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Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Hot Pink Equals Red Hot: Rozsa Gaston on Why Book Covers are so Important
 I am a cover freak. I can pick out a poorly made cover faster than I can admit I'm a cover freak. Your cover is what sells your book despite what everyone thinks. I was looking at a cover yesterday that was outstanding and...I bought the book at Amazon (after reading the synopsis of course) but it was that cover that led me to find out what the book was about. So, yes, covers sell.We have a wonderful guest post today from Rozsa Gaston, author of Paris Adieu, Dogsitters, Budapest Romance, Lyric, Running from Love and the soon to be released Paris Adieu sequel, Black is Not a Color Unless Worn By a Blonde. Rozsa studied European intellectual history at Yale, and then received her master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia. In between Rozsa worked as a singer/pianist all over the world. She currently lives in Connecticut with her family. You can visit Rozsa’s website at www.parisadieu.com for more information on her and her book. I welcome Rozsa as she tells us why she thinks covers are so important. Be sure to check out her latest book, Paris Adieu! _________________________________
Hot Pink Equals Red Hot: Rozsa Gaston on Why Book Covers are So Important Book covers either draw you in or they don't. Above all, they should have mystique. Less is more. It's the readers' imagination that's going to fill in the blanks, but give them a point of departure, something to visually chew on. Case in point: my latest book Paris Adieu. An image of the book's main character, Ava Fodor, dominates the cover. This image immediately provoked a strong response from both women and men. The women's responses were largely negative. The men's re The women largely said "she looks a bit fat," "I don't really like her." That pleased me, because my main character is a bit chubby, but above all, she's appealing. The reason women don't really like her is because men do. I'm sure there are plenty of women who'd like to find out what magic Ava possesses, because how dare she be a bit chubby and hugely appealing all at the same time? Isn't that what most of us would like to be too? The men largely said, "Who's the girl?" In fact, they all said, "Who's the girl?," which told me our cover was a red hot hit. Or rather, a hot pink one. The Paris Adieu cover combines hot pink with shades of grey. It perfectly captures the journey Ava makes from black and white, Puritan-inflected New England, where she grew up, to Paris' shades of grey, accented with Ava's hot pink readiness to embrace life. Adventure, anyone? Another cover refinement lies embedded in the letters forming the book title, Paris Adieu. The "A" in "Paris" is shaped into the Eiffel Tower. The "I" in "Adieu" forms the Empire State Building. Ingenious, no? The title's first word tells the reader where the story takes place – Paris. The title's second word "adieu" tells the reader that that mysterious woman on the cover is going to leave Paris for New York, most probably. However, there's only one way to find out what happens to her before she bids adieu to Paris – turn the page and start reading. Hats off to Rob Mohan for his wonderful cover design for Paris Adieu by Rozsa Gaston. Available on amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and smashwords.com.
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Interview with Barbara Lampert, author of 'Charlie: A Love Story'
 Barbara Lampert is a Marriage and Family Therapist specializing in relationships. She’s been in private practice in Brentwood, California for over twenty years. She considers her work a calling and loves what she does. She has a doctorate in medical sociology and two master’s degrees – one in psychology and one in sociology. Barbara has adored dogs her whole life. They’re her passion! She notes that for a lot of people, their dogs are their best friends. She loves helping people know that’s ok – that a soul-satisfying relationship may be found with any being and needs to be treasured. Besides her love of dogs, Barbara is an avid gardener and finds herself gardening in much of her spare time. She sees her garden as a work of art. She loves being in nature – the miracle of growth, the ever-changing landscape, its beauty. Today Barbara lives happily in Malibu, California with her husband David (married twenty-eight years!) and their six-year-old Golden Retriever, Harry. Barbara hopes that Charlie: A Love Story will be a tribute not only to a magnificent dog but to all dogs everywhere. You can visit her website at www.charliealovestory.com. ABOUT CHARLIE: A LOVE STORYCharlie: A Love Story tells of the beautiful love between Charlie, a Golden Retriever, and the author, Barbara Lampert. It takes place in Malibu, California. When Charlie turned eleven years old and started having some health problems, a journal Barbara was keeping about her garden quickly became mostly about Charlie. Charlie: A Love Story is an
Q. Welcome to The Writer’s Life, Barbara. Can you tell us how long you’ve been writing and how your journey led to writing your latest book, Charlie: A Love Story? As far as writing a book, this is my first one. But in one form or another I’ve been writing most of my life, primarily either journaling or writing papers for school. Lots of papers for school, because I’ve obtained a number of advanced degrees. Charlie: A Love Story actually came out of a gardening journal I was keeping. When Charlie was eleven years old, he began having some health problems. At the time, I was keeping a gardening journal while I was landscaping our property in Malibu on almost an acre of land. Very quickly that journal became mostly about Charlie, for a number of reasons. Mostly, I was struck by his Buddha-like attitude in dealing with his health issues. He’d bravely and with a very light attitude face one health issue after another. Also, he and I had always been extremely close, and it helped me so much to write about him and his very courageous way of facing his life’s challenges. He seemed to bounce out of each challenge joyfully, with a renewed zest for life. Q. How did you choose your title and was it your first choice? Ah, the title search! My title is my second choice, but you know what, I now like it better than my first choice, Charlie and Me. In 2005 when John Grogan’s Marley and Me came out, I of course had to find another title. At first I was really disappointed. I remember walking into Barnes and Noble in the fall of 2005 and seeing rows and rows of Grogan’s book and just thinking “now what?” Before I settled on Charlie: A Love Story, I came up with a long list of possibilities. I let them roll around in my head, I asked various people their opinions, I spoke with the publisher, and I gathered lots of information about the title selection process and reasons people liked one title or another. So the title I finally chose came after much deliberation. Eventually though, I started thinking that Charlie: A Love Story fits my book so much better, because first and foremost it’s a book about Charlie, and secondarily it’s also about our beautiful relationship. So I’m really happy with the title now. Q. We all know that publishers can’t do all of the publicity and that some lies on the author. What has your publisher done so far to publicize the book and what have you done? A little before and right after my publication date of January 27th, 2012, I felt as if a whistle blew, the gate flew open, and I was in a race. I kept hearing how important the first few months are when promoting a book. And it’s been nonstop since then. I think I have publicized my book far more than my publisher has, which I’ve heard and believe is usually the case. The publisher sent out lots of pitch letters and books for review, which helped the book get known and which garnered some wonderful endorsements, a radio interview, and some notices in newspapers. For my part, I printed 1,000 five-by-seven-inch postcards and started handing them out to everyone I could. I took them to shops in my hometown of Malibu and also in nearby Montecito, where some of Charlie’s story takes place. Most shopkeepers were so gracious about keeping these postcards on display. The postcards are also prominently on display in my psychotherapy office and of course will be there for quite a while. I’ve spoken with three book store owners about book signings and so far have had one fabulous book signing at Tecolote Book Shop in Montecito. I have promises from the other two book stores for signings in the next month or so. I’m now in the middle of a blog tour, which I think will be help with internet visibility and further spreading the word. Due to my efforts, my book is now being carried in three book stores including a Barnes & Noble in the Westlake/Thousand Oaks area not far from my home. My book is also being carried by our local newsstand. I feel very lucky about the reception my book has received from so many people and places. The very positive feedback makes it easier and easier to promote it. I love my book and hope to get as many people to read it as possible. Besides being a great dog story because Charlie was a great dog, I think it will be extremely helpful to people and their pets. The wonderful feedback I’ve gotten has already shown this to be true. Which makes me so happy. Q. Open to a random page in your book. Can you tell us what is happening? This is a fun thing to do! I opened to page 13. Yes, and there is the story of Charlie when he was six years old and rescuing a bird the size of a thimble. He only wanted to point it out to me, didn’t try to get it or move it, just tried to let me know that it needed help. I still remember that day. I can still see Charlie standing over that tiny bird and wagging his tail and not moving until he got me to come over there. “What a kind, gentle soul…” Q. Do you plan subsequent books? Yes, and I can’t believe I’m saying that already! I’m thinking about a gardening book but who knows, maybe another dog book. There are no words to describe how much I love dogs, so I could write about them endlessly. Maybe I will. Q. What is the one thing you learned about your book AFTER it was published? About the book itself, I learned how much I really liked the way it turned out! Publishing it was lots of work—the details, the back and forth with the publisher about various things, the waiting and waiting and waiting. At times I thought my head was going to explode. Also, after it was published, even though I thought it was a really well-made book starting with the editing of it, I am so happy about the wonderful comments I’m getting from so many people. What a wonderful reward after all that work. Q. What is your most favorite time of the day or night to write? I love writing in the early morning. It’s quiet, nothing has happened yet to stimulate my mind. But interestingly enough, most of Charlie’s story was written in the afternoons or evenings, after the day or when something was happening or when I got to work after being with Charlie and in the garden in the morning. Q. What is usually better – the book or the movie? The book is usually better than the movie, because the book is usually a more fully developed story, and so often the movie just misses capturing the story in the book. Once exception to that is a movie I saw recently, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” I think the movie was quite good – not as good as the book, but quite close. Also, the book generally is read before the movie is seen, and it’s difficult to override a first impression. Also and by necessity, the movie can’t include all the detail that’s in a book. Q. You’re about to write your next book. What did you learn from your previous book to help you write your next book? Without hesitation, I can say I learned that the writing of the book is the most enjoyable part, the part that should be savored because the next part, publishing, is almost always quite tedious. On a very practical level, I’ve learned a lot about grammar, punctuation and writing in general. I think this will help me tremendously the next time. However, there is no way that anyone is going to convince me to use semicolons, unless absolutely necessary. I have trouble seeing semicolons in a work of art. Q. Finally, what’s your best tip you can give to writers who want to be published? Same old refrain: You have to want being published badly enough to endure all that it takes to be published. There’s a lot of hard work involved, but there’s a wonderful reward at the end of it. I’ve found that all that work was worth it. Though there were times when I just wanted to throw my hands up in the air. Have some good support around you, have a cheering section, whatever it takes to achieve your goal. It’s not just about being published, it’s about touching other people’s lives with your words. And that’s a wonderful feeling! Q. Thank you for your interview, Barbara. Do you have any final words? You’re very welcome! I liked answering these questions and I hope my answers help. And I wish anyone who wants to publish lots of success. Please know that after you have published your book, you will be happy that you were able to endure the publishing process and that you did not let its difficulties stop you. And that, after you publish your book, you will need to promote it – you are its best promoter. People want to meet you, talk with you, and tell you how they feel about your book. That’s a wonderful part too! So enjoy it!
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Monday, March 12, 2012
Law Attorney/Author Chris Shella gives tips for creating a six figure law practice
 Author Chris Shella is a graduate of Morehouse College and the University of Texas Law School and started his legal career in Long Island, New York at the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office. He is admitted to the practice of law in New York, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and North Carolina. Shella is also admitted to the federal court in the Eastern District of North Carolina, the Middle District of North Carolina, U.S. District of Columbia, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals, the Eastern District of New York, and the Southern District of New York.He is also admitted to the Bar Of The United States Supreme Court. He and his cases have been covered on Court TV, CNN, and in the New York Times, and other media outlets across the globe. He has represented everyone from lawyers to major drug traffickers to a serial killer in Baltimore. His two most famous case are the Vegan Baby Case and his defense of the Duke Lacrosse Case accuser for the alleged murder of her boyfriend. Chris now resides in Durham, North Carolina, with his wife and son. His latest book is the legal nonfiction, Grinding It Out: How to Create a Six-Figure Law Practice. You can visit his website at www.hiredgunlawyer.com. Website | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Amazon | Amazon Kindle
About Grinding It Out: How to Create a Six-F |
Win copy of Equity of Evil + $25 at Goodreads Q&A with Rudy Mazzochi
 I have a very talented author appearing today in a Q&A at Goodreads today. Stop by, leave a comment and you are eligible to win a free e-copy of his medical thriller novel, Equity of Evil. Not only that, Pump Up Your Book is throwing in a $25 cash bonus prize to the same lucky winner. Have a book to read and cash to spend by tomorrow morning!All you have to do is leave a comment at the Q&A chat page at Goodreads by midnight tonight. One lucky person will be notified tomorrow if they are the winner. This is an international contest. You must have a paypal account to accept your monetary winnings. Good luck! |
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Interview with 'The Couples' Richard Alan + Book Giveaway!
 Richard Alan lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with his wife, Carolynn. They are the proud parents of three wonderful adult sons.He is a Vietnam combat and 101st Airborne Division veteran. After an education in mathematics, a 17 year career in manufacturing engineering and a 22 year career in software engineering, he has started a career as an author. Richard writes novels about people trying to find their life-partner, soul-mate, the person they are meant to be with for life. His first two books, Meant to Be and The Couples, are available on his website and most online retailers. Richard’s other interests range from mathematical analysis and photography to anything with an engine. His current projects include writing the third (Finding Each Other) and fourth novels in the “Meant to Be” series, and discovering the properties of functions of p-adic numbers. Having completed a potting bench for his lifepartner, Carolynn, he is busy driving her to watch salmon runs, visit National Parks, and anywhere that provides an opportunity to view her avian friends. His latest books in the Meant to Be Series are Meant to Be and The Couples. You can visit Richard Alan’s website, VILLAGE DRUMMER FICTION at www.villagedrummerfiction.com. About the Book: Acclaimed author of Meant to Be, Richard Alan, once again enchants us with characters that we really want to know. You will laugh, cry, and love with them as you seek the answers to the relationship questions posed by this talented author. Will a tough techy lady be able to find love with a man who is still mourning his deceased fiancée? Will an intellectually snobbish genius learn that there is more to the truck mechanic than meets the eye? Can a nerd and a party girl find happiness together? Can a teenage boy musician get past his unrequited love to learn to love a ranch girl instead? Will a troubled rape victim be able to have a normal relationship with a man? The Couples is about people who may belong together and how the world around them helps them, or sometimes defeats them in their search for a life partner. It follows the lives of couples,their friends, and their support systems,as they explore their relationships. The Couples is Richard Alan’s second novel in the “Meant to Be” series. It continues to explore relationships, love, and life.
Q: Welcome to The Writer's Life, Richard. Can you tell us how long you’ve been writing and how your journey led to writing your latest book, The Couples? I wrote occasional short stories when my children were young, in which they were the heroes. I did not keep those stories as my boys got older. My current career as an author started when I was asked to write an article for a blog (http://memoirsfromnam.blogspot.com/) about my experiences in Vietnam. I submitted the article and it was published. The blog owner asked how long I had been writing. I replied that I was not a writer. She said that I should be. I started writing novels fifteen months ago. While working on Meant to Be, I realized I had so many ideas for future characters and storylines, the book would never be finished. That is when I decided to create a series. The Couples continues the theme of people striving to find the person they are meant to spend their lives with. Q: How did you choose your title and was it your first choice? As soon as I started writing it, I knew what the title would be. The book follows many individuals as their lives change and they become couples. The Couples seemed like the logical title. It was my first and only choice. Q: We all know that publishers can’t do all of the publicity and that some lies on the author. What has your publisher done so far to publicize the book and what have you done? I am self-published so all of the publicity has fallen on me and my wife. She is in charge of marketing my books. The first thing we did was arrange some book signing events; one at a local bookstore, one at a writer’s organization, and one at a charity auction and sale. We used e-mail and Facebook to advertise and provided a poster to the book store. They also had their own advertising. With the help of my wife, I created and maintain a Facebook fan page. I learned to Twitter and am growing my Twitter network. I write a blog, and belong to numerous groups of authors who help each other. In addition to doing this virtual book tour, I am participating in the Fourth Writers Platform-Building Campaign. Q: Open to a random page in your book. Can you tell us what is happening?
Q: Do you plan subsequent books? Definitely. I have published two books, Meant to Be and The Couples, written a third, Finding Each Other (which is in editing now) and am currently writing my fourth novel. I hope to be able to write many more books. Q: What is the one thing you learned about your book AFTER it was published? It was pure joy learning how intrigued my readers were in the characters I had created. I had no idea how gratifying it would be to have people ask me when the next book is coming out because they want to know more about the people in the series. I’ve had readers tell me that the characters have become part of their families. Q: What is your most favorite time of the day or night to write? Anytime is a good time to write. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with a fully formed story in my head and spend the next several hours writing it down. Other times, I will be doing something completely unrelated to my writing and a new character or plotline will fill my imagination. I then have to stop what I’m doing, open my laptop, and start writing. Q: What is usually better – the book or the movie? Ninety minute novels are called screenplays. In my opinion, there is very little similarity, other than they both tell a story. Q: You’re about to write your next book. What did you learn from your previous book to help you write your next book? I’ve learned that writing a book primarily involves winding up my imagination and letting it go. I no longer worry if I have another story or book in my head. My worry is that I don’t have enough time to write down all the stories that are in there. Q: Finally, what’s your best tip you can give to writers who want to be published? Start creating buzz about your book even before you finish writing it. Create a webpage, an author page on Facebook, and a Twitter account, at minimum. Read blogs about writing. Spread the word about what you are writing. The author community is friendly and wonderfully generous with their advice. Remember to repay them by also being helpful to them and others. It’s not all about selling your novel. Even as a new writer you will have learnings and ah-hah moments to share. Help expand other authors’ networks by retweeting, sharing, and recommending their sites. They will do the same for you if you give and not just take. Good luck and have fun. Q: Thank you for your interview, Richard. Do you have any final words? If writing isn’t fun, don’t do it. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to talk with you. ~ ~ GIVEAWAY ~ ~ Here are the details:
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Friday, March 09, 2012
Interview with Jill Limber, author of historical romance 'Montana Morning'
 A multi-published author and former RWA President, Jill Limber’s latest books are Montana Morning, A Heart That Dares and The Right Track. As a child, some of Jill’s tales got her in trouble, but now she gets paid for them. Residing in San Diego with her husband and a trio of dogs and one very ancient cat, Jill’s favorite pastime is to gather friends and family for good food, conversation and plenty of laughter. You can visit her website at www.JillLimber.com. Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Barnes & Noble | Buroughs Publishing Group | Official Tour Page
About Montana MorningIn the Montana Territory town of Dennison, the law allows a woman to save a man from hanging if she agrees to marry him. Battered and nearly unconscious with a noose around Welcome to The Writer's Life, Jill. Can you tell us how long you’ve been writing and how your journey led to writing your latest book, Montana Morning? I’ve been a writer for over twenty years. I have always loved reading historical romance, and so the genre had great appeal for me. Montana Morning is a story of a marriage of convenience, with a bit of a twist. I think this type of story is best told in a historical setting. How did you choose your title and was it your first choice? My first choice of titles when I start a book is always a working title to name a file, and it usually is the heroine’s first name. Somewhere along the line a suitable title usually presents itself. There is a scene in the book actually brought up the title, Montana Morning. We all know that publishers can’t do all of the publicity and that some lies on the author. What has your publisher done so far to publicize the book and what have you done? I’m doing a blog tour and using social media. I’m just about to start a class on using social media to publicize Montana Morning. It is a whole new world for me, and I look forward to gaining some expertise. Open to a random page in your book. Can you tell us what is happening? Wes and Katherine are driving into town for the first time since she claimed him off the gallows and married him. He was only semi-conscious at the time, and he doesn’t remember what happened, only what she’s told him. He draws the horses to a stop on a rise above the town and sees the scaffold where he was nearly hung and realizes how much courage she had to do what she did, and how much he owes her. Do you plan subsequent books? I am nearing the end of my next book, also a historical romance, entitled The Ungovernable Governess. What is the one thing you learned about your book AFTER it was published? How hard it was to sell the next one! What is your most favorite time of the day or night to write? I’m definitely a morning person. I pretty much run out of ‘creative steam’ by noontime, so I’m an early riser. I do my fiction writing first, then in the afternoon I work on publicity and the business of writing. What is usually better – the book or the movie? The book. The imagination you use while reading is always better than the presentation on the screen. With a book you feel like you are right in the story with the characters, with a movie you are simply a watcher. You’re about to write your next book. What did you learn from your previous book to help you write your next book? To write faster, and do a rough draft start to finish before tweaking the plot. I have found too much fiddling with the story until the full book is written messes with the pacing of the book. I find that I get to know the characters as I go along, and generally the first few chapters need to be changed by the time I go in for a rewrite, so it is a waste of time to polish the beginning when it will most probably change or not even be used.
Finally, what’s your best tip you can give to writers who want to be published? When an idea hits you, play with it. Let it simmer until it takes on some form and substance. Then sit yourself down and get the book written. Then rewrite, several times, until you have the best story you can craft. Then polish it until it shines. You have to put your heart and soul into it. Thank you for your interview, Jill. Do you have any final words? Lots of people say they want to write, or that they have ideas for books. The hard part is setting yourself down and committing to finish the book. It takes a great deal of discipline and drive to write an entire manuscript and I admire anyone who can do it. |
Thursday, March 08, 2012
Before You Throw in the Towel-Ten Ways for the Unpublished Author to Thwart Their Demons
 Before You Throw in the Towel-Ten Ways for the Unpublished Author to Thwart Their Demons By Joan Bird, author of TUMBLEWEED HEIGHTS Write, write and re-write. Read aloud and listen to the text. Errors in grammar, redundancy in word choices, pacing, etc., often come to light. Try printing out your pages and then editing. As much as we are glued to our word processor programs, things do look different in print. Join a writing group. Not just a few friends eating chips and gabbing, but a 'committed' group. This means setting goals. Try twenty-to thirty pages each week. Done. Shipped. If you are in a group, be firm but kind. You can challenge yet remain open-minded to another's style and genre.  For example, though you don't much care for explicit sex or blood and guts in your writing, doesn't mean you can't appreciate, critique or point out modifications to another writer on important elements. E.g., whether the action even makes sense for the character or its placement is wrong. [Would Little Bo Beep really disembowel the Big Bad Wolf? Even if the answer is 'yes', would she do it on page one?] Brave a contest or two in your genre. In my experience the judges are helpful in pointing out bad habits of which a writer may not even be aware. Furthermore, often you are given good feedback as to characters, the story itself or your writing skills. Positive affirmation goes a long way for the unpublished author with no other resources to act as a sounding board. Purchase a respected grammar guide. Read it. Spellcheque? Spellchek? (Right). Peruse the bookstore for writers on writing. A single chapter on character development might rock your world. Examples of things done correctly and incorrectly could alleviate a problem you don't even recognize. If this embarrasses you, wear a disguise. Read published writers in your genre. Last but not least. Keep a towel handy. When the world comes crashing in, throw it. Then take a walk. Joan Bird has been telling stories for years. In her first incarnation she was a singer/song writer with a rock band (yes, her Fender guitars are awesome), then she started writing books, mostly for herself. Joan’s storytelling is legendary amongst her family and friends. For years she’s been including short stories with her holiday greetings each December and for years her friends and family have been encouraging her to write a book. Little did they know she had a storehouse of novels just waiting to be read by more than just her mailing list. A couple of years ago she began working on polishing the stories she had already written, which sparked new ideas that led to writing more novels. Tumbleweed Heights is her first published book, but there are more on the way and she can’t wait for you to read them. Her latest book is the contemporary romance, Tumbleweed Heights. Facebook | Amazon Kindle Store | Smashwords | Boroughs Publishing Group |
Wednesday, March 07, 2012
Interview with Jessica Chambers, author of 'Dark Is the Sky'
 Jessica Chambers has been inventing stories even before she was old enough to hold a pen. She has a passion for writing contemporary novels packed with emotion, complex relationships and often a touch of mystery. Visually impaired from birth, Jessica currently lives with her family and Staffordshire bull terrier in the English town of Windsor. In addition to devouring fiction of all genres, she loves watching TV quiz shows and admits to being extremely competitive when it comes to a game of Trivial Pursuit. Her latest book is Dark is the Sky. You can visit her website at www.jessicachambers.co.uk. Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon | Amazon Kindle Store | Barnes & Noble | Official Tour Page About Dark is the SkyTwelve years earlier, Olivia and Joel Cameron invited the family to spend the weekend at their new country home. Olivia hoped to provide them all with a much-needed escape from their anxiety over the recession crippling the nation; instead, the visit ended in tragedy when Scott, Joel’s wild and outrageously sexy youngest brother, was found dead. The repercussions tore the family apart. Now, Olivia’s sister Violet has persuaded her to host a reunion. She claims it’s time they finally put the past behind them and laid their ghosts to rest. However, some wounds run too deep to heal, and some secrets are too destructive to remain hidden. Still grieving for the man she loved, Violet is determined to uncover the truth behind his death—a truth she believes lies within her As the web of deceit and hostility begins to unravel, family ties are tested to the limit, and no one will emerge unscathed.
Q: Welcome to The Writer's Life, Jessica. Can you tell us how long you’ve been writing and how your journey led to writing your latest book, Dark is the Sky? Hard to say exactly when I started putting my ideas down on paper, but I’ve been inventing stories for as long as I can remember. Still, I didn’t write my first full length novel until leaving school. Naturally, at eighteen, I believed I knew everything there was to know. All I had to do was write a book, any book, then send it off to an agent, who would instantly fall in love with it and land me a six figure contract. Needless to say, that isn’t how things turned out! It’s been a long and often frustrating journey of rejection letters and rewrites, tears and renewed determination, but eventually, in September 2010, my debut novel, Voices on the Waves, was published. I’ve learned so much since then, both about myself and my writing, and even with a second published novel under my belt, I’m learning all the time! Q: I love your title! Can you tell us why you chose it? I knew I wanted a title that captured both the darkness and the poignancy of the novel. I should probably mention here that I’m a massive Beatles fan. My dad used to play me their albums in the car every Sunday evening when he drove me to my weekly boarding school, but that’s another story! Suffice to say, I was listening to the Hard Day’s Night album while working on this novel, when these particular lyrics struck a chord with me: “Bright are the stars that shine, dark is the sky” and bingo! I had my title. Q: Why did you believe your book should be published? Hmmm. I’m not sure it was so much that I thought my book should be published, although I of course prayed a publisher would love it enough to take it on. No, it was more to do with the fact that, because I enjoyed writing it so much, I hoped readers would enjoy it too. Reading has always been such an important part of my life. If I can bring others just a little of the pleasure books have given me, well, that’s a wonderful thing. Q: We all know that publishers can’t do all of the publicity and that some lies on the author. What has your publisher done so far to publicize the book and what have you done? My publisher, All Things That Matter Press, has been incredibly supportive in so far as providing me with plenty of ideas and advice for marketing my book. However, it’s still a relatively small publisher with a limited budget, and no one made any secret of the fact that I would be responsible for the majority of the marketing. So far I’ve been working on obtaining reviews, creating book trailers and meet the author videos, and of course spreading the word through social media. I’d be the first to admit that I’m a long way from being a marketing expert, but I’m learning more every day! Q: What book on the market can it compare to? How is it different? What makes your book special? Honestly, I’m not sure it compares directly to any book I’ve read as it crosses over into two distinct genres. It tackles many of the issues dealt with in women’s fiction novels—family, heartbreak, romance—whilst giving readers a mystery to solve. In short, it combines the things I so love in a book. Q: Do you plan subsequent books? I’m currently straying into the unknown and attempting my first young adult novel. Think the grittiness of Melvin Burgess meets the powerful relationships characterized by Cassandra Clare. With dark secrets, a complex love triangle and rampaging hormones, it’s proving enormous fun! Q: Thank you for your interview, Jessica. Do you have any final words? Only to say thank you so much for having me here today, and also to everyone who has been kind enough to buy my book. Your support means the world to me, and I only hope you have as much fun reading it as I did during the writing process.
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Monday, March 05, 2012
Interview with Abby Luby, author of "Nuclear Romance"
About Abby Luby Abby Luby is a freelance journalist who, for over ten years, has covered nuclear power, particularly issues surrounding the Indian Point nuclear power plant in New York. Her articles have appeared in The New York Daily News, The Villager, The Westchester Guardian, The Real Deal, SolveClimateNews, The North County News and the Record Review. She also writes for the Poughkeepsie Journal, The Stamford Advocate/Greenwich Time, Valley Table Magazine, Roll Magazine, Hearst publications HealthyLivingCT, Living@HomeCT covering news, art, food and health. She teaches writing and literature at Marist College.
To find out more about Abby visit http://www.abbylu.com
To find out more about Nuclear Romance visit http://nuclearromance.wordpress.com
Q: Welcome to The Writer's Life, Abby Luby.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how long you’ve been writing?
A: I am a single parent with a 20 year old
son in college. I am an active journalist for publications in
Q: Can you please tell us about your book and why
you wrote it?
A: Nuclear Romance is a
story about how the tragic death of a 7-year old girl after swimming at a beach
across from a nuclear power plant sets off a chain of events that involve a
sports journalist, an anti-nuclear activist, a grieving mother and her son. A
young woman reporter falls prey to a callous plant executive whose job depends
on keeping the multi-billion dollar nuclear company viable. Set in the
Northeast, unraveling the cause of the girl’s death coincides with growing
anti-nuclear sentiment which escalates after highly radioactive steam escapes
from the plant, forcing a mass evacuation. I wrote this book because I wanted
to create a story that would be both intriguing about real people the reader
could identify with while presenting the complicated, often hard to understand
technology of nuclear reactors and the culture of the nuclear industry. As a
journalist I reported on the aging nuclear power plant located 5 miles from my
home. Since the plant had (and has) a history of accidents, as a parent I
worried about what safety measures, and how the evacuation plan would work. My
professional and personal involvement planted the seeds for the novel, Nuclear Romance.
Q: What were some of the biggest challenges you
faced writing it?
A: Nuclear Romance is my first novel and writing it took me about four years. I was
regularly reporting on the Indian Point nuclear power plant for the New York
Daily News when I started to write the novel. The challenge was the story line
in Nuclear Romance would boomeranging
off the latest news and swing like an energized pendulum, constantly changing
and evolving. With every turn of the
creative imagination, the characters were forming and re-forming until finally,
they became distinct voices, moved with their own body language, fell in love
when they weren’t supposed to, got angry, sad, cried and laughed. As news
stories broke about the nuclear disaster in
Q: Do you have a press kit and what do you include
in it? Does this press kit appear online
and, if so, can you provide a link to where we can see it?
A: I do not have a formal press kit just yet. I have made use of the many
online social media sites. My blog, www.nuclearromance.wordpress.com,
tells where you can buy the book, gives chapter excerpts and
directs you to my relevant news articles, opinion pieces and other blog sites
that feature my articles.
Q: Have you either spoken to groups of people about
your book or appeared on radio or TV?
What are your upcoming plans for doing so?
A: Shortly after my book was published, I was interviewed by a few local
radio stations. One such interview is on my web site: http://www.abbylu.com/media/show_2472721.mp3
An outreach to local libraries for me to present
readings from Nuclear Romance are being
arranged as well as to book reviewers and groups interested in the dangers of
nuclear power.
Q: Do you have an agent and, if so, would you mind
sharing who he/is is? If not, have you ever had an agent or do you even
feel it’s necessary to have one?
A: I do not have a
literary agent, but I do have a publicist/agent: Steve Kent of Kent
Communications. The age old model of using literary agents as an avenue to get
published is dramatically disappearing because of the eBook revolution. For
centuries some of the best writers have had to endure constant rejections by
agents who claimed to know what would “sell.” JK Rowling is a good example. Although
there are wonderful agents, writers wait six months to ayear just to get a
standard reply without knowing if they are accepted, leading to deep
frustration which, sadly, could squelch a writer’s spirit and a confidence to
keep creating. Also, having an agent does not ensure getting published.
As a writer today you
can self promote your book with a good amount of success via social networking,
but it is considerably time consuming. I do a fair amount on my own to get the word
out and understand that publicizing a book can be a full time job.
Q: Did you, your agent or publisher prepare a media
blitz before the book came out and would you like to tell us about it?
A: A media blitz was prepared before Nuclear
Romance was published and was a
campaign that included outreach to radio and TV talk show hosts who were concerned
with nuclear power issues, book reviewers and environmental groups that might
be interested in posting information about the book on their websites. My
already existing web site, www.abbylu.com was
updated with information about Nuclear
Romance, and there was considerable outreach to listserves, Facebook and Twitter
which listed links to information about the book and where it could be
purchased.
Q: Do you plan subsequent books?
A: Yes. One has already started that, so far, seems to be headed in the
Magic Realism and message genre.
Q: Thank you for your interview, Abby Luby. Would
you like to tell my readers where they can find you on the web and how everyone
can buy your book?
A:
Certainly and thanks for this opportunity to be interviewed. Readers can find
me at:
They can
purchase the book at:
About Nuclear Romance In Nuclear Romance, a debut novel by New York journalist and writer Abby Luby, the tragic death of a 7-year old girl – after swimming at a beach across from a nuclear power plant – sets off a chain of events that involve a sports journalist, an anti-nuclear activist, a grieving mother and her son.A young woman reporter falls prey to a callous plant executive whose job depends on keeping the multi-billion dollar nuclear corporation viable. Set in the US Northeast, the terrifying story that unravels the cause of the girl’s death coincides with growing local anti-nuclear sentiment. The tension escalates after highly radioactive steam escapes from the plant, forcing a mass evacuation.
This novel grips readers’ imaginations with the tension and fear that surround many of today’s nuclear power plants, especially powerful in the aftermath ofJapan’s recent and still unfolding nuclear disaster.
Labels: Abby Luby, Nuclear Romance, Nuclear Romance by Abby Luby |
