Interview with Ajay Nair, Author of Droplets

Hello,

Today we have an interview with Ajay Nair, author of Droplets.

Please enjoy!

Best,

-Vincent Lowry

Interview:

1) What is your author name and in what state do you live (or country if not in the US)?

Ajay Nair-  I live in Vancouver, B.C- Canada. I moved from southern part of India from a state called Kerala, otherwise, known as GODS OWN COUNTRY. 

2) What is the title of your newest book and what is the genre?

The latest one which just came out in January 3rd 2020 is a children’s book, titled CUTIE FOX WENT TO TOWN. Great for younger minds aged between 3 to 8 years. This book actually got materialized because of my both sons. They wanted me to write a book for children after my first book DROPLETS came out. I asked them, what should I write about? My younger son came up with the character and its name “Cutie Fox”. We together wrote this book  and story is developed by our effort together. So I am a very proud father.

Now both books are out, I am working on a novel. This I have high expectations on it. Story is happening in India during un-touchablility existed and caste division was practiced. Story of a woman who faced many hardships. Truly a inspirational story for women. I am not sure when I will finish. But it is coming soon this year for sure.

3) What is the book about?

Droplets- It is a memoir. I have to say this, when I moved from India to Canada. I saw how happy kids are here at school. I right away saw, how hard it is for us in India. I felt like telling my story. I had seen and read many news, where kids suicide in India, just by the pressure they get from schooling. The society needs to open their eyes and do something about it. So as a citizen, I felt the need to tell my story. So I did. It will touch our hardships with a pinch of humor. That is why I survived and I am here to tell my story.

4) Where did you come up with the idea?

Its my life. So I didn’t have to come up with anything. But starting to write was the huddle, I did not have the confidence. I am told many times, that my writing is not good. OR my way of communication is not what people want to see or hear. I had to overcome that criticism to positivism. That took a while. But I am content.

5) How long did it take you to write it?

One year to finish the book. That is because, I am not a disciplined writer. Also, I do have full time job plus my household responsibilities. I write whenever I feel like. Some days, I don;t write at all even though I had the urge to do so. I am getting better at it now.

6) Did you learn anything from the project?

Yes, Life is a journey, one cannot plan or reserve tickets. This is what I learned. You clear your own path. Do not allow others to see only your flaws and fall for it. Move forward with the plan. You will succeed. I never thought, i will be an author. But the hard work today got me where I am. 

7) Do you have an author website and/or blog? How about a book video?

Yes, I do have a blog site, which you an call as an author website as well.  It is https://onewhohatedbooks.com

Please do follow me if you like to read positive thoughts only. 

8) Do you have any success tips to pass on to fellow authors? How about any great editors/cover artists?

Those who want to write and become an author. Start writing. Do not hesitate. No point in doing that. If you don’t start, you will never reach the goal. So write, write and write.. That is the only tip I go for you guys.  

I did not use any editors so far. But for the children’s book I used an artist to do illustraions. His name is Melcasipit. He is good and did an amazing work for me.

9) What genres do you like to read? Are you open to reading new authors and reviewing their work?

I will read any thing with a story. I am not too keen on research stuff.  I will love to read new authors book and review them. Recently I did review one book named “The Long Road”. It is posted in my blog. Any one interested, please do approach me. 

10) What is your favorite book of all time and why?

Ramayan and Mahabharat. Both are hindu mythologies. I am fascinated by the characters and their side stories. It is the most complicated yet very interesting books i have read. I have yet to see a movie come out where all the characters in this books are played. They cannot do it. It is very vast and I believe may be a 10 series movie needs to be made. 

11) Fun Question: Do you have any pets? If so, what kind?

I had a dog when I was young. I cannot see them die. So I don’t have one now. 

12) Fun Question 2: Do you own an electronic reading device? If so, what kind and how do you like it?

Yes, I do have a kindle. I do like it. But I still like the feel and smell of the book. Kindle may be easy to carry it around. Books are definitely the one I still go for.

Interview with Sophie Jupillat Posey, Author of The Four Suitors

Hello,

We have a second interview today. It is with Sophie Jupillat Posey, author of The Four Suitors.

Please see it below.

Best,

-Vincent Lowry

 

Interview:

1) What is your author name and in what state do you live (or country if not in the US)?

I am Sophie Jupillat Posey and I live in Florida.

2) What is the title of your newest book and what is the genre?

The Four Suitors. It’s a medieval mystery/romance fantasy for young adults.

3) What is the book about?

It’s about a spoiled brat of a princess who gets roped into being courted by 4 suitors chosen by her parents. She must do so, or she won’t get the crown. There’s an artist, astronomer, philosopher and necromancer. She balks against their teachings. But as she does so, she finds that her kingdom is falling apart. Has been falling apart for a while and it’s accelerating. The newest debacle is the increase of deaths in the peasantry. She needs all of her suitors’ help to uncover who is behind the rising deaths of her citizens.

4) Where did you come up with the idea?

I came up with the idea after talking with my husband about my adopted mother; who always bragged about how many boyfriends she had when she was younger. Four at a given time to be precise. Suddenly an image of a spoiled princess with 4 suitors came to my mind. From there, I knew I wanted to craft a mystery and a way for the character to redeem herself gradually. The rest filled itself in as I wrote.

5) How long did it take you to write it?

It took 2 years to write and 1 additional year to re-edit.

6) Did you learn anything from the project?

This story started as a novella. I was satisfied with it, but felt I could add more. Several months later I did add more and made it a full novel. I learned that writing novels is hard but thrilling; I’d only ever written novellas and short stories up to that point. And that editing is just as important as getting the story down.

7) Do you have an author website and/or blog? How about a book video?

My author website is: www.sophiejupillatposeywriter.wordpress.com The book video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1WajrW4IEk

8) Do you have any success tips to pass on to fellow authors? How about any great editors/cover artists?

Success tips: my most important tip would to never give up; it’s cliché but it’s true. There will be plenty of inner and outer obstacles you face as a  writer. There are many excuses to give up writing. But it is much more fulfilling to plod on and finish that book. And also to let a project sit for as long as it needs. Too many people are so impatient to publish they skip crucial steps. Time is important, because you can better see errors whether they are grammar ones, or plot holes.

I was fortunate to have my work edited by David Curran, a friend of mine and former journalist. His eagle eyes spotted more than one error others and myself had missed. IndieDesignz made my cover art and I love it. She is my go-to designer.

9) What genres do you like to read? Are you open to reading new authors and reviewing their work?

I enjoy reading science fiction, fantasy, mystery, thriller, and paranormal works for young adults or adults.I also sometimes enjoy horror, if it’s more cerebral. Not a fan of gore. I enjoy poetry too but am very picky about which kind. I am open to reading new authors when I have time. I am currently a part-time student, a full-time teacher, a composer and a writer. It’s not something I can do on a regular basis but I’d be willing to do it every so often.

10) What is your favorite book of all time and why?

That’s a really hard question: I have so many. I would say my favorite is Ivanhoe. It made me fall in love with medieval era stories from a very young age. The romance, the adventure, the disenfranchised main character, the strength of the women in the novel, the style… It was all stuff I hoped to one day be able to write, in my own way.

11) Fun Question: Do you have any pets? If so, what kind?

Currently none. But growing up, my family had 5 cats, 1 dog, 2 turtles and 1 bird. Later on we had 2 ferrets, 2 rabbits and we even fostered 5 raccoons.

12) Fun Question 2: Do you own an electronic reading device? If so, what kind and how do you like it?

Nope. I borrow my husband’s if he gets a digital story. I’m more of a hardcopy girl. 

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Interview with D Siva Rama Krishna, Author of Smiling Baiter

Link: https://bigfootpublications.com/preorder-book-details.php?book=53

Hello,

Today’s interview is with D Siva Rama Krishna, author of Smiling Baiter.

Please enjoy.

Best,

-Vincent Lowry

Interview:

1) What is your author name and in what state do you live (or country if not in the US)?

D Siva Rama Krishna

I m from Hyderabad, India.

2) What is the title of your newest book and what is the genre?

Name of my latest book is Smiling Baiter. 

This is a romantic mystery.

3) What is the book about?

Smiling Baiter is a story of a royal family and three friends. 

It also narrates frank sensual sex lessons for the prince, kidnappings, tiger hunting in the jungles and also murder of an innocent pregnant wife for Royal treasure buried under the fort.

It will perhaps appeal to readers of Harold Robbins and Earl Stanley Gardner (Perry Mason) and anyone who celebrates diverse books. 

4) Where did you come up with the idea?

On a holiday trip to a fort in India.

5) How long did it take you to write it?

Almost one year

6) Did you learn anything from the project?

Yes. a lot. It is easy to write a book but very difficult to get it published.

7) Do you have an author website and/or blog? How about a book video?

I have no website or blog. 

Yes, I am working with a professional company for both of them.

 

https://bigfootpublications.com/preorder-book-details.php?book=53

8) Do you have any success tips to pass on to fellow authors? How about any great editors/cover artists?

There is no short cut for success. If writing is your passion, just go on writing it and enjoy your work. One day your work will be recognized.

My favorite editor is Niyati Joshi and artist is Mishta both working with Lead star Publishing.(my previous book publisher)

9) What genres do you like to read? Are you open to reading new authors and reviewing their work?

I read all books. 

Yes, I am willing to read new authors and review them.

10) What is your favorite book of all time and why?

The Thorn Birds which I read in the late seventies during my college days.

The authors description of characters and places is so vivid and makes you feel that you are there and part of the story.

The book is not only an entertainment to but also inspires you to write like the author.

11) Fun Question: Do you have any pets? If so, what kind?

No. But I always wanted a parrot

12) Fun Question 2: Do you own an electronic reading device? If so, what kind and how do you like it?

No. None.

Interview with Randy L Scott, Author of Awakening – Will the Circle be…

Hello,

I’m very please to bring readers and authors this interview with Randy L. Scott, author of Awakening – Will the Circle be…  Randy talks in great length about creating audio books in his interview. It’s very informative stuff so check it out!

Best,

-Vincent Lowry

Interview:

• What is your author name and in what state do you live (or country if not in the US)
  1. Randy L Scott, I live in northern California, in the rural foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Sometimes it’s the state of confusion, other times it’s a state of pure bliss!

 

• What is the title of your newest book and what is the genre?
  1. My newest book is Awakening – Will the Circle be… It is the closing book in my three novel series, The Dream Messiah. The genre is Adventure Fiction with Magical Realism – think Jack London meets Carlos Castaneda

 

• What is the book about?
  1. This conclusion finds my main character with a new identity, and still not sure if he’s falling into psychosis or a world where he’s the chosen one. He needs to find the truth and finds more than he bargained for when he chooses to live with the Punan Dyaks of Borneo
  2. In the previous novels, Jake Barnes was introduced to lucid dreaming and told of a tribe of nomads in remote Borneo who are preparing for the end of the world, manifesting a messiah to take them to the next life. Jake escaped a 20 year prison sentence for murder in Alaska. He was given the opportunity for a new life, but wasn’t sure if he was dealing with a guardian angel, or the devil. After committing a heinous act, Jake was free to go anywhere but home under his new name. But trouble and the police, were never far behind. Jake runs to Indonesia and the island of Borneo in his quest to find the Punan Dyaks, understand their prophecy and his place in the world.

 

• Where did you come up with the idea?
  1. The idea came fast. I was hiking across the Superstitious Mountains in Arizona in the 100+ degree heat and stopped to rest under the shade of a cactus. While watching the clouds blow by, I thought about a recent PBS Adventure Series I’d recently seen where the Blair brothers were documenting their travels through Indonesia and went in search or the Punan Dyaks. I tied that into some of my own experiences building a homestead site in remote Alaska.

 

• How long did it take you to write it?
  1. Over thirty years since I first put pen to paper and began to outline the story. It started as one novel that kept growing. Finally I was convince to break into a series of three. I did lot’s of re-writing on advice of my developmental editor and had to make sure each installment had it’s own arc in addition to the overall story arc.

 

• Did you learn anything from the project?
  1. Oh so much! I learned I need to get a developmental editor early on to guide the story and make sure I’m on track with the genre and structure. I learned that even after line editors and a professional proof-reader, there a still LOTS of spelling and grammar mistakes. Now I print a half-dozen author’s proof copies (cheap) and give to friends who are great about finding those little mistakes, marking them in the print book and sending it back to me – before publication!
  2. I wish I’d have gone in Kindle Unlimited for the first ninety days or more to get more reviews and page reads, before going wide.
  3. Everything takes longer than you think. At some point you need to let go and get it out. There is a happy medium between putting out flawed work and never getting it out because you can’t stop editing. Don’t skimp on spelling, grammar and formatting. You’ll never reach perfection with the storyline so don’t nitpick over and over and over again.

 

• Do you have an author website and/or blog? How about a book video?
  1. My website is https://randco.me I do have a blog on the website with information about the books, my life and writing, along with book reviews of novels I’ve read. I don’t have a book video yet. Once I’ve finished producing the audiobook version of this series, then I will have a trailer made.

 

• Do you have any success tips to pass on to fellow authors? How about any great editors/cover artists?
  1. The biggest tips are about editing. Check out The Story Grid method, by Shawn Coyne. Get your genre figured out first, what the tropes are and how to keep your readers turning the pages. Print lots of cheap copies of your (completed) work to give away to a team who will root out all those little errors that made it past your proofreader. Reading your book out loud, or having your computer read it to you, will also find awkward phrases.
  2. Although I enjoyed my last team of editors, I’ll be going with one of the Story Grid editors for my work in progress.
  3. Don’t go cheap on your cover or book blurb. No one will open your book if they don’t past these first to exposures to your work. I used Maria Sinclair for my book covers. I think she did a great job and love the way they are link thematically. I recommend her, but she is no longer taking on new clients.

 

• What genres do you like to read? Are you open to reading new authors and reviewing their work?
  1. My reading has always been all over the map. I love literature, adventure, thriller and humor and history. Lately I’ve been reading more thrillers because that’s the genre of my work in progress.
  2. I love finding new authors and discovering great stories with good writing. For the last two years I’ve been posting reviews of nearly every book I’ve read in that timeframe. The few I’ve read that were pure crap – I don’t leave a review.

 

• What is your favorite book of all time and why?
  1. My favorite book changes from day to day. One book that just came into my mind is Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal, by Christopher Moore. I like a book because the story is great, or the writing is fantastic and witty. I’ve given away half a dozen copies (careful who I give it to) and everyone has remarked that at some point(s) they have doubled over or fallen on the floor laughing.
  2. Nobody can turn a phrase like Tom Robbins or Douglas Adams.
  3. The best audiobook I’ve listened to is Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides, read by Kristoffer Tabori. It is the pinnacle of voice acting and narration.

 

• I read you are narrating the audiobook version of your series. Please let our readers know more about that process– from the start to the finished product!
  1. I consider myself one of the exceptions to the rule: Authors shouldn’t narrate their own work.
     1. I have a background in professional, on-stage storytelling. I know how to read well and voice act. I’m still getting vocal/acting coaching and wouldn’t recommend anyone to narrate either fiction or non-fiction without a coach.
     2. I am also an audio engineer. I’ve had my own home studio for a decade with the proper equipment, recording room acoustic treatment and the software to edit and master to a final, polished product.

• My computer sits outside the vocal booth. Inside, along with the microphone, I have a remote monitor screen, Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. On one third of the monitor is the manuscript. I highlight (in different colors) the dialogue so I know who is speaking. It’s easy to silently scroll through as I read. The other two-thirds of the screen is my recording software (DAW or Digital Audio Workstation).

1. I record using the PNR (Punch and Roll) method. As soon as I make a mistake, I roll back the audio and re-record the last phrase.
2. Although my room is well treated acoustically to deaden echoes or reverberations and drastically cuts down the outside noise – there is no way to keep it dead silent. While recording, I have to turn off the refrigerator and stand-up freezer (located in the garage directly below my booth) and the pool pump. During summer hours an attic fan comes on automatically from early/mid morning till well into the evening, so I can’t record during those times. That makes it early morning or late evening to record. We live in very quiet area so traffic noise is not a concern. No one around here has a lawn, but leaf blowers and chainsaws always halt the recording process.
3. I can edit the recordings to quiet breathing, adjust space between words and phrases, etc. any time of the day. I also have the proper audio repair software so I can eliminate the outside noises that sneak through like inadvertent squeaks of a chair, rubbing clothes, knocks against the desk, a dark bark or my cat letting me know he needs attention.

• The biggest challenges are: keeping the pacing consistent, with a few exceptions where the action calls for ramping it up. Keeping the character voices consistent and being able to change when there is a scene with four characters all interacting.
• When I come across an awkward phrase or spelling/grammar mistake that still slipped through, I can change the manuscript right then. When I’ve finished with the first novel of the series, I can resubmit the manuscript to Amazon and Draft2digital. Anyone who gets the ebook or print version after that will have the new, improved, error-free edition and it will be Whispersynch ready!

1. The last bit of quality check is to send the chapters to an audio proofreader who will read the manuscript while listening. They will note any missed words, contractions, mispronunciations and pauses that are too long or short.
2. The standard formula is that one hour of ‘finished/mastered’ audio takes six to eight hours to produce, not included prepping the manuscript, eg color coding dialogue, marking places to speed up or slow down, etc. The actual narration is about two hours or more to record an hours worth, due to mistakes and taking breaks. Then that hour of narration will go through four to six hours of editing and mastering to get the audio to the specs required by any of the reputable audiobook distributors.
3. My first novel in the series, Freedom – Just Another Word… is approximately 110,000 words. It will be about twelve hours of narration. If I’m slow, using the 8:1 ratio, I will put in ninety-six hours into this project. I already have the equipment so my only out-of-pocket expense will be for ‘proofing’. My cost is low, but time commitment is high.

• I was planning to release the first audiobook in November 1029. There was a two-week interruption when the power company turned off the electricity here in northern California during the wildfire threat. Today is the 17^th of November and I can see that it will take me till the end of the year.

 

• Fun Question: Do you have any pets?
  1. Sam, the cat, may argue that he has us. We’ve been together for nine years and lived in three different houses.

 

• Fun Question 2:  Do you own an electronic reading device? If so, what kind and how do you like it?
  1. I have an older Kindle and an iPad. I enjoy both. The Kindle is easier to hold while reading in bed at night if I’m lying down. When sitting up, the iPad is a better experience. On the Kindle I’m not tempted to check email or social media while reading. Both of them suck in bright light outdoors.
  2. I still enjoy have a physical book in my hand too, and the look of our bookshelves full of books.

 

I’m happy to give a free e-copy of the first novel in the Dream Messiah series to your readers at: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/lawml1popp

 

Website: https://randco.me

Email: Randylscott@randco.me

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Redwoodvoices/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/randylscott2/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Randrifter

Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1718157118

Draft2Digtal Universal link: https://books2read.com/u/47Zwlj

 

 

*As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Interview with J.M. Lanham, Author of The R.E.M. Precept

Hello,

Today’s interview is with J.M. Lanham, author of The R.E.M. Precept.

Please enjoy!

Best,

-Vincent Lowry

Interview:

1) What is your author name and in what state do you live (or country if not in the US)? My name is J.M. Lanham (friends call me John), and I’ve lived in north Florida for the last six years (originally from Georgia). 2) What is the title of your newest book and what is the genre? My latest book hit the shelves September 13th, 2019, and is the third and final installment of the REM series titled The R.E.M. Precept. I think the trilogy falls best under the techno-thriller genre, with readers likening it to the sci-fi works of Michael Crichton, Preston & Child, and Douglas E. Richards.   3) What is the book about? The series follows a ragtag group of clinical-trial volunteers who’ve recently participated in FDA trials for the first ever gene-altering sleeping pill called Ocula: a pill that’s designed to interact with the human genome to deliver the perfect eight-hour sleep cycle. But unlike the thousands of other participants who experienced little more than the best sleep of their lives, these so-called clinical trial outliers experience extraordinary side effects that don’t just threaten Asteria Pharmaceuticals’ bottom line, but also the safety and security of the free world. The series follows the outliers as they go up against Big Pharma and the CIA to expose what could be the greatest psychological weapon ever created.  4) Where did you come up with the idea? For as long as I can remember I’ve suffered from insomnia, but on the rare ocassion that I do get a solid night’s worth of sleep I’ll have these incredibly lucid dreams that seem to last for ages. At one point, these dreams became so convincing that I started to question the nature of reality itself. I was also investing in biotech startups at the time I decided to give the whole novelist gig a shot, so I outlined a story about participants in a sleep study having these nightmarish side effects that made them question the nature of their realities. Well, the outlined got shelved for almost five years until early 2016, when I decided to buckle down and write the damn thing. And once I started writing, everything else just kind of fell into place. 5) How long did it take you to write it? Once I made a serious go at it (forcing myself to write daily, no exceptions) it took about a year from start to finish. I also went through a series of rewrites during the first novel that held things up. The next two in the series went a lot faster, but it still took the better part of a year for each one. 6) Did you learn anything from the project? Absolutely! In fact, I’ve learned so much over the last three years that it’s tough to pick a starting point. My relatively short stint in the self-publishing world has tough me patience, humility, gratitude … did I mention patience? I’ve learned to temper expectations, find utility in each and every criticism, and to consistently put in the work every single day to (hopefully) become a better writer. 7) Do you have an author website and/or blog? How about a book video? I do. My author website is www.jmlanham.com. There you can find out where to get my books (currently exclusively on Amazon), check out a sample of The R.E.M. Effect audiobook, sign up for my email list, or read up on my blog covering current events in science that I happen to find interesting (I’ve slacked up on this part a bit, but I promise to make an effort to get back into blogging). You can also reach out directly via the website contact form. I try to respond to every email within 48 hours, and I love talking sci-fi, writing, self-publishing, and baseball.  8) Do you have any success tips to pass on to fellow authors? How about any great editors/cover artists? I think the thing that’s helped me the most in writing is actually something I heard about exercising. If you’ve ever tried to commit to going to the gym then you probably know that sinking feeling of dread in your chest the whole way there. And then once you’re there, that’s when the real work begins. It can really suck, but if you’re determined and you stick with it, then after a few weeks you’ll start to wonder how you ever went a day without being active, without running or walking or lifting weights or whatever your new workout routine happens to be. I think the same goes for writing. Some days I’d get up and stare at that blank page and essentially give up before I even got started. The worst days are the ones where every single sentence you write looks and sounds and feels like garbage, but those are precisely the days you’ve got to push through. Don’t worry about the quality so much; just get something, anything, on the page. Do the work, put in the time, and sooner or later your new writing exercise will become a full-blown routine you can’t live without. Oh, and read Stephen King’s On Writing. He does this thing where he writes a first draft, stuffs it in a drawer, and doesn’t look at it again for a while (month or two I think), so when he comes back to it, he’s looking at it with fresh eyes. I’ve done that, and I think it’s really helped me. There have even been times where I’d go back over something I wrote months back and wonder, “Who the heck wrote this?” On cover artists, I think it goes without saying that whether we like it or not, covers sell books. I hired 2FacedDesign (you can find them on Twitter @2FacedDesign) for my first project and I’ve used them ever since. They’ve helped countless authors create professional, eye-catching covers that truly clothe stories, and personally, I wouldn’t use anyone else. 9) What genres do you like to read? Are you open to reading new authors and reviewing their work? I’ve always been a fan of stories where near-future tech goes terribly wrong, which is what got me hooked on Michael Crichton’s work at an early age (I was in second or third grade the first time I read Jurassic Park and I’ve been a Crichton fan ever since). I’m a huge sucker for techno-thrillers, but I also love horror, mysteries, and suspense. There’s also nothing like a good crime novel (paging Elmore Leonard).  10) What is your favorite book of all time and why? Man, you’re gonna make me pick a favorite? Haha, this is a tough one, but if I had to pick just one I’d probably have to say Nevil Shute’s On The Beach. I’ve certainly been more entertained by others, but I read this one at a very early age and it made a lasting impression on me. Namely, try not to take life so damn seriously and live for the moment because we never know which day is going to be our last (or in this case, when the H-bombs are going to fall). 11) Fun Question: Do you have any pets? If so, what kind? I have a blue-heeler mix named Luna. My wife and I adopted her from a local shelter when she (Luna, not my wife) was about a year old. I say “mix” because she’s definitely a heeler; we’re just not sure what her other half happens to be (now I’m wondering if they have 23andMe for pets?). 12) Fun Question 2: Do you own an electronic reading device? If so, what kind and how do you like it? I have a Kindle Fire, and it’s a lot of fun to read on, but I find my self reading more paperbacks these days. It’s a whole process I’ve become accustomed to: I only buy books from my local bookstore (rarely hardcovers unless it’s a must-have and there’s no paperback available) and I usually only read fiction at night when I’m about to go to sleep. I’ve recently made a conscious effort to reduce screen time at night (eReaders, phone, t.v.) and have a pair of blue-light glasses that I feel have really helped me get some of my circadian rhythm back should I decide to read on the Kindle late at night. But, for the most part, I save the devices for daytime hours.

Interview with Andy Douglas, Author of Redemption Songs

Hello,

Today’s interview is with Andy Douglas, author of Redemption Songs.

Please enjoy!

Best,

-Vincent Lowry

Interview:

1) What is your author name and in what state do you live (or country if not in the US)? Andy Douglas, Iowa.

2) What is the title of your newest book and what is the genre? My latest book is “Redemption Songs: A Year in the Life of a Community Prison Choir.”

3) What is the book about? The book chronicles the six years I spent volunteering in a medium security prison as part of a choir that  combines incarcerated men and community volunteers. Its main narrative thrust details the experience of entering the prison each week, getting to know the men, overcoming preconceptions about these folks, and forging a strong community through shared creative undertaking. The book also has a research-based component, and focuses on some of the issues facing the penal system. Thirdly, the book tells the stories of several of the men I got to know, exploring their early lives, their crimes, their efforts to rehabilitate.

4) Where did you come up with the idea? In conversation with a writing mentor, who saw the inherent drama and value of the idea.

5) How long did it take you to write it? Six years.

6) Did you learn anything from the project? Ha. I learned a great deal. Certainly I learned much about criminal justice and restorative justice, for example, the fact that as a nation we compose five percent of the the world’s population but have 25 percent of the world’s prisoners. I interrogated my own biases about people in prison and came away with new understanding. Intellectually, I had acknowledged that people in prison were simply people who had gone down a wrong path, but to learn in an intimate way about the challenges and struggles and, yes, often selfish behavior, of people and put it into a larger context of, well, racism, economic hardship, unfair sentencing practices, was all eye-opening. On a writing level, this book combines several different types of writing, narrative, more research-based expository writing, interview-based retelling of the men’s stories, as well as direct quotes from the men. It also, in places, leans toward a more lyrical essayistic style. How in the world were those very different types of writing going to coalesce into an integral whole? This was the challenge for me, which I think I met, shaping the narrative and the various styles in a way that ultimately created a seamless narrative.

7) Do you have an author website and/or blog? How about a book video? My website is andydouglas.net

8) Do you have any success tips to pass on to fellow authors? How about any great editors/cover artists? Cultivate some good readers whose opinions you trust. At the same time, trust your own vision. Finally, revise more than you think you need to. Revise and put the work away for a while. Then reread it with fresh eyes. Revise until every sentence is sparklingly clear, until every niggling doubt is resolved, until every chapter ends in a way that propels the reader on to the next one. Revise.

9) What genres do you like to read? Are you open to reading new authors and reviewing their work? I read a lot of literary fiction. Also some nonfiction, often related to environmental or social justice issues.

10) What is your favorite book of all time and why? That’s a tough one. One of my favorite is Tracy Kidder’s Mountains Beyond Mountains. Kidder does what I’d like to do better: sinks deeply into a world until he can write about it with ease and comprehension, then pulls us into that world with beautiful prose.

11) Fun Question: Do you have any pets? If so, what kind? nope.

12) Fun Question 2: Do you own an electronic reading device? If so, what kind and how do you like it? Also nope.

Interview with George Stratford, Author of I Spy Bletchley Park

Hello,

Today’s interview is with George Stratford, author of I Spy Bletchley Park.

Please enjoy!

Best,

-Vincent Lowry

Interview:

1) What is your author name and in what state do you live (or country if not in the US)?

I publish novels under my own name of George Stratford, and I live in the south coast holiday resort of Bournemouth, England.

 

2) What is the title of your newest book and what is the genre?

Currently, I am more than halfway through writing a new murder thriller set in the popular music world of 1970s London, but my most recently published novel is an historical adventure/thriller titled, I Spy Bletchley Park. This has been excellently received and reviewed here in the UK.

 

3) What is the book about?

This story is set in the years leading up to and during WWII. Embittered by the government’s seizure of her father’s large estate, Lady Margaret Pugh is recruited as a spy by Hermann Goering during the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. With her former estate bordering the town of Bletchley, once war is declared, the strange comings and goings at the nearby Park mansion gradually attract her attention. In an attempt to discover more, she deliberately befriends a young working-class WAAF (Women’s Auxiliary Air Force) who is stationed at BP as a Morse Code Receiver.

The girl is Betty Hall, especially chosen for her ability to receive and accurately type high-speed messages. Before joining the WAAFs, she was also a budding child prodigy as a classical pianist. Her friendship with Lady Margaret is noted by Naval Intelligence, who are already beginning to suspect the aristocrat of spying on the country’s most secret establishment. A shocked and apprehensive Betty is recruited to assist them. Completely untrained for this kind of counter-espionage work, she can only do her best and hope.

Before long, the two women inevitably clash, and a desperate Betty finds herself as the only person in a position to save Bletchley Park from complete destruction.

 

4) Where did you come up with the idea?

My late mother was a WAAF stationed at BP for two years during WWII, and subsequently at one of the vital Y listening stations. Like so many others, she never breathed a single word of this until the 1980s when the secret had already become common public knowledge.

I wanted to write a fictional tribute to Mum. The codebreakers themselves have (rightly so) had volumes of both fictional and factual stuff written about them, but how about an adventure story featuring one of the less acknowledged workers in a heroic role? That was my reasoning at the start of things. After that, it was quite a logical move to create a spy who would place Bletchley Park in great danger. And better still, a female one with an aristocratic background in complete contrast to Betty’s south London working-class upbringing. Once Lady Margaret had been created, all the other pieces began to fall naturally into place.

 

5) How long did it take you to write it?

The amount of research required for this story was enormous, so if you include that, the whole process took me just about a year.

Spending time at the current Bletchley Park site was of course a mandatory requirement, and whilst there I was fortunate enough to become friends with one of the dedicated volunteer workers who do so much to enhance the centre’s visitor experience. John Bladen was a mine of invaluable information. Numerous times throughout the course of that year I needed to get back to him with some question or other on historical or technical detail, and he was always only to happy to help. I owe John a lot. So here’s another great big thank you, mate.

 

6) Did you learn anything from the project?

I suspect that you mean aside from the obvious mass of information during research that amongst many other things took in: the 1929 Stock Market crash; British politics of that era; the1936 Berlin Olympics, especially the equestrian events; and a host of personal details concerning Hermann Goering.

What I did learn was to totally rubbish the theory that females can’t keep a secret. At one time or another during the course of WWII, approximately eight thousand women (mostly WAAFs and WRENs) worked at Bletchley Park. Just like my own mother, not a single one of them ever sought to break the Official Secrets Act that they had all signed. Forty years were to pass before they were free to talk about their part in something that was truly amazing. How’s that for keeping Mum?

 

7) Do you have an author website and/or blog? How about a book video?

Please do come and visit my website at georgestratford.com . Amongst other stuff, you can read an extract from I Spy Bletchley Park in which Lady Margaret is first introduced to Hermann Goering by a Nazi loving former boyfriend. This extract is not available to read anywhere else. There is also lots of info here about my other novels, together with a middle grade children’s story set in the Philippines, and a memoir of my time when I went from being an out of work no-hoper to an award-winning copywriter at the world’s most famous advertising agency, Saatchi & Saatchi. Mad Men? More of a Mad Ride, I’d say.

 

8) Do you have any success tips to pass on to fellow authors? How about any great editors/cover artists?

The best tip I can pass on is always use the ‘Read Aloud’ function to check your manuscript. With anything that you have written yourself, the eye so very often will read what it is anticipating seeing rather than what it actually there on the page.

Being an editor myself who has worked very closely with best-selling fantasy author Brian D Anderson on fourteen of his novels, including all of The Godling Chronicles and the Dragonvein series, I know how well this simple trick can work.

 As for cover designers, I’ve always found Lou Harper to be efficient, speedy, and very reasonably priced.

 

9) What genres do you like to read? Are you open to reading new authors and reviewing their work?

 Adventure stories and thrillers, sometimes with an historical background in the way Ken Follett does them, are my most preferred reads. I’ve also thoroughly enjoyed quite a bit of Stephen King’s work, especially the Mr Mercedes (Finders Keepers) trilogy.

Thanks to my work with Brian, I am now also rather more open to some kinds of fantasy work as well.

I always try to set aside at least half an hour a day (usually just before hitting the pillow) to read a new book. Of course I am open to new authors, and am very happy to post a positive review when I feel it is deserved. The only problem is, if I find that I can’t get on with a book, I would rather not post anything at all than be destructive. Why stamp on something when others might genuinely enjoy it?

 

10) What is your favorite book of all time and why?

 My thesaurus: Without it, where would I be when I’m stuck for the right word?

 

11) Fun Question: Do you have any pets? If so, what kind?

No pets as such, although I do have a make-believe Dobermann posted outside my door to keep away unwanted visitors when I’m on a writing roll.

 

12) Fun Question 2: Do you own an electronic reading device? If so, what kind and how do you like it?

Yup, I’ve got what might be termed as a pretty ancient kindle that still gets used a fair bit. The truth is though, I honestly prefer the feel of a proper book in my hand. It’s also so much easier to flip quickly back to check on something with physical pages. You know, when a character who we haven’t seen for several chapters suddenly appears again and you need reminding of who exactly they are. This is especially true if you find you only have time to read in small daily bites the way I tend to do.