Calling New Zealand Poets

If you're a New Zealand writer/poet you'll be thrilled to hear the annual 'Poems in the Waiting Room' Poetry Competition for 2017 is now open.
You've got until the 28th of February to submit.
Read the full set of Conditions of Entry on the Poems in the Waiting Room website.


Poems in the Waiting Room 2017 Poetry Competition Poster designed by Kura Carpenter



Book Festival Tips for Indie Authors

Are you an Indie Author looking for tips to guide you in attending your first book festival?

Today's discussion will provide you that insight, so sit back and drink in the knowledge as Vicky Adin, Cassie Hart and Darian Smith share their NZ Book Festival experiences, and Vicki Nelson discusses her time at the Bay Area Book Festival (BABF) held in Berkeley, California.

Book Festival 101 - Tips for Indie Authors


What was your main aim in attending?

Vicky Adin: I wanted to raise my profile as an author and make connections with other indie authors. Selling a book was a bonus.

Cassie Hart: Mostly to give it a go - do something new, challenge myself, see how it all worked, and hopefully sell some books while I was at it!


Darian Smith: My aim was to raise awareness of SpecFicNZ authors and, of course, my books in particular!


Vicki Nelson: As a self-published author, I have really had to struggle to promote my work. My reason for attending the book festival was threefold: To sell books, make connections, and to gain experience interacting with people who showed an interest in my novel.



Bay Area Book Festival


Tips learned from attending book festivals (things to do/not do)

Vicky Adin:
  • Have an enticing and well laid out display that says who you are at a glance – create a talking point.
  • Do not overcrowd the table.
  • Have some give-aways eg: merchandising products (as much as you can afford). Bookmarks are excellent or mini pocket calendars & postcards etc, and enticements like lollies, balloons or colouring in for the kids (especially if you are a children’s author).
  • Talk to people – say hello, ask what they like to read, tell them where you’ve seen a great book that fits what they described (they may buy from you later).
Cassie Hart: Take snacks, take breaks, take plenty of drinking water as you’ll be talking heaps and your mouth will get dry. I packed a ‘magic box’ before the festival with several kinds of tape, pins, blutack, painkillers, bandaids, a usb power box for emergency charging, spare pens, sheesh, I can’t even remember everything - it wasn’t very big but it had a lot in it, and was our saviour.

Darian Smith: Bring snacks!


Vicki Nelson: The first thing is to give oneself plenty of time to think about and prepare.

  • Books need to be purchased and shipped in time.
  • Posters, banners, and bookmarks need to be designed and also shipped in time.
  • In addition to the books and marketing materials, it is important to have a few book display stands and a tablecloth.
  • A cash box is essential with plenty of change on hand as well as a credit card reader for the cell phone. It is important to set up a PayPal account in advance with an app that works with a cell phone.

Cassie Hart's shared stall at NZ Book Fest, pictured TG Ayer


Often when we go into a new situation we’ll have assumptions/expectations. What assumptions proved wrong or different, the first time you a festival?

 
Vicky Adin: I am never grumpy about the hard work other people put in to make a festival work. You are reliant on the public and they are fickle at best and often downright cantankerous. Do not blame the conference organiser if your expectations are not met. They already know if the day hasn’t gone the way they had planned.
 
For newbies to the game:
  1. Never expect a sale. Selling in a Festival environment is hard work. People come to look first and foremost. They may buy if you engage them, but don’t be too pushy or they’ll walk away.
  2. Always smile when someone is walking past. Hand out your freebies willingly, not attached to something else.
  3. Don’t spend all your time talking to your companion or neighbour. Potential customers won’t want to disturb you and will walk on by.
  4. You want to catch the eye of every person heading your way.
  5. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes – you will do a lot of standing. And always have a coat with you in case the venue is draughty.
  6. Take enough food, nibbles, a flask and water to last the day. If it is busy and you are manning your own stall by yourself, you may be able to get to the toilet but you won’t have time to wander off and have lunch.
  7. Make sure you have enough cash to give change.
Victoria Nelson, Author and Greg Brown, Director and Founder of The Studio Santa Rosa, the oldest, largest, and longest running art studio in Santa Rosa, CA. (Greg will be celebrating The Studio's 31st year this November 5th and 6th).

What’s the best part for you personally attending?
 
Vicky Adin: Meeting people


Cassie Hart: Facing my fears, trying something new and putting myself out there! I felt like it was worth it for those things. Hanging out with my friends was also awesome ;-) Oh and meeting new people! I met some twitter friends for the first time when they came out to buy my books and that was amazing!


Darian Smith: Finding people who enjoy my books. As an author, it’s not that often we get feedback from people who read our work so when I had a fan bring her friends over to the stall and tell them “You HAVE to buy this book” it absolutely made my day!


Vicki Nelson: I believe the best part of the festival was meeting people. Berkeley is a unique city (I was raised there), full of creative individuals, writers and artists, with creative ideas.

What are your tips for connecting to Readers/potential buyers who stop at your stall?


Vicky Adin:
Know your blurbs.


Vicki Nelson: In spite of evidence promoting the pitch approach, my best advice for drawing people to one's stall is body language, presence, and facial expression. At least that is how I seemed to have attracted people. My aim was to put people at ease and to feel free to come over and casually thumb through a copy of the book and read a few pages without having to say anything. This is also why I put a couple of obvious display copies on the table for people to pick up and handle. I find that if I am calm and don't act like I am too anxious to make a sale, people are more apt to stay and chat a bit, asking questions about the book.


Mairangi Writers’ table at NZ Book Fest

Do you put out a display copy? (so people can feel free to check out that copy without worrying about creasing/damaging etc)

Vicky Adin:
Yes.


Vicki Nelson: I put out two display copies at either end of the table. In addition to my novel, I had written two other books and put out display copies of those as well. I also placed a price list at each end of the table. My price list showed colored copies of each book cover, a short synopsis, description of the genre, and target audience. By presenting this information in a colorful, informative format, people were more apt to spend a longer time investigating my booth and striking up a conversation about my work.


SpecFicNZ Table at NZ Book Festival



Do you hand out bookmarks/postcards, something to give to everyone who stops at your stall? 

 
Vicky Adin:
Yes.


Cassie Hart: We had a range of ‘book swag’ as they call it. Bookmarks, and fridge magnets as well - what I found was that every other stall had bookmarks, so they were a hard thing to give away. The lovely woman in the stall next to us had bookmarks but they had beautiful designs on them (not book covers) with her details on the back - these went down really well, and were some of the only bookmarks I kept!


Darian Smith: Yes, I do offer bookmarks and I give them to anyone who passes. It’s a free gift that helps people engage a little and has a link to where people can by the book in e-format.


Vicki Nelson: Colorful well-designed, sturdy bookmarks are essential. They are also more useful than brochures or postcards since people tend to retain them longer.


Bay Area Book Fest

Do you have a sign-up newsletter form, (paper or electronic) or some other method to get Reader’s email on your stall? If not, why not?

 
Vicky Adin:
Yes. And follow up. I usually have a ‘Win a Free Book’ option to encourage them to sign up.


Cassie Hart: We did, but again, it was hard to get people to fill it out. Maybe if the prize was really amazing, but there wasn’t a lot of interest for ours - a bottle of wine or something quick, tangible, and not necessarily directly related to your book/product seemed to go down the best.


Darian Smith: Yes, I do have a way to sign up to a newsletter. I would prefer to have a tablet or laptop so it can be done right away but this can get tricky in terms of security of the item and battery life. It can be tricky to find a power socket at these events! Especially if you don’t want to spend extra to have one as part of your stall.


Mairangi Writers’ table at NZ Book Fest

Why do you think Readers like buying straight from the author?

Cassie Hart:
I think readers get a kick out of meeting the author - if they know you from social media and live in the town there is a good chance they will come out to see you. Most of my sales were made that way. 


Darian Smith: I think readers enjoy talking to the creator of any artform. The personal connection can encourage them to try the book if they like the author. Also, people like to get their books signed!


Bay Area Book Festival

Assuming the venue allows it, would you recommend a couple of authors team up to share a stall?


Vicky Adin:
It has its advantages to reduce costs, and for indie authors that often is a major drawcard. A writing group working together can work, if you are prepared to sell your fellow authors books as much as your own. If not, then don’t share.
Two authors can work – again if you are willing to sell the other person’s books as hard as you would sell your own. You never know what the pay-off will be.
Being an indie is about sharing – especially knowledge.


Cassie Hart: Definitely! I did this last time, and am doing it again this year. Share with people you like to hang out with because it makes it more fun. It reduces the cost of going, and means there is plenty of interesting things for people to come and see - and more people to talk to! If you need to go and get a drink or have a bathroom break it means there is always someone to cover the stand. All in all, I just think it makes for a more fun, easier time of it. 


Darian Smith: My experience of sharing a stall was a good one, especially as it was my first time. It meant a reduction in costs and the ability to share the time spent there. It also meant company in the quiet times.
The down side is that if you’re sharing with a lot of authors that means a lot of books competing for limited space in the stall. Also, my experience was that people bought the books of the authors who were present more often than those who weren’t. That’s not to say that those of us at the stall weren’t promoting all the books – we were!
But I think that readers enjoyed meeting the author and talking to someone who was knowledgeable about the book and who had made the effort to be there to meet them and that translated into sales. So if you’re sharing, still try to be there as much as you can  No one can sell your books like you can. 


Vicki Nelson: No matter how well one prepares, there is no substitute for a good booth partner. How else does one expect to use the restroom or take a short stroll? (It is important to know where the restrooms are located in advance.) A two-day festival can really take a toll on one's energy and it is also nice to have a booth partner to keep one company.





So here we have it. Book Festivals give Indy authors a chance to meet and make fans, hopefully sell some books, but also make business contacts and new friends with like minded writers.  


 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Cassie Hart writing as JC Hart
Cassie Hart is a lover of pizza, coffee, and zombies (in no particular order). She was raised on a healthy diet of horror, science fiction, and fantasy, and despite many attempts by various English teachers has refused to budge on her position that these are the best genres ever.
When she’s not raising her horde of wonderfully creepy children or dreaming of the day she’ll have an army of ninja kittens, she’s writing speculative fiction, or binging on TV, movies and games. Visit Cassie's website: JC Hart





Darian Smith

Darian Smith: I’m a writer and reader of fiction and live in Auckland, New Zealand. While I have dabbled in non-fiction, my true love is crafting exciting stories that interest and move me. And hopefully have a similar impact on readers! I mainly write fantasy and contemporary fiction. I am a member of SpecFicNZ, an organisation for writers of speculative fiction here in New Zealand, and also of RWNZ. 

 Visit Darian's website: Darian Smith




Vicky Adin
Vicky Adin is a New Zealand author living on the North Shore of Auckland within walking distance of the beach, the coffee shops and inspiration. 
Vicky is particularly fascinated by the 19th Century pioneers who undertook hazardous journeys to find a better life. Especially the women, who needed strength of mind as well as body to survive, let alone flourish, in a new country still coming to terms with its existence. Being a genealogist in love with history, these men and women and their ancestors drive her stories.
Visit Vicky's website:  Vicky Adin



Victoria Nelson
Victoria Nelson is a freelance writer from California who holds an MA in English Literature from Holy Names University. She is a writing and research tutor for graduate students and a homeschool curriculum consultant. Publications include a stage play, L. is for Sayers, a screenplay, Jack Marlin, Private Eye: The Case of the Barbary Blackbird, and a novel, Romana Volume I from the Annals of Romana. She is also a contributing author to the Saint Austin Review (StAR), an international journal of Catholic culture, art, and literature.

NaNo what now? Newbies Guide to NaNoWriMo



What is NaNoWriMo? NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month.
Essentially it’s a global writing event held annually in November, where participants try to write a 50,000 word novel.
 
The first step in participating in NaNoWriMo is to join via the NaNoWriMo Website.
Then add your local region and find out who your local ML (Municipal Liaison) is.

According to the website:
Quote - “Municipal Liaisons (MLs) are volunteers who add a vibrant, real-world aspect to NaNoWriMo festivities all over the world.

They host regular writing events in November—and some MLs host write-ins, parties, and workshops all year long. They also oversee their regional forums and act as official NaNo representatives.”

I first heard about NaNoWriMo a few years ago and this year I’m participating. As a NaNoWriMo Newbie, today I’m talking to a few local experts to pick their brains about what to expect when attending NaNoWriMo for the first time.
Let me introduce my experts:
Talia Nyx - has participated 3 times, the first in 2012. Talia is the ML (Municipal Liaison) for Otago/Southland.
Judy Mohr – 2016 will be Judy’s third official NaNoWriMo, and her second year as ML for the Christchurch, New Zealand region, along with Amy Paulussen.
Chris Yee first NaNo was in 2011. Chris is one of several internationally based online administrators that oversee and maintain a NaNoWriMo Participants group on Facebook
F
rom Christchurch, this year Chris will be hanging out with writers in the Twin Cities, Minnesota.
I asked my experts: What is your role in NaNoWriMo?

Talia: It is my job to get the region going, and organise Write-ins and other meet ups, provide motivation, and support; and obviously, liaise with NaNo HQ.

Judy: It’s part of our job to coordinate and organise write-ins and other activities for the region.

Chris: keep the peace as best as possible, enforcing rules and ensuring that the group is a safe and friendly place for writers to celebrate (or lament) the literary profession among like minded individuals.

One of the great things about NaNoWriMo is there are both online and in-person Write-ins.

I asked my experts, What can newbies expect when going to their first Write-in /meet-up?

Judy: It will depend entirely on the group and their dynamics. Some groups will just want to talk, having a good old chin-wag over a cup of coffee, while others will read out their work and want feedback. Every group is different, catering to a different set of needs. No one group is the same.
If it's a scheduled NaNoWriMo write-in, you can guarantee that there will be writing and little talking.

Chris: A warm welcome, inquiry into your current writing foray and general merriment. A brief interrogation, but that's just us being interested in what you're writing about. During NaNoWriMo, the MLs running the meetups will keep people from being distracted from their writing. They are fairly relaxed atmospheres and there is no obligation to go for the long haul, but incentives for being able to reach certain word goals. They are set up for people who want a place to write and/or talk about writing.

What To Expect at Write-ins:
Some groups will just want to talk
a good old chin-wag
A warm welcome


What are the benefits of attending Write-ins?

Talia: I would have to say the bouncing of ideas. We talk about what we want our story to do, how we are going about it, we discuss our characters. And we take inspiration from what and how the others are writing their stories, but also we can ask them for help clearing a writers block. We share our ideas freely, and sometimes it is the people themselves who provide the inspiration. Of course it is always nice to be able to talk about the madness that we are participating in with people who understand.

Judy: For one, it’s where you can meet other writers who understand the trials and tribulations that you are facing. They’re either going through it too, or have been there at some point in the past. They will help you through. Depending on the group dynamics, you can talk out your stories, bouncing ideas around the table. Sometimes, to make sense of something yourself, you need a sounding board. Even body language responses to an idea can be valuable feedback. Those that write 100% in isolation are missing out on these wonderful resources.

Benefits of attending NaNoWriMo Write-ins :
Bouncing of ideas

Meeting other writers

Other than the offical website, what On-line gatherings are there?

Judy: This year, Amy and I have joined with MLs from Queensland, Australia and Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA for a special chat room that we can all use. The chat room will be open to all, regardless where you are in the world, with the MLs from the three regions being the moderators and occasionally running virtual write-ins. The chat room uses new technology and will be hosted by Jessie Sanders on her website www.jessiescoffeeshop.com. Full details about the chat room will be made public come mid-October.


What tips can you share that will improve first timers’ experiences whether joining in on-line or in person.

Talia: Don't give up! There will be at least a few times where you think that you've lost your mind, you haven't - but you should probably go to your nearest write-in, they have all been there and understand what it's like, and they may even be able to help you. Don't Edit as you write - NaNoWriMo is the production of a first draft, don't edit, don't delete; make notes in the column if you wrote something and really hate it, but leave it there ALL THE WORDS COUNT, and remember it's just a first draft.

Judy: The biggest advice I can give to any first timers is to introduce yourself. Make sure people know you’re there. You don’t need to delve into your life story –– share only what you feel comfortable sharing –– but if the others don’t know you’re there, they want interact with you. I know it can be scary, but do it. Move out of your comfort zone. These are fellow writers. They are on the same path as you, just maybe at different points. They’ll understand. They’ll help you through.

Chris: Be yourself. Whether you're a dabbler or a seasoned pro, it's important to be comfortable. If you are a complete introvert then it may not be your cup of tea, but I'm an introvert myself and you can find me engaging in a topical discussion to retreating into my own crafted worlds on the screen, typing furiously. We don't judge. Online instances may be easier to ignore or harder to ignore depending on who you are, so while I will find I may end up writing instead of talking online (typing elsewhere won't exactly contribute effectively to wordcount), but more often than not I would be looking for a little distraction, which ends up being a bigger distraction, until you find yourself at 3am having started from a funny cat video to astrophysics papers on trinary star systems with the occasional planetary body stuck in a tidally locked orbit.

NaNoWriMo Pro Tips:
Don't give Up
Introduce Yourself

Be Yourself


What can people do the rest of the year?

Talia: The rest of the year, is for rewriting, editing, and planning. And of course publishing, for those who go that route. But for those who want to write more on their novels, or have other projects, there is Camp NaNoWriMo in both April and July; and you set your own word count goal.

Judy: NaNoWriMo is about development a habit for writing. There is no reason why that should stop. If you want to participate in other events like it, there are two CampNaNos a year (April and July). There are also Facebook groups that run similar events. Take part in the Twitter hashtag #NaNoWriMo. The possibilities are endless. Even if you have no desire to participate in another NaNo-type event, you should still write.

Chris: Keep writing of course! Like I said, December is usually reserved for editing if you want to make something of the story you create, getting it ready to a publishable state. Others just start up new projects, or prepare for the next year's NaNoWriMo events including Camp NaNoWriMo events that occur in both April and July, SoCNoC (Southern Cross Novel Challenge) which is NaNoWriMo but put on for June to be more in line with the southern hemisphere's yearly downtime. There are also various competitions, anthologies and other various calls for submission happening throughout the year, so there is no shortage of writing motivators. Otherwise we can go back to being normal human beings for the 11 months until the craziness happens again.
 
What do you wish you knew when you first started attending?

Talia: I would have to say, that I wish I knew that write-ins are the best. It sounds ridiculous, but I wish I knew how amazing the write-ins are. How great the people who attend them are.

Chris: Perhaps a little more information about where the meetups were happening. That said, I had only discovered its existence in Christchurch while I was working fulltime, so the first year I barely had time to find out where gatherings were happening, much less get any writing done. Since then with a little more flexibility and scheduling out blocks of time, to having more of an active role in the community, it's been a lot of fun meeting the new writers and helping them on their way to finishing their stories in any way possible.
 

NaNoWriMo TOP Tips:
Write-ins are the Best
Great People


Thanks everyone, it was great to hear what you had to say. I’m really looking forward to being part of my first NaNoWriMo.

 
This article wouldn't have been possible without the generous help of my experts:


Talia Nyx


Living in Otago, New Zealand surrounded by students is where Talia Nyx most enjoys writing. She has three currently published works, and is constantly experimenting with style and genre. Talia also loves reading, and will read almost anything once.

Feel free to check out Talia on Wordpress, where she will keep you up to date with the writing she has on her plate, and what she is planning to write during the approaching November for NaNoWriMo. Her other social media is @TaliaNyxAuthor Twitter and Facebook. 







Judy L Mohr


Kiwi Judy L Mohr is a writer of fantasy and science fiction. She is also a freelance editor with Black Wolf Editorial Services (http://blackwolfeditorial.com), working on projects from writers around the world. When she isn't writing, editing or doing something for writing within the local community, she is hosting her own radio show about science on KLRN Radio (http://klrnradio.com/shows/conversations-in-science/). You can find out more about Judy's various projects on her personalwebsite or follow her on twitter @JudyLMohr.







Chris Yee


Chris Yee is a long-time member of the Christchurch Writers' Guild and a teacher in Film, Video and Animation. In 2015 he  approached to teach Stop Motion movies using Lego for the Imagination Station based in Christchurch. 
He's recently moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota





Author Interview: Patrick G Cox

I really enjoy time-travel books, the standard format being a present day person travels back in time. Harry Heron: Into the Unknown is a neat twist on the time travel genre. Characters from the Napoleonic era are transported hundreds of years into the future. 
"Harry Heron: into the unknown", author Patrick G Cox, book cover designed by Kura Carpenter

In 1804 the Napoleonic Wars rage. A freak accident during a sea battle catapults Midshipman Harry Heron and his shipmates four hundred years into the future.


Today I'm interviewing author Patrick G Cox to discuss his novel Harry Heron: Into the Unknown.  
It’s a cliché to ask an author where they got their idea from, but I love the Harry Heron: Into the Unknown premise so I must ask: where did you get the reverse time-travel idea? Taking characters from history and sending them into the future?

The idea originally came from the realisation that my grandfather’s generation had seen horse and cart/carriage replaced by steam engines, then internal combustion engines, flimsy flying machines, airliners and the space ships that took men to the moon. So I wondered what they might have learned, and what they might have known or been able to do which most people today would not be able to do. I was surprised by just how much we take for granted, but which they would have needed to have either special skills or knowledge to do. When I came across an article about how we, as a species, lose skills with each ‘convenient’ leap in our technology, the concept of Harry and his friends leaping forward was born.

Although there must be a lot of resources for researching sailing ships of the Napoleonic wars, how exactly did you go about researching (or creating) space ships?

As you say, there are loads of resources for researching sailing ships, not so many when you want to ‘create’ a ship capable of interstellar transport. Obviously there are loads of concepts in many science fiction stories, and, of course, there are a lot of concepts from the scientific world as well. I based my concept ships on the big nuclear submarines operated by several navies. These ships are self-contained to the extent that their only limitation is the capacity for carrying consumable stuff like food, and the endurance of the crew. Remove those limits by making the ship big enough and give it the means to produce food, perhaps by means of having a ‘green lung’ that doubles as a oxygen producing filter and food production, and couple that with recycling of water and water recovery and suddenly the only limitation becomes the crew endurance.

Patrick Cox's Harry Heron: Into the Unknown is a great sci-fi book, combining characters from the great age of sail with a future we can easily imagine.” - Amazon reviewer 


Researching such a ship involves not just the ship, but the possible controls, manoeuvring, power sources and the things that would limit it. So you have to look at a range of things including some that exist only in concept, and others that are already being developed. It gets quite challenging in a way because technology that was a ‘concept’ yesterday could be reality by tomorrow. A good example is my concept of ships run, under human command, by Artificial Intelligence systems that make them ‘self-aware’. When I started writing these stories AI was a ‘dream’ pursued by some to the amusement of others. Now it is slowly becoming a reality, and I suspect that we are not far from creating an AI that is truly independent and intelligent.
 




What are some of the historical references you used when researching this novel?

The obvious historical reference material is drawn from the naval histories of the Napoleonic war. France maintained a squadron in the Indian Ocean, based primarily on Mauritius (then called Ile d’France) which preyed on the British East India Company’s ships. The Dutch were also active, based on the Cape and Java, and this forced Britain to maintain their own squadrons in India and Ceylon, and the Honourable East India Company maintained its own ‘Navy’, the Bombay Marine, in the Indian Ocean, so I drew on a lot of that, plus a lot of the social history of Ireland and its relationship with Britain in providing Harry and Ferghal with their own ‘history’.

Since ‘history’ shapes and sometimes informs the future, I have tried to use current ‘history in the making’ to project a possible future world shaped by the politics, commerce and so on of the present. One aspect of that is to remember that history tends to repeat certain trends at fairly regular intervals, largely because we have a tendency to forget the failures and the reasons for them. Particularly in politics.

So the answer to your question is ‘many sources’, which include national history, military history, demographic studies, political trends and people.

Who is your favourite new character introduced in Harry Heron: Into the Unknown?

Hmmm. I think I’d have to say Harry’s twelve times great-nephew, the Commodore James Heron, but it’s a difficult choice, and there are several other candidates including the Surgeon-Commander Len Myers and ‘Aunt’ Niamh, Harry’s twelve times great-niece …

What would Harry, the main character, have to say about you?

Something good, I would hope! I suspect that he would say I had set him some very difficult goals, and sent him and his friends on a very exciting adventure.

Anyone reading Shakespeare’s four hundred year-old scripts can see the way we communicate changes. How did you work around the issues of language? Did the historical characters and the future people understand each other?

That was a challenge. In similar books (though with the switch usually going the other way) it is one of those things that is ignored. It is very difficult to see how our language will develop in the next two hundred years, let alone four hundred. We can already see how texting and ‘street slang’ is changing the way we speak. What I attempted to do in the opening chapters was to indicate that the accents had changed sufficiently for it to be difficult to understand each other, but then eased up on it as the story developed and implied that Harry and Co had adapted to the new version of the language. In the beginning of the story Harry finds he recognises some words, but has difficulty understanding everything. He thinks the people in his new surroundings are speaking French …

Harry Heron: Into the Unknown is a neat twist on the time travel genre. Characters from the Napoleonic era are transported hundreds of years into the future.


And finally, what are you working on currently?

I have two projects on the go. I’m in the process of publishing a work of biographical fiction titled Magnus Patricius. It is based on the life of one Magnus Sucatus Patricius — better known as St Patrick. I started research this book almost eight years ago, and I quickly discovered that once you get past the legends and mythology, a very modest, but very tough and determined man emerges. He left us two documents written by himself, and a wealth of material undoubtedly based on other writings now lost to us, but I have used his ‘Declaration’ as the framework for this story.

The second project is to get the sequels to Harry Heron: Into the Unknown ready for publication. Watch this space, the next one will, I hope be published early next year.

That sounds very interesting, Pat. Thanks for taking the time to chat with us today.

Patrick Gray Cox is a writer that combines his love of Historical Fiction with Science Fiction writing; a mix of CS Forester and Isaac Asimov. 


Cox is the author of A Baltic Affair, a popular historical romance Limehouse Boys, which takes readers to the grimy, gritty streets of the East End of London in the 1830s and follows the struggles of three orphans caught up in a web of crime, corruption in high places and poverty.

Harry Heron: Midshipman's Journey, the first book in the Harry Heron series. Harry Heron; Into the Unknown is the sequel.


And if you liked the Harry Heron: Into the Unknown book cover I designed for Patrick G Cox and are looking for a custom design for your novel Please click here: Kura CarpenterBook Cover Designer for Hire to find out more. 

"Harry Heron: into the unknown", author Patrick G Cox, book cover designed by Kura Carpenter


Author Interview: Mary Brock Jones

Mary Brock Jones' novel Torn, the first in her romantic science fiction Arcadian series, is being launched today.

"Torn" romantic sci-fi, author Mary Brock Jones, cover designer Kura Carpenter
Mary Brock Jones has written several historical and science fiction novels. Her novel Pay the Piper, the second book in Mary’s Hathe science fiction series was a finalist in the 2016 RUBY’s Romantic Book of the Year awarded by the Romance Writers of Australia. 

Mary, welcome, Please tell us a little bit about yourself:

1) What sent you down the path of writing romantic science fiction?

I've always loved science fiction, right from my early teens.  I started out with Asimov and Heinlein, but then gravitated towards writers such as Anne McCaffrey, Orson Scott Card, Robert Silverberg, Lois McMaster Bujold and Catherine Asaro. Writers of scifi where character was as important as technology. But I am also an avid reader of the romance genre, as well as historicals.  

I found that the stories of people, how they live in strange worlds and what matters to them, interest me more than just the science alone. I love gizmos, and creating new ones is part of the best fun of the world building side of scifi, but always it's the people in the story that fascinate me most, finding what is at the heart of my characters. And romance  is the most fundamental driver of stories we have. Humans are a social animal, family is important as are the bonds that unite them, and so it seems very natural to me that stories with a romantic element will capture our interest. I know they do me, and romantic science fiction just seems to unite all the strands of storytelling that I enjoy most - world building, adventure, intrigue and suspense, all spun together in a deeply satisfying romantic tale.    

"Requirement for anyone wanting to go down the self-publishing route:
First is a good, strong story - get it professionally edited, that's absolutely essential.

Next you must have a professionally designed cover.
An effective cover is the first and best chance to capture your reader,  so it has to be enticing, look good in thumbnail and immediately tell the reader the genre of the book." - Mary Brock Jones


2) What appeals to you about bringing romance to a genre that has atypically been lacking in romantic elements?

I think romance has always been a part of the science fiction world, but too often it is assumed that women don't like science, have no interest in mathematics, and are solely concerned with the humanities. Whereas 'proper' science fiction only deals with hard scifi stories. This is not true. Women have been writing science fiction and  telling stories about science and people for a long time - after all, Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" is recognised as the first science fiction novel. 
But too often publishers, reviewers and the general literary world assume that science fiction is written for and by men only. Well, I love scifi and so do a large number of women out there. I think it's more that scifi with a romantic element is not talked about much, but as a genre, romantic scifi is gaining increasing popularity.  

"I think romance has always been a part of the science fiction world, but too often it is assumed that women don't like science, have no interest in mathematics, and are solely concerned with the humanities." - Mary Brock Jones

 

3) What sort/age-of readers would most enjoy Torn?

I would have to say that Torn is best suited to an adult audience, those who enjoy both adventures and stories that challenge their ideas.

 

4) Torn involves ecological themes that reflect problems currently faced in the real world. Was there a particular real world crisis/discovery that sparked ideas for your novel?

I've thought for some time that climate change is the most critical issue facing our world at present, but I've also long had a fascination with ecology. I can still remember as a young child being taken for a visit to a local creek, and being totally fascinated by the various bugs and critters our teacher showed us that day. My first degree was in Zoology and I was raised on a farm, so I guess ecology has been a part of my life for a very long time.

An event that did galvanise me though was the GFC, and the worldwide pattern of governments sacrificing the public sector to keep big business happy, culminating in the US congress stopping the pay of ordinary officials for some weeks for pure political gamesmanship. Officials that included the US park rangers we had met a year previously. Men and women deeply committed to preserving the history and environment of the US and always ready to share their knowledge but treated as of no consequence on that occasion by the so-called establishment.

One of the most serious, and I think least recognised, of the effects of that whole financial crisis was the huge brake it put on getting the world to focus its efforts on dealing with climate and other environmental issues. Luckily there is a huge groundswell of people who know that as a planet we cannot put this off. People power will win the day!

5)What was your favourite part in researching for the novel?

I'm not sure if it was my favourite part, but working out the meteorological aspects of the story were certainly the most challenging!

6) What has been the hardest part with promoting your work?

Just getting it out there. Like most writers, I tend to be somewhat introverted, so having to push yourself forward and praise your own work is hugely challenging. Plus I am a decided technical clutz when it comes to IT stuff, and to self-publish you have to learn a whole pile of new computer skills. My poor laptop has been subjected to some truly awful verbal abuse at times. 

There are so many books being published at present; finding ways to push your own book above the parapet to be noticed is a definite challenge, and something that you have to keep reminding yourself can only be done one step at a time. You have to somehow keep believing in yourself while you inch those books slowly, so slowly up the pile. 

7) Can you please offer any tips to others considering self-publishing especially ones you wished you knew when you started?

Oh my, when I started out I think I made every mistake possible! Beginning with trying to  publish two full-sized books simultaneously, one of which had a cliffhanger ending (readers hate that, I have since discovered). 

So the very first requirement for anyone wanting to go down the self-publishing is a very good sense of humour (and a big wad of cold hard money to fund it helps too.)
So first you have to have a good, strong story. Then get it professionally edited - that's where the cold hard cash comes in. Proper editing is expensive, but absolutely essential. 

Next you must have a professionally designed cover - thank you for my lovely cover, Kura. An effective cover is the first and best chance to capture your reader, so it has to be enticing, look good in thumbnail and immediately tell the reader the genre of the book. That's why the cover of Torn has a spaceship and horses on it. This is science fiction adventure with a big dollop of the romantic - and I hasten to add that, yes, there really is horse-riding in the story, much to my heroine's horror.  


"Torn" romantic sci-fi, author Mary Brock Jones, cover designer Kura Carpenter


Formatting for e-book is not hard, but I would recommend getting it done for you the first time round. Far less stressful. I just about had a nervous break down when I tried it, until V.L.Dreyer came to my rescue and did it for me. I have since learned how to format for e-book, mostly by following the instructions in Mark Coker's "Smashwords Style Guide", but needed to refer back to the original formatting as a template to make sense of it all - not being technically literate at the best of times. It's not hard once you get the hang of it, as long as you set aside a time when you will be free from distractions and can take it methodically step by step. 

"There are so many books being published at present; finding ways to push your own book above the parapet to be noticed is a definite challenge, and something that you have to keep reminding yourself can only be done one step at a time." - Mary Brock Jones

The hardest part for me comes next - Marketing! Discoverability is the name of the game in Indie publishing - and for that you need REVIEWS - and yes, the capitals are deliberate. Reviews are that important - most particularly, reviews on Amazon. Further, they  must be legitimate ones - Amazon has very strict rules aimed at protecting their customers from fake reviews, so read the guidelines and make sure to follow them. This time, Torn is on netgalley, courtesy of a netgalley coop group ( found through http://www.kboards.com/ ), plus I have sent ARCs [Advance Reader Copies] to a number of review sites and put out a newsletter (another of those new tech things I had to learn about).

Most importantly, before trying to self-publish, learn as much as possible through reading, websites, podcasts etc. The self-publishing community is widespread and very generous. My best source of advice is Joanna Pennat The Creative Penn, who also includes a large number of references in her podcast, website and various books, but join writers organisations, facebook groups, and some of the Indie support groups. Indie publishers are a very supportive community of writers and always willing to pass on what they have learned.  There is also a huge amount of advice on the KDP (Amazon), Smashwords and Draft2Digital websites. 

8) Torn is the first in your romantic science fiction Arcadian series, are you working on a sequel and what’s it about?

I'm still working on the third in my Hathe series, but after that I will be writing the story of Caleb's brother, Ethan. He is a man who loves the business that his family has created. It's all he has ever wanted, but Caleb's actions in Torn have both put that in jeopardy and forced Ethan to question everything he thought he knew. 

And then he is brought up short by a woman on the other side of the business divide. A union organiser who has never known what it is to be rich and comfortable, but one who will not back down to anyone when it comes to protecting those she serves. This book continues the climate change theme, but also brings in the economic divide. Can we judge people only by the size of their bank balance - big or small? 

Thank you so much for sharing your advice and experiences with us today, Mary, I wish you every success. Here's where to learn more about Mary and her novels:
Mary Brock Jones New Zealand Author of science fiction novel 'Torn'
Mary Brock Jones




And if you liked the Torn book cover I designed for Mary Brock Jones and are looking for a custom design for your novel Please click here: Kura CarpenterBook Cover Designer for Hire to find out more.