Interview With A Crayon Box . . .

I may post links to my blog posts on Google Plus but I’ve given up trying to find meaningful relationships in the normal social networking channels.

I use the virtual world Second Life for socializing and book promotion.

One of the highlights of my week is attending the Happy Hours held by Hakeber Haber (Rebekah Webb in real life)—Tuesday and Thursday at 4 pm USA-Pacific Time.

She reads a bit of her extremely well-written horror then has her character, Car Johnson, come into the Writer’s Block Cafe and read his short stories about his life.

Car also has his own blog and the other day he interviewed a crayon box :-)

Even if you never visit Second Life, even if you never come to Book Island’s Writer’s Block Cafe, even if you never hear Car Johnson read his stories, you really should go read his interview with a crayon box…
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For Private Comments, Email: amzolt {at} gmail {dot} com

Does Every “Interview” Count?

Self-promotion for a book often takes on the likeness of “interviews”.

Crafted promotional pieces with Q&A might be better called FauxViews :-)

Here’s the latest one with me: Jexbo FauxViews Alexander M Zoltai about Notes from An Alien

Do you find FauxViews interesting?

Do you think they “work”?

What’s your favorite way to find out about a new book?
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Our Comment Link Is At The Top of The Post :-)

Life Throws Me A Curve Ball…

The post I’d planned on writing today has to be postponed till Tuesday, the 22nd.

Watch for another Author Interview on Monday :-)
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Follow the “co-author” of Notes from An Alien, Sena Quaren:
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Author Interview ~ Daryl Sedore

Today’s interview is with an author whose blog posts I eagerly anticipate.
Must soon read his books :-)
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Daryl, when did you begin writing and can you remember how it felt inside, back then?

I began writing at the early age of 10 years old. How did it feel? It was and is, euphoric, liberating, and exciting all wrapped up in each stroke of my pencil. To create characters and have them do horrible things to each other was better to me than playing Monopoly or Risk in those days.

Was there any certain date or time you remember when you began to either think of yourself as or call yourself a “writer”?

I wrote on and off throughout my early years and then in the year 2000 I began writing my first full length novel and felt I was a writer at that moment. When that novel was completed, I sent it out to literary agents and started writing another one. I’ve been writing since and have numerous titles out.

What are your hopes, or dreams, or goals for your writing?

Mostly, to be able to do it for a living and to live comfortably enough to be able to do it. I write every day and produce new, publishable material four to five times a year. In five to ten years I will have dozens of novels available which increases the odds of getting noticed on a wider scale.

What do you feel has taught you the most about “how to write”?

1. Reading fiction (It’s what I write). 2. Stephen King. 3. Reading books on the craft of writing. I’d like to add conferences, since I’ve been to numerous ones around North America, but I won’t, because I didn’t learn much in their seminars and I only recommend conferences for the one on one’s with literary agents.

Who are your favorite writers and why are they favorites?

Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Clive Barker, Jack Ketchum, Harlan Coben, Charlie Huston, Dan Simmons, to name a few.

They’re my favorites because they all write thrilling, non-stop serious fiction. Unexplained events, unexpected twists and turns and downright darn good fiction.

Where and/or how do you get your ideas for your writing?

My ideas come from numerous places. Sometimes one will just be there, and other times one will show up while reading the newspaper. The idea formulates based on external stimuli and then the creative side takes over and forms a coherent story. I then take the characters and make their lives hell.

:-)

What is your normal revision or editing routine?

Once the novel is complete, I put it away for a month and start writing something else. Then, when I pull it out I do a read through from beginning to end. After that I give it to my wife to read, who incidentally is a published author. Once she is through with it, I make her edits and read it through again, only this time, I read it through character by character to manage their growth and character arc throughout the story. I will purposely go to each P.O.V. chapter of each character until they have all been studied thoroughly.

Finally, I will read the novel backwards. I start with the last page and then read the second last page and so on until I reach the first page at the end. This ensures I see any minor mistakes I’ve failed to see before because an author can get too close to their work and sometimes get lost in their story as they edit forward.

Marvelously unexpected editing tip, Daryl :-)

Are you published?

I am published at Amazon.com and throughout the e-reader world via Smashwords. My books are being bought at the Sony reader store, the Apple iBookstore, and on the Nook at Barnes & Noble. I will be publishing more in the next few months.

Tell us about your blog: its purpose, how you go about deciding what to post, and what you want to do with it in the future?

My blog has a theme that I try to adhere to on a weekly basis and that theme is inspirational writing. I post about the craft of writing and how to stay motivated and just keep on doing it. I have written guest posts for Write to Done and the Urban Muse Writer.

Thank you for the opportunity to do this wonderful interview with you. I really appreciate it.

Thank you, Daryl, for an extremely interesting interview :-)
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His Amazon Author page is here

Time to ask Daryl some questions in the Comments :-)
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Author Interview ~ Shari Green

Today we welcome Shari to the blog. Let’s get this interview goin’ :-)

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Where are you from and how old are you?

I was born in Vancouver, BC, Canada, in 1963. I’ve lived my life so far in various places around BC, Alberta, and the Yukon.

When did you begin writing and can you remember how it felt inside, back then?

I’ve always been a journaller, and I dabbled in non-fiction for several years before falling madly in love with YA fiction about five years ago.

Was there any certain date or time you remember when you began to either think of yourself as or call yourself a “writer”?

Yes! The first writers’ conference I attended was the Surrey International Writers’ Conference in 2006, and it was there that I “came out of the closet” as a writer. Being surrounded by hundreds of like-minded people and frequently answering the question “so, what do you write?” helped me feel like a “real” writer for the first time.

What are your hopes, or dreams, or goals for your writing?

My dreams include book contracts!;-) I’d love to see my novels–both current and future–find homes. However, my hope is to always find joy in writing and story-telling, whether or not I see my publishing dream come true.

Have you had any “formal” training in the art of writing?

No. For me, learning to write has been, and continues to be, a cross between an apprenticeship and self-teaching. Reading lots, writing lots, studying the craft, taking workshops, critiquing and being critiqued… all of that is helping me learn, bit by bit. And no matter how much I learn, I find there’s always so much more to know!

What do you feel has taught you the most about “how to write”?

I think all those things I mentioned have been crucial, and omitting any one of them would leave a gaping hole in my “education”. If I really have to pick just one, I’d say READING, especially books in the genre I write, and especially good books, ones that inspire me, that amaze me, that make me think “Wow, how did the author do that?”.

Who are your favorite writers and why are they favorites?

There are so many writers whose work I love, so it’s hard to pick favorites! But there are several YA authors whose books I will always pick up as soon as they’re available, because I KNOW I’ll love them — Sara Zarr, Laurie Halse Anderson, Natale Ghent, John Green, Sarah Dessen, Melina Marchetta. I know I’ll get a story with a great voice and with characters, themes, and writing style that I love.

Where and/or how do you get your ideas for your writing?

From the idea fairy. Why–where do you get yours? ;-)

Mine come from my Muse who used to be an idea fairy but got real old and retired… :-)

What’s your normal revision or editing routine?

When I finish a first draft, I put it away for a while and work on something else. Once I start revising, I try to do big-picture stuff first, but it takes every ounce of self-discipline I have not to get sucked into tweaking sentences — there’s time for that later! Big picture stuff, smaller stuff, then off to my critique partners for some feedback. Then I’ll have to fix problems they discover, and then, finally, I get to mess with word choice and word order and nuance and rhythm… I love that part. And then I type “the end” and move on to something else, because I believe perpetual tweaking drains the life out of stories.

I can absolutely relate to that, Shari :-)

Are you published?

I’ve had a few short stories published:
* In Lieu of a Wardrobe won the “Writing For Young People” category of the 2010 Surrey International Writers’ Conference writing contest & appeared in the contest anthology, A World Of Words, October 2010
* Cartwheels was published online as an editor’s choice at Page Forty-Seven, February 2010
* Here’s to You, Matthew Robinson was published in the YA fiction chapbook, TBR Tallboy, December 2009

My novels are not yet published:
* Following Chelsea (contemporary YA) – complete
* The Holy Wild (contemporary YA with supernatural elements) – work in progress

No idea when one will be, but trust me, when it happens you’ll hear my whoops of joy from there.

:-)

Tell us about your blog: its purpose, how you go about deciding what to post, and what you want to do with it in the future?

You can find me online at www.sharigreen.com. I blog about writing and books, and occasionally about sea creatures or hockey (as the spirit moves me, lol).

I love your blog and highly recommend it. Very perceptive writing!

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by answer our questions :-)

Thanks so much, Alexander!

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OK. Now you get to ask Shari questions in the comments :-)

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Our Comment Link Is At The Top of The Post :-)
Follow the “co-author” of Notes from An Alien, Sena Quaren:
On Twitter
AND, Get A Free Copy of Our Book