Category Archives: Author Interviews

May 22, 2013

Author Interview: Marcy L Peska

By Wendy Van Camp

Fantasy writers come from all walks of life, but Marcy is a true woman of the wilderness, a lady from the great northern State of Alaska. I am pleased to feature her here on No Wasted Ink.

Marcy L Peska - AuthorI’m Marcy L. Peska, a dog-loving, rain-preferring bibliophile. I live with my husband, our four-footed child Jeb and our housemate. I’ve spent most of my life in Southeast Alaska which is part of the Tongass National Forest, the largest temperate rainforest in existence today. I had a unique childhood growing up transient, on boats and in bush Alaska but today I have deep roots in Juneau, the capital of Alaska, and enjoy modern conveniences like hot and cold running water, flushing toilets and electricity. My employment history has mostly included working in non-profit human services and I remain passionate about mental health and disability rights.

When and why did you begin writing?

I began writing fiction as a pre-teen because I loved reading, felt I had some talent for writing and needed an outlet to cope with life stressors. I began writing with the explicit intent to publish about two years ago when I first became aware of the self-publishing movement.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Ooooh, a semantics question! I’ve considered myself a writer since I was about twelve because…I wrote, I enjoyed writing and because I knew that someday I would be a fantasy author. I began considering myself an author about 14 months ago when I began writing my novel, Magic All Around.

Can you share a little about your current book with us?

Meet Vivian Marshall, an introverted artist from Juneau, Alaska. Painting, cooking, hot baths, and quiet evenings make Vivian happy. Neighbors with poor boundaries, her mom’s coven-style living arrangement, and dogs make her unhappy. When Vivian moves into a new apartment, she finds her sensible life turned topsy-turvy by dogs, a pony-tailed landlord and an inconvenient prophesy. Vivian is about to learn that there is magic all around!

What inspired you to write this book?

You know that not-quite-asleep feeling you get when you’re in stage one sleep? I often have vivid daydreams/lucid dreams in this phase and one night cracked myself up imagining an adolescent were-dog who gets himself in trouble by pissing on the Christmas tree at his mom’s holiday party. The more I thought about it, the more charmed I became by this paranormal faux pas and, ultimately, I built one of my main characters around this kernel of action. It doesn’t turn out to be a crucial plot point in the novel, but it was the original inspiration.

Do you have a specific writing style?

I have two writing styles. I mentioned that I’ve worked in human services and that’s where I honed my formal writing style. I’ve written hundreds of assessments, treatment plans and service delivery notes that reflected a person-centered approach while also meeting Medicaid guidelines for clear and measurable goals, objectives and interventions. My other style, the style I use in my novel, in my blog and during interviews like this, is less formal and more closely resembles my day-to-day speech and the sound of my mental voice. This style is colored by years of reading and by my early exposure to the rough and rowdy crowd of folks who lived on the docks in the 70’s and the fishing/subsistence lifestyle my family led in the 80’s.

How did you come up with the title of this book?

I played with several titles during the first few months of writing but kept coming back to this one. It’s part of a speech that one of my characters makes and it has layers of meaning for me, not just reflecting the outright magic in the story, but also a life philosophy.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

There are messages in my novel about relationships, self determination, mental health and more. That’s as much detail as I want to give though, because I hope that my messages are complex enough that each reader will add her own spin and take away the message most suited to her.

Are experiences in this book based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

As a fantasy novel, this book is fictional and the plot doesn’t represent anything from real life. On the other hand, Magic All Around is set here in Juneau, Alaska and I want readers taste a bit of authentic, local flavor.

What authors have most influenced your life? What about them do you find inspiring?

There’s a long list. Robert Service, Richard Bach, J.R.R. Tolkein, Ursula K. Le Guin, Anne McCaffrey, Orson Scott Card, Mercedes Lackey, Oliver Sacks, Marsha Linehan, Deborah Tannen, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Daniel Quinn…I could probably list a hundred authors here. I like to be transported when I read but also want to return with some bit of knowledge or wisdom that I can fit into the grand jigsaw puzzle of life and that duality is what inspires me.

If you had to choose, is there a writer would you consider a mentor?

Debora Geary is a tremendous inspiration. She writes fantasy that focuses on community building and personal transformation and her novels leave me eager to make the world a better place. She is also incredibly accessible to her fans, through e-mail and FaceBook. She is genuinely kind and, along with her fans, supports several great causes.

I don’t think mentor is quite the right word here because it conveys a level of intensity and intentionality in the relationship that isn’t representative of my interactions with Ms. Geary but I can honestly say that she is my social media model.

Who designed the cover of your book? Why did you select this illustrator?

I selected my cover designer for her enthusiasm and affordability! I created my own cover and wouldn’t have it any other way. I had a lot of fun playing with colors and images and went through about 10 possible covers before I settled on this one. I also enjoyed creating the icons and visuals for my web site. This is one of the best parts of being an indy author; creating the whole package and getting everything entirely my own way.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Yes, don’t worry too much about following writing advice! The only thing other writers can tell you is what works for them. Figure out what works for you and don’t be surprised when it’s different from what works for other folks. There’s room in this world for a lot of diversity and creativity.

Magic All Around Book CoverMarcy L. Peska
Juneau, Alaska

Magic All Around

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May 8, 2013

Author Interview: Marty Steere

By Wendy Van Camp

It is always a pleasure to offer authors in my local Los Angeles area. Marty Steele has written a lovely historical fiction. He shares more about his writing process and his new novel here on No Wasted Ink.

Marty Steere - AuthorI’m Marty Steere, a lifelong book junkie who spent many years convinced that he would ultimately be a novelist – but who was unwilling or, let’s face it, afraid, to take the plunge. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not as if I wasted those years. I became a lawyer, grew to like it, and have had, for longer than I’m prepared to admit right now, a very busy and gratifying practice. But, in the back of my mind, I did always believe that one day I would sit down and write that novel I knew was in me.

When and why did you begin writing?

The economy took a hit in late 2008/early 2009. (You probably read about it; it was in all the papers!) My practice in the months after that was not – how do I put it – nearly as robust as it had been in the overheated years leading up to the collapse. I found myself with rare evenings and weekends free. Now that was a bit of a sea change. So, I filled the time with the logical thing. I became spectacular at a couple of home video games. I mean really good. (I don’t want to brag or anything, but you know….) Anyway, it was late one night, after I’d advanced to a seemingly impossible new level, that I asked myself a poignant question: What the heck am I doing? That was when I came to the rueful (and somewhat daunting) conclusion that it was now or never.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Believe it or not, it was after I wrote my first chapter. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do it. I think I held my breath for the week it took me to write it. When I’d finally finished it, printed it, given it to my wife to read and received her – God bless her – accolades, I thought, I’m there. What a boob I was. That first chapter never made it into my book. But, in fairness, it was the breaking of the seal. In the span of a few months, I slid into a comfortable rhythm, and, after that, the writing came to me in a much more natural fashion. Now, with two novels under my belt, I do honestly think of myself as a writer.

Can you share a little about your current book with us?

Defiant Heart is the story of a young couple who, in a small Midwestern town on the eve of World War II, fall in love, are torn apart and must fight to be reunited.

What inspired you to write this book?

It’s a story I would want to read, filled with characters I would want to read about. In a way, you might say, I was entertaining myself while writing it.

Do you have a specific writing style?

I don’t know that I do, but, then again, would I recognize it if I did? I try not to bog down the prose. I’m more interested in telling the story than dangling fancy descriptions in front of my reader. I want people turning pages, and I try to foster that by moving the story along.

How did you come up with the title of this book?

I didn’t. For the life of me, I couldn’t. I wrote the whole book just assuming the title would come to me at some point. And then I was finished, and I still didn’t have it. I’d written well over 100,000 words, and I couldn’t come up with the last two or three. I tried out a few ideas with those who’d read the book – ran them up the flagpole if you will. Nobody saluted. (In retrospect, some of them were really awful.) A mild panic was beginning to set in. I was getting ready to submit to agents, and I obviously couldn’t do it without a title. I’d been working with an editor, Hillel Black. He was in New York, and I was in L.A., so I couldn’t actually see it, but I could pretty much feel the eye rolls when I gave him the last couple of ideas. Finally, he sent me a cryptic email that said “I had in mind something like DEFIANT HEART, A LOVE STORY. Idea grows out of Mary’s and Jon’s defiance of convention in their love for each other. Think this has more zing.” And he was right.

Who designed the cover of your book? Why did you select this illustrator?

The cover for Defiant Heart, as with the cover for my first novel, Sea of Crises, was designed by my good friend, Ben Lizardi – a very talented man who, among other things, is a fabulous graphic artist. I explained to Ben my idea of featuring the image of the biplane flying over fields with clouds in the background. Ben did a mock-up using stock photos, then suggested that, because the novel takes place in the 1940s, we might consider commissioning an illustration from a local artist, Ed Lum, who has done a lot of work that evokes the ’40s and ’50s. Ed and I spoke, and I explained how I wanted to create this nostalgic feel. Using Ben’s mock-up as a rough guide, Ed drew the illustration featured on the cover, adding the figure of the young man. It was exactly what I was looking for.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

I alluded to it above. I don’t know how profound it is, but my advice would be this: Write what you’d like to read. You’re going to be living with the story for a while. Make it be one you’d enjoy having someone else tell you. If you’re anything like me, you won’t know the whole thing starting out. So it’ll be a journey of discovery. Might as well enjoy it.

Defiant Heart Book CoverMarty Steere
Los Angeles, CA

Defiant Heart
Penfield Publications

Cover illustration by Ed Lum; cover design by Ben Lizardi

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April 24, 2013

Author Interview: Paul Ramey

By Wendy Van Camp

Visiting old cemeteries can lead you to discover many interesting facts of the past. Paul Ramey takes his fascination with graveyard history a few steps further which resulted in the research for his YA mystery novel. I’m pleased to have him here at No Wasted Ink.

Paul Ramey - AuthorMy name is Paul Ramey, and I am a writer, graphic artist, musician, and unrepentant cemetery buff. I’m a Kentucky native. I’ve also spent a few years in Providence, RI. In 2006 I moved to sunny Jacksonville, Florida, where my feet have (for the most part) been much, much warmer. Not long afterward I met my beautiful wife, Tina, and two years ago we welcomed our first child, Sofia Alafaire.

I am 45 years old, a lifelong health nut, a huge fan of Queen and Freddie Mercury, and consider Old Rasputin to be the very finest of Imperial Stout beers.

When and why did you begin writing?

I began creating little comic magazines that I’d write, draw and staple together when I was eight years old. The creation of these zines continued and evolved all the way through college, and I credit them for being my first training ground in both writing and art, as well as marketing.

My first formal awareness that I could actually write well came about through a high school humanities teacher, who always called my style “Rameyesque.” I didn’t actually know what that meant, but it stroked my ego enough for me to eventually get a B.A. in journalism. I also had a wonderful, well-known creative writing professor during my college years (Gurney Norman of Divine Right’s Trip fame), who was especially motivating and illuminating as to possible future writing paths.

Can you share a little about your current book with us?

Edgar Wilde and the Lost Grimoire revolves around an eccentric teenager and local amateur tour guide named Edgar Wilde. Edgar is seldom NOT seen in Victorian garb (he’s mocked at school for wearing Victorian-era apparel there, including top hat), and needless to say, he doesn’t quite fit in with his peers. In contrast, he connects easily with many of the adults around town, whom he finds closer to being his intellectual equal.

In an effort to make his amateur cemetery tours more enticing, he often researches old files at the town library looking for interesting facts. As the novel begins, Edgar has stumbled onto a strange mystery about a local public figure from hundreds of years ago. This leads quickly to hints of a centuries-old secret; a forgotten history that some in the town would rather stay hidden. The story is chock-full of cemetery clues, rumors of witches, and a legendary lost book of spells, as well as a number of memorable, enjoyable characters.

As a genre, Edgar Wilde and the Lost Grimoire fits in well at the older end of the young-adult category, but I believe adults will also find it to be a very entertaining mystery.

What inspired you to write this book?

I have a passion for old cemeteries – the history, the iconography. To me, they’re really beautiful outside museums. So I wanted to write a novel that communicated this fascination, and to educate the reader a bit concerning cemetery history, symbolism and even various materials used to make the markers. Edgar Wilde and the Lost Grimoire goes to great lengths to weave these aspects into the plot.

In an interesting twist, the book was also inspired by my new daughter, Sofia. I’d been working on a number of other creative projects, almost all of which were completely sidelined when the new baby arrived. The music and art both required huge amounts of solid time – 3 or 4 hours at a sitting – which was just impossible. But with writing I found that it was easy to step away often when parental duties required, and then return when I had another 10 or 15 minutes. In fact, the stepping away and returning every so often became an important part of the process, as it gave me a constant fresh perspective.

So the book project quickly became my creative passion, and a book now exists where almost certainly none would have had my daughter never shown up. I may never have even tried to write a novel if I’d continued to focus on all those other shelved projects. So, thank you, Sofia! Understandably, this book is dedicated to her.

How did you come up with the title of this book?

From the beginning I’d considered this novel as the possible first of a series. I was very inspired by the “Harry Potter and the…” format, and wanted to create a similar structure of continuity that people would recognize instantly. The “Lost Grimoire” refers to the core mystery of the book, which is a legendary lost book of spells.

Are experiences in this book based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

It is loosely based on a few places I’ve lived, and some people I’ve encountered, but no particular person or place. In fact, the location – St. Edmund Island, Massachusetts – is a place I invented. So don’t go looking for it!

What authors have most influenced your life? What about them do you find inspiring?

Steve Berry and Dan Brown have both had a huge impact on me in terms of structuring a mystery and using existing historical facts in thrilling new ways. The art of connecting the dots is a craft I hope I can use to make the Edgar Wilde books especially enjoyable. Stephen King, as well, for his exceptional wordcraft.

Who designed the cover of your book? Why did you select this illustrator?

I am actually the graphic designer as well as the author. As it happens, I’m a graphic designer by trade, so I have a real advantage in visualizing and creating the promotional elements of my stories. As it happened, I came up with the design for the cover quite early on in the writing process, and it helped greatly in visualizing the path of the story. I often work this way; it helps to have a mock-up of your final product so that you have something relatively solid to aim for. People make fun of me sometimes for creating mockups of my “end product” before doing the actual hard work of the beginning and middle, but that’s how I roll. I need to see ahead to visualize the now. As I worked on Edgar Wilde I’d keep the book mockup on the table next to me, and whenever I was stuck I’d let my eyes stray over the cover for inspiration. It really helped!

Do you have any advice for other writers?

My one bit of advice I’ve been saying to everyone lately, is simply to show up for it. You have no idea when the brilliant turn of phrase or plot twist will show up. For six months I met my manuscript every single night, and let my typing fingers listen for whatever might be there. There were many, many nights when nothing good showed up, or stuff that was crap. But in the meantime, the real stuff – the meat of the final draft – was also arriving. It’s like panning for gold. Eventually (hopefully!) you get a whole story, but you have to actually be there to meet it. You have to have faith in your story AND the respect and discipline to give it the attention it deserves. And that’s entirely up to you.

Edgar Wilde and the Lost Grimoire Book CoverPaul Ramey
Jacksonville, Florida

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Writer/performer/producer of the two-CD goth/rock opera album, Veil & Subdue, and writer/illustrator of Zen Salvador, a limited-edition book of zen-styled dog wisdom featuring a number of ink-brush illustrations.

Publisher: Nine Muse Press
Cover Art: Paul Ramey




Edgar Wilde and the Lost Grimoire
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April 10, 2013

Author Interview: Tash Jones

By Wendy Van Camp

Author Tash JonesMy name is Natasha Jones, I’m from Portsmouth, Southern England and I’ve by the seaside my whole life. I love nature and travelling. I have a fondness for astronomy. I obsessively watch TV shows. I love a good musical. Period literature has, I think, the most fascinating language. I make silly jokes – ALL THE TIME.

When and why did you begin writing?

I used to parody pop songs and before that I used to make up my own magazine and write the articles for it (on lined paper – I still have the magazine). I took writing seriously when I was 18 and I started to pen this novel.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Does one ever? Don’t we all create stories in our minds on a regular basis? I can call myself an author soon though, which is pretty cool.

Can you share a little about your current book with us?

It’s a tragedy with a little romance. It’s historical fiction set in London in the late 1800s. The story revolves around Alexander Vile and is retold through his Journal entries. There’s some ambiguity, so that hopefully different readers take different things from it.

What inspired you to write this book?

I read a lot of Gothic fiction and that spurred me on to conclude the novel. I mainly started out of boredom on my work lunch breaks – I didn’t know this would become such a passion for me.

Do you have a specific writing style?

I like a lot of imagery. It’s a very self-reflexive language style, declarative I’d also say. I’m trying different styles for my future novels though.

How did you come up with the title of this book?

We were studying Virginia Woolf’s ‘Mrs Dalloway‘ at University and my lecturer described Clarissa (the lead character) as having these Luminous moments, luminous thoughts – that phrase stuck with me.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

I would like people to not take things at face value and question more (even if silently). Too many people will read something on a social networking site, in a newspaper or on a celebrities blog and will just accept that as fact. In general I think people should think more before they start arguments and debates too.

Are experiences in this book based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

Some of the thoughts expressed are my own ponderings. It is entirely fictional thought. I’ve started writing a second book which features a character who is very similar to me.

What authors have most influenced your life? What about them do you find inspiring?

Jane Austen – she really opened my mind and made me interested in history – I was stuck in the modern world before I discovered her. Jeff Lindsay and Stieg Larrsson got me heavily into Crime Fiction – which is now my favourite genre of Television. Oscar Wilde is the main reason I wanted to write and release this book. His intellectual words were something I desired to be able to replicate. Edgar Allen Poe’s ‘The Raven’ fuelled my love of poetry and Jonathan Safran Foer first opened my eyes to intercultural fiction.

If you had to choose, is there a writer would you consider a mentor? Why?

The two that are alive from that list – Lindsay and Safran Foer, I would love to meet them and quiz them on their novels.

Who designed the cover of your book? Why did you select this illustrator?

I initially approached two illustrators. The first design turned out to convey the wrong theme, it was a little dated. The second really took my instructions and made it his own. His name is Colin Strain.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

I don’t think advising on the writing process is entirely essential – if you love writing, you’ll write anyway! Editing (though can be repetitive and tedious) is probably more important than the execution of the writing. In this market, I think networking is equally, if not more important than the editing and writing put together. If you want to build as a writer, network – the more varied people you talk to, who advise, review your work, the better the product you release will be.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

I’m one of those annoying optimists – so – I think everyone should smile now, it’ll make you feel better.

The Luminious Memories of Alexander Vile Book CoverNatasha Jones
Portsmouth, England

I’m sucker for romance and metaphors. I like to leave things to the readers interpretation so an element of ambiguity features in my work. I like writing the nasty nasty characters the most.

The Luminous Memories of Alexander Vile
AMAZON

Cover Designer: Colin Strain

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March 27, 2013

Author Interview: Lindsay Leggett

By Wendy Van Camp

I met Lindsay via twitter where I chat with many fellow writers and authors. I am pleased to introduce her to you here on No Wasted Ink.

Author Lindsey LeggettMy name is Lindsay Leggett and I currently reside outside of Toronto but originate from Northern Ontario. Beyond writing, I am also an editor, marketer, and hobby collector. Some of these hobbies include learning languages and many instruments. It can be a problem.

When and why did you begin writing?

I’ve been writing since I can remember. I think my first ‘novel’ was about thieves who stole my cat. It was ten pages and included (horrendous) illustrations. From then on, writing became as big in my life as breathing. Poetry, short stories, epic novels; you name it, and I was working on it. I’ve since learned how to rein in my imagination (sort of).

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I began seriously writing my first novel when I was around twelve years old. All of my teachers were very supportive in this endeavour, and even though that book was never finished, I still use pieces of it in current writing.

Can you share a little about your current book with us?

Flight is the story of an Ace Harpy Hunter (kind of like a super FBI agent to fight genetically mutated monsters) who is on the run from the oppressive Elder Corporation. After she’s discovered and asked to return to help the threat, she begins to uncover a great secret both within the Corporation, and within herself. It’s an action dystopian with a healthy dose of forbidden love and sci-fi badassery.

What inspired you to write this book?

The original first scribblings of Flight were actually based around vampires (before the new-age vampire craze), but I chanced upon some art with Harpy characters—beautiful creatures with wings and no emotions. This developed into the story of a Hunter with a hatred toward the government and her discovery of a Harpy who’s been living among humans in secret. That’s all I can reveal.

Do you have a specific writing style?

I think my writing is fairly visual, with a lot of focus on inner turmoil and the contrast between what we believe is happening with what is actually happening. Add some sarcasm, action, and blood, and you’ve got Lindsay Leggett.

How did you come up with the title of this book?

Flight had some truly horrendous first titles. One day, I rode a friend’s horse named Flight, and a lightbulb flicked on. So, my title was actually stolen from a horse.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Flight is very much about realizing who you are and finding what is right for you, even if it might not seem right to your society.

Are experiences in this book based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

There is a theme of loss which is related to my life. Flight’s protagonist Piper has lost her brother, which plays a big role in the novel. I lost my father when I was a child, so much of this aspect of the book plays on my own experiences and emotions.

What authors have most influenced your life? What about them do you find inspiring?

Margaret Atwood has always been a big influence for my writing, as well as Ray Bradbury and Chuck Palahniuk. I think that they are all pioneers in dystopian, Sci-Fi, and experimenting with their work, which has always appealed to me.

If you had to choose, is there a writer would you consider a mentor? Why?

So many writers have been a great support and inspiration through me over the last few years. Meredyth Wood read early incarnations of the book. Maggie Stiefvater has also been a role model for me since her first book came out.

Who designed the cover of your book? Why did you select this illustrator?

I ended up creating my own cover. I’ve worked with some covers in the past, and I just couldn’t resist when I found this particular photo. It was a lot of work creating my character in the cover, but I loved every minute of it. It’s incredibly rewarding to be able to be proud of something you designed yourself :)

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Don’t give up, inform yourself about the industry and the craft of writing, and don’t push too soon.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

I hope my readers love the world of Flight as much as I do, and find themselves in any of the characters. I also hope they love Piper and Asher, and want to see the rest of their story. Also, any of my readers are automatically awesome, so I’d love to say that above all. You are awesome.

Lindsey Leggett - Flight Book CoverLindsay Leggett
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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