I'd like to introduce you to Kim Darnell, author, wife, and mother. She recently released her debut novel Ready to Give An Answer. I was with Kim through part of this journey and trust me her book is one you don't want to miss. Her book is about life, and although many might look at it and think they don't want to read about someone's spiritual journey, trust me, you will. It is a book everyone and anyone can relate to, in several different ways. So without any more from me, let's meet Kim Darnell.

Let the internet world know what your debut novel is all about:
Ready to Give An Answer is a book I started out writing for myself and my family, but ended up wanting to share more widely once it was complete.  It’s really the story of how I came to faith and how that impacted my life in high school, college, marriage, moving across the country, and handling an early miscarriage.

What do you want people to know about you and why you write?
As a little girl, I loved to write short stories and poems, and in school, I was one of the weird people who actually enjoyed writing book reports and essays, so much so that I ended up being a writing major!  I write because it’s the best way I can express myself.  I’d like to consider myself an articulate conversationalist, but writing has always been the way I feel I can best organize my thoughts and communicate clearly.

Why do you write the genre you do?
I hadn’t even heard of memoir until I took a class in college, and it was the perfect fit for me! I felt a bit out of place in poetry and fiction classes, but memoir was a place where I could bring my own stories to life.

What is the first book that made you cry?
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White.  It was one of my favorites as a child.  How can you not cry when Wilbur has to say goodbye to Charlotte? *I think everyone can feel the same about this one - inserts interviewer*

What are common traps for aspiring writers?
Not being in a critique group.  I was so much more productive as an aspiring writing when I regularly attended one.  Critique groups keep you bringing new material, enliven your old material, and you get to meet a bunch of great writers — it’s what Michael Scott would call a win-win-win! *Oh yes, who gets this awesome reference?!?!*

How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?
Publishing my first book hasn’t really changed my writing process. It’s made me want to do it again!  Self-publishing and marketing is a lot less fun than actually writing, but it is very rewarding to get to hear readers’ feedback. *Agreed

What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?
Probably on books.  I don’t think you can be a good writer if you’re not a reader! 

How do you select the names of your characters?
Although I write about real people, I do have to change names from time to time.  Sometimes I’ll just go with the first name that pops into my head. Other times there has been someone else that the person has reminded me of, and I’ve used that name.

Do you Google yourself?
Not until you just asked that question… I’m pleased to see that my author picture came up!
*It is surprising how many people DON'T google themselves!!!*

How can people get in touch with you?
People can get in touch with me via Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Kim-Darnell-Author-405507216844829/?modal=admin_todo_tour. 

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a new book called No One Ever Told Me and am soliciting feedback for readers to be featured in it!  This book will be a collection of quotes and short stories from my own life and readers’ lives detailing things we had to learn on our own.  Please consider sharing:  What is it no one ever told you that you wish they had? 
*Internetland, the link to answer this question, and maybe be a part of Mrs. Darnell's next book is below. Please feel free, if you have time to help Kim out!
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8B8B953

Kim's book can be found on Amazon, or you can click on the link below, and it is available as an eBook and a paperback:
www.amazon.com/Ready-Give-Answer-Kim-Darnell/dp/1072014866

I will most likely not be posting anything on this blog this coming week. I am participating in a writer's retreat, which means I will be fully immersed in my novels. I plan on spending all of the days, and all of the hours, and every minute I am a awake and not showering or eating, working on editing, and writing, and editing, and proofreading, and writing.... so much writing.

I hope that by the end of the week I have between 50-100 pages written, which I know is a hefty goal, and it is also why I will not be posting anything. Nor will I be on social media, or email, or really anything that is distracting. If I do this, I will likely have a complete first draft of my last zombie novel, I will have a complete second draft of the science fiction book I wrote last year, I will have a complete draft of my stupid things people say after someone dies book, and I will have my conversations with my cat book in the proper format for if I have to self-publish it.

After all of this, I may be on lightly, as I have work and a medical issue that I am currently taking care of. I will know more in in the next two weeks about where my life is going, and what I will be doing int he future.

But, before I go, I'd like everyone out there in internet land to wish me luck, as I've never participated in a writer's retreat, and have no idea what to expect. I have also never taken the time to immerse myself in my writing for a week, uninterrupted, 100% of the time.

So, lovely internet people, adieu, see you on the flip side of the week.

I don't write much poetry, but I thought I'd share this one here. If you like you can tell me what you think, or if it is good or godawful! I've written few poems in my adult life, and when I was a teenager my poems were called disgusting ad gross. I was told to never write again, and that was the first time, but not the last. So I share with a little bit of hesitation, because a lot of my work is not well received. Later, if I can find it, I will share a story that got me kicked out of one writer's group.

Anyway, here is the poem:

Tin Soldiers
 
Bright and shiny, new in box
Unused soldiers waiting for their day.
Opened plastic, rosy cheeks,
Wide innocent eyes, waiting to be deployed.
A moment later, battle bound,
Shiny faces dimmed down,
Soldiers waiting, cheeks tanned and brown
Standing, watching,
Battle found.
One year later, homeward on,
Sinking soldiers,
Broken down.
Boxes beaten, weathered and faded,
Soldiers begging, brains broken,
Guns in hand.
No one helping, paint fading,
Tiny tin soldiers,
In the graveyard now.

The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey was an interesting zombie book about a bunch of children who don’t know they are anything but. The characters are there to protect themselves, teach the children, and to use the children to find a way to save humanity. Dr. Caldwell has one mission, and she keeps doing it, even if it goes against everything else everyone else wants. She doesn’t care about the cost, or repercussions of what she has and continues to do. Melanie is the main character, and the smartest child in the classroom. She waits every day for her favorite teacher, Miss Justineau. Justineau shows that she cares for the children, but she isn’t supposed to care, nor is she supposed to forget what they are – monsters.
 
The characters were all very interesting, although I did get frustrated with Dr. Caldwell and Sargent Parks. Caldwell is over and over only concerned with the children, and when she loses some of them she treats Melanie like property. I know this was part of the book, and that Dr. Caldwell had a purpose and wasn’t supposed to be liked. I realize that she was there to find the answers for the greater good. But, there could have been one moment of humanity from her, one moment, that made me not dislike her, one moment where she learned something from what she had been doing.
 
Sargent Parks could have been a little more interesting as well. He was the typical military man, only doing what his orders required him to do. Keeping the humans safe, not worrying about the “Hungaries” or zombies, and watching out for the “Junkers” – the men and women who survived the infection and live their lives as scavengers. I do get a little tired of seeing stringent military men, who follow the code, no matter what happens. They always end up the same way in books like this, dead, learning slowly along the way that they don’t have to treat the monsters as they do, because in reality, the monsters are the humans.
 
The relationship between Melanie and Miss Justineau was interesting, as it did make me wonder where the children who these people are using came from. Justineau was a mother figure to some, and a savior to at least one. The mother/daughter relationship develops in a way, that in the end one wonders who is the mother and who is the daughter.
 
The idea of the “Hungaries” in this book was interesting, although I would have like a little more backstory, as I didn’t see enough of what made the zombies different, besides a desire to eat human flesh. However, the idea of how these children will develop, and what they will do for the future. It all brings up the question, how will humanity save humanity? In the end will the human race find their humanity, or will they find ways to continue to destroy it.
 
In today’s society, and the political and moral climate that we currently live in, this book begs the question: how should we treat those who are different? And what steps should we take to protect and save those who can’t always save or protect themselves. It’s a frightening time, and this book, again about an apocalypse, makes one thing about their own humanity.

There are some places that tug at us, they call us as a writer and beg to be written about. I have yet to write about Maine, but part of that is because I wasn't living in Maine, and still don't. I do enjoy visiting, and have for the last 15 years or so. I enjoy the coast, I enjoy the flavor of the stillness, and I enjoy the food. The people are interesting, and the scenery is both breathtaking and eerie. Two nights ago I watched the fog roll in over the ocean. It was fascinating and frightening. It made me think of the movie THE FOG and I wondered what could come in with the fog.

Now I write horror, mostly, but lately I've been working on both science fiction and non-fiction. I've got one book in the realm of science fiction already finished, and it is in the editing and rewriting stage. I've got to get it through the a critique group first to see if it makes any sense. I am also working on two non-fiction pieces, one about the stupid things people say when someone dies, and the other is a fun little humor book of conversations I made up that I've has with my cat.

And back to Maine. Today was another day like any other. The reason I am in Maine, my Father-in-Law's memorial service. There will be a few popular, or once popular people there, and I know mostly none of their names. I look around and I can see why Stephen King liked it around Maine. There are a lot of spooky people and places here. There is the fog the rolls in, and sweeps its light fingers over the land, crawling in like the tendrils of an octopus's arm.

There are islands with single homes on them, and you can't help but wonder who lives there? Is it a person who likes to bring people to their island to hunt them down and kill them for sport? Is it a person who likes to torture women in his dining room by tying them to dinner chairs and forcing them to converse with them while the sit shaking in a fancy cocktail dress? Is it a person who likes to keep different men trapped in different rooms of their house so they can mate with them, or possibly use them as a brothel for special women to vacation at? There are several possibilities and they are all enchanting and fascinating.

Maine can be the home of horror and terror. Maine can be a nice place for a summer vacation where one can gorge themselves on lobster, or a winter solace where they can sit with a hot toddy and read a frightening book under a super warm blanket. There are a lot of things to love about Maine, and as an author, I really enjoy the look and feel of it. Of course I may also gorge myself on fresh seafood, but that is life. If I can't get good Mexican food, I will eat all the fresh seafood I can get!

Gracie Wilson has a new book out. As a romance writer she loves love and the beauty of romantic entanglement.

More about Gracie:
You can look for her in the trees enjoying nature’s wonders, traveling to see the latest animal conservations, or at aquariums all around the world. Gracie loves nature and all animals. She has many pets and is always adding new addition. The more the merrier in her mind. She enjoys sitting under the shade reading a book, letting the world around her pass by, while she is safe in her bubble of imagination. Well that is where she’d love to stay. She is a softball player, can be talked into the occasional Karaoke and loves going out to dance. She is a first generation Canadian living in Ontario. Her family is from Scotland, so finding her in the hot sun for very long is unlikely, but give her rain and thunderstorms and she’s golden.

Gracie's new book is BEAUTIFULLY IMAGINED

Synopsis:
Imagine.
Love, Life, Lies.
Playing the game of imagining is a dangerous one. It can leave you paralyzed by all the possibilities. Not knowing because you are scared to dream.
When my life finally all came together I thought I’d imagined every outcome.
I dreamed of the ocean. The waves. But most of all the shore. Covered in sand or snow. It haunted me every night but in the most wonderful of ways. Until that night.
Sometimes taking a risk is the only way. But that doesn’t mean its going to end well. I should know.
 
Her book is available at:
Amazon US: goo.gl/9j593v
Amazon CA: goo.gl/9LDPey
Amazon UK: goo.gl/Hq4FaE
Amazon AU: goo.gl/MfGtmj
Kobo: goo.gl/zbKLde
iTunes: goo.gl/KGNV2Q
Nook: goo.gl/pidxqD
 
#KickassRomance #BeautifullySeries #BeautifullyImagined #NewAdult #StandAlone

I cried yesterday, over my craft. I told several people that I was going to give up writing. I felt heartbroken and crushed. I wanted to give up. I wanted to walk away from it all. I no longer felt I wanted to write. I felt like none of it mattered. I haven't felt like giving up for a long time.

See I entered a contest, and I poured my heart into the piece I wrote, I actually cared what happened to it. For a long time I've done what a lot of authors do, I send things off and then try to forget about them. I don't want to worry and I try to believe I have developed a thicker skin, because rejection is everywhere. There is in fact, more rejection than acceptance in the world of art. It is there for everyone. And sometimes, I still cry.

An artist gets rejected every day. Some days multiple times. People judge the art, and this next part is true for every creative person, people judge you. They say things like: I could make that. Why would I pay $100 for a painting my child could do? Since I'm family I should get a painting (or whatever) for free. That's not art, that's just porn someone is pretending to be art. These are so dark, I wonder what is wrong with the artist. And people say these things right in front of you. They don't care that you might hear them, they don't care that their words sting, and they don't care because creativity is judged.

If you are an actor/actress you are judged every time you walk into an audition. Often there is never feedback. Often you are told you are wrong for a part. Often you see the names of your friends in the post-audition list, and while you want to be happy for them, it hurts a little. Sometimes bitterness arises, and sometimes friendships don't last, but the actor/actress is the person who is hardest on themselves. More often than not we walk away from an audition hoping we get a part, but also critiquing what we might have done wrong. Every movie or play or commercial or TV show you are in is judged. Critics are not always kind, and often they don't take feelings into consideration. If someone is bland in a movie, they critique the person, and forget that the person is not the character they play. Again, they are constantly judged.

It's the same with writing. An author reads the story, book, poem, or play to an audience who may or may not enjoy it. They show people their heart and soul, just like every other creative person. They send out query after query, hoping to pick up a publisher or an agent, but often being told that their work is not right for the agent or publisher they sent their query to. Often authors are never told how to make things better. Often authors are never told why they are being rejected.

All creative people who share their works are putting their hearts and souls out there for people to view. Even if it doesn't seem like it, they are all in.

It has been a long time since I have cared what happened to something I submitted. I am so used to rejection I don't even hope.This time, however, I allowed myself to hope. I wrung my hands together wondering if people would like what I submitted. I was wondering if it was good enough. I was wrought with stress and anxiety going over and over in my mind what could have been written better. The play I wrote was personal. My soul bled when I wrote it. I cried when I wrote it. I teared up when I read it in a writer's critique group. My heart beat faster every day after I sent it on. Anxiety burnt through me, creating a hole that stress filled. The story was hard on me. After I wrote it I didn't want to share it. I was afraid anyone who read it would feel differently about me. I was afraid I had written too much of myself into it.

Then, through Facebook, I found that I wasn't selected as a finalist. I was crushed. I cried. I cried because I wanted this. I cried because I wanted people to know. I cried because I felt I was letting down my friend, myself, and every other military wife who has gone through the difficulty of being a military wife. I cried for my broken soul. I cried because I cared. I cried because I suddenly felt my heart breaking and doubt filling me. I cried because I wasn't good enough, once again.

In fact I cry as I write this blog. I'm not just upset for myself, I am upset for every creative person who feels beat down and broken. I am upset for every creative person who feels like they can no longer do it, no longer take the criticism, no longer take the judgement, no longer take the rejection.

I questioned myself yesterday. I asked if I was just kidding myself. I asked if I was a horrible author. I asked if I should just give up. Why write if I may am never good enough?

Then I told people I wanted to give up. I told people I was broken. And in turn they told me, don't. These people had heard the passion in my voice as I talked about writing. They had been there when I told others that if they felt like they needed to and enjoyed it, they too should write. They had been there when I invited hesitant new authors to the writer's critique groups I am in. I cried again. Most of these people haven't even read anything I have written, they had only heard me talk about writing, the process, the enjoyment, and the love of helping other authors grasp onto their own hesitant and fearful desire to write.

Creative people put themselves into the path of judgement and rejection every time they share their creative outlet. Most of the time they pretend rejection, criticism, and judgement doesn't hurt, in fact they are so used to it they no longer feel it. Then again, yesterday I cried.

I cried when I wrote conversation the wife of an injured soldier, and her best friend, had about her husband's PTSD.

I cried when I wrote a scene where this same wife hears a gunshot from another room as her husband ends his life.

I cried when that same wife stood as TAPS was played and stoically took the folded flag handed to her at her husband's graveside.

I cried when I wrote the last scene of that same wife sending her son off to boot camp.

I cried when I wrote this play. I cried yesterday. I cried today.

Maybe I need thicker skin.

Meet author Jeremy Hicks. If you already know of Jeremy Hicks you are one of the very luck readers. Mr. Hicks can often be seen at local conventions in the Alabama and Tennessee areas, and he is always willing to chat with fans. So without further blathering by me, meet Mr. Jeremy Hicks.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and why you write.
I’ve always told or written stories, as long as I can remember anyway. I read histories, myths, legends, and various types of fiction to fuel my creative fire. As a result, I have so many influences that different styles of scenes and stories pop up in my head all day long. Some of these make it onto paper. Even fewer of them turn into full blown storylines that I complete. I used to write simply for pleasure and to see how a plotline played out on paper. A few years ago, I decided to turn to professional writing to supplement my income. After a series of debilitating injuries coupled with degenerative conditions, I am trying to pay all my bills and raise a child with my writing.
 
What is the first book that made you think about writing?
As far as the first book that made me consider writing as a profession, I would say it was actually Stephen King’s Danse Macabre. After reading this book on the horror genre and its variations and trends in different forms of media, I thought seriously about writing, though even then my tendencies favored short stories and scripted ideas. Honestly, I wanted to write scripts for the small and big screen and use the short stories to develop those ideas. I didn’t really want to do anything as tedious and long-term as devote myself to a novel. Now, I’m editing my third and longest creative work to date. Also, the first one written solo.
 
Tell us a little bit about your books.
My co-author and I have two novels, part of the Cycle of Ages Saga, which actually started out as feature-length screenplays. They’re fast-paced, character-driven story lines that introduce our dark fantasy world of Faltyr and draw our audience into the main plot line while having story arcs for the other characters. We created a sandbox-style world big enough for all our ideas, one that would allow us to explore creative twists on common fantasy and horror tropes, plot lines, character archetypes, creatures, etc.

Cycle of Ages Saga: Finders Keepers is the initial novelization of our first screenplay, and it introduces us to Kaladimus Dor (The Master-of-Disaster), a dangerous wizard on his way home from a secret mission when he shipwrecks himself and others on an island full of ravenous living and undead residents. He is largely the plot catalyst and primary point-of-view character. Finders Keepers refers to the guild of mercenaries and adventurers who ally themselves with Dor to try and escape from the island.

The sequel, CoAS: Sands of Sorrow, continues the adventures of Kaladimus Dor and Finders Keepers months after their island escapade. It chronicles their accidental and disastrous entry into Faltyr’s Blood War, resulting in an arduous race across a haunted and twisted desert to save thousands of elves doomed to die in a concentration camp created by the Kingdom of Oparre.

I’m editing the third novel now, the first one with just my name on the byline. CoAS: Delve Deep is about three times longer than Finders Keepers and really dives into the main story line, develops the main characters further, and explores more of the weird, wild world of faraway Faltyr in the process. We’re planning two to three more novels to wrap up the Cycle of Ages Saga. But I already have a short story and novelette published in anthologies that connect to this storyline. We have more planned and a few written. So Faltyr will only continue to evolve and expand as a franchise.
 
How do you select the names of your characters?
Hmm…depends on the genre, culture/ethnicity of the character, and their personality or attributes. You try to find a name that fits. Sometimes, the name comes first, though. Then the character writes itself. For the Cycle of Ages Saga, some of the names are derived from previous D&D campaigns Barry or I ran for various groups over the years. For example, much of the character and place names associated with Moor’Dru, Oparre, and the Crimson Phoenix came from Barry’s campaigns, whereas the Unen’ek elves and most of the actual cultures, and their fictional empires, on the continent of Ny come from mine. Many of the names have been changed at one point for one reason or another. Kaladimus Dor started out as Doore, but people kept calling him Door-E, which would not do.
 
What was your hardest scene to write?
Technically, the Battles of Delve Deep in the most recent novels were pretty difficult. There’s also a scene involving a dam that was challenging. I hope I have my research right on that one. If not, I expect to hear back about it from readers. Emotionally, the last two chapters of Cycle of Ages Saga: Sands of Sorrow were the toughest. They came to me in a dream two years after the completion of the initial rough draft and almost wrote themselves. The new editing was much rougher and harsher, but with an awful beauty to it. They left me in tears. Still do when I read them.
 
Why do you write the genres you do?
I tend to write horror, fantasy, or steampunk, but I want to try my hand at space opera, too. If you’ll notice, these are all genres that fall under the broad heading of speculative fiction. My writing tends to lend itself to something speculative regardless of what tropes and settings are used to tell a story. I research, but I am not an expert in every field. And it is not as easy as some authors make it sound to find subject matter experts willing to gab and gab about a particular plot point. Therefore, I’d rather avoid hard science fiction, medical thrillers, and murder mysteries for this very reason.
 
Since you write so many genres, do you have a favorite genre and why or why not?
Honestly, I prefer to write horror. My mind was fed with too many horror movies, history books, and revealing documentaries, so it bends toward dark, depressing, and grim topics and situations. That was why I wanted a dark fantasy bent to Faltyr and our fantasy tales associated with it.
 
What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?
Despite some bad experiences with traditional publishing, it led me to a career as a professional writer. None of that would have been possible without the ticket I purchased for Imagicon several years ago. That’s where I met another writer friend, M.B. Weston, who recommended the person who eventually published our Cycle of Ages Saga: Finders Keepers. That’s why she was named in the dedication for the first printing of that novel.
 
What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
That’s an extensive list, and while I’d rather not drop names, I will credit those author friends who have helped me edit, promote, and even handle cover design and interior formatting for our novels.
Alan Lewis has been a big influence. He has edited short stories and longer works for me and handled interior formatting for our second novel. Alan is also a talented graphic designer who has worked on the cover layout and design for the new editions of our novels.

Kim Richardson and A.J. Johnson are other author friends who have worked as editors on our novels, and the late Logan Masterson was a close friend and a good critical editor for several of my stories. M.M. Schill has helped beta read stories for me, including Delve Deep, where she provided valuable input to help shape the story arcs for certain characters.

There are dozens of others I chat with on social media, hang with at conventions, and discuss or debate everything from movies and books to politics and religions online and in person. Besides the enthusiastic, supportive readers, these author friends have helped me keep going during bouts of sickness and depression and even anger at continued failures and impending financial doom.

Last but not least, I have to mention Barry Hayes, my long-time friend and co-author, who agreed to combine our creative ideas and work on the development and writing for the first two Cycle of Ages Saga novels and a total of four feature-length screenplays. Without his involvement, we would not have achieved our dreams of becoming published writers and small business owners. With his renewed involvement, perhaps we’ll meet with more critical success and find that oft elusive profitability zone.
 
How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?
It’s really the editing process that transforms you as a writer, if you’re learning from your previous mistakes. Heavy repeated edits before publication helps trim and clean the manuscript, shaping it into a better, more refined version of the story you want to tell. You also learn your common mistakes (grammatically-speaking), stylistic tips and uncommon grammar rules (if the editor is worth their salt), and how to avoid those mistakes in the future.

As far as the publishing process, our first novel was published traditionally. It involved a long wait (that drained us financially as we were travelling to cons to promote our upcoming release and paying for the creation of promotional merchandise and swag for potential buyers) for a lackluster cover on a book delivered literally weeks before we were due at a huge literary event. By that time, the second novel was almost complete, but we wait two more years before deciding to pull it from the publisher and publish it on our own.

During that period, I found my writing heavily impacted the inability of our first novel to find sustainable sales; the inaction of our publisher on the sequel; and the mounting expenses of promoting online with little success and paying to attend conventions (our major source of sales). Dealing with another publisher for our Faltyr short stories involved an extensive wait as well, and recently ended with the rights reverting to us (without another of them even being published). This experience motivated me to do more with self-publishing with our own company rather than deal with small-time publishers who are largely wasting people’s time and driving writers to write less, not more. We do have our sticks in the first with a big house, but only we chose to approach them after hearing that they treat their writers well, prompting us to create more and wait less.
 
Does writing energize or exhaust you?
The initial ideas and planning/plotting phases energize me, and the writing and editing phases exhaust me. I find the marketing and promotional phases soul-crushing, financially-draining, and often depressing. That’s truly the worst part.
 
What are common traps for aspiring writers?
For us, it was unscrupulous agents and back-end vanity presses that technically qualify as small-to-midlist publishers because all the costs incurred by the authors are on the back-end, when you have to buy your own books to sell, book your own cons and book-signings, manage every aspect of promotions, and pay for all the marketing costs, while taking home a small percentage as a royalty.

If you plan on having co-writers or illustrators, put everything in writing, have a lawyer look over it, and pay a notary to file it. Then establish yourself as a business, obtain an FEIN, and then keep track of expenses. I think most writers fail to write off their expenses to cover their tax burden on their business expenses. This is the only way to soften the blow of marketing, promotion, and travel expenses for conventions, book signings, and literary events. Treat yourself, or your writing organization, as a business and act like a business, but a legitimate one. Also, don’t spam people to market your book and don’t engage in so-called shotgun marketing to reach agents or managers. It’s expensive, annoying, and those who respond are usually looking to take advantage of new writers. One more thing, build an online presence and platform and start building an email subscriber list before your book is done. We wanted to wait until we had a finished product, so we were “real” writers, not aspiring ones. That’s a mistake. If you don’t market and engage on social media and build a readership, you will have no one to launch your book to, unless you happen to have several years to wait on a traditional publisher to take notice, consider your book, and let you know if they want it or not. Then several more years to wait while it is edited, promoted, and then released.
 
Have you ever gotten reader’s block?
Yes, and some of it is intentional. I try to avoid similar books from the same genre as something I am writing or planning to write. I read those in between projects or while working on another genre. And sometimes part of writer’s block is reader’s block. Often you get to the point where you are simply tired of re-reading and editing what you’re writing. Lay it aside for a bit and then come back to it. You’ll be surprised what errors and awkward phrases you will be able to eliminate after some time away from a piece you’re writing or have written.
 
Do you Google yourself?
I don’t Google myself as much as posts involving me, my co-writer, or our creative works. I do that to check and see where we (or those specific posts) fall in various keyword searches. I advise doing that to make sure your posts, interviews, reviews, etc. are showing up on the first search page for each search engine.
 
What question do you wish I had asked and what is the answer to that question?
I would have liked you to ask, ‘What book do I think should be required reading for students?’ My answer would be Mark Twain’s War Prayer. If you’ve never read it, read it. Then you’ll know why.
 
Mr. Hicks has two stories coming out it the anthology Chronicles of Mirthstone.
 
Mr. Hicks can be found on Facebook and at jjeremyhicks.com
 
His books can be found at cycleofagesaga.com and on several websites (Amazon and Barnes and Noble)
 
Feel free to ask Mr. Hicks any further questions you might have.

Today I have a treat for you, an interview with author and playwright Wayne Miller. Mr. Miller has written and produced several plays in and around the Huntsville, Alabama area, and is known for not shying away from tough subjects. He has also recently released his first novel, to which there are links at the bottom of the interview.

You have written plays and at least one novel, do you have a preference of which you write?
Not really. I love both. Each has its own unique charms. I do like that plays don't take as long to write, though.
 
What is your favorite genre to work on, since you have written in several genres? Why?
I'm a Horror junkie, through and through. As to why, exactly, I don't really know. It could be as simple as my parents letting me watch old monster movies when I was little. Or I could get all deep and psychological with it and comment on the ways in which make-believe horrors make the horrors of the real world easier to process; how Horror as a genre allows human beings to experience fear in a safe way, and how it is vital to our mental health to develop the proper coping mechanisms for dealing with fear. Or, if you ask some people, I'm just a sicko. You can take your pick. :)
 
What is the first book that made you cry? Why?
I honestly can't remember. I know Where the Red Fern Grows damn near killed me in elementary school.
 
What authors did you dislike at first but grew into? What changed your mind about them.
I used to hate the Harry Potter books. Not so much because I thought they were bad. There were just so, so many Fantasy books I thought were more worthy of all the attention, and all these kids had never heard of them. But watching the movies (because my wife made me) led me to a respect for the overall story. Plus Twilight came along and made me realize just how good the Harry Potter books were, after all, and deserving of the accolades.
 
Does writing energize or exhaust you?
Both. But it's a good exhaustion.
 
You just published your first novel, did you find the experience exhausting or inspiring? Why?
Inspiring. I detest the traditional publishing route, had tried to go that route, and even used to work in that industry. Technology has advanced to the point that an author doesn't have to choose between traditional publishing with all its drawbacks and throwing money away on a vanity press. It is now possible to go around the minefield.
 
How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?
It didn't, really. If anything, maybe I won't second guess myself so much in the future, worrying about whether something I want to do or say will satisfy some industry crony.
 
What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
It depends. If the book is set in the present day, that requires little in the way of research. Historical stories are more involved.
 
What did you edit out of this book? Why?
This one? Me – yes this recent one. Just a word here, a sentence there. I didn't make any big cuts.
 
What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?
On books I want to read. The best thing a writer can do is read as much as he can get his hands on. Read for pleasure. Read to educate yourself. Read to study style.
 
What are common traps for aspiring writers?
There are so many. One of the biggest, I'd say, is grammar. You have to learn the rules before you break the rules. Back when I used to work as a submissions editor, if a manuscript came across my desk and there were grammatical mistakes or misspelled words, I'd dismiss it out of hand. One must learn to write properly before he can make the words "sing."
 
What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
I've been to Cross Plains, Texas, home to Robert E. Howard, several times. I've visited the Rosenbach Museum in Philadelphia, where they have the original notes Bram Stoker wrote for Dracula and a whole wing dedicated to Maurice Sendek, author of Where the Wild Things Are. I've sat in the sharecropper's shack in Louisiana where the "Brer Rabbit" stories were first compiled.
 
In your opinion, what is the most unethical practice in the publishing industry?
Those literary agents who've figured a way around the rule against charging reader's fees, in fact some of the biggest names in the business are guilty of it, and they get away with it because of who they are.
 
What is your writing Kryptonite?
I have to be alone to write. If anyone else is around I can't do it.
 
What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
I'm not the fastest typist. I really should have taken typing in high school, but who knew I'd need it one day?
 
Websites Mr. Miller writes for: vampires.com, werewolves.com, zombies.org, topcomics.com, and darkness.com.
 
Mr. Miller’s newest novel is The Confessions of Saint Christopher: Werewolf and it is available at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/734763
 
His personal website is evilcheezproductions.blogspot.com and he is on Facebook as "Evil Cheez Productions."