Interview with Kilayla Pilon

Kilayla Pilon

How do most people react when they discover that your first book was published at the age of 16?

A lot of people at the first signing asked if I was the author, to which I would respond yes. Every time they would narrow there eyes just a tad and say I look quite young. Again, I'd answer with my age and every time they'd do a sort of double-take. It prompts some interesting conversation. I'm 17 now, so I'm sure the novelty of it has worn off a tad.

Are you currently working on any other projects? If so, when is your next expected release?

I'm hoping to have the sequel to The Prophet's Daughter out by next fall, though I'm working on various short stories as well when I can. I want to work more on novels set in present-day or something medieval afterward. I have way too many ideas and just not enough time to get them all down.

What made you interest in post-apocalyptic? Which post-apocalyptic worlds in the mainstream media are you most drawn to?

Interesting fact: I was never big into post-apocalyptic anything. I liked The Hunger Games when I read them in 8th grade but that was about it. What really got me writing about Arin and her world was my psychology teacher, Mr. Kennedy. It came up in discussion what his opinion on how he viewed a post-apocalyptic world and it just blossomed from there.

Which authors do you read for inspiration or motivation?

I read a lot of books. I love fantasy books most of the time but I find one thing I like to do is sit down and read Eric Walters. He's really what helped me get into writing back in 7th grade and... I just find I enjoy how he writes more than anything else. Plus his stories are never all that far from reality, from the ones I've read.

Of all the possible ends to civilization, which do you find the most likely?

Disease. What's to say that one day, some weird mutation of a disease won't spread like wildfire and destroy half the human race before anyone can begin working on treatment or a cure?

What is your #1 tip for someone looking to survive the apocalypse and prosper?

If I had to survive the apocalypse, I wouldn't. I'd be dead in three days tops. But for those looking to survive, hoard. Find a shelter and hoard everything you can... Or, and this is a big one, don't doubt the cruel nature of other people but don't leave everyone else to die. What's the point of surviving if you're going to do it alone?

When you write, do you prefer silence and solitude or do you listen to music / have other distractions?

I can work in all type of scenarios. Silence is actually something that causes me great discomfort so I'm often listening to music or have some sort of sound in the background.

Finally, where can we find your work?

 Kindle

 Paperback

Ongoing Translation Project

Last night I read an awesome article on reddit about an author that found a troll. The author even went as far as to find the troll's house and show up. Thankfully, the author didn't confront the troll face to face. If you would like to read that article, click here.

Why am I telling you about the article? Simple. It made me do a search on my own name. The first 20 or so hits were all predictable. My website, Amazon, Barnes & Nobel, the usual book stuff. About 15 pages in on Google, I found one I hadn't seen before. It was in Chinese. Immediately, I panicked. I don't know why I panicked, but it happened.

After a few minutes piecing things together with the sloppy help of Google Translate, I figured out why my name and one of my books was plastered all over a Chinese website. It was a blog from a Chinese person (not sure if male or female) that translates books into Chinese as a hobby.

So now, after several emails back and forth with Ericcil, the blog's owner, I have a new friend that is working on translating the entire Goblin Wars Part One into Chinese. Once it is finished, I plan on having a few copies printed. One will be signed and shipped off to China to the fan, the others will either rest on my bookshelf or be proudly displayed at live events and book signings. 

If you'd like to check out the blog, you can find it here.

If you'd like to translate any of my books into other languages, grab a cup of coffee and start typing. I'd love to see it.

Calling all writers! Paid opportunity!

Do you have an idea for a dystopian short story? Hydra Publications will be accepting submissions for a dystopian anthology collection. We will pay 1 cent a word, with a minimum word count of 1,000 words and a maximum of 7,500. The deadline for submissions is January 31st.

What is your take on a dystopian world? Is it a police state? Do people live in fear of an outside source? Or is it an inner source they are scared of?

The format will be 12 pt Times New Roman, double spaced and in Word.doc format. Email your submissions to dystopianhydra@gmail.com

Interview with Marshall Walls

Dawn of the Destined Hero

Marshall Walls

What was the first book that got you interested in fantasy and what was the turning point that made you sit down and put pen to paper?

Actually, it wasn't a book that inspired me to write, but video games, namely Chrono Trigger and the early Final Fantasy series. Final Fantasy IV for the SNES inspired me to write a story about collecting a series of magical stones with elemental powers contained within. That was the seed that gave birth to Dawn of the Destined Hero and all the sequels yet to come.

What made me take the leap from thoughts and ideas to actually writing it was friends from school who had read some of my short stories, written purely for fun, and they really enjoyed my stuff. I received so many compliments that I wanted to write a full book, and then more books after that. Fast-forward seventeen years, many additions, even more rewrites, and plenty of editing, and boom, my debut novel was finally finished.

*****
Apart from fantasy, what genres do you like to read for enjoyment and which authors do you read specifically to try and learn new techniques?

I'll admit upfront that I'm really bad about reading. I should read far more than I do, especially being an author myself. I should learn from the greats, experience other stories from authors I've never heard of, and see what other sorts of books are out there for me to enjoy. I'm sure it'd make me a better writer, and that's what I'm always aiming to do every single type I lay my fingers on my keyboard, ready to transform and idea into an actual story.

When it comes to genres I enjoy, I'm fond of science-fiction, action/adventure, mystery, horror, and a hint of romance. I'm not very familiar with non-fiction, but I fully intend to become more knowledgeable. In time, I personally hope to write books of many genres to see which I excel at and which fans enjoy the most. The more I can experiment and try new things, the better, more well-rounded writer I'll become.

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How do you feel about the huge rise in "low fantasy" books like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games?

I think that there's value in every genre out there, and the appeal of "low fantasy" nowadays isn't too surprising. People enjoy fantasy, as a whole, and it's really interesting to see sparks of fantasy and magic and otherworldly things pop up in the real world that we live in every single day. I like those sorts of books quite a bit. I've read both Harry Potter and the Hunger Games series, and they're entertaining novels. I even have intention to write some low fantasy of my own, so I'm clearly interested in it. It's pretty cool.

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What is an element that separates Dawn of the Destined Hero from other Tolkien-esque fantasies?

I wouldn't technically label Dawn of the Destined Hero as a Tolkien-esque fantasy. Tolkien created an entire world filled to the brim with orcs, dwarves, goblins, elves, hobbits, trolls, demons, and countless monsters. It's really nothing like our world. I'd more consider my novel to be historic low fantasy, in a way. The book is about medieval humans at war, engaged in long-term conflict, and there is very little magic outside of a few rare examples. Arimax Holycross, the main character, stumbles onto magic, and learns to control it himself, but the world he lives in doesn't even believe in the fantastic idea of magic or otherworldly abilities. Over time, throughout the series, there will be more and more magic popping up, but this book is fairly realistic and is comparable to real-world medieval history. I think that puts more focus on the magic that does take place, and makes it feel even more special than if every other character was shooting fire and summoning gusts of wind.

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Let's talk about destiny. When it comes to theology and philosophy, do you believe that mankind is given free will?

My opinion on free will versus destiny has matured throughout my years. As a kid, I fully believed in destiny, which is probably why this book, and the sequels forthcoming, are so focused on the concept of fate. Now, I'm pretty sure that strong-will and hard-work is a lot more important than simply being destined to do something. In the book, however, destiny is alive and well, but that doesn't necessarily mean that everything will go perfectly for young Arimax. And, in time, he may stray from destiny, battling the wishes of the fates in order to do what he feels is right, not necessarily what he's meant to do. I think keeping it ambiguous will make it far more interesting over time than simply declaring everything to be "destiny," or having every moment of Arimax's life entirely based on his own actions.

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In your personal reading, do you find yourself enjoying more recently written works or do you prefer the classics?

When its comes to my personal reading, I tend to prefer newer books to the classics. It's probably because people talk frequently about the newest "big thing" in literature, so I have more likelihood to check those out than a classic that people don't discuss as regularly. I still fully intend to read all the big classics, as I want to expand my horizons as far as I possibly can, and that will make me more prepared for all the future novels I have already floating around in my head, simply awaiting the day when I bring them to life.

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If you could favorably compare your writing style to any single author, who would it be? Is it an author that inspired you from the beginning, or someone you 'accidentally' sound like?

Again, I'm a bad reader. I shamefully admit it, and that's something I fully intend to change as soon as I can. Having a Kindle and some time put aside for nightly reading should help. So when it comes to comparing my own writing style to other authors, I can't really think of anyone in particular. I've been compared to a few authors by other people, but I still, from what I've read, feel that my own style and "voice" is unique. I haven't necessarily emulated any other author, nor do I happen to sound like them. I do read and study how other writers handle certain things, like descriptions, dialogue, punctuation, comma-usage and so on, but I still find a way to adjust my own style rather than simply "copying" them or anything like that. Basically, I'd like to be the first Marshall Walls and not necessary the next *insert popular author*

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Which character of literature do you feel best represents the archetype of the hero? Must a true hero be flawed or can a character actually be perfect?

I'll admit it's a bit of a lazy answer, but Hercules (or Heracles) is the first archetypal hero that came to mind. He's strong, powerful, courageous, handsome, and he has great purpose and drive to make up for his horrible sins. He's a flawed character, but one that strives to right the wrongs he's done in his life, and I find that to be a tremendously honorable trait.

Perfect characters are boring. They are inhuman and unrelatable. Real people have strengths and weaknesses. Hercules may have been the son of a god, but he was also human, and he made bad choices, but did the best he could to earn forgiveness through the Twelve Labors. That made him an interesting character, and certainly someone I think Arimax would look up to if he'd ever been told that fantastic tale.

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Lastly, where can we find your book? Where can we stay up to date on social media? Twitter? Facebook? Goodreads?

You can find my book, Dawn of the Destined Hero, for digital download on Amazon at this link: http://www.amazon.com/Dawn-Destined-Hero-Marshall-Walls-ebook/dp/B00H08TBXC

I've kept this book exclusive to Amazon since the beginning, but I'm going to be publishing it across the board of online eBook retailers soon. I'd like it to be widely available to anyone interested in checking it out.

You can check out the official Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dawn-of-the-Destined-Hero/418571621601853

My Twitter account can be found here: https://twitter.com/marshall_walls
 

Like, favorite, subscribe, friend me, tweet me, and all that fun jazz. I'm always happy to interact with "fans" and people in general. I should also have my Goodreads page up soon, so you can check that out if you'd like. Thanks!

Attention Redditors!

If you missed the AMA today, you can check it out here.

Feel free to leave feedback, comments, or anything you like. 

Also, The Goblin Wars Part One will be on sale 10/14 for $1! Only a single dollar! 

Interview with Matt Cubberly, Children's Author

What got you interested in children's books and what was the specific impetus that set the project in motion?

1)  I've always been a writer, but I've never pursued it as a career as I've always seen it as more of a hobby.  I've been screenwriting and writing novels for many years as side projects, but I finally decided to venture into children's books because I finally had a short, concise idea that really worked well visually.  The story just fit in the children's book mould very well, so I chose to take it in that direction.  As for the specific impetus, there really wasn't much of one.  I'm constantly working on multiple writing projects at once, and as certain works begin to get fleshed out more and more, I tend to give them more attention over the others.  So the work builds more quickly and eventually it takes center stage.

What kind of books do you like to read for personal enjoyment and which authors give you the most inspiration?

2)  For personal enjoyment, nothing beats the "His Dark Materials" trilogy.  All three books were just absolutely fantastic and I've yet to find any other book or series I've liked more.  However, for inspiration, I tend to look more toward dialogue-heavy writers.  But not just amounts of dialogue, but carefully-crafted dialogue.  And for that I always end up with George R.R. Martin.  The dialogue is so painstakingly tweaked in his work that each and every word is absolutely necessary.  And above that, his exposition itself reads much like a dialogue as well.  So looking through his work always paints such an incredible image for me, that I strive to replicate that feeling within my own work.

What have you found to be the most frustrating part of the process when publishing your first book?

3)  I found the most frustrating process to be the wait.  Waiting for shipping from my printers in China really was the only frustrating portion.  My illustrator worked extremely quickly and beautifully, to the point where out of 50 or so illustrations for the book, I only made 1 small request at a tweak for one illustration.  So after I sent her my "doodles" for each page, I was basically hands-off.  The printers were very helpful and I ran into no problems there.  So the wait truly was the only upset, as unavoidable as it may be!

Do you have plans to write anything for older age groups or adults?

4)  Oh yes.  I have a few projects I'm working on at the moment, and they're demographics really spread quite wide.  I have two more children's books awaiting illustration, one novel geared toward young adults, and one much darker novel for a much older audience.

Now that the book is out, is there anything you wish you could change or do differently?

5)  I'm honestly very happy with how everything turned out.  It all went smoothly and I have only one aspect I'd prefer to change.  On the "legal page" within the book, where it offers the ISBN, website, copyright info, etc., the portion where it warns against unauthorized use or production of the work (the anti-plagiarism portion basically) has the text much too large.  Aesthetically, nothing is off, but I feel that by going with such a large text size somewhat says, 'DON'T STEAL MY WORK.  I'M SUPER WORRIED ABOUT THEFT', when in reality, I'm not at all worried about theft as I understand how rare it is.  Seeing that large text just seems to be a bit amateurish in feel, so that would be the only aspect I'd change.

What types of projects do you see in the future for The WilderWay LLC?

6)  The WilderWay LLC is actually a widely-branching company.  We of course have many new books (as described above) coming down the line, but we also are developing niche products, other forms of media (film) and "foodstuffs".  We will remain primarily story-based, but just with the interesting product or two.  So we hope to very soon expand our selection and truly make it a wilder way.

Lastly, where can we find your website and where can we get a copy of Charlotte, Wander On?

7)  You can find our website at:  https://www.thewilderway.com/

     You can grab a copy directly off our website, or you can find it on Amazon.com as well by searching, "Charlotte, Wander On."

Pretty cool interview

Check out the interview I had with TJ Reddig: click here!

Also, if you're interested in doing an interview for this website, send me an email and I would love to have you as a guest. If you are interested in doing an interview for TJ Reddig, click here.

Plus, if you STILL haven't checked out the fun choose-your-own-adventure-horror entitled Melissa's Heart, you really should! I'd love to get some feedback.

Thanks!

Interview with author Mysti Parker

Mysti Parker

As far as my understanding goes, the blending of high fantasy and romance is a relatively small subset of the massive romance genre. What got you interested in romantic fantasy and what has kept you writing in that genre?

My love of fantasy began when I was little and had a 45 record/read-along book of The Hobbit. I fell in romance a few years later when I first read Jane Eyre. Fast forward to early this century when The Lord of the Rings movie came out. Watching Orlando Bloom as Legolas sealed the deal between fantasy and romance. Plus, I’d been playing online roleplaying games for some time and began to write about the characters I created. That’s where Caliphany and A Ranger’s Tale was born.

I love interweaving a strong love story into a world completely born out of my imagination. Beyond the obstacles of “regular” romance, I can employ challenges for the hero and heroine that involve magic, exotic races & creatures, and of course dragons! I can also make said hero and heroine as unique and kick-ass as I want them to be, like Caliphany, who turns out to be a damn good ranger and fire mage.

As a fellow high fantasy writer, I often get asked about my character names. Where do you find inspiration for such names as Galadin Trudeaux and Caliphany?

I try to use names that reflect the character’s race and culture. For instance, high elves like Caliphany Aranea and King Leopold Vaeloria have formal-sounding names that roll easily off the tongue. There are wood elves like Jayden Ravenwing and Zephyrus & Shade Windsong, whose names involve something in nature. Galadin Trudeaux is half elf/half human, so his name reflects his mixed background.

The characters in my next Tallenmere novel—Mirabelle Hearton & Lysander Devlin—are from the cold, mountainous province of Hezral. Their names (with the strong consonants) reflect the culture of the hardy Hezrali people.

What authors have been you inspiration within the genre of romantic fantasy and also outside of the genre?

Mercedes Lackey would be my inspiration for the genre mash-up. There’s everyone’s go-to, Tolkien for the classic fantasy inspiration. I’ve also been greatly influenced by Victoria Holt’s gothic romance since I was a teen.

In your opinion, which widely known author is most similar to your writing style, if any?

Possibly Mercedes Lackey, though one reviewer compared my style in the Tallenmere series to that of Terry Goodkind. I don’t claim to write like any well-known author or as well, and God knows, not better. I just aim to write the best story I can write.

When is your next release and what about that novel sets it apart from your other work?

My newest is actually a shift from fantasy romance to romantic comedy. It’s a set of serial fiction stories called The Roche Hotel, based in part from my own experience working in a hotel in the 90’s. It’s funny with a few heart-tugging spots here and there. No sex, violence, or profanity—probably the cleanest romance I’ve ever written! Hee hee. Here’s the blurb:

After her husband ditches her for a blonde actress wannabe, Jane Seymour needs a job that pays the rent. The struggling Roche Hotel needs a miracle. With the former owner’s wife butting her nose into the renovations and new owners who are in way over their heads, Jane may be the answer to their prayers. Sure, she can handle The Roche Hotel’s quirky staff. But, can this skittish divorcee keep it all together when handsome Henry the Donut Guy makes his first delivery? This collection of serial fiction stories is a Tudorific romantic comedy that will leave you laughing out loud and hungry for more.

Do you have any projects planned for the future that depart from your typical style and genre in a drastic way?

Besides The Roche Hotel, I have a children’s book called “Quentin’s Problem” that should be out within the month. I have another one waiting to be illustrated and another in the planning stages.

I have a historical romance that’s finished and seeking shelter (publication). I’m also writing a contemporary romance with a male author, so that’s my first collaboration. Happy to say it’s going well.

Where can we find your books and blog?

The best place to find my books is on my Amazon Author page: Click Here!

The Roche Hotel is available now for pre-order on Kindle for just $0.99, so readers can save a buck if they order it before the release date of October 15:  Click Here!

I’m hosting a Facebook Release Party on October 15 from 6-9 PM EST, so everyone’s welcome to attend. You’ll get a chance to win a nice hotel-themed prize basket! Here’s the event page: Click Here!

The Oxford Comma

You may have heard the term "Oxford Comma" and thought to yourself, what is that crap all about? Here it is.

The Oxford Comma is the last comma in a list and is placed right before the conjunction. Consider the following sentence: Tom went to Austria, Poland, and Belgium. The comma after "Poland" is the Oxford, also called serial, comma.

But Stu, why should we use it? Hipsters never do and that's considered "grammatically correct!"

I'll give you a few great examples. What if your list isn't of perfectly related items? Consider the following:

Johann came to the party with the two hookers, Washington and Jefferson. No Oxford comma. Still grammatically correct. See the problem? Johann might have shown up with 2 people or he might have brought 4. If he brought 2, he will be introducing you to two hookers, of which their names are Washington and Jefferson. Uh oh. If he brought 4 people, two of them happen to be hookers and the other two are esteemed presidents of the United States. Sweet.

Consider that same sentence WITH the Oxford comma: Johann came to the party with the two hookers, Washington, and Jefferson. That comma makes the sentence very clear. Under no interpretation did Johann screw up and bring hookers named Washington and Jefferson. Get ready to have a pretty fun party.

Attention Beta Readers!

Instead of emailing a ton of beta readers and compiling edits / thoughts / comments in that manner, I thought it prudent to post short excerpts from upcoming projects here so everyone can comment in one location.

If you want to read The Goblin Wars Part Two: Death of a King, click here.

If you want to read Melissa's Heart, click here.

Also, don't miss the new review of Necromancer, one of my all-time favorites. 

The issue with self published books......

Firstly, I'm not going to say that all self-published books are terrible. They aren't. That being said, I have read a decent amount of self-published authors and have found a common theme in the bad ones. 

In one word: editing.

Editors can be expensive. A good editor can charge up to $10 per manuscript page. For an unpublished author with a novel around 60,000 words, that's nearly $800 in editing charges. Of course, that's on the expensive side. Cheaper editors come in around $1.50 - $2 per manuscript page. As with most things, you get what you pay for. 

Why do self-published authors need editors so desperately? Credibility. If you know you are reading a self-published work and find a single typo, you are more likely to disregard the entire book as sophomoric and unworthy of your time. Is that judgement unfair? Yes, but that's a discussion for another time. 

Also, editors do so much more than just turn a giggling stomach into a jiggling one (one of my actual edits from For We Are Many). I'm currently reading a self-published and entirely unsuccessful sci-fi novel. Hidden beneath all of the formatting errors and other issues lies a great story. Trying to slog through the novel is turning out to be a real chore - despite my enjoyment of the plot and characters. The paragraphs are often confusedly organized and I've never before read a novel with parenthetical sentences every other page. Those are all issues an editor could have cleaned up and the end result would have been a solid sci-fi I would recommend to friends.

In closing, if you are attempting to self-publish, get a budget. Plan on spending about $500 right out of the gate to make your story into a masterpiece. Set $150 aside for a cover illustration, $200 for editing and proofreading, and $150 for marketing and ordering paperbacks. That may seem like a massive amount of money, but you don't see investors sinking 20 bucks into the stock market in hopes of making millions.

Imaginarium Recap

This weekend was the Imaginarium Writing Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. What a blast! I got to meet a ton of my favorite authors and guys I've seen at other conventions around the Midwest. We had a launch event for a few Hydra books including For We Are Many and I think the Hydra booth outsold all others over the weekend. I look forward to attending next year!