Ask the Authors

By Kaye Lynne Booth, Dan Alatorre, Chris Barili and 14 more

Seventeen Authors Share Advice for Crafting, Publishing and Promoting Your Writing 

 

Ask the Authors is the ultimate writer's reference, with tips and advice on craft, publishing and marketing. Seventeen authors share what works for them and offer their keys to success in traditional publishing, hybrid, and indie. You'll learn industry wisdom from Lilly Rayman, Mark & Kym Todd, RA Winter, Tim Baker, Margareth Stewart, Tom Johnson, Janet Garber, Arthur Rosch, Ashley Fontainne, Chris Barili, Carol Riggs, Amy Cecil, Cyn Vespia, Chris DiBella, Jordan Elizabeth, Dan Alatorre and Kaye Lynne Booth.

 

Writing tips and advice from authors on all phases of the author's journey, sharing what works and what doesn't for each of them. Take a peek inside and find out what works for you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WordCrafter Press
• Release date: Apr 27, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393128380

Kaye Lynne Booth

For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye is a multi-genre author and freelance writer with published work both online and in print. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting. It is a very strange time indeed when Kaye does not have at least three WIPs going in addition to her writing for hire and other life activities. Kaye also maintains a writing blog, “Writing to be Read,” where she publishes things of interest in the literary and screenwriting worlds.

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The following interview responses contain American and British spellings, in accordance with individual author’s country of origin.

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Introduction

By Kaye Lynne Booth

In his book, Strategic Planning for Writers: 4 Easy Steps to Success, C.S. Lakin says, Finding and connecting with other writers who have successfully navigated the rough waters of a writing career can be a great source of help and information for your strategic plan. He was talking in general terms about setting goals and then executing it, of course, but we can learn from our fellow authors in all stages of the writer’s adventure including craft, publishing and promotion.

That’s the reason that I created the blog series Ask the Authors for my authors’ blog, Writing to be Read. In 2018, I ran two rounds of Q&A, in which I questioned sixteen different authors, in various stages of the author’s journey, on many aspects of the craft of writing, as well as their publication and promotional experiences. They always had some great answers for me and offered up some helpful tips and advice in the bargain. Each round ran for twelve weeks, with a different topic every week. Some authors from Round 1 weren’t able to participate in Round 2, but several were kind enough to donate their time once more for a second go at it, but I coaxed a few new ones to donate their efforts to round things out. A couple of those authors declined from inclusion of this compilation of those Q&A sessions, but most of them happily agreed, and so, we have this wonderful treasure trove of writing tips and advice based on the experiences of authors who have been there.

I think there are some helpful morsels included here for every writer out there, and I love to hear from readers. If you’re so inclined when you’ve finished reading, drop me a note and let me know what your most valuable take-away is. ([e-mail])

Meet the Authors

Before I take writing advice from anyone, I want to know who they are and what their background is. Knowing that an author has already gone through a similar adventure as the one I’ve embarked upon instills confidence, because they’ve already done it, and they know. They know things that I haven’t learned yet, so I can benefit from their experience and expertise, and you can too. Let me introduce you now to the authors who will be offering their advice in this book, so that you can read with confidence and know that they each speak from experience as their share their writing expertise.

Since I am your moderator, I suppose it is only fitting that I start by introducing myself. After all, who’s running this show anyway? My name is Kaye Lynne Booth and I’m a published author, in multiple genres, both independent and small press. I hold an M.F.A. in Creative Writing and I’m working on a B.A. in Digital Marketing, because I found that marketing and promotion are needed skills in my own author’s journey. As I mentioned, I run an authors’ blog, Writing to be Read, and I recently launched WordCrafter Press and WordCrafter Quality Writer & Author Services because I believe in helping one another along the way.

Writing to be Read

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Goodreads Author page

Now that you know who I am, let me introduce you to the 17 wonderful authors who have so graciously agreed to be a part of this Q & A project.

Dan Alatorre is a well-versed international bestselling author with a sense of humor, who joined us in round 2 of Ask the Authors. He has published more than 22 titles in over a dozen languages. You’ll find action-adventure in the sci-fi thriller The Navigators, a gripping paranormal roller coaster ride in An Angel On Her Shoulder, heartwarming and humorous anecdotes about parenting in the popular Savvy Stories series, an atypical romance story in Poggibonsi, and terrific comedy in Night Of The Colonoscopy: A Horror Story (Sort Of). His latest works are part of a medical thriller series, The Gamma Sequence. Dan’s knack for surprising audiences and making you laugh or cry - or hang onto the edge of your seat - has been enjoyed by audiences around the world. And you are guaranteed to get a page turner every time.

That’s my style, Dan says. Grab you on page one and then send you on a roller coaster ride, regardless of the story or genre.

His unique writing style can make you chuckle or shed tears—sometimes on the same page (or steam up the room if it’s one of his romances). Regardless of genre, his novels always contain unexpected twists and turns, and his endearing Savvy Stories, inspired by his daughter, will stay in your heart forever.

He has also written illustrated children’s book and cookbooks, as well as stories for young readers. 25 eBook Marketing Tips You Wish You Knew, co-authored by Dan, has been a valuable tool for upcoming writers of any age (it’s free, but only available to subscribers of his newsletter) and his dedication to helping authors of any skill level is evident in his wildly popular blog Dan Alatorre - AUTHOR.

Dan’s success is widespread and varied. In addition to being a bestselling author, he has achieved President’s Circle with two different Fortune 500 companies. Dan also mentors grade school children in his Young Authors Club and adults in his Private Critique Group, helping struggling authors find their voice and get published.

Dan resides in the Tampa, Florida area with his wife and daughter. He says the best pieces of advice he was ever offered was,

This is one that everyone can learn to do, and it will help most of the writers out there. Write as if a disinterested 3rd party picking it up had no reference point for what you’d written. You must bring them from point A to B to C. Most writers will use that as an excuse to over write in so much detail the story becomes unreadable, so here’s this, too: 1. Get to the good stuff as fast as you can. 2. Most writers are too afraid to really bare their soul on the page, so their work isn’t as intense and immersing as it could be."

Dan’s blog:  www.DanAlatorre.com

Tim Baker is a Florida author of ten novels, most of which I've read more than once. His work is well crafted and entertaining, with memorable characters you can't help but care about. He started out his writing career with a publisher, but has now moved into the independent publishing arena. He was a first-round panel member for Ask the Authors, but wasn’t able to participate in round 2.

Tim has played almost every sport imaginable throughout his life and currently enjoys S.C.U.B.A. diving, riding his motorcycle, reading and watching movies, (not necessarily in that order). In fact, when writing a novel, he approaches it like he's creating and watching a movie in his head. When asked who he'd like to play the lead character if one of his books were turned into a movie:

That’s an easy one...in almost all of my books the hero is a guy named Ike. He is a 6’6 ex-Navy SEAL with a tendency to bend (and sometimes break) the rules. He was modelled after the character of Wade Garret, played by Sam Elliot, in Road House – but Sam is getting a bit old to play Ike, so the next best thing is an actor named Anson Mount (from the series Hell on Wheels)."

Something his readers might not guess about him: After reading my books I think most people would be surprised to learn that I am very non-violent. I don’t believe that violence ever solves anything. I also don’t own a gun (but I don’t care if you do), nor do I know much about them. Most of the technical jargon I use about guns in my books, I learn from people who know. And I would go out of my way to avoid hostility.

When asked to describe himself in three words: Impossible to describe (that’s 3 words!!).

Tim’s website: www.blindoggbooks.com.

Chris Barili is a speculative fiction and romance author who was also my cohort in the M.F.A. in Creative Writing program at Western. He writes in a wide range of genres, including weird western (Hell’s Marshal series), and science fiction (Shadowblade) under his own name, and romance (Smothered) under the pen name B.T. Clearwater.

Besides writing, Chris lifts weights, mountain bikes, practices martial arts and battles with Parkinson's disease. Writing just may be his salvation. When asked about a future where writing left him rich and famous, Chris said he would write more. Regarding a future without writing:

Shrivel up and die. Writing is part of me. Without it, a part of me dies. A crucial part of me. I cannot live without it. I can live without an arm or a leg. I can get by with this Parkinson's thing. But without writing, I am sunk.

The best piece of advice he was ever given: Try genres outside of fantasy.

Chris’ website: https://authorchrisbarili.com/

Amy Cecil writes both historical and contemporary romance. She has published seven books which include three Historical Romances that are Pride and Prejudice variations. She was a member of the panel during the second round of Ask the Authors. She is obsessed with reading and that is what brought her to becoming a writer. One day, when she was panicking because she was running out of a particular genre that she was reading at the time, a friend suggested that she write her own, and so, she did!

Amy has held memberships in the Romance Writers of America (RWA) and the Published Authors Network (PAN). She was a winner in the 2015-2017 NanNoWriMo writing contests and a nominee in Metamorph Publishing's Indie Book 2016 Contest in historical romance, and her books have won multiple awards.

She lives in North Carolina with her husband, Kevin, and their dogs, Hobbes, Koda, Karma and Katie. When she isn't writing, she is spending time with her husband, her friends and her dogs.

Amy’s Website: http://acecil65.wix.com/amycecil

Chris DiBella is an independent California author. Originally from New England, he began writing his first novel while living in Hawaii. I reviewed his debut novel, Lost Voyage, back when he was a Colorado author, when I was the Southern Colorado Literature Examiner. I was pleased to have him on the first panel for Ask the Authors.

I met Chris through another author on this panel, Tim Baker, and it is Tim who gave Chris the best piece of advice he's ever received:

"I wrote a blog piece about how it’s okay to sometimes alienate your readers...to a poi  nt. One of the comments on it was from my friend Tim, who said this:

‘If Stephen King or JK Rowling want to piss people off, they can afford it. You and me? We should be a little more careful. Just sayin’.’

Chris’ reaction may not have been quite what you’d expect. He said,

And that was the roundabout way of giving me the best piece of advice I could’ve ever received. I immediately got on my laptop, opened up a blank Word document, and typed in big bold letters BE BIGGER THAN STEPHEN KING & J.K. ROWLING."

Chris' words to you readers:

I am, however, an open book... every pun intended... so if there’s anything you would like to know about me or about what makes me tick, please feel free to reach out and ask away. I love interacting with fans and I welcome any questions you may have.

Chris’ blog site: www.chrisdibella.com.

Jordan Elizabeth is a young adult fantasy author and she’s published too many books to count. She published nine books in 2019. She writes down her nightmares in order to live her dreams. Jordan has been featured on Writing to be Read several times, as well as being a part of the WtbR team for a year. She was a panel member in both rounds of Ask the Author. Besides writing, she enjoys reading, painting, and making jewelry.

Jordan’s day job is teaching, and that is what she would do in a world where she could no longer write. She loves to ...read (obviously, ha ha), paint and make jewelry. Halloween is probably her least favorite holiday, because she says that one thing her readers would never guess about her: I'm terrified of people in costumes. Think Minnie Mouse at Disney. If I see a person in a costume, I'm running the other way. Although she may cry when she sees costumed characters, tickling makes her laugh.

She has a son whom she loves dearly, and she believes that the most important thing she hopes to teach him is To be patient. If her writing suddenly made her rich and famous, she says, I would quit my day job to focus on my son and writing. I hate sending him to daycare. I love the daycare he goes to, but I want him home with me for adventures. One of her secrets for juggling her writing career and family is to set aside one hour a night just for writing. If she's fortunate enough to set aside two hours, she uses the second hour for marketing.

She says the best piece of advice she was ever given was, It is okay to take a rest. People need to recharge their inner batteries, too. Her favorite food at the time of these interviews was running was cheese. Her favorite color is black, with blue a close second. And her favorite song: "My favorite song is a mashup of Light 'em Up and Radioactive. It makes the perfect theme song for the Treasure Chronicles."

Jordan’s Website: JordanElizabethBooks.com

Ashley Fontainne is a multi-genre author and a private person. She is talented and vivacious, with a killer smile. She's an independent author who writes in several genres, including: thriller, science fiction, mystery, suspense, post-apocalyptic, romantic suspense and coming of age. I was thrilled when she accepted my invitation to be on the Ask the Authors round 2 panel.

Ashley writes in multiple genres ranging from mystery/thrillers to suspenseful paranormal to dark comedy. She is the recipient of numerous awards for her gritty, no-holds barred style of writing, and her novel, Ruined Wings, was adapted for film. Her stories will captivate and pull you inside the lives of her characters and intricate plot lines.

Ashley’s Website: http://www.ashleyfontainne.com/

Ashley’s Blog: http://ramblingsofamadsouthernwoman.blogspot.com

Janet Garber is the author of both fiction and non-fiction who lives in the U.K. and bases her writing on her experiences as an H.R. manager in New York. She was a member of the first Ask the Authors panel, but couldn’t join the second round due to timing issues.

Janet says that if her book, Dream Job, Wacky Adventures of an HR Manager were made into a film, anyone playing her protagonist, Melie Kohl, would have to be believable as a New Yorker, funny and self-deprecating, wildly imaginative, more than a little neurotic. She suggests Mary Elizabeth Winstead, star of that great political satire, BrainDead for the role.

When asked what she would do in a life without writing, she says: I would do what I always do when I'm avoiding my work: knitting, hiking, going to movies, cooking, getting together with friends, travelling, teaching. But . . . I prefer a future with maximum creativity and that means writing.

Janet’s website: http://www.janetgarber.com

Tom Johnson published multiple novels, which I think are reminiscent of Edgar Rice Burroughs, or the pulp fiction novels of times past. He wrote or contributed to more than eighty books over the course of his life. I was honored to have him as a panel member for Ask the Authors during round 2. Sadly, last November, Tom passed. He was a great author and a dear friend. He will be deeply missed.

Let me tell you tell you about Tom Johnson in life. His dad was a cowboy and cook, giving his family an itinerant lifestyle. Tom changed schools often, as his dad’s jobs were relocated. His dad wanted him to follow in his footsteps, but a cowboy’s life didn’t appeal to him. Instead, during his high school years, Tom dreamed about becoming an entomologist. He loved biology and math, but was weak in other subjects. He read every book he could find on insects, reptiles, and arachnids, as well as paleontology.

Years later, he and his wife, Ginger, started the publishing imprint of FADING SHADOWS, and published a hobby magazine for 22 years, and several genre titles for nine years. He was a voracious reader from an early age, and has never stopped reading for pleasure, though his interest in genres often switched from SF to western, to hardboiled detectives, the classics, and back to science fiction again over the years. In his own writing readers will often find something about his love of zoology, whether insects, reptiles, or saber-tooth cats. Tom is no longer with us, but his words and books live on.

Tom’s Books: http://jur1.brinkster.net/index.html

Lilly Rayman is a paranormal romance author. Werewolves and vampires seem to be her thing with An Unexpected trilogy, which she recently released the third book for, The Unexpected Hellhound. She’s also recently released a collaborative project, Women in White. Her favorite food is scotch-fillet steak, her favorite colors are red and black, and her favorite song is American Pie, by Don MacLean.

First and foremost, Lilly describes herself as a wife and mother. She was born in England where she had a dream at the age of fourteen. That dream was to chase cattle on horseback across the Australian Outback.

In 2008, Lilly had the opportunity to follow that dream and found herself travelling to Australia on an Outback working holiday, and she's chased cattle, on horseback, across the Outback. Lilly met her soul mate, while on her working holiday, married him, and now they have two beautiful daughters, and she is still in love with life in Australia.

Lilly loves to read, much to her husband’s dismay sometimes when she has her head metaphorically buried in the pages of a book (after all, how can that be literal since the dawn of e-books?)! She love's fantasy; she used to take herself away from her nasty world of bullies and appear in some beautiful land of dragons and magic! Pern was her all-time favourite hide out world, and Lilly is often heard saying God bless Anne and Todd MacCaffery.

Whenever Lilly immersed herself in her fantasy worlds, she would re-write the plots in her head, starring herself as some great, sword drawn character who wouldn't give two hoots what the local bully thought! That eventuated in Lilly's first foray into writing down her stories at the age of fourteen.

Lilly’s Website: http://lillyrayman0007.wixsite.com/lillyrayman

Carol Riggs is a Young Adult fantasy and science fiction author, and dragon collector from Oregon. You will usually find her in her writing cave, surrounded by her dragons and the characters in her head. Her works include her fantasy novel, Bottled, a science fiction novel, The Lying Planet and her Junction 2020 science fiction series.

For Carol, the most fun part of writing is the freedom of drafting a first draft, and being imaginative with my storyline. The least fun part: The least fun is marketing, all that necessary left-brained business side of things.

Her favorite genres to read (and write!) are speculative, which includes fantasy, science fiction, steampunk, magical realism, contemporary fantasy, or anything else with a twist of the imaginatively weird.

When asked what she would do in a future where there was no writing: I would cry. Seriously (after I finished crying), I would return to my artwork, because I have a degree in Studio Arts and that is something I love to do, but haven’t had as much time to do it because I’m so busy writing. In general, I enjoy drawing people more than landscapes. I also like to create miniature fabric art.

Carol’s website: http://www.carolriggs.com/

Art Rosch is an independent novelist and memoirist from sunny California. Art always gives lengthy, well thought out responses. In fact, during the first round of AtA, Art gave me one lengthy response which I felt warranted a post all its own. In addition to being a writer, Art is a photographer and a musician with an ear for jazz music. Besides these things, he also enjoys watching the stars at night, playing the drums and watching television. His responses are detailed, if a little lengthy at times, but always full of surprises. When asked what he would be doing now in a world where he didn’t write, he said,

Sit in an urn on the fireplace. See. Ordinary people. Nothing unique or odd about authors. We're perfectly normal. Hehehe!

The greatest thing that ever happened to Arthur Rosch was his awful childhood. He had no choice but to get angry, rebel and follow his path to becoming an artist. His first duty as an artist was to cultivate obsessions. He proceeded to do this with gusto and learned that there is no substitute for a good obsession, compulsion or addiction to gain insight into human nature.

Of course, it was a girl who inspired Arthur to write poetry. It wasn't until he was twenty-six that he realized he could write novels. Prior to that he had been a jazz musician. He changed direction after winning Playboy Magazine's Best Short Story Award.  Arthur’s work has appeared in Across the Margin, Exquisite Corpse, Shutterbug Magazine and several other online venues. His novel, Confessions of an Honest Man won Honorable Mention from Writer's Digest.

Writing is the refuge of his life after forty. It took him that long to wear out the obsessions. They had really gotten out of hand. Not that he regrets a single one. Part of a writer's apprenticeship, he believes, is to spend at least twenty years being mentally deranged. It took twelve years of intense therapy to pull himself back into the functioning world.

One of Arthur's passionate interests is astronomy. He got some lovely recognition as a photographer by doing creative work at night with cameras. He loves science fiction, literary fiction, Rumi's poetry, travel, history, dogs and cats and his wife, who is half Apache. She can be very eerie when she goes dipping into the shaman's world. She invokes the spirit helpers called The Grandmothers. Those ladies have helped Arthur and his spouse out of a lot of jams.

Art says the best piece of advice he was ever given was to ask for help when you need it. If you find yourself bottoming out, don't hesitate to ask for help. You can't get out of trouble by yourself. His favorite food is Cheerios, his favorite color is blue and his favorite songs are Lonnie’s Lament, by John Coltrane and You Want it Darker, by Leonard Cohen. When asked to describe himself in three words: Becoming more alive.

If his writing ever made him rich and famous, he would start a foundation to promote education in third world countries. He hopes to teach his grandchildren how to think correctly and revere life.

Stories of weird miracles are told in the travel memoir The Road Has Eyes: An RV, a Relationship and a Wild Ride. Arthur's younger and musical life is described in Confessions of an Honest Man, which has appeared in both paperback and e-book form. Everything else he either knows or doesn't know is in the science fiction epic The Gods of the Gift. Then there's the new trilogy, The Shadow Storm.

Art’s website: www.artrosch.com

Margareth Stewart is the pen name for Mônica Mastrantonio, debut author of Open/ Pierre's Journey After War published by web-e-books.com. She has also compiled and published three international Anthologies featuring global authors: Whitmanthology, Womenthology, The Pain that Unites us All. She holds a PhD in Social Psychology, and she has been teaching and tutoring students over 22 years. This Zen-mother of 3, loves life and her tattoos. She spends her time between Sao Paolo, Miami and writing residencies. Besides writing, she enjoys sports, cooking, reading, traveling and talking to people.

When asked about her favorite form of exercise: "Jogging - that´s kind of an obligation for me. As writers, we tend to sit for long hours, so every single day, I do try to keep that up and go out for a short run of 4 to 5 kilometers. If I have more time, I go around a park nearby and that makes 6 kilometers. I do recommend it - it keeps our mind sharp and our ideas bright. Her favorite food is homemade pasta, and her favorite song is Bewitched, by Ella Fitzgerald. When asked what makes her laugh or cry, Margareth said,

I laugh and cry very easily, but what really hits me are those unique and anonymous experiences that never happen twice, like hugging a homeless guy in the street, finding a pencil in the middle of a supermarket when I just had need to take a note in pencil.

Margareth hopes to teach her children authenticity. She says, There is nothing like being ourselves and moving forward. When asked to describe herself in three words, Margareth says, Cheerful, busy and project-driven. If her writing ever makes her rich and famous, she says that nothing would change, but she would buy some fancy chocolate and coffee. She says that something her readers would never guess about her is, I'm a shrink (lol). People guess all sorts of professions for me, never a shrink. Maybe, it's because I´m very talkative and I've never done clinician activities.

Margareth’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMargarethStewart/

I'm extremely pleased to welcome author duo, Mark Todd and Kym O'Connell Todd to be included here. They joined in the second round of Ask the Authors, but after only a couple of segments, life got in the way, and they had to pull out to take care of more pressing matters. So, there’s only a few tidbits from them here, but I am grateful for what they were able to offer. Mark was one of my graduate program instructors. Mark and Kym are an interesting pair, who know how to read Egyptian hieroglyphs, was an official U.F.O. investigator, like on The X-Files, and appeared on Ghost Adventures as a result of his own ghost hunting investigations with his wife, Kym.

He and his wife write books and talk as a team. (Seriously, they finish each other's sentences both on the page and in their speech.) They have been published traditionally and also self-published in both fiction and nonfiction, including Wild West Ghosts where they share their experiences as ghost hunters visiting frontier haunted hotels in Colorado; Strange Attractors which plays on their experiences as U.F.O. investigators; and their Silverville Saga: Little Greed Men, All Plucked Up, and The Magicke Outhouse. They have used their experiences as U.F.O. investigators and ghost hunters in their research, and they even had a guest spot on Ghost Adventures in 2017.

Links: You can learn more about Mark & Kym and their books at the following links:

Mark & Kym’s Website: WriteintheThick.com

Cynthia Vespia is an award nominated speculative fiction author, cover designer and promotional content developer. She also teaches internet advertising classes and martial arts workshops. She even used to be a personal trainer. Her speculative fiction encompasses dark fantasy, suspense, paranormal thrillers, and magic realism. Her works include her Demon Hunter Saga, Resurrection: Life, Death, and Back; her Silk Butters series; The Crescent; Lucky Sevens; and Sins and Virtues. Besides writing, Cyn enjoys working out painting, and relaxing.

If she didn’t write for a living, she would love to be an animator for Disney. Her favorite food is pizza, her favorite color is black, and one of her favorite songs is Get Up, by Shinedown. Cute animals make her both laugh and cry. The best advice she was ever given comes from herself, My best advice is from myself, as I've learned that life is short and not to waste time.

When asked if one of her books was made into a film, who she would you like to play the lead: 

"One of my books is becoming a film. It is based on my novel The Crescent and it is a female gladiator tale called Gladiatrix. If I could have anyone in the lead role, I would choose Gal Gadot. She is not only hot in features, but