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Guest Post…To Kill Or Not To Kill: That Is The Question!

Many of you probably remember the Artemis myth. She’s one of the most widely known of the Greek goddesses. Her Roman counterpart is Diana. Artemis is a departure from the maiden/mother/crone depiction of women in that she was a virgin goddess. Women who attended her also had to be chaste. What she’s probably best known for, other than tending to the moon with her brother, Apollo, is righting wrongs.

Years ago when I was in Soundpeace, a metaphysical bookstore in Ashland, Oregon, I plucked a silver pendant off its black velvet backing. It was about an inch-and-a-half in diameter and had a woman with a dog by her side and a bow behind her, carrying a light. This was long before I’d studied much in the way of mythology. All I knew was that I was drawn to that pendant and had to have it. It’s been around my neck for most of the thirty years or so since then. In the intervening years, I’ve come to recognize my pendant goddess for who she is: Artemis. 

 

So what does that have to do with my life? Or with writing? To answer the first question, I’ve always had a finely etched sense of what’s right and have fought many a losing battle because I didn’t want to see the other side, mostly comprised of big businesses like pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies win. While my ideals may have been admirable, retrospectively, I never had a chance. The magic of writing is you can make everyone an Erin Brokovich. Remember? She took on a big corporation that was polluting water and won the largest class action suit ever.

It probably won’t surprise you to know that in real life things like that don’t happen very often, which leads us to the answer to the second question.  In fiction, they happen all the time. I think that’s why people read. At least it’s why I do. To transport myself to the world of the possible. To have heroes I can root for.  A skilled author can scare me half to death that things won’t go well, even when I know in my heart of hearts they won’t kill off the protagonist. Or, maybe they will. George R.R. Martin is quite good at that. Though, I must admit I didn’t like the series nearly so well after Eddard lost his head. It started feeling like a Greek tragedy after that.

There is a fine line to who to kill off in a story so you don’t alienate your readers. That’s something I struggle with. I might add maim and traumatize to kill. There are lots of ways an author can stress his/her characters. Each stressor adds depth to a character, but only if you can tie the wounding back in with how the character acts after it happens. The character shouldn’t overreact, but they can’t underreact either. 

To put a finer point on things, it’s easy to kill off a character no one liked in the first place. Face it, even the author didn’t particularly like them which is why you, the reader, saw them as vapid and shallow, too. This is why drawing three-dimensional antagonists is just as important as creating fully developed protagonists. The reader has to feel something when a character dies or gets hurt—other than relief because the character seemed superfluous and annoying anyway. 

To the extent fiction mirrors real life as much as possible, we can relate to it. That’s one of the reasons I set my novels in “real world” settings rather than a more typical, high fantasy world. I want that dystopian, near-future to feel real enough to make readers think. I suppose that’s my Artemis complex creeping in, but there’s not much I can do about that. One of the reasons many of Stephen King’s books work so well is they start out feeling fairly normal. The creepy, crawly elements often don’t intrude till near the end, like in Bag of Bones, for example. I don’t think the ghouls came out until the last fifty pages. By then I was so caught up in the reality of the world King had drawn—because it was my world—the addition of fantastical elements felt perfectly logical. 

What have some of your favorite books been? Why? 

What drew you in and made the world feel real? 

Who are some of your favorite fictional characters?

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Today’s guest post is from author Ann Gimpel – you can find out more about her books and blogging at:  http://anngimpel.blogspot.co.uk/ It was originally published on her blog 19th March, 2012.

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Author Spotlight…Jessica Fortunato

 

This week’s spotlighted author is Jessica Fortunato… Jessica Fortunato has been a freelance reviewer for the past three years. She has always loved a supernatural aspect to literature, as well as the addition of theology, so it is no surprise that her debut novel The Sin Collector combines just that.

She has been a waitress, a cook, a librarian, a book binder, nanny, and even a hairdresser when the occasion calls for it. However writing is her main focus and she is thrilled to share the first installment of what she hopes will be a beloved book trilogy. She resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her family, a hamster that Tweets and a cat who likes to sleep on her shoulder when she writes much like a parrot.

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Author Q&A 

 1.     If you could choose only one time period and place to live, when and where would you live and why?

I am obsessed with the 1920’s.  The clothing, the music, the nightlife, you name it.  Guys dressed sharp, the women were gorgeous (and not all size 0) So I suppose I would say Chicago in the 1920’s, who wouldn’t want to meet Capone? Live in the Jazz age.  I would happily hop in a time machine right now and live it up.

2.     Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book.

The Sin Collector is completely original, no Vampires or Werewolves, but it will make you laugh your butt off and keep you on the edge of your seat.

3.     Who is in your dream cast for your book?

I have never come across an actor I would love to have play main character Liliana.  However, I would sell my soul to have Ben Barnes play MC Olexander.  I imagined him every time I wrote the character because he is amazing.  Fans of The Sin Collector and I have actually started a Pinterest board of suggested cast members that can be found here.

4.     Can you see yourself in any of your characters?

I would be lying if I said main character Liliana wasn’t a lot like me.  She is incredibly sarcastic and handles crisis with both authority as well as levity.  I would never have survived this long if I couldn’t laugh at my own misfortune.  In addition, within the story, Liliana forms a family for herself and she loves them endlessly.  She would die for them, and I think that love of family comes from my own feelings and experiences.

5.     Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects? 

Thomas is a character in the first book.  He was one of my favorite characters to write, (actually, I had a huge crush on him) however he played a secondary role to the main characters in The Sin Collector.  After people read The Sin Collector so many asked if they would ever find out more about Thomas’s past.  Therefore, in short story format you will be able to buy Thomas’s story only on Amazon.  It will give readers a hint as to his history, and a glimpse of characters that will be important in the second book.  The second book in the trilogy The Sin Collector: Sacrifice is being written and will be released next year!

The Sin Collector follows the life of Liliana, a born Sin-Eater. She has spent her life absorbing people’s sins so they may rest in peace come death. Now she’s trying to live low-key, and act as human as a Collector can.  However when she is found by a Collector from her past, one who insists everything she has been taught is a lie, Liliana must make her way from sunny L.A. all the way to the streets of Madrid. Searching for answers to a question we all share. Why are we here? The friends and enemies she makes along the way only seem to blur the line between right and wrong. Can Liliana fight the Castus, an organization whose sole mission is to kill every Collector? Should she trust her head or her heart when the two most important men in her life are fighting alongside her and trust is precarious at best?

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The Sin Collector follows the life of Liliana, a born Sin-Eater. She has spent her life absorbing people’s sins so they may rest in peace come death. Now she’s trying to live low-key, and act as human as a Collector can.  However when she is found by a Collector from her past, one who insists everything she has been taught is a lie, Liliana must make her way from sunny L.A. all the way to the streets of Madrid. Searching for answers to a question we all share. Why are we here? The friends and enemies she makes along the way only seem to blur the line between right and wrong.

Can Liliana fight the Castus, an organization whose sole mission is to kill every Collector? Should she trust her head or her heart when the two most important men in her life are fighting alongside her and trust is precarious at best?

Want to know more? Check out the links!

The Official Sin Collector Website: http://thesincollector.weebly.com/index.html

Buy The Sin Collector on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Sin-Collector-ebook/dp/B0076D11WK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1328605892&sr=8-3

Follow Author Jessica Fortunato on Twitter (Always good for a laugh) https://twitter.com/#!/JessFortunato

Follow The Sin Collector on Facebook

Discover the upcoming short story about one of The Sin Collectors most beloved characters, Thomas: http://thesincollector.weebly.com/thomas.html

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Emily Read…Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

 Emily is our Goodreads pal and all-round lovely lady! 🙂 And, as you’ll know from our side-bar, her blog Confessions of a Bookaholic is one of our favourites. Throughout August and September, we will be featuring some of her book reviews on Aside from Writing so you can get to know her too!

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Cover Rating: 3/5 Stars
Overall Rating: 2.5/5 Stars


Synopsis: Sookie Stackhouse likes living in Bon Temps, Louisiana, and she likes working as a cocktail waitress at Merlotte’s. But she is having a streak of bad luck. First her co-worker is killed, and no one seems to care. Then she comes face-to-face with a beastly creature which gives her a painful and poisonous lashing. Enter the vampires, who graciously suck the poison from her veins (like they didn’t enjoy it).
The point is: the vampires saved her life. So when one of her bloodsuckers asks for a favour, she obliges-and soon Sookie’s in Dallas, using her telepathic skills to search for a missing vampire. She’s supposed to interview certain humans involved, but she makes one condition: the vampires must promise to behave, and let the humans go unharmed. But that’s easier than done, and all it takes is one delicious blonde and one small mistake for thing to turn deadly…

I am really beginning to regret buying most of the series in advance now. The first book was quite good but in this one the little things began to get to me. The fact that nearly every character in the book is sexist, racist, homophobic and not very clever is just one of them. It seems the only people who sound slightly intelligent are the vampires so technically it’s species-ist too. All the discrimination may be normal for that part of the world but I hate it. The co-worker of Sookie’s that is murdered is a black, gay man and automatically that causes people not to care all that much but then when Sookie, a blond white women is nearly killed in the previous book everyone is all stressed out. It is fluffy but at the same time very crude. All that aside the book does have a few redeeming qualities. It is fairly entertaining and quite short so is good for a quick read.

I do not like many of the characters. Sookie is so stereotypical; blond, ditsy, waitress, relies on her boyfriend for everything. She is literally a feminists nightmare. Her stubbornness may make her a little more of a strong character except from the fact every time the author lets her do something that involves standing on her own two feet she is then captured, attacked or something along those lines. It’s as if the author is saying that every time our heroine does something that her possessive boyfriend doesn’t want her to do she is punished one way or another. Speaking of her possessive boyfriend, Bill is a pathetic excuse for a vampire. If Sookie was a smart girl then the moment Bill referred to her as his property she would have got as far away as possible but no, she thinks he’s sweet. The only two characters I like are Sam, Sookie’s boss who is sweet and loyal but also seems a little too obsessed with Sookie, and Eric, who is a way more badass vamp than Bill and I really want to see more of. It was Eric’s scenes that kept me reading. The only funny parts of the book belonged to him and I love funny.

Overall this is an average book in an average series but has a couple of entertaining elements. I’m going to carry on the series just because I already have the other books and it would be a waste not too. I would recomend this series to someone who want’s a quick read and doesn’t mind some offensive language and downright annoying characters. This is a very popular series but at this point I am at a loss to see why.

My Favorite Quote:
“You’ve reached Fantasia, where the undead live again every night, for bar hours, press one. To make a party reservation, press two. To talk to alive person or a dead vampire, press three. Or, if you were intending to leave a humorous prank message on our answering machine, know this: we will find you.”

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

Read Emily’s interview with us here!

Goodread Group: Books, Blogs, Authors and More

 http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/62777.Books_Blogs_Authors_and_More

My blog: http://emily-confessionsofabookaholic.blogspot.com/

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Guest Post…Making Memorable Villains

Making Memorable Villains

We said “mean – really mean” and from that you heard “green and lilac lycra”?

Back in April I participated in the A to Z Blog Challenge—it was a 30-day challenge in April and where your blog topic has to correspond to each letter in the alphabet. I wanted to have a lil fun with the idea so I started talking about the villains we all know and love and what we can learn about them. Well 50 villains later, I’ve learned a thing or two about the darker side of the villains that stick with us.

Villains Have a Clear Purpose

You ever watch a James Bond movie? Some of those villains you really remember, like Blofeld, and some of them you end up wondering what in the world was going on, right? That’s because their purpose wasn’t clear. The alien in Alien taught me about this—that animal, for all its disgusting attributes, just wanted to survive. It did what it was always meant to do. The unfortunate souls on the Nostromo happened to be in the way.

Villains Are Mean—Like Really Mean

OK so this is tougher than it sounds. Sure all villains are mean but Cruella DeVille told us that we have to take things up a notch to be memorable. You don’t remember the two guys in the movie with her, do you? But you remember that this chick wanted to kill puppies to turn them into high fashion. Think about the Evil Queen from Snow White: “I should kill my stepdaughter because she’s prettier than me”? There is a line villains must cross to be ranked in the pantheon of the greats—the truly memorable ones dance across that line and leave it in the dust.

Villains Have Focus

A villain without clear focus on that singular purpose we talked about above gets lost in the shuffle. Look at Voldemort. This cat murdered a bunch of people so he could split his soul, store it in seven horcruxes, all so he could live forever. And he figured this out in high school. At his age I was trying to figure out how to ditch English. And even in his “death” people were too scared to say his name. Focus, man, focus.

Villains Take Matters Into their Own Hands

Darth Vader taught me this lesson.  My man was first in the room ALWAYS, killed his homeboy with the lightsaber, tried to kill his own kid—three times, took two shots from Han Solo, and had the best battlefield promotion plan in history. You can’t say he was ever afraid to get his hands dirty. The villain that delegates is a villain we forget.

Villains Commit

You can’t buy a villain whose not committed to their cause hook, line and sinker. Once they start, there is no going back. The ghosts in Poltergeist took Carol Ann, tried to eat the boy, and eventually ate the entire house. Khan sacrificed his entire crew and himself for revenge in Star Trek II. The Coyote routinely risks life and limb trying to catch the Roadrunner. If your villain isn’t committed, there isn’t much conflict and the hero is never really in danger. That equals BORING!

Villains Have A Real Rationale For Their Actions

We don’t have to agree but the villains whose plans make sense tend to stick with us. If we can understand why they might want to do something, we automatically sympathize, even if we detest their methods. Magneto is a fantastic example of this: he’s trying to avoid a holocaust against mutants. That’s a noble, even virtuous sentiment. His methods, though, well, they leave a lot to be desired.

Villains Make It Personal

The best villains have a personal connection to the hero. Darth Vader was Luke’s dad. Clubber Lang killed Rocky’s father-figure manager. Voldemort handled Harry’s parents. Scar killed his brother and traumatized his nephew—on the same day. Villains who make it personal for the hero are the villains we can never let go. They, in essence, make it personal with us.

Think about the villains that have stuck with you—do you agree? Disagree? And join the conversation over at christophercstarr.net.

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About the Author: Christopher C. Starr is the founder of Sanford House Press, an indie publishing house. The Road to Hell is his first novel and the launch of the HEAVEN FALLS series. Chris lives in the Seattle area with his wife, two kids and his huskies, Rocky the Wonder Dog and his colorful sidekick, Leylah Redd. Check him out on the web at christophercstarr.net

Want to know more? Check out the links! 

Blog: http://www.christophercstarr.net

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/christophercstarr

Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/christophercstarr

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/SuperStarr73

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Emily Read…City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

 Emily is our Goodreads pal and all-round lovely lady! 🙂 And, as you’ll know from our side-bar, her blog Confessions of a Bookaholic is one of our favourites. Throughout August and September, we will be featuring some of her book reviews on Aside from Writing so you can get to know her too!

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Cover Rating: 3/5 Stars
Overall Rating: 5/5 Stars


Synopsis: The Mortal War is over, and sixteen-year-old Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She’s training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And – most importantly of all – she can finally call Jace her boyfriend. But nothing comes without a price. Someone is murdering Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine’s Circle, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second bloody war.When Jace begins to pull away from Clary without explaining why, she is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: She herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace.
Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. The stakes are higher than ever…

Alright I think I can safely say that Cassandra Clare is one of the most amazing authors ever to have walked this Earth – and no I’m not exaggerating. Every one of her books is sheer perfection. Okay I didn’t love the last one all that much but I think that has more to do with the fact I was in a slump than anything else. My only problem is with the synopsis “the stakes are higher than ever”, the saying is so overused. Someone has to be original one day and just say “the stakes are as high as they’re going to get” or “the stakes are as high as in the previous book”. I suppose they’re not as catchy. City Of Fallen Angels I think was so much better than City Of Glass. It is set after the events of the war and everything is slowly going back to normalcy. Until a chain of murders begin to arouse suspicion and Jace begins to separate himself from Clary for no reason. Simon is also having problems of his own, I mean having two girlfriends can be SO annoying sometimes.

Clary isn’t a particularly exciting character but I don’t hate her. She’s normal, which I like even if she can be irritating at times. Jace, I do love him but his self-loathing complex is getting on my nerves. He doesn’t believe he deserves anything including Clary even when he can be with her. I liked Jace originally because he was funny and totally arrogant but he seems to have lost it. I started off hating Simon. He seeing two girls at the same time! But later he did grow on me and about time too! I loved Alec and Magnus as normal though they weren’t in the book all that much. Alec showed his jealous side too which seemed strangely sweet to me. I was very disappointed we didn’t see much of those two; I just love them both.

Overall Cassandra Clare hasn’t tarnished her flawless reputation with this book. It was fast paced and left me yearning for the next book. As always I recommend this book for everyone who has the ability to read. You’d be mad not to try it. The City Of Bones movie is coming out soon so I hope more people will read these books in anticipation for it. I am excited for it but I think they’ve made some questionable casting choices. My hope is that they will grow on me during the film but at the present time I’m not really glad about any of them.

My Favorite Quotes:
“You’re just worried they’ll hire a male instructor and he’ll be hotter than you.”Jace’s eyebrows went up. 
“Hotter than me?”
“It could happen,” Clary said, “You know, theoretically.”
“Theoretically the planet could suddenly crack in half, leaving me on one side and you on the other, forever and tragically parted, but I’m not worried about that either. Some things,” Jace said, with his customary crooked smile, “are just too unlikely to dwell upon.”

“So what was that all about?”
“I think,” Jace said, “that she asked if she could touch my mango.”
“She said that?”
Jace shrugged. “Yeah, then she gave me her number.”

“Hey,” said Jace. who was sitting on an overturned speaker, looking at his cellphone, “do you want to see a photo of Alec and Magnus in Berlin?”
“Not really,” said Simon.
“Magnus is wearing lederhosen.”
“And yet, still no.”

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

Read Emily’s interview with us here!

Goodread Group: Books, Blogs, Authors and More

 http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/62777.Books_Blogs_Authors_and_More

My blog: http://emily-confessionsofabookaholic.blogspot.com/

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Guest Post…What, Exactly, is a Dystopian Book?

It has come to my attention, during my various adventures in writer and reader forums around the Internet, that lots people — even some authors — don’t actually know what a dystopian society is. It’s not really a big deal…until you start incorrectly marketing your work as something it’s not. It’s true that a lot of readers might not know the difference, but plenty of them will. The readers aren’t the ones who are going to look bad for not understanding the genre…you are. It’s time to find out just exactly what makes a dystopian book dystopian. Don’t assume you already know; you might be one of the people who made me sigh recently with a forum post.

Dystopian Society

 If you want to get technical about it, calling something “dystopian” isn’t altogether accurate anyway. More properly it ought to be referred to as a dystopian society, and that’s the first piece of really important information you need to know. Dystopian books and stories of all kinds are deeply rooted in the society itself; often, authors will present the readers with a world view of this society through the eyes of a main protagonist.
 What’s characteristic of a dystopian society? For starters, the people who live within it are being oppressed and usually wholly controlled by some sort of all-powerful government or collective. Control is the most important word here, and one of the defining characteristics of a dystopian society. In many cases, there are at least two distinct classes present in such stories: the people who are being controlled, and those who are doing the controlling. This type of society is also called anti-utopian, and the word itself is derived from the Greek word for “bad.”



Dystopian vs. Post-Apocalyptic Societies

It seems to me, after wading through all the confused readers and writers on the forums (which shall not be named), that the big stumbling block in all this is post-apocalyptic societies. People who don’t fully understand the idea of a dystopian society seem to think that dystopian societies are identical to post-apocalyptic societies, that in fact the two go hand-in-hand. This is patently incorrect.
A post-apocalyptic society isn’t necessarily dystopian. In this type of society, some horrible event has occurred which has fundamentally changed the world on a global scale. Nuclear war, catastrophic weather events, alien invasion — take your pick. Often, a new society rises in this new world in place of the old society…but there’s no reason to presuppose that this new society is dystopian simply because the Apocalypse has occurred.

The Necessary Separation

I’m going to go ahead and blame lots of the current confusion on The Hunger Games, though let me add that I have nothing against Suzanne Collins or her work or her fans or anything else that has to do with her books. In The Hunger Games, a society which is both dystopian and post-apocalyptic is the setting for the events which take place. However, readers and writers should not take this to mean that all post-apocalyptic societies are dystopian, or vice versa.
I recently saw a list of “favorite dystopian movies” which included such films as Waterworld. This is not a correct classification of this film, based on my somewhat hazy memory and cursory research. As I understand it, the “bad guys” in this film are pirates…and not government officials. People are not being controlled. They’re just trying to figure out life on the water. Also on the list: The Postman, The Book of Eli and Repo! The Genetic Opera. Two of these films are post-apocalyptic, and there is little to no mention of the government in them. One of these films is dystopian, but not post-apocalyptic.
Your Role as an Author
What do you look for if you want to know the difference? Control.Catastrophe marks post-apocalyptic stories; control marks dystopian stories. Knowing the difference is important if you’re going to write a story that’s one, the other, or both. If I go shopping for some all-hell-has-broken-loose post-apocalyptic fare and find a bunch of dystopian stories instead, I’m not just going to hate you as the writer who got it wrong.
I might hate all indies, because I might think that none of them have any idea what they’re talking about. So don’t be that guy. Know your business, know your genre, know your categories. Know what the heck you’re writing, and how to identify it. If you don’t identify it properly, you’re not going to like the way you get identified as an author hack. Never forget that the title author is absolutely necessary for the word authoritative. That is not a mistake.

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This post originally featured on Jade Varden’s author blog on 4th June 2012.

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Author Jade Varden is a regular guest contributor on Aside From Writing. The Writing 101 features originate from her own blog  at http://jadevarden.blogspot.co.uk where you can see more of her thoughts on writing, as well as her own books. Her debut novel Justice and sequel The Tower are both available now! Read our review of Justice here.

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Guest Post…by Ian Truman

A Teenage Suicide: How I Jumped From Crime to Young Adult

Ian Truman, Montreal, June 6, 2012

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Tales of Lust, Hate and Despair by Ian Truman

I guess that in a sense, I didn’t really jump from “Crime” to “Young Adult”. Or at least the jump didn’t seem to be that far. I believe it is because I apply a few writing techniques regardless of what project I am working on. It allows me to write in a variety of styles while maintaining my own voice regardless of what I write. I have always been a fan of realism. Some of my major influences include Hemingway, Mordecai Richler and Dennis Lehane. I always try to depict life as I see it in a certain context and I try to avoid filtering it through my own judgements. That is basis of my approach to writing.

My very first novel was titled “The Factory line” and it was quite simply, a day in the life of a factory worker. Although I enjoyed writing it (and it was mostly therapeutic, I have to admit) I did not enjoy so much the years I spend on assembly lines. (But that is in the past, I have since then managed to get back into college and get out of the factories, for now at least.) That novel was HORRIBLE to write. I had no knowledge of techniques or structure. I had no work ethic which I have since developed. The novel was really more of a gathering of small, realistic snapshots about life in a factory. After writing and re-writing it several times, I considered it a failure before sitting down and trying to organize my writing. That is the moment I began to develop skills that would greatly improve my productivity as a writer: I needed a plan, a structure. Now, I know a lot of writers I’ve met over the years believe that a plan is something too restrictive to their creativity. On the contrary, I believe that your plan has to be creative as well. Take my first novel, The Factory Line. I wanted to depict life in a Canadian factory. So my plan was simply to follow this one fella through a single day in his life. So I made it a Friday night and I managed to adapt each snapshot I had into a storyline that made sense. That was the only way The Factory Line could exist and I used this kind of creative planning in order to get it done.

Still, I believe my first novel has a lot of problems, flaws and such. I wanted my second novel to be more structured. I also wanted to bash in the door of the largest market out there: Mystery novels. I figured I had nothing to lose and “if you’re going to try, go all the way.” That’s what Bukowski said anyways. I came up with a title pretty early as well: “Tales of lust, Hate and Despair.” I made a three page outline only with plot points, actions and twists. I’d say I planned 70% of the novel before writing a single line, allowing myself to have that “30%” room for creative inputs I might come up with during the bulk of the writing process. I wrote most of it during my studies in Creative Writing at Concordia University and I have to admit that I am pretty damn proud of the novel. The thing is, it was not a “formula” novel. It was not a series either. I do not write like a 24 episode or an “Alex Cross” series. When I think about it, my crime novel is still very much realistic and (I hope) perfectly believable in terms of place and violence. I used real names of streets, neighbourhoods and places in Montreal. I always do a little bit of research to make sure the types of cars I put in or the songs I mention do fit the “era” of the novel (in this case, most of the story took place in the 90’s). I have nothing against writers who like hyperboles or fantastic storylines; it is simply not my thing.

That was my second novel. I am now working on my third and I guess I was as surprised as the next guy that I ended up writing a YA novel. Now, YA is just as wide a category as anything else in the publishing world, but “A Teenage Suicide” is still very much a young adult title. As I come from the Province of Quebec, teenage suicide (and suicide in general) is an everyday reality as we have one of (or THE) highest suicide rate in the world. Having struggled with this issue myself as a teenager and a young adult, I felt compelled to address the issue. I also wanted to do it without being moralistic or wanting so save the world. Somebody else will save the world, I, for now, am just trying to write good novels. So I went to work on my third title and again, I stayed true to my style and I had developed a work ethic that had been good to me. I wanted to depict the life of young men and women as realistically as possible without judgment or restrain. I also planned out 70% of the novel ahead of time and I am surprising myself every time I sit down to write that the novel might actually grow beyond my planned “30%” room. The original structured actually allows me to expand the story without getting lost in loose strands. I know it sounds weird, or no so much if you are a writer as well, but I feel there comes this point in a story where the characters you have created react on their own terms and I often find myself surprised about the answers that I let them give me. I guess this is my approach to dialogue: keep it as realistic as possible and let your characters say everything they actually want to say. I don’t want my characters to stop talking to one another. This was true in “The Factory Line”, it was true in “Tales of lust, Hate and Despair” and it is becoming increasingly true as the pages to “A Teenage Suicide” stack up on my virtual desk.

One more thing that made this transition from crime to YA no so dire is my “writing playlist”. I am a huge music fan, and of a variety of styles and eras so vast you’d be surprised. I was a signer in a hard-core band before I began writing novels and I will always look to music for inspiration. This is why, when I come up with a new idea or a project, I try to figure out a musical mood for the project and I make myself a playlist. When I wrote The Factory Line, I was working in a factory, so the playlist kinda made itself up: whatever was on the radio. But I did look into more songs and albums from what the blue collars hear all day (the radio really fucking sucks, let me tell you that). And so I ended up with a weird mix of country, gansta rap, metal, classic rock and etc… My playlist for that project included David Allan Coe, Wu-Tang Clan, Tupac, Social Distortion, Motorhead, Guns n’ Roses, Danzig… Anything a proletarian may listen too, I listened to it too (and hell, I like the stuff as well.) My playlist for Tales of Lust, Hate and Despair was darker and grittier. It was more like Neurosis, Marilyn Manson, Sage Francis, Tom Waits, Onyx, Nirvana etc… I wanted the whole of the urban-poverty experience. (And let’s admit, I experienced it myself) so that kind of music felt right for the project. My YA novel, despite being titled “A Teenage Suicide” has more of a hopelessly romantic feel to it. I listen to a lot of softer music like Sigur Ros or Mogwai. I also have chapters that need something a bit more rough, but I find myself listening to “positive hard-core” like Rise Against, Have Heart, Champion etc… This is because I don’t want A Teenage Suicide to be melodramatic or preachy. I just want to write the story of teenagers and young adults who are growing up in a world that is not giving them a place. I wanted to address issues that I was facing myself not so long ago (I am 29 years old now). I know that how I felt only a decade ago or so, is still how a lot of young people feel today and I wanted to give them a story they could relate too. A Teenage Suicide is very much a “coming of age” story, but sometimes, coming of age hits a concrete wall.

Take care of each other out there.

Ian Truman

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

I would like to thank Aside from Writing for letting me use a bit of their space. I hope you enjoyed my 2 cents, feel free to contact me if you have any praises, insults or death threats. Contact me *I do my own follow-ups on social networks; it does take a bit of time, thank you for your patience.

Iantruman@hotmail.ca

http://www.facebook.com/iantruman1982

www.iantruman.wordpress.com

http://www.amazon.com/The-Factory-Line-ebook/dp/B006X7SB64

http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7828073-ian-truman

Twitter: @IanTruman

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Emily Read…The Fairytale Keeper by Andrea Cefalo

 Emily is our Goodreads pal and all-round lovely lady! 🙂 And, as you’ll know from our side-bar, her blog Confessions of a Bookaholic is one of our favourites. Throughout August and September, we will be featuring some of her book reviews on Aside from Writing so you can get to know her too!

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Cover Rating: 3.5/5   Overall Rating: 3.5/5

Synopsis: Snow White was a pet name her mother had given her, but her mother’s dead now. Adelaide hates that name anyway. A rampant fever claimed Adelaide’s mother just like a thousand others in Cologne where the people die without Last Rites and the dead are dumped in a large pit outside of the city walls. Adelaide’s father is determined to obtain a funeral for his wife, but that requires bribing the parish priest, Father Soren. When Soren commits an unforgivable atrocity, he pushes Adelaide to her breaking point, but if she seeks justice against the cruel priest, she risks sacrificing everything: her father, her friends, her first love, and maybe even her life.

I was kindly sent a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. To be fair I was slightly hesitant about starting this book because I’ve never read a fairy tale retelling before but I was pleasantly surprised. The book centers on Adelaide aka Snow White after her mothers death. She is refused a funeral for her mother and after that they begin to see all of the flaws that the church has. And there are many. Back when this is set the church was a big part of life so you can see how this would be a problem. Throughout the book there was sections from well know fairy tales and then the chapter afterwards would have some kind of connection to that story. This aspect I found especially interesting. The writing in this book was old fashioned but it was meant to be so it suited perfectly.

The main character Adelaide, I found to be quite annoying at times but in no way as annoying as a lot of other heroines. She won’t be on my top ten anytime soon. I did like some things about her though. She was brave and didn’t need a guy there to hold her hand all the time. I loved her best friend Ivo. He was really sweet! I loved how Adelaide and him made such a great team and he tried to look after her. One person I didn’t like was her father. He just seemed to hopeless to me.

I really did enjoy this book even though apart from her appearance I don’t know what the connection to Snow White was. Maybe we will find out in later books. As a whole this book was a good, quick read that I finished in one sitting. I would recommend this book to fairytale and historical fiction lovers. I would give this book 3.5/5 Stars and look forward to the second one in the series. Thanks to the author for letting me read it before it’s release.

My Favorite Quote
“Snow White is a name I do not enjoy.  It is a term of endearment from my mother, but a phrase of torment used by the artisan and merchant children who mock me for my fair skin and black hair.  I would never tell mother for it would hurt her to know, and while I have no love for the name, Snow White, I do have love for the way she speaks it.”

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

Read Emily’s interview with us here!

Goodread Group: Books, Blogs, Authors and More

 http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/62777.Books_Blogs_Authors_and_More

My blog: http://emily-confessionsofabookaholic.blogspot.com/

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Writing 101…Pricing Your Books

You were careful to choose great words for your book. You sweated it out through the editing process. You went through the formatting line by line to make certain every page is perfect. If you don’t price your books the right way, you’re going to watch that hard work go to waste. If you want readers, you’ve got to take a hard look at your book pricing.

How Much is Your Writing Worth?

A lot of factors are at play when writers are pricing their books. For any given book, whether it’s a short story of a full-length novel, every page represents hours of work in formatting, writing, editing and reading. If authors charged by the hour, every book would cost hundred of dollars.

But that’s not really feasible for the readers, is it? As a writer, you’re expected to love your book. You’ve poured soul into it; sweat, blood, tears, heartache. And, if you’re like many writers, you probably want to do nothing but write full-time. It’s easy to get lost in the math. Charge five bucks, sell a million copies — just imagine those numbers for a little while. Your book is a huge piece of your life, your heart and your skill. And you’ve got to forget all that. The price of your book isn’t a reflection of your skill or how much you put into your work. It’s a reflection of the market.

So the first thing you have to do when pricing your book is cut any and all attachment you have to it. Forget about the fact that you’re an author, that this single book represents all your hopes and dreams and everything you’ve worked toward for years. None of that matters, and honestly your readers don’t really care. They’re looking for a story, and it shouldn’t be one about the book that costs way too much. How much is your writing worth? Much more to you than to anybody else. Keep that in mind when you go to set a price, because now is not the time for sentiment.

The Book Market

You don’t determine the price of your book — the market does. Once upon a time, every book was hand-bound and printed on vellum. Making a single page was a big process, and books were costly. Today, they’re churned out every single day by automated machines on huge reams of paper that cost less than a penny a page. They are everywhere, and that’s just the printed books. The ebook market is getting bigger every day, and in the time you’ve been reading this post more ebooks have been published. You can’t navigate online without bumping into seventeen of them on your way to your favorite sites.

So if the first rule is to forget about the feelings you have for your book, the second is remind yourself that you are not alone. Yes, your book is probably special — let the content reflect that, not the price. There are way too many other books out there, and yours has got to be competitive.

You should know, by now, in which genre your book belongs. Before you set a price and publish your book, take the time to look around the virtual bookstores. Find bestsellers in your genre, and look for other indies in your genre, and find out what they’re charging. You cannot charge as much for your self-published book as the traditionally published books. Your work is probably just as good, but you don’t have the same name recognition or cachet as those big publishing houses and their authors. Know your market. When you self-publish, you need to take your pricing cues from the other indies — not just the other authors.

99 Cents

A great many indie books (mine included) cost 99 cents. This is a very common price in the ebook market, and you’re likely to find that many indies in your genre charge this amount for their work. It’s always good to stay competitive in your own market, and you don’t want to stand out by charging too much for your book (because readers have so many much cheaper choices), but you also have to be aware of the 99 cent stigma.

Self-publishing in general has a bit of a bad reputation among some readers, for good reason. I have found many indie books that are poorly edited, terribly formatted and otherwise riddled with errors — but I have also found some truly great indie books I’d be happy to read again. But because of all the bad apples in the bunch, many readers have been burned by indies. Some avoid self-published books altogether as a result, but others try to avoid the bad by avoiding 99 cent books. There are even self-published authors who turn their noses up at 99 cent books. To some, they are thought of as cheap and not worth reading. If it was any good, the author would charge more, right?

On the other hand, if you charge too much for your work and go above what others in your genre and in your position are charging, you will probably get fewer book sales. Pricing your books is a monumental task, and it’s not as easy as arbitrarily picking a number. Once you’ve taken the market into account, let that determine how to price your books and forget the rest. You can overcome the 99 cent stigma and other small pricing problems that may arise by getting good, and genuine, reviews of your work (just make sure your work is well-written, so that you can get some good reviews).

Readers will be more willing to look beyond their own preconceived notions and buy a book they might think is too cheap, but it’s much, much harder to convince them to buy a book that’s too expensive. If you’re going to err, do it on the side of affordability.

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This post originally featured on Jade Varden’s author blog on 18th May 2012.

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Author Jade Varden is a regular guest contributor on Aside From Writing. The Writing 101 features originate from her own blog  at http://jadevarden.blogspot.co.uk where you can see more of her thoughts on writing, as well as her own books. Her first two books in the Deck of Lies series are out now! Read our review of Justice here.

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Indie Author Spotlight…Katie Hughart

Indie Authors Spotlight is a weekly meme that will be held on every SATURDAY in the month. It is hosted by Beckie @Bittersweet Enchantment & CYP @A Bookalicious Story.
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This week’s spotlighted author is Katie Hughart aka Kate Rice…
About the Author – Wife, mother, and writer, Katie Hughart (aka Kate Rice) is pursuing her dream with the support of her family, friends and readers. Growing up in Toledo, Ohio Kate has always pushed the boundaries of normal. Now embracing that creative energy she is launching it into her books, one word at a time.

Kate has been married for nine years to Tommy Hughart Jr. who is a devoted football fanatic, but she loves him anyways. She has an amazing little boy who’s rambunctious and bright with a promising future ahead of him. “He is the breath God has given me,” Katie says.
With many more book ideas burning under the surface, Katie is excited to share this chapter of her life with you, and hopes that you will read, love and read again.
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Quick Author Q&A 
1. If you could be a superhero and have any superpower, what would you choose?
 I have thought about this a lot; in fact, I’ve probably thought about this more than most normal people, but I’d have to say that my super power would be the ability to tell the future. Sometimes I have weird dreams that come true, so the way I figure it, I’m already half way there! I also have a tendency to write more towards the paranormal genre. Even though my book, Panic, is a mainstream novel, my new projects are Fantasy and Sci-fi driven.
2. Any other books in the works for 2012? Other goals for future projects? 
I currently have three books out right now. One book I did with two other talented writers, the book is a YA Suspense Novelette titled, Midnight Masquerade. I have Panic, which is a full-legnth, suspense/romance, and a book of poetry titled Words in Black and White: a book of poems, but I have so many new projects brewing, it’s crazy!
The first one I’m working on is a YA fantasy titled, Wolf’s Run. Wolf’s Run is going to be the first of three books that will be part of, The Wilderness Series. This project has been so much fun! It has wolf spirits from other realms, fairies, curses, and a counsel that keeps their thumb on the happenings of the Wilderness. This book has been the most gratifying and yet the most challenging! I’m expecting to release it in early 2013. 

I am also working on a YA Sci-fi titled Club X! The main character is a headstrong girl who falls for a dark and mysterious guy named X, it just so happens that dark and mysterious doesn’t begin to cover him, since he doesn’t come from this planet. Club X is also coming out in 2013, but probably later in the year. I also have my hands full with some romance novella’s that I plan to release this year, and sequels that I plan to release in 2013/2014, so as you can see I’ve been keeping myself pretty busy! You can find all of my published books and reviews if you type my name (Katie Hughart) into the amazon store! 🙂

3.  If you could jump into the pages of any book and live in that world…which would it be?
The great thing is I don’t have to pick just one, I do it everyday! I’m in the stories I write 100 percent. I’ve been to different dimensions, and fell in love, had my heart broken, and been to new places and planets time and time again!
4. If you could be one of the Greek Gods, which would it be and why?
I am currently working on a romance novella staring Zeus, so with that in mind I wouldn’t be one of them. Fictionally speaking, I would choose to be their item of affection. I think that’s a much better gig!
5. How did you know you should (or wanted to) become an author?
I didn’t have great grades in school, some years were better than others, but I always did well in English, so naturally I went into Accounting. *slams on break, screeching tires* That’s right I started in accounting, and it was only years later, after my father died, that I had a story that wouldn’t go away. It was stuck in my head like chewed bubble gum stuck to the bottom of your Nike’s on 100 degree day, and it stayed that way for six months. I started writing the story in a notebook and decided that it was a good way to handle the trama I felt from my dad’s passing, but then like I’m sure a lot of other writers can attest to, the story didn’t simply trickle off. It grew into a 400 page novel that today is known as Panic. It didn’t stop there either, new idea’s sprung to life and now I’m sitting on about 30 stories all pulling and tugging for my attention like small children. Go figure! What a way to find out you’re a writer!
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Midnight Masquerade 
Laurel Adams was a normal teenager with dreams, aspirations and a bright future ahead of her…until the night her parents were brutally murdered. And she saw it all. With no promising leads, the killer is still out there, lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike again. Now Laurel’s life has been turned upside down. Haunted by reoccurring nightmares and forced to live in a cramped apartment with her screwed up sister and her sister’s two kids, depression is her constant companion. That is, until the boy she’s been pining after all year finally notices her. Suddenly Laurel’s future is looking brighter than ever, everything she could have hoped for is coming true. She has the attention of the hottest guy in school, a date to Prom, and the only thing standing in the way of her happiness is his girlfriend, Amanda Price, the queen of her daddy’s checkbook…and Laurel’s mortal enemy. Worse yet, the mysterious killer seems to have turned up again. And his sights are set on Laurel.
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Want to know more? Check out the links!
Avaliable on Kindle: by typing in keyword Katie Hughart into your Kindle store or at amazon.com  http://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Masquerade-ebook/dp/B005OA2E28/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1338517749&sr=8-4