Author Interview - Mindy Ruiz

Happy Monday, wonderful people of the blogosphere! Today I have a super amazing guest to introduce you all to. Remember back in December when I had the awesome Kindle Fire giveaway going? Well, this lady donated in a big way to that event, so please give her a round of applause. Besides that, she's running a giveaway of epic proportions on the blog while she's my guest. How about a big note of thanks for that? Mindy is an amazing utopYA author, and she's involved in the con by both being an exhibitor and a panelist. If you don't have tickets yet, go get them now. Linky! Since I just saved you many tears from missing out on the fun, smile, grab a cup of coffee, and get comfy for my interview with author Mindy Ruiz.

Jo: Welcome to the blog, Mindy! I’m over the moon to have you here. You’re such an awesome supporter of other Indies, and I’m pleased you’ve agreed to grace us with your presence. You ready?

Mindy: Hell, yes!

Jo: Awesome! Let’s jump right in with both feet. Your series, Game of Hearts, heavily uses elements of Greek mythology. Why did you choose to include that genre, and what can we expect out of the rest of the series?

Mindy: Great question! The whole series came about because Lady GaGa’s song, Poker Face, played right after Katy Perry’s Waking Up in Las Vegas. I loved the idea of exploring the Suits in a deck of cards as if they were living, breathing people. Plus, I’m totally obsessed with anything Royal, so marrying the world of the Cards and Greek mythology was a no-brainer. I needed a back story and a nemesis and who better than to fill those shoes than the man obsessed with everything glittery and gold but King Midas himself.

Bam!

The House of Midas was born. But something was still missing. I needed a cohesive unit that tied the two powers together but still kept them under thumb. The myth of Midas and Dionysus provided the answer: I needed more Greek gods! The gods are the ultimate authority both The House of Midas and the ruling Cards fear and serve. The gods are to the Game of Hearts series what the shark was to Jaws.

In the final book, Cassie and the other Queens (Spades, Diamonds, and Clubs) uncover a devious plan that threatens all of humanities’ freedoms. Shadows and rogue factions play a huge part in the epic conclusion to free the Titans from Tartarus. Cassie has to make the ultimate decision whether to serve as the Queen of the House of Hearts or forget everything and everyone she’s experienced the last three years of her life.

Jo: I'm the biggest geek in the world, and that just made my inner-goddess sing! I can tell you love your novels. You heard it here, folks! Go check out this series! Moving on. How much is your character, Olivia, like you? Do you feel it’s a help or hindrance to be close with a character? Why?

Mindy: I’d like to say Olivia is all me, but not true. I based Olivia’s sass and in-your-face honesty off of a life-long friend, Rochelle Spears. Nothing, no past, no secret, no future prediction fazes Olivia. She’s going to experience life on her terms and be loyal to a freaking fault. Okay, the loyal to a freaking fault might be me.

I think it’s vital that you feel a connection or closeness with your characters because we all can write the paper cutout Disney prince or princess, it’s the complex tortured hero, heroine, and yes, villain, that really tugs at our and our reader’s hearts. I believe exploring those pieces, both the good and the bad, of you and those around you is how you create believable, likable, swoon-worthy characters.


Jo: Awesome picture! Great answer. I get asked all the time if I'm like my characters. I have to admit, they have a trait or two, but mostly they're based on people I know. I agree 100% on the need to be close to them. You must. *smiles* I know you’re a huge advocate of encouraging authors to keep learning. So, tell us, what writerly educational books grace your shelves? Which is your favorite and why?

Mindy: Albert Einstein said, “Once you stop learning, you start dying.”

If you think you know it all, then you really know nothing at all. I never want to be the smartest person in a room and luckily, I have yet ever to be. :) That being said, I have way too many writing books on my shelves. My favorites, because they’re totally like kids and I can’t choose one, are:
Save the Cat by Blake Snyder. I was a pantser forever, and with C. J. Redwine’s online plotting & world building classes and Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat, I’ve cut down on the plot lines I chase down rabbit holes. Painless Grammar by Rebeca Elliott, Ph.D.

Why? I may have daydreamed through all my English classes when they didn’t relate to Literature. Seriously, where was my Grammar Godmother when I needed her?!

Last one, the www.ce.SavvyAuthors.com website because, truly, Liz Pelletier and the crew over there are brilliant geniuses that make the technical side of creative writing easy to understand. One day I will share a chocolate martini with the lady. Maybe even in Las Vegas. *giggles*

Jo: I haven't heard of either of those books. *adds to list* I love that quote; it's so dang true, huh? Sooooo, I hear you aren’t a girly-girl (don’t judge; a little bird told me). So I’d like to know what your perfect date-night outfit and location would be. Why?

Mindy: Buahaha! Your birds are crazy accurate! I’m so not a girly-girl. I was raised with four brothers, have three sons, a nephew who is my fourth son, and seven more nephews to top off my testosterone world of wonder. I would die a slow, GI-Joe death if I didn’t suppress my estrogen. LOL.

Perfect date outfit would be blue jeans, a rockin’ hot top that was comfortable but still screamed ‘oh, yeah, she’s a girl!’ and flip-flops to show off my hot-pink pedicured toes.

Perfect location: I’m a beach girl. Give me salted sea air, waves crashing on the shore, and a bucket of Dungeness crab legs and I’m all yours. The husband threw in peach mojitos and laughed when I bombed him with crab shell shrapnel. It was true love from there on.

Jo: I feed those birds lots and lots of cookies! *wink* Sounds like a fabulous date! I know all about suppressing the estrogen. Ha! Let's not get too far off the question line, because I could talk all day about being a tom boy. You have two books out in the Game of Hearts Series: Enchanted Hearts and Lying, Cheating Hearts. What’s next? Care to share a little snippet of the blurb?

Mindy: The last book in the Game of Hearts series is in the hopper right now.

I’m also working on a paranormal category romance called: Cupid’s Curse. Yep, that’s what I’m going to give to you.

Blurb snippet:
My name is Jack. Oh, don’t let the manly sounding nickname fool you; I’m all girl. From my waist length blonde hair, over every curve of my five-foot-six frame, down to my pedicured toes, I scream female. But when it comes to matters of the heart, well, I’m a bitch.

That’s not my technical title.

Officially, I’m a Cupid. Turns out the god of love, Eros, doesn’t like it when you curse amore. He gets down right bitter when you swear to never be a sucker for the swoon. That one phrase, “I’ll never love again,” with the right amount of fortitude behind it, will land you cursed in Eros’s Cupid Corps.

Yep, I’m totally cursed to play Cupid until I believe in love. If I don’t, well, my heart goes all petrified and I become immortal. Sounds damn good to me.

Ha! Looks like I really do have a thing for Greek gods.

Jo: That sounds fan-freaking-tastic! I can't wait to check it out. You did a marketing thing at UtopYA last year I thought was absolutely brilliant. Tell me about the Enchanted Heart screen cleaners, and how you came up with the idea, please! I still have mine.

Mindy: *big ole toothy grin* OH. MY. GAWD!!!! You have no idea how stinking happy that makes me! I would love to take all the credit for Enchanted Heart screen cleaners, but that fabulous find lies at the feet of my darling husband. Luckily, he is in real estate and is required to attend numerous conferences and conventions. I may sweet talk him into bringing home an extra swag bag. Seriously, I go through their swag bags like I’m discovering buried treasures.

Jo: Yeah, I totally do. People ask me about it all the time. *grin* Now that we’re on the subject of UtopYA, talk to me about the panel you’re on for newbies and introverts. What can people hope to take away from that experience?

Mindy: Confession time: I’m painfully shy and awkward. It took me a long time to shatter the wall-flower vase and really own who I am. Before writing became both my passion and my career, I was in the family business of selling Real Estate. Cold calls and open houses and strangers all around brought me face-to-face with my biggest fear, talking to people. Anyone who knows me knows I hate talking on the phone and the thought of face-to-face tends to break me out in hives. That being said, I knew I could either have my excuse of being shy or I could, full force and despite being shy, put myself out there and chase my dream. It came down to do I want the excuse or do I want the dream. I chose to chase after the dream.

At my first UtopYA conference, where I climbed back into my wall-flower vase, (no, really, sat up in my hotel room with flowered pajamas), my darling friend Megan Curd, kicked me out of the hotel room and told me to find my freaking mojo.

After the conference, I read online that there were so many people who had traveled to UtopYA and had done the exact same thing I did! The overall themes:
I don’t know what to say?
I don’t want to be “that” crazy fan-girl!
And, I’m new and shy.

That was it.

I embraced Janet’s “lift as you climb” mantra and decided to apply what I’d learned successfully practicing real estate and networking at conferences for twenty years to writers and share that knowledge. Megan and I tapped some amazing people who have successfully networked both online and at conferences to help: New York Times Best Selling Author: Rachel Harris, Misty Provencher, and Eva Pohler will be adding their tips and tricks to the panel.

The Newbie and Introvert panel is an interactive session.

You will leave knowing at least three people you didn’t before.

You’ll be armed with three open-ended questions to get your conversations past, “I love your book” and on to more substantial chats with authors and readers you love.

Finally, you’ll leave the panel with a starter toolbox with basic how to’s:
* How to comfortably step out of your comfort zone.
* How to be able to identify when you’re starting to slip back into your wall-flower ways and what to do.
* How to approach an author you love.
* How to spot a fellow wallflower and build your own wacky clump or tribe.

Jo: Oh man. Even seasoned veterans can benefit from that panel! I'm so stealing this (with credit, of course) for something the bloggers have coming. *grin* Rapid-fire question time! White, dark, or milk chocolate?

Mindy: *cue big pimpin’ music*
White Chocolate.
White chocolate Kit-Kats, if I’m totally honest.

Jo: Paper or computer (for writing)?

Mindy: Computer. I’d go through too many erasers and trees if I went the long hand route.

Jo: Up or Down?

Mindy: Up! The ever-eternal optimist says UP!

Jo: Right? Somehow, I knew you'd choose up. *grins* Time travel question! Because the theme of UtopYA 2015 is time travel, I’m asking everyone a themed question. *grins* If you built a time machine, where would you go, what would you do while you were there, and would you tell anyone of your creation? Why/why not?

Mindy: Ooooh. Yikes. The practical girl in me says time travel = bad. But the caution-to-the-wall hellion in me says, Hell, yes! Time Travel? Where be the seatbelts?!

I’d totally go to the past and whack some Eleanor Roosevelt spine into the people-pleasing girl I thought I had to be. I’d tell her she was fine just the way she was and she should totally chase after the story-telling dreams her dad told her were “useless lies.” Now, because I’d messed with the space-time continuum like Marty McFly’d done in Back to the Future, I’d leave my mom a note and picture of my uber hunky husband and tell her not to let me settle for anyone else except this man. One: Mom’s Italian and no matter what moxy I’d gain from my Roosevelt spine whipping I’d still fear the woman. Two: the man is truly the love of my life. He loved me when I was bald, filled with chemo, and begged him to leave. He stayed and fought for us both, and I’m so blessed.

Would I share the technology? Nope! Not even hesitating about that one. Refer back to my Marty McFly Back to the Future reference.

Jo: Okay, can I just say I LOVE that photo? It's awesome! I hope you had fun taking these. Haha! Heck yeah. I love answers that involve going back to your younger self and giving advice! Don't we all wish we could do that? Speaking of road trips, did you ever get to go to Vegas? If yes, what did you see while there? If no, what do you plan to see while there when (notice I didn’t say if) you get to visit?

Mindy: The lady who inspired Olivia moved to Las Vegas a few years ago, so I visit as often as possible. Plus, living in Southern California makes it all too easy to jump a forty-five minute Jet Blue flight to get lost in Sin City.

When I was plotting the Game of Hearts Series, I knew I didn’t want to highlight the typical Las Vegas sites. I wanted to explore the history and the off-the-beaten-tourist traps of the desert oasis. The catacombs were based on an article my girlfriend sent me about Las Vegas’s Homeless living in the underground sewers after the 2007 financial crash. The Neon Graveyard (they call it a boneyard) where we first meet Isaac actually exists. I HIGHLY recommend taking the tour. Freemont Street and the digital canopy, for realz. Umm, OOOH, the water preserve where A. J. introduces Cassie to the forgotten and the declaration stones, they’re for real. The quote from John F. Kennedy carved in the side of a boulder, totally in the water preserve. I’m still ninety percent certain he really was from the House of Hearts. ;)

Jo: I read a book recently called The Underground that was about the people living under Seattle after the city's destruction. Awesome story. I'll have to check out the spots you've suggested if I ever make it back to Vegas. I'm totally psyched you and Tia live in the same state. All I can say is: expect coffee in the future! *winks* I adore anything outside the box. Anything you’d like to throw out there that I didn’t already ask?

Mindy: Ummm, I wish I could say something really prolific, but … nope! I’m all good. Oh, wait! If you see me at UtopYA, Penned Con, Indie Bookfest in Orlando, or Great Lake Book Bash, please don’t hesitate to come up and squeeze me. I tend to walk around in a haze of “holy shiz! I can’t believe I’m here.” Enhance my experience and say Hi, Mindy. Send me over the moon and tell me you love my books or make my millennium and leave me a fun review.

Jo, thanks so much for having me. I just adore you and your readers and can’t wait to have a peach mojito with ya!

Jo: I do hope to see you this year. It's so crazy, I'm surprised I saw my table mate last year. HA! I've never had a peach mojito, but I'm totally blushing at your compliment. Thank you. Sorry to take up so much of your time! I appreciate you being here. I really enjoyed researching you for this interview. You sound a lot like me (low-maintenance, has many sons—I have four, and I’m someone who just adores books), and I can’t wait to see you at the conference! Not long now!

Now, it’s time to tell you all about the featured book of the week!

Title: Enchanted Heart
Author: Mindy Ruiz
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Romance
Length (print): 322 pages.
Buy links: Amazon Kindle $0.99 US and UK  ~  Smashwords $0.99  ~  iBooks $0.99 US and UK  ~  B&N $0.99 US and UK


Blurb:
Cassandra Vera never ever broke the rules.

Ever!

She’s also had a nonexistent social life since her best friend moved to Vegas. Armed with a new set of resolutions, the promise of a hot date, and her adoptive parents out of town, seventeen-year-old Cassandra agrees to a road trip, which is the perfect way to celebrate her birthday and ring in the New Year. After all, she’s headed to Vegas, the city where secrets are meant to stay hidden. Little does Cassandra know her past is buried there as well.

Cloaked in the shadows of the glitz and gaudy lights of Vegas lies a power struggle centuries old. One wrong step and Cassandra could destroy the delicate web of secrets. Now an enemy she never knew existed is after her, and the one boy who may be the missing piece to the puzzle — and her heart— is the one person she can’t afford to trust.

While your fingers are in the clicking mode, why not give Mindy a follow on every social media platform I could think of when writing up the template for these interviews (plus some)?

Pinterest: Mindy Ruiz Books
Instagram: Mindy Ruiz
Google +: Mindy Ruiz Books
Facebook: Mindy Ruiz Books
Street Team: Heart Breakers 4 Ever
Twitter: @MindyRuiz
Goodreads: Mindy Ruiz
Website: MindyRuiz.com
Amazon Author Page: Mindy Ruiz
LinkedIN: Mindy Ruiz
Tsu: Mindy Ruiz

Time for the Rafflecopter giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you have any questions, pop them into the comments below. Ms. Ruiz (pronounced Reese) will be around to answer and/or respond!

Well, that’s all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Author Interview - Natasha Hanova

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! Today I have a super special interview with Natasha Hanova for your reading pleasure. I met Natasha at utopYA Con 2014, and I did an "ask Jo anything" spot on her blog last year. You can see the questions asked and my answers here. Now, if you don't have tickets to the con yet, you need to get them while the getting is good. We're almost sold out! Go. Now. Here. You don't wanna be the one left out of the fun, do you? Okay, enough of my rambling! Grab a cup of coffee and let's get going.

Jo: Yay! I have Natasha on the blog! I’m so stoked about this interview. Thank you for agreeing to have a chat with me. Are you ready to get going?

Natasha: Hello Jo! Thanks for having me. This is my first official interview. Hope you’ll go easy on me. :)

Jo: Never! *evil grin* Let’s jump right in here. Tell me about the OWFI conference you’re attending in May 2015. What made you decide to go, and what are you hoping to get out of it?

Natasha: I first attended this mid-west based writer’s conference in May 2010 and have been back almost every year since. It’s a welcoming crowd of talented authors. My Top Three reasons for attending OWFI:

1. An opportunity to pitch to big name agents, editors, and/or publishers for FREE. You heard me right, free one on one time with an agent/editor/publisher of your choice. For those not brave enough or ready to pitch, there are also opportunities to snag a seat next to an agent/editor/publisher or even a famous author at one of the banquets. This year’s pitch session line up and guidelines can be found here.
2. Elbow room and accessibility. I’ve attended conferences where they pack attendees in a room like sardines, usher in speakers through a side door for the presentation, and then rush them out before anyone knows what’s going on. At the OWFI conference, there’s usually a place to set your laptop and plenty of opportunities to mingle with presenters through out the conference.
3. This year, I’m OWFI Conference Chair, so I kinda have to go. I’ve worked closely with the OWFI President Dawn Allen, who also happens to be one of my critique partners. We’ve pulled together a wide array of talented speakers for this conference, whose theme is Writing Zone: Craft from the Ground Up. Though, I must admit if I wasn’t on the Board, I’d still go this year. Check out the outstanding faculty, including keynote speaker Les Edgerton, author of Hooked.

Jo: That sounds like an amazing conference. Congrats on being a Conference Chair. How exciting! So, talk to me about writing Edge of Truth. How long did it take you, and what did you learn from the experience?

Natasha: EDGE OF TRUTH, my first book baby. <3 It’s a dystopian romance with paranormal elements. I’d say the first draft took about a year. My twins were three at the time. When I had time to write, I allowed myself to put the words down on the page without judgment (aka I told my inner editor to shut up so I could work). It took me a while to get it published because I was (still am) struggling with grief. When my mama passed away, I almost gave up writing, but in the end pushed through. Mama never got to see the book in print, but she knew I was close. EDGE OF TRUTH is dedicated to her. This experience taught me never to give up on my dreams.


Jo: Okay, that's super sweet. I'm glad you didn't give up! I see the book has been through a couple of changes. What brought those on, and what did the changes end up doing for the novel?

Natasha: The book was originally published through a small press. I decided to get my rights back and go at it on my own. Hence, the fun new cover [shout out to Carrie Butler at Forward Authority for an awesome job!] and bonus epilogue.

Jo: That's always scary, huh? Awesome that you gave it a go. Brave. Now, I see your bio says you’ve won some awards. Care to tell us about them? What were they for, and how did you feel when you won them?

Natasha: I’ve won writing awards through OWFI and other conferences. It takes massive amounts of courage to enter contest, so when I place, I feel a strong sense of pride and accomplishment.

Jo: Whatcha workin’ on? When can we expect to see it on shelves?

Natasha: I recently finished MARKED, YA paranormal fantasy. My other critique partner L.L. McKinney is brilliant at coming up with Twitter pitches. Here’s how she helped me summarize MARKED, “For the first female warrior in the Brotherhood, lines between enemy and ally are blurred and Lexi can’t see who’s coming for her.” This manuscript is currently out on query submission.

I’m also working on a New Adult apocalypse set in St. Louis, MO. We should have a zombie chat sometime. ;)

Jo: Congrats on landing those queries! Oooooh! Zombies! Yes we should. Hunt me down, woman! You took part in #PitMad on Twitter a couple weeks ago. What book were you pitching, and did you have any luck?

Natasha: I pitched MARKED and got a few nibbles. :)

Jo: That was a great pitch! I'm not surprised you got nibbles. You’re in several anthologies. How did you find them, and what do you feel they’ve done for your writing career?

Natasha: I sought out the anthologies and made it through the slush piles to publication. Personally, I think writing short stories is harder than writing books. The page real estate is so limited, but it’s excellent practice at making every word count.

Jo: Agreed 100%. It's so difficult to write short stories! I notice you do a lot of author interviews on your blog, but I had a dilly of a time finding very many with you as the interviewee. Is there a reason for this?

Natasha: Yes…**hides behind hands** I lean toward the shy side. I’m a behind the camera, type of person. Yours is my first official interview. Thanks for being gentle with me.

Jo: Wow. You call this gentle? LOL! I'm pretty brutal. *wink* Rapid fire question time! Plain or peanut M&Ms?

Natasha: Peanut. No question. And as often as possible.

Jo: I totally knew the answer before I asked. haha! Female or male lead?

Natasha: Depends on what it is…book or movie and what genre it is. In books, I often read ones with alternating female/male leads. I tend to like Sci-fi and action packed movies, which tend to have male leads.

Jo: Sky or ground?

Natasha: Ground. Can’t fly. Too scared. But I can be tempted onto a plane with chocolate when traveling to Nashville for UTopYA!

Jo: YEAH! *happy dances* Time travel question! Come on, you knew this was coming, right? Haha! So, if given a choice, would you go back in time or forward in time, and what would you change or hope to learn from the trip?

Natasha: This used to be a hard question for me, but not any more. I’d go back and spend time with my mama, not to change anything or learn anything. Just to hear her voice, see her smile, and maybe have her cook me something tasty. :)


Jo: I can see how much you miss her. Dang, now I wanna give you a hug. But, instead, talk to me about writer retreats. When was the last one you went on, and what do you get out of the experience?

Natasha: My writer’s group used to do annual writing retreats. We are officially over due. Hint, hint ladies! I LOVE retreats and recommend them to all writers. There are few things better than knowing your only responsibility for the day is to get words on the page or edit/revise material. We usually spend most of the time writing, but also take breaks to stretch our legs (aka people watch) and end the day with chocolate and a good movie.

Jo: That does sound fun. Mayhap one day I'll find the time. *grin* Ever get that gooseberry pie recipe down? How long did it take you?

Natasha: I wouldn’t say I’ve mastered it. My gooseberry pies might be a gooey mess, but they are de-lish!

Jo: I've never had one, but to hear you talk, I should! I’m gonna go a little deeper here. You answered somewhere about feeling strongly about using mixed race characters in your novels. Tell me what you’re trying to bring to light with your choices, and how do you think it will fill the current gap in YA?

Natasha: I’m bi-racial. When I was growing up, I didn’t see many books with girls like me as main characters. As an adult, I read a book called OPPOSITE OF LOVE by Helen Benedict and it resonated with me. I kept thinking it would’ve been nice to see such a resilient character in my young adult years. Now, I’m sure to include diversity in all of my books.

Jo: That's so awesome. I love people who are passionate about their characters. Sadly, we’re out of space! *frowns* Is there anything you’d like to add that I didn’t ask you about?

Natasha: Let’s see… Link is my favorite character on Mario Kart 8. I have a love/love relationship with all things chocolate. I would totally run away with the Doctor.

Jo: Nice! I can’t wait to see you again at UtopYA 2015! Not long now. Maybe we’ll luck out and have a table across from one another again. *grin* Because you know that’s the only way I’m guaranteed to see you. Thank you again for giving me your time, Natasha!

Natasha: I appreciate you having me on your blog. Such a wonderful opportunity to reach beyond my social network!

Now, it’s time to tell you all about the featured book of the week!

Title: Edge of Truth
Author: Natasha Hanova
Genre: YA Dystopian/Paranormal
Length (print): 302 pages
Buy links: Amazon Kindle $2.99  ~ Amazon Paperback $9.99 or FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Synopsis:
Citizens who report to work on time, obey the Overlord’s laws, and stay off the Synbot’s radar, live long lives. Long, dull, monotonous lives.

It’s not a bad plan for someone with a hidden, emotion-based ability to trigger earthquakes. In a world pitted against her, sixteen-year-old Rena Moon strives for a life beyond working herself to death at the factory. Seeing an alternative, she risks selling relics from the forbidden lands at Market. It becomes the worst decision she ever made. Someone kidnaps her best friend in exchange for the one thing that would end her oppression.

Driven by loyalty, Rena and seventeen-year-old Nevan Jelani, soulful composer, green thumb extraordinaire, and the secret love of her life, plot to rescue her friend and reclaim her salvage. Still, the thought lingers whether Nevan is a true hero or another thief waiting for his chance at her loot. Events spin wildly, deepening Rena’s suspicions and pushing her limit of control. With more than her chance for freedom at stake, she must decide if she’s willing to kill to protect what’s precious to her. For once, the Overlord isn’t holding all the power, but can Rena live with being reduced to what she’s trying so hard to escape?

While your fingers are in the clicking mode, why not give Natasha a follow on every social media platform I could think of when writing up the template for these interviews (plus some)?

Pinterest: natasha411
Blog: natashahanova.com
Facebook: Author Natasha Hanova
Twitter: @NatashaHanova
Goodreads: Natasha Hanova
Website: natashahanova.com
Amazon Author Page: Natasha Hanova

Win a signed paper copy of EDGE OF TRUTH, an eBook, or $10 Amazon gift card with this Rafflecopter giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you have any questions, pop them into the comments below. Mrs. Hanova will be around to answer and/or respond!

Well, that’s all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Author Interview - Inger Iversen

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! My guest today will knock your socks off. She's the one and only Inger Iversen! I'm super thrilled to have this lovely utopYAn for a visit. You can meet Inger at the con, but you have to get your tickets. It's not too late! UtopYA has been expanded to a four day con this year, with a full Saturday signing. Dates are June 17-21, 2015. Get your tickets here. You don't wanna be the only one left out of the party, do you? Anyway, grab a cup of coffee and let's get going!

Jo: Welcome to the blog, Inger! I’m so excited to have you here and have so much to ask you! Here’s hoping we don’t get too lengthy! You ready?

Inger: I am super ready!

Jo: Awesome. Let’s get this party started! So, I know you must have music on while you’re writing (kudos to you for being able to do that, first of all), and I have to know: What does it do for your creativity? How do you think it’s shaped your books?

Inger: When I first started writing I noticed there would be times when my creativity would lag or I just wasn’t in the mood to write a scene that really needed to be written. When I was writing Few Are Angels there was a scene between Kale and Ella that needed them to connect on a more emotional level, but I was just NOT in the mood to write a romantic scene (totally PG-13). So, I put up the laptop and threw on some headphones. I listened to Lili Hayden’s Come Here. It is super romantic and BOOM the emotions and creativity I needed was there in spades! And from then on out I used music as a muse.


Jo: Great track! I can see music as a mood setter/muse. That's a great story, and hopefully it'll help someone if they're stuck. Thanks for sharing! I know you do a lot with audiobooks. Would you mind sharing a little? What avenue did you use, what are some of the struggles you’ve faced with narrators, and do you market the audiobooks differently than the e-books or paperbacks?

Inger: This is a great question and it seems a lot of authors are now curious about it! I used ACX or Audiobook Creation Exchange. ACX is an Amazon platform used to create Audiobooks for iTunes, Amazon and Audible. The first step is making sure you have the audio rights and then you add your information to the site. On ACX you are trying to snag a producer to narrative your novel into audio. That being said, there are a few struggles I faced while working to get my novel turned into an audiobook. Here were my main two issues.

1. Cost. You can pay two ways: PFH (you pay a set amount per finished hour) or royalty share (split your earnings). All of the narrators that I fell in love with had high PFH. One told me her starting rate was $375 and my book was 8 hours long. That would have cost me $3,000!! So, it took me a while to find a narrator that I was happy with that would agree to share royalties with me.

2. Time. It takes about 60 to 90 days with some narrators and it seemed all the narrators I hired needed between 60 and 70, that wasn’t too bad. However, if took the narrators of Few Are Angels nearly seven months due to issues with her equipment.

Jo: Wow. That's amazing information. $375 PFH? Holy... *recovers* Talk about an investment, huh? So, you do a TON of author events each year. Where will you be over the next twelve months? How have those events helped you in your career? Is there one you love more than the others? Why?

Inger: I do seem to attend a lot of events! I really enjoy them. I honestly think that attending events helped my career. They are helpful even if you don’t sell out of books. As an author it is important to interact with your fans as well as other authors. Doing so helps you feel good about the indie community and helps keep you motivated to read and write more. And YES UtopYa is and will always be my favorite event. UtopYa is the first event I ever attended and I learned so much. I met authors who have become my best friends online and offline. The event changed my career for the better after I attended a few of the classes, too. Meeting Cameo Renae, Christy Foster, and Dan and Rachel from Timid Monster was amazing. All because of this event I had a trailer created and made lifelong friendships.

Jo: I agree 100%. I so wish I'd seen you last year, but there were so many people there, it was hard to meet everyone you wanted to. I'm hunting you down this year. *grin* You’re a voracious reader in addition to being a writer. Do you write in the same genres you read in? Which author do you feel has impacted your career in the biggest way? Why?

Inger: I don’t get to read nearly as much as I used to and that’s a shame. Oddly enough, I write New Adult Romances, but I don’t read New Adult stuff that often. I read a lot of contemporary romance and I hold true to my paranormal romance. I will never in this lifetime or the next tired of reading about vampires!

Jo: I know the feeling. Paranormal, eh? Great genre! Time for rapid fire questions! Cats or dogs?

Inger: Cats!

Jo: Pink or Blue?

Inger: Blue!

Jo: JFK or Reagan?

Inger: JFK


Jo: Now I’m gonna ask the time travel question! Because utopYA 2015’s theme is time travel, I’ve been asking folks random questions focused on that. Here we go: If you could go backward in time and talk to your younger self (without them knowing who you are), what would you say, and what impact do you think it would have on the way your life is now?

Inger: Wow, great question. I would tell myself to stop second-guessing my choices and never live with regrets of things you cannot change. I’ve spent a good portion on my life regretting time not spent with family I’ve lost or second-guessing every choice I make.

Jo: Thanks for the compliment! Wonderful advice for many. I heard you were looking for an author assistant/publicist not too long ago. Did you ever find one? What all do you need them to do? Basically, I’m trying to show folks what all an Indie author has to do besides write and why we need assistants haha!

Inger: No, I never found one. I don’t know if people understand the amount of work that goes into writing, publishing, and then promoting a book all while working fulltime or raising kids. I think a good assistant would be an active leader on the author’s street team, willing to post in groups, help host release parties. It doesn’t seem like much, but authors could produce more books if they weren’t constantly online gathering new readers. I know we have to be online promoting ourselves, but it is a lot of work to juggle. A little help never hurt anyone!

Jo: I don't think readers know, and I wonder if they'll ever care. Most don't seem to realize we aren't J. K. Rowling and don't make billions off our books to support our writing full time. haha! I noticed a little disclaimer on your Goodreads page concerning librarians and changes to your novels. I gotta know what prompted that and if the note has done any good.

Inger: Ugh! I don’t understand Goodreads. I can’t become a librarian because I am an author, but I constantly have to change incorrect information on there about my books. Luckily, I have Stephanie who is a librarian who updates and adds my books to the site. I haven’t checked Goodreads lately, but last time I checked my release date was right and the synopsis wasn’t wrong. I’ve had that happen twice now.

Jo: Oh my. Well, I'm hoping they worked out the kinks in the system. Librarians rock! *grin* What are you working on right now, and when can we expect to see it hit the market?

Inger: Right now I am writing the last book in the Few Are Angels series and that is due out June 17th. After I finish that I start working on a short for Hot Ink Press. The story for HIP is a short that follows Teal and Trent’s from my newest release, Inevitable. I am also working with Dan from Timid Monster and Regina Wamba from Mae I Design on a little project for Incarcerated! I can’t wait to see what we all come up with.

Jo: EEP! So it's a utopYA release, eh? That's so exciting! I can't wait to see what you all come up with either. How cool! Is there anything I didn’t ask that you wish I had?

Inger: Hmm… I think I want to send a shout out to my awesome readers. Thanks for being so supportive. You guys rock. :D

Jo: Fans are lifeblood! Great exit, Inger! That’s all the space we have for today. Thanks for visiting with me! You rock! I can’t wait to meet you at utopYA in June!

Now, it’s time to tell you all about the featured book of the week!

Title: Incarcerated
Author: Inger Iversen
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length (print): 342 pages
Buy links: Amazon Kindle 2.99

Synopsis: One of the few white kids in a rural Kentucky town, Logan Whyte always kept to his own kind out of self-preservation. He never considered himself racist, but that didn’t stop him from falling in with the wrong crowd—who celebrated hate as much as he fought it—or from ending up in prison for eight years on an armed robbery charge.

A successful, educated black woman, Katie Andreassen was tired of being accused of betraying her own race. Her lonely isolation, coupled with her grief over losing her mother, inspire her to create a new pen pal program at Capshaw State Penitentiary, where her father is a warden.

The program brings the unlikely pair together, but Logan and Katie soon find themselves forced to overcome past fears and prejudices. Their friendship doesn’t come easily … threatened by a crooked lawyer with a grudge and a best friend who betrays her promise to help.

When faced with a world that forces them apart, Logan and Katie must show everyone else what they have discovered: that love is, in fact, colorblind.

While your fingers are in the clicking mode, why not give Ms. Iversen a follow on every social media platform I could think of when writing up the template for these interviews (plus some)?

Pinterest: kris10inger
Blog: ingeriversen.com
Google +: Inger Iversen
Facebook: Inger Iversen
Twitter: @KRIS10INGER
Goodreads: Inger Iversen
Website: IngerIversen.com
Amazon Author Page: Inger Iversen

If you have any questions, pop them into the comments below. My lovely guest will be around to answer and/or respond!

Well, that’s all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Author Interview - K. C. Neal

Happy Monday, you beautiful blogospherians! Today, you have the honor of meeting Ms. K. C. Neal. I know you're all over the moon about it (as am I). It's not often I get to interview someone who's been with the con from the first, but they do pop in now and again. So excited! If you don't have your tickets yet, it's not too late! You can grab one here. Sadly, earlybird prices have expired, but that doesn't mean you can't join up. Nothing's worse than being left out of the fun, so be sure and grab yours now! With that said, let's get rolling!

Jo: Welcome to the blog, K. C. It’s so amazing to have a veteran utopYAn with me I can barely breathe. Are you ready to get going?

K. C.: Haha, you make me feel like such a celebrity. : ) Yes, let’s dive in!

Jo: That's because you are! Perfect. Let's do it. I read somewhere that you meditate every day. What got you started, and what do you feel it’s done for you over the long-term?

K. C.: I was going through a challenging time, and I really needed a tool to help me process things emotionally. I stumbled on iRest Yoga Nidra online and asked on Facebook if any of my friends had done this type of meditation before. A couple of people replied and basically said it was amazing, so I decided to give it a try. That was nearly two years ago, and I haven’t stopped since. I attend a weekly class and also practice on my own, and it has changed my life. iRest is really hard to explain, and it’s also kind of difficult to describe what it does for me. The best way I can put it is that it helps me process the ups and downs of life in a way that gives me so much more peace than I had before.


Jo: I'm a huge advocate of yoga and taking the time to center yourself and just friggin' relax for a little while each day. I understand exactly what it does for you. Tell me, how long have you been with StoneHouse Ink, how did you get in, and what are the three best things about them?

K. C.: StoneHouse published my first book, Pyxis (YA fantasy), back in 2011, and the sequel, Arise, in 2013. I became friends with the owner of StoneHouse and that’s how that happened. Up to that point, I’d been planning to self-publish. Three great things about StoneHouse: large royalties, author input into all stages of the publishing process, and the best thing of all – I left my corporate job three years ago to become the Publishing Director at StoneHouse. It’s a great job, and I absolutely LOVE the flexibility and working from home!

Jo: I totally feel you about the ability to work from home. Congrats on landing the job. That's amazing! I found out you’re a NaNoWriMoer. Such a wonderful thing to have so many words produced in a month by people around the world, huh? How many years have you participated, and what novel(s) have you written? What was the most difficult thing about writing a novel in a month?

K. C.: It is quite the event! During the most recent NaNo, think I worked on a couple of things at once and the total added up to enough words to “win.” It probably seems strange that I can’t remember for sure what I was working on—it was only four months ago!—but I’ve been writing like a maniac since last spring and things run together in my mind! I’ve actually completed a few of my own private NaNos (written 50,000 words in a month) I guess you could say, but they happened to occur during months other than November, which is the official NaNo month.

In general, I’d say the most difficult thing about writing that many words in a month is developing the writing habit in the first place. Actually, the writing habit is going to be the topic of my UtopYA 2015 Idea Exchange talk. I went from writing a book every two years to writing five books in one year (and that’s around a full-time job). I want to share how I did this because it’s NOT about “having enough time,” like we often think. It’s all about mindset, and every writer has the power to change her own mindset. The right mindset leads to the right habit. Then you can optimize your writing habit, and watch your word counts take off! But like so many things in life, it starts with what’s going on in your head.

Jo: *high fives* YES! Developing the writing habit is number ONE! I can't wait to hear your talk. How exciting! So, you’re a utopYA Con veteran—there in 2012—and saw the launch of the amazingness. What was that first year like, and what’s changed about your experience(s) since then?

K. C.: That first year was one of the best experiences of my life. Before the first UtopYA I knew a lot of the attending authors online, but had never met any of them in person. It was like meeting a bunch of famous people! It was a profound experience. My roomies that year—Angeline Kace, Heather Hildenbrand, and Chelsea Fine—remain some of my favorite people and greatest friends. Most of us at the conference were fairly new authors, and it was just so wonderful to connect with everyone. That first year was really kind of intimate. It was a small enough group that we could really get to know each other. That’s probably the thing I miss most—though I’m totally THRILLED that UtopYA has flourished, don’t get me wrong!—last year I didn’t know many of the attending authors.

Jo: I was so scared about going, I developed this interview process to get to know people. *grin* It's worked wonders. I met Ms. Fine last year (she's sweet as pie!), and I'm excited to know more faces this year. Because of my stalking of you research, I can feel it in my bones… You seem like the kind of author that has an unhealthy obsession with office supplies (I can totally identify). How many post-it pads and colored pens do you own? What started your love?

K. C.: OMG I do have a serious obsession! I have Post-It pads in pretty much every room of the house. And probably at least two dozen colored pens. I’ve always liked to make lists and to color-code things, so I think that’s how the Post-It and pen obsession came about. But as far back as I can remember I’ve always loved binders, folders, index cards, pens, pencils . . . there’s nothing like the feel of a fresh notebook in my hands! I know, weird, right? But I figure there are much worse obsessions to have, haha.

Jo: Birds of a feather... Yeah, I totally don't have a billion office supplies *hides hundreds of journals and grins* Rapid fire questions! Chocolate or caramel?

K. C.: Caramel, mmm!

Jo: Computers or paper notebooks?

K. C.: Notebooks—of course!

Jo: Popcorn or peanuts?

K. C.: POPCORN POPCORN POPCOOORN (one of my other obsessions lol).

Jo: I knew that, too. Just wanted to see how many times you'd type it! haha! *wink* Let’s move on to the time travel question. Since you’re such a lover of science fiction, this one should be right up your alley. *grin* If you went to the future, what turn do you see books and publishing taking, and what one thing would you bring back to the modern day with you?

K. C.: I really wish I knew where books and publishing were going! I think as the younger generations—kids who have never known life without iPads and smartphones—grow into adults, paper books will become novelties. And I think books (eBooks) will start to overlap with other media and become more interactive.

I’d probably want to bring back whatever the hot gadget of the moment is.

Jo: Yup. Gadgets will make you billions. haha! Your novel, Helia’s Shadow Part One, has amazing reviews. Kudos to you! What was your favorite part of writing it, and which character do you identify with most? Why?

K. C.: Thank you! The middle part of Helia’s story, where she’s imprisoned on the moon with cannibal prison guards, was actually the first part that I wrote originally, and probably my favorite part. And actually, that’s the first half of Helia’s Shadow Part Two, the sequel. I love writing about aliens and futuristic technology, and imaging life on an earth that’s been destroyed by war and waste. And in general, I just absolutely love writing in the world of this series (The Starlight Age Series). It was a world that developed in over several years, and it’s extremely vivid and rich in my mind. There are SO many stories I could tell in this world. I have about half a dozen ideas for more prequel novellas.

I probably identify with Helia the most, in that she’s analytical and into science and technology. My background is in science (I have degrees in Chemistry and Health Science Research). I love female characters with real smarts, and I’m really proud of Helia as a character!

Jo: You're the second science fiend I've had on the blog in as many weeks! I love you ladies! I'm such a total nerd over science. *blushes* Seems I've found a couple of like-minded people. Since we just talked about part one of your series, let’s discuss your new release! How long did it take you to write Helia’s Shadow Part Two, and how many more novels will be in the series?

K. C.: I actually wrote the entire story—Parts One and Two—before I published the first book. The first draft of the entire story probably took a few months. Then it went through a major, major rewrite—like 90% of it was rewritten. And after beta feedback I probably rewrote about 20% of it yet again. It was quite a process! In addition to the two novels (Helia’s Shadow Part One and Helia’s Shadow Part Two), I’ve also finished a prequel novella called Arrival Day. I consider the series “complete” at this point, but probably will write more stories in this world—I’m not sure I’ll ever be fully ready to leave the world of this series behind. Like I mentioned before, there are tons of fun possibilities for prequel stories. Some of my beta and ARC readers have actually given me some great ideas for alternate point of view stories and prequels!

Jo: I'm so picking this novel up. Die hard reader over here. I adore an excellent sci-fi story, and I love a clean read! Well, I’ve taken up a ton of your time. Is there anything else you’d like to share with my readers that I didn’t ask?

K. C.: Thanks so much for interviewing me, Jo! I’m so looking forward to seeing you at UtopYA!!

Jo: I’m stoked to meet you in June, too, K. C.! EEP! Thanks so much for giving us some of your time.

Now, it’s time to tell you all about the featured book of the week!

Title: Helia’s Shadow Part One
Author: K.C. Neal
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction
Length (print): 300 pages
Buy links: Amazon Kindle $2.99 ~ Google Play FREE ~ iBooks FREE ~ B&N FREE ~ Kobo FREE

Synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old Helia wants two things in life: to step out of her over-protective mother's shadow and become an engineer, and to stop hiding her relationship with alien boy Kalo. But the world definitely isn't ready for a human-alien romance. And worse, the human-alien partnership is crumbling. Humans are arrested without explanation. Some of them are never seen again.

When the alien leader imprisons her mother on a false charge, Helia discovers the aliens never intended to help humans at all. Now, she must join forces with alien rebels. If she succeeds, humans have a chance at survival and she has a chance at love. If she fails, the dwindling human race dies out in slavery.

When the aliens arrived, they were hailed as the saviors of a dying Earth and dwindling human race. But the aliens didn't come to help. Now, one human girl's ingenious invention and one alien boy's awakened heart are humanity's last hope...

While your fingers are in the clicking mode, why not give K. C. a follow on every social media platform I could think of when writing up the template for these interviews (plus some)?

Pinterest: KCNeal
Blog: K. C. Neal's Blog

Facebook: K.C. Neal Fan Page
Twitter: @kcnealtweets
Goodreads: K. C. Neal
Website: Author K. C. Neal
Amazon Author Page: K. C. Neal

Tsu: K. C. Neal


If you have any questions, pop them into the comments below. My lovely guest will be around to answer and/or respond!

Well, that’s all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

utopYA Con Interview - C. J. Redwine - Query Letter Workshop

Happy Friday! Do I have a treat for you all today! The amazing C. J. Redwine is here to answer some interview questions and talk about her upcoming workshop—Query Letter—at utopYA Con 2015. If you don’t have your ticket yet, you need to get one soon! There are only 104 days until the event, and you don’t wanna be the only one not at the party. Get them here (hint: you can purchase a ticket to C. J.’s workshop here and find out more about it).

In addition to the amazing information you'll get this month from the official bloggers, be sure and write down the partial phrase you'll find on each blog. We're giving away Saturday signing space, and you'll need the whole phrase in order to enter. 

Ready? Grab a cup of coffee and let’s get going!

Jo: Welcome to the blog, C. J.! I’m super excited to have the opportunity to learn about you and your Query Letter workshop at utopYA. Without dawdling around, because I know you’re a super busy lady, let’s jump right into the questions (these first few will be about you, then I’ll get into the workshop). If you wouldn’t mind, could you talk with me a little bit about being the amazing adoption advocate you are? What made you consider adoption, and what have been the best and most trying things about your experience?

C. J.: We had three biological boys in four years (Which is nuts. NUTS, I tell you.), and I was stick-a-fork-in-me done with being pregnant, but I couldn’t shake the sense that our family wasn’t complete. I began feeling drawn to China, and felt like I had a daughter waiting for me there. My husband was resistant to the idea at first, but a few years later, he too felt drawn to China. We brought our first daughter home in 2010 and our second daughter home in 2014. The best thing about adoption is seeing our daughters blossom and feeling absolute joy at discovering who they are. They are light and happiness in our family—their older brothers dote on them! The most challenging thing about the process was the wait. We waited 5 years for our first daughter, and it was very difficult, but the moment I held her in my arms, I knew I’d wait as long as I had to just to have that little girl in my family.

Jo: Yup. I had four sons in four years, so I feel ya there. Wow. Five years? That's incredible. It's amazing it all worked out! Congratulations! Now, I hear your husband, Clint, is a lot like Superman. Could you share with us what he does for work, what he’s like on an average day, and what’s the most incredible cake he’s ever baked?

C. J.: Ha! We have a long-standing debate in our home about whether Batman or Superman is the better super hero. I am firmly in the Batman camp, but yes, my hubby has some superhero traits! He is a dj and producer on a morning radio show, so he leaves very early for work each morning without complaint. He is also a movie critic for both the radio and a local tv news channel, so he is often out at night viewing movie screenings. So he’s often tired and busy, but he still takes time each day to spend with his kids, he helps me by doing a lot of the chauffeuring required in the afternoons (Teens, man. They have places to be!), and he tirelessly supports my dreams by picking up whatever slack is left behind when I’m on deadline.

The most incredible cake he ever made was a nativity scene that was under a glass dome and that spun slowly so you could see it from all angles. I mean … a cake with a motor in it, amiright?

Jo: He certainly sounds hero-like! You guys seem like you'd fit together perfectly; a match made in Heaven.  A motor? Oh man... Great, now I want cake... Anyway, let's move on! *shakes off hungry feeling* I’m all about being dramatic in novels and surprising the reader, but you take your YA Fantasy books to a whole new level of amazing. Tell me which book was your favorite to write, how long it took you to write it, and which romance pair you love the most.

C. J.: I think my favorite to write is whatever book I’m currently working on, because I have to be in love with the characters and the story in order to do the book justice. So my upcoming early 2016 release THE SHADOW QUEEN is my current favorite because it combines some of my absolute favorite things—fairy tales (it’s an epic fantasy retelling of Snow White), dragons, magic, and a heroine who is both brave and smart. But if you were asking which book of the DEFIANCE trilogy I loved writing the most, I’d have to say DELIVERANCE, the final book, because I got to give the villains their just desserts, I got to bring my characters through the fire and give them hope, and my hero and heroine got the kind of happily ever after that gave them peace.

I loved the romance between Logan and Rachel (from the DEFIANCE trilogy) the most because there’s so much history between them, and such strength in their loyalty and love. They are both survivors, but both of them have this mile-wide streak of self-sacrifice in them that endears them to me even as it worried me because I wasn’t sure if I could bring them out of the story alive. They complement each other so well, and they earned every piece of happiness they got. It isn’t easy to survive a post-apocalyptic world with dragons that tunnel up from beneath and egotistical power-hungry men who use people like pawns in a chess game that started before either of my main characters was born.

Phrase part one: Learn how to

Jo: Holy moly, Batman! That new book sounds off the charts good. Let’s dive into questions about your utopYA Con workshop: Query Letter. What can folks expect to get information on?

C. J.: My query workshop focuses on unlocking the key to writing the kind of query that gets results. I go over format and what not to do, but most of the time is spent teaching writers what questions need to be answered to distill their plot into a compelling 2-3 paragraph letter that will read like the back of a book. I also do cold reads and on the spot critiques, so writers can immediately hear what worked, what didn’t, and how to fix it.

Jo: *signs up* Sounds like a great class to learn how to write compelling back cover copy. Count me in! How long will the workshop be, and how might people benefit from attending?

C. J.: I actually don’t know how long I’m scheduled for, but I imagine it will be 1-2 hours. People will benefit from learning how to write a query from a writer’s perspective (I have such an easy formula to apply!) and from hearing critiques on both their own letters and the letters of others. The critiques take the lesson from theoretical to practical in a heartbeat, and often bring a lot of clarity to the process.

Jo: That makes me a little nervous... haha! I'm not a most excellent public speaker, but I'm game! Have you held similar workshops before? When and where?

C. J.: Yes, this is actually one of my most popular workshops. I’ve taught it online (I offer workshops throughout the year at http://queryworkshop.blogspot.com) and across the nation at book festivals, writing conferences, and individual writer’s groups.

Jo: *Looks at audience* Did you hear that, everyone? Go check it out! Okay, last question! Do you have any workshop success stories to share with us?

C. J.: One success story is author Shannon Messenger (KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES series), who took my query class, my synopsis class, and my plotting class before finding an agent. The query we worked on in class together ended up getting her a load of requests from the agents she queried, and she signed with one shortly thereafter.

Jo: So there's proof it works! What else could we possibly ask for? Thank you so much for giving me the honor of interviewing you! I can’t wait to meet you at utopYA in June!

About C. J. Redwine:
C. J. Redwine writes speculative fiction and is represented by Holly Root of Waxman Leavall Literary Agency. Her DEFIANCE trilogy is available from Balzer + Bray. Her book QUERY: How to Get Started, Get Noticed, and Get Signed is available on Kindle and Nook. C. J. has an English degree and a teaching credential from Pepperdine University. She's spent the last five years teaching workshops on all areas of writing. C. J. regularly offers workshops online and can also be booked for teen workshops at schools and libraries, as well as adult workshops at conferences, writing chapters, and book festivals.

Now, why don’t you give C. J. a follow on social media?

Workshop Website
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
Website
Amazon author page
Tumblr Blog

Don't forget to visit the other official utopYA bloggers this month for information on the other workshops, and the special event going on Friday evening. Here's the schedule:

Week 2 – A Book Vacation hosts Victoria Faye's discussion on her workshop - Book Branding Blueprint
Week 3 – The Paisley Reader hosts Regina Wamba's discussion on her workshop for graphic designers and photographers
Week 4 – Book Junkie: Not so Anonymous  will be talking about the special Friday night event, will have a list of Saturday signing authors, and will be giving away a spot at the signing


What do you think? Is C. J.’s workshop something you’re excited about? Why?

Well, that’s all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Author Interview - B. Kristin McMichael

Happy, happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! By the luck of the gods, I'm bringing you an awesome interview with author B. Kristin McMichael today! She totally came through for me at the last minute, and I'm so very, very grateful to her. You're gonna love her so much. She's one of those strong, well-educated women I love to feature. Want to meet her in person? Well, you can! She's one of the authors attending utopYA Con in June. Ticket prices go up in FOUR days, so get yours here now. You don't wanna be the only girl left out of the party. Grab a cup of something warm, and let's get going!

Jo: Kristin! Welcome to the blog. I’m so excited to have you here I may drop. You’re such an interesting author to stalk *ahem* research—yes, that’s what we’ll call it—and I’m looking forward to reading your answers. It’s amazing how much I can dig up on a person with the internet. *grin* You ready?

Kristin: Uh oh… I mean yes. :)

Jo: Great! I’m gonna jump right in with both feet here, because my readers like the juicy questions to come first. No, no, don’t poke them. So, I have to know: How hard did you dance when your Blue Eyes trilogy hit #1 in so many Amazon categories?

Kristin: No dancing here- just sitting and staring in shock! I was sure it had to be wrong. Hubby might have been dancing in the background (all the promotional stuff is his hard work) but for me it was more like shock, and maybe a little denial, than anything.

Jo: I can jibe with that. When something so amazing and unexpected happens, how does one react? I see you have a PhD. Man, I do love to see a well-educated woman. May I ask what your field of study was and how long it took you to graduate? What was your most trying assignment? Should I call you Dr. McMichael? Heck, you worked hard to earn it, might as well demand it. *grin* Makes me ten times more excited to meet you at utopYA Con! I’m a total science geek, and love the endless possibilities.

Kristin: I am a molecular biologist in the real world and I worked in a lab until last fall when I had my third child. Now I love being a mom who writes books. It took me four years after my bachelor’s to get my PhD, but it mainly meant I spent a lot of time in the lab doing research for that time. The most trying aspect was writing my thesis. A couple hundred pages of scientific text is more than enough for a lifetime! The worst part of it is writing the background section where you have to cite every source for every fact you want to use. I think my reference list ended up including over two hundred papers I had read and cited!

Oh gosh- no- don’t call me Dr. anything! Then I feel like a shrink. It’s best to just call me by my name (and if you know the secret handshake you might even find out my first name….)

Jo: *widens eyes* Holy crap. If I wasn't starry-eyed before, you can bet your butt I am now. That's awesome. Now I'm really geeking out. You're an inspiring person. Okay, okay, no Dr. But I'll tackle-hug you for that handshake code! Okay, if I were picking through your life and meeting all your friends and family members, which person would say they do the most for you and your writing? Why?

Kristin: Oh by far that would be my hubby. It was really his idea to do the whole publishing thing to begin with. I have been writing for years and had novels just sitting around on my computer collecting computer dust. He was the one that said- let’s do this. I was really in the background going- gosh no. Why would anyone want to read what I write? So almost two years and eight books later we are still at it. He does everything behind the scenes and I wonder if people think he is B. Kristin McMichael at times when he contacts them about promotional stuff (his name also starts with a B). He does the marketing, helps out with all my social media (I can be so dense- hubby how do you do this?… How do you do that?… Thankfully I married a computer geek that can teach me everything- over and over again) He also reads all my books to check for any last typos after the editors get through with them, and sometimes he even leaves me messages in the margins like ‘Andrew did not just do that…..’ It is fun. He is my partner in life and now my partner in the book business also. I don’t think I’d have even half as much done if I had to do it alone.

Jo: That may be the sweetest thing I've ever heard. Isn't it a blessing to have someone share so much of your life? High-five your hubby for me! Tell me about the In D’tail Magazine Cover Contest. Are you the one that entered or did someone else nominate you, and what did you hope would come of it?

Kristin: That was a complete surprise. They chose the cover for The Day Human King out of the books that they were reviewing. They emailed us on a Tuesday morning saying we were part of the contest and sure enough after following the link we saw the book up on it. I actually didn’t have much hope for it as many of my new fans aren’t all indie fans and we were up against some stiff competition. It was just nice to be nominated as I can’t say enough about my cover artist Ravven. She is great to work with, and I love her work. Even if I just give her a slight idea of what I want, she can come up with something great, and then all the little details she puts into a cover makes them complete and unique.

Jo: That's awesome. Yes, I'm very familiar with Ravven's work. Being a cover design lover, I follow a lot of the news surrounding imagery and design. Now, your Facebook page has 23k+ likes. Wow. How does that make you feel on a daily basis? What’s the next milestone you’d like to hit with it?

Kristin: It is completely amazing if you ask me. Again- that is all my hubby’s hard work. I’ve sold tens of thousands of books in the past year but never had a clue who they went to. We were at first focused just on getting the books done, which has a learning curve of its own. As we got a little more used to the publishing part of it, we decided it was time to work on building the fan base to interact with the people who bought all my books. The retailers don’t tell you who buys your books, so we’ve been trying all sorts of things to reach book lovers and build awareness. Really, my hubby is a miracle worker. The best part is that I can finally connect more with the fans. There are so many people out there that have read my books, but I never knew where to find them. Now I get more interaction with them and it has been exciting to attach real names and faces to my fans.

Jo: He certainly sounds like a marketing guru and someone you're very lucky to have in your corner. Huge kudos to you for figuring out how to make the transition from nameless to interactivity. Rapid fire question time! Would you rather a t-shirt and jeans or a hoodie and sweats?

Kristin: T-shirt and jeans (that’s what most scientists wear to the lab every day- it’s a hard habit to break)

Jo: Me too. haha! Bubbles or Stillness?

Kristin: stillness

Jo: Left or Right?

Kristin: right

Jo: Love those answers. Time travel question! Since utopYA 2015’s theme is Time Travel, I’m asking everyone a question along that vein. Ready? If you could return to the past and change one person’s life forever with a small act, who would it be and why?

Kristin: I don’t know if I’d actually do anything at all. I’m one that feels like everything happens for a reason, and if you changed something, it would affect everything else. You have to take the good and the bad because if you change any aspect, everything else could change also. But if I had to choose something, I’d have to go with my grandparents- I’d try to convince them not to buy the laundromat they had for years in the 1950s. They both ended up getting cancer from the chemicals they used and they both eventually died from it. My grandmother was 49 and never even got to see my mother graduate from college, get married, or even have kids. But at the same time, without that my father would have never been roomies with my grandfather (after my grandmother passed away they lived together) and I would have never had my step-grandma who taught me how to make donuts. My parents live every day like it would be their last, since they lost their own parents at such a young age. So as much as it would be nice to change some parts of the past, I don’t know if I would want the other parts to change.

Jo: That's so sad, but I just love that answer. Sending you virtual hugs. Because I can’t help myself: Tell me about your time-travel series, The Chalcedony Chronicles. What inspired you to write them, and which character is your favorite?

Kristin: I’m a scientist, but in reality I actually was more interested in anthropology when I first was in college. I’ve always had a soft spot for historical times and wondered about the past. What was life really like in all these different times? I especially have always loved ancient Egypt. I have done a lot of reading over the years about various pharaohs and there were some that really intrigued me. When I was brainstorming novel ideas- Ancient Egypt was just one place I couldn’t pass up.

As to the series itself- my favorite character from the series is a toss-up between two of the side characters- Ty and Kye- and no they are not twins! Kye actually appears in the book that is coming out next in the series and he’s a character that sort of pushed his way into the story (no he was not planned, he kind of just showed up in the end of the second book. After writing the last chapter it was just like an ah-ha moment where he became more important than just being an unnamed guard in the palace). And Ty is just a fun, nice character who has a sucky fate.

Jo: Yeah, baby! I totally have a book recommendation for you! Give me a quick rundown of your plotting process for your novels.

Kristin: I plot, and I don’t plot. I kind of do both. I normally go into a book with certain points that need to happen (beginning, middle, end) and maybe a few subplots. But as I write, the characters tend to take things where they want them to go. To write the best characters I can, they tend to have extensive backstories in my mind so that I can picture everything they do perfectly. While I might want things to happen a certain way, sometimes the characters don’t let it. If it doesn’t make sense for them to do something, I just can’t force it to happen. Other times I’ll be writing, and then step away to say, “well darn, don’t know how that happened”. And then I’ll have to change parts of the plotline. I will say that a lot of my inspiration comes from my dreams. They feel so real that I can’t change who the characters are even if I wanted to.

Jo: I know exactly what you mean. My characters surprise me every day. Love your process! We have too much in common. LOL! Tell me, which book of yours would you suggest a new (potential) fan start with? Why?

Kristin: Well I’d say that would depend on what you like. For hardcore paranormal fans or those that prefer third person, I’d recommend The Legend of the Blue Eyes. It’s a paranormal series that follows around a sixteen year old girl that just changes into a vampire-like night human. But for those that prefer first person romance and like their protagonists a bit older, Carnelian would be better for them.

Jo: I'm gonna have to check those out. Not a hardcore paranormal fan, but I do love books. Well, that’s all the time we have for today. Is there anything I didn’t ask that you wish I had?

Kristin: Just a thanks for having me. It is always great to do interviews and meet all sort of new people. Can’t wait to see you at UtopYAcon.

Jo: You're more than welcome. Thank you SO much for joining me on the blog, Kristin! I can’t wait to meet you in June.

Now, it’s time to tell you all about the featured book of the week!

Title: Carnelian
Author: B. Kristin McMichael
Genre: College Romance / Time Travel Paranormal
Length (print): 238 pages
Buy links: Amazon Kindle $2.99  ~  Smashwords $2.99  ~   iBooks $2.99  ~   B&N $2.99

Synopsis: Everyone has a past, but for most it isn't so far in the past as Seth Sangre. His past is literally from thousands of years ago. Seth's past led him to the present seeking something that might help him save his country from destruction. He has been in the present for over three years now, and he just found exactly what he has been looking for. Mari had dreams of college being a fresh start, one where she would start over and not fall for the good looking player like high school. Unfortunately for her, that's exactly what ends up falling into her lap on the first day she moves into the dorms. Now she has to hold to her promise to herself not fall for the handsome Seth Sangre. But he doesn't plan to make it easy for her. Seth has already marked her as his next conquest.

As the semester progresses, Mari learns that Seth might just have a past of his own that's literally in the past. Suddenly, Mari finds her future along with her past put into question. She's connected to Seth far more than she ever wanted to be, and maybe he isn't the player who she thought he was. If Mari can trust her heart enough to follow him, Seth will lead Mari on an adventure of a lifetime-and reveal family secrets she never knew existed.

While your fingers are in the clicking mode, why not give this lovely lady a follow on every social media platform I could think of when writing up the template for these interviews (plus some)?

Pinterest: bkmcmichael
Blog: BKristinMcmichael
Facebook: BKristinMcMichael
Twitter: @bkmcmichael
Goodreads: B. Kristin McMichael
Website: http://bkristinmcmichael.com/
Mailing List: BKMcnewsletter
Amazon Author Page: B. Kristin McMichael
Tsu: B. Kristin McMichael

If you have any questions, pop them into the comments below. Kristin will be around to answer and/or respond!

Well, that’s all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo