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‘5 Questions’ Interview: With Jemima Pett @jemima_pett
Today I’m thrilled to welcome indie author Jemima Pett to the blog as part of the ‘5 Questions’ with authors series!
If you are an author who would like to participate in the series, fill out the questionnaire here! And if you are a reader who wants to suggest an author for the series, just send me an email!
Describe The Princelings and the Lost City (The Princelings of the East) in ten words or less
The Princelings and the Lost City completes the trilogy with kidnap, mystery, romance and biplanes.
Where or how did you come up with the idea for your story?
I decided on the title when I first imagined a trilogy for my heroes’ adventures. As the trilogy developed I realised it was a male-dominated world so the idea of a hidden females-only castle was attractive, and it provided plenty of scope for my female hero to have some limelight.
Which of your characters is closest to your heart and why?
Fred and George, my Princelings of the East, were my first-ever pets, and I confess I doted on them. But they were perfect gentlemen and I just wanted to write about them. Despite being guinea pigs, they were the philosopher and leader, and the engineer that developed in the stories. Sadly they died last year, but I’m so glad they live on in the books.
Do you have a day job? If yes, tell us about it and how did that affect your writing / publishing process?
In theory I’m an energy efficiency and climate change policy researcher. In practice, writing the stories and promoting them as an independent author has taken over. Fortunately I’m freelance, so I can fulfill the interesting invitations that come my way in my professional life without it conflicting with the writing.
I think it’s quite likely that I ended up in research because I love writing; it gave me the opportunity to communicate with people about a subject dear to my heart. Maybe if I was starting out these days I’d go into science journalism.
Little things about my work creep in to the Princelings world though, like George’s strawberry juice power plant (fuel cell), Fred’s wind-mapping and the journals in which the boys are writing about their own research.
Tell us about an upcoming book or project you’re excited about
I’ve got so many follow-on stories bursting out of my head, featuring my current guinea pigs and my best friend’s!
The next book will be The Traveler in Black and White, which tells how Lord Mariusz came to explore the time tunnel and the Princelings realm in the first place. It’s a prequel, but it will be Number 4 in the series. Things get a lot darker in this book, and Lord Mariusz narrates it in a film noir/Humphrey Bogart style. It’s written in US English, and all the others are written in UK English, in case you wondered about the spelling of traveller.
Bonus Question! Fill in the blank: If you like ___, you’ll probably like my book too!
If you like Anne McCaffrey,JK Rowling, JRR Tolkein, or fantasy books with animal heroes like the Fantastic Mr Fox or Wind in the Willows, you’ll probably like my book too.
Thanks again for stopping by, Jemima Pett! You can learn more about the author at her website: jemimapettauthor, blog: jemimapett, Facebook: princelings and Twitter: @jemima_pett.
The Princelings and the Lost City (The Princelings of the East) is available on Amazon in Kindle format. This book completes her The Princelings of the East trilogy which follows the adventures of her unlikely heroes Fred and George.
Check out Jemima’s Amazon author page for more info and to check out the other books in the series!
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4th Update on ‘Indie Saturday’ – Calling On Indie / Self Published Authors!
Hi all! So it’s been eight months since we started this feature on the blog – the ‘Indie Saturday‘ – where we have an *indie author guest post each Saturday and introduce their books to us! It’s gone really well so far and we’ve had some really interesting guest posts! Why did we start this new feature? Well, we really enjoy reading authors’ notes (foreword/afterword) on their books and the regular authors’ posts on the Kindle Editors’ Blog, so we thought we’d give a venue for *indie authors to do so on RandomizeME too.
To keep things interesting, we’ve make sure that each month, the books generally fall under the same theme. We’ve gone through Christmas, Coming-of-Age, Romantic comedies, Historical Fiction, Inspirational/Religious/Christian, Cozy Mysteries, Children’s Books, Science Fiction, and we’ve just finished up with Thrillers this August!
And here’s the planned themes for the coming months of 2012 (please get in touch with us if you are interested in being featured):
- September – Fantasy (5 saturdays – all slots filled)
- October – Supernaturals – Vampires, Shifters, Weres, Demons, Angels, Elves, etc etc (4 saturdays)
- November – Catch-Up month – we’ll be inviting some authors who have offered to guest post before but could not be accommodated (4 saturdays)
* our definition of an indie author = self published (incl those with backlist or out-out-print books) or those aligned with a small publisher
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‘5 Questions’ with Joe Vasicek @onelowerlight
Today I’m thrilled to welcome indie author Joe Vasicek to the blog as part of the ‘5 Questions’ with authors series!
If you are an author who would like to participate in the series, fill out the questionnaire here! And if you are a reader who wants to suggest an author for the series, just send me an email!
Describe your current STAR WANDERERS series: Star Wanderers: Outworlder (Part I) and ‘Star Wanderers: Fidelity (Part II)‘ in ten words or less
“Our Mrs. Reynolds” where the accidental marriage actually works out.
Where or how did you come up with the idea for your story?
I was lying on my bed one afternoon, thinking about the love story from Jeremiah Johnson, one of my favorite westerns. In the movie, Robert Redford plays a confederate soldier turned mountain man who accidentally marries a Native American girl through a misunderstanding with her father, the chief. Neither of them speak the same language, neither of them really intended to get together, and out in the wilderness, there’s no one else for them to talk to. Despite all this, they fall in love and make things work out.
As I lay there musing on the story, the thought entered my head: “what would this story look like in a science fictional setting?” Immediately, things just clicked, and I knew I had to write it. I rolled out of bed, fired up the computer, and a couple hours later I had the first chapter. The rest grew from there.
Which of your characters is closest to your heart and why?
That’s a difficult question! I love all my characters (well, most of them anyway), so it’s difficult to choose just one.
If I had to, though, I’d choose Tiera from [my other book] DESERT STARS. She’s fiercely independent and doesn’t care what other people think of her, much like me. She also feels out of place among her own people and dreams of traveling to the stars, just like I do. The biggest difference is that she actually gets to!
In DESERT STARS, she’s more of a supporting character, but I fully intend to give her a novel of her own someday–probably sooner rather than later.
Do you have a day job? If yes, tell us about it and how did that affect your writing / publishing process?
Everyone always says “don’t quit your day job.” Yeah…I graduated in 2010 from “student” to “unemployed,” and never really had one. Fortunately, through a combination of scholarships, grants, campus jobs, and affordable tuition rates, I was able to graduate without any debt, which has freed me up to do a lot of other things.
Currently, I’m teaching English in the Republic of Georgia, out in the Caucasus Mountains. It’s been a really amazing experience! Georgia is a very rustic country, with friendly people and hundreds of remote places to explore. In Racha, I stayed at a place with a wolf pelt hanging in the dining room, and drank pure sparkling mineral water straight from the rocks. Experiences like this give me interesting things to draw from when I write, as well as help to shape my outlook on the world.
I’ve found that teaching English overseas is a great way to facilitate a writing career, at least in the first few years before you’re earning enough on your books to make a living. The nice thing about being an indie writer is that I can publish from anywhere, so that really opens up a lot of options in terms of where I can live and travel. I teach about 20-30 hours a week, make enough to live comfortably (albeit modestly) by local standards, and get to experience another culture with plenty of time to write on the side. It can be emotionally draining at times, and requires some huge personal adjustments, but it sure beats temp jobs and service sector work.
Tell us about an upcoming book or project you’re excited about
I just finished the next book in the Gaia Nova series, titled STARS OF BLOOD AND GLORY. It’s a military space opera featuring the mercenaries from BRINGING STELLA HOME and their newest cyber-ops officer, Rina Najmi from DESERT STARS.
Fifteen years have passed since the collapse of the New Gaian Empire, and the Hameji have amassed an enormous battle fleet to wipe out the last remaining free stars in the galaxy. Just as the campaign begins, a mysterious assassin kills the chief commander of the Federation forces, throwing them into disarray.
The young boy emperor from the planet Shinihon tries to rally them in the defense of his homeworld, but when his sister goes missing from the palace, everything starts to go wrong. He calls on Danica Nova and her band of Tajji mercenaries to rescue her, but things are more complicated than they seem, and the Hameji are coming ever closer…
So yeah, I’m really excited about this book! It’s full of intrigue, explosions, space battles, coming-of-age stories, and all that other stuff that makes space opera so much fun!
Bonus Question! Fill in the blank: If you like ___, you’ll probably like my book too!
Nathan Lowell shows up in my “also boughts” on Amazon a lot, and I think we’re doing a lot of similar stuff with our science fiction. His solar clipper books are really great–I can’t tell you how much I wish I were on the crew of one of his starships! Kindal Debenham‘s Jacob Hull novels are also quite excellent, with sprawling galactic empires and tough, hardened characters from the frontier stars. We’re actually pretty good friends from college, and alpha read each other’s books. His latest novel, BADGER, is really good!
Thanks again for stopping by, Joe Vasicek! You can learn more about the author at his website/blog: onelowerlight.com, Facebook: Joe Vasicek and Twitter: @onelowerlight.
The STAR WANDERERS duology: Star Wanderers: Outworlder (Part I) and Star Wanderers: Fidelity (Part II) are available on Amazon in Kindle formats. Check out Joe’s Amazon author page to see his other books!
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‘5 Questions’ with S.D. Rasheed
Today I’m thrilled to welcome indie author S.D. Rasheed to the blog as part of the ‘5 Questions’ with authors series!
If you are an author who would like to participate in the series, fill out the questionnaire here! And if you are a reader who wants to suggest an author for the series, just send me an email!
Describe your trilogy ‘Blue Haired Men‘ in ten words or less
Ladies, be wary of Blue Haired Men.
Where or how did you come up with the idea for your story?
The concept behind this story was conceived over four years ago as an online comic that’s now run its course. However, this version is based on a new story and involves a different cast of characters and setting.
Which of your characters is closest to your heart and why?
The good girl inside me wants to say Reed Turner because of the struggles he went through and how he managed to overcome them but then, the bad girl in me can’t get enough of Reuben Wolf. He’s pure evil.
Do you have a day job? If yes, tell us about it and how did that affect your writing / publishing process?
I’m currently unemployed.
Tell us about an upcoming book or project you’re excited about
I’m actually in the midst of trying to decide what to do next; a sci story based on androids or a sci fi adventure set on an alternate Earth. Either way, my next project will be of the science fiction genre that’s for sure.
Thanks again for stopping by, S.D. Rasheed! You can learn more about the author at her website: writtenbysakinah.wordpress.com and Twitter: @Sakinah_R.
Blue Haired Men is available on Amazon in Kindle format.
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Twitter Deal Alert! Sony PRS-350 Pocket Edition (Pre-owned) just $24.99 on CowBoom!
Oh hey, for those holding out for really cheap eReaders – grab a pre-owned Sony PRS-350 Pocket Edition for just $24.99 on CowBoom.Com (Daily Deal)! Just $5.00 shipping! Hurry, while supplies last!
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Indie Saturday – Author Alana Woods on her Thrillers ‘Automaton’ and ‘Imbroglio’
Today, we have author Alana Woods featured on the blog’s ‘Indie Saturday‘ for her debut award-winning best-selling suspense legal thriller Automaton and follow-up suspense espionage thriller Imbroglio.
Here are 5 star reviews of Automaton and Imbroglio (respectively) from book blogger Here’s The Right Side Of It:
‘It’s difficult to decide where to begin with Automaton. This is an exemplary novel by a master of the craft. Set in Australia, it is so deep, so well written, so intelligently thought out and flows so smoothly that I felt like a participant and personal observer within the events, rather than a reader who was sitting comfortably in my office as the story unfolded. Woods’ experience as a Court Reporter makes her tale as authentic, intriguing and interesting as any you’ll ever read. It’s not a quick, shallow read – it’s a real novel … Regretfully, I can only give this one 5 stars. I assure you I’m waiting for Alana Woods’ next novel.’
‘Alana Woods’ suspense novel Imbroglio. This lady can definitely spin a tale … In short, it’s what any card-carrying crime fiction fan is looking for … ‘
Alana Woods writes :
So, when is a good guy a good guy, or a bad guy a bad guy, or good bad, or bad good?
It’s the question occupying the minds of Elisabeth Sharman in Automaton and Noel Valentine in Imbroglio.
And when is a girl telling the truth or taking you for a sucker?
That’s the question occupying Robert Murphy and David Cameron – the aforementioned good guys, or are they the bad guys?
Let’s take Elisabeth Sharman and Robert Murphy first because they’re the main players in my debut novel Automaton, an award-winning best-selling legal suspense thriller.
Murphy is Sharman’s instructing solicitor in a murder trial, but he’s having a hard time of it. She’s prickly, unfriendly and downright uncommunicative until the night she lets him take her to bed. Problem is, the next morning she goes right back to being prickly, unfriendly and uncommunicative. He can’t help but think she seduced him to keep him quiet. But he’s hooked and when all’s said and done, they both have the interests of their client to look out for. A client who’s only 19 and allegedly can’t remember committing the crime he’s on trial for.
There are so many skeletons stuffed into the closets in Automaton they rattle.
A book store manager once remarked to me about Automaton ‘It’s quite literary, isn’t it’. I considered it to be a terrific compliment.
Once you’ve figured out the relationships in Automaton you can try to unravel Noel Valentine and David Cameron’s in espionage suspense thriller Imbroglio.
Not easy, I’ve been told. Valentine saves Cameron’s life and finds herself in a resulting spiral into trouble that has her head spinning. She’s already on very shaky mental ground because of something in her past. She desperately needs to care about something and her choice just maybe couldn’t have been worse. But when the bad guy’s gorgeous, it can be hard to see straight, let alone think straight, right? There’s car crashes, sharks, guns, traitors. It’s a wonder anyone survives until the end.
More on Alana Woods!
When I first started work, it was as a publications typist at a weapons research establishment. It helped put me in the right frame of mind when I wrote Imbroglio some years later.
Later I spent five years in court reporting. That’s when the idea for Automaton occurred. I’d sit in court and watch the accused and their families. Some were lost, had no idea what was going on. The words spoken may have been familiar but the language used was foreign. My heart used to break for the parents especially.
In fact, my jobs generally have been good sources of material for books. I’m working on a corporate crime novel at the moment that’s a direct result of my years as an editor and subsequently Director of Publishing at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. I’m tossing up whether to make it a trilogy. I know series are popular and sell well, but I also note a trend to short novellas in series. I like long books, so if I do decide on a trilogy I’d like each one to be the length of a traditional novel, which requires a bit of work!
Born in England but an Aussie in heart and soul, at the moment Alana Woods has a hankering to buy a masseria in Puglia and go live there. The food and wine are to die for. She just has to convince her other half … and learn Italian.
Writer, editor, book reviewer, reader, traveller, food and wine lover – all of these describe Alana.
Alana Woods’ books are all available in Kindle and paperback formats on Amazon. Samples are available on her Scribd.Com page (and also embedded here)
You might also like to check out her 25 essential writing tips: guide to writing good fiction that she wrote after critiquing manuscripts for many years. It’s aimed at aspiring authors but if the reviews are anything to go by seasoned authors are also giving it the thumbs up.
You can also check out Alana Woods’ Amazon author page for more info and her other books.
You can follow Alana on: her website: alanawoods.com, Facebook: alanawoodsauthor, Twitter: @alanaewoods, Goodreads, Google+ and Shelfari
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Do you want to be a featured ‘Indie Saturday’ author too? Go here for more info!
Read an embedded sample of “Automaton” and “Imbroglio” after the jump!
‘5 Questions’ with Daron D. Fraley
Today I’m thrilled to welcome indie author Daron D. Fraley to the blog as part of the ‘5 Questions’ with authors series!
If you are an author who would like to participate in the series, fill out the questionnaire here! And if you are a reader who wants to suggest an author for the series, just send me an email!
Describe your book ‘Thirty-Six‘ in ten words or less
Thirty-Six: Aaron Cohen and the Legend of the Lamed Vovniks
Where or how did you come up with the idea for your story?
I wanted to meld an ancient legend with a contemporary setting.
My research turned up the Jewish legend of the Thirty Six Hidden Righteous, or the Lamed Vovniks. Add a helping of suspense, sprinkle with some romantic tension, hint at some mystery, and then you get Thirty-Six.
What was your favorite part to write and why?
My favorite part to write was the reveal at the end of the book because I think a lot of people will be surprised by it.
Do you have a day job? If yes, tell us about it and how did that affect your writing / publishing process?
Speculative fiction writer by night, Senior Data Center Engineer by day. I work in computer data centers with a focus on server and storage virtualization. Because of the day job (which pays the bills), all of my writing is done in the evening. I miss sleep.
Tell us about an upcoming book or project you’re excited about
Although not the only project I am working on, the Thirty-Six series is the most exiting project I am involved in right now. It’s a multi-author series, so there will be other stories coming, from some very talented authors.
Bonus Question! Fill in the blank: If you like ___, you’ll probably like my book too!
The Way of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson
Thanks again for stopping by, Daron D. Fraley! You can learn more about Daron at his personal website: www.daronfraley.com and Thirty-Six series website: www.lamed-vav.com, Twitter: @DaronFraley and Facebook: Daron-D-Fraley-Author.
Thirty-Six is available on Amazon in Kindle and Paperback formats. Check out his Amazon author’s page for more info!
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Twitter Deal Alert! Motorola XOOM Verizon Android Honeycomb Tablet is $199.99 on DailySteals!
Oh hey, here’s a good deal from DailySteals! Grab the Motorola XOOM 10.1″ 32GB WiFi+3G Verizon Android Honeycomb Tablet for just $199.99 on DailySteals (Daily Deal)! You save $500 (71% OFF) for the next 19 hours (or while supplies last)
* Note that this is a Factory Recertified product with a 90 Day warranty, and it’s locked to Verizon.
I don’t own one of these, but here’s a CNET review for those who are interested. They gave it 3 1/2 stars (Very Good).
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