Thursday 31 May 2012

Brunswick joins Smashwords!

Today is the day when Brunswick joins the Smashwords platform. Now released from KDP Select, it is free to explore the book distribution world and grab some more readers!!
It has been given a nice new cover to celebrate and is also available at a lower price. These newbies will also be available on Amazon.

Hope you like the new cover............




Saturday 26 May 2012

Review of The Weeping Empress by Sadie S Forsythe

I have been fortunate to have been introduced to some strikingly good books recently. The Weeping Empress being the first of which I read. I have not looked at reading a book such as this since I was a lot younger and was reading a lot of graphic novels. I fear that, because of this, if I had been in a book shop I may have passed it by. A word of warning readers ………….. DO NOT PASS THIS BOOK BY!! It’s an astonishingly bitter and self-sacrificing read that has been written by Sadie S Forsythe with the most beautiful carnage you can describe.
Our heroine Chiyo is the main protagonist throughout and we stay with her on her journey of pure anger, destruction and self-discovery as she tries to fight her way through a new and harrowing life that she has been dragged kicking and screaming in to. Throughout the book you see a little more of the old her being repressed and the new warrior inside being released. She is haunted by her old life, but what really unleashes her rage when the book reaches its end is the sheer betrayal and usage on her. It begs the question that do we really know what is in our destiny and do we have a hand in it at all. On reflection, throughout the book, Chiyo's character kind of reminded me a little of Frankenstein’s monster, in the way that it became what it had been made to be.
It’s strange, but when I read a book the images that it conjures up in my mind are always live action, but when reading this I could only see it in anime. It was almost like watching Kill Bill in my head, where it switches from live action to anime and back again.
In all I would highly recommend this book, it’s a truly beautiful read.

Grab your copy with these links

Tuesday 22 May 2012

Free at last!!

So to celebrate the fact that I only have a few days left until my novel Brunswick comes out of the KDP Select programme (you will understand my celebration more after my next post), I am utilising my last day of FREEBIE giving!!!
Yes I am celebrating the fact that my book will no longer be available ONLY on Amazon and will soon have its lovely self uploaded on to Smashwords as well.
So on Friday 25th May you will have 24hrs to download your free copy to read and enjoy!!

Yet another massive thanks for your support of me and my work!!

Happy Reading
Ann
xx

Scott Clements Interview




Welcome Scott Clements thanks for talking to us today and letting us have a little insight into you and your books.


Q: Tell us about Gasparilla’s Treasure………………
CLEMENTS: Gasparilla’s Treasure is an adventurous treasure hunt through historic St Augustine Florida .  Our thirteen-year-old hero, Trip Montgomery, has to solve clues and sets out on the quest to find the treasure of famed pirate, Gasparilla.  Trip has no idea what’s in store for him!

Q: What’s your genre and why did you choose it?
CLEMENTS: I wrote Gasparilla’s Treasure as a middle grade novel.  I wanted to write something my ten year old son could really sink his teeth into; something that any kid from age eight to fourteen would not want to put down.  And truth be told, I think my brain is stuck at age thirteen anyway, just ask my wife.  I’ve been pleasantly surprised that many of my most satisfied readers are adults that just love the feeling of a “The Goonies” style book.  I think they enjoy the fact that it’s transporting them back to their youth.

Q: What’s the biggest obstacle you faced with your writing journey?
CLEMENTS: I think the biggest obstacles are the ones we put in front of ourselves.  It’s way easier to say, “I don’t have time right now” than it is to sit down and write.  It’s also easy to tell yourself that you’re not good enough, or that it’s too hard.  You just have to put those thoughts out of your head and make it happen.

Q: Where do you get your ideas and inspiration from?
CLEMENTS: With Gasparilla’s Treasure, I started with the single sentence, “A Thirteen-year-old boy wants to find the treasure his family has been searching for for three generations.”  I went with the idea that everything in my book must serve that sentence.  Then the book just started pouring out.  Now that I’ve finished, I see stories in everything around me.  Now I just have to sort out which ones will actually be interesting.

Q: Who or what are your influences?
CLEMENTS:  As a writer, I hate to admit it, but I think I am most influenced by movies.  I work as a sound mixer in the movie and TV business, and my mind always plays out a book as a movie.  When you read Gasparilla’s Treasure, you will quickly see some influences from “The Goonies”, “National Treasure”, “Indiana Jones”, etc... A great story is a great story, and I just want to tell great stories with great characters.

Q: Are you self-published, legacy or a combination?
CLEMENTS:  I am self published, and knew I would be from the beginning.  When I first started looking at writing a book, the prospect of finding an agent and then a publisher was so daunting.  And if I did find one, I realized they would likely make me do most of the work anyway.  Then I discovered self-publishing, and knew it was a fit for me.

Q: What was the hardest part of your self-pub / publishing journey?
CLEMENTS:  I think most indie authors would answer this question with publicity and getting the book into the hands of readers.  I did the free Kindle promotion and got 3200 downloads, which resulted in zero reviews so far.  I know when people read Gasparilla’s Treasure, they will love it, but it’s getting them to read it.  Publishers have huge advertising budgets and built in readers.  Us indie authors rely on readers, reviews, and word of mouth to get our books out there.

Q: What format are your books available in?
CLEMENTS:  As I mentioned, I did the Kindle free promo which requires an author to be ebook exclusive to Kindle for three months, so Gasparilla’s Treasure is currently available for Kindle and in paperback.  It was briefly available for the Nook and through Smashwords, and will relaunch on those sites in June.

Q: How many books have you published so far?
CLEMENTS:  Gasparilla’s Treasure was my first book... hopefully of many.      I hope to find readers that are hungry for my books, so I want to have more out there for them to read, and I’m working on it.  Many of the people who have read Gasparilla’s Treasure are screaming for a sequel.  When you read it, you’ll know why.

Q: What things did you outsource, if any at all?
CLEMENTS:  I have no artistic talent, so I found an amazing artist to do my cover.  I think everyone will agree that she does amazing work.  Other than that, I have done everything myself, and it’s all gone pretty smoothly.  Sure there have been a few bumps in the road, but that is the journey of self-publishing.

Q: What’s the best bit of advice you received when starting out?
CLEMENTS:  The best advice I got was when I was writing scripts.  I handed a script to a screen-writer friend of mine, and after reading it, he advised me to throw it away and read the books “Screenplay”, and “Writing Screenplays That Sell”.  I took his advice and started with a new understanding of structure, story, and characters.  I think that advice has helped me write fast moving, fun, character driven stories.

Q: What advice would you offer to the future Debut Authors out there?
CLEMENTS:  Get ready for the bad with the good.  Not everyone is going to like your work, and when someone has something bad to say about your work, it feels like they are stomping on your soul.   But then a reader tells you that they couldn’t sleep until they finished the book, or that your book really connected with them and you forget all about the bad things.

Q: What’s next for you? Any projects in the pipeline for us to look forward to?
CLEMENTS:  I’m just finishing the final chapters of my next book.  It’s about Chet Parker, a shy, animal loving kid without many friends.  His dog leads him to the house of the most popular girl in school, and her cat, Mr. Fluffy Pants has gone missing.  Mr. Fluffy Pants was wearing the mom’s diamond tennis bracelet and Chet decides to help her find Mr. Fluffy Pants, Ace Ventura style.  It’s a fun detective story.

Q: Any favourite Author that you are a fan of and would recommend?
CLEMENTS:  If you haven’t had a chance to read Orson Scott Card, I think you’re missing out.  A friend of mine turned me on to “Enders Game” a few years back, and I have since read almost all of Card’s work.  His latest, “Pathfinder” is a great read.

Q: Give us one of your favourite quotes……………….
CLEMENTS:  When my son tells me he can’t do something, I always tell him, “Can’t is just can with a t at the end.” Mostly, he just thinks his dad is crazy, but I think it will sink in some day.  I’ve also noticed he avoids saying “can’t” now, and finds a different way to tell me he can’t do something.

Q: And finally tell us something random about yourself to make us chuckle………………………….
CLEMENTS:  I have consistently been able to beat my friends on the golf course.  Not with my score, but in the “number of balls lost” contest.  In that contest, there is no one better.


Thanks so much for joining us on the blog Scott, it's been a real pleasure having you!!


You can find Gasparilla's Treasure by following these links

Monday 21 May 2012

Major Faux Pas!!!!

OK, I am aware that mistakes happen and that we learn from them and that I'm only human. Some mistakes are little and some are big. So here is my big one.............. ARCS, Networking and publicising!!!
Dear oh dear, I know that being new to it all I am pretty much flying by the seat of my pants and learning as I go, but I so wish I had known and researched all that before releasing Brunswick. I mean I am a totally unknown writer and I release my first book with absolutely NO platform what-so-ever!!! That was just silly, I think my common sense was having a break that day!!
Brunswick sat there with no momentum at all. No one was looking out for it and no one had heard of it (save for a few friends and family members). Even now as I am getting ready to release my second novel, Brunswick is only just starting to get the coverage and reviews that should of been there backing it up from the start. What a terrible Mummy I have been to my baby!!! The reviews and blog tours etc that Brunswick is receiving and getting involved in now is because of the networking and publicising that I have done. But it was AFTER THE FACT!!!!! When Brunswick was finally released it sat on the shelf alone. It had no reviews, no mentions, no cover reveals or even discussions about the fact that it was a debut novel from a debut writer. NOTHING. Nobody had read it and so nobody was able to say "check out this book" and nobody knew who I was so nobody said "hey check out this debut writer".
Even now that I have put myself in the thick of it with other authors, readers, bloggers, reviewers, publishers and agents, Ann Haines and her book Brunswick are only just starting to poodle along the literary road. It is yet to gain any real momentum and (fingers crossed) take off on its own. I know that this is a long journey and if you are lucky enough to be a successful writer that it can take a huge amount of time. Still I can't help but think that it would have had more chance and gained more momentum if I had actually put it out there and asked for exposure first.


Well, lesson learned. My second book 'Mary' was going to get released at around the end of May but I have now pushed the release date back to Friday 6th July. I will be offering ARCs to bloggers and other authors that would like to read and review it for me so that, this time, the book will not be up there alone. It will have the back up from the reviews and hopefully it will have its name out there in a few discussions. I am hoping that by doing this I am giving it a better chance than I did before. Of course I can't guarantee that this is right, but from what I have learned from my previous mistake and from others advice as well, I am willing to give it a try. It seems that patience and perseverance is the key to most of what I'd like to achieve, so lets give that a go aye? This time though I intend to be a little more savvy!!


Happy Blogging
Ann
xx

Saturday 19 May 2012

Emmalee Aple Interview


Emmalee Aple was born and raised in Wisconsin, but always dreamed of life on the coast. Now, grown with a handsome computer geeky husband and two beautiful blonde monsters of her own, she uses what spare time she can manage to squeeze out of her day, writing, sewing and crafting. Emmalee’s debut novel, Neophyte, was released in February 2012. She is excited to share the beginning of this story with you, and is currently busy working on Rogue, the second book in this series.
Emmalee lives off of carmel iced coffee and sprees. She strongly believes that a childs imagination is the most important part of growing up, and that the cleaning elves are avoiding her messy house.
She loves a good book that sucks you in and doesnt let go until the pages run out. And can not get enough of the show Glee. (Although she will admit she DVRs Bones, Castle, Pretty Little Liars, Vampire Diaries and Fringe).
Growing up her favorite movie was Annie and she knows all the lyrics to almost every disney song! 
In the summer you can find her outside in her hammock, or out on a boat in the local lakes. Her current favorite books are The Hunger Games, the Demonblood series and The Lorax.

Welcome Emmalee Aple thanks for talking to us today and letting us have a little insight into you and your books.

Q: Tell us about Neophyte ………………
A: Neophyte is the first book in the series. It takes you through part of Addisyn White’s transformation from human to angel.  Where she learns that her Link [group of angels she is connect to, kind of like her angel family] is keeping secrets from her, secrets about her, about being an angel, and about the dangers that surround them.  Because she is a Neophyte, she isn’t allowed to do much, she is untrained, inexperienced and can still die a human death. But that doesn’t stop her from fighting for what she believes in.  There is some romance, some fighting and a lot of tension. It starts with a kidnapping and ends with a life changing decision.
Q: What’s your genre and why did you choose it?
A: My genre is Young Adult fiction, in the sub category of fantasy or paranormal. I chose this genre because it’s what I read the most.
Q: What’s the biggest obstacle you faced with your writing journey?
A: The biggest obstacle I faced, honestly, was finding the time to get my ideas on paper. With a hubby and two kids, there isn’t much time in the day and the time there is, I should be using for sleeping.
Q: Where do you get your ideas and inspiration from?
A: My ideas come mostly from my wild imagination. Some things that happen in the book happened in real life. I don’t want to give too much away, but a certain date scene was actually from back when hubs and I were dating.
Q: Who or what are your influences?
A: My influences come from all over.  I can’t really pinpoint an exact place or person, I like to draw from everything.
Q: Are you self-published, legacy or a combination?
A: I am self published, but I am currently looking for a literary agent or a publisher to represent me... so if you know of one, you know... put in a good word for me, okay?
Q: What was the hardest part of your self-pub / publishing journey?
A:  I honestly didn’t know how much work it was going to take!  Writing the book was the easiest part, if you can believe that.  By edit round 17 I was pretty sure I had it right, then I ran it through my editor and had two more edits after that.  Plus all the self promoting, it’s a lot of work!
Q: What format are your books available in?
A: Right now, Neophyte is only in e-book format, but as I said earlier, I am actively looking for representation.
Q: How many books have you published so far?
A: Just the one, but soon I will have the sequel and a secret book out.
Q: What things did you outsource, if any at all?
A: I have been blessed with a great group of friends. I had a friend edit for me, another one helped walk me through how to self publish (she also gave me pep talks when I didn’t think I could go on), then I had a friend who took the photos for the cover art, and another one used the photo and added the graphicy things to make it into the cover that it is.
Q: What’s the best bit of advice you received when starting out?
A: Don’t give up!  Even when you have 20 rejection letters, use that to motivate you to improve, not give up.
Q: What advice would you offer to the future Debut Authors out there?
A: Before you release your book, hype it up a lot. Send advanced copies to bloggers, do blog hops, get the hype up for it.  It will help later on when you are self promoting it.
Q: What’s next for you? Any projects in the pipeline for us to look forward to?
A: Right now, I am currently working on Rogue, the next book in the Neophyte Series, and a secret book that started to form a few weeks ago.
Q: Any favourite Author that you are a fan of and would recommend?
A: I will shamelessly promote my friend, Penelope King. She has been an inspiration and sometimes my pure motivation for getting Neophyte done and published. She has two series out right now, Demonblood (it’s amazing... you have to read it) and Spellbound (a great witchy series!)  Check her out! You won’t be disappointed!
Q: Give us one of your favourite quotes……………….

A: My favourite quote from Neophyte is: “You’re right. That was definitely the harder way to go about explaining that I am dead.” I breathed sarcastically. “At least you have now confirmed I am not in hell.” (this is Addisyn’s reaction to when she sees her whole Link shirtless for the first time, right before they bloomed in front of her.)

My favourite quote not in Neophyte: “For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.” - Audrey Hepburn

Q: And finally tell us something random about yourself to make us chuckle………………………….
A: Are you sure? Oh boy... let’s see... When I was 18, I tried out for the dance team for my local pro-basketball team.  My friend and I thought it would be a fun thing to do... long story short, she ended up messing up in a turn sequence, so I saw it and I started to laugh, and then it was just an onset for a bad case of the giggles.  I laughed my whole way through both times through the audition, like, rolling on the floor laughing, while the others danced around me, trying hard not to laugh.  So clearly, since then, I have found another career path. HAHA.

Emmalee it's been a pleasure having you here on my blog. Good luck with Neophyte and all your future work.


I will be reviewing Neophyte on this blog soon so please keep checking back!!


You can find Neophyte by clicking on the following links



Monday 14 May 2012

John Hennessy Interview

Our Interview today is with the Author John Hennessy. Born in 1988, John became entranced by the world of fantasy at a young age, playing video games and reading books for many long nights/early mornings. He recently graduated from Western Washington University, and now lives in the green land of Bellingham, at work on the second book in The Cry of Havoc series.



Welcome John Hennessy thanks for talking to us today and letting us have a little insight into you and your books.
Thanks for having me on your blog!
Q: Tell us about your latest book At the End?
A: At the End is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi about a group of teenage gamers who are struggling to survive in the near future. The birth control industry has been shut down and population growth has boomed yet again, bordering 39 billion in 2048. The book starts in Bellingham, WA on the third day after nearly the entire population has been taken. Strange marks have popped up on everyone’s door, and billions have disappeared for the last three nights, but no one knows why or how they were taken. The story follows Maggy, Darrel, and Félix, a close group of friends, who were in on a joke that aluminium foil protects you from aliens, but it turns out it may not be so funny, and may have actually saved their lives.
Q: What’s your genre and why did you choose it?
A: The genre for At the End is hard, because it’s not one specifically. I call it a YA post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller. The main category is probably just sci-fi though. Normally I write fantasy, but once I thought of the idea for At the End, I just had to write it, and I’m glad I did.
Q: What’s the biggest obstacle you faced with your writing journey?
A: I can’t say that I had any while writing At the End. It all just came together, without any hiccups.
Q: Where do you get your ideas and inspiration from?
A: I get inspiration from everything and anything. For At the End, I initially got the inspiration by a swindler knocking on my door, telling me this long story of how her father was in the hospital and she needed money for gas to get down to Seattle. You could just tell she wasn’t for real, and come to find out in the paper about a week later, she was going around all of Bellingham trying to scam people. Well, that incident lead to the though: what if she went around knocking on peoples’ doors to see what was inside, then marked the houses, so that later her and her friends would rob the places with the most valuable items. Crazy start, I know, but one thing just evolved into another.
Q: Who or what are your influences?
A: I have quite a few, a lot of which have been my professors and their courses at Western before I graduated. I learned a lot while studying there. David Attenborough and his wildlife documentaries have been quite influential on my writing (in The Cry of Havoc series). As far as writers go, Garth Nix was my favourite growing up.
Q: Are you self-published, legacy or a combination?
A: Self-published.
Q: What was the hardest part of your self-pub / publishing journey?
A: Editing. Finally, I had to break down and hire an editor, which is no small thing at 23 and just out of college.
Q: What format are your books available in?
A: My books are available in all eBook formats and paperback format.
Q: How many books have you published so far?
A: Two novels, one of which I had spent six years writing, starting The Cry of Havoc: Life Descending in high school, finishing it in college.
Q: What things did you outsource, if any at all?
A: Editing.
Q: What’s the best bit of advice you received when starting out?
A: Can’t say I received any. I wish someone had told me to save my money and not to pay for any reviews and just send out free copies to more reviewers.
Q: What advice would you offer to the future Debut Authors out there?
A: Use a text-to-speech program when you edit. They allow you to find a lot more errors, listening to someone else’s voice reading your material.
Q: What’s next for you? Any projects in the pipeline for us to look forward to?
A: I am currently working on book two in The Cry of Havoc series. Part one, Life Descending, was recently made a finalist in ForeWord Magazine’s Book of the Year awards in the fantasy category, and has been called “as good as Game of Thrones.”
Q: Any favourite Author that you are a fan of and would recommend?
A: It’s hard not to recommend George RR Martin. But I also recommend Michael Crichton, Cormac McCarthy, and Cervantes (Don Quixote).
Q: Give us one of your favourite quotes……………….
A: "If then true lovers have been ever crossed,
It stands as an edict in destiny.
Then let us teach our trial patience,
Because it is a customary cross,
As due to love as thoughts, and dreams, and sighs,
Wishes, and tears, poor fancy's followers." -Shakespeare.
Q: And finally tell us something random about yourself to make us chuckle………………………….
A: I used to be a comedian, but by the age of eleven I lost all my talent . . .
Thanks for joining us John and best of luck with your work. At The End is one of the books that I'll be reviewing for this blog soon so stay tuned.


You can find 'At The End' with these links.
Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk Goodreads Smashwords 

Thursday 10 May 2012

Diana Nixon Interview


Diana Nixon was born in Minsk, Belarus, where she still lives and works on her book series Love Lines.
Before becoming a writer she received a Master of Law degree from Belorussian state University. Since then she has got married and given birth to her precious daughter.
She says “I’ve always liked reading fantasy novels, so when I came up with the idea of writing a book, I already knew what genre to choose.  At the moment I’m working on my Love lines series"
Welcome Diana Nixon thanks for talking to us today and letting us have a little insight into you and your books.

Q: Tell us about your Love lines series.
-          First of all I should say that this is my debut as a writer. A few months ago I came up with the idea of writing a book and decided that it would be a fantasy novel. Love lines - is a story about young girl Eileen Clark, whose life turns upside down when she finds out about her unusual talents. I tried to make an interesting plot with good heroes, mysteries and beautiful love, of course.  Love lines series include five novels and one short story. The first book released on May 29 and the date of release for the second book is not set yet, however I can already say that it will be named Songs of the wind.

Q: What’s your genre and why did you choose it?
-          I write fantasy novels for young adults. I like dreaming and think that this genre is the best way to make some of my dreams come true. I do believe in supernatural, though I’ve never met wizards or mind readers myself. In my own books I try to gather everything I would like to see in a book of such a genre.

Q: What’s the biggest obstacle you faced with your writing journey?
-          The only thing I was definitely sure about while starting my first book was its title, that’s why all the details such as a place of the events, names of my heroes and some landscape researches of Britain itself took a lot of hours to be ready.

Q: Where do you get your ideas and inspiration from?
-          From everywhere! From my family, my friends and some every day events around me, but as I have already answered on my website - the main thing it to get as much positive emotions as possible.

Q: Who or what are your influences?
-          I think it’s some inner state of my soul and my heart’s calling that influence me most. As inspiration is something kept inside of you, then everything what is around you may affect its appearance of absence. That’s why it’s so important to write when you are inspired by something, because when you make yourself write, the book can’t be interesting.

Q: Are you self-published, legacy or a combination?
-          I’m a self-published author.

Q: What was the hardest part of your self-pub journey?
-          Finding a publisher of course! I still don’t know what I would have done without my friends who advised to choose Createspace services. I think that it’s pointless to pay someone to publish your book when there are so many opportunities to do it yourself.

Q: What format are your books available in?
-          My first book is available in paperback, but I’m working on making it digital as well.

Q: How many books have you published so far?

-          There is only one book published as it was actually my first book.

Q: What things did you outsource, if any at all?
-          There were some guide-books about Britain, some works about people’s energy and the books about some specific plants. So research mainly. 

Q: What’s the best bit of advice you received when starting out?
-          Write if you want to!

Q: What advice would you offer to the future Debut Authors out there?
-          Don’t take every negative review personally, because it doesn’t necessary mean that your book is bad, maybe just that reader wanted to find something else there, but the next one will definitely like it. And never give up! If something you are doing makes you smile and brings happiness then it’s something you should really do.

Q: What’s next for you? Any projects in the pipeline for us to look forward to?
-          As soon as I finish my Love lines series I’m going to start a trilogy about guardian angels.

Q: Any favourite Author that you are a fan of and would recommend?
-          There are many good authors so I would recommend just one of my latest readings. It’s Claudia Gray. I thing her books are amazing.

Q: Give us one of your favourite quotes.
-          The brightest stars are shining in a place of your childhood.

Q: And finally tell us something random about yourself to make us chuckle.
-          I’ve never thought that being an International lawyer I would become an International writer as well!

Thanks Diana, it was lovely you have you here. Best of luck to you with your work, I cant wait to read and review.

"Love Lines" will have a review on here soon and its release date will be 29th May so look out for it.

Wednesday 9 May 2012

M.J. Webb Interview

Welcome M.J.Webb thanks for talking to us today and letting us have a little insight into you and your books.


Q: Tell us about Jake West – Warriors of the Heynai
Hi and I’m very pleased to be here. Warriors is the sequel to my debut novel, ‘Jake West – The Keeper of the Stones’. The Jake West series was penned for my children and this is book two of three. I’m well into writing book three as we speak. It’s a fantasy epic adventure aimed specifically at teenage boys, though I have been delighted to find that it is being read and enjoyed by readers of all ages, from nine to seventy-three that I’m aware of. The main heroes are two ordinary fifteen year old boys who get thrust into an extraordinary world when they discover a strange box which unearths some even stranger family secrets. Chased across worlds, hunted by fearsome beasts and feted as the saviour of millions, the hero they have been waiting for, Jake West has to fulfil his destiny and live up to the greatest of expectations. Warriors sees the journey continue as Jake seeks the stones needed to restore the Heynai’s weapon and tackle an evil wizard and his legions of monsters. Book 1 was penned primarily for my son, this book was written more for my daughter. Because of this, there is a very strong female heroine who kicks ass, as well as an army of warriors risen from the dead, a dragon, spirits, wizards.... Everything you could want in a good story.

Q: What’s your genre and why did you choose it?
I suppose if you were to pigeonhole it, you would have to say fantasy, though I believe it stands on its own as a young adult fiction story. I’m not one for labels as I think it deters some readers. It also puts off any literary agents and publishers who dismiss novels upon hearing the word, fantasy. I love the genre but I’d like to simply say that it is a good yarn. I chose fantasy because I was writing to inspire my children. The books have strong themes of loyalty, trust and bravery. I also wanted something that did not take too much research, as my full time employment meant I would have limited time. With fantasy, everything is generated in your own mind.

Q: What’s the biggest obstacle you faced with your writing journey?
That’s an easy one; time. Or more accurately, lack of time. I work full time and I have a young family, it’s very hard to juggle the three. I can go weeks without a day to write, any author will tell you that is an impossibly frustrating situation. I have usually forgotten where I was and have to re-read all I’ve done before I can begin. Also, I don’t have the luxury of waiting for it to happen. I have to force it out and hope I get in the zone so to speak. It’s not ideal and I’d love to be able to devote more time to my writing.

Q: Where do you get your ideas and inspiration from?
From my children. I write for them so I try to imagine what they would like to read. It has to be exciting but real, believable. There has to be edge of your seat moments and humour. I try not to fill the pages with too much ‘gumph’, or Information dumping. I think I failed in that regard a little with book one but it still reads well and one day I’ll re-edit it. It was my first novel after all. My ideas came from nowhere, I never considered myself to be creative until I began to write. My imagination was stimulated like never before and I could not stop. There are very few characters based on real life, though some have certain characteristics and names of people I know.

Q: Who or what are your influences?
I had not read a fantasy book from start to finish before beginning my novel so I had no influences as such. I used to read military books and biographies in the main. Since writing I have branched out and read works by Tolkien, C S Lewis, Patrick Rothfus and Gail Martin amongst others. I’m still learning about the genre though so my journey has only just begun. One thing is for certain; I can never be accused of plagiarism.

Q: Are you self-published, legacy or a combination?
I am self published. The first book was through Authorhouse and the second Lulu. I did submit the first to several agents/publishers but was not successful. I wanted a book for my children so I decided to self publish. I do not regret that decision and I think the stigma attached to self publishing is dwindling all the time. I’ve read many self published works which are, in my opinion, as good as or better than their published counterparts. In most cases the only difference is the editing.

Q: What was the hardest part of your self-pub / publishing journey?
Authorhouse were too far removed to be of any help, being based in America. They only seemed interested in me if I was paying more money. I was a number on a list and I think they missed the boat. If they had listened to me, fought my corner, we could have enjoyed far more success and made more money in the process. Lulu was easier and cheaper, the only difficulty came from the fact that I had to do everything myself, with no help. Once the artist was on board (A J Hateley), it was a much more satisfying experience.

Q: What format are your books available in?
They are available in all formats; On Amazon as Kindle and paperback, on lulu as hardback and on several sites besides. WH Smith and Waterstones have it on their database and I know of at least one store that has it on their shelves. All the customer has to do is ask if it is not, though it is probably cheaper to order online. As I joined KDP Select on Amazon, I had to pull the ebook version from other sites.

Q: How many books have you published so far?
Warriors is my second, I’m hoping to have book three out by the end of the year. It is untitled at present but it will finish the series, although there is scope for so much more. That will depend upon demand and my own situation/circumstances. I’d love to continue writing but it is a lot of hard work and it detracts sometimes from my other commitments.

Q: What things did you outsource, if any at all?
Only the artwork. I found a brilliant young art student called A J Hateley who I convinced to work with me. She produced some exceptional artwork for both books and I’m glad to say she has received acknowledgement and credit for her work. She’s become a very good friend and I turn to her for advice on a whole range of issues. In fact, she proofreads my work when possible and I am quite often astounded by her insight.

Q: What’s the best bit of advice you received when starting out?
To be totally honest, most people advised me not to do it, to start small with short stories etc. I’m so glad that I ignored them. J  I think people like Gail Martin, Charity Parkerson, Lynn Hallbrooks, Mike Maynard (fellow authors I met on sites such as Goodreads, Facebook etc) were a massive help with their encouragement and knowledge once I had begun. Mike for example helped me with establishing a website presence. No man is an island, we all need help from time to time, the authors above proved to be the nicest people who were willing to share their experiences and help. I can’t thank them enough.

Q: What advice would you offer to the future Debut Authors out there?
Seek as much help and advice as you can get but stick to your guns if it matters to you. There are plenty of reasons not to do something, you only need to find one to do it. Don’t publish too early, wait until your work is the best it can be. Don’t give up or give in, there will be highs and lows along your journey so expect them and ride the waves. You can never please everyone so you will have your fair share of critics/bad reviews, listen to what they are saying if constructive and valid, but disregard them if not, remembering that the reader has taken the time to look at your work and earned the right to have an opinion. Most of all enjoy the moment. If your writing does not fill you with excitement, how do you expect it to thrill your readers?

Q: What’s next for you? Any projects in the pipeline for us to look forward to?
Book 3 is almost twenty chapters in and I’m thrilled by it. There’s a lot of editing and writing ahead but I believe it will finish the series in style, with some unexpected twists and turns. After that, a well earned break during which I intend to explore the works of other authors. Unless of course the writing bug bites...?  I have toyed with the idea of another genre, set in a time I know well, but we shall have to see.

Q: Any favourite Author that you are a fan of and would recommend?
I’ve met tons of great authors through Goodreads. Many of them write in genres I do not read such as Charity Parkerson, whose books are excellent I am told. I’ve also showcased some on my site like Michael Rivers, Mark Rice and Glenn Starkey. I think readers should explore the works of unknown authors, to discover a hitherto buried gem must be an amazing feeling. As far as established authors go, I like Patrick Rothfus’ style, C S Lewis is a must for all children, and Tolkien is still the undisputed master of all things fantasy. I would say read everything you can, cast your net far and wide and enjoy delving into murky, unchartered waters. You may catch a shark, or a tiddler like me. :-)

Q: Give us one of your favourite quotes……………….
‘As flies to wanton boys are we to th’ Gods, they kill us for their sport.’ William Shakespeare
Q: And finally tell us something random about yourself to make us chuckle………………………….
I was once regressed and under hypnosis recounted a tale of my former life as a Roman soldier, including a battle against Spartacus.


Thanks so much for Joining us today M.J. its been great chatting to you.


Webb also has a feature on the blog. To read it click here  

Also check out the first book in the Jake West series The Keeper Of The Stones.