Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! Do you do anything fun for the holiday? My kids are 14 and 15. The 14 year old doesn't like Halloween and never really has. He quit trick-or-treating long ago. My daughter loves the holiday. She convinced me to go trick-or-treating last year. We dressed up as twin demented dolls and I actually passed as a teenager. Awesome! But... I'd rather stay home. How fun am I? Here is my Halloween picture from last year.










This year my daughter gets to celebrate with her friends. Tonight will be her second Halloween party in the past few days. We have recently become fans of True Blood, so she is one of the True Blood vampires. This picture was taken from the party a couple of days ago.

I'm glad to gets to have fun while I hang out with my favorite guys at home. Have a great Halloween... have fun and stay safe!


Talk to you soon,
Wendy Ely

Six Sentence Sunday

He turned enough to show the front half of his thigh and nothing more. One more inch in her direction and she’d have a clear view of everything. He was teasing her, she knew it, and she loved when she spotted a part of his erection. Smiling at her, he grabbed a clean pair of boxers from the small dresser and slid them up his legs. His whole back was to her again as he slid them over his buttocks then around his hips.

“Not fair.” She didn’t mean to say the words but couldn’t contain them any longer. They escaped when she tried to take a breath.

Print: http://amzn.com/1468069047

Kindle: http://amzn.com/B009NWWW6G

I don't plot, but I do know my characters!

If you know an author or two, you might here them say they're either plotters or pantsers. While some plot their entire novel out ahead of time, others just write without any idea of what's going to happen next. I fall into this category. I might start with some vague idea but usually don't know what is going to happen between chapter 1 and chapter 25... okay, I don't even know if there will be a chapter 25.

I'd like to think that I write character driven novels with some good plot mixed in, so I start with the characters. I know as much about them as possible.

1. I start with a character profile that looks something like this:

Name: Joel Parker                                           age: 29

• What's your character's name? Nickname(s)? Joel Christian Parker
• How old is s/he?   29 and looks his age.
• Nationality? Birthplace? California
• Academic Background: has a degree in fitness, nutrition, and business management.
• Occupation/Job Experience:
   
• Attitude toward management? Attitude toward Unions? He is the management.
• Attitude toward the various jobs s/he's held?
• Character's ambitions? To maintain his healthy lifestyle and expand his business.
   
• Military Experience?  No. He thought about going into the military but decided not to.
• Reaction to his/her military experience?
• Any traumatic incidents while in the service?
• Aptitudes? 

This profile is pages and pages long with a wide variety of things to fill in. I found a few character profiles on the Internet and combined them. Also, as you can see, a lot of the questions are left empty because I simply don't know this information yet and it'll probably unfold as I write the story. I'll fill in the information as it pops into my head. Here is another part of the profile for the same character: 

• When and how did s/he discover sex? He had just turned 16 and had started working out at the gym. One of the gym bunnies that hung out with Hugh came onto him. Her name was Chrissy. She showed him the ropes in a sexual relationship that lasted for several months. Chrissy was 21. This makes him careful on who hangs out at Beach Bodies. He can’t stand a gym bunny.
• If single, is there a significant other? No girlfriends
• Significant Others?
   
•  Best friend(s)? Joel hangs out with a group of friends: Kenan Brock works at Beach Bodies and is a competitive body builder, Hailey Ellis is a struggling actress, Conway Fitzgerald rebels against his families wealth by dressing from thrifts stores and acting trashy.
• Lover? Not currently. His latest one was Becca Lange. She had been a college student partying on spring break.

Some information that I write down on the profile doesn't make it into the story. Check out the sexual history question listed above. I'm halfway through Beach Bodies and this aspect of the story hasn't been mentioned once. I either don't need this information because it's irrelevant to the character or I'll add it in during revisions. So why write it down? I need to know my character inside and out like I'd know my best friend. Check out the physical description down below. I can picture my character in my head based on these words: 

• Height? Weight? Hair Color? Physical frame/body type? 6’0, weight: ?, light brown hair, muscular
• Skin tone? Waist? Hair texture? Feet? Tan Skin, big feet
• Ears? Hands/fingers? Hair length? Legs? Normal size ears with silver hoop earings, large hands, hair is cut really short in the back but longer on the top. Legs are muscular.
• Tail? Nose? Chin? Cheeks? Medium size nose but a little crooked due to a fight when he was a preteen. He has a dimple on each cheek.
• Beard? Mustache? Arms? Musculature? He has a goatee which he keeps neatly trimmed.
• Eyes? Eye Color? Eye brows? Stomach? Green eyes, medium eye brows which are light brown. Stomach is toned… visible 6 pack.
• Butt?  Skin? Movement? Toned butt, clear skin. He has freckles over his shoulders. He struts with confidence when he walks.
• Face: Gaunt? Lean? Puffy? Square? Rectangular? Oval? Expressionless? Solid? Lean, oval shaped face. He is serious when he is working but when he is away from the job, he is always smiling.
• Body: Fat? Bloated? Thin? Bony? Frail? Muscular? Stocky? Muscular
• Demeanor: Militarily Erect? Droopy? Leads with the stomach or breast? Easy going and leads slightly with his chest but doesn’t over do it.
• Movement: Clumsy? Graceful? Stiff? Leisurely? Smooth? Brisk? He moves smoothly but with confidence.
• Walk: Military? Brisk? Saunter? Hip-swaying? Leisurely? Graceful? Clumsy? He saunters when he walks but when he is at work, he becomes more serious.
• Complexion: Sallow? Pale? Ruddy? Blotchy? Pockmarked? Pimply? Glowing? Tanned (from the sun), clear complexion. Slight dusting of freckles over his shoulders.
• Gestures: Animated? None? Big & sweeping? Small & economical? When he is working he is dramatic/animated (claps his hands for emphasis, ect), away from work Joel is easy going and happy.
• Any physical deformities/weaknesses/handicaps? He feels like his crooked nose as a weakness
• Style of Dress/Favorite Clothing/Jewelry Typically Worn? He wears name brand but casual clothes. He wears a stop watch and is often in a yellow and blue Beach Bodies t-shirt/shorts during work but also dresses casual/name brands during off hours. He wears a stop watch during work and a watch off work. He has his ears pierced and wears small silver hoops. 

Every character gets a profile but when I really need to go deeper in a character's psyche I'll do an interview. To do this exercise I will listen to any music that sets the tone for the book and I'll answer the questions as I think my character would. I didn't do an interview with Joel (the profile above), so I'm sharing part of an interview for another character: 

PERSONAL INTERVIEW WITH CHARACTER
(responses in his/her own voice)

---

OCCUPATION: I’m a mom. I take my job seriously. I’m all Taylor really has. Okay, she has her dad and his bimbo (I never say that in front of Taylor!) but they rarely come around. It’s me and her.

---

CURRENT HOME: The home Lance and I made as husband and wife. It’s been a year now and the weird thing is that I barely have any memories of him there. He was always out shooting a movie somewhere. It has always been Taylor’s and my home. Lance was always the guest. Perhaps that’s why he left me for her?

---

MARITAL STATUS:              I’m embarrassed to admit to being divorced. I thought when I said I do that it would be forever. That’s what it’s suppose to be anyway.

Would you ever get remarried? No way. Lance was it for me. Maybe I’m not a good wife. I won’t take that chance again.

Lisa Palmer played a background character in the first 2 Desert Secret books. It was hard for me to get inside of her head when it was time to start her story. She had always been there, but I didn't know her. I decided to do an interview based on the information that I had. I can tell by her answers that she has a lot of regrets about her former marriage, jealousy over his new wife, and... a lot of baggage. This stuff will have an impact on her and her relationship when the hero, Seth Bright, enters the picture. This exercise really worked because I didn't make the questions up ahead of time. I found this on the Internet and filled it out. Another idea: have an author friend send you over some questions. The key is not to know what is being asked ahead of time. 

So, this is how I start every single book I write! 

Talk to you soon,

Wendy Ely 

National Novel Writing Month, Baby!!

In the month of November thousands of people turn insane for 30 days to write a 50k word novel. I'm one of these people. This program is called NaNoWriMo. You'll notice a widget on the side of my blog to keep you updated on my progress.

I've participated in NaNoWriMo since 2003 but only completed the writing goal twice. I love doing the program because it gives me a shove into writing. I have a goal to work for and am forced to jump feet first into the project. There isn't any thinking about what type of job my character has, who her best friend is, blah blah. I am forced to make a decision quick and write. This works for me.

Here are some things I've figured out on my years doing NaNoWriMo:

• I don't have to stop writing at my daily goal. If I hit my writing zone I keep going because some day I'm not going to have enough time to write or won't feel like it. Writing ahead will relieve the stress from the last part of the month. 
• Have kids that like to write? Two years in a row I didn't feel like writing at all. My daughter wanted to do the Nano Jr. program. We did it together and she inspired me to push through my blocks. 
• Don't start your writing ahead of time, but do plan your novel as much as possible! Last year I was working on a Christmas story. I needed ideas for the 12 days of Christmas which the novel was centered around. I did a brainstorming session with my author friend, so this was planned out ahead of time. 
• Don't get bogged down by research. Do enough to move your story along but remember that you can fill in any gaps later. 
• Give yourself permission to write some less than perfect pages and try not to edit as you go. You can edit and revise later. 
• Try to surround yourself with people who support your goals. NaNoWriMo has excellent writing groups to use to connect to other Nano-authors. Connect, email, ask questions, brainstorm, and encourage. We are in this together. 

My daughter has done the junior program for a few years, so I asked her for some tips. She said, "Just write, write, and write some more. Also, don't have a life and you'll eventually get there!" 

Just for some added inspiration: Two of my Nano-novels have been published. See? It does pay off! 

But... 

I don't know what I'm going to write this year. I'm stuck between writing the next book in my Desert Secret Series or something not connected to the series. 

So, do you have any tips? Questions? Talk to me! 

Wendy Ely 

Author Interview: Sabrina Devonshire

1.      Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I live in Tucson, Arizona with my husband, two teens and fluffy chow-chow.  I started writing mystery novels when was eight-years-old and this unleashed a passion for writing that’s burned in my blood ever since. I’m employed as a fitness professional at a world-renowned resort and an active adult community and do freelance magazine work at home. Most of my published articles are health and fitness related. The Open Water Swimmer, a romantic suspense, is my first novel. Message from Viola Mari, a laugh-out-loud erotic sci-fi romance, will be released on or before January 1.

2. What do you do when you are not writing?

My favorite hobby is swimming. Most days I seek an endorphin rush in the pool early in the morning and anytime I can escape to the ocean, I do and pack swim suits and not much else. I’m also a read-a-holic. If you ask to buy your book, I’ll probably say “yes.”

3. Do you have a day job as well?

Four days a week, I provide personal training services and teach a variety of group exercise classes at an active adult community and a resort. One full day a week and nights and weekends, I write magazine articles and books.

4. When did you first start writing and when did you finish your first book?

I wrote my first mystery novel at age 8 (I still have a copy if you want to read it – just kidding – it’s a little scary if you want to know the truth—I think the squirrels are the main characters J). I published my first book, The Open Water Swimmer, with Extasy Book, September 15^th. My second book is coming soon!

5. How did you choose the genre you write in?

I attended a three-week memoir-writing workshop in Prague in 2007 and a fellow writer commented favorably on the more sensual parts of my work and said I’d make a good romance writer. I noticed the more I wrote sex scenes, the more I enjoyed writing them. Romance writing provides a great escape for me as a writer and my aim is to provide readers with the relaxing escape they’re seeking, too. Sometimes when life goes through the roof, I’ve found there’s nothing more relaxing than immersing myself in distracting read.

6. Where do you get your ideas?

Usually they just strike. I read a headline or see a movie and I start hearing dialogue and scenes in my head. I usually can’t sleep until I start getting the ideas down on paper.

7. Do you ever experience writer’s block?

Yes, pretty often. By nature, I’m a “manic writer.” I will write an insane amount per day and even into the night when I’m inspired and then my writing will drop down to only meeting base deadlines for magazine work for a month or more. Before you walk away thinking I’m advocating this style of writing, I will say that if I chain myself to the chair and gut it out for two hours when I’m feeling really flat, toward the end of the first hour, I can usually produce reasonably good work. So I’m aiming to become more disciplined during the “down” days so I can finish more books.

8. Do you work with an outline, or just write?

I always have a plan in my head, but often the characters drive my writing and so I tend to make plot changes on the fly. 

9. Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?

Many authors influence my writing as I’m an avid reader. Daphne Du Maurier’s Frenchman’s Creek is my all-time romantic favorite, but I can only dream of delivering that much romance… The exotic travel elements that shine in my stories were inspired by Nicholas Cristopher’s A Trip to the Stars and Jamie Zeppa’s Beyond the Sky and the Earth. Jennifer Crusie is one of my favorite contemporary authors—I love her humor and my books usually incite some chuckles. I always learn from Elizabeth Lowell’s romances, so I try to deliver something new to readers in my work without making the information cumbersome. I even learned from reading Fifty Shades, as much as I disliked those books (how many times did Anastasia feel like Icarus flying close to the sun – 1008?). But I’m a big believer that reading many books makes writing easier, especially if you critique the books you read and try to decipher what makes them work or not work so you can attempt not to make the same mistakes in your own writing.

Blurb for Sabrina's new release: 

When children's mystery writer Dana Thomas has recurring nightmares about a swimmer drowning in a race, she aims to change his fate. Her plan to remain objective makes a serious splashdown when she meets her "mission," a towering blue-eyed man with the best cut set of pectorals she's ever seen.  Going incognito as a feeding station volunteer for FINA World Cup series races, Dana travels to Greece, Portugal, Honduras, and Tunisia to try to protect him. When heat between  the pair sizzles, Dana falls hopelessly in love with this man destined to die.

Elite swimmer and former Navy fighter pilot Jeff Dickson keeps dreaming he's drowning. Recently dumped by his long-time girlfriend, who found him too competitive, Jeff believes his driven personality and international travel schedule can't mix with love.  When Jeff meets Dana, he's instantly attracted to her voluptuous body and mysterious personality.  When Jeff learns she's been stalking him for weeks at swimming races, he decides she must be psycho.

A series of fateful events before the final race lead Dana to believe her nightmare is about to unfold.  Anticipating a dive-in and rescue scenario, Dana is shocked to discover that's only the beginning. Can she change the fate of the man she loves and survive?

Visit Sabrina at www.sabrinadevonshire.com 

Six Sentence Sunday: Jesse's Brother

Jesse's Brother is FREE today! Grab a copy for your Kindle.

Here are my six sentences:

 Getting involved with someone was complicated enough, but with th

e boss’s daughter? Probably not a good idea. The fact that Frances hated the very air he breathed made the situation worse.

“I never take the easy road,” he grumbled as he wiped the sweat trickling down his cheek.

What was Samantha doing now? His eyes switched over to the door. It would be nice if she’d come down to the barn.

http://amzn.com/B009NWWW6G

Jesse's Brother is FREE!

Hello, friends! Jesse's Brother is free on Amazon through Monday. Stop by and grab a copy.

http://amzn.com/B009NWWW6G 

All About NABSU by Mia Fisher

The great thing about writing fiction is that its reality isn’t necessarily all that real.  While most of us like to include real places, locations or organizations to give our books a realistic foundation, many times writers will try to push the limits a bit further by creating people, places or things we wish were real but aren't.  That’s how NABSU – the Native American Behavioral Science Unit – came into being.

The heroine of the NABSU Series, Andie Prescott, founded this organization with her former partner from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Sid Crow Dog.  They saw an obvious need and tackled it.  Having written Native based romance for over twenty years  - and being married to a Cheyenne/Lakota for almost seven – I’d known for a very long time that this is an association that should exist, but doesn't.  So, I created it. 

For those who haven’t seen any of my previous blogs regarding Blood Roles, book one of the NABSU Series, the purpose of the NABSU is to tackle Native American based crimes, usually on reservations.  These are crimes that the BIA has overlooked, ignored and/or the FBI has been avoided due to previously well-documented history of bad-blood between certain tribes and the Federal organization.  Believe it or not, there are plenty of these types of crimes in reality without creating any for fiction.   

While the FBI has its well-known BSU the reality is that Native criminals, many times, don’t operate on the same level that other criminals do.  Many times their spiritual foundations are interwoven with their reasons for committing a crime or crimes are committed for the good of the tribe.  I actually know some BSU agents that do not understand the learning curve or differential mentality necessary to take on some Native based crimes.  In all honesty, they don’t have the time to try.  Their rosters are full as it is.  A real NABSU could actually aid in cutting down Native American crimes perpetrated by Native Americans.

While Andie herself is white, she was raised on a reservation, was adopted as a toddler by her Native step-father and has lived a life immersed within the Lakota/Dakota people.  She’s the perfect liaison between the two worlds.  She works surrounded by a fully formed and functional – yet totally goofy and lovable – ensemble of hand-picked agents.  Throughout the series the reader will get to see a little more of each of the unit.   

Just this past week I started talking with a publisher regarding redeveloping the entire series. This will broaden the audience base but will still provide the same in-depth story telling.  While I had originally planned to make all six books about Andie and Taylor, reworking things a little will allow for more spotlight time for many of the characters my fans have fallen in love with.   In book two, Bad Medicine, we’re going to be taking a look at Marty and what he wants out of life while the next four or five books will delve a little more into the lives of the NABSU agents themselves – most of them male and all but two unmarried.  There’s a much larger playing field to work with and I’m excited about the possibility of making these types of changes.

These are people who, like many law enforcement groups, are more like family than friends or colleagues, and, ultimately, given the diversity of Tribal affiliations among them, what you have is a very well educated group of individuals.  They are not only adept at solving crimes, they’re adept at bringing the aspects of the Native circles in which the crimes occurred forward as a considered part of the pathology.  They’re also all majorly screwed up by what they do – which is also a harsher reality of this type of work.  To paraphrase a line from Law & Order SVU regarding the love lives of the Special Victim Agents – “Olivia doesn’t date, Fin never talks about his love life at work, and Elliot doesn't talk about work at home. And — and Munch has just given up.”.  We’re looking at the same type of people within the NABSU and it all makes for some interesting and thought provoking reading.

If you like mystery/suspense entwined with a love story like none other – and awesome sex, can’t forget to mention that part – Blood Roles is a book that you won’t be able to put down. The NABSU brings “Into The West” face to face with CSI in a way that’s unique, sometimes scary, sometimes amusing, yet always as real as possible. It’s a ride readers won’t soon forget. 

Direct Link For Purchase: http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Roles-Mia-Fisher/dp/1461048974/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349918212&sr=8-1&keywords=Blood+Roles

Bio:  Born and raised in New England, Mia Fisher spent twenty years in the Midwest before returning to the east coast. A prolific writer who spent many years writing Inspirationals, she crossed over to the dark side to write mystery/suspense and paranormal romance in 2008. The mother of four children she moved to sunny state of Florida after the death of her husband in 2011. She lives with her youngest child and a cat with evil intentions and works in Social Work when nobody is looking. To learn more about Mia Fisher's books, visit her website at www.miafisher.net.

Learning to Shoot

Hello, readers! Guns often make appearances in my books. One time I went into a gun store to ask questions for research because I've always been a little nervous around them. The store also had a shooting range which I was invited to use for free (the clerk thought it was so cool that I'm an author!). I turned him down, but had always wanted to find the courage to shoot a gun. Guess what? Dan, my boyfriend, owns several guns and loves to shoot. A few weekends ago we packed up and headed down to the desert.

  Dan is a former Marine, so he has skill with fire arms. Alexis loved it and learned pretty quickly as well. Me? Not so much. The guns still scare me and had to be talked into shooting. I did it thought and I'm sad to say that hitting targets is  not on my list of talents.

 You have to excuse my hair. We had spent the entire day doing different things in the desert, so I was a bit grubby looking. And it was so hot. Probably about 110 or so.

Anyway, my goal is to get more comfortable around guns and try out a variety to help add authentic details in shooting scenes in my books.

Talk to you soon,

Wendy Ely

Six Sentence Sunday: Jesse's Brother

This week I bring you a bit of Jesse's Brother. Enjoy!

So much for his self control when he was with Samantha. Noah had always taken pride in the amount of willpower he possessed. He’d given in to temptation in the past. When he had sex with a woman, he made sure he was wearing a condom. If he chose to drink alcohol, he didn’t drive until he was sober. He never dated someone in an inconvenient time in his life and had never fallen in love. Until now.

To get your paperback copy, visit: http://www.amazon.com/Jesses-Brother-Wendy-Ely/dp/1468069047/ref=la_B008SA6TJK_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349617114&sr=1-1 

Sexy Saturday!

Here is some eye-candy. Which one is your favorite? My favorite? The last picture.

Jesse's Brother! Now in paperback!!

I'm so excited that Jesse's Brother is now in paperback. The Kindle version is with the formatter right now. Anyway, let me reunite you with Noah from my award-winning book:

After walking out of his family’s life, he’d avoided relationships of any kind. He’d loosened up a bit, working on the ranch. Martin had become a role model to him, but Noah didn’t want to care about anyone else. Not even Samantha. Now he knew her story and wanted to be in her life. It was terrible to be totally alone and Samantha didn’t deserve to be.

“Damn it!” He threw a bale of hay onto the barn floor. “Why did she have to come here?”

Frances, Samantha’s mother, had shown up in the barn a few days before to give him a subtle warning to stay away from her daughter. He didn’t pay any mind to the idea of Samantha being around the farm and hadn’t even asked any questions about her. He’d shrugged and turned back to his work. He was surprised she hadn’t been more like queen bee Frances, ready to sting anyone

within arm’s length. Even though he’d heard stories about her childhood from Martin, he’d never once fathomed the idea that Samantha Johns would indeed be beautiful with those freckled cheeks and dimples. And the added bonus? She was equally sweet.

Samantha’s presence could become a complication in his well maintained life. He didn’t need any extra hurdles. Lord knew he’d had enough of those along the way. Getting involved with someone was complicated enough, but with the boss’s daughter? Probably not a good idea. The fact that Frances hated the very air he breathed made the situation worse.

“I never take the easy road,” he grumbled as he wiped the sweat trickling down his cheek.

What was Samantha doing now? His eyes switched over to the door. It would be nice if she’d come down to the barn.

*** 

I'm taking orders for autographed copies. Visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/418128281582492/

To order Jesse's Brother: http://www.amazon.com/Jesses-Brother-Wendy-Ely/dp/1468069047/ref=la_B008SA6TJK_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349280348&sr=1-1

Author Interview: J. Austin Gentry

1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Sure.  I was raised in SW Florida, by a single mom, I was the only
child.  I strictly remember being a little kid that needed to cross a
small dam on my way in mornings.  My little friends and I would hide
our fishing poles on the weekends and then during the week, we would
catch 'bluegill' then feed them to a very large and anxious alligator
on the side of the dam right before we would trot off to elementary
school. I graduated HS, then college with a business degree, and
headed to the Pennsylvania for a job opportunity.  It was then I
started to write and construct manuscripts.


 2. What do you do when you are not writing?

I spend that time playing with my wife and two kids and our little dog
- 'Lucky'.  I'm also promoting Churn Book I of III at local book
signing events as well as promoting the CHURN book trilogy.

 3. Do you have a day job as well?

Yes, unfortunately.  Commercial financing through investment banking.

4. When did you first start writing and when did you finish your first book?

I had been writing privately for the last 18 years but started writing
CHURN Book I of III in early 2008, but really launched it 2010.  I am
about to launch CHURN Book II which should be out by mid September
2012.

5. How did you choose the genre you write in?

I chose dark suspense, urban fantasy and science fiction, not just
cause it's so damn awesome and because everything else bores me, but
because these genre's really do speak to me.

6. Where do you get your ideas?

Sometimes from movies, sometimes from the news, mostly - everyday
occurrences.  Churn Book I came about when I had some things going on
in my life I couldn't control.  At that same time, I had also seen
"Hell Boy" and one of the Jason Bourne trilogies in the same month.

7. Do you ever experience writer’s block?

No..., here's what I do...I preoccupy myself with at least two
manuscripts and one screenplay at the same time.  If I am struggling
with one, I jump on the other one.  You treat it like a buffet and
some slow poke is in your way looking at their calorie chart - you
jump to the next food plate and then go back to the one you missed.
You have to remember, the only person in your way is you.


8. Do you work with an outline, or just write?

It depends, short stories - I tend sometimes, to write without an
outline.  Novels on the other hand - have to have architecture at some
point, or you'll screw it up.

9. Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way
 either growing up or as an adult?

I have read news articles that have influenced me as much as most
books but the books that have really stuck with me are 'Bury My Heart
at Wounded Knee' by Dee Brown, and 'On Writing, A Memoir of the Craft'
by Stephen King.  The one fiction that still blows me away is 'The
Road' by Cormac McCarthy.

10. Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?

I started chasing agents from day one.  Don't do this.  Personally, it
delayed my publication efforts. I realized that even though writing is
great, I was also in the business of publication, book marketing and
sales.  The good news is, that after six months with no real results
other than an expanded education in this industry, I was eventually
contacted by Lightning Source, an Ingram Content Group subsidiary.

11. If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your
novel or getting it published that you would change?

Yes, I wouldn't have gone to that certain NY book convention and spent
over six hundred dollars... There's that whole time machine gambit
that enables you to go back and slap yourself in the head, I wish it
existed and I could.  I learned that if I could have put just about
half of that money into advertising and marketing, I would have been
far better off.  Watch your money and who you give it to.


12. How do you market your work? What avenues have you found to work best
 for your genre?

There are book blogs to consider, ahem.  There are also digital media
campaigns, net radio interviews.  The best press you can get, is a
reader reading your book and placing a good review on Amazon or
Facebook.  Book signing events and networking with your local book
stores are a wonderful way to get your book in the hands of a
potential reader of your genre.  There is something about breathing
the same air as someone that is interested in your work.  For a reader
to shake your hand and ask you about your next project goes farther
than any press release or book review you could ever organize, believe
it.

13. Have you written a book you love that you have not been able to get
published?

Nope, not yet.  It's too easy to get published but more labor to get
your story in the right pair of hands.

14. Can you tell us about your upcoming book?

CHURN Book II is it's own story, it's a urban fantasy and science
fiction based read with a  hints of romance and intimacy.  The
protagonist from the CHURN Book I of III is back with his supporting
line up.  The premise is a widower who has lost his wife and is being
controlled and manipulated by a Entity older than that of Lucifer.
The US government as well as some other leading nations are
intervening with the my protagonist's personal mission, which is to
destroy this 'Entity' all the while the United State and these other
nations want to use the power of this creature for their own designs.

Brief Synopsis: With the world’s governments watching, helpless and
pushed beyond measure; our heroes - Bill Towerse, Lisa Cacuzzo and
Miko Nguyen, struggle to fulfill their destiny.  They are forced into
an unwritten future, consecrating the mercy of  a monstrous Entity not
of this world, but that of a dimension only certain priests and select
religious historians are aware of.  The true intent of this enemy is
exposed giving certain governments of interest what they’ve wanted all
along.  Aware of the high stakes, our heroes find themselves between
the Entity and the people they cherish while risking the outcome that
could destroy us all.


 And some fun questions:

What is your favorite food?

Lobster and butter, what else do you need?

 How do you feel about fuzzy socks?
had a pair of normal socks but over time, like people, they grew
thin and fuzzy.

 Share a secret with us!
When I'm walking-running for at least two miles or more, I have ear
buds in and typically playing Led Zeppelin or Billy Idol or The Red
Hots...; I sing aloud - incurious to who is listening, I sing my ass
off.