Get my App
Link to Me
Save the badge above and link to www://kennamckinnonauthor.com/
Most Popular Posts
-
It is my pleasure to welcome author Mari Collier to my blog today. We’ll start out with a few questions. If you choose not to a...
-
This book is called The Insanity Machine because in 1978 Kenna McKinnon chatted with another inmate in the old 5C forensic psychiatr... -
A Lovecraftian short story I wrote. Enjoy, folks, and don't forget the comments! I also would like the opportunity to publish it! ...
-
Roy Huff I'm delighted to be interviewing the multitalented and charismatic author, worl d tr aveler, and research scientist ... -
Battling Bikers Eileen Schuh, Author The heck with vampires when you can battle bikers! Many teens love reading about the ... -
Space Oddities and Curious Lack of Warning Steve would have had something interesting and unique to say about this. He was interested...
-
Hi, good readers. I recently removed the CAPTCHA requirement, you know, the word you have to type in to leave a comment. Since then I'...
-
Where do I go from here? Where I've been Came from the depths of obscurity and mental illness to that place called author. Ki...
-
My publisher, Creativia, suggested we change the name of Red Herrings to something "more mysterious" and I came up with several s...
-
Red Herrings was featured on Book Goodies , but now it's buried on the first page. I regret I don't keep up my website/blog, a...
Featured on Buck Books
Showing posts with label author interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label author interview. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Interview with Author Mari Collier
It is my pleasure to welcome author Mari Collier to my blog today.
We’ll start out with a few questions. If you choose not to answer any question, please feel free to skip it, and if there is anything that I’ve missed, you’re welcome to add a comment.Let’s get started, Mari.
1) Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
It seems I’m
someone who grew up without the amenities of modern life and witnessed the
hard, everyday work of a farmwoman as though it were still in the early
1900’s. It really gave an appreciation
for the strength of the early immigrants and their ability to work.
2)
As a child,
what did you want to do when you grew up?
I wanted to
become a Deaconess and serve in the overseas Lutheran Missouri Synod Mission
field. That meant I had to keep my
grades up to qualify for their Valparaiso University in northern Indiana. Unfortunately, allergies prevented me from
living in the Midwest.
3)
When did you first start writing?
I was
in the sixth grade and wrote a story about Lazarus, the Wandering Jew (heavens
only knows how I knew about that piece of folklore). The other two classmates (yes, a one room
country school) liked it so much they wanted a romance. I wrote it for them and thought it really insipid. I didn’t understand how they could like that. Then Mama put me in charge of writing the Douglas Township news for the Audubon Advocate. I decided I could write a Western set in the old West. Of course, it had to be Texas as that is where the Comanche were based. My second oldest brother thought it was hilarious that his baby sister would write a story and kill off all the characters. 
4)
When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
That was after I
had children and began making up bedtime stories for them. I started writing them down, and then pulled
out the Western I had started so long ago.
I decided I needed more tutelage and took a mail order writing
course.
5)
How long does it take you to write a book?
That depends on
which book. It took over fifty years to
write Gather The Children. Man, True Man
I must have written in about six months.
6)
What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?
The same every
day except when I may have an appointment or visitors. I write from 2:30 p.m. until 3:55 p.m. Sometimes it does stretch out to a longer
time.
7)
What would you say is your most interesting writing
quirk?
I like to give short stories a twisted
ending. They aren’t necessarily happy
ever after.
8)
Where do you get your information and/or ideas for
your books?
The ideas are
just there. The necessary technical
information is in my library or on the internet. The latter is such a time saver.
9)
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
I would love to
do more reading, but the writing interferes.
I like to work outside, take walks, and Nintendo forever ruined me. I like to play electronic games too.
10) What does your family think of your writing?
21) What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?
My son couldn’t believe his Mother wrote those
books. My daughter likes one and some of
my short stories. My granddaughters are
really proud of her grandmother. My grandsons are perplexed. My nieces and great-nieces have been
enthusiastic in their support. My one
living brother says that I am one hell of a writer, and the one (now at home
with the Lord) complimented me for being the better writer. You see, they are a mixed lot.
11)
What was one of the most surprising things you
learned in creating books?
That I could see,
hear, and smell the characters.
12)
How many
books have you written? Which is your favorite?
I have written seven novels and four Twisted Tales
anthologies. I really cannot pick a
favorite. It is like asking a mother
which of her children is the favorite.
13)
Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of
things do they say?
It is more like
occasionally as far as direct communication goes. The reviews are one way of hearing your
readers. That means I take the good with
the bad. Fortunately, most are good
comments.
14)
What do you think makes a good story?
Adventure, new or ancient worlds, love and hate, in
others words, the essential emotions and curiosity of humans or other beings.
15)
How did you choose what genre to write in?
It chose me.
16)
Do you ever experience writer’s block?
No, I have not.
I have found that with other writers that sometimes they create their
own blocks. If something doesn’t go the
way they want, they put everything away.
If something doesn’t seem to go right, I just move onto another
project. I usually have three or four
others I can choose from.
17)
Is there any particular author or book that
influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?
The Bible and
Luther’s Small Catechism. The other main
influence was the history books.
18)
Can you tell us about your challenges in getting
your first book published?
Oh, please, that
was a nightmare as Kindle Publishing, Nook Publishing, and Create Space did not
exist then. I took my brother’s advice
and went with a vanity company. It was a
horrible decision. I am so thankful to
have the rights to that book back.
19)
What was your favorite chapter or part to write?
Why?
I cannot pick one chapter, but one of my
favorites is The Pastor Becomes The Shepherd in Before We Leave. One man makes a complete transformation.
20)
How did you come up with the title?
Trial and error.
Sometimes the title was there just like the book. The vanity company insisted I change the
title of my first one. At least that
vanity company didn’t charge for the cover or the printing.
21) What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?
The one that had nothing to do with the novel. The best came from my granddaughter. This is it:
My grandmother is the author.
But I'm not being biased when I say her books are amazing! I own 4.
22)
Can you tell us about your upcoming book?
The upcoming one will be The Silver and The
Green. It is a sequel to Man, True Man
and takes place on the planet Tonath.
Tonath has almost recovered from the Burning Days, but not completely.
One Seeker wants to restore the Star Path Institutes to their original teachings
and the other wants to find the ancient family land holdings. Then war erupts
between the battling governments and the different Star Path Institutes.
Ordinary people are caught between the different rulers and the different
religious proponents.
23)
What projects are you working on now?
See above.
I’m also trying to work on a short story, a new blog, and the next
sequel.
24)
Will you have a new book coming out soon?
I’m hoping The Silver and The Green will be out
before this summer.
25)
What famous person, living or dead, would you like
to have lunch with? Why?
Martin Luther as
his summaries of scripture is so succinct.
Unfortunately, I do not speak or understand German.
26)
What would you serve?
Sausages and beer. What else? We’re German.
Sausages and beer. What else? We’re German.
27)
If you had a magic wand to grant any wish, what
would that be?
Impossible
to say. I doubt if it would be anything
noble. I would think of my family before anyone else. People wish for peace, but that will never
happen in this sinful world. When lives
are too peaceful, people tend to read something with violence within the story
or watch a movie, YouTube episode, or television show that will have murder or
mayhem of some sort.
28)
Is there anything more that you would like to say to
your readers and fans?
Thanks to all who
have read or purchased my stories. If
you haven’t seen or read any of my tales and would like a look or preview of them, click on the Amazon
Author Page below. A double thanks to
all who have not only read the tales, but left a review. Thanks for inviting
me, Kenna and much love and happiness to all.
Thank you, Mari, it was a pleasure to interview you. All the best of luck on your upcoming novel, and warm wishes for a happy and profitable year.
Twitter:
@child7mari
Sunday, April 7, 2013
INTERVIEW WITH ROY HUFF, AUTHOR OF EVERVILLE: THE FIRST PILLAR
 | |
| Roy Huff |
I'm delighted to be interviewing the multitalented and charismatic author, world traveler, and research scientist, Roy Huff, today on my blog. Thank you for joining us today, Roy.
Roy Huff is the best selling author of
Amazon/Kindle's bestseller #2 epic fantasy and #3 young adult teen fantasy
novel Everville: The First Pillar, installment #1 in the Everville saga series.
He has many interests including science, traveling, movies, and the outdoors.
He holds five degrees in four separate fields including liberal arts, history,
secondary science education, and geoscience. Roy Huff has backgrounds in art,
history, education, business, real-estate, economics, geoscience, and satellite
meteorology. He was born on the East Coast but has spent more than half his
life in Hawaii.
- Tell us a bit about EVERVILLE: THE FIRST PILLAR, please, Roy.
A: Owen Sage is the emblematic college freshman at Easton Falls University. With all the worries about his first year in college, he was not prepared for what would happen next.
His way of life was flipped upside down when he mysteriously crossed into another dimension, into the beautiful land of Everville. His excitement was abruptly halted when he discovered that there was a darkness forged against both the natural world, which he knew well, and the new land which he discovered, Everville.
He must devise a plan to save both worlds while joining forces with the race of Fron and The Keepers, whom both harbor hidden secrets he must learn in order to gain power over the evil that dwells in The Other In Between.
With a race against time to save both worlds, his short time at Easton Falls did not quite prepare him for the evil, dark forces he must fight in order to conquer The Other In Between.
- Please tell us something about yourself, where you’re based, and how you came to be a writer.
A: I have a varied background and a love for science and
futurism. I’ve always had creative aspirations that ranged from fine art,
dance, singing, and writing that supplemented my love of science. I received a
lot of my technical writing skills in my various degrees. The idea for a novel had
been more of a fantasy than a desire, but a creative paper for one of my
English classes gave me the impetus to move forward with actually seeing that
fantasy to fruition.
- What genre do you generally write and have you considered other genres?
A: I am partial to sci-fi fantasy and young adult. I can
also see action, dystopian, science non-fiction, and economics as potential
sources of material in the future.
- What have you had published to-date? Do you write under a pseudonym?
A: Only my first novel Everville: The First Pillar has
been published to date, and I don’t use any pen names.
- Have you had any rejections? If so, how do you deal with them?
A: I’ve never actually pitched my novel, though I am
planning on pitching my next series and have had some discussions on the
general idea with a few publishing houses. I expect a formal pitch for a
sci-fi series in July or August, and I will see how that goes.
- Have you won or been shortlisted in any competitions?
A: Not in writing.
- Do you have an agent? Do you think they’re vital to an author’s success?
A: Not as of yet,
but with the response of my first novel I have started thinking about finding
one. I’m sure a good agent can be very beneficial, especially in navigating
what’s best of the author.
- Are your books available as eBooks? Were you involved in that process at all? Do you read eBooks or is it paper all the way?
A: Yes. Everville: The First Pillar is in Kindle,
paperback, and hardcover formats. An audio book is on the way. I have read both
formats, though I do prefer print.
- How much of the marketing do you do for your published works or indeed for yourself as a ‘brand’?
A: I do a tremendous amount of marketing, at least 20
hours per week. That is mainly interacting with fans and social media
promotion. I’ve also done a limited amount of paid Internet and radio
advertising.
- Do you have a favorite of your books or characters? If any of your books were made into films, who would you have as the leading actor/s?
A: I like The Lord of the Rings, Hunger Games, Harry
Potter, Dr. Who, Star Trek, the most recent Batman series, and numerous other
sci-fi, fantasy, dystopian works. I have too many characters I like to mention,
but I would love to see Peter Jackson direct my films.
- Did you have any say in the titles / covers of your book(s)? How important do you think they are?
A: I had complete control. The cover is nearly equal in
importance to the actual story and editing.
- What are you working on at the moment / next?
A: I'm working on the second book in the Everville
series, which I’m hoping to have done sometime this Summer. I’m also starting
to work on different series on time travel.
- Do you manage to write every day? Do you ever suffer from writer’s block?
A: I don’t write everyday due to my schedule, but I’ve
been fortunate not to have writers block when I do find the time to write.
- Do you plot your stories or do you just get an idea and run with it?
A: I get an idea and run with it. The plot develops on
its own, though I have a general direction where I usually want to move.
- Do you have a method for creating your characters, their names and what do you think makes them believable?
A: I do a little research on the meaning of names,
beyond that, I just pick names I think sound appropriate or interesting.
- Do you write any non-fiction, poetry or short stories?
A: I write all of the above, but nothing that has been
published.
- Do you do a lot of editing or do you find that as time goes on your writing is more fully-formed?
A: I do both.
- Do you have to do much research?
A: I write from experience and generally only research
names and to a lesser degree basic facts and certain locations or items that
are introduced in the story.
- What point of view do you find most to your liking: first person or third person? Have you ever tried second person?
A: The first story was in first person, but I have found
it’s easier to transition when writing in third, so I expect to use third
person more frequently moving forward.
- Do you have pieces of work that you think will never see light of day?
A: I will find a way to publish all of my finished
works, whether it’s a traditional publishing house or not.
- What’s your favorite / least favorite aspect of your writing life? Has anything surprised you?
A: The least favorite is worrying about critics and
reviewers. So far, I’m pleased most of the critics have been generally positive.
- What advice would you give aspiring writers?
A: Get a good editor. Get in the habit of writing as
part of a regular routine, and seek advice from others. Don't give up, but also
learn to accept constructive criticism. Don’t be afraid to show your work.
- If you could invite three people from any era to dinner, who would you choose and what would you cook (or hide the takeaway)?
A: That’s a tough question. I think Jesus, Muhammad, and Steve Jobs would make for interesting dinner conversation. I would make falafels and Greek salad.
- Is there a word, phrase or quote you like?
A: The only limits we are have are the limits we place
on ourselves.
- Are you involved in anything else writing-related other than actual writing or marketing of your writing?
A: I’ve done research related reports for various
positions I’ve held as a research scientist.
- What do you do when you’re not writing? Any hobbies or party tricks? :)
A: I love movies, hiking, traveling, as well as good
food and conversation.
- Are there any writing-related websites and/or books that you find useful?
A: I’ve read articles, but I don’t spend too much time
learning about the writing process other than from experience. I don’t like to
be put in a box.
- What do you think the future holds for a writer?
A: I think I will get additional works published and I
hope to see some turned into screenplays for film and television.
- Where can we find out about you and your work?
A: You can visit my website , Goodreads
or my Amazon bio page
- Is there anything else you’d like to mention?
A: I’ve found the writing community and independent
authors to be very supportive. I also think it’s important to try and connect
with as many readers as possible.
 |
| Buy it now! |
Thank you again for taking part in this blog interview, Roy.
I’m very grateful that you took time out from your writing to answer these
questions.
I wish you all the best with your future projects.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Bizarro Writer and Books
Raw Dog Screaming Press posted an interview with Jeremy C. Shipp, young Bizarro writer of dark horror books and short stories.Don't look too long because I found it only once and now the interview seems to be gone from Raw Dog Screaming Press. It's on Jeremy's website, Slices of Bizarro Pie.
Jeremy was nominated for the Bram Stoker award, and is author of numerous novels and short story collections, such as my very favorite weird tales, Attic Clowns, Complete Collection.
Amazon says, "Men, women, children, and things beyond imagination all interconnect in ATTIC CLOWNS, where laughter is only the prelude to the bizarre and terrible."
Fiction horror books fascinated me for a short time when I was writing my own, but I found my talents lie elsewhere. I haven't found those talents yet but I know they're there somewhere, maybe buried in Jeremy's basement far from the attic of his imagination.
Speaking of creepy, I found this on Slices of Bizarro Pie:
Do you have a favorite site or writer?
I will answer all comments. Eventually.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
ANNOUNCING: AUTHOR CHRIS REDDING
She slammed her hand on the table. Her beer wobbled. She caught it. "You are not seducing me back into this life."
He shifted away from her, his arms crossed. His expression didn't change. He hadn't even flinched at her outburst. Not even at her use of the word seduce, which she knew any shrink would have a field day with.
Had he predicted what she would do?
When they had worked together, he'd known before she did that she had to pee. She'd never met anyone so in tune with her. Maybe she never wanted to have anyone know her that way again.
"I'm different now. I have this great life." Her finger stabbed the air, punctuated every word. "You cannot take that away from me."
"I'm not taking away anything. I'm giving you something. I'm giving you back the ability to make a difference."
She stalked away from him. "You think I don't make a difference? What about the family whose house didn't burn down because I was here?"
"You can prevent many more houses from not burning down with us."
She shook her head. "It isn't the same."
He would not pull her strings. He would appeal to her sense of honor and her strong desire to help people. He knew all the cards she held and how to play them to his advantage.
"No, it's better," he said.
Bio:
Chris Redding lives in New Jersey with her husband, two sons, one dog and three rabbits. She graduated from Penn State with a degree in journalism. She teaches online writing workshops and a creative writing course for a local continuing education organization. When she isn’t writing or teaching, she works part time for her local hospital.
Buy Links to Blonde Demolition:
Blurb:
You just can't hide from the past...
Mallory Sage lives in a small, idyllic town where nothing ever happens. Just the kind of life she has always wanted. No one, not even her fellow volunteer firefighters, knows about her past life as an agent for Homeland Security.
Former partner and lover, Trey McCrane, comes back into Mallory's life. He believes they made a great team once, and that they can do so again. Besides, they don't have much choice. Paul Stanley, a twisted killer and their old nemesis, is back.
Framed for a bombing and drawn together by necessity, Mallory and Trey go on the run and must learn to trust each other again―if they hope to survive. But Mallory has been hiding another secret, one that could destroy their relationship. And time is running out.
Amazon in print: http://tinyurl.com/87qdaam
Chris Redding Links:
Thanks, Chris, it was a lot of fun. Look for this spot again when we feature another great author. Happy Thursday, Chris Redding and all my readers!
Subscribe to:
Posts
(Atom)