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The nice people at the Indie List interviewed me for the sheer fun of things. Check it out here.
I always try to do interviews when I can. It not only gives me exposure, but I love answering questions that are a little, well, out there. If you have a website that you would like to interview me for, please feel free to contact me at [email protected]
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I have, on occasion, had people ask me why my blog doesn't get updated very often. I have also been told that if I ever want to "make it," I need to spend more time making myself available, doing guest blogs, interviews, etc.
Well, I've got a little problem. I chose to graduate from college and get a job as a teacher. What this means for me (and you) is that I have a priority to someone else right now (about 120 someones, actually), and telling me I can't "make it" because I am doing something else that I find important doesn't do me a lick of good. Sure, I could try stay up late, rush through school, and ignore parent phone calls. The truth of the matter is that I write, try and do it well, and hope my work speaks for itself. Sure, if I was making a living off of my books, I may reconsider careers, and devote my whole life to sitting in my office and hammering out tales of horror and adventure. Until that time, I have to rely on my readers. I host giveaways, hoping to draw people in, I have done interviews. Frankly, until summer comes, I don't have time to write, really, so patting myself on the back for the internet is really far down my list of priorities. Allow me to make my point in a nutshell. If you, a reader, find yourself really enjoying an author's work, you have to tell people. Review it on Amazon, talk about it on Goodreads, or just go to work/school and talk about it with friends. That is the true support an author needs, particularly us Indies who do not have the cash flow to afford any true advertising. Now if you'll excuse me, I have papers to grade.  Now that the paperback edition is out, I am hosting a free giveaway on Goodreads for autographed copies of TLOK: Pursuit. For those of you who would like to score a free copy of Inheritance, please go to https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/98558 and enter coupon code XS68Z for a free copy of book one. Get into the adventure!
 By the time you read this, The Legend of Kimberly should be live on amazon and is definitely live on Smashwords. In the next few weeks, it should trickle out through other eRetailers, so keep your eyes out. With any luck, the paperback will be available on Amazon by the end of the month, so keep your eyes peeled.
This second novel is particularly exciting for me for a number of reasons. First off, I only have to write one more to make it a trilogy, and that is SO Hollywood these days. I can start wearing sunglasses inside and everything. Of course, none of it matters without YOU the reader, so please tell all your friends. Oh, and what is it about? Well, in this book, Kimberly has to save her friend from a group of religious zealots bent on purifying Serra, a half-demon. Unfortunately, the fastest way to save her involves airship, magic, and a few bad twists of fate. Oh, and is that a dragon on the cover? Yes. Yes it is.  Nintendo Power, 4th issue, Jan/Feb of 89. I've had a lot of time to think, lately. Don't assume this means I sit around doing nothing; instead, realize that this usually means I am doing something which doesn't occupy my brain enough.
For lovers of fantasy, sci-fi, horror, whatever, there is usually some initial spark that ignites your imagination, leading you deeper down the rabbit hole. As a child, I grew up on He-man and Thundercats. Sure, I thought GI-Joe was neat, but those toys didn't compare to the Sword of Omens, or the Thundertank. I like to think that this was my first exposure to fantasy worlds that ignited a passion in me. I even dressed as Lion-O for halloween when I was six (or seven-my youth is kind of a blur). However, it occurred to me today that there is a more profound moment in my life that led me to my current love of fantastical adventure. I played games as a child, spending hours on (and hours grounded from) the NES. Sure, I knew that each game had its goal, some form of victory that told me I had accomplished the task at hand. However, I believe that the cover of Nintendo Power's fourth issue was my fantasy breaking point. Looking at the cover, you can see Link staring at the Princess Zelda, asleep in her bed. Now, I had seen Sleeping Beauty, so I immediately assumed he was there to kiss her and break the spell. However, the glowing sword in hand gave me pause. Why would he have it out? Was he there to kill her? Excited by the possibilities, I opened the issue and read about the upcoming game, Legend of Zelda, The Adventure of Link. Now, let me describe this scenario to you. I read all about how the evil wizard Ganon had put Zelda under a spell, and was threatening the safety of Hyrule. It was up to Link to defeat him and bring peace to the land. I had played the original Legend of Zelda, not even considering that those little pixelated people had some sort of a story. No longer was I simply slaying monsters, I was slaying them for a reason. I spent hours considering this cover. Of course, I had to wait to get the game, knowing that if I couldn't beat it, Zelda would remain asleep forever, her hero having failed her. I begged for it, and eventually got it some time later. When I died in the game, I would stare at this picture, hoping that Zelda would know I would try again tomorrow. For Halloween, I wanted to be Link. I remember begging my mother to make the costume for me, balking when she made me wear tights instead of actual chain-mail leggings (which I assumed were readily available for purchase almost anywhere). The kids at school teased me about wearing tights on Halloween; nobody even knew who Link was (I was in second grade). I had a sword, I had a shield, and I wore the green tunic. I remember how powerful I felt. I was a hero. I wore that tunic constantly until I outgrew it, playing games of fantasy with my younger brother where we always saved the princess in the end. Now, these years later, I can still remember that feeling of excitement, booting up the game and watching Link stroll away from Zelda, asleep on her dais. It is the same excitement I felt when the Ohmsfords left Shady Vale in the Sword of Shannara (fun fact: after reading the Druid of Shannara, I dressed as Par Ohmsford, complete with the Sword and Elfstones of Shannara). It is that same excitement I try and capture every time I write, that sense of wonder for what is going to come next. I hope that someday, the stories of Kimberly will inspire somebody the same way this gaming cover inspired me. As for Zelda? I never did beat the game; upon reaching the final boss (and never beating him for months), my younger brother dropped the cartridge and it never loaded. You better believe that Ganon took a pounding in A Link to the Past for the SNES, I was hungry for justice. What's new on my side of the pond? Well, to begin with, I don't live by a pond.
Had a pro take a crack at beautifying the current cover of Inheritance. It looks SOOO much better, I almost cried. More on that when I get a chance. Sure, I don't blog as often as I should. Between work and my current book, time has been sparse. Oh, yeah, my current book. Tentatively titled Pursuit, it is the sequel to Inheritance. Kimberly is on a quest to rescue her friends, when she meets a few new allies and villains along the way. I'm trying to spend a little more time building Auviarra in this one, so hopefully it won't disappoint. Expect some cameos from fantasy favorites, such as pirates, an evil wizard, and maybe even a couple of gods. Kimberly is about to step in it big, so stay tuned. The march give-away on Goodreads went splendidly. I hooked five happy people up with book copies, and hopefully they are still happy. Always hoping for feedback regardless, otherwise I shall remain a whisper on the wind. Ok, have been away for a bit. The short version is that I finished my last semester of school and am now a full fledged physics nerd. Writing took a back burner, but that's life.
Check out my interview on http://tiffanysuelovering.blogspot.com. I answer all of life's great mysteries (plus or minus a few). Also, Legend of Kimberly is live on all the major retailers, get your ebook today! |
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