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Book Description:
“Kill the stoker and the shifter and the priest!”
The vampire who turned Jonathan Stoker did so as a joke: what fun to turn a man named ‘Stoker’!
But life is no joke for Jonathan. He’s fled his family, every vampire he meets attacks him, and he’s consumed by blood urges. Ten years after his mortal life ended, the blind and striking Ariel Lockhart delivers Jonathan’s invitation to the Vampire Congregation in Boston. It isn’t a request; Ariel’s summoning spell warps time and space to ensure every vampire attends.
Of all the many horrors Jonathan discovers at this murderous congregation, worst of all is to find his mortal son, Jake, has come searching for him. And Jake’s just fallen in love… with a 350-year-old vampire!
“Kill the stoker and the shifter and the priest!”
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First of all, let me state a disclaimer to my headline above. What I’m about to say has absolutely NOTHING to do with any of the friends and acquaintances I’ve made on my blog, Facebook, Goodreads, or Twitter. The writers, reviewers, and bloggers I’ve come upon are jovial, gracious, and forthright to a man – or woman.
However. I’ve become increasingly aware of a stigma out there on the web. One that’s attached to me – or any other traditionally published writer. That awareness has been growing, and today, when I read one final article about the Amazon review removal debacle, I’d finally had enough.
To anyone who thinks I have the same privileges and standing as Stephen King or Dean Koontz, forget it! See, about every post I’ve read on the review subject has been headed by the words “Indie author” in some fashion – as though the whole thing doesn’t affect every swingin’ writer out there. You kidding?
Now, I’ll say this. As a writer that’s backed by a small (and yes, Greyhart is small) press, I do enjoy a few things. Okay. I get a few books to hand out to friends. I get some extra muscle in regards to marketing and so on. But let me tell you something. I (and I can speak for my fellow writers at Greyhart too) have been working my big bulbous butt off to get a foothold for my book. Mr. King can afford to lose 50 reviews – hell, he can loose 500 and not worry about it. Me? Hell no!
See, it’s like this. Despite whatever advantages (either read or perceived) traditional authors enjoy, success – at least from a monetary standpoint – comes down to one thing. Selling books. And good, honest, subjective reviews are an integral part of that success. Removing any of them detracts from potential sales – period.
So, let’s do this. Let’s forget about all the monikers, shall we. We’re writers, pure and simple. And anything Amazon – or any other big book seller – does affects us all, including the removal of reviews. Whatever is wrong up in the magic kingdom of Amazonia needs to be addressed – by all writers.
‘Nuf said.
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TR: Good morning, Tim…thanks for dropping by.
TW: Good morning, Thomas. Thanks so much for offering to interview me. I appreciate your blog and am happy to be part of it.
TR: So, let’s get this rolling. How old were you when you wrote your first piece?
TW: I was seventeen, a senior in high school that knew everything there was to know about nothing.
TR: What was it, and in what genre?
TW: Actually it was music, a folk-rock piece titled My Fortress.
TR: What made you write it?
TW: My family was very musical, and some of it must have rubbed off on me. I think I was inspired by songwriters of the time, and poets that I studied in school. Coleridge’s Kubla Khan impressed me so much that I imitated him.
TR: What have you written since then?
TW: I majored in music after I got out of the army, and wrote songs for years. The music career never panned out, and I quit writing altogether for decades. For some strange reason I started writing again, began working on a novel. It took about four years to finish, but The Valley Walker was published in April of this year.
TR: What was the inspiration for your current book?
TW: Life in general is an inspiration, I think. Places I’ve been and things I’ve seen, people I’ve met and worked with, books and movies and music. It all works together.
TR: Tell us a little about it, and where it’s available.
TW: Well, The Valley Walker is a mystical tale about a Vietnam veteran’s quest for redemption and justice. That story line is interlaced with the efforts of a special task force to stop the sale of heroin to American college students. It’s available right now as an EBook for the Kindle at Amazon.
TR: Is there a particular place or setting where you get your writing ideas?
TW: Not really. The raw kernel of an idea can come from just about anything. It just comes, and I jot it down. I dig into it, doing some research and chewing on it and thinking about how it could work in a story. Then comes the fun part, just running with it.
TR: What made you choose either traditional or independent publishing?
TW: I don’t know if anyone ever read the query letters I sent out, but nobody asked to read the book… or even part of it. I was pretty much dead in the water when a few people started doing well at self-publishing and it made the news. I heard about it, looked into how it was done, and decided to give it a try.
TR: If you had to choose the most important element in an author’s platform, what would it be?
TW: To me, it’s a good story and good writing that gains you readers, and the best place to showcase that is in a blog. But please don’t make any major decisions based on that statement. I’m such a noob at this that I’m still trying to figure out where the bathrooms are.
TR: What mistakes have you made in regards to publishing and marketing your work, and what will you do differently in the future?
TW: I don’t know that I would classify anything I’ve done as a mistake, or even a missed step. I’m still learning, bumping into things and knocking them over, but I’m meeting a lot of great people and having a pretty good time doing it. I do think that it’s a good idea for an author wanting to enter the literary world to learn as much as they can about the craft and the business before they jump in.
TR: Do you have an idea for your next book?
TW: I’ve just about completed the first draft on the next one, but have stepped back to learn as much as I can about the writing craft before I continue.
TR: Thank you, Tim. And there you have it folks. If you would like to follow Tim’s blog, you can find it here:
http://twdittmer.wordpress.com/
Drop by tomorrow, when I interview Patsy Collins with her new book, “Escape to the Country“!
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Diane is the author of “Children of Fury” and “I Am Nine”, and has graciously agreed to talk with me today about her writing life, her past work, and also about her new book “Enmitus”, available on Amazon now.
TR: Good morning, Diane. Thanks for being here today.
DM: Thanks so much for having me.
TR: How old were you when you wrote your first piece?
DM: I began writing when I was 56 and completed it when I was 58
TR: What was it, and in what genre?
DM: My first novel was Children of Fury which I published in December 2011. The book is about a new immortal and is a fantasy adventure story which begins centuries ago in Greece and ends now.
TR: What made you write it?
DM: I thought there were lots of vampires and wanted to create a new immortal.
TR: What have you written since then?
DM: Since then I have published ‘I am Nine’ which is an alternative present with my final book ‘Enmitus, The Transformation’ being a sci fi story, I am currently writing a sequel to it. I also have a ghost story, a second sci fi book and a book based in Philadelphia almost complete.
TR: What was the inspiration for your current book?
DM: My inspiration for ‘Enmitus,’ that is an interesting one. I had planned on doing something historical, maybe an unusual piece of history however; every time I did some research I found several books on every topic that interested me. Finally I decided to make a bit of history in the stars!!
TR: Tell us a little about it, and where it’s available.
DM: My books are available in most on line stores.
When spaceships leave a dying Earth it is not until centuries and galaxies later that survivors reach planets which will support human life. A community from one of the ships builds a life underground on a barren and ominous planet named Serenitus. Princess Corinna lives a contented life under the surface of Serenitus, with her father Great Lord Corin, completely oblivious to the deceit surrounding her and her people. This is until… powerful Lords from neighbouring planets arrive, the destinies of Corinna and those around her are about to change, forever. Corinna’s strength and ability to survive are tested to extraordinary lengths when she is forced to marry a cruel and evil man who is already devoted to a dangerous and despicable woman. Her own heart breaks as she realises her love for another. A story of danger, love, hate, deceit and revenge…
TR: Is there a particular place or setting where you get your writing ideas?
DM: Not really, an idea comes to me and I start making notes. I then do an outline of the story but when I put pen to paper it generally takes off in a completely different direction. I still outline though!
TR: What made you choose either traditional or independent publishing?
DM: I used a vanity press and plan to publish myself on kindle next.
TR: If you had to choose the most important element in an author’s platform, what would it be?
DM: That people are aware of the books and enjoy reading them. So in a sense it is getting the word out there through whatever medium possible.
TR: What mistakes have you made in regards to publishing and marketing your work, and what will you do differently in the future?
DM: I used an expensive vanity press initially but only because I really didn’t have a clue, I plan to try publishing myself on Kindle as finance is an issue for me and so many other authors. As far as marketing is concerned, that is a difficult one. At the beginning I only did it through friends and relations… how naïve. I have discovered that you need to use every method possible to market your work; the only problem is people often don’t have extra finance to pay for extra promotion and it makes life very difficult.
TR: Do you have an idea for your next book?
DM: Yeah, as I said I have several books almost finished and plan to change my genre for a couple of books… maybe. Thinking about a children’s book or two and co-working on a nonfiction book for toddlers.
TR: Diane, it’s been a pleasure. Thanks again.
DM: Thank you, Thomas.
Well, there you have it folks. A little glimpse into the writing of Diane Majors. Thanks for stopping by, and come visit tomorrow, when I interview Armand Inezian, author of the new vampire thriller “VampCon”.
Goodreads
Home Page
Along with the cover artist, book reviewers are folks who authors – and readers – simply can’t do without. They are the ones who take it on the chin by reading something which might be senseless, bordering on the illiterate, confusing, or just downright lousy. Regardless, they plow through it, so the author can get more publicity, and the reader can tell which way to run.
These are some of the friends who I’ve been fortunate to make on Goodreads. The ones that take that hit, and furnish us with the Review.
1. Soma Rostam - http://insomnia-of-books.blogspot.com/
2. Lisa Boggs - http://modokkerbookpicks.blogspot.com/?zx=def5311d2987966f
What a fantastic site.
A staggering number of groups, not to mention members. Groups designed to satisfy whatever craving you have for interaction.
A link to Goodreads
Here is a partial list of groups:
- Coffee talk
- Paranormal and Horror Lovers
- Books, Blogs, Authors, and More
- Fiction Fanatics
- Teen Romance
- Urban Fantasy Aficiandos
- Historical Fictionistas
- Chicks on Lit
And quite a few more. And each group has dozen of discussions, each in line within that group’s theme.
The members are both enthusiastic and gracious, and welcome all new-comers.
You want exposure? To discuss, critique and be critiqued, vent, chat, review and be reviewed?
This is the place, and if you haven’t joined, my friend, you are surely missing out 
Come join us, and look me up when you do-
TR
