romance author, Lisa Dale!

I recently read her book, IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT, loved it, and thought I'd ask her to share her journey to publication with us.

She graciously agreed!

Becca: Can you please tell us about your road to publication? How did you meet your agent?

Lisa: I met my agent while I was working at another literary agency; she and I sat on a panel together at a conference in Toronto. At the time, I hadn't really had any ideas about writing books in the near future. Then, later on while I was in school getting my MFA and was working on my first book Simple Wishes, I got to thinking of her again and thought she would like it.

She didn't accept the book right away--she asked for some pretty significant revisions. Her critique was dead on, and I find myself thankful for her excellent editorial advice again and again. Once we sent Simple Wishes out, we got the first offer in less then two weeks and a second offer just a few days after that. I always thought I'd be the type who would take the news with cool aplomb, but instead I screamed like a little kid on the Fourth of July!

Becca: I would definitely have screamed, too :)! Did you ever think about giving up along the way? If so, what kept you going?

Lisa: Oh yes. A hundred times. A thousand. Sometimes I still flirt with the idea (a writer's life is never easy), but the fact is I know I never ever will quit. Writing is a fundamental instinct. I'm ALWAYS writing. So what keeps me going is mostly the fact that there are no other options that will work for me. When there's no plan B, plan A can't be allowed to fail.

Becca: I love that philosophy!

I'm a fan of your blog, and follow you on Twitter as well. Can you tell us about what you did to promote the launch of your book? How much social networking do you do? Any advice for newbie authors on building a readership?

Lisa: Promoting my second book, It Happened One Night, has proven to be a bit easier than promoting the first book, Simple Wishes. I'd say I do middle of the road social networking. Some do more than me, others do much less.

My favorite social networking tool is easily Twitter because it's so easy to meet new people who are into the same things. Twitter-folk are there because they want to talk to and meet new people (strangers), while Facebookers tend to be a bit more private. There are lots of people who tell me "I don't get Twitter," and all I can say is that I didn't either, at first. But there is something special about it as a networking tool, and the advice I would give to people who don't get it is "Start getting it." Read up. Learn. Push yourself. There's a reason everyone is saying how awesome Twitter is.

Becca: That’s so true. I didn’t get Twitter at first, either, but now I’m officially addicted :). Can you tell us what it's like to work with an editor and go through the revisions process? Is there anything that surprised you when you first sold Simple Wishes that you'd wish you'd known as a newbie?


Lisa: Revisions take a lot of patience and humility--when you work with an editor it's no longer about writing to please yourself. It's about writing to meet another person's requests. That's kind of a hurdle to get around. As to the second part of your question--what surprised me--I wasn't prepared for how nervous I would be to learn that the book would come out. I was excited, sure. But I was also scared out of my mind. With the second book the jitters calmed down a bit and I had a lot more fun.

Becca: I’d never thought about being nervous when your book is actually coming out! I’m loving the insight here ;).

That's fascinating that you worked in a literary agency before getting published. Did anything in that experience give you a leg up when you first reached out to your agent? Any query advice for us?

Lisa: Well, I don't want to overstate my role at the agency--I was an intern then a junior agent. Actually, I wasn't really able to write well while I was working at the agency because I was so overwhelmed by technique, rules, marketing, etc. It wasn't until I left that I could "hear" the sound of my own writing voice again.

As for query advice, the best advice I can give is to just be quietly confident in your query letters. If you know your stuff, it will show without your needing to flaunt your knowledge. The biggest mistake I've seen in the eight or ten thousand query letters I've read is "trying too hard."

Becca: Did you find writing It Happened One Night easier or more difficult than your first book? What's it like working under a deadline for a publisher?

Lisa: I have a feeling that every book is going to prove difficult in its own unique way--and that's how I like it. If I started getting too good at what I was doing--if the stories came too easily--I'd probably suspect myself of relying too much on formula and losing my passion for what I'm doing. As for working under deadline, it hasn't proved to be a problem--knock on wood!

Becca: Good point! Sometimes the effort is what makes it fun, as well.

Lastly, if you could go back in time and give Past Lisa any advice, what would it be? Are there any pearls of wisdom you've gained through experience that you'd want to share with yourself?

Lisa: I love that you said "Past Lisa." I say "Past Lisa" and "Future Lisa" to myself all the time. :-) If I could go back and tell myself something, it would be to stay positive and also to go more slowly. To listen harder to the quietest part of my own voice and to hold on to that whisper even when everything else in life gets loud. It's easy to get distracted and sidetracked--but then again, I don't know. Maybe that's part of it, too--all the detours on the way to finding the right path.

So much for my sage wisdom. Obviously, I'm still learning as I go!

A big THANK YOU to Lisa Dale for sharing her insight with us :).

Please go check out her books, IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT and SIMPLE WISHES, or visit her at http://www.lisadalebooks.com/.

Author Interview: Cindy Pon of SILVER PHOENIX!

Today, I have a special treat for you guys: an interview with author Cindy Pon of SILVER PHOENIX (that's Cindy w/ the alien on the left)!

I did a review of SILVER PHOENIX a while back and really enjoyed it--it's a YA fantasy set in ancient China. Anyone who is a fan of fantasy will really enjoy the mythical creatures and adventures in this debut novel.

I follow Cindy's blog, and she is also one of the nicest, most approachable authors out there. I suggest you stop on by at http://www.cindypon.com/ and say "hi!"

Now, on with the interview!

1) Can you please tell us about your road to publication? How did you meet your agent?

i queried from end of january 2008 through april 2008. i hit 121 agents and was still sending out queries on the weekend that agent bill contard i emailed regarding his interest. i didn't "know anyone". i simply did my research online and sent out queries to any and all agents i felt might be interested in my debut. they weren't especially personalized either.

how could you with 121 queries?

we went on sub within two days and silver phoenix went to auction and sold five weeks later.

it was an absolute whirlwind and utterly surreal and thrilling. also terrifying! i always say it takes a lot of courage to pursue your dreams, but it takes even more courage to live it.

2) Wow, that is amazing. I totally agree that it takes courage to make it happen! Did you ever think about giving up along the way? If so, what kept you going?

i didn't. i was considering going directly to publishers if i couldn't find an agentto represent me.
what kept me going was the love i had forthis novel. i did get feedback, but many agents were saying "great writing and story, not sure i cansell this", because there simply wasn't very much out there that's similar to Silver Phoenix within the YA genre.
so i chose not to believe them and kept going. =D

that someone *will* be willing to take the risk and love the story as much as i do. i was blessed that this is exactly what happened.

3) I'm a fan of your blog, and notice that you're on several social networking sites. Can you tell us about what you did to promote the launch of your book? Any advice for newbie authors on building a readership?

i did most of my promotion online. i'm so fortunate in that the blog and writing community have been nothing but supportive. readers like you are kind enough to share the news of my debut and interview me. i spent a lot of time doing interviews which i love to do--only with sequel deadlines and travel, it's been more difficult these past months.

i love my blog. i'm not sure if i have advice but i can tell you what i do. i write posts about things i enjoy sharing, and i try to blog fairly consistently. there's nothing worse thanvisiting a blog that hasn't been updated in weeks.

i'm sad to say i haven't been able to visit all my favorite blogs consistently since a month before publication. =( but this give and take is key. find other blogs you enjoyto read and contribute to their comments section! it's allabout community.

4) Great advice! What is it like to be writing the sequel to Silver Phoenix now that you're working with an editor and a dealine? Is it more difficult than writing the first book? Easier? Why or why not?

there are pros and cons. the deadline really forced me to focus. at the same time, i did find it much more challenging due to the time crunch. it's like learningto write a novel all over again!

5) If you could go back in time, what advice would you give Past Cindy about the road to publication?

i don't think i would have done anything differently?
my advice to other writers is to keep reading and keep writing. believe in yourself and your story and never forget your passion for it. that's what truly matters.

6) Well said! Anything you can tell us about the sequel? We're excited!! :D

it's a pre-sequel! two story lines (silver phoenix & zhong ye, ai ling & chen yong) intertwined.

____________

A big THANK YOU! to Cindy Pon for the interview :). I learn so much from hearing about other's journeys to publication. It's invigorating to hear the success stories and glean courage from them.

If you haven't read SILVER PHOENIX yet, I suggest you check it out at Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Silver-Phoenix-Beyond-Kingdom-Xia/dp/0061730211/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250563178&sr=8-1).

Read it with your favorite Chinese food at the ready, though. Cindy writes about food throughout, and I was never wanted dumplings and noodles so much in my life!

Consider yourselves warned.

Has anyone else read Silver Phoenix?

Read any other good books lately? :) I'd love to hear what's on your reading list!