Unread Interview and Giveaway - Matt Xell

First of all, please do not forget my Blogoversary and Followers giveaway (click on the button to the left)

Please welcome Matt Xell for this week's Unread Interview! Matt is promoting his book, Tower of Parlen Min!

Unread Interview is a series where I feature authors whose books I couldn't accept for review because of time or logistics issues.

Summary: Ves Asirin wins a trip to the Tower of Parlen Min. There, with 19 other children, he competes in the Sword Challenge; a series of puzzles and tasks, for $12 million. As fantastic and glorious as the tower seems to be, Ves finds that it keeps a dark and secret history that he has been connected to for over 150 years, a secret that will define his destiny ... if he can escape 'The shadow'.

It can be bought on several online vendors: Amazon (where it was split into 3, for the kindle, but don't let that hold you back), Smashwords and Lulu.

Also, I will be giving away 3 copies of Tower of Parlen Min to 3 lucky readers - all I ask of you is that you comment with your name and email (use the Disqus name/email option) and I will draw a number with random.org on October 14th.

This post is part of a Virtual Book Tour, you can keep up with all the posts at the Facebook Event or Facebook Page.

Have you ever wanted to be a writer?

To be honest, if you went back in time and told me back in Junior High that I'd be an Author, I'd probably die of shock or try to kill you. I'd always liked  fantasy literature and the visual arts, and back then I used to do a lot of penciling (I was terrible at it) and what little writing I did were comic book plots. What I wanted to be when I grew up was be an IT speacialist; a software programmer or a web developer. So, no, novel writing or any serious kind of writing was never on my life-time-to-do-list.

When did you start writing "seriously"?

After I failed the ninth grade (why, yes, I did). After that year, my self-esteem and much of the ego and personality attached to it at the time took a massive dip and so too did my love for expressing myself using art -- I absolutely loathed having my artwork criticised.

My friends weren't interested in my written comic book plots so no one criticized them like my art. I turned to writing more and more as the years went by, my handwriting became more and more minuscule so I could better hide my work, so small that even I can't read my earlier works. By the time I was in my final year of High School, I'd filled out several 180 page A4 notebooks with comic book plots and scripts. At the time I didn't know there was a proper format for scripting, so I wrote in novel prose. So all my earlier works read like novellas.

Do you read much?

I'd say a fair bit. I'd say I've only read about 50 to 70 books in my life. Which is why being a 'natural' (he boasted) at writing when I've read so little is just as surprising to me as it is to anyone else.

What kind of books do you usually read?

Young adult fantasy novels (Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Percy Jackson, The Golden Compass, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Artimus Fowl; and old stuff like Enid Blyton's Famous Five and Secret Seven, The Hardy Boys, Oliver Twist, Huckleberry Finn and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ) and Adult mystery/suspense thrillers ( Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six, Dan Brown's Angels and Demons, The DaVinchi Code and The Lost Symbol and Stieg Larsons Millenium Trilogy). My Favourite book though is surprisingly a french romantic novel set in during and after World War 1 called A Very Long Engagement by Sebastien Japrisot.

What are your favorite or least favorite scenes to write?

My favorite scenes to write are action scenes; realistic and gritty, play-by-play, choreographed action scenes. I'd say those are my forte. I love writing mystery and suspense scenes a lot as well.

My least favorite scenes to write are drama and romantic scenes. Drama, because being partly introverted for most my life, I can't say I know various kinds and types of people well enough, and what their emotional and psychological reactions to certain scenarios, themes, conditions and settings. So for most of my writing, I'd say I draw a lot of influence from what I've seen from drama movies (I saw a lot of Academy Award winning movies that were boring during the writing of Tower of Parlen Min). Luckily a of the characters in my book kinda wrote themselves, and so I never know if I did a good enough job with the drama in Tower of Parlen Min.

Romance, obviously because I'm a man (too much on the masculine side I think), so I can't say I understand even a quarter of why Twilight and other paranormal romances sell as well as they do. But I want me some of those millions so you can bet that when I figure out that secret, I'm taking over the genre :)

Do you relate more to any of your characters?

Yes. In all my stories, my main protagonist is somewhat a vague version of myself. So I relate with Ves the most in Tower of Parlen Min

Why?

In every story I write  I always like to ask an important question and hopefully get an answer at the end of the story. I feel I wrote The Narrow Escapes of Ves Asirin to ask, 'what is the meaning and point of life if we are just going to die at the end of it all?'. And I feel Ves and Zenis are the best characters I was ever going to write that would help me answer this question. Because Ves, when he was at the orphanage, was pretty much living a drab, boring and uneventful life until he went to the Tower. There he competed in the Sword Challenge, saw many fantastic things like Jinn fire falling from the sky, interacted with the Canids (sentient wolves), saw Wicca (magic), saw ghosts and spectres, made friends for the very first time in his life, and found that even he was not as ordinary or rather as sub-normal as he thought he was. For the very first time ever, he was vividly aware of his life and the world's wonders ... then of course came The Shadow which is in the business of killing and taking life on a massive scale.

Which genre do you feel it would be a challenge to write?

Romance of course and comedy. The reason I think comedy would be a challenge is because it's subjective to certain cultures, people and languages.

What inspires you?

And I'd say a lot of what influences my writing isn't from novels and books but from art, movies, comics, video games, manga (japanese comics) and anime (japanese animation).

And how's your writing environment - music, place, etc.?

I'm not so much strict or partial on enviroment. I think can I write in any place peaceful enough and provided I have the materials I need. Solitude and silence is a requirement only when writing serious and dark scenes, a lot of the mystery/supense scenes. The music is dependant on the specific genre I'm writing; for Tower of Parlen Min I listened to a lot of alternative rock like Placebo, AFI, Asian Kung-Fu Generation and Billy Talent.

What would you say about the book - your words, no blurbs! - to convince someone to read your book?

If you're bored to death during this summer and want a temporary escape into a fantastic world, get a copy of Tower of Parlen, it's a thrilling 'rollercoaster' of a read, filled with action, adventure, suspense, mystery and horror. If it's your kind of book, it'll keep you hooked to the end!

What are your plans for the future, writing-wise? New books, sequels, publishing deals, etc.

The current state of both the traditional publishing  and self-publishing industries scare me a whole lot. And this is because the internet and social networking are pretty much changing how content is being delivered through all media, and everyone is pretty much both a consumer and a producer at this point. So at the moment I'm an Indie author and I'm publishing and marketing Tower of Parlen Min with a few good friends. I'm going to hold onto the rights of the book for a long while until a compromise between the two sides of the industries is found. I'm looking into distribution licenses and how I can pitch that to interested publishers as opposed to selling the rights outright, because I don't (I won't say never) think that's going to happen.

I'm still plotting the second book in The Narrow Escapes of Ves Asirin series; Eclipse Over Atuwis Wood. I think I'll start writing that in april. And I'll be releasing a lot of novellas based in Everlon (Ves' world) which will be introducing some characters that feature in later books of the series, some from the series distant past. Some will be free for download (or set your own price) and some will sell for only 99 cents.

Thanks for your time and patience with me (as I had this interview for a month in my inbox *shame on me*)!

You can also find Matt Xell at several social networks (and he's a really nice guy): Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, Formspring and, of course, his blog.

Unread Interview - Thomas Schwartz

Please welcome Tom Schwartz for this week's Unread Interview! Tom is promoting his latest book, Fourth Reich Rising! We have a Giveaway as well, so after you are done reading, click the button just below!

Unread Interview is a series where I feature authors whose books I couldn't accept for review because of time or logistics issues.

From Amazon: The descendents of Hitler's inner circle developed a plan for a Fourth Reich, like the Phoenix, rising from the ashes of the Third Reich. The key to success was to embroil the United States and Islamic countries in a major conflict, which would eventually drag in most of the world's nations. With the world in chaos, they would orchestrate their rise to power.

Tell us a bit about your book (s).

The Third Reich was supposed to be the New World order, a period lasting at least a millenium. It failed to achieve even a fraction of that time. Following the loss of World War II, the descendents of Hitler's inner circle developed a plan for a Fourth Reich, like the Phoenix, rising from the ashes of the Third Reich. The key to success was to embroil the United States and Islamic countries in a major conflict, which would eventually drag in most of the world's nations. With the world in chaos, they would orchestrate their rise to power.

The 9-11-2001 incident gave them the pathway to start the ball rolling. The plot was to detonate a nuclear warhead in New York City on the tenth anniversary of 911 (this year), laying the blame on the Islamic nations.  The ruling Mullahs in Iran, grasped the only straw that could to avert the disaster, the Israeli Mussad.  With a cooperative effort,  the plot was exposed. Saudi Arabia and Iran were found innocent, and the American retaliatory strike force against Iran and Saudi-Arabia was recalled. The emerging Fourth Reich was then squashed; however, the leaders of the movement escaped with sufficient resources to plot for another day.

Have you ever wanted to be a writer? When did you start writing "seriously"?

I decided to become a writer at the age of 70, when I was reading stories to my young grandchildren.  I felt that I could write better stories.  Being retired, I had the time--and wrote a children's environmental story , "How Mother Nature Flowered The Fields Of Earth And Mars."   This was published by Reagent Press (several editions), and can be purchased on-line through Amazon or Barnes & Noble.  This was followed with "How Mother Nature Dealt With Earth's Creatures", (print and ebook).  I then changed genres, and wrote a science fiction story, "Spaceship Earth", dealing with one cycle of the Big Bang (about a 70 billion year time span) and human kind's efforts to survive future Big Bangs (print and ebook).  Jumping genre's  again, I wrote an adult trilogy.  "Wrongly Accused, "  about an innocent man framed by police and imprisoned (in print and ebook), followed by "Fourth Reich Rising" (ebook only--publisher decided against print, as not cost-effective), and lastly, "Identity and Immortality" (again, only ebook)  which is about a brain transplant.

Do you read much? What kind of books do you usually read?

I read quite a bit, fiction and non-fiction.  I like historical novels best.  Subjects vary--American Civil War, world wars 1 and 2, science fiction, mysteries, etc.  I believe that my readings were instrumental in helping me develop a writing style--I'm convinced that you need to read many authors to become a good writer. Almost everyone has a story to tell, but lake the ability to write it.  I encourage young chilren to read.  I was a volunteer guest speaker at about 60 elementary schools and spoke to over 18,000 youngsters about the importance of reading and how I became an author.

What are your favorite or least favorite scenes to write?

My favorite scenes are the action ones.

Do you relate more to any of your characters? Why?

I relate to all of my characters.  I put myself in their position, and become each one in my stories.  Before I start writing, I have most of the plot and characters in my head.  After the first draft, I go over it and rework it all over again until I am satisfied.  I then have my wife look it over, and make changes that I agree with (a labor intensive process).

Which genre do you feel it would be a challenge to write?

Children's stories present the greatest challenge.  Setting the right tempo, and word construction is paramount to getting your story across, while keeping their interest.

What inspires you? And how's your writing environment - music, place, etc.?

I am inspired by the subjects I choose to write about.  All my stories carry messages that are important to me.  I use a word processor, in a quiet place.  Spell-check is most important, as is cutting and pasting.  I type with two fingers, slowly,  which matches my thought process.  I am in no rush to finish.

What would you say about the book - your words, no blurbs! - to convince someone to read your book?

"Fourth Reich Rising" is a thought provoking fictional tale that can happen.  It deals with human emotions under stress, and accommodations between adversaries to avoid a disaster.  It is fast moving, suspenseful and logical.

What are your plans for the future, writing-wise? New books, sequels, publishing deals, etc.I recently obtained a literary agent to get my adult trilogy made into a series of movies.  The script for  "Wrongly Accused" has been written, the two follow-on stories are in the process of being scripted.

Thank you for your time and your generosity for our giveaway, Tom! Best of luck with Fourth Reich Rising and we're looking forward to seeing new novels and your movies - that should be interesting!

Unread Interview - Stephanie Zia

Hello! Before we start, we have a giveaway up and running, click on the button to the left and participate, it is worth it! The swag pack is beautiful, even though my camera died and I can't put the picture on...

Please welcome Stephanie Zia for this week's Unread Interview! Stephanie is promoting her latest book, Ten Good Reasons to Lie About Your Age!
Unread Interview is a series where I feature authors whose books I couldn't accept for review because of time or logistics issues.

From Amazon: When Sally Lightfoot’s music producer husband is suddenly killed in an accident, Sally has to put her life back together from scratch. But what life? Her kids have grown up and now she’s no longer a wife. Or a backing singer. Or even a caterer to the endless turnover of rock bands passing through Strawberry Hill Studios’ kitchen. To make matters worse her caring but interfering neighbour, Val, appoints herself as Principal Grieving Companion. One year on and harmonising and blending in threaten to become Sally’s undoing. Her old rock chick mate Ramone’s suggestion that she should get back out there and lose her ‘wididity’, her born-again virginity, before it’s too late falls on deaf ears. Her husband is irreplaceable. Until, on a much-needed holiday to the romantic Greek island of Hydra, spiritual home of the affluent hippie, Sally meets Loro, a Leonard Cohen tribute artist who bears more of a resemblance to Cat Stevens circa 1972. Cupid’s challenge to sensible Sally’s decision to age gracefully forces silly Sally into making a move. Will she win a short, sweet romance or merely add humiliation and rejection to her long list of woes?.

Paperback Version at Create Space.

Tell us a bit about your book (s).

Ten Good Reasons To Lie About Your Age is a romantic comedy about a woman of 50 back on the dating scene. Sally Lightfoot is a funky backing singer who's seen the raunchier side life. She's lived fast and loose. Touring with David Bowie and Queen in the 70s, she met her sound engineer turned music producer husband, Dom, and settled down. But, when she doesn't know which way to turn after his sudden death, her skills at harmonising becomes her undoing. One year on and she still doesn't know what to do with herself. Should she age gracefully like her dull, interfering but kind neighbor Val? Or should she follow her feisty rock chick singer friend Ramone's advice and get herself out there again and lose her 'wididity' her born-again virginity, before it's too late? At first she dismisses Ramone's advice. Dom was/IS her one and only true love. And, besides, what chance is there of a stray, suddenly-single Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall type rocking up, all sexy salty hair and rubber wellies, who'd be interested in HER? Even if by some fluke George Clooney himself were to leap on her from behind a bush she wouldn't be up for it. The thought of dating again is gross. And why would she want all that fuss, bother and trauma that her poor daughter Ami was going through with her wayward charity hero Oxfam Pete? With added flabby bits? No, gardening, chocolate and sudoku is the way to go. But she didn't reckon on meeting Loro, a Leonard Cohen tribute artist who sings to the tourists on the gorgeous Greek island of Hyrda, Cohen's old stomping ground. They're the same age and get on well but he only has eyes for the girls and doesn't, she know, see her 'in that way'. Egged on by Ramone's wididity challenge and bar owner Barry's insistence that if she wants something she has to ask for it, Sally finally plucks up courage to leave her comfort zone to face the possibility of humiliation and rejection square on.

Have you ever wanted to be a writer? When did you start writing "seriously"?

No. I used to work on BBC documentaries about writers, have always loved reading and was fascinated by their lives but didn't for a second think it was something I could do. The turnabout came when I won a BBC staff competition to make a short 10' documentary for primetime TV. My film 'Applause'about why people clap, was repeated 4 times and shown at a special screening at an arts centre. I was hooked on the creative process! But I couldn't get my foot in the documentary door, I had the ideas but was too shy to network. I gave up TV when my daughter was born and, in 1996, took a beginner's evening class in writing to get out of the flat for a couple of hours a week. I went to the class for 3 years, writing short stories and entering competitions and completely loved it. I love film-making but it was so refreshing to be able to create without having to get a budget and a film crew together! My first novel, Baby on Board (Piatkus) was published in 2003.

Do you read much? What kind of books do you usually read?

I've always read a lot. I love libraries, the randomness of not knowing what you'll find, the kindness of librarians. everything about them and have been going since a small child. I read all sorts of books. Early favourites were Enid Blyton, George Orwell, Graham Greene, Paramhansa Yogananda. Then came Richard Brautigan, Russell Hoban, Kurt Vonnegut, Jonathan Raban. Books I read over and over are Sybille Bedford's Jigsaw, John Steinbeck's Cannery Row and Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth. Heading the list of contemporary authors I love are Marian Keyes and Lisa Jewell and I've just discovered Jennifer Egan's A Visit From the Goon Squad. My favourite poets are Ted Hughes and Philip Larkin.

What are your favorite or least favorite scenes to write?

When characters are talking to each other and something develops I didn't expect. To me it's usually the story itself that takes on a life of its own rather than the characters. That's when I know something's happening, when the stuff arises from the subconscious without me knowing it. That's the drug!

Do you relate more to any of your characters? Why?

For all of my 3 published novels, and the several partial unpublished ones, I've always written in the third person from the close perspective of the main character's viewpoint. So, usually, it's just that. But sometimes another character threatens to take over. In Ten Good Reasons, Ramone is such a strong, feisty type I had to keep her in check. She kept butting in, and had an affair with Sally's son at one point. That had to come out as Ramone was pulling the story up a blind alley, trying to make it all about her rather than all about Sally.

Which genre do you feel it would be a challenge to write?

Probably a crime thriller, I wouldn't like to have to deal with evil and gore in my day job. I'd like to write historical fiction one day, to immerse myself and feel the wind of another time, another age. That must be thrilling.

What inspires you? And how's your writing environment - music, place, etc.?

Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones' Diary inspired me to break away from short stories and write my first novel. Like countless millions of others I felt I WAS her! I'd just had a baby and so wrote about that in a Bridget Jones type of way. I do lay claim a bit though. I worked in the same TV department as Bridget did, lived in Notting Hill Gate and drank in the same bar - 192 - with my girlfriends. Frequently falling off stools, too, after too much Chardonnay and getting involved in wrong relationships. I've moved back to this area recently and am sad to see that 192 is no longer there.

What would you say about the book - your words, no blurbs! - to convince someone to read your book?

I hope I've conveyed that feeling of identity with the main character. That's what gets readers hooked in I think. And there's a real shortage of good, raunchy up to date fiction for older women. I'm thrilled with the first reviews just coming in which would confirm that. The Huffington Post says: "Sally feels real, like a neighbor or a friend and that makes the story take on a presence of its own. It is a story of hope and learning to love yourself, to find that inner you that sometimes is lost when we make other's lives more important than our own."

What are your plans for the future, writing-wise? New books, sequels, publishing deals, etc.

Too many projects! I am looking forward to getting back to writing my epic children's novel, a fantasy journey with an ecological, environmental edge. I got about half way before stopping, overwhelmed by the myriad avenues it was going down. The characters, idea and main story are all there but I need to take a firm hold of them and pull the storyline into shape before starting again. I'm excited by the new ePub3.0 Acrobat Adobe system that's slated to come out later this year. I found out all about this at my first visit to the London Book Fair last week. The Russian crime author superstar Boris Akunin demonstrated how his new novel will embrace this new technology. You'll have to pay attention to the story, listen out for clues as well as looking in embedded video and audio. It's completely mind-blowing and I will have these new author tools in mind when I restructure! But before the children's novel I have another commercial women's fiction novel shaped and started and I really, really want to start on this literary novel idea that's just a germ at the moment but it's a powerful one that won't leave me alone!

Thank you Stephanie, for your time and success in your future projects!

Unread Interview - Guy James

Please welcome Guy James for this week's Unread Interview! Guy is promoting his latest book, Rats on Strings! We have a Giveaway as well, so after you are done reading, click the button just below!

Unread Interview is a series where I feature authors whose books I couldn't accept for review because of time or logistics issues.

From Amazon: Just as he is in the midst of being dumped by his girlfriend, a miserable New York lawyer is struck by an idea: an idea that he believes might be his escape from the soul-sucking practice of law. He embarks on a quest to fulfill his bizarre vision, and finds himself the unlikely hero of a very strange adventure.

Paperback Version at Amazon.

Tell us a bit about your book (s).

"Rats on Strings" is the story of a down-on-his-luck New York lawyer who is trying to escape his firm job. 

The book is very much an outgrowth of my own experience as a lawyer, and of my own desire to escape the practice.

Have you ever wanted to be a writer? When did you start writing "seriously"?

I never really wanted to be a writer until two years ago, after I got the idea for the premise of "Rats on Strings." Until then, ficting writing as something I would do had never crossed my mind. Since then I've been writing some every day, and I find that I enjoy it very much.

Do you read much? What kind of books do you usually read?

I read all the time. My favorite genres include horror, fantasy, and dystopian fiction...but I'll read just about anything.

What are your favorite or least favorite scenes to write?

The scenes I enjoy most are the ones that take on a life of their own--they practically write themselves. Those are the most interesting because writing them is a matter of sitting back and watching the scenes develop.

Do you relate more to any of your characters? Why?

In "Rats on Strings," the viewpoint character is based, at least loosely, on me.

Which genre do you feel it would be a challenge to write?

I couldn't write romance, or high octane crime thrillers. I don't relate to them much and wouldn't know where to start...but I'm not saying I will never try.

What inspires you? And how's your writing environment - music, place, etc.?

Books inspire me when they communicate ideas that stay with me, leaving me with something that I remember or think about.

I do my best writing in silence or with light music, and alone, but I find the flow of writing to vary unpredictably--sometimes it's easy and sometimes it's near impossible to get the words out, regardless of setting.

What would you say about the book - your words, no blurbs! - to convince someone to read your book?

I think the plot of my first book is strange and unique, and there's something in it for everyone. I strove for a deeper meaning, one that is memorable, and (I hope) entertaining in its delivery.

What are your plans for the future, writing-wise? New books, sequels, publishing deals, etc.

I am currently writing the first book in each of two separate series. The book getting most of my attention right now is a zombie novel with some twists to the usual theme. I hope to have both complete by year-end.

Thank you, Guy, for your time and feel free to come back anytime :)

Unread Interview: Darragh McManus

 
Please welcome Darragh McManus for this week's Unread Interview! Darragh is promoting his latest book, written as  Alexander O’Hara, Cold! Steel! Justice! We have a Giveaway as well, so after you are done reading, click the button just below!

Unread Interview is a series where I feature authors whose books I couldn't accept for review because of time or logistics issues.

From Amazon: IN PARADISE CITY, ALL HELL IS ABOUT TO BREAK LOOSE...
Renegade ex-cop Christian Beretta was kicked off the Dice City Police Force for being "just too damn violent". Now he's BACK - and teaming up with his old partner/sidekick, the gnarly-but-kindly Chief of Police and his feisty ex-girlfriend (who's resurrected from the dead) for the toughest mission of his life. An evil Irish-born Mayor aims to take over the illegal drug trade and execute criminals on live TV - and only Beretta can stop him...
Cold! Steel! Justice!!! is a tour de force of action, comedy, comic-action, action-comedy, and a whole load of nonsense. Like all the great straight-to-video cop movies you remember from the 1980s, it's packed with suspense, violence, incident, smart quips, daring deeds, racial stereotypes, gratuitous nudity, men wearing bandanas in flagrant contravention of all rules of taste, and at least one scene where a Mexican drug lord is incinerated in his own car. As convention dictates.
The renegade but good-hearted Beretta causes mayhem, busts things up, does cool things with big goddamn guns, cracks wise, breaks all the rules, gets the girl and saves the day.
In a world of pain, he's the Novocaine...if Novocaine wore a sexy leather overcoat, smoked 40 filterless a day and carried a hand-cannon so goddamn enormous it makes other hand-cannons wet their underpants.
So stand in line for YOUR fill...of Cold! Steel! Justice!!!

You can also buy Cold! Steel! Justice!!! at Smashwords.

Tell us a bit about your book (s).

I have two e-books currently for sale at Amazon.com and Smashwords.com: Cold! Steel! Justice!!!, which is a comical crime novel, and Terminating Hollywood, a collection of satirical pieces on movies. CSJ!! is about a renegade cop trying to stop an insane politician from executing criminals on live TV, among other misdeeds. Terminating Hollywood has lots of silliness, such as the life of Tom Cruise rewritten in a Biblical style, and the ten most ridiculous character names ever invented.

Have you ever wanted to be a writer? When did you start writing "seriously"?

I’ve always wanted to be a writer, I think, but didn’t start writing seriously until about 28. Until then I wrote for newspapers and magazines, as my job, but no fiction or book-length non-fiction. I was probably a bit lazy! But don’t worry, I’m quite industrious now.

Do you read much? What kind of books do you usually read?

Not as much as I’d like to. With family and work commitments, I don’t get the time to read as much as I want. But when I do, it’s generally ‘literary’ books, often older ones – mid 20^th century, etc – rather than the latest releases. I also like a good crime novel from time to time, and popular science books, which are fascinating to me even though I can’t comprehend most of it.

What are your favorite or least favorite scenes to write?

I don’t think I have favourites as such. Probably the easiest thing to write, though, is dialogue: I have a pretty good ear for it and it flows fairly naturally. Passages of prose can be a slog sometimes, for sure.

Do you relate more to any of your characters? Why?

Not really – they’re a pretty wide mix of people. And depending on the book, they might be realistic – such as in a literary novel I wrote – or outlandish caricatures, like in Cold! Steel! Justice!!! So I wouldn’t especially relate to the gun-slinging loose cannon cop busting up the town in pursuit of justice! Having said that, the main character in the novel I mentioned above is basically me in fictional form: 90% me, probably.

Which genre do you feel it would be a challenge to write?

Young Adult or children’s. Because there are a lot of restrictions in terms of what you can say or the sort of language you can use. And it can’t be as oblique or open-ended as adult fiction, I don’t think: you have to tell a story first and foremost.

What inspires you? And how's your writing environment - music, place, etc.?

Inspiration comes from anything, really – though not from other books and writers, strangely enough. It could literally be something as simple as a word or phrase or quick thought while still half-asleep or snatch of music I heard somewhere. Or I could just steal from someone else, which is easier. (Joke!)

What would you say about the book - your words, no blurbs! - to convince someone to read your book?

They’re both very, very funny. That’s all there is and that’s all you should need! Genuinely, laugh-out-loud, both of them. Packed with great jokes on every page. You may not usually read comical books, but you should make an exception for Cold! Steel! Justice!!! and Terminating Hollywood.

What are your plans for the future, writing-wise? New books, sequels, publishing deals, etc.

I hope to upload several more satirical non-fiction books, after Terminating Hollywood, which is first in my Popp’d Off series: humorous looks at the world of arts, entertainment, media and pop culture. The next one will probably be on music. I also have a literary novel and collection of short stories out with a few different publishers at the moment, and am currently contacting theatres about my first play, in tandem with a really excellent Canadian director. The next book I’m going to write is a Young Adult novel with a little paranormal twist – but not vampires, I promise! Then I’m going to finish my second play. And after that, who knows?

Thank you, Darragh, for your time! It was nice to have you here and good luck!

{POSTPONED} Unread Interview and Giveaway - Jess Mountifield

Please welcome Jess Mountifield for this week's Unread Interview! Jess is promoting her latest book  With Proud Humility. We have a giveaway, aswell, so please, keep on reading, to the end, to find how to participate!

Unread Interview is a series where I feature authors whose books I couldn't accept for review because of time or logistics issues. 

From Amazon: Marie's mother died protecting something, but what? Determined to find answers, Marie is prepared to go to any length to locate her mother’s legacy, even to pursue the man responsible for her death - Black Vane. No price is too dear to Marie, who gambles everything on a marriage of convenience to a ship's captain she knows she can’t trust, but who may be one ally she needs.


This is a historic story of romance and adventure, set on the Caribbean seas of the early 1800's, a tale of betrayal and sacrifice in pursuit of an unknown goal.

Tell us a bit about your book (s).

Currently I only have one ebook released, With Proud Humility. My first passion for writing is and always will be historical fiction. There is something I have always loved about tales of long ago and the history of places.

Have you ever wanted to be a writer? When did you start writing "seriously"?

I started writing when I was in my teens as a sort of therapy for some nightmares I was repeatedly having. I would write them down to work through them.

I didn't start writing stories I wished to share until about four years ago, however, but I knew almost as soon as I did that it was what I wished to do. It then took me another two years to get to the point I could actually give up the day job to be a full time writer.

Do you read much? What kind of books do you usually read?

My reading varies. I try to read whenever I can find the time. It probably averages about 20 books per year but my tbr pile is always growing.

I read all sorts of books except erotica and paranormal. My favourite genres are historical, sci-fi and fantasy but other genres have been known to catch and hold my attention. As long as I can relate to the characters I tend to enjoy the book.

What are your favorite or least favorite scenes to write?

My favourite scenes to write are usually the scenes I have in my head when I first get the story inspiration. Often they are the scene where certain characters meet but they can equally be action scenes. It's very rare for these to ever be where I actually start the story.

In With Proud Humility the scene I actually had in my head from the beginning was 3/4 of the way through the book where my heroine's life is in danger, she can't save herself and doesn't think anyone else will either.

My least favourite scenes are always the ones in chapter 1. I've always struggled to figure out how to link the initial scene in my head to a good starting point for a story. I have to back track and pretend I don't know my characters either.

Do you relate more to any of your characters? Why?

For the most part I don't relate to any particular character more than another at all. I've always done everything I can to avoid having too much of myself in my characters so it mostly prevents that from happening.

That has changed recently, however. I've begun working on a sci-fi series and my female supporting character in that has a very similar belief system to myself, which was needed for the story to work.

I've also been exploring an interesting moral situation and what I would do if I were forced to choose between two things that both go against my own morals, and the initial scene I have of this character is her in exactly that situation. I'm assuming her answer will be mine, when I finally get to writing that part.

Which genre do you feel it would be a challenge to write?

I would definitely find comedy hardest to write. I don't think I could cope under the pressure of having someone laugh often enough. I can occasionally have something funny in what I write but I know I'm just too serious to keep that up for long.

What inspires you? And how's your writing environment - music, place, etc.?

I'm inspired by quite a number of different things. Sometimes I can be out walking teh countryside near me and just have an idea pop straight into my head. Occasionally I wake up with a snippet of something. Every now and then someone will say something to me, I'll have a light bulb moment, and two previously unrelated things I've been dwelling on will connect themselves and spark an idea.

To write, though, I find I need to be sat somewhere comfortable, like my sofa or my local cafe with my familiar fountain pen and plenty of background noise, or music. I can't stand silence and I can't think straight if I don't write by hand first and then type up.

What would you say about the book - your words, no blurbs! - to convince someone to read your book?

With Proud Humility is a great book to read for anyone that's always wanted to go running off on some great big adventure at some point as a child. It's full of swashbuckling excitement, sea battles with pirates, rum, poker and a little romance thrown in for good measure.

What are your plans for the future, writing-wise? New books, sequels, publishing deals, etc.

Currently I'm working on the first draft of my second novel, also historical fiction, and editing two short fantasy pieces for a collaboration with two other authors.

I've also got the sci-fi series I mentioned above that I've just begun fleshing out.

Thank you Jess! 
And now... For the giveaway!

Jess agreed to give you guys a digital copy of her book, With Proud Humility. I'm making this easy for you, just comment on this post, don't forget to leave your email adress, either on the indicated field or on the comment (if you use twitter or facebook to comment), so I can contact you if you win!

It will run from May 26th to June 16th, so you have plenty of time, and it is INTERNATIONAL!

**I have postponed the results to June 19th, due to personal issues**

Unread Interview: Tim Marquitz

Please welcome Tim Marquitz, author of Skulls, to today's Unread Interview. But first, a reminder! We have a Giveaway up, for Skulls, Tim Marquitz's book, so please, take your time to click on the banner below and sign in for the giveaway - we have a signed "paper" copy for the USA and 2 digital copies for international readers! (I postponed it until today May 5th, so that's your last chance!)

Now, today's Unread Interview.

Summary by Amazon: Life held little interest for Jacob - until he found death.

Abused and neglected, Jacob's only solace comes when he is alone in the woods or in the arms of his new girlfriend. But when he stumbles across a hidden bunker filled with human skulls, he learns what true suffering is. Drawn to examine the skulls, he finds there is more than just empty blackness behind their lifeless stares. Through their eyes he watches them die.

With every glance, he witnesses another murder, the memories of the dead playing out inside his mind until reality becomes a blur. A primal cruelty awakening, Jacob returns to the morbid comfort of the skulls, over and over again. But when he happens upon a fresh skull, a victim tortured and slain for his amusement alone, he knows his time has come. Face to face with death, Jacob must choose whether to resist the darkness that dwells inside or condemn himself forever, murdering his innocence on the edge of an axe.

Tell us a bit about your book (s).

TM: My most recent release is a crossover young adult horror book, entitled Skulls, released through Damnation Books. It’s about a teenage boy, Jacob, whose life isn’t the best. His mother has left him, his father is an abusive drunk, and his stepmother pretty much ignores him. His father recently moved them to Ruidoso, New Mexico, a touristy town in the middle of the mountains.

The story starts when Jacob stumbles across a hidden bunker filled with human skulls. He’s drawn to examine them and learns they’re all the victim of a serial killer. By staring into the skulls, Jacob is able to watch the death of each through their own eyes.

My first book is part of the Demon Squad series, entitled Armageddon Bound. The main character, Frank “Triggaltheron” Trigg, is the nephew of the Devil. The premise of the world is that God and Lucifer call a truce and leave existence behind to fend for itself. With the leadership of Heaven and Hell gone, the angels and demons are now scrambling to define their lives, suddenly given free will. Overall, the book follows Frank as he struggles to help keep the world safe from the machinations of the supernatural forces turned loose. It’s an action-packed, snarky, and perverse story wrapped up in an Urban/Dark Fantasy package.

Have you ever wanted to be a writer? When did you start writing "seriously"?

TM: I think I’ve always wanted to write, I just didn’t have the proper motivation in life. Around ’95, a buddy of mine showed me a novel he’d written and it kind of helped ignite the passion. I started exploring my ideas and writing stories, but I was still lacking the skill to make them decent. Finally, determined to do it right, I hooked up with a small writing group and they really got me focused.

Do you read much? What kind of books do you usually read?

TM: I try to read all the time, but it doesn’t always happen. I tend to go to bed just a little earlier so I can squeeze in some reading before I fall asleep. I also take my Kindle with me so I can sneak a few pages in here and there.

Much of what I read is horror or fantasy. I’m a huge Clive Barker fan, so I read everything he puts out, as well as Jim Butcher. More recently, I’ve read all the Dexter books by Jeff Lindsay, The George RR Martin series, The Song of Ice and Fire, a good bit of Brian Keene, and I’ve just finished off Patrick Rothfuss’ Name of the Wind and Wise Man’s Fear.

What are your favorite or least favorite scenes to write?

TM: I like writing in general, but the more odd, or different a scene, the more I enjoy it. I like being able to stretch my imagination out and create something that isn’t common. While my books tread upon familiar themes, I like being able to twist the idea just enough to make it mine. Any time I can experiment with a visual is when I’m having the most fun writing.

Do you relate more to any of your characters? Why?

TM: I definitely relate to all my characters because they’re all a piece of me, in some small way. That said, I think Frank and I are the closest. He’s basically me without the censors of a polite society. He says what he thinks and doesn’t sugarcoat it or try to dance around people. He just lives his life, the world’s opinion be damned.

Which genre do you feel it would be a challenge to write?

TM: While I believe I could write anything, I imagine romance would be the hardest. As my wife can attest, I don’t know much about the subject. Any romance book I wrote would come across like a Hallmark card on steroids.

What inspires you? And how's your writing environment - music, place, etc.?

TM: I need relative peace and quiet to write. I don’t really need any special place to write, but I can’t have any kind of consistent interruption or I start to lose the immersion that’s necessary to write well. I don’t listen to music either because I find I’m inspired by the mood it creates. The feeling infiltrates my head and starts to influence the direction of my writing, which often runs contrary to what I’m trying to get across.

What would you say about the book - your words, no blurbs! - to convince someone to read your book?

TM: For Skulls, I’d say it was a whirlpool of psychological horror that tries to drag you down into the abyss right along with Jacob.

As for the Demon Squad series, I’d likely say it was an action-packed, roller coaster ride of violence, horror, and perverse snarkiness, with undertones of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files.

What are your plans for the future, writing-wise? New books, sequels, publishing deals, etc.

TM: I’m always writing something. Right now, I’m working on a sword and sorcery type book, entitled Witch Bane. I’ve also just recently completed the first book in an epic fantasy series I’m writing, and intend to start sending out queries to agents soon.

As far as publication, I have the second Book in the Demon Squad series coming out on June 1, from Damnation Books, and my YA Horror book, Skulls, was just released, on April 1^st of this year.

If you’d like to learn more, you can check out my web site at: htt://www.tmarquitz.com


Thank you Tim for your generosity on the giveaway and thank you for your time for the interview! Good luck with your carreer!

Unread Interview: Graham Park

Please welcome Graham Park for this week's Unread Interview! Graham is promoting his latest book No Hope for Gomez and he was already featured on a guest post here on the Brazilian Bookworm.
You can read an excerpt of No Hope For Gomez here (right click, download pdf).

Unread Interview is a series where I feature authors whose books I couldn't accept for review because of time or logistics issues.

From Amazon: 

We've seen it all before, many times, but this time it's different. If only slightly. When Gomez Porter becomes a test subject in an experimental drug trial, he is asked to keep track of any strange experiences through a blog. What Gomez isn't ready for, is so many of his experiences suddenly seeming strange; the antiques dealer trying to buy his old tax papers, his neighbor boiling salamanders on his balcony at midnight, the super sexy lab assistant who falls for him but is unable to express herself in terms outside the realm of science. But when one of the trial participants turns up dead and another goes missing, Gomez begins to fear for his life. No longer sure who he can trust and which of his experiences are real and which merely drug induced illusions, he decides it's time to go underground and work out a devious plan.

Tell us a bit about your book.

It's the age-old tale: Boy meets girl. Boy stalks girl. Girl already has a stalker. Boy becomes her stalker-stalker.

When Gomez Porter becomes a test subject in an experimental drug trial, he is asked to keep track of any strange experiences through a blog. What Gomez isn't ready for, is so many of his experiences suddenly seeming strange; the antiques dealer trying to buy his old tax papers, the phone-sex salesman who hounds him day and night, the super sexy research assistant who falls for him but is unable to express herself in terms outside the realm of science. But when one of the trial participants turns up dead and another goes missing, Gomez begins to fear for his life.

Have you always wanted to be a writer? When did you start writing "seriously"?

I think I started to pen down little stories from the moment I learned to write. Most children develop a healthy immunity to needing to put their ideas to paper, I suppose, understanding inherently that nothing good is likely to come of it and more productive pursuits can be found. But I never did. I never quite figured out how _not_ to write.

Do you read much? What kind of books do you usually read?

I read just about every night. I’m not a very fast reader, though, so it takes me a while to finish a book. Usually longer than it takes me to find another one. So right now I’m reading about 8 books, ranging from fiction to non-fiction.

What are your favorite or least favorite scenes to write?

I usually don’t start on a scene until I have some good ideas for it, things I want to try out or bits of information I want to develop. This also means that I’m looking forward to seeing how a scene will turn out. Scenes that I never develop much enthusiasm for might end up being cut from the story. Which is reasonable, I think; if there is nothing exciting I feel like doing with the scene, then there’s a good chance the story doesn’t actually need it.

Do you relate more to any of your characters? Why?

All of the characters are pretty dear to me. Some because they think just like me, most because they are so different. They force me to go places I haven’t been before, think in ways that are not my own. You can find some real mental ‘gems’ that way.

What inspires you? And how's your writing environment - music, place, etc.?

I prefer to have things nice and quiet when I write. As far as inspiration goes, I try to have that before I start writing. When I sit down, I don’t want to have to go looking for ideas. Instead, I start working out an idea that occurred to me earlier. This way writing stays fun and there’s not much pressure.

What would you say about the book - your words, no blurbs! - to convince someone to read it?

“No Hope for Gomez!” is a very special book. For one thing, it has an excellent width-to-height ratio, which is very important. It also has an odd number of pages and its weight is just perfect. Apart from this, the story is nice too, so that’s bonus right there.

What are your plans for the future, writing-wise? New books, sequels, publishing deals, etc.

There are some short stories floating around based in the Gomez universe, and there are some spin-offs on the way.


Thank you Graham for your time, you are welcome to come back anytime!