READY TO MEET THE GRIM REAPER?

This week's guest started popping onto my radar shortly after I became a member of Author's Social Media Support Group. I'm actually a little shocked I haven't had her on before. We've done contests and blog hops together but somehow I missed having her on as a featured author. So now, I'm making up for my faux pas and happily present to you...

***HEADLINE: SILVER GOES GOLD!*** 

Miss Ruth Silver! 

Ruth, please tell readers who you are, where you're from...all the good and important stuff. (Like is Silver your real last name or a pen name?)

Thank you so much for having me on your blog today, Su. Yes, my real name is Ruth Silver. I’m from a suburb outside of Chicago and I have a dog, Trace, that I adopted from the animal shelter when I lived for a short time in Omaha. I’ve moved around a lot.

What kind of books do you write and do you believe in the adage 'Write what you read (or know)'?

 

I write young adult books, anything from dystopian, paranormal, to fantasy. I’ve got a YA contemporary novel that I started quite awhile ago too. As long as it’s YA, I consider it fair game. I do believe that as an author, writing what you know is easier. I also feel that research is important to any story and you can learn almost anything when it comes to writing what you know.

What's your most recent project(s)?

Orenda and Dead Girl Walking are my two most recent book series. Orenda is a YA Fantasy story that takes place in a parallel universe (so a hint of sci-fi), and Dead Girl Walking is a YA Paranormal novel about grim reapers.

Dead Girl Walking

Orenda

 I've seen Orenda and Dead Girl Walking all over Facebook and Twitter. But you have another series out there too. Tell us about those.

My first series I wrote and published through a small press was a Dystopian series for young adults titled Aberrant. It’s about an eighteen year old girl, Olivia Parker, who is an anomaly. She’s special and because of it, the government wants her dead. 

 
What are your future plans readers can look forward to?

 

I’ve been working simultaneously on the next books in the series Orenda and Dead Girl Walking. Elfinland, Book two in the Orenda series will be available sometime in the fall. Forget Me Not, the second book in the Dead Girl Walking series will be available in the winter.

Any upcoming or current events you'd like us to know about?

 

I’ve been participating in a lot of library and high school literary events. In April I was the keynote speaker for the Northern Big 12 Literary Festival. It was amazing to meet so many talented young authors. I’m looking forward to attending Kids College Writers Academy in July at Elgin Community College and working with young adults 11-15.

Any tools or websites you've found particularly useful as an indie author?

 

Good question. NetGalley has been a great tool for getting my novel in front of librarians and book bloggers. It isn’t cheap to pay for a slot, but if you join a co-op like Patchwork Press, it’s much more reasonable.

We meet indie authors from all over the world on a daily basis. Any you'd like to give a little shout out to?

 

Yes The girls with Patchwork Press are not only incredibly helpful but also super talented.

Now for a little fun!
Tell us one thing that's quirky, strange or downright weird about yourself.

My best friend I met online in a Without a Trace forum. We wrote fan fiction together and eventually I traveled across the world to meet her.

What one thing would you want people to know about you as a writer and as a person?

I love to read, especially young adult titles. My favorite book is The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. All writers should be avid readers.

If I gave you a crystal pitcher, a rose and a tiara what kind of story would  you come up with?

They would be three magical elements that would transport you to different places in time.

 

HOW TO CONNECT WITH RUTH!

Ruth Silver on Facebook 

Ruth Silver on Twitter 

Books on Twitter 

Ruth Silver Website 

YA Book Deals 

Amazon Author Page 

 

BUY LINKS FOR RUTH'S BOOKS

Aberrant 

Moirai (Aberrant 2) 

Isaura (Aberrant 3) 

 

*     *     *

Orenda 

Dead Girl Walking (Royal Reaper 1) 

Ashes to Ashes (Royal Reaper 0.5) 

Ruth, thank you for visiting with my readers today! I'm always happy to introduce other indie authors to the folks who stop by here.

 

Thank you to all of you who took time out of your day to stop in and check out this week's post. I am truly blessed by each and every visitor, and I love to hear from you!!!

 

Dream Weaver and Rock Star are on sale for $0.99 each on Amazon. The final book in the Dream Weaver series, Private Eye, is on target at 43k words and should be released in late July. 

 

Hope you enjoyed this interview with Ruth Silver...and I've added a few of my own pics for you too. Thanks for stopping by.

And as always...

Dare to Dream!

Su

 

Yes, it's true. I turned 50 in May!

Crimson & clover, over & over...

The view from our cabin on Pend Oreille River

Sunset after the rain, thru the trees.

 

SO...IS BIGFOOT REAL???

Home Sweet Home

Regular visitors to this blog know that I love meeting authors from all over the world. But I'm always just a little bit more excited to find one that lives nearby or grew up here in the Spokane area. Such is the case with this week's interview. But I won't tell his story. I'll let him do it for me.

James Moser

My guest this week is James Moser, author of Chasing Prophecy. Jim, tell us about yourself...where you're from, your family...

I was born and raised in the lovely metropolis of Spokane, Washington. I moved to Seattle in 1995 for work, met and fell in love with my wife in grad school at the University of Washington, and we now live in the Maple Leaf Neighborhood with our 8 year old son, and I also am prone to run-on sentences and semi-colons; did you notice?

I did. So, what kind of books do you write? 

Chasing Prophecy is a YA Thriller or Romantic Suspense novel, 280 pages, told from POV of 17 year old boy.  

 

Your acknowledgements at the end say that you structured Chasing Prophecy around To Kill a Mocking Bird. Can you give us a little run down on that? 

Great question. Thank you. Yeah, this book started with an idea about writing a character based on my all time fave lit. character:  Boo Radley.  I love how he kind of dominates that book w/o ever speaking a word and is on-stage for just a handful of scenes, and one big one at the end.  That's very Bigfoot-ish.  I live in the Bigfoot sighting capital of the world, Western Washington, and it's amazing how much energy people put into this topic.  Like:  he's more powerful by what we DON'T see.  I love that idea.  It's really a different kind of faith--very powerful.  Going deeper than that would spoil everyone's fave scenes in the book, so I'll leave it at that.  :)  

Who are your writing inspirations? 

So many. When I was a kid, Beverly Cleary + Judy Blume. Later Stephen King. The last few years have been all about Sherman Alexie's True Diary, Jay Asher, & the complete works of John Greene.  Male writers with male characters and male POV teen lit. is a pretty recent development--so those have been my go-to guys for this particular project.  I think True Diary is the most important thing to happen in YA in a looooooooooong time.  

Any indie authors that have piqued your interest?  

Su Williams, of course. Aw, shucks! I read a really interesting literary fiction-type book about a dog who helps out after a hurricane in Mexico--Lobo by David Gordon Burke.  Just really well written.  

What one piece of advice, website...would you give to new writers?  

Don't write randomly. Use 3-act structure. Nearly everything published follows something sort of like that formula.  Just starting & staring at a blank screen is a recipe for exhaustion.  Don't do it. Buy a copy of Strunk & White's Elements of Style, which covers the main grammatical problems we all run into.  Read Stephen King's On Writing.  

I haven't read King's 'On Writing' but I have a favorite quote from it...at least I think it's from that one...

"When your story is ready for rewrite, cut it to the bone. Get rid of every ounce of excess fat. This is going to hurt; revising a story down to the bare essentials is always a little like murdering children, but it must be done." Stephen King, November 1973

Is there anything upcoming that you'd like to share with my readers?

A new 3-book series will be released in March, 2015.  It's set in North Seattle, will be kind of a teen quest that takes place in Seattle, involves the environment + bigfoot as key plot elements. In the Author Notes of Chasing Prophecy, there's a sign-up link for promotions, giveaways, and updates about the release of that new series.  

Here's my review of Jim's book Chasing Prophecy:

5.0 out of 5 starsBigfoot Gets BIG Stars

I'm a little skittish when it comes to reading stories about Bigfoot...always thought it was a bit of bunk. But Moser writes a believable tale that isn't necessarily about Bigfoot. It's about some ordinary kids who have the misfortune of falling into trouble and the fortune of having a Sasquatch guardian. I was very impressed with this well-told story. It's basic framework is structured like To Kill A Mockingbird...a clever concept. Moser is a captivating story teller. Definitely a 5 star hit!

“The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience.”
― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird 

Please take a few moments to check out Jim and his book.

Here's the link to Chasing Prophecy on Amazon.

Jim Moser on Facebook

Chasing Prophecy

@moser_james on Twitter

Thank you so much to Jim for giving me an interview. I've enjoyed getting to know you, here and via email. We'll have to do coffee next time you're in town. And thanks to all of you who come to visit me each week and spend a little time getting to know some of the indie authors that grace the literary stage.

As always...
Dare to Dream!
Su

For those who haven't read Dream Weaver & Rock Star...I've listed a combo file on Amazon with both books at special price. Both books are affordable...and a steal...at $0.99, but the combo deal is just $1.49. Where else can you get 2 books for less than 75 cents each? Stop by and check them out.

DREAM WEAVER

ROCK STAR

DREAM WEAVER/ROCK STAR COMBO

And, coming in July...PRIVATE EYE! The raging conclusion to this dark tale of mind-benders!

If you enjoyed this interview with Jim, or want to learn more about him, feel free to leave comment and we'll get ya hooked up. 

Know an author who needs a shout out? Send 'em my way!

This is Kooper, the latest addition to the Barton menagerie!

WORLD WIDE WRITING PROCESS BLOG TOUR

 ***The updates are in! Meet two more great indie authors!!***

GREETINGS FROM MY WORLD WIDE BLOG TOUR!!!

It's been over a year since I've participated in any kind of blog hop, so when a new author friend asked me to join, it was an easy yes! So, before we get the ball rolling too far, I'd like to extend my personal thanks to author Lorraine Adair for inviting me to the fun! Stop by and say hi to her on your way through!

ON TO THE EVENT

The next part of this event, you get to hear from little old me regarding my writing process. So here goes:

1) What am I working on?

        Right now, I'm working on the final book in the Dream Weaver Series called Private Eye. I've been thinking while I'm writing that the title may not stick. Guess I'll have to see as it progresses. I just got a tweet from a fan tonight asking about the tentative June release. In order to put out my best work I'm capable of, that deadline may be moved back to July.

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?

       There's been some discussion as to whether Dream Weaver is a

'paranormal romance.' One camp told me, if the story doesn't end 'happily ever after' it's not romance. Others say 'bah, humbug.' There's an element of romance. But I guess the truly different thing about my work is that I tend to be a little dark, a little morbid. I didn't shy away from hard subjects like rape and PTSD. I tried to be very diplomatic about it and handle the subjects with kid gloves...or is it kit gloves?

Kinda scary huh? He really was!

3) Why do I write what I do?

       I've always been drawn toward stories of vampires and such, including research I did in high school about Vlad Dracula. So that I landed writing paranormal isn't much of a surprise. A lot of writing teachers say to 'write what you read.' And I guess I always felt more, I don't know, comfortable reading YA over Adult. So I write YA paranormal because that's what I read and am most comfortable with.

4) How does my writing process work?

        I swore to myself when I started my third book that I was going to outline and organize and...Yeah, right. My books don't present themselves to me in linear fashion, so drawing up an outline was like pulling teeth, without Novocain or laughing gas. What's the fun in that? Typically, once I'm settled in for the night, someone will want to be heard and tell what they want to do in an upcoming scene. And it's not necessarily in chronological order. Usually, the end is the one the first things I write and I've discovered recently that's not a bad thing. It's very freeing to know the end of a story and then figure out how you got there. 

       After I write all the scenes that have been whispered in my ears, then I lace them all together and I have a rough draft. Then, I do several edits; checking grammar, punctuation, spelling, word usage, story line, plot holes, suggestions from beta readers...Typically, I spend more time in edits than on the original draft. So, there you have it...my erratic, sporadic writing process. Thanks for listening!

AND THEN THERE WERE 3

My first author is a very new friend. I met her through a social media support group we belong to together. We messaged back and forth for about an hour on Saturday and discovered we have a lot in common...and I got her jokes. Heehee. So, here's a little shout out for:

Yelle (pronounced yell-ee) Hughes (pronounced hugg-hes...no, I'm kidding)

Yelle Hughes, mum of three and now a proud grandparent, is an avid reader as well as author. She enjoys canoeing, studying the Greek myths, watching action and western movies, and is an unpaid movie critic. Her work is written from the heart and from the people who have passed through her life, just as the seasons pass each year.

You can check out Yelle and her words on her website: YelleHughes.com 

Can you tell she's a bit quirky?

Meeting new friends is always great, but I was really excited to find an author that lives right here in my home town, Spokane, WA.

Allison Hawn

Allison Hawn was born in Idaho and has spent her life obtaining adventures. The daughter of a musician, she was brought up all over the United States with occasional dalliances into foreign lands. She is the author of two collections of short, humorous stories, "Life is a Circus Run by a Platypus," and "Life is a Pirate Ship Run by a Velociraptor." The second will be released soon.  She currently resides in Spokane, Washington, where she works with the homeless, domestic violence victims, and other disenfranchised populations as a case manager, but calls a myriad of locations home.

Allison's blog link is: http://circusplatypus.blogspot.com/

Last but certainly not least!

Tony was recommended to me by my friend Christoph Fischer who I featured recently. If you missed his interview and great pics of his pups and his home check out: My interview with Christoph!

Author Tony Gilbert

 I am married with four children and a rather large snake. I have been writing for a little under two years and have three books that I have self published with another self pub out this year. I have been very lucky and have managed to force my way into the fold with two publishing companies - 'Visionary Press' and 'Ghostly Publishing'. They are releasing 'Doodeedoo' and 'The Youngest Knight' later this year.
 
Blog - http://tonygilbertauthor.weebly.com/

So there you have it! 

Three great authors from around the world who were awesome enough to jump in at the last minute and share a little of their lives and their work with us. I extend my sincerest thanks to all three for supporting this event with me. And I hope we all get the chance to learn more about each of them in the coming weeks in in-depth interviews.

Dream Weaver & Rock Star are on sale for $1.99 cents. I hope you'll hop over to Amazon and get your copy while they're still this low. 

Thank you for taking your time to visit here again.
And as always...

Dare to Dream!
Su