The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

So the lovely and wonderfully talented, Trish Marie Dawson contacted me and asked if I’d like to take part in this thing called ‘THE NEXT BIG THING’. Thank you, Trish! It is designed to raise awareness of our work, or work in progress. We do that by answering ten questions about it. We graciously thank the person who nominated us, and tag five other authors whose work could well be that NEXT BIG THING.
So here we go!

 Q#1: What is the title of your book?

Inner Strength, it’s the 1st book in my new series, Guardians of Ferrum.

Q#2: Where did the idea for the book come from?

I was on a walk late at night with my boyfriend one day and bits of the story just started coming to me. Once I started writing it just went off in ways I never expected.

Q#3: What genre does your book fall under?

It is a young adult fiction, steampunk-esque novel.

Q#4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

That is incredibly tough and I don’t think I can answer this. The problem is I don’t know of any actress that is the proper age for the main character, Jinger, or any that I would like to see play her or that would be suitable for her.

Q#5: What is the one sentence sypnopsis for the book?

The first book in the Guardians of Ferrum series introduces Jinger Andrews, a pretty normal college student that has her life turned upside down when she is unknowingly bonded to a future senator for the unheard of world, Ferrum; once there she starts to find out that Ferrum might not be the utopia everyone thinks it is, but trying to figure out the secrets of the world and fulfill her role as a guardian might just cost her, her life.

Q#6: Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I am self-publishing the book.

Q#7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

First draft was completed in about a month, but then it had to go through some pretty hefty editing.

Q#8: What other books would you compare this story to, in your genre?

I haven’t really read any other steampunk novels. I know a few exist, but I wouldn’t be able to compare mine to any since I don’t know what they’re like.

Q#9: Who or what inspired you to write this book?

All of my friends and the people that have impacted my life in some major way. Ultimately, my boyfriend, Juan and my bestest friend, Ginger – who the main character was somewhat modeled after.

Q#10: What else about the book might pique the readers’ interest?

There’s plenty of fantasy, adventure and mystery that will keep you reading and trying to figure out what’s really going on in Ferrum and what’s going to happen to all of the characters. I just want everyone to not only be entertained by the story, but also to be drawn into the world and try to come up with the ending, only to be completely surprised by everything that will be revealed in the other books to come.

And now I’d like to pass this on to Dexter Morgenstern and any other author out there, and let them tell you all about their work. Their posts will bear the same title and will be live on or around December 5th. So, any authors that see this and have not already been invited to participate, I hand this on to you so you can continue on. (If you choose to I can add a link to your blog here if you just let me know)

I have returned!

Well a very happy belated Thanksgiving to all who celebrated it! Mine was nice but also hectic. The cats thoroughly enjoyed all of the turkey and ham though.

For my boyfriend and I, we were just constantly running around that we really didn’t get to enjoy the time off. He did buy a car – finally – that we weren’t expecting, but it’s really nice since we’ve been without one for awhile now and were sick of relying on the bus to get us anywhere we needed to go. No Black Friday shopping and nothing really fun… like I said, busy and not relaxing.

The rest of the year won’t be relaxing either since we have to get packed and moved within a month. I am so sick of looking for apartments already… Plus I need to get ready for the release of Inner Strength! Whoo! Like 2 weeks away 😀 Mark your calendars and let everyone know 😉

Exciting thing is I just finished Nanowrimo today! Yay, the 2nd year for me to win 😀 That is the next book I must work on editing now and get that ready to release sometime early 2013!

Well, I need to get and do some more cleaning/packing/etc…

Cheers!

 

It is coming!

 

Eeep! I’m so excited 😀

Happy Monday :D

Sorry for being so quiet on here. I just lost track of time… Let’s see, I never did do the book recommendation that I was wanting to do last week. I’ll try to do it later this week if I can find the time. Thanksgiving is here too soon… I’ve just been busy with Nano and edits and then sick and gaming, gaming, gaming…

But, I think Inner Strength is just about done! I completed the edits and am getting it ready for its release! 😀 I’m just trying to figure out the best date. My boyfriend tells me I should release it on my birthday – that’s the 10th of December – I just don’t know. I want to be able to do a release day party and I don’t think that would work well for me – though I could always do a belated one… Hmmm… I’ll think about it.

The other thing is we are moving for sure – to Dayton! Now I have to do apartment hunting and just hope that there will be something available in the time frame needed. Only have around a month to do so… That also means I’m going to have to be packing and cleaning like crazy… Ugh I just wish it wasn’t going to be right around the holidays…

My boyfriend wants to have our own Thanksgiving tomorrow with the kids – aka cats – so I’m going to be making a roast duck. I need to figure out good side dishes since I’ve never had duck other than the time I cooked it and that was just to practice… And then we will be leaving on Wednesday to spend the holiday weekend with his family!

I can’t believe 2012 is almost over!

But I better go because I have waaaaaaaay too much to do. So ya’ll probably won’t be seeing me on here that much until things start to settle down – as in get moved and everything..

Cheers!

Not a recommendation.

Sorry, I know I’m slacking on the recommendations. I just have been so busy with Nanowrimo and editing that I can’t really read just for fun and just trying to think of all of the books I’ve read seems impossible… I have countless books but over half of my library is boxed up in storage until I get moved. Also I had just about finished a new video game but then my boyfriend went and bought another new one and I really want to play it too… The problem is this new one will easily take me 70-80 hrs to complete.

Anyway. I wanted to share a cover idea for my Nano novel!

For those of you thinking that the handsome kitty looks familiar you are right! That is Ventus – the first cat to be interviewed by me on here! The novel is about his early life when he was feral and it is his account of being raised by rabbits. The title comes from his ability to survive not only his strange upbringing but also the life long battle he will have with an incurable disease. (The disease part is 100% true. Sadly he is going to be sick till the day he dies.)

This is going to be a start to a whole new series. Each book will be about one of our cats and will be based around true events with plenty of fiction for the added fun.

Since I started that I had to play around with the next ones…

  

  

My favorite is book 5. Yes, I am partial to the handsome tiger since he was the first cat I actually picked out for myself and was a birthday/Christmas present from my boyfriend last year but he is also the most important kitty 😉 .

Ok. I’m rambling or going to give away too much and I can’t do that. Hopefully, Survivor should be available early 2013 (February or March possibly).

I am also in the mood for Christmas! I’ve been listening to Christmas music all day and now I want to decorate, but there’s the whole issue of moving. I will know by the end of this week where I will be moving – if at all. There’s three options – stay where we’re at, move to Cleveland, or move to Dayton. So there won’t be any moving out of state, but still moving is moving.

Oh, I just thought of a recommendation for y’all… I shall wait and post it tomorrow if I can remember that.

Alright, I’m going to do a little bit of editing – I’m almost done! – and then I’ll be off to bed. I woke up at 4am and only got 2 hrs of sleep… But for some reason I’m not able to fall asleep right now.

Okay. I know. Enough rambling on. I just don’t feel like I’ve been on here as much as I usually am…

Ok! Night.

Cheers 😀

Interview with a cat #5: Aerith Martin-Roman

So, I thought I would finish interviewing the cats. Today, Miss Aerith has joined me!

Aerith just turned 2 years old a little over a month ago. Her full name is Aerith Ungoliant Martin-Roman. The meaning of Aerith is not quite known but is thought to mean air, earth, flower that finds the light, or peace. Ungoliant means gloomweaver. She is scared of everything and has some weight issues, but she does know how to kiss on command and will often do it to get herself out of trouble or situations she doesn’t like. Her nicknames include “Fatty,” “Goblin,” “Penguin,” “Fatty Lumpkin,” and “Aeris.”

*****

Hi Aerith! Thanks for coming and letting me interview you!

You’re welcome… Just so long as no one shows up unexpectedly.

Oh, don’t worry about that. It’s just the two of us. So, can you tell us something about you?

Well, I have abandonment issues. When I was a baby the person that I lived with when I was born didn’t want me so they sent me to someone else. Only after a couple months of being with her she sent me to you. I’m always scared that one day I’ll be tossed out again.

Aw. You don’t have to worry about that. You’re here for life. So it seems like all of the other cats sort of look up to you like their mother.

I suppose… It’s nothing that I’ve done I don’t think. They just seem to think that the way I act reflects a motherly personality. I just don’t like anyone being dirty so I bathe them and watch over them.

Well that’s nice of you. Everyone’s heard of the term scaredy cat and you definitely make that statement true. Why is that?

There is just so much in this world that is terrifying! It also goes back to those abandonment issues. I was always moving around so often in my early life that I was always on alert. Things change too much for my liking.

I suppose that’s understandable. Now most of the other cats seem to have some big secret or some “other life” do you have anything like that?

If I told you it wouldn’t be a secret.

I suppose so.

But I can tell you to keep an eye out for a book starring me! It’s going to be the 3rd book in the new upcoming series entitled Cats’ Biographies.

Cool! That’s awesome! Do you know what your book is going to be about?

Of course. It’s going to be about my secret life. There’s going to be one for each of us cats. The first one is called Survivor and is starring Ventus.

Alright, well thanks so much for all that info. Do you want to tell us anything else before we end this interview?

No.

Just no? Nothing else you want to add?

No.

Alright, well thank you for taking your time to come here today! And we will definitely be keeping our eyes out for that book series!

Yes. Goodnight.

Goodnight and goodbye.

*****

You can also check out her Facebook!

Author Interview with Kyle Snyder!

Today I was able to interview the interesting author Mr. Kyle Snyder!

Born in Torrance, California on March 29, 1985, Kyle E. Snyder currently resides in San Antonio, Texas. His dream is to write fiction with the goal that one day his works will become movies for everyone to enjoy. His main genres for writing are fantasy and sci-fi. With a long list of ideas for stories to write that keeps growing, there will be virtually no end to Kyle’s writing career.

*****

Hi Kyle, thanks so much for joining me today! So more than likely you are currently working on a book – or even multiple books – can you tell us a bit about you current WIP and if you know when it will be available?

Right now, I’m working on Project: Death Cat 2, the sequel to Project: Death Cat 1. Basically, Project: Death Cat is about an anti-terrorist agent named Dario Frandsen who is chosen by the United States Anti-Terrorist Organization (or USATO for short) to undergo genetic manipulation in order to gain cat-like abilities. The abilities he gains through genetic manipulation help him take down terrorists easily. However, his eyes and fingernails become cat-like as well, forcing him to wear shades and gloves at all times to hide the fact that he has become genetically manipulated. I got the idea for this story from Robocop and Black Cat. I’m sure everyone knows all about Robocop. As for Black Cat, it’s a popular Anime series that I highly recommend to watch. As for when Project: Death Cat 2 will be available, it’s currently unknown right now. All I can say is that once it’s completely written and edited, it’ll be available within 24 hours upon completion.

Awesome! That sounds really interesting. I love Anime so I’ll have to look into Black Cat. Do you give your characters experiences that you’ve had in your own life?

I tend to give my characters similar desires and interests that I’ve had or do have in my life. With Jordan and Amy in The Sapphire Desire, they have the desire to become rich quickly in any way possible, same as I. With Dario Frandsen in Project: Death Cat, he has a high interest in watching football related programming when he’s not at work, same as I. As for experiences I’ve had in my life, there probably will be some that I’ll have my characters have as well in future books.

Cool. What is your favorite thing about writing?

Knowing that somewhere in the future, someone is going to read it and like it. It also gives me a better visualization of seeing what my stories would be like if they became movies, which is my ultimate goal.

That would be really awesome! And good luck! Can you tell us how do you pick the names for your characters?

A lot of the names for my characters come from various sources. Some come from people I’ve known throughout my life, others come from various sources. For example, in The Sapphire Desire, three of the Ruin Raiders (Amulek, Laman, and Nehor) are named after people from The Book of Mormon. Like most writers, it’s not always easy coming up with names for the characters. Sometimes the names have to come naturally.

Completely understand. A good name is sometimes very hard to come by. So do you view writing as a career or a hobby or something else?

I view writing as a hobby. Obviously I don’t make enough money as a writer to make a living, so I do it part-time. For those who are thinking about quitting their job to be a full-time writer, don’t. Unless you are super successful as a writer, there is no reason for you to quit your job.

Very true. Who is your biggest supporter in your writing?

My internet friends. They know as well as I do that there’s so many good stories to tell that haven’t been told yet. Many of our ideas could easily become hit movies.

That’s great! And very true. I never understand when people think that everything has already been done before. What is your favorite movie/tv-show?

Favorite movie: The Avengers. Favorite TV show: Does NFL Football count as a TV show?

Lol, I suppose it can. Yea, The Avengers was good. Now you can only pick one. Tell us who is your favorite character out of all of the books you’ve written or are working on and why.

Dario Frandsen from Project: Death Cat. He’s not afraid of any terrorist, he never wants to admit defeat, he shows absolutely no mercy when engaged in battle, and when he’s not at work, he enjoys watching NFL football. He’s the ideal main character for a cop movie.

Lol, sounds like he would be. Do you like to create your own world for your characters or do you like to keep them in the “real world”.

If I’m writing fantasy, then I create worlds for the characters. If I’m writing Sci-Fi, I tend to keep them in the real world.

Makes sense. Who is your favorite author?

Independent author: David Walters, author of the Samurai Trilogy. Non-independent author: J.R.R. Tolkien, author of the Lord of the Rings.

Tolkien is my favorite author too! Before this interview ends do you have any closing comments?

To those who are thinking about writing fiction, don’t let anything stop you from doing so. We need more fiction writers in the world. There are many great ideas for stories that haven’t been told yet, many of which can even become movies. We as independent authors are the future of writing fiction. We as authors also have a responsibility to let Hollywood know that there are more ideas for movies to make than just remakes or reboots of movies that have been out for more than 20 years. For Hollywood to get out of the reputation of being short on ideas, we have to let them know that independent authors have brilliant ideas as well that could be blockbuster hits.

Awesome advice. Well thanks again for being here and the best of luck in your future of writing!

*****

Be sure to check out Kyle’s book, Project Death Cat. Available now!

 In the year 2041 in San Francisco, California, Dario Frandsen, an agent of the United States Anti-Terrorist Organization (or USATO for short), is in a war against Karbon Horns, a notorious terrorist organization known for attacking the public when least expected. During this war, Dario undergoes genetic manipulation to gain cat-like abilities in order to gain an edge against terrorists. With his cat-like abilities, his partner, Agent Sean Adamson and a motivation to avenge his father’s death, Agent Dario Frandsen is willing to do whatever it takes to defeat national terrorism.

Let’s begin the week shall we.

So I’m slacking. Well, only here… I’ve been working on my novel for Nano – 13,000+ I’ve reached today 🙂 and also the constant editing for Inner Strength must continue.

Hmm.. let’s see. Oh yes, I did go to the theater to see Wreck it Ralph since my boyfriend had been given tickets for a special advance showing. The movie was good but getting into was horrible. They had security that would check your purses and bags and take any phone from you and either pat you down or run a metal detector over you – they even took my kindle, which is the cheapest one that you can buy and has no sort of camera/speaker/recording device on it. It doesn’t even have it’s own backlight. (I had taken it for the bus ride and to read while waiting for the movie to start, well that didn’t happen.) I’m sure if I had taken my cell phone – which can’t even support picture messages – that they would have taken it too. Then they had security sitting in on the movie to kick anyone out that might somehow have slipped some recording device past their arduous security check to even get in the room. People compared it to going through the airport or like we were criminals.
Probably the most upsetting part of it was that they wouldn’t be doing this to anyone that chose to go to the midnight premier. By the time we got out of the movies there was only a couple hours till it would be released for everyone – really big deal if it were to get out a couple hours early. Oh, and it was in 3D so there was definitely no way that we would have been able to record that thing.

It was just stupid and a waste of time – and dampened our moods for the show. After such a long wait and such a big hassel to get in we were just tempted to say forget it. But for all of you who don’t have to go through that to watch it, it was still fun and a decent movie.

And once again there will be no recommendation – at least for today. Perhaps if I run across an old book I’ve read I’ll post it later this week. November is just such a busy month and it probably won’t slack off till the new year.

Speaking of the new year… still don’t know where I more than likely will be moving to. Seattle, WA perhaps… or mayhap the Cleveland or Dayton as before mentioned… I just don’t want to move, but it’s looking more and more likely to happen.

Well, I shall go now. Have a wonderful week!

Nanowrimo and the movies

It’s November first! Yup, time to start working on the novel for Nanowrimo!
I shan’t give any info about it away as of yet since I have no idea how it’s going to turn out – but if it does work I think it’ll be lots of fun 🙂

Oh and thanks to my boyfriend, I get to go to a special advance showing of Wreck it Ralph later today with him!

So, I need to work on my Nano novel, keep working on Inner Strength, play Assassins Creed III, read read and read, and as always it seems – do some lovely house cleaning.

Happy November! Think I’ll make a pumpkin pie later today – maybe if I can find the time…

Anyway, if you’re partcipating in Nano and need some writing buddies feel free to add me 🙂 vertigo_sam is my name.

Cheers!