Author Spotlight: Em Lehrer

Today I'd like to welcome the bright upcoming young author Em Lehrer, who is also the guiding light behind the successful Keystroke Blog, where she reviews books in the fantasy/sci-fi/YA and thriller genres. Em has generously agreed to let me quiz her about her life and interest in all things writerly. 

Q. Where are you from?
A. That is a tricky question. I was born in New Jersey, but lived my first year in Staten Island, NY. Then my family moved to Pennsylvania where I spent most of my childhood before moving back across the Delaware to New Jersey. Then we moved up to Maine and then down to the Caribbean island of Dominica where I am living right now. However I'm moving up to Massachusetts this summer. Oh, and I lived in New Hampshire for a summer.
When people ask me where I'm from now, I usually just say Pennsylvania. Hopefully that answers your question.

Q. What were you like as a child? Could you share one of your earliest memories?
A. Oh man. I was the worst child. I was stubborn and outgoing and bossy. Well, I still am, but I'd like to think I'm a little more gracious about it. Anyway, one of my earliest memories is playing by the township pool with my older brother. We would always play these games, and pretend we were in make believe worlds. Back then we were really into Winx, which was a TV show about fairies. We each chose a special power to have and ran between the two pools pretending they were alternate realities. We had to battle the forces of evil and save the world. It was great.

Q. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
A. I think I've always known I wanted to write. I always had a notebook or journal that I wrote in, and before that I just drew pictures of stories that were in my head. I remember getting my first journal from my aunt. It was small and had a hard, glittery, silver cover. I carried it around everywhere and drew in it. I was so sad when I filled it up.
I wrote my first story in second grade. It was a project in class, and we made them into these cute little books. Mine was about a cheetah (my favorite animal) who thought she was the fastest animal in the whole world and told anyone who would listen. Then she met an ostrich who said he was faster. Then an elephant made them race and the ostrich won, the cheetah learned a lesson, and then said they should play house. Tada.

Q. What did you learn from participating in the nanowrimo? What were the best and worst parts?
A. Nano was a journey and a half. I went in not knowing what I wanted my story to be, which I will never do again. I was writing blindly, with no idea where I wanted the story line to go, and ended up all over the place. That was probably the worst part.
The best part was meeting a bunch of writers and making some pretty great friends. There were lots of support forums that really helped keep my spirits up and in the end helped me hit 50k words. The feeling when I finished was also amazing. The only thing I'm going to do differently this year is plan my story beforehand so I actually have something I can use at the end. 

Q. Where do your ideas/inspirations come from?
A. I'm not really sure, to be totally honest. My ideas randomly come to me at the strangest of times. Sometimes I am reading or watching a movie or doing the dishes or something and an idea just pops into my mind. It really is a strange feeling, because I completely zone out of whatever I was doing and just focus on the idea, and then the idea grows and blooms and it is amazing.
It actually happens a lot when I am driving or in a car. I guess something about the motion just sets me off thinking. I've had some of my best ideas in the car.

Q. What activities do you like to do when you're not writing?
A. Hmmm. Well, I watch way too many shows on Netflix. Just putting that out there. Otherwise I like to cook and bake, read (I am a huge bookworm), go scuba diving, hang out with friends, spend way too much time on social media, and think. Yup, just sit there and think.

Q. What ambitions do you have as a writer?
A. My first and foremost ambition is to finish a work that I want to share with the world and get signed by a publishing house. Then of course become the next J. K. Rowling because why not.
But in all honesty, I want people to read my work and get lost inside of it. I want to give an escape from the world, and the kind of joy that I feel when I'm reading an amazing book. 

Q. What is your favorite genre, and why?
A. I don't really have a favorite genre. I have found that there are amazing books in every genre, and terrible books in every genre. It's all about finding the good books and enjoying them.

Q. Name one of your favorite authors, and one of your favorite fictional characters, and why?
A. Hmm. Favorites. Kendare Blake is amazing, her books are great. J. K. Rowling obviously. Kiera Cass and Kody Keplinger are also great. Ohh and Rick Riordan. And Allen Zadoff. And Gayle Forman. I could go on all day.
As for my favorite fictional character, I'm not even going to try to pick one. That's like picking your favorite child (or in my case dog). It just can't be done.

Q. Could you tell us about your current project?
A. Right now I am working on a book called Candy Wrappers. It is going to be the first in a series called the Gravestone Chronicles. It follows Malia, an 18 year old girl whose parents were murdered. She goes to her summer home in Maine to pack up the house and say her final goodbyes. While she is there, she discovers the existence of demons, and how they may actually be the real cause behind her parents' death.
Right now I am a few thousand words in, and having a lot of fun writing. I am constantly coming up with new scenes in my mind and planning as I go along.


Thank you so much for answering my questions, Em. It's been a pleasure to interview you, and good luck with your writing. 

Links: 
Keystroke blog: https://wordpress.com/stats/day/keystrokeblog.com
https://twitter.com/Keystroke_blog
https://www.facebook.com/keystrokeblog/
book talk podcast: https://itun.es/us/F7Rdcb.c



Join me on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/@tegankearney
Or check out my pinterest boards: https://uk.pinterest.com/teagankearney/
If you're a Wattpad member, I have several short stories posted on the site: https://www.wattpad.com/teagankearney

Thanks for visiting my blog, and please do leave a comment.
To all story lovers out there, good reading, and to those of you who write, good writing. 

WIPs, Lightbulb Moments, and Virtuous Resolutions

The WIP

Finishing a novel means saying goodbye to characters, places, and adventures I’ve invested time and effort in creating, and a sense of loss accompanies their departure. However, this rarely happens till after the book is published. In early March, as I came to the end of the first draft of Book Three of my urban fantasy trilogy, I was surprised to be experiencing a degree of sadness, though this journey wasn't yet on the home stretch.

I had  settled on a title, but discovered the one I'd chosen appears on several books already...so back to scratch. And without doubt, I have several painstaking edits to complete before a version is ready to send to a professional editor, plus the cover, and formatting to organize before I say adios. Yet, after two and a half years with Tatya, Vanse, Forked Lightning, and not forgetting  Angelus, whose evil scheming knows no bounds, part of me already laments their upcoming departure from my internal landscape.

A Lightbulb Moment

I’ve found the best way to deal with this phase is to throw myself into writing something else straight away. While resting the previous books in the series, I’ve worked on a science-fiction nano novel written a few years ago, and this is about seventy-five percent finished. As I prepared to continue with this book, an idea I’ve been nursing for a while burst, more or less fully formed, into my head. The seed came from a business sign I'd noticed one day, and the instant I saw it something sparked in my brain, and every time I passed that way, I'd think about what kind of story this could be. Before I could start on the sci-fi revisions, a flood of potential images and ideas flashed through my mind about a new novel stemming from that sign - in the detective/mystery genre. Maybe I could write a novella? Three 20-25,000 word novellas could perhaps be published later in a single volume?

With the WIP laid to rest, I took a deep breath and plunged into an exciting new world. Five weeks later, I'm trying hard not to feel too smug, because I've completed the first draft of a novella. Yes, it’s more minimal than usual, because I wasn’t sure how many words I’d have to play with to stay within my target, but it currently lies resting snugly side by side with the WIP. I'll spend what’s left of my scheduled break with my older sci-fi friends,

Suddenly I feel like one of those TV chefs who have half a dozen pots on the boil, rushing from one to the other in a manic frenzy of chopping, stirring, and flinging spices into bubbling concoctions. But there the comparison ends, because I’ve no guarantee of producing a story readers will like, although the chefs always seem to serve an acceptable gourmet meal when they’re finished. But still, I live in hope, and the more I practice my craft… at least in theory… the better my stories should be!

Getting organized

I’m the first to admit I find it difficult to achieve the basic mind set needed for the marketing that an authorpreneur ought to do, and a dim light is slowly dawning that neither good intentions nor will power are enough to achieve my goals. But determination to change this around is growing. (Really? mutters my inner cynic. I’ll believe it when I see it.) A friend told me recently, if you want to get something done, you must have a plan of action. And even more necessary is writing down the steps needed to accomplish your goal.

Consequently, I’ve become a compulsive list compiler, but don’t laugh, because although I hang my head in embarrassment that after a year of checking out printing websites, I still hadn’t ordered any business cards, I can congratulate myself on achieving that goal! Well, they’re in the mail en route, and just now coming.

The second goal getting closer is setting up an email list of subscribers to a newsletter. (A Very Important step for the indie writer my research informs me.) By announcing it, I’m increasing my chances of attaining it, if for no other reason than to save myself a measure of embarrassment. I have considered, and investigated this previously, but as is my pattern, proceeded no further, letting the idea slide merrily off the cliff of virtuous resolutions, and into the muddy swamp of my subconscious where it's been partying with my other neglected goals. Step one is taken as I’ve signed up to mail-chimp, the to-do list is waiting, and hopefully everything will be in place for mid June. 

Today's Haiku

COFFEE SHOP

the muzak's fast beat

speeds the caffeine junkie's pulse

and time fast-forwards

Useful Links:

I'm officially a fan of Ashley's brilliantly tech savvy blog.

https://www.nosegraze.com/build-email-list/

Sacha writes a lively newsletter full of great hints and tips like the following post:

https://sachablack.co.uk/2016/02/29/7-tips-to-create-your-perfect-author-newsletter/

If you're a Wattpad member, I have several short stories posted on the site:

https://www.wattpad.com/teagankearney

And you can find me at the following sites:

https://twitter.com/@teagankearney

https://uk.pinterest.com/teagankearney

https://www.facebook.com/teagankearney

Thanks for visiting my blog, and please do leave a comment.

To all story lovers out there, good reading, and to those of you who write, good writing.

Author Spotlight: Carol Hedges

I met Carol on Twitter, and apart from the enjoyment I get from her brilliantly witty blog, I've found her to be one of those people who offer genuine support and friendship to those she meets. As you can imagine, I was really pleased for the chance to learn a bit more about her writing career. 

Could you tell us a little about yourself, where you were born, and grew up.
I was born in 1950 in Welwyn Garden City, which was a lot smaller then than it is now! Apparently I taught myself to read from being left in the local Children's Library from an early age - I went to one of those 'progressive' primary schools that, in those days, didn't believe in formally teaching anything and it wasn't until I was eight that my parents twigged that I could read, but imperfectly. Yes  I know - wouldn't happen with today's helicopter parents, but a lot of unhealthy (or healthy?) neglect happened in them dark days. Given that I can now read AND write, it shows that nobody is irredeemable.

Which book/books do you remember making a strong impression on you when you were young, and what was it about the book/books you liked?
I've written before of my love of the Orlando the Marmalade Cat books (Katherine Hale). They were my first discovery, and I was drawn to the pictures...in fact I can probably date my love of cats to these books. And my creative imagination: at six, I went around telling everybody that we had a cat. We hadn't, and I got thumped for lying (another feature of the bad old days..). I used to read Enid Blyton Famous Five (yes, I wanted to be George, didn't we all?), What Katy Did and a LOT of comics: Beano, Beezer, and later, Girl.

You started off writing YA/teenage fiction and now write Victorian crime dramas—what drew you to write in these genres, and what continues to inspire you?

I actually started writing articles for various journals before I started writing teen/YA. Bringing up my daughter, and then working in a secondary school gave me an insight into the lives of teenagers, which I used copiously in the first three books, now out of print except for a few secondhand ones lurking in the depths of the Amazon basin: (Red Velvet/Jigsaw/Bright Angel). My daughter has pointed out that all my teenage books focus on the mother:daughter relationships and the stresses thereof. Can't think why.

Switching age range and genre at age 63 was a HUGE risk - but the teen pool was full of 'celeb/established' writers (it still is) and there was very little room for mid-listers like myself. I'd always loved the Victorian period: the books, the ingenuity of the people,so it seemed logical to go there. I chose to set my Stride & Cully books in the 1860s: the 1880s is a crowded field thanks to Conan Doyle, Jack the Ripper etc, but few modern' writers write in the mid-Victorian period. I LOVE it! and EXCLUSIVE: I am about to set up a Victorian Facebook page for all those weird and wonderful things that make the Victorian era so so interesting.

Your research must play an important part in creating the setting for your historical novels.
Research is and has to be the backbone of any 'histfic' writer. I am lucky as many of the London locations depicted in the books still exist, so I can go and take pictures. There are loads of useful online sites, such as The Victorian Web, where facts can be checked, and of course, much of the original literary material is easily available in newspaper archives, or sitting on the fiction shelves of any library.

What misconceptions do people have about the genre you write in?
People still tend to mix 'historical' with 'historical fiction'. Yes, we all base our work on what was going on at the time, but the characters and events come from our own minds. I write in the present tense - and have had many comments as my plot takes place in the past - people seem to think that the past should be written about in the past. I'm sure Hilary Mantel, who also uses present tense, gets the same stick as I do! Readers have to detach the history from the fiction and appreciate our books on their own merits as pieces of narrative.

The other side of that coin is that authors need to stick to the contextual mores: there were no 'feisty female teenagers gagging to take on the criminal fraternity or men in general'. It just wasn't like that in Victorian times - and it's no good trying to impose 21st century characters on a very patriarchal 19th century world.

Can you tell us something about your writing process, for example, what habits/practices do you find the most helpful? Which parts of the creative process are the easiest and which the least enjoyable?
I am an appalling writer and I'm always surprised that I finish a book. I rarely plan - other than knowing from the outset the crime and the resolution. I write - every day if I can. I edit as I go and I research as I go. It takes ma about six months to complete a first draft, and then I go through and add or take away as I feel meets the integrity of the book. The fourth book, to be self published in the Autumn, has been edited by Mr Detail (my husband) and it was a shock to see him drawing up charts to check all the plotlines worked through to a satisfactory ending.

Can you share with us the reasons for your recent decision to start your own imprint, Little G Books, and how difficult or easy has the process been?
Little G books, my current imprint (though it is really Amazon Kindle/Createspace and hopefully soon Kobo) arose from a desire to keep more of what I was earning. No publisher is prepared to 'pay' a writer a reasonable percentage of the royalties. In my case, I was working flat out on several social media platforms, blogging, etc but still not getting the lion's share of the sales. Plus, I like being in control; it's fun - for instance, I recently fiddled with my Amazon keywords and managed to get Diamonds & Dust almost to the top of the 'werewolf' chart! Yaay.

The downside is the amount of work involved. To put out a good product, you have to check each book over and over again, line by line. Mistakes happen in the uploading. I was lucky in that a fellow writer's wife kindly did the formatting and sorted out some of the background stuff for me, and my covers are designed by a local graphic artist, so I could keep them, though I changed the colours. Yep, I could have applied to one of the many companies around and farmed the whole thing out to them for the odd £1,000. But what's the point?

Can you tell us something about your current work-in-progress?
Murder & Mayhem, the 4th book in the Victorian Detectives series is almost ready and hopefully will be published in the Autumn. There will be the usual Facebook Victorian party! I'm currently writing the 5th book: Rhyme & Reason, though it is still early stages.

What future projects do you have planned?
Always a tricky one to answer. Staying alive, comes to mind! I'd like to say there will be a Stride & Cully book every year, but who knows? There may be some YA novels that have never seen the light of day .... but I'm not able to say anything more about that at the moment...what I will be doing in the future is writing, that's for sure. As long as people enjoy reading my stuff, I'll continue turning it out.

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions, Carol. It's been a real pleasure, and I wish you lots of luck with your new venture.

If you want to find out more about Carol, you can find her at the following links:

Twitter:  @carolJhedges
Blog: carolhedges.blogspot.co.uk

Amazon author pages: AMAZON: UK: http://amzn.to/1N1P3DF  US:http://amzn.to/1RCHmun 

Author Spotlight: Kellie Steele

My first post this year continues my current fantasy theme with a new feature on my blog, an Author Spotlight, where I hope to interview authors from the genres I write in, as well as those from other genres. (And, yes, I'll be calling in those favors soon!)

My first interview of 2016 is with the bright upcoming author, Kellie Steele, who published her debut novel, White Ghost and the Poison Arrow, last September.

Hi Kellie! Welcome, and congratulations on your nomination for the Metamorph Publishing's First Annual Summer Indie Book Award.

Could you share something about yourself with us? 
I live in Harrogate in England, and I grew up here too. It’s a quiet town normally, close to the country side. I work as an administrator at a charity for blind and disabled young adults. I’ve been an administrator since I was 17, so that’s nearly 5 years and I really enjoy it. My hobbies funnily enough are reading and writing, but I also like watching fantasy TV shows and watching youtubers play games. This is sad I know, but I love it.

Where did your love of reading come from?

I’ve been reading properly since I was 11. The first book I remember reading all the way through is Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. I started reading this and the other Harry Potter books after seeing the first film in the cinema, from then on I was hooked! When I read a book, it is almost like the words disappear and on the pages I see the scenes unfolding, the characters talking and I’m totally engrossed in the book.

How long have you been writing?

I published my first book in September 2015, and it took me about 6 months to write, so under a year. Here’s to many more years of writing!

Why attracted you to write in your particular genre?

I’ve always loved fantasy/young adult books, they’re what I read most, and where my imagination is strongest!

What part of writing do you find the most difficult?

I find the editing the hardest part of writing. I hate going through and finding mistakes in my writing, or bits that make no sense at all and need re-writing. It needs to be done. The first draft of my books tend to be lacking description and information, but I really hate doing it.

What part of writing do you find the most enjoyable?

The best part of writing for me is writing fast paces scenes or ones that get my heart racing. I live and breathe my characters, and feel what they feel. If the character is scared, then so am I, if they fall in love, then I do too. This is my favorite part of writing by far!

What inspires you?

My own imagination I guess. I’ve always been told I have an over active imagination. It’s nice to be able to put it to good use.

Are there any particular writers whose work has influenced you?

I don’t really know who has influenced my writing. There isn’t another book out there like the White Ghost series as far as I can tell, but I do know who it was that inspired me to write in general. It was an author called Lola StVil. I started reading her books on kindle and was hooked on them. I thought there was no way I could ever get my books published and didn’t know about self publishing till I found out that was how she did it. I then put pen to paper and got writing. So a big thank you to her.

What writing habits/practices do you find the most useful in your writing? Could you tell us something about your writing process?

I don’t really know what habits I have when I’m writing, other than speed typing and getting ahead of myself. This is not useful at all. My brain runs away with me and tries to get me to write the next scene before the present one has even finished.

With regards to my writing process, I guess it’s a little unusual. I don’t write out a story board, or what is going to happen. It is all in my head, and that is where it will stay. 

What authors do you like to read?

I love reading any kind of fantasy/young adult books. My favorite authors are JK Rowling, Stephanie Meyer, Stephanie Collins and Darren Shan, but I’m open to new books from others. 

Can you tell us something about your current work-in-progress?

At the moment I am working on my third book. White Ghost and the Mountain Spirit. It is the third instalment of the White Ghost series and I am very much looking forward to finishing it off, and I know my sister is too. (She nearly killed me for leaving the second book on a cliffhanger) This series is about a young Native American girl who is different from the others in her tribe. She is an outcast and shunned for her different looks and outgoing personality. The books follow her as she ventures out on her own, meeting new companions and getting into trouble, all in an attempt to find herself.

What future projects do you have planned?

After the White Ghost series I am writing a spin off book based on one of the other characters in the White Ghost series. I am looking forward to being able to tell the story of Nashoba, Nootau, Mato and Doahte.

                             

If you want to know more about Kellie and her books, click on the links below:

Kellie's author page UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kellie-Steele/e/B0144O61FU/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1452167881&sr=8-1

Kellie's author page US http://www.amazon.com/Kellie-Steele/e/B0144O61FU/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1452167881&sr=8-1

Website Link http://kellie-steele.weebly.com/

Thank you so much for answering my questions, Kellie, it's been a pleasure to interview you. Good luck with your writing, and with the nomination.

Join me on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/@tegankearney
Or check out my new pinterest boards:https://uk.pinterest.com/teagankearney/
If you're a Wattpad member, I have several short stories posted on the site: https://www.wattpad.com/teagankearney

Thanks for visiting my blog, and please do leave a comment.

To all story lovers out there, good reading, and to those of you who write, good writing.