For you that are new, please read our intro now printed in Blue - for our returning guest feel free to jump to the text in black:
This blog is a meeting place for authors and others in the arts .... each week as others are directed to our door or just stumble on by, they come and leave information about themselves - telling about their new books or drawings or photos or to tell us about their new blogs. ****PLEASE be sure your comments are appearing on the latest most timely blog insuring your inclusion in the sending off to Google plus land at the end of the week.*****
Here is the link to Gwen’s site: http://indieauthornetwork.weebly.com/ , a site which I am closely affiliated.
As I am wont to say {as does Facebook}, our site is free to comment and share and always will be free. This is a great site to join and to become interactive with guest blogging. It gives you a chance to step out of your box and be whatever you wish.
Another blog that I have a close tie is CRYPTO and CO. Please pop over and check out all their pages.
I have been off doing business and my blogging, unfortunately, falls by the wayside. There is so much news to tell and swamping tends to cross eyes and brain fog off... so only a few links on today's news.
If we thought last month was busy, this month got off to a plunge into new adventures of editing, writing, publishing, promoting, and social interaction.
The Rain Cloud's Gift written for Children's Charities by our group The Peacock Writers' is on it's way to the NYC BOOK FAIR at the JACOB JAVIT'S CONVENTION CENTER. No mass books or signing, just books displayed for industry professionals, stars, editors, publicists, publishers, and acquisition teams for the movie industry. Gwenna D'Young has an Angel who was so impressed with the book, and has given us the money and backing to have the book appear in the line up. We are also in the process of releasing a full, pictures included, limited edition.
Our next book in this series will celebrate the fall season and we are recruiting writers {1 each} from India, Japan, and Philippines - America has Halloween and Thanksgiving, Great Britain has Guy Fawkes - we would like stories that reflect fall traditions or holidays for these other cultures as well. The stories would remain the sole property of the author and their use as a donation would only occur for the book collection for Children's Charities. The story is to be written on a level where a child could either read it or have it read to them - our age goal for readers is 0 through 12. Please contact me at https://www.facebook.com/paula.shene if interested in being considered.
This blog is a meeting place for authors and others in the arts .... each week as others are directed to our door or just stumble on by, they come and leave information about themselves - telling about their new books or drawings or photos or to tell us about their new blogs. ****PLEASE be sure your comments are appearing on the latest most timely blog insuring your inclusion in the sending off to Google plus land at the end of the week.*****
Here is the link to Gwen’s site: http://indieauthornetwork.weebly.com/ , a site which I am closely affiliated.
As I am wont to say {as does Facebook}, our site is free to comment and share and always will be free. This is a great site to join and to become interactive with guest blogging. It gives you a chance to step out of your box and be whatever you wish.
Another blog that I have a close tie is CRYPTO and CO. Please pop over and check out all their pages.
I have been off doing business and my blogging, unfortunately, falls by the wayside. There is so much news to tell and swamping tends to cross eyes and brain fog off... so only a few links on today's news.
If we thought last month was busy, this month got off to a plunge into new adventures of editing, writing, publishing, promoting, and social interaction.
The Rain Cloud's Gift written for Children's Charities by our group The Peacock Writers' is on it's way to the NYC BOOK FAIR at the JACOB JAVIT'S CONVENTION CENTER. No mass books or signing, just books displayed for industry professionals, stars, editors, publicists, publishers, and acquisition teams for the movie industry. Gwenna D'Young has an Angel who was so impressed with the book, and has given us the money and backing to have the book appear in the line up. We are also in the process of releasing a full, pictures included, limited edition.
Our next book in this series will celebrate the fall season and we are recruiting writers {1 each} from India, Japan, and Philippines - America has Halloween and Thanksgiving, Great Britain has Guy Fawkes - we would like stories that reflect fall traditions or holidays for these other cultures as well. The stories would remain the sole property of the author and their use as a donation would only occur for the book collection for Children's Charities. The story is to be written on a level where a child could either read it or have it read to them - our age goal for readers is 0 through 12. Please contact me at https://www.facebook.com/paula.shene if interested in being considered.
Today, Friday June 8 2012, we have Roy Mauritsen with us. He has told my favorite type of story... Let’s find out what that genre could be and why he has written ~
What inspired you to write?
I've always considered myself an artist and a creative type person. Every drawing tells a story, as the
artist is creating it (much like Bob Ross and his happy little bush stories), or as the viewer looks at it, and is inspired to attribute the image with their own story. So storytelling has always been mixed in the foundation.
artist is creating it (much like Bob Ross and his happy little bush stories), or as the viewer looks at it, and is inspired to attribute the image with their own story. So storytelling has always been mixed in the foundation.
The stories and writing actually started about 5th grade for me, about the time my friends and I started playing Dungeons & Dragons, this was back in the very early 80s. Through the years, and with the group of friends I had, it was a tremendously creative outlet, for artwork, stories and friendships I still have to this day.
Much of the inspiration for Shards Of The Glass Slipper has some influence from
those years and experiences.
Do you have anyone you show manuscripts to and get advice from or are you a loner doing it all yourself?
I've been told I'm a consummate storyteller, but a horrible writer, haha! That said, after I have the manuscript in what I feel is an excellent place, I will rely heavily on the review and editing process! As the creative storyteller, I'm often too close to the work to see things objectively anyway. I tend to focus on my strength in the creative aspects. Having some distance on it is expedient.
I leave it up to the professionals (editors) to focus the technical details. I have two or three editor types, and close friends who are happy to knock me down a peg! *Kidding* I value that kind of feedback though, and their insight and suggestions can be immensely helpful. The manuscript is always in a constant state of change right until the very end. I have beta readers I trust, and my ace in the hole is my wife - she's a highly skilled and busy professional editor and I only call upon her talents when I genuinely have to.
In the end though, it's just me and the keyboard, processing all the edits, corrections, changes, advice,
criticism and my own ideas. In that regard, I think every writer is inherently a loner. Creatively, I don't seek out advice, as I don't want to taint my own creative voice, It's my story, and it's the story I want to read. There is no shortage of opinions. There are a lot of people out there who will never write a novel themselves but will have plenty of advice on how they think you can't do it or how you should do it. I don't focus on that, it's been my experience that the only one that will care the most about your work is you.
criticism and my own ideas. In that regard, I think every writer is inherently a loner. Creatively, I don't seek out advice, as I don't want to taint my own creative voice, It's my story, and it's the story I want to read. There is no shortage of opinions. There are a lot of people out there who will never write a novel themselves but will have plenty of advice on how they think you can't do it or how you should do it. I don't focus on that, it's been my experience that the only one that will care the most about your work is you.
What genre do you normally write in? Also, is there a genre you've always wanted to write in, but don't
feel you could pull it off?
feel you could pull it off?
Epic fantasy & Fairy tales are what I'm writing now. I wrote a short story entitled " Norman's Ark" for an upcoming Anthology (from Padwolf Publishing) called Apocalypse 13. It was a lot of fun to break away and write something modern day/urban fantasy for a change. I'm still trying to figure out if I've pulled off writing in the genre I have!
Do you ever base your characters on people you know?
The main character in the "Norman's Ark" short story in Apocalypse 13, and a lot of what he
goes through I pulled from my experiences. It turned out to be an intensely personal exploration.
goes through I pulled from my experiences. It turned out to be an intensely personal exploration.
What advice would you give to someone who was just starting off in writing?
You can't spellcheck a blank page. Get the story down. Write it. After that, you can go back and fix, but
you have to have something to start working with. Writing is tough and lonely, and for most of the process, there's no light at the end of the manuscript tunnel. Push through and don't give up. You might have spent years writing it, but it’s a waste of time only if you never finish it! No agent or publisher or editor, no one will care as much as you will about your own work. As smart as you think your manuscript is, it's not. Invest in
professional editing. If you choose to go the self publish route (and there's nothing wrong with that) do everything you can in your budget to make it the most professional; make it virtually indistinguishable from any traditionally published book - it goes a long away towards your reputation. Be humble.
you have to have something to start working with. Writing is tough and lonely, and for most of the process, there's no light at the end of the manuscript tunnel. Push through and don't give up. You might have spent years writing it, but it’s a waste of time only if you never finish it! No agent or publisher or editor, no one will care as much as you will about your own work. As smart as you think your manuscript is, it's not. Invest in
professional editing. If you choose to go the self publish route (and there's nothing wrong with that) do everything you can in your budget to make it the most professional; make it virtually indistinguishable from any traditionally published book - it goes a long away towards your reputation. Be humble.
Do your stories tend to have morals, or special messages, included within them?
Not intentionally, people tend to invest themselves in things and take away from stories what they want.
Although, I'm writing a short story now with characters that do have some pretty hardline stances on how we treat our oceans.
Although, I'm writing a short story now with characters that do have some pretty hardline stances on how we treat our oceans.
This question was posed by a fellow author, and I loved it so much I decided to throw it into the mix ~
Oh no! One of your characters has escaped. Luckily, I have caught them! I will interrogate them with the help of a lie detector.
Welcome!Take a seat, make yourself comfortable. You will be returning to your book once this is over.
What's your name, where are you from and what is your role in the book?
What's your name, where are you from and what is your role in the book?
How dare you hold the royal ambassador of the sovereign realm of Wonderland against his will! When
Queen Alice hears that her ace liaison, the White Rabbit has been captured and interrogated, and for such a petty self serving thing as an author interview, she will send her entire army to extract me!
Queen Alice hears that her ace liaison, the White Rabbit has been captured and interrogated, and for such a petty self serving thing as an author interview, she will send her entire army to extract me!
Fur and whiskers! Not to mention you've interrupted me on a (supposedly) diplomatic mission to deliver the terms of occupation while we negotiate the extradition of Jack Spriggins, the so called "hero" of the Beanstalk War, for trial regarding his crimes against Wonderland. That's if he survives the journey back of course, accidents have been known to happen. Not that I have a personal grudge against him or would know
anything about a coup d’etat against the Queen of Wonderland in all of this.
anything about a coup d’etat against the Queen of Wonderland in all of this.
What you have done interviewer, is yet another flagrant violation of terms in the Fae-Wonderland treaty. To get this matter sorted, I must insist on a meeting with your queen… Queen Cinder, is it? That's what the subjects of the land call her. There are protocols to maintain, not that you would know of any such things. Now step aside, I'm afraid this delay has made me quite late. Good day to you, I say sternly. Good day, indeed.
Tell us why we would enjoy reading your books?
Fairy tales are getting pretty popular right now in film and television. The success of Once Upon A Time on ABC and Hollywood embracing almost two dozen fairy tale related movie projects over the next couple of years, I'm happy my book Shards of The Glass Slipper is out at this time. So if, you're a fan of fairy tales and epic fantasy adventure, I hope you'll like my book. Using an ensemble cast of fairy tale characters in an epic adventure quest it pulls a lot of details and reference, from well over a dozen fairy tales, taking one of the most recognizable fairy tale characters, Cinderella, and making her into a villainous evil queen was just the start! It's a fun read in the spirit of Dragonlance or The Hobbit.
Thank you for the interview, Roy.
Thank you, Paula - very much for your interest in my work!
Links for books and/or sites
Publisher http://padwolf.com
buy on amazon: (also available in paperback) http://www.amazon.com/Shards-The-Glass-Slipper-ebook/dp/B007V538QA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337276377&sr=8-1
Music inspired by the book: http://www.amazon.com/Shards-Gene-Pool-Zombie/dp/B006JSXH84/ref=tag_dpp_lp_edpp_img_in
No comments:
Post a Comment