Author Interview: Paul W. Feenstra - NZ Historical Writer

Today I’m chatting with New Zealand historical writer Paul W. Feenstra. Paul wrote his first historical, For Want of a Shilling, in 2013 and as of 2021 has written 6 novels and 1 book of short-stories, Gunpowder Green, which I'll be discussing today.

Kura: Welcome, Paul, firstly I have to say I was really captivated by the title of this short story collection. Gunpowder Green has such an appealing ring to me. Obviously it hints at times gone-by, but also it created a question in my mind, ‘What can gunpowder green mean?’ I thought that a clever hook.
Anyway, let’s move on to the topic at hand. Historical fiction is a popular genre in NZ, but what about historicals drove or inspired you to write in that genre?

Paul: I love the challenge of research, and then developing a style that captivates the reader that is true to the time period. Some call this 'Faction', where fiction is woven through real historical events.

Kura: ‘Faction’, I like that term! I admit while I like the idea of writing historical, I’m a bit intimidated by having to “get things right”, if you know what I mean. That sounds like a lot of extra work on top the writing! What was your favourite and least favourite part in researching for the novel?

Paul: Not being able to easily find answers to questions. The internet provides so much, but not a lot about history as it relates to daily living. Most information on the internet is current, (relatively speaking) If I want to know how to treat a cold in 1840, I don't want the answer as it applies to the year 2021, I want to know what people did back then. That type of research is challenging.

Kura: That’s a good point. And, yeah, I suspected as much – it all means extra work! You mentioned developing a style that captivates. Can you elaborate? How would you describe your writing style within historical fiction?

Paul: My novels are written with commercial success in mind. That means, they move quickly, they are descriptive, and character driven.

Kura: I like the sound of that. Fast moving plots and character driven stories are just my cup of tea. And what are the stories collected within Gunpowder Green about?

Paul: In the tradition of iconic Kiwi short-stories, Gunpowder Green is a nostalgic look into New Zealand’s unique and colourful past. Light-hearted, humorous and even thought provoking, each story is varied and highlights New Zealand rural living, a diverse culture and a forgotten yet very familiar lifestyle. The stories are varied and best suited for a general audience.

Kura: That sounds really entertaining. Another one for my ever-increasing to be read pile, for sure.
Now, while I know you didn’t exactly set out to become a writer, however, what Top 3 Tips would you give to others starting the self-publishing journey that you wished you knew when you started?

Paul: 

1. Learn about marketing 

2. Shelve your ego and listen 

3. Be objective.

Kura: That is some very solid advice, Paul. Thank you for sharing your insights, and Thanks to everyone for joining us by reading this interview.

And to let everyone know, you can find Gunpowder Green in all the usual places, ebook online at Amazon, and available throughout NZ in many independent book stores, including PaperPlus

But a wee tip from Paul is: if you want a print edition then he recommends purchase Gunpowder Green from MightyApe because it’s faster and cheaper.

About the author: 

Paul W. Feenstra credits a freak tennis accident resulting in his Achilles tendon snapping with him discovering a passion for writing. During the 7 month recovery Paul found himself questioning, “Did I want to continue to commute to, and work in Hollywood? Or was I destined for better things, here in New Zealand?” Paul decided to write a book and walking around Wellington's bays, he encountered a peculiar and very old, pre-WWII structure. That discovery would ultimately lead to his first historical fiction novel, For Want of a Shilling. To learn more about Paul and his books, please visit Paul W. Feenstra’s website.

 

About the Interviewer:
Kura Carpenter is an award-winning writer based in Dunedin. She is currently working on a Cosy Mystery series with a paranormal twist. Kura is also a professional graphic designer and at her website The Book Carpenter provides NZ writers with Independent Publishing services and advice.

Author Interview: LP Ring

LP RING author

Today I’m chatting with LP Ring author of Korean Crime Thriller Senior Inspector Choi series, Ring’s second novel in the series Long Snake Moan is just about to be released in Oct. Available Amazon HERE

Liam, you mention on GoodReads that there are 5 novels in your Senior Inspector Choi series. So, are you a plotter or a pantser? Are these all planned out in advance?

When I started out I knew who the characters were and what would happen to them. I also had an idea of how these events came about and the themes I wanted to discuss within the stories – the crimes being investigated reflect some of my views on society and the importance of a country’s history. However, I freely admit that characters have a habit of doing things I don’t always expect them to do, so it’s entirely possible that Choi and his team might end up not following my plans for them at all. I’ll have to wait and see.

How did you come up with 5 being your ideal series number?

I feel that sometimes a series of novels can go on too far and the stories can become repetitive. Some writers can end up with 10, 15 or 20 novels in a series and the stories and action seem to blend into each other to the point where even hard-core fans are left wondering who was in what story. Also, I’d love to give another genre and character a try before I’m in my dotage – it’s something that we are a lot freer to do in the self-publishing market – so five seems the number at which I’ll have said enough with these people and this situation. I’ll be ready by then for a new set of paintbrushes and a new canvas.

What drew you to writing crime novels?

I was kidded for years by this intellectual snobbery that crime fiction - isn’t as valuable as literary fiction; indeed that snobbery has fallen by the wayside in the last decade with writers like John Banville entering the crime genre. As time has elapsed I’ve realised that the characters in novels like these end up dealing with problems that can happen to anyone in any walk of life.

I’m really interested in social issues and I think that a lot of what irks us about society can be looked at in a crime novel format. Just having these themes within a story will hopefully make people think about issues they ignore on a regular basis. My favourite novel of all time is probably The Secret History by Donna Tartt. She isn’t someone you’d term a crime writer and yet that and her other two novels both feature crimes and criminality as a major motivator.

Long Snake Moan
Book 2 in the

Senior Inspector Choi series

by LP RING

What era and city is Long Snake Moan set in?

The novel is set in the modern day in Seoul, South Korea. South Korea is a potentially fantastic subject as it’s a first world country that was decidedly under-developed only 50 years ago. Its history as a former colony as a country riven by civil war also makes it a fascinating study. In addition, its status as a mega-city means that a lot of things go on in it every day – things that can involve an insane number of people. On a more mundane point, Seoul also gets hit by these pretty tough winters sometimes – minus 20 degrees is not uncommon – so choosing the winter as the time of year for the first three in the series gave me the chance to add some claustrophobia to the story.

What part of East Asia were you living in before moving to NZ – is it safe to guess Korea as your novels The Tiger Awakens and Long Snake Moan are set in Korea?

I taught English in Japan for a number of years before moving to South Korea where I taught at a university. That job gave me space to write during the vacations. The winters are long and quite harsh too so there wasn’t much to do outside.

Why did you decide to go the self-publishing route?

I’m my own boss and although that means a lot of extra stuff to do besides writing, I only answer to myself at the end of the day. I had a look at a few publishing companies – quite small, niche ones - and sent off a few query letters (I think it was 4 in the end). I immediately got an automated response from one company that said if you haven’t heard from us in six months, we aren’t interested. It just struck me as incredibly disrespectful, and if the company was going to be like that, even if they were interested in my novels I just wasn’t going to enjoy the overall experience. I’d also seen how people like Hugh Hovey and J.F. Penn had been successful and happy without any publisher backing and thought I’d enjoy the process a lot more just taking care of myself.

What have been some of the hard things to overcome with your self-publishing journey?

Technology can be a major pain. I’m a bit of a technophobe so have found some of that quite tough. I’m using draft2digital at the moment though, and I’ve found that the learning curve isn’t as steep with them. It also gives me a decent ‘time spent to results’ trade off that I’m comfortable with. So I have published two novels so far this year and learned some things along the way.

If you could go back and give yourself tips as a young writer, what would you advise?

Write what you like. Don’t force yourself into writing in a genre you don’t like. It sounds obvious but for example, I’m not a romance kind of guy so my trying to write a romance novel would be absolutely crazy (even though romances are often the most popular sellers in self-publishing). I wasn’t reading the right things when I was younger as well. If you want to write anything - space opera, thriller, harlequin romance… anything, you’ve got to read as much as you can in that genre. You’ll learn how the experts do it and it will gradually filter into what you do. You’ll at least structurally be a better writer for it and have a fair idea of how the experts go about things. You don’t learn to cook or do carpentry from scratch. Writing isn’t any different.

Great advice Liam, Thanks for answering my questions today. I wish you and Senior Inspector Choi all the best for the rest of the series.

Please check out Liam's Latest novel Long Snake Moan on Goodreads.
Or  Long Snake Moan on Amazon
You'll also find him on Twitter: @l_p_ring

Or for more info checkout his Blog LP Ring on Wordpress


And Don't forget his Amazon Author page LP Ring where you'll be able to keep track of the entire series as it progresses.

The Tiger Awakens
Book 1 in the 

Senior Inspector Choi series

by LP Ring

Guide: How to Write A Book Review

Today I'm chatting with Angela Oliver, Christchurch based writer, illustrator and GoodReads Book Reviewer. 

 

As someone who has written nearly 1000 reviews on Good Reads, why are reviews so important for authors?

Reviews are important because purchasing - or even reading - a book requires a certain commitment, of time and generally money, thus many readers would like to know, in advance, if they are making the right choice. Reviews are especially important for independently published or debut authors as a reader is less likely to commit to something they are unfamiliar with.

Do you have a method? Or have you developed one?

I'm not really sure I've developed a method as much as a structure, but one thing I shall say is: review as soon after you've finished the book as you can. The initial emotional impact will soften as time passes and key elements will fade from memory. When I first write up a review on Goodreads I tend to write only one or two sentences. If it is a book I am reading purely for pleasure - as opposed for one I've specifically been asked to review - I may not always elaborate past this point, especially if it is a later book in a series or hasn't left a strong imprint.

How do you start?

I begin by first noting down my general impression of the book. Here's where I will occasionally use words like “evocative” or “spell-binding”. If it is a book I didn't like, I may end up going off on a rant as to why I didn't like it. Interestingly, my rant-style reviews tend to earn more Goodreads “likes” then my positive ones. My review for THE Hundred-Year Old Man is my most “popular”.

If it is to become professional review, ie an advance copy in have specifically been asked to review, or one for the Booksellers site, then I will generally follow up with a teaser of the plot. I never exactly copy the book’s blurb, although I may refer to it to make sure I have included key points. I conclude with a general summary of my impressions including recommendations on whom I believe the book would appeal to.

Sometimes I will write a ranting-style review on Goodreads then refine it before submitting it to Booksellers. I never lie about how I felt about a book but can mostly find some redeeming features!

Do you think there’s an ideal word count to aim for?

I'm not sure how many words most of my reviews contain but I think probably between about 200-400 words. That's more for professional reviews, of course. If it's not one I've been specifically requested to review and I didn't feel particularly strongly about (either positively or negatively), then they can be very short. I think the shortest I've ever written was one word: “unremarkable”.

How do you avoid Spoilers?

I try not to reveal more than what the author or publisher has revealed in the blurb. Sometimes blurbs can give away significant plot points! I will tease that there is a twist but not say what it is - only whether it caught me unawares or not.

What’s your opinion on reviews that have Spoilers?

I'm mostly okay with that as long as they give fair warning - and Goodreads does offer the ability to hide spoilers. Of course, if I found a review that started with “I couldn't believe that Jack was the killer!!” then I'd be very annoyed. That's not a review - that's just ruining it for any other readers. If they were saying “Jill’s relationship with Jack felt unconvincing and made me uncomfortable” however, than that is highlighting the quality of the writing (or lack thereof) even if it may also be a slight spoiler.

What kind of statement might you suggest ending a review on?

I tend to try to end with a positive - often by saying who I think the book would appeal to, and why. After all, even if I hated it, that doesn't mean there isn't someone out there that would love it!

Are Amazon and Good Reads the only good places online for people to share reviews?

They're the only two I frequent! Goodreads more than Amazon, since Amazon has introduced their stricter rules around who can post reviews (which includes deleting reviews if they discover you are friends or family of the author). I can understand their reasoning for the $50 requirement thanks to sites that offered positive reviews for sale but it does make it harder for people who review ARCs. Goodreads would probably be better if people weren't allowed to review books before they were even released though. I also have book reviews on Booksellers website, but those are ones I review on request.

What’s the hardest things about reviewing books?

Trying to write a positive and professional review about a book I didn't particularly enjoy! I've found words I can use that make the negative sound more positive - which is perhaps where my writing skills are put to use!

Can you explain some of the common terms eg/ TBR, DNF, ARC?

• TBR means: “To Be Read” and like most authors, I've quite a pile of those!
• DNF is “Did Not Finish”. I've a few of those: sometimes no matter how promising a book sounds, the writing style or characterisation just doesn't work. And life is too short to read bad books.
• ARC is “Advanced Review (or Reader) Copy”.

What are some tips for newbie reviews to build up a following?

Write a negative review of a popular book - you might be surprised how many people agree with you! But I guess, be honest, but not offensive, and, if you are an author that gets a negative review, don't start an argument with the reviewer!

-------------------------------------------------

Angela Oliver

 ABOUT:

Angela Oliver (LemurKat) is a dedicated bibliophile and has been reviewing books online for over a decade. 

She officially reviews selected titles for Booksellers NZ. 

Since joining Goodreads in 2011, she has reviewed almost 1000 books. You can visit her Goodreads page and see what she's reading (and writing) HERE

Writing Groups NZ: Otago Writers' Network

Today I'm chatting with Jane Woodham about the Otago Writers' Network.

What is the Otago Writers' Network?
The Otago Writers' Network is a website designed to help put writers in contact with either existing writing groups or with other people looking to start up a new writing group.


Who started it? (And when)
It was started by the members of Kath Beattie’s Writing Group in 2017, and came about almost by accident.

We wanted to celebrate the fact that we had been together as a writing group for twenty-four years. Claire Beynon came up with the idea of showcasing the group’s work on a web-site. Then someone mentioned how nice it was to hear the writer read aloud their work, and words like podcasts and MP3 files started to get thrown about. As newest group member I volunteered to run with the idea and apply for funding from the DCC Community Arts Grants. A requirement of the grant is that there is community involvement. We knew Kath was often contacted by writers looking for a writing group, so we thought why not use the website to help writers find existing groups and where necessary create new ones.

What’s been the hardest aspect of launching the OWC?
It took quite a bit of organising, but eventually things fell into place. In order to record our writers’ voices we needed to find a sound engineer and Claire suggested Danny Buchanan, husband of Caroline Davies, the creator of the wonderful Down In Eden on-line magazine. While looking for a recording studio Danny asked Otago Access Radio if we could use their facilities. They came up with the idea of recording a 15-part radio series, which we could then link to our website and use for MP3 files. Lastly we got help from Yvonne Sommer from clickdesign.co.nz to help put together the website.

The most nerve-wracking thing was recording the actual radio series. Luckily for us Danny said he’d help, so he did the technical stuff while we read our work and interviewed one another. I’d warned each member we’d need about 24 minutes of material, including a reading and an interview, as well as a couple of pieces of music. We had two days in which to record 15 hours of radio.  Not to put too fine a point on it, half our group are over seventy. Websites and podcasts leave them cold, but as soon as I mentioned a radio series their eyes lit up. I asked them to pair themselves up, and drew up a timetable. Danny and I weren’t sure we could get it all done in two days, but crossed our fingers and waited.  We were gobsmacked. Along everyone came, clutching their pieces of paper, on time and fully prepared, and we were done in half the time. They were so professional.

We launched the website at the Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival in May 2017. There being twelve of us present that day we worried the panel might outnumber the audience, but the Dunningham Suite was packed. One by one the group spoke about their experience of being in a writing group, about what they felt they had gained and why they recommended others to join or create their own groups. It was a magical afternoon. I was very proud to be part of that group.

What it is you hope to achieve with the OWN?
A strong network of writing groups across Otago. Not just generic writing groups, but also specific groups, ie groups for people who write for children, or groups for self-publishers, or groups for male writers … why belong to just one group when you can belong to several?

How can other Otago writers become involved?
On our website is a page that lists the writing groups within Otago HERE. If you are looking to join a writing group, that is a good place to look for one.

If you’re not sure which is the best group for you, contact us by completing the form on the Contact Us page and we will suggest a group. 

If you can’t see a group there that appeals to you, you might wish to start your own, in which case we could list it.

If you belong to a writing group that is not listed, let us know and we will add you to our list. We have created one new group, and added many writers to existing groups.

We nearly started a men’s group, but so far that has failed to materialise.

Another way to meet other writers is at the NZSA Salon, which is held every second Monday of the month at the Athenaeum Library, in the Octagon. Paddy Richardson and I are on the committee. Members of our first new writing group ‘Black Ink’ have read for us, as have members of Dunedin Writers’ Workshop, Writing Dunedin and Kath’s Writing Group. It’s a great place for new writers to practice the art of reading their work aloud, as well being somewhere you can listen to the experts, last year we had Scottish writers Lesley Glaister and Andrew Greig, this October we have former poet laureate Jenny Bernholdt with Greg O’Brien and our very own Claire Beynon.

Thank You so much Jane, for telling us all about the OWN and its creation, and I encourage you all to visit the website of the Otago Writers' Network

----------------------------------------------------------

Jane Woodham, is the author of Twister, a Dunedin-based crime novel published by Rosa Mira Books in 2015 and in 2016 was a finalist in the Ngaio Marsh First Book Awards.

Author Interview: Lennard Gillman

I was approached recently by Adrienne Charlton of AM Publishing after a recent collaboration rebranding book covers for Vicky Adin, to help with a fantasy cover design for New Zealand author Lennard Gillman.  

 

Accipitri and the battle for Heliosa - Lennard Gillman

Accipitri and the battle for Heliosa is Lennard Gillman’s debut novel, and today I'm interviewing him about the novel and his journey into self-publishing.

Hello and Welcome, Len,

• Please tell us a little bit about yourself:

I have climbed in many parts of the world, camped on beaches, mountain tops, Arctic glaciers in Baffin Island and the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica. I am Head of Science at Auckland University of Technology (AUT) and a Professor of Biogeography. My work as a scientist has taken me to the hot deserts of Namibia and Australia and to the Dry Valleys of Antarctica where I have flown drones to map protected areas. I also have a keen interest in conservation and sustainable development. I have worked as a conservation manager in the past and I am on the AUT Sustainability Task Force. I live in Laingholm on the fringe of the Waitakere Ranges, southwest of Auckland and have three wonderful children and a beautiful partner.

• What is your novel Accipitri and the Battle for Heliosa about?

It is about a boy (Ferobellus) and a girl (Tess) struggling against a harsh mountainous wilderness and a king who wants to annihilate a neighbouring kingdom. It is also about the development of relationships and respect among people with different behaviours and abilities. Tess is strong-willed, resourceful, and an expert archer while Ferobellus is fit and skilled at surviving in the wilderness, but they both have their weaknesses. It is set in a fictional land in the southern hemisphere approximately 1000 years in the past. The genre is low fantasy because of its fictional setting but it is nonetheless grounded in reality. The novel brings together medieval European and African cultures in a landscape that draws on a prehumen New Zealand.

• What sort/age of readers would most enjoy it?

Eight to thirteen year-old boys and girls, although adults appear to enjoy it too.

• I believe Accipitri and the Battle for Heliosa is set in a pre-industrial age, did you do a lot of research into earlier civilisations, or prefer to make things up?

Yes, I did do a fair amount of research but I also had the freedom to create unique cultures and an entirely unique continent. The landscapes and situations, such as the 3000-foot descent down a vertical granite escarpment, are derived from my personal experience in the mountains and so it should be possible for people to enact them. I would like to challenge a couple of modern climbers to repeat the feats of Tess and Ferobellus on a similar rock face using the equipment described in the story.

• What type of magic/technological is there which is unique to your world?

My story is different because there are no magical powers or unrealistic abilities. The technology is of the middle ages and faithful to the reality of that time. It is the mixture of cultures and the setting that makes my world unique.

• Where did the idea for the story come from?

I invented the overall plot and then got inside the heads of my characters and acted it out.

• Which character do you most identify with and why?

I think I identify equally with most of the main characters but I like Tess best because she is the most complex and conflicted character.

• Why did you decide to venture into self-publishing?

Just for fun. I find fiction relaxing and a nice contrast to scientific writing.

• What tips would you give to others considering self-publishing that you wished you knew when you started?

I don’t think I have any pearls of wisdom other than to get a good editor and artist for the cover – I could not have done it without Adrienne Charlton and Kura Carpenter.

• Where can we buy your books?

Email: lennardgillman@gmail.com NZ$19.50 plus postage.

You can also find Len's author page on Amazon HERE

 

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. 

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.

• Follow the Harry Heron Adventures onFacebook
• Visit Patrick Cox’s blog
• And see Patrick G Cox author profile ofGoodreads
• Patrick G Cox author page on Amazon
• Follow Patrick on Twitter: @patrickgcox

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. 

Author Interview: Mary Brock Jones

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

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.  

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

• Mary Brock Jone'sAuthor Website
• Mary Brook Jones on Facebook
• And see Mary BrockJones author profile of Goodreads
• Follow Mary Brock Jones tweetson Twitter
• Mary Brock Jones authorpage on Amazon
• Mary Brock Jones on Google+

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.

Guest Post: "9 tips to getting published"

Hello, I'm very luckly to have a guest blogger today, Rachel Stedman, sharing: 9 tips to getting published.

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What most people actually mean by the question “How can I get a publishing deal?” is: How can I see my work in print?

I get this. It is a buzz to see your book on sale at the bookstore (it’s a lot less of a buzz to see it in the sales bin!) My first novel was A Necklaceof Souls and when it came out I spent a lot of time visiting bookstores and taking photos of it on the shelves! 

Inner Fire by RL Stedman

A Necklace of Souls by RL Stedman

Here's what worked for me...

1. A ton of hard work. I wrote on and off for about ten years before I got an acceptance. Over that time I wrote one novella, one novel, and many, many short stories.
2. Write for free. I edited a professional magazine, which gave me experience in working with deadlines, keeping to word counts, formatting documents.
3. Join a writer's association. I joined the New Zealand Society of Authors. Associations like the NZSA often have mentoring programmes for new writers and access to grants and competitions.
4. Formal training. I completed a Certificate in Creative Writing at a local polytechnic, but there are other opportunities both on-line and in person. Just do be aware of cost if you’re doing this, as paid tuition at a university is not cheap.
5. Develop networks. This sounds cheesy, but often in life it's not what you know, it's who you know. (And be POLITE. Apart from the fact it’s the right thing to do, the writing world is a really, really small place!)
6. Submit to e-zines and small journals. My first paid acceptance was an e-zine which paid TEN DOLLARS! So exciting!!
7. Enter competitions. Comps can be expensive, so now I only enter those with that offer the opportunity to get my script read by a publisher, or that provide direct feedback on my script. The Romance Writers of America has some good ones, and my lucky break was with Storylines.
8. Keep writing. Evaluate critically. Write some more. When you feel it's good enough - and only then - begin submitting to agents or publishers.
9. And finally, and this isn't something you can ever predict, you need to get lucky. Why was A Necklace of Souls accepted, when another person's might have been equally as good? I don't know. Maybe the commissioning editor liked fantasy. Maybe they were looking for a novel with a strong female protagonist. Maybe the stars had aligned.

Reality checks:

Don't expect overnight success. Actually, don't expect to make a living wage from writing, period. Treat it like a passion and then anything's a bonus.

Or, you could just be famous, notorious or both. Then landing a publishing deal is way, way easier.

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Dunedin author RL Stedman

Thanks for shraring this great info, Rachel. You can find out more about Rachel Stedman through her website: www.rlstedman.com

And You'll find her books HERE

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Interview: Jenner Lichtwark, Christchurch author who writes under the penname J.L. O'Rourke

Today I’m talking with author and publisher Jenner Lichtwark. Jenner is based in Christchurch and  writes under the pen-name of J. L. O’Rourke.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself:

I grew up in Oamaru where I worked as a journalist before moving to Dunedin and Radio New Zealand. I worked in both radio and newspapers for over 20 years in Oamaru, Dunedin and Christchurch before fate took a hand and I moved into administration, which I am good at but don’t really enjoy. I was in an old brick historic building during the February 2011 quake and that experience plus post-quake stress, led me to quit my job to write. I am not too far from qualifying for the pension, have two adult children and two grandchildren (with my son’s first child due any day now!). When I am not writing I am either backstage or singing in a theatre, or enjoying my animals (bald dogs, fluffy cats and grumpy guinea pigs).

You have two mystery series, Power Ride a murder-mystery centred around a rock band, and the Severn Series, urban fantasies following Vampires living in Christchurch. What drew you into writing Urban Fantasy after writing traditional mystery?
Murder mysteries were my obvious genre choice as that’s what I read all the time. I like the gentle simplicity of the British cosy mystery, although my own turned out a bit more hard-edged than the usual small-village style stories. I like imagining bodies in strange places and wondering why they ended up there, so I have lots of ideas for future Avi Livingstone stories. Vampires in Christchurch theatres was an extension of the many hours I have spent backstage in theatres. It just seemed logical to find vampires in the black parts of the theatre, working on the dark. Theatre crew are odd people – being vampires didn’t seem a big jump.

Have you found Readers of “regular” mystery are willing or resistant to crossover and explore the magical twist that the urban fantasy genre provides?
I have never assumed that I am writing for the same audience. The murders are adult while the vampires are YA. And I write children’s stories as well, so I tend to assume a different audience for each. Urban fantasy suits the reader who likes science fiction but prefers it set in a world they can relate to. I think the idea of there being abnormal things among the normal suits the YA imagination.

The Severn Series: Chains of Blood, and Blood in the Wings are YA fiction. When writing YA mystery what are the elements you add in or omit than compared to when writing mystery for adults?
Sex, and sub-plots. The first Severn story, Blood in the Wings, originally had a sex scene between Riley and Severn, but when I realised I wanted it to be YA, and there was going to be more than one book, I took the sex out. The romance is still there, and Riley talks about sex, but the actual act doesn’t happen. Which is one of the reasons I like writing YA – I hate writing sex scenes. And sub-plots – YA sub-plots tend to stress the growing up of the main character – in some way they all speak to the character’s emergence into adulthood.

What’s your writing style, do you plan everything first, or write and see where the story leads you?
I learned the hard way that a good idea without the work done to plot it out leads to a half-written story that gets lost in the middle. So I have an idea, let it sit in my head for months to develop from an idea into a plot, then draw up the skeleton plot to give me a framework to work to. The story might then meander away from the plot but the basic outlie keeps me on track.

I believe you interviewed some police as part of your researching. Did you tell them you were writing a murder-mystery? How did they react when you approached them?  
Yes – I was up-front from the start. I needed to know how NZ police differed from the way police are shown in British books, so I made an appointment and spent a very fruitful hour or so with a top detective who answered all my odd questions. I think he was pleased I was making sure I got it right, and he was amused and helpful.

What was your favourite and least favourite part in researching for the novel?
I tend to set my books in places I know well, so the research is usually around the odd things. For instance, my current work in progress is set at Lake Waihola so I am trying to learn about black swans and their nesting habits, and wild pig hunting. Thank heavens for google!

You have a lot of personal experience in theatre, and the Severn Series is set within the theatre world. Was there an experience in your own life that inspired the idea for the first Severn story? If not, where did the idea for the story come from?
The first of Severn is set backstage in the old Theatre Royal during a run of Singin’ in the Rain, even though those two facts are never specifically noted. The story came from when my (then teenage) daughter and I were part of the crew for that show, in that theatre. The lead vampires are based on other crew members. A lot of time was spent in the alleyway, the black coats are standard garb (mine’s still hanging in my wardrobe). It just occurred to me one night that the big “rain truck” for the famous street scene would be a perfect place to find a severed head – and what if the rain came down blood coloured. And the idea grew from there. The second story came from an outdoor show where I was operating sound. Again, it was watching people wading in the lake during rehearsal breaks that sparked the idea that became Chains of Blood.

How long have you been involved with the Christchurch Writers’ Guild? And what are the advantages to belonging to such a group?
I joined the Guild a couple of years ago when I was trying out the various writing groups to find one that suited me. I used to love the Waitaki Writers in Oamaru and I had missed the camaraderie of that group. I stayed with the Guild as it is very informal while the other groups seemed to concentrate too much on having a set agenda. I get a lot of inspiration from the random conversations and mutual support. I find the informality suits my style.

You established Millwheel Press in 2012 to publish your own books. Why not just use Amazon? What have been the advantages and disadvantages of going out on your own like that?
I use Amazon but it is almost impossible to get into libraries or bookstores as an indie author. A formal publishing house name (even if it’s boutique) has more credibility in the marketplace. Plus I offer editing services to other writers, so a business name made sense.
   
Whereabouts are Millwheel Press books stocked? And how receptive have you found local book stores? What tips would you give authors trying to stock their books in shops?
I sell mostly through Amazon and via the Millwheel Press website, although I am working on getting out to more places. I carry a small stock of printed copies for marketing opportunities that pop up.

What has been the hardest part with promoting your work?
Marketing – I am the world’s worst sales person. Like a lot of writers, I’m actually quite shy and get very anxious confronting a book store. I can sing, act or talk in front of thousands no problem, but one-to-one marketing scares me witless. I find cold selling an absolute nightmare.

Millwheel offers editing assistance to other writers, what do you find are common problems arising from people editing their own work?
People see what they want to see, not what is there. It is too easy to miss typos because the brain reads over them. Also, if the writer is too close to their work, they won’t see where it goes astray. It’s really important to have someone who is unbiased but knows your genre check your work to make sure the characters stay in character and that there are no gaping plotholes. Also, if people are writing in a style that doesn’t work, (too much tell, not enough show or overblown descriptions) they are not going to see that themselves – it needs someone else to point that out.

Having had several years of experiencing ebooks versus physical copies, what have you found your Readers prefer? And as a publisher which format do you prefer dealing with and why?
Buyers still seem to like physical books but I, personally, prefer Ebooks. Publishing – I like the look of my printed copies on my shelf, but the cost of publishing is off-putting. I do like Createspace for print-on-demand so I am not paying for huge print runs that sit in boxes. I like the immediacy of publishing in Ebook format. Sales-wise adult novels are about equally Ebook and print, while YA and children’s are predominantly print.

If you could go back in time and give your younger self a piece of writing advice, what would you say?
Plot the whole story, not just the first half and the very end. Think how the middle is going to work before you start. Work out all the red herrings and sub-plots before you start writing – it’s much harder to fit them in later.

Thank you so much for your time today, and what’s the next project we can look forward to?

A mystery romance set at Lake Waihola with handsome Southern men, dead pigs, black swans, a fat pug and a severed arm – and a children’s book about a road cone’s earthquake adventure.

And where can Readers find you online?
Millwheel Press Website  www.millwheelpress.co.nz
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MillwheelPress/
Or email at editor@millwheelpress.co.nz