Today I am happy to host a guest post by Marlene Dotterer, whose first novel, "Shipbuilder", has just been released this weekend. 
 

Imagine being there before the Titanic set sail.

Now imagine being there before she’s even built.

Sam Altair is a physicist living in Belfast, Ireland. He has spent his career researching time travel and now, in early 2006, he’s finally reached the point where he can send objects backwards through time. The only problem is, he doesn’t know where the objects go. They don’t show up in the past, and no one notices any changes to the present. Are they creating alternate time lines?

To collect more data, Sam tries a clandestine experiment in a public park, late at night. But the experiment goes horribly wrong when Casey Wilson, a student at the university, stumbles into his isolation field. Sam tries to rescue her, but instead, he and Casey are transported back to the year 1906. Stuck in the past, cut off from everyone and everything they know, Sam and Casey work together to help each other survive. Then Casey meets Thomas Andrews, the man who will shortly begin to build the most famous ship since Noah’s Ark. Should they warn him, changing the past and creating unknown consequences for the future?

Or should they let him die?
____________________________________________

And now, on to Marlene's post:

Let's Talk About Characters

A big thank you to Anna, for hosting me during my tour! I’m excited to be here and chat her readers about my book and how characters make the story.

 

Characters are the lifeblood of any novel. You can have a kick-ass world, awesome magic, and terrifying fight scenes, but if your characters are boring, stereotypical, or one-dimensional, no one will care.

 

My own pet peeve in characters: unlikeable.

 

Not every character has to be likeable, of course, but I'm the kind of reader that will not finish a book if there isn't at least one character I can really connect with. And I like nice people. So it's safe to say that the current trend of hard, gritty jerks-as-heroes leaves me cold.

 

That doesn't mean a character should be sweet-as-pie perfect. Repeat the boring, stereotypical, one-dimensional mantra from above. Characters are people. And people are complex. They make mistakes. They make poor choices. They may have good intentions, but mess up everyone around them. All of that may be true, but they can still be decent people.

 

It’s easy for me to write characters that are decent. The challenge is to keep them from being so decent that they don’t have any traits that cause problems for themselves or others. TTJ: Shipbuilder has three main characters. One is an historical figure - a man with his own personality and his own life. I had to take special care to portray him as the man he was, and obtain a certain level of historical accuracy. The other two characters are fictional, and it was up to me to imbue them with traits that give them a place in the story. Traits that gave them their own story, and make them feel like real people. You'll have to let me know if I succeeded after you read the book. Here’s a brief analysis of each of them:

 

Sam Altair is a physicist, sixty years old. He has devoted his life to his research on time travel. In 2006, he is head of a research team at the Sun Consortium in Belfast. He is a well-liked and much respected scientist and mentor. He has never married, but he's had a few close relationships over the years. He's an amiable fellow, with a touch of compassion for anyone less fortunate than he.

 

Sam’s biggest fault is that he is too often tempted to skip steps or skim over procedures if he feels he's close to a big leap in discovery. He is quick to justify his means by simply sweeping objections under the rug. He places too much faith in his own abilities and intelligence. We see this shortcoming in action at the beginning of the book, but keep an eye out for it as the story unfolds. Sam never quite gets over this problem.

 

Casey Wilson is a college student, twenty years old. Raised in a well-off, liberal American home, she has never had to suffer or struggle for anything. This doesn't mean she is arrogant or lazy - far from it. Casey is practical, smart, and hard-working. She is even respectful toward older adults. But she has no doubt that she can do anything she wants to do, that the world is open to her in all its possibilities. This attitude blinds her to the realities of life in the Edwardian era, and the toll she must pay for it is large.

 

Thomas Andrews was a real person, with a real life and real dreams. His personality is well-documented, and even today, he commands respect. I have done my best to portray him as he was, within the limits of my own understanding. Obviously, there is much I can't know, and in the end, my character of Tom Andrews may not be anything like the real man was. But I've done my best.

 

When we first meet Tom, he is a 34-year-old naval architect. He was born in 1873 to a well-off, privileged family in Ireland. From childhood, Tom has a reputation for compassion and generosity toward people and animals. He has worked his way up in the shipyard, starting as an apprentice when he was sixteen. He has degrees in naval architecture and engineering. He is much loved by the men in the Yard, and is considered one of the best shipbuilders in the world.

 

Tom’s fault? I hesitate to say that the real Thomas Andrews may have been a “yes” man, but I did get that impression from some of the research I did. As in any business, there are times during a ship’s construction when safety conflicts with schedule or cost. Did the real Thomas Andrews give in about features he knew were needed?

So in my book, I tried to show that Tom hates to disappoint people. This applies especially to those who hold power over him - supervisors, managers, and his uncle - Lord William Pirrie, who heads the shipyard. Once he knows of Titanic’s fate, Tom must learn to stand his ground and insist on providing Titanic with features that will be needed to save lives, even if the cost is hard feelings or damage to his career.

In all fairness to the real Thomas Andrews - Titanic had far more safety features than were required at the time. More lifeboats, higher bulkheads, more watertight compartments... and we can’t blame the builders for not seeing the future. The reasons for Titanic’s sinking are myriad, and we only need to look at our own modern disasters to realize how much we don’t know.

____________________________
About the author:

Marlene Dotterer grew up as a desert rat in Tucson, Arizona. In 1990, she loaded her five children into the family station wagon, and drove north-west to the foggy San Francisco Bay Area. To stay warm, she tackled many enterprises, earning a degree in geology, working for a national laboratory, and running her own business as a personal chef. She’s a frustrated gardener, loves to cook, and teaches natural childbirth classes. She says she writes, “to silence the voices,” obsessed with the possibilities of other worlds and other times.

 

She is married to The Best Husband in the World, and lives in Pleasant Hill, California.

 

Her website is http://marlenedotterer.wordpress.com/

_____________________________
Marlene is on a blog tour this weekend, and this is what she says about it:

Must Have Give-Aways!

Ships are launched with a bottle of champagne. My book is about a ship, so...

Actually, perhaps it’s best if I don’t try to mail anyone a bottle of champagne. But how about a free book?

Throughout the blog tour, I’ll keep track of everyone who leaves a comment on any of the blogs and enter them into a drawing. At the end of the tour, I’ll pick three winners, each to receive an autographed copy of The Time Travel Journals: Shipbuilder.

So, read on! Comment!

___________________________

I really enjoyed talking to Peter Stampfel during our interview , and was in awe to have access to 
the information coming from the very top of science fiction and fantasy publishing.  Some of his 
answers really surprised me, others confirmed what I heard from other sources, but one thing is 
certainly true.  Everything I learned was very useful, things I always wanted to know but never 
before had a chance to ask. 

I wanted to highlight some things from the interview that I found most thought-provoking, in order 
of appearance. 

The quality of invented names is important in a well-written fantasy.  

I guess this really shouldn’t be a surprise – I remember flinching at names in some novels, and admiring 
names in others, but I never thought these names could be a selling point. Learning that an editor looks
for the quality of names as an indicator of the quality of writing would likely change my approach 
to naming when writing fantasy.   

Readers (and authors) tend to prefer shorter fiction these days. 

Even though I keep hearing of the publishers’ and agents’ guidelines about the recommended length 
of 100-120K words, I personally enjoy longer fantasy books and tend to think that real fantasy fans 
love longer work. Talking to Peter Stampfel made me realize I am living in the past. Talking to him 
finally turned some rusty gears in my mind and made me re-think some of my recent fantasy projects. 

We are experiencing the golden age of writing.

This thought was like a gust of fresh wind amidst the gloom of the dominating predictions about the 
decline of book publishing. I never thought of it this way, but indeed this couldn’t be more true. If the 
competition is especially fierce, we are seeing the best of the best that made it through the grinder. In 
this light, I also started thinking differently about books by new authors. They must be really brilliant 
to break through, and while it is still a bit of a gloomy thought for the struggling writers, it is highly 
promising for the readers on the look out for new superb-quality reading. 

Self-publishing is a good idea.

Now, there was an eye opener – and coming from the top publishing house, no less. While I am 
still cautious about whether most of the other top professionals share Mr. Stampfel’s view on this, 
I felt this was a window for those authors who have been holding off on self-publishing and shelving 
complete manuscripts in the hope of landing a big contract on their next work. If you are not sure 
about your unpublished novels – maybe it is best to hold off, but if you have a good book lying 
somewhere in the depth of your desk drawer (I mean, hard drive) – go for it! 

This certainly applies to the category of authors Mr. Stampfel mentioned, who would have been 
successful 20 years ago but lack the necessary twist to break through in the markets of today. Heck, 
I have encountered such authors myself and really enjoyed their unpublished work. I have somewhat 
of an old-fashioned mind set and like good old fantasy even if it has an overused, but well-executed 
plot, which makes it virtually impossible for such authors to land a good contract. And, I happen to 
know that my tastes for the 'good old' are shared by so many other readers out there! So, based on 
what I learned, it seems that self-publishing done properly is a really good idea for such people.

Self-publishing won’t hurt your chances of a future contract with a big publisher. 

I really hope Mr. Stampfel is right on this one! He certainly convinced me.

Comments? Suggestions? Additions? I would be very interested in opinions from other readers on 
what you found most useful – and/or most surprising in the interview. Please read the full interview 
at this link and leave comments! 
I also always welcome suggestions on whose interviews you would like to see next, and what 
questions do you want to ask. Please leave your suggestions in the comments section, or contact 
me by e-mail or Facebook.

 

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I am happy to welcome author Heather S. Ingemar for a guest appearance and interview for my blog.  Heather is a dark fantasy author for teens and adults.  Her “Requiem” was voted among the top ten young adult books for 2009.

 

What would you like your readers to know about you?

 

I'm multi-faceted. Some have even called me a Jill-of-all-trades.

 

What do you enjoy most about writing fantasy?

 

I enjoy the escapist nature of it. I love being able to 'disappear' into a whole new world for a few hours at the end of every day.

 

What inspires the dark/horror twist in your stories?

 

I'm not sure. I've always had a fascination with myth, legend, and the occult. I love poring over things science can't explain. I also sometimes wonder if it came from having so many nightmares as a child. When you get used to looking at fear in the face, it doesn't seem so mysterious – and that shows up in my fiction. These vampires and were-creatures and zombies… are they really so bad when you can look at them in broad daylight and shake hands? Or is it just the shadows around them that frighten us?

 

What, in your view, is different about writing for teens and adults?

 

I see the big difference when writing about topics that are still sensitive to our society – sex, suicide, drug abuse. With adults you can be blunt, and YA writing tends to be a little gentler in its depictions… but then again, that is changing and changing fast. My day-job is being a librarian, and I'm seeing more and more YA books that could really go in the adult section. 

 

What is the next project you are working on?

 

I'm working on an as-of-yet untitled flash fiction piece I hope to submit to a few literary magazines, and after that, I'm going to tackle some more stories in my "demonic" universe. The first piece in that series, "Crown of Thorns," has been contracted by Drollerie Press and should be out sometime by 2011.

 

 

 

Heather’s Bio:

 

The woman known as Heather S. Ingemar is a bestselling author of dark short stories for teens and adults and an accomplished folk musician. She loves coffee, tea, intravenous Mountain Dew, cats, and motorcycles. She is currently at work on her next tale, or maybe avoiding work by shooting around canyon corners on her Suzuki Savage LS650.

 

To learn more about Heather, visit her blog at http://ingemarwrites.wordpress.com/  

Join Heather once again for the next 'Spooky Times' tour stop at Karen Syed's blog at http://klsyed.com/ on October 25th

 

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I am very excited to welcome a very special guest to this blog – Mr. Peter Stampfel, an Associate Editor for the major Science Fiction and Fantasy publisher, DAW Books. 

 

Unlike other major publishers, DAW Books accept unsolicited submissions from new, unknown authors, and thus offer a unique opportunity for every aspiring writer to get their manuscripts in front of the top editors without having to find an agent first.  This opportunity has been alive for all of us in a large part because of Peter Stampfel, who has worked as the Submissions Editor and first reader of unsolicited manuscripts (also known as the slush pile) for nearly 30 years.

 

Over his career Mr. Stampfel has read a stack of manuscripts nearly 2 miles high, and he has discovered many talents in there that went on to become very successful authors.  I am happy that he has graciously agreed to do an interview for my blog and to answer some questions about book publishing and manuscript review process that I had.  I hope his answers would be of interest to other aspiring writers interested in landing a contract with a big publisher at any point in their career, and to the readers who are curious about how the manuscript selection works.

Can you tell me a little about your background? How did you become a book editor?

The word is ‘nepotism’ – getting a job through relatives.  DAW Books was started by my wife’s father, who became ill in 1985 and then my wife took over.  In 1981 I was offered a job of the first reader, and I have been doing it ever since.  It helped that I have been an avid reader of Science Fiction and Fantasy since 1950’s, so I felt the job was really right for me.

 

What do you like and dislike about your job?

 

I like reading books, especially Science Fiction and Fantasy, and I enjoy reading new manuscripts.  I also like working with my wife.  The only thing I don’t like about this job is the delays.  We get a 6-foot-high pile of unsolicited manuscripts every week, and as the first reader I have to go through them and pass on the ones I like to the second readers who, in turn, pass them on to the senior editors.  They all have other jobs to do, so there is a big backlog, resulting in really long waits.  I always feel bad for the authors who have to wait all this time to hear back on their submission.  I really wish we could do things faster, but with the amount of manuscripts we receive it is simply not realistic.

 

It is a great opportunity for us, authors, to be able to submit manuscripts directly to DAW Books, but I can only imagine the load you have to deal with.  Why do you accept unsolicited manuscripts?

 

This is really what sets us apart from other publishers.  And, I have to say that there is quite a number of authors who went from what we call the slush pile on to sell very successfully.

What percentage of submissions you receive makes it to publication? 

The conventional wisdom is that one in a thousand manuscripts is publishable.  Actually, I feel this number is closer to one in a few thousand.  These days it is extremely hard to break in a new writer.  Book distribution is controlled by big companies, which are much more reluctant to take on new unknown authors compared to previously established ones.  A new author has to be extremely, extremely good to make it through the process.

Do you deal with both agented and unagented submissions? 

Agented published authors go straight to our senior editor.  However, I do get submissions from agented unpublished authors, and I found that by and large a book submitted by an agent won’t be any better than unsolicited submissions.  The truth is, agents who don’t read thousands and tens of thousands of books have no idea what is actually selling.  If I see, for example, a ‘Harry Potter’ pitch, I usually know right away this agent doesn’t know what he/she is talking about.

 

What do you look for first, and what makes you want to take a closer look at the manuscript? How do you decide which books to select for further consideration?

It differs in different cases.  Sometimes a cover letter is enough to make an impression, sometimes it is the first sentence, sometimes I have to read for a while to make up my mind.  In some weeks, I have nothing to set aside for a further look.  In other weeks, I set aside half a dozen manuscripts to look at later.

 

It is very important to have a catchy story right away.  Some authors say things like ‘please read to page 140, where the plot really starts to pick up.’  Obviously, this doesn’t work.

 

It is also really important to have likeable characters.  Certain characters are basically appealing, and this is fairly universal.  No one likes to read for a great length about a brilliant, horrible villain – you know.  Even the secondary characters have to be well-drawn and three-dimensional. 

 

Another important thing is to see the characters interact in realistic terms and situations.  The story has to be well thought through, and it has to show from the beginning.

 

One thing I look for in fantasies set in imaginary worlds is good made-up names, interesting and evocative.  Good names show skill and imagination right away, so I always look at the maps that come with the book and if I see things like ‘Eastern Mountains’ – it just sounds too generic to me.

 

A good example is the first novel by Tad Willams – Talichaser’s Song.  One of the characters is a squirrel, and his name – can’t recall it right now – sounds exactly like a squirrel’s noise.  It really evoked the image, and fit the character really well.  When I read it I knew right away that this guy could really write.

 

Which plot lines do you see too much of?

A story opening where a young protagonist goes out hunting and comes back to see that everybody he knows has been brutally murdered, and he has to set out on a quest to get the bad guys and promises to get them in the end.  Generally, there is nothing wrong with such an opening – it is certainly catchy and engaging, but haven’t we all seen too much of these stories already?

 

Did you ever read a manuscript all the way to the end and then decide to reject it?

 

I rarely read the full manuscript, even if I pass it on to the next level.  Usually if I am still reading after 200 pages or so, it is a good sign.  I then skip on to the end and read the last 50 pages, then pass it on to the second reader.  There have been only several manuscripts I read all the way to the end, because I liked them so much I wanted to. 

 

What do you think are the current market trends for science fiction and fantasy?

What sells right now is paranormal.  But there is also a glut in the market for paranormal fiction.  Everyone wants to write the next blockbuster – such as, say, Twilight, — but the bandwagon is awfully loaded.

What are the trends in book publishing right now?

Book publishing is definitely on the decline.  Readers – and writers – tend to spend more time on the Internet.  In fact, I could think of several writers who nearly stopped writing – haven’t produced any new books in a year or two – because they spend their time on some on-line games.  There are just more things to do out there for creative people than before, and books are sliding down the list.

 

In relation to this, I noticed that both writers and readers are getting tired of long books.  The new model that works better right now is to write a ~100,000-word book yearly rather than publish a really long book every 2-3 years.  To my knowledge DAW is one of the few markets who still look at longer fiction from new authors.

 

A good advice to authors is to keep their books under 120,000 words.  Such books are just easier to sell.

 

Any projections for the future?

 

E-publishing is really taking off, but we have to wait and see where it leads us.  I see a bigger problem, though.  Statistically, most books are bought by middle-aged people.  Unless the young people start to read, we will see more of a rapid decline in book publishing in the future.  There is also a large, growing category of people who read a lot but never want to read fiction.  Non-fiction sells better than fiction these days, so the outlook for fiction publishing is even worse.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Unless you are passionate about your writing, compelled to write, unless you absolutely have to write, don’t do it.  You are competing with other passionate writers who are very good at what they do, and you have very little chance unless you absolutely love writing.

 

Of course, I have also seen a number of writers who are passionate but just not good at it.  Some authors keep submitting to me for 30 years, but their writing just doesn’t seem to get any better.  Many of them work with paid editors who keep stringing them along by telling them that they are improving so much they are almost there.  These authors spend loads of money on editing, and they really shouldn’t.  In fact, I would caution anyone against working with such editors.

 

A lot of books I see would have been successful 20 or 30 years ago, but just not now.  Things have become too competitive.  In a way, this is the golden age of writing – we are seeing the best work out there – but the competition is really strong.

 

Do you pay special attention to authors previously published with small presses?

 

Previous publications are definitely a good sign, I will notice it in the cover letter.  In the end, of course, only the quality of the manuscript is important.

 

What about self-published authors?

 

Doesn’t really matter. I definitely wouldn’t hold it against them.  In fact, I think that in the current competitive environment self-publishing is a good idea – simply because you can do it.  I never realized before how many people are trying to write books.  The vast majority of them will never be commercially successful.  But if you self-publish, you can sell to friends, and the few people who happen to enjoy your writing, and this way you can at least reach somebody.

 

Self-publishing may be an even better idea for those authors I mentioned whose writing is solid, and who would have been successful 20-30 years ago but cannot break through in the current markets.  If these authors can reach their audiences with self-published books, they could potentially make pretty good sales.  There is always a small number of self-published books that make it in a big way.

 

In addition to everything else, Internet is now providing unprecedented possibilities to advertise yourself, making it easier for anyone to self-promote.  An average person can easily reach thousands of people, in some cases this is all any author can hope for even with traditional publishing.  And if you can sell thousands of copies of your self-published book, it can really serve to your advantage in finding a big publisher for your next work.

 

Aspiring authors are repeatedly told that self-publishing is frowned upon and can hurt one’s chances of ever finding a traditional publisher.  Isn’t it true?

 

I’d say it is old-fashioned advice.  These days self-publishing is so easy there is no reason for anyone not to do it.  And if you ever write a really good book with commercial potential later on – the big publishers will take it, no matter what your previous history is.

As I researched you on the Internet, I found out that you are also a musician. Can you also tell me something about your music?

I have been playing professionally since 1960s and made 2-3 dozen albums.  My music is part folk, part rock, part traditional, a mixture of 19^th and 20^th century.  I made several albums since last summer, and just made an album with my daughter who also plays in my band.  We have 9 people in the band.

 

How do you combine your music and your job as an editor?

 

(laughs) I like to keep busy.  But seriously, if you’ve got to be an artist you need a regular job.  For every self-supporting artist there are thousands who need other means to support themselves.  It is normal for an artist to have a regular job.  I would call it abnormal when they don’t need one.

Thank you very much for your time.  This has been a great opportunity.  Do you have anything you would like to add?

Just to reinforce my advice for aspiring authors.  Be passionate.  Write about people, situations, worlds you really care about.  This may not be enough, but without it you’ll never make it.

 

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We all heard about the 'instant success' of some bestselling authors, who wake up one day to find out they are famous and their first novel is selling like crazy.  Some of us probably also heard of the fact that such an instant success is never that instant, and is preceded by years and years of rejections and hard work.  And that this 'instantly famous' first novel is usually not the first book these authors have written and shopped around.   Heck, even for J.K. Rowling, the author of Harry Potter, it took years of hardship to sell her first book.

To imagine what it's like, it always helps me to look at the numbers.  I heard that some famous authors spent ten years or more before selling their first book, and that others had to shelf four or five perfectly good manuscripts before making their first sale.  I was always terrified by this kind of statistics... until I learned what it can really be like. 

Many aspiring authors have never completed a manuscript in their lives.  Many think completing one is a major achievement one should be commended on.  It's true, each completed novel is a major thing.  Can you imagine having to complete five before your first sale?  

How about seventeen?

A discussion about this recently came up in my writing workshop, and a workshop member Jodi Meadows, who recently made her first sale, shared with us a guest blog post she wrote on the subject.  I found it not only informative, but very moving, a real look at what kind of strength, dedication, and perseverance it takes to gain this hard-earned success.  I wanted to share it with everyone.  If you are an aspiring author, or a reader who is wondering what it takes to publish a book, I encourage you to read it at this link .

I am extremely happy for Jodi, and hope her novel ERIN INCARNATE sells millions and millions of copies when it comes out from Harper Collins in 2012.  And, I feel that her example will always be my guiding star.

 

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Kendis Thompson of Seattle thinks she’s as normal as the next computer geek, and up till now, she’s been right. But her world is about to turn on its ear, for she is the daughter of a Seelie Court mage and her mortal husband–and her faerie blood is awakening. Suddenly the city she’s known all her life is transforming before her eyes. Trolls haunt the bike trails. Fairies and goblins run loose in the streets. An old woman who is not what she seems and a young wanderer running from his past stand ready to defend Seattle–and Kendis–from magical assault. She will need those allies, for the power rising within her is calling her fey kin to the Emerald City to find her. And kill her.

Where did you get the idea for Faerie Blood, Angela?

Basically, it goes back to this—as a lifelong fan of Elvis Presley, I'm very finicky about Elvis impersonators. And as a lifelong fan of fantasy novels, I'm also very partial to elves. Elves. Elvis. Only one vowel's worth of difference, and it was inevitable that I'd come up with a scene involving what would happen if an elf showed up at an Elvis impersonator contest!

I wrote a scene fragment for this many, many years ago. But fast forward to Nanowrimo 2003, and my deciding that I'd try to make the writing as easy as possible on myself by throwing everything I loved into it: Seattle, biking, computer geekery, magic, elves, and most of all, music. Several people in the cast of Faerie Blood are musically inclined—and Elessir a'Natharion, bard, Unseelie, and all-around rogue, is absolutely shameless about milking his Elvis look.

  Elessir would also shamelessly tell you the story's really all about him. Don't listen to him. Even if he can play a hell of a guitar.

 

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A new review of IVAN AND MARYA was just posted at The Fantasy Tavern .

Check it out, and leave comments!

The fourth weekend of Vacatoin reads brings wonderful new titles from Joely Sue Burkhart and Cindy Lynn Speer, and an additional feature from Julie Achterhoff.  Check them out and leave comments here and on the master site to enter our July Vacation Reads drawing to win great prizes!


THE BLOODGATE GUARDIAN by Joely Sue Burkhart

Worlds within worlds await through the Maya Bloodgate….

Dr. Jaid Merritt doesn’t do digs. The last time she ventured into the jungle, someone died. Now she’s content to decipher Maya glyphs from pictures sent to her by her famous archaeologist father. But when he goes missing while trying to perform a ritual based on her translations of an ancient codex, Jaid must put aside her fears and travel to Guatemala to find him.

After misusing the Bloodgates to bring his twin brother back from the afterlife, the Maya priest known as Ruin was cursed by the gods to stand as the guardian for all time. He was unable to stop Dr. Charles Merritt from opening the gates, and now demons roam this world. The last thing he wants to do is hurt the beautiful woman who is somehow infused with his magic, but if she uses the codex to retrieve her father, Ruin must do his duty. And this time, he won’t fail. Even if it kills him. Again.

What inspired this book, Joely?

I’ve always loved the idea of blood sacrifice. From vampires to the symbology of communion, I’m fascinated by the inherent power in this essence of life. Add mythology to the mix, and I’m one happy camper, so of course, the Maya have always been one of my favorites mythologies. Bonus: pyramids!

One of my inspirations for THE BLOODGATE GUARDIAN is a demotivator poster (link www.despair.com/sacrifice1.html) that shows the famous El Castillo pyramid of Chich’en Itza that says “All we ask here is that you give us your heart.” While there’s no archeological evidence that the Maya sacrificed hundreds or thousands of victims until the pyramid steps ran red with blood as in Mel Gibson’s Apocalytpo, they did practice blood sacrifice. Most of the time, they cut their ears or (men, avert your eyes and cover yourself) penis, caught blood on special paper, and then burned it with incense to honor the gods.

And yes, occasionally people were sacrificed, especially the losers of the famous ballgame or captured kings from other villages. Sometimes people were simply tossed into the cenote—large sinkholes that form over thousands of years in the limestone, often with an extensive network of caves. If they were still alive hours later…or possibly the next day…then they might be rescued to see if they bore any messages from the gods. Sadly, children were often the victims of this type of sacrifice, inspiring a short story that I’m offering for free on my website Well of Sky, link
joelysueburkhart.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Burkhart.Well_.of_.Sky_.pdf).

Most of the time, it was the willing sacrifice—of his own blood—that imbued so much power into the priest’s prayers and rituals. Ruin, the hero in THE BLOODGATE GUARDIAN, has paid that price numerous times himself. In fact, he’s died many times in service to the Bloodgates. He willingly pays the ultimate price over and over to protect that sacred magic.

When this man falls in love, he falls hard. How many times will he die to keep her alive?


 
BUT CAN YOU LET HIM GO? by Cindy Lynn Speer

In this collection, Cindy Lynn Speer, author of The Chocolatier’s Wife and editor of StereoOpticon, a collection of re-told fairy tales, gives us several new stories and an interesting look at the classic ‘Cinderella’ as well. Cindy’s stories examine the roles of women, our expectations, and the aftermath of the classic happily ever after in interesting, sometimes disturbing, ways.

Every Word I Speak: Most of us know the fairy tale of the girl who, because of her kindness, was given the gift of gems and flowers that fell from her mouth with every word she spoke, but what happens afterward? Who can she trust and what will they want from her? This version of the story is a dark and troubling tale, and absolutely delicious for those of us who like our fairy tales unmarred by a Disney ending.

What Will I Do When This Dream is Over?: Matilda is a unicorn, calmly cropping the grass in Emmy’s front yard. Hank is her ex-boyfriend, who can’t see her anymore because, she’s afraid, he’s angry with her for not putting out. Emmy’s been preparing for the day Matilda would show up all her life. It’s been like a dream, always there. She’s been called upon to do a job, to save the world, and now it’s time. Emmy’s off on an adventure. She hopes she’ll win, beat the bad guys, save the day, but if she does, what happens after?

The Fortunate Ones: Once upon a time, there lived a people who were always fortunate. And then they discovered that their fortune resided in their women, so they turned them into a commodity to be bought and sold. Annabelle is living the dream with her very successful husband, except he beats her sometimes, when he’s angry, when things don’t go right. She doesn’t like knowing she’s a commodity. She doesn’t like thinking like that. But she has to, and it’s up to her to save herself. If she can. If she can take her fortune back into her own hands.

But Can You Let Him Go?:The fairy godmother who provides Cinderella with her pretty clothes and shoes and the ride to the ball is paying penance for her mistakes. When she’s not passing judgement on foolish and avaricious humans, she’s hunting for Cinderella, the Cinderella in this tale, at this time, and the handsome prince who will give Cinderella her happily ever after. She needs to get it right. She needs to save them both. If she doesn’t, she’ll never see her people again. Her sister, however, is determined to see her fail, and she’ll do all in her power to make that come to pass.

Q: What are your hobbies?

A: I have way too many...I sew, garden, obsess over home improvement, read constantly...but my primary hobby is learning how to fence the way that they did in the time of Elizabeth I, through the Society for Creative Anachronism. I have a true passion for the blade...I love trying to push myself to become a better fencer.



DEADLY LUCIDITY by Julie Achterhoff

Caught in a tangled web of dreams and nightmares, Marie Reilly is being hunted by a psychopath in the dream world she can't escape. Her single ally, a Ranger named Murphy, may be her only hope. He must help her reach the Great Fortress, where they've been told there is a way back to her reality. Together, they fight their way through the twists and turns of Marie's mind so she can have her life back. But what of their growing passion for each other? How can Marie leave the man she has come to love behind in this nightmarish world he has called home as far back as he can remember?

What have you learned about being an author since you started writing professionally, Julie?

Gosh, I've learned so much! I started out reading a couple of books on how to write and taking a women's literature class at the local community college. That was ten years ago. I started writing professionally three years ago, starting with a novella titled Native Vengeance, which was published on the Demon Minds website for their Halloween edition that year. That experience taught me that I might have what it took to write a full length novel. I started out small because I thought I'd test the waters and see if anyone thought I could write well. I was pleased to get my first acceptance letter, as well as recognition for my writing skills. Learning that someone else enjoys what you've written is one of the biggest thrills I've ever experienced!

I had some idea because I got an "A" on my class final, which was to write something. I went way overboard and wrote an entire three-act play titled Angel in the House! I wrote that in six weeks, too! So that gave me some validation about my writing. That's when I also found out there just wasn't enough time to write anything and homeschool my five children at the same time.

So I waited until most of them were out on their own to start writing my first novel, Quantum Earth. While writing this book, I learned all about the predictions for the year 2012 from the Mayan calendar. I also learned that I could create characters and scenes that would last through to the very end. It took me several months to write Quantum Earth. It takes up a lot of your day to day thinking to write a book. It keeps you up late at night, too.

Then I learned about writing query letters and synopsises to send out to publishers and agents. They have to really hook them from the very start. I learned that different publishers require different things from a potential author. Some want just a query at first, some want a query and a synopsis, and some want these plus some pages from your manuscript. You absolutely have to follow what they want exactly. If you don't do this part just right, that alone will cause them to say no. I found out that some publishers are very nice, sometimes even giving you advice, but some of them aren't very nice, and can say some rude things to you.

I had to find sources for publishers. I used Writer's Market and Duotrope mostly. I learned to keep track of whom I sent out to so I wouldn't duplicate my efforts. Then I learned the pretty painful feeling of being rejected over and over again. That was very hard for me because I don't take rejection well! Those were a tough few months of sending out my work very carefully, and getting nothing back but negative replies.

I had already learned that there were people who liked my writing, so I tried not to give up hope. I tried to see every no as one step closer to that magical word, "yes." Finally, after sending out at least fifty queries, synopses, and/or pages, I got a very big yes from an e-book publisher. She said Quantum Earth was exactly what she was interested in and loved it from start to finish. But one thing I had learned was that e-books were just sent by email. They are not really a solid book you can hold in your hand. This put me off a bit, so I contacted one of the publishers who said they wanted more about Quantum Earth and asked them if they were interested in publishing it. They said yes, too! Now I had a decision to make, and not much information about the pros and cons. But I knew I wanted to see my book in print as a real book, so I ended up having to be the one to say no to the first publisher. That was a twist. She was very disappointed, but understood.

So it happened that All Things That Matter Press was the one to publish my first real book. A year later they published my second book, Deadly Lucidity. For this book I learned all about lucid dreaming, among other things. During the time I've been with ATTM Press I've learned so much from Deb and Phil Harris. They run this small press, and I couldn't be happier with them. Deb has taught me everything I could possibly want to know about editing, and Phil has taught me all about promoting books and creating a name for yourself. They are experts at what they do. An author has to learn how to sell their own books by doing interviews, blogging, publicity, creating an author platform, and many other ways to get people to buy their books. It's not an easy process. I work on this almost every day.

I've also learned so much from other authors, especially the ones that are also published at ATTM Press. We have a yahoo group where we keep in close touch, sharing ideas and supporting one another. Another source for my education is my friends on facebook who are also writers. I have learned a lot from these and other sources, and continue to learn what it takes to be a writer. Now I'm at the point where I am starting to do some teaching, myself. I recently got an offer to teach at a writer's retreat next January in Georgia. I'm very excited about that, and hope that I can help others on the path to writing.

As of this writing I am finishing up my next book, Earthwalker, which will be available by Christmas.


Link to video trailer for Deadly Lucidity:
www.associatedcontent.com/video/687534/book_video_trailer_deadly_lucidity.html?cat=38

Link to Blog:
earthwalkr.wordpress.com
Link to buy Deadly Lucidity:
www.amazon.com/Deadly-Lucidity-Julie-Achterhoff/dp/0984421904/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1
or
allthingsthatmatterpress.com
Link to BookBuzzr preview of Deadly Lucidity:
www.freado.com/book/6046/Deadly-Lucidity

 

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For the third weekend of July Vacation Reads, we are featuring three titles:

Hattie Locke has a gift: when she sings, the dead dig themselves from their graves to listen. As a death-siren, her life has always been this way.

Then the dead begin to show up in numbers far beyond expected. With each song she sings, they grow pushy and demanding, rushing the stage to reach her. Trapped in a place where her dreams of music become her nightmares, Hattie is left with nowhere to turn.

But then she meets a boy, who promises freedom from her curse.

Now Hattie wonders: is ridding herself of her voice worth losing the music she’s lived to create?

 

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Today I am guest blogging at Cheryl Kaye Tardiff's Write Type Blog, talking about the challenges of the first page. Follow this link to visit the blog, and leave comments at Cheryl's wonderful site that contains so many great resources for writers.

 

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