Author Interview -- Sarah Kuhn

Today I have the honor of interviewing one of my favorite authors. A while back I reviewed Sarah Kuhn's novel Heroine Complex (see here for my review) and got hooked on the Asian girl power F-bombs. With three books in the series and even more awesomeness on the way, Ms. Kuhn is definitely on a roll. Lucky for us, she had time to answer a few burning questions.

How would you describe your writing to a newb?

Superheroine-powered romance-fantasy that’s as fun and vibrant and candy-colored as Jason Chan’s beautiful covers for the HEROINE series. (That’s what I’m always trying to live up to, anyway.) Packed with feels of all kinds. Spotlighting women of color getting to have fun and adventure and happy endings.

Where did the idea for Heroine Complex come from?

I grew up on a steady diet of superhero comics and I particularly loved the X-Men, because they always spend an excessive amount of time talking about their feelings, even when—especially when!—the world needs saving. I always wondered, though, who was doing all the behind-the-scenes dirty work—taking costumes to the dry cleaners, updating the social media, cleaning up all the superpowered messes left behind. I thought it would be fun to write about the person who has to do all that, the beleaguered PA to superheroes. That’s how I found Evie Tanaka, superheroine PA extraordinaire, who stars in the first book. And then all her friends wanted their own stories, too.

Who are your female role models?

Way too many to list here, but my biggest role models are my girl gangs, all the wonderful women I’m close to. When everything else in the world seems terrible, being part of those communities has saved my life.

Heroine Complex is told from Evie's POV. Why did you change to Annie's POV for Heroine Worship?

In the first draft of the book, Aveda was more of a one-note diva — she was really awful to Evie, and one of my editor’s first notes was that she didn’t really understand why they were friends in the first place. I had to go back and really explore that question, and that’s how I got into the deeper nuances of their relationships — how Aveda had really always been there to save Evie and they’d developed this not-very-healthy codependent relationship they needed to fix. It made me really feel for Aveda, to realize that everything she was doing stemmed from her ultra perfectionist nature and her fear of failure and of being alone. She became real to me through that process, so of course that made me want to her explore her story. (Plus, I really wanted to show how she and Scott finally got together!)

Which of your characters do you identify with most?

I always identify the most with whoever I’m writing at the time. When I wrote Evie, I felt her need for control and the tentative unleashing of her allowing herself to really want things. With Aveda, I felt that perfectionist nature and fear of messing up deep in my bones. And with Bea, I felt her need for whimsy and excitement and the deep grief she was trying to run away from. I think I have to connect to each character that deeply in order to write them well.

Have you written anything you wish more people would notice?

I have written a few tweets that I feel were very underrated.

What can a hungry writer do to get exposure?

I don’t think there’s any magic answer to that — except just write. Finish something. Start the next thing. Try different things. In any creative industry, we feel like we have control over so little — but as long as you’re writing, you’re steering the ship. (This sentence sounded good when I started writing it, and now I’m like, what? What does that mean?? But see, I can write another sentence — I’m steering the ship!)

Which of the superpowers in your stories would you most want to have? Say, the super handy GPS power?

That would come in extremely handy in LA, but my original dream power was shooting fire out of my hands, so I still kind of want Evie’s. (Probably no one else wants me to have this power, though.)

Sarah Kuhn's Website

@sarakuhn

Facbook Page

Author Interview -- S.T. Sanchez

Today I'm talking with S.T. Sanchez, author of The Portal Keeper and Sunwalker.

1.)   How would you describe your writing to a newb? 

I write in 3^rd POV, but I am toying with the idea of doing a novel in 1^st person. I love to write fantasy although I have an idea for a drama and an action adventure, but as much as I would love to jump into the project I have decided to finish the two series I currently have published first.

2.)   What inspired you to write The Portal Keeper?

I have a YA Vampire Trilogy entitled the Sunwalker Trilogy. I have always been fascinated with vampires. However my kids are still on the younger side, and the series is a little bit too intense for them.  My son wanted me to write a story with a dragon in it. I had been toying with the idea of writing a novel with a mystical portal and just jumped in from there.

3.)   Why do you think The Portal Keeper was so easy to write?

I think the instant feedback made this novel easier to write. On my other projects no one sees any of it until I have completed the first draft. But with The Portal Keeper my kids were too excited that I was writing something that they would be able to read. They became my instant beta readers. Constantly hounding me to finish the next chapter. This book became our bedtime story. Their anticipation and excitement was catching and pushed me to write more.

4.)  What's a place in Dallas I absolutely have to visit? I'll go first. You've got to hit up Sushi One at the Plaza of the Americas.

That’s a tough one. Dallas has so many amazing things to offer, especially when it comes to restaurants. Probably my favorite place to go is an Italian place in Allen, a suburb just north of Dallas. It has fantastic food, and I might be a little bias since I met my husband there.  If you ever go, you must order the Stuffed Mushrooms and Chicken Murphy. There is nothing better.

5.)   You have a BA of Arts in Spanish. I've never heard of that. What is it?  I have a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish. My husband is from Mexico and I love the people, the culture and the food. So learning Spanish was always a must for me.

6.)   What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Keep writing. Have more than Mom and Dad read your books. Join writing groups and have someone who doesn’t know you read your works. Don’t get discouraged by bad feedback. Look at it and see if its valid and then make changes.  Don’t be afraid of rewrites.

7.)   What made you decide to start a blog?

Honestly, at first because that’s the advice new authors are given. It’s a way to attract new readers. Now I really enjoy getting to know other authors and finding new stories to read that I might not have found before.

8.)  How do you get feedback for your books? Do you have beta readers?

If you don’t have beta readers, I think that you are really putting yourself at a disadvantage. My betas are my salvation. Having several sets of eyes on a draft is crucial. They catch things I don’t see. Help me keep my work consistent and let me know when I am heading in the wrong direction. 

Beta readers can be hard to find. A lot of people have a hard time telling someone what’s wrong. It’s easier to just say everything was great. I only have a small handful of readers who will really dig in and find all my faults.  It can be a little tough to hear at times, some can be a little harsh, but I know my books are better because of them.

S. T. Sanchez - Author

Sunwalker 

https://www.amazon.com/Sunwalker-Trilogy-S-T-Sanchez/dp/0999001612

The Portal Keeper

https://www.amazon.com/Portal-Keeper-Chronicles/dp/0999001639/

Twitter

https://twitter.com/authorstsanchez

Blog

https://authorstsanchez.blogspot.com/

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/authors.t.sanchez/

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16847543.S_T_Sanchez

Author Interview -- Bridgett Morigna

Today I'm talking with fantasy author Bridgett Morigna who has found an unorthodox way to earn money writing via Patreon.

1.) How would you describe your writing? Darker than expected. The first time someone called The Dreams dark I was caught off guard. To me, it was just the story that I had to tell with the characters I created. Now that I've had some time to step away from the project, I can see what others saw. I never set out to make my stories dark, but once I start writing and exploring the concept and characters things inevitably take a dark turn. 2.) Why write for free? I'm a big believer in the goodwill of the internet. Growing up I was always in awe of the hours upon hours of reading material I could find for free online. I guess a part of me always wanted to be part of the internet repository of creativity. 3.) Where did the idea for The Dreams come from? The Dreams is the result of more than a decade of accumulated inspiration. The original idea started as a fanfiction concept combined with a fascination with kitsune while I was in high school. The idea that finally became the current story combined elements of that original idea with my experiences in college and during a serious illness. I'd held onto this idea for so long that elements of it have been drawn from a number of places in my life. 4.) What made you decide to study Japanese? It all started with anime. I've always been a big fan of shows involving history and folklore and learning the language helped me better understand those shows in context. 5.) You've chosen to be supported solely through Patreon. How has that worked out for you? I think it is working out really well! I love the idea of giving people the option to support my writing without forcing them to pay for the content. It's great having my Patreon as a place to post things that would only be of interest to people that are already invested in my writing. 6.) Your Twitter pic is Serial Experiments Lain. Are you a big fan of that series? Yep! I've been a fan since way back when I saw it on TechTV. 7.) Have you seen Haibane Renmei? It is also from Yoshitoshi ABe. I haven't watched Haibane Renmei. If it's anything like Lain, I'll have to check it out. 8.) Any plans to put your stories for sale on Kindle or Nook? My goal is to one day have my stories available in places like Amazon, Smashwords, etc. My serials need a lot of extra work to get them into tip-top shape for ebook format. 9.) What advice do you have for aspiring authors? There isn't one right way to be an author. Write, publish and measure success in a way that suits your personality. You'll be happier and more productive than if you tried to follow someone else's path to success.

https://twitter.com/bridgettmorigna

https://www.patreon.com/bridgettmorigna

https://bridgettmorigna.com/

Author Interview -- Gail Carriger

Today I'm proud to interview one of my favorite authors. Please welcome Gail Carriger, author of Soulless and The Custard Protocol series, among others. Whether you want steampunk, vampires or werewolves, she's got you covered.

1.) How would you describe your writing to a newb?
Comedies of manners mixed with paranormal romance/urban fantasy. Often with a heavy dose of steampunk.

2.) Your writing contains the right mix of style and sharp wit. How have you cultivated your writing?

Carefully and with only the very best pruning shears.

3.) Your stories feature strong female protagonists. Is this something literature has enough of or do we still have a ways to go?
I'll settle for 51% of literature. All literature. Everywhere. That seems about right to me. Alternatively, how about 99% for the next 500 years or so? Balance.

4.) Do you consider yourself an alpha?
Not by my world's standards, I've never been bitten by a werewolf. At least I don't think I have.

5.) Would you rather be a vampire, werewolf or preternatural?
Definitely preternatural. Best of all words and no messy immortality. 

6.) Did you find it difficult to transition from California to Victorian England?Only when I've eaten too much Mexican food.

7.) What advice would you give to an aspiring author looking to get noticed?
Do it more, do it better, and make them laugh.

8.) How did Soulless: The Manga come about?There was a mild case of confused identity, a tall man with twinkly eyes, and mutual admiration for Black Butler involved. I'm so lucky to have had the graphic adaptation, so few authors ever get to see their work interpreted through a visual medium. It was such a killer experience. 

Thanks for having me by for a visit!

My pleasure.

https://www.facebook.com/gailcarrigerllc/

@gailcarriger

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2891665.Gail_Carriger

http://gailcarriger.tumblr.com/

Introducing My New Web Site

After many years, I have finally created a proper web site. It's still rough around the edges but I like the direction I'm going with it. Please check out www.scottkinkade.net if you feel so inclined.

Author Interview -- Grady P. Brown

Today we have Grady P. Brown, author of the superhero series The Young Guardians.

1.) How would you describe your writing?
My writing is mostly self-taught, but has undergone much change and evolution over the years after much practice. I focus on providing as much description and emotional atmosphere as possible for my readers.

2.) Tell me about The Young Guardians.

The Young Guardians are my ongoing superhero series that revolves around a group of teenagers who acquire superhuman powers after a chance encounter with the last of the high elves. Now they are being hunted by an organization of supervillains, including a cyborg who seeks vengeance. Now I am reaching the fourth and final volume of the Young Guardians Series, which will depict their final battle against the most powerful supervillain in the world.

3.) How has living with autism impacted your writing?

Due to my autism, I am able to better visualize the scenes in my stories in greater detail. Also, my autism gives me a powerful memory, which enables me to remember everything about my characters and stories. If anything happens to any of my stories, I can easily rewrite them.

4.) I see you like Tite Kubo. Are you a fan of Bleach? Why or why not?

I am a fan of Bleach because I love the intense action scenes as well as Ichigo's growth as a character.

5.) Tell me about your relationship with Christopher Paolini.

I am a huge fan of his Inheritance Cycle. His success is what inspired me to become a writer myself. Recently, we have been communicating through GoodReads.com. He has provided much needed insight on what is required to be a writer. It has been a tremendous honor to receive such lessons from him.

6.) What's your take on Star Wars: Episode VIII? Do you think it will be any good?

This question I can answer for a fortnight so I will try to make my answer brief. I think it will be a great film for everyone because we will be exposed to something greater than the balance between light and dark. Also, I look forward to seeing how Kylo Ren's training under Supreme Leader Snoke will be completed and how it will transform him as a dark side practitioner.

7.) What is your interest in medieval history?

In order to gain as much inspiration and information for my new fantasy book, I have studied many aspects from the Norman invasion of 1066 to the Tudor Dynasty of the 16th century. Like the Star Wars question, I could answer this question for a fortnight because of how much I have learned. Soon, I will immerse myself even deeper into the medieval lifestyle by taking blacksmithing, fencing, archery, and horsemanship classes. Also, I believe that learning about medieval history is very worthwhile because it allows me to reconnect with my ancestral roots.

8.) What is your advice for aspiring authors?

While writing a new story, be sure to keep your cards close to your chest and not reveal everything about your story until it is published. That will reduce the risk of people stealing your idea. In addition, while writing a story, be sure to make keep a flash drive in order to make copies of your story in case something happens to the main copy.

https://gradypbrown.wordpress.com

@guardiansyoung

https://www.amazon.com/Grady-P.-Brown/e/B002YBCBBO/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1493349632&sr=1-1

Author Interview -- Michelle Lowe

Today we're doing something different and interviewing another author. Please welcome Michelle Lowe, author of Legacy.

1.) What genre do you primarily write in?

Even though I’ve written one nonfiction novel, I generally write fiction. It’s simply more enjoyable. With fiction, I can play around with facts and build my own worlds. There’s a lot of intelligence and creativity that goes into writing fiction, I believe. There’s much that can be created, so many imaginative ways to explain how made up things function. You really work your brain coming up with how everything goes and make it believable no matter how unbelievable it is!  

2.) What sets you apart from other authors?

Well, I’d say it’s because I’m broke, but I think that goes for most authors. Um, that’s kind of a hard question only because other than my own writing style, I’m not really that different from any other writer out there. We’re all storytellers, some of us are good and some of us are not. Some are successful for the being good storytellers, few are successful even though they’re not for one reason or another. The rest, like me, are still climbing, still envisioning that one day all our hard work will pay off. This isn’t an easy life to get into. Not a simple dream come true. Yet, I am thrilled to be in this fray with so many other dreamers and yarn spinners. 

3.) What did you learn from writing Legacy?

A lot, actually. Aside from all the research needed for, not just this book, but the entire Legacy series, I’ve learned that I really enjoy writing steampunk. Granted, Legacy is tad different from other steampunk novels. While most books of this genre already have technologies and gadgets invented and in use, I’ve started this series during the cusp of when the Industrial Revolution is really taking hold on the world. Legacy is set in an alternate universe, naturally, and there are plenty of inventions and machines throughout the entire series, like a Spanish galleon that can produce its own winds by way of huge fans powered by water, an oven that makes cremated corpses into diamonds, (a real thing by the way), the first airship ever made, living automatons, a cryo chamber that promises to bring back the dead, robotic limbs, and all that fun stuff. Yet there’s also this old supernatural world that still exists, and these two worlds, machine and magic, overlap one another. I suppose you can say that it’s the transition between an old world and new. Writing this series has given me a new way to write and has opened my imagination box even wider.

4.) What about European history intrigues you?

European history has an abundance of material to work with regarding storytelling. Granted the entire world has a great amount of interesting documented historical accounts, and I’ve used bits and pieces of them in all my stories. It’s hard to explain because to me it’s the same as asking why a person likes the color blue over other colors. European history is none more fascinating than any other past events on other continents. It’s just a preference, I suppose.

5.) Do you paint oil paintings or just admire them?

I paint and I absolutely love it! I do admire many painting other than oils. I enjoy abstract art and paintings with loads of little details such as the works of Hieronymus Bosch. I also enjoy some scenery artwork like those from painter, Robert Doares. I have a reproduction of his Spring River painting on my wall that my parents bought over forty years ago.  

6.) What is your favorite knickknack?

I have bunches of knickknacks that I collect. A collage of items, from owl sculptures to an old Carter’s fountain pen ink jar. Some of my favorites that I’ve gathered are natural things like rocks. I’ve collected small rocks from various places, spanning from the Mojave Desert to Hawaii. I even grabbed a phaneritic rock from the backyard of my childhood home a few years back. One day, I hope a snag a little stone from England whenever I get a chance to visit.

7.) What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

I once read that you can make anything by writing. And it’s true! Writing opens minds, introduces new perspectives and brings people into worlds they never knew existed. Writing is an art form that is beautiful, tragic, complex, stunning and horrifying. My best advice for aspiring writers is to develop a thick skin. Take constructive criticism with a grain of salt and learn from what others tell you. Trust me, you’ll grow as a writer that way. And read! Read! Read! Read! When a writer is reading, it’s different than non-writers. We’re not just reading, we’re studying! We’re finding out new ways to describe things, broadening our vocabulary and learning how these other authors thread their stories together. Whatever genre you write, reading will help significantly when you put your own pen to paper. Don’t concern yourself about getting that first rough draft just right, either. First drafts are meant to free spirits and very ugly ones too. You only need to get your story out of your head and onto paper or in a Word document. Worry about making it pretty later on during editing. And don’t rush. It’s so easy nowadays to toss out stories in front of the whole world. Self-publishing has become easily available thanks to companies like Amazon and Createspace. Writers no longer need the gatekeepers’ permission to publish their work, or spend thousands of dollars going through a vanity press in the hopes that they’ll make that money back. Yet the ease to publish shouldn’t mean that the art of writing needs to be forgotten. Writing a book or novella takes time and ought to take just as long if not longer to make better through proper editing and revision. It’s best to sit on a manuscript for a while before going back to work on it rather than rush in getting it done just to publish it. It doesn’t matter how good the story is, if readers are distracted by poor writing and grammar flaws, you’ll lose them quick!

All in all, read more, write with passion, but edit with care and devotion toward the craft and learn from others. Most of all, write what you love!      

8.) What’s the best way to connect with readers?

Talking to them. Sites like Goodreads are a great way to reach out to people. I’ve also just recently worked my way to building up my nerve to do Facebook Live. I’d love to chat with people and getting to know them as well as let them know me, the person behind the book, as it were. Another good way to connect with readers is to be friendly. Let them in on what you’re doing in your writing from time to time, and listen to what they have to say. If they didn’t like one of your books even though they liked or loved your other novels, or didn’t enjoy some parts in any other book you wrote, listen to why and don’t get sore about it. Just because they’re a fan of yours doesn’t mean they’re going to love everything you put out there. Who knows, maybe there’ll be something to learn from it. Be humble, after all, writers are nothing without their readers.

Website: www.michellelowe.net

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2fWq6BV

Twitter: @michellelowe_7

Kickstarter: http://kck.st/2llpSWw

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2bNh8WQ

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/2h6sPrt

Legacy Twitter: @LegacySeries_6