Isis Sousa's Blog: Tragic Books' news - Posts Tagged "interview"

Original post from my blog: http://isissousa2d.blogspot.no

Wow, it’s been a while since I wrote a post here! I took a long break, since mid-December last year, due to a long holiday trip and an extra busy beginning of year. 2013, here I go!

So far this year I have done 6 Black & White illustrations for Grace Draven’s upcoming book, a retelling of the classical “Beauty and the Beast” and have 6 more to go. Have done a couple of interviews, very cool ones for IT’SART (click here and read it) and CG ARENA (coming soon, but you’ll find it here). I’ve done also a tutorial/making of for CG ARENA e-mag, based on a work called “The Green Man, which I developed for this tutorial.



Have done a very different work, in a cute/caticature-like style for Mad Artist Publishing’s BOND book. Cool huh? And have also done a Bettie Page commission for Falcata Times, in a more cartoony style (soon you wull see it there too!). Noooo, I am not abandoning Fantasy, I am just pushing my boundaries, so that’s why I did these last two mentioned works ;)

On top of that, have been organizing and recruiting artists for a series of video workshops: IT’S ART FANTASY WORKSHOP – taking place during the year of 2013, with 13 themes into Fantasy Art! More info about it coming soon!

Now, let’s take the subject of this post. I am always thinking of ways to improve and have a website/portfolio which works for me. I have tried several layouts before, after a while I switched to Blogger: I have started a blog and set it to be my portfolio. So when people entered www.isissousadesigner.com (before) they in fact were seeing my BLOGGER site. I thought it was very handy, I found a layout I customized and seemed to be right for me. I kept it for a year or so.

Since I started a website, back in 2010, I’ve been DAILY checking and monitoring my visitors. I learned very much with this habit, such as which images people like more when they visit my site, which page they are more interested in, where do they come from, where did they find the link for my site, etc. These are all important data to help you take your site/portfolio in the right direction.

In the beginning of 2012, I published a work on this Blogger portfolio called “A FantasyPortrait of Sir Isaac Newton”. The piece called a lot of attention, both in my site and my other online galleries. Somehow, after a while, I was receiving a huge traffic of visitors coming from Google Search, all of them looking for “Isaac Newton, Sir Isaac Newton, Newton, etc.” At first I thought it was cool, because I thought some of these visitors looking for images of this great scientist would also be interested in my work and eventually that my commissions could grow.

The Google Search traffic increased very much within the months, at a point that it started to “suck”! It wasn’t cool anymore! I found out NONE of those visitors searching for Isaac Newton had given me a single commission, feedback or anything back. More than that: they were in the way of me seeing the good, healthy traffic on my stats service. So I took a decision: to take the blog down and make a new website for my portfolio, more industry oriented. I’m still working on it, but I see the changes are for the better.

Talking about changes… I’ve been also thinking about better content for this blog, since its start. “Why not share some of my mistakes, hints and growth as artist” I asked myself lately… So since TODAY this blog is called “Artist in progress” and I hope to make substantial articles about my difficulties, my ups and downs, visions and improvement as artist. I think sharing this experience as well as adding other interesting content such as great news and interviews may help aspirants and also may be interesting for those who have been long down the road!

Stay inspired!

Marilena Mexi is a Fantasy Illustrator and author friend of mine and has recently published her third novel, Deerward.

I prepared an interview with her, which you see here, followed by a book review:

What was the main difference on the process of illustrating Antara and Ninemia and your latest Novel Deerward? Which one was most difficult and why?

The most difficult part was when I was working on Antara's illustrations, because it was going to be an illustrated novel. So, I had to devote much more time for this book compared to Deerward. That one had no interior illustrations, and the story was more clear in my head. Overall, Deerward took me around 3 months, while Antara took me around 2 years.

Why did you decide to make Deerward a non-illustrated work? Do you plan to make more illustrated books in the future?

I'd love to make Deerward an illustrated novel too, but then it would it be even more difficult for me to find an agent, since no one accepts illustrated adult fantasy novels. Therefore, unfortunately my next books won't be illustrated either.

Did the experience of publishing your third novel work change something within you? Do you see yourself as more experienced, for example?

I don't feel too experienced yet; maybe that's because of the fact that I was forced to self-publish my third book again, so I don't think that procedure taught me something more than I already knew.

Why do you write YA/New Adult works? Which other genres do you like and plan to write?

In general I prefer fantasy themes, so I'd like to focus on that. I write new/young adult because the hero/main character's age is a bit restraining, so the character's age plays a key role in defining the book's category.

Where do you take inspiration for the names of your characters? Why do you think it is important to give them a unique/proper name?

I give names that would fit to the personality of the characters. I spent a lot of time in searching names for both novels; I think that plays an important role in the overall mood of the story, and adds an extra layer of interest.

Do you see any difference in the publishing market from the time you published your first novel and today?

I think that the trend leans toward to sci-fi more nowadays, but I believe that classic fantasy will make a comeback in a few years.

Can you tell us about your current writings? Are you already writing your next book or scribbling new ideas for future novels?

I was going to start a new fantasy novel last summer, but that got delayed due to personal issues and a lack of inspiration. I found out that the "winter" mood is much more inspiring for me and I tend to be more creative during the winter, so I hope I'll start the new novel this winter.

Any message you would like to communicate to your readers?

I'm going to sound a bit cliché, but I'd like to encourage everyone to keep on dreaming and pursue their dreams, no matter how distant or impossible they may seem.

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BOOK REVIEW - DEERWARD

5 out of 5 stars!

I have read Marilena’s first book, Antara and I immediately realized she was a natural born storyteller. Marilena writes from the heart and it reflects in the way she builds her characters.

In her third book, Deerward, I noticed her writing skills are sharper than ever: her characters have very distinct personalities and back-stories, her scenarios are more complex and her plot full of surprises in a fast tempo.

Deerward is not one story, but many. It tells of the hero’s home and birthplace, the story of his life, of his one great love, of different battles against evil, and last: his legacy.

Deerward is a great read for those who like dragons, magic and other epic elements. It is also very exciting, full of action, adventure, love and even twists of sorrow. Alcander, the main character, is good, brave, curious and has a tough decision to make by the end of the book, which is also my favorite part as it reveals more of his personality and internal values.

This is an original story, great for bedtime for those who have a warrior soul… And for those who love a classic epic read!

I started a page for me on Smashwords last evening - and also added my book The XIIIth hour at Duskland there for sale.

You can check my author page on Smashwords HERE: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/vi...

And you can read the interview HERE: https://www.smashwords.com/interview/...

Are you on Smashwords too? Feel free to share your link here with me! :)

I started a page for me on Smashwords last evening - and also added my book The XIIIth hour at Duskland there for sale.

You can check my author page on Smashwords HERE: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/vi...

And you can read the interview HERE: https://www.smashwords.com/interview/...

Are you on Smashwords too? Feel free to share your link here with me! :)

If you like to read interesting interviews, I have a brand new one for you: 8 questions and answers with Grace Draven , author of "Entreat Me" and "Master of Crows"

I also added my personal review of her latest book, Entreat Me, a re-telling of "Beauty and Beast", which also happens to be one of my favorite fairytales.

You can read it on my writer's blog: storiesofduskland.tumblr.com

Would you like to win this unique and Artsy giveaway?



Then, check out the super cool interview/book spotlight for The Night of Elisa @ Fang-tastic Books Blog!

http://fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.no/2...

But hurry, the giveaway ends in 7 days!

Author and illustrator Isis Sousa talks about “The Night of Elisa”, in a 15 mins fun video on Youtube. :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWp4E...

Read some interesting Q & A with K J Nessly, author of "The Chosen" - Guardians of Rima series.

1.When did you first have the idea for Guardians of Rima and how long did it take for you to start working on it?

I first started working on The Guardians of Rima in the summer of 2008, I believe, it was the summer the first Batman movie starring Christian Bale was released. I remember that detail specifically because I watched the movie one day and in between the show ending and my summer college math class starting, I had outlined my main characters and a general story arch for the series. Initially I worked on it on and off, I had another project in the works that I then scrapped and decided to work on “The Chosen”. I didn’t truly start to put a lot of concerted effort into it until well into my second or third year in college. At the same time, I also spent a lot of time working on later books, ensuring that events that needed to be set up and/or foreshadowed in earlier books were. My biggest pet peeve are book series where the solution almost seems to pop out of nowhere at the end of the last book. I’ve been working very hard to ensure that I don’t end up with that scenario with The Guardians of Rima, hence why it has taken almost eight years to publish the first book.

2. How was the characterization process? Any particular character who demanded extra work and attention or who was more difficult to work with? And which one was the easiest?

Characters are an interesting business. I won’t lie. They all take a lot of work and attention. Especially if you want to make them believable. Small details make the character. Case in point: Kathryn is fearless on the battlefield or in combat, but put a spider anywhere near her…well, if you’ve read the book, you know how well that goes over with her. You’ll learn one of David’s quirks in the second book.

For the first book, Kathryn and David were definitely the hardest. Kathryn’s character was difficult because of how her history affected the way she viewed the world and her initial interactions with her new family. I can count my blessings that I had a happy childhood and didn’t suffer the way she did, so putting myself in her head and trying to visualize how the abuse she had suffered would have molded her (and not in a good way) was a challenge. Another challenge was making her personable to the reader, but maintaining that cold demeanor she used to protect herself. I think the part that most people have a hard time understanding is that she’s not meant to be a character that the reader can readily recognize and say, “Oh, I can totally understand her…connect with her.” There are aspects to her character and personality that may be recognizable to some people (which are expanded on later in the series) but overall she’s mean to be a character who, at first meeting, you want to make your best friend.

David was also difficult due to his position in life. He’s been made a leader in a vocation that could result in people facing life or death situations. How does someone so young, but gifted in ways to make them older in certain aspects, try to lead? How do they think? What mistakes might they have made? The scenario with Kathryn and Natalie is a perfect example of one such mistake. David focused so much on trying to be a good leader and keeping his family safe from danger while protecting his realm that he forgot that some of the dangers we face don’t always come from evil villains bent on world domination. They can come from our own “circle of friends”.

As to the easiest, that was probably Matt. My youngest sister is one of those people who always has a witty comeback and is an eternal optimist. Anytime I needed inspiration for Matt it partially came from her and our conversations. After all, who doesn’t love the optimist who can look at a horrible situation and find a reason to laugh and smile?

3. What about the world building? What inspired you when creating the settings for the story? Was there need for research?

There is always a need for research. My first job was working in a library and I quickly learned the value of research. Because I decided not to reinvent the laws of physics and biology for my world, I had to do a lot of research in all the scientific fields, including human psychology. I also had to research history topics such as jousts, clothing (the court dresses the girls wear are loosely based off of Tudor-era gowns), and martial arts. Kathryn’s particular style of fighting is based off the Filipino martial art Eskrima. A practitioner of the art myself, I was able to use my own experiences in sparring to write action scenes where the moves the characters employ in their fighting would actually work in real life (with a little artistic license thrown in as these character do possess magic). I almost spend more time researching than I do writing. You will find in later books that almost everything I put in my books has a basic foothold in something in our real life. You’ll also notice that in the books the setting is set in what we would consider a southern hemisphere; northern regions are hotter and most desert-like. At one point I considered altering the spin of the planet so that sunset was east and sunrise was west. In the end I decided that the southern hemisphere and two moons in the sky were enough to differentiate my world from our earth.

4. Which aspects of “The Chosen” are the most dear to you and why?

I think that the aspects that are the most dear to me are the world building and the main characters themselves. With world building I spend a lot of my time researching ancient cultures from our own world and using them as the cornerstone for my own work. For those who are wondering, the Wanderers are loosely based off the “Barbarian” Germanic tribes that played a large part in the fall of the Roman empire. I’ve been researching other ancient cultures so expect to see some new societies in later books. The Christian religion has made an appearance, but I also plan on bringing in Islam and Buddhism. The research has been fascinating and rewarding and I can’t wait to fit it all together.

The characters themselves, though, are my favorite. When I write the characters, I literally try to live in their heads. Jenna would react to a situation very differently than Kathryn or Amy as would Matt compared to David, or even Tyler. Keeping fourteen people (and that doesn’t count the supporting characters) individualized so that it doesn’t feel like I have two identical characters has been a challenge. When I first started, I had pages of character maps to help me keep it straight. Writing them has been the biggest challenge and the most rewarding. Every character has a story to tell, and I plan to tell them all. And don’t let the first book fool you, Kathryn’s story isn’t even close to being done—she has a lot of growing yet to do. As do almost all of them. In the same way that we as people continue to grow throughout our lives, I plan to do the same with my characters.

5. Why write YA Fantasy? What do you like most about the genre?

It’s not so much YA that I like to write as the Fantasy. Fantasy allows me to create my own world and characters that aren’t bound by real events or natural phenomenon (my world has two moons and a 26 radian (translate as “hour”) day. That’s the part I love most. I’m free to create and allow my imagination to run wild. I still try to keep it semi-realistic though. If you look closely, you’ll notice that all the magic has a scientific principle behind it. As a scientist by education, I felt it was important to make the story educational as well. The cultures and religions I research will find their way into the series, as will scientific facts. Fantasy provides a platform for small details like those to be presented in a fun manner. It has thus far been proven to be easier to research the laws of nature than invent my own.

6. How many books do you plan for the series and have you started the process of writing book #2?

Currently, there are plans for at least five, if not six, books in the series as well as a prequel series and a sequel follow-up (the latter being nothing more than a tentative idea at the moment). I also have plans for several short novellas, of a sort, to bridge the gap between events in the fifth and sixth books. One novella has already been outlined and guaranteed to make an appearance. It even has a title, although I won’t be sharing that until much later. Book two, titled “Return of the Nauro”, is currently being worked on. Unfortunately I do not have a projected publish date yet.

7. Which have been the biggest challenges on publishing your first book? And the biggest rewards?

The biggest challenge on publishing my first book was not knowing anything about the process. I self-published and it was a series of trial and error many times over to get to this point. The print version of the book was especially difficult. Formatting issues made my life miserable for about a month while I figured it out. Fortunately one of my friends turned out to be very good at formatting and took pity on me and did it for me. Editing was also the biggest challenge. No matter how many times you read your work (or have others read your work), there will almost always be a small typo or grammatical error that you missed. It makes you want to rip your hair out. When I wrote The Chosen, I was literally teaching myself how to write a novel. The rough draft went through close to thirteen or fourteen different edits. There are still small errors, and I apologize for that, but I am attempting to be a bit more of a perfectionist with this second book.

The reward is seeing how much people enjoy it. I recently got an email from a fan telling me how much they enjoyed the book and it literally made my day. Knowing that someone read the book and enjoyed it—that they didn’t feel like it wasted their time; that is the biggest reward.

8. Which message would you like to say to your readers?

Overall I would like to say thank you for your support and I truly hope that you enjoy the journey with me and my characters. I would also ask that you please be patient while I work on book #2, I have a day job and can’t devote as much time as I would like to writing, but I do promise that I am working on it!

Visit J K Nessly's website: http://www.kjnessly.com

In the book-ish world we are often reading interviews with authors, sometimes with illustrators/cover artists and only once, I saw an interview with a reader. I am yet to see one with an editor.

While the author creates the story, the editor polishes that raw material, making it presentable for the readers, making it structured. In other words, the work of an editor may be as important as the author, but too often readers and media don't think about it.

Tragic Books/Isis Sousa owes a great deal of respect and admiration for the work of Clare Diston @ Human Voices Editorial Services! TB invites you to read the interview and get to know more about what she does and her ideas.

1 How did you become a book editor? Is it something you always wanted to work with or did it take you by surprise?

I’ve always been obsessed with books, and I’ve been reading and writing for as long as I can remember, but I didn’t particularly think about being an editor when I was a child – I just knew I wanted to do something to do with books and words. At university I did an English degree and a Creative Writing Masters, and then I did some courses on editing and proofing, and got a job as a marketing copywriter. It was in the last few years that I started to think, “Wouldn’t it be cool if I could spend my days doing a bit of editing, a bit of writing, a bit of proofreading? Hey, actually … why don’t I do that?” So I left my job and became a freelancer and now it’s just words, words, words every day. I love it!

2 What is the most and least fun about your work? And what’s the most challenging aspect of your profession?

The most fun thing is the variety. One day I’ll sit down and write an article about the therapeutic benefits of knitting, the next day I’ll edit a murder mystery or a science-fiction novel. That’s also the most challenging aspect – you have to be disciplined with your time and make sure you prioritise projects correctly, so that nothing gets less than your full attention.

The least fun thing is the tax return at the end of the year. I’m sure it’s the bane of most freelancers’ lives. Some of the questions on tax return forms are so complicated, even a professional editor can’t make sense of them!
3 Which genres do you love the most, both as reader and editor?

As a reader I love literary fiction, magical realism, sci-fi and fantasy, and I adore short stories. For editing, I love encountering books that I might not otherwise have come across. In fact, editing has really broadened my reading horizons – I read more sci-fi now than I used to because I have edited some, and I really enjoy editing murder mysteries, which I don’t read so often for pleasure.

4 Who are your favourite authors or stories?

I’m a huge fan of Japanese writers. There’s Haruki Murakami, of course, but allow me to take a moment to bang the Yoko Ogawa drum – I came across her a couple of years ago and she’s one of my favourites. I can’t get enough of Ali Smith and Gabriel Garcia Márquez and Toni Morrison and Isaac Asimov. I also love David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas, Hugh Howey’s Wool and Michel Faber’s The Book of Strange New Things.

5 What is your opinion about the self-publishing/indie market today?

I think it’s fantastic that the self-publishing market is flourishing as much as it is. Most of the writers I work with are self-published rather than traditionally published, and I think it’s great that there are now so many ways for authors to get their books out there, to readers. I think the stigma around self-publishing is fading (especially as huge, popular successes have started coming out of the indie publishing industry) and I’m all for anything that brings more books into the world.

6 Apart from editing manuscripts, which other services do you offer at Human Voices?

I also proofread (that’s checking for spelling, grammar, etc) – I do that for books, short stories, poetry, essays, articles, blog posts. I copywrite as well – blogs for businesses, copy for websites. And I have also done some ghostwriting of articles for magazines. Basically, if you need words, I’m your girl.

7 If you could give 3 quick tips for the authors out there to prepare their manuscripts for the editing process, which would they be?

1. Make sure you ask for the right service first. If you have a very rough draft and just need some general feedback, get a manuscript review or some beta reader feedback first. You don’t want to pay for in-depth, thorough edit and then have to do it again once you’ve rewritten the entire book.

2. Know what you want. One writer might want American English so they can pitch their books to an American audience. Another may need an editor to focus on tightening up dialogue, or improving scene-setting. If you have something in particular you want your editor to look at, make sure you let them know.

3. Get an accurate word count. Many editors (like me) base their fees on word count, so having an exact word count is really important. And don’t forget to include all the front and end matter: prologues, dedications, even contents pages and blurbs.
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Visit: http://humanvoices.co.uk/ - Clare works with indie and established authors and students.
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.:Clare's Quick BIO:. Clare Diston is a passionate bookworm and word-lover, and she is lucky enough to work as a freelance editor and proofreader at her business, Human Voices Editorial Services. She writes and edits fiction and non-fiction books, essays and articles, and works with native and non-native English speakers. She also reads fifty books every year and blogs about them at http://www.50ayear.com/

Hi folks :) Here is a spotlight I am doing with indie author Anthony Avina , who I came across through Booklover Catlady Publicity(make sure you check her out, she is awesome!), when we did a small campaign to find reviewers for The Night of Elisa.

I have been interviewed by Anthony as well, you can read it HERE.

Anthony writes mostly horror/speculative Fiction, and recently he wrote VOID, a drama, which shows the struggles of a group of friends.

I reviewed both VOID and Bedtime, being the latest also my favourite, it gave me chills at a certain point! Click on the respective links to check it out.

And below, you read a cool interview with him. But before you read that, make sure you also peek on his AMAZON PAGE

1 - When did you start writing? What triggered your writing will?
A - I started writing when I was fourteen years old, but didn't start publishing until 2010, when I was 20 years old. It was in my creative writing class that I realized I wanted to be a writer. I was reading Stephen King and Peter Straub's The Talisman, and at the time we were asked to write a short story. The way The Talisman was written, the idea of this epic adventure where the fate of the world hangs in the balance, helped inspire a short story in which a man is given the power to alter reality with his writing, but invites an evil presence into the world in doing so, and must set things right before the world is destroyed. That story eventually became my published story, Death for Sale.

2 - Which are the most important aspects of your work as author?
A - My main goal is to entertain my audience. If I can integrate a message or change the preconceived notions of soceity, then that is an added
bonus. I just want to have my readers get lost in the story, and to feel enthralled with the plot and the characters.

3 - About “Bedtime”, how did you get inspired to write story? Were you afraid of the monster in the closet as well when you were a kid?
A - I actually came up with the idea after I thought about the various different fears and phobias people have, especially the fears we have as children. I wasn't afraid of the monster in the closet necessarily, but I was afraid of shadow people as a child, (another story I plan to write), and when I was thinking about that fear I had, I began to think about the other things children tend to be afraid of, and how there aren't many
stories out in mainstream entertainment right now that explore these fears thoroughly, so I came up with this story of a creature feeding off of the fear and drama in a family's household. That's how Bedtime was born.

4 - Which are your favourite fiction genres, to both write and read?
A - My all time favorite genre to both write and read in is definitely the horror genre. I do enjoy science fiction, fantasy and thrillers as well, but I've always been drawn to the horror genre. I like seeing a person's true, base nature emerge in the face of a truly scary situation.
Whenever you read a book and a group of people are pitted against a killer or monster of some sort, reading how these people react is such a fascinating and thrilling part of the book, and I've enjoyed exploring that as well in my own books. Stephen King's novels have always been the biggest reason I got as heavily into the horror genre as I did.

5 - What’s the most challenging part of being an indie author?
A - Finding a way to get your book in front of readers in an age when self-publishing has become such a popular thing for authors. Any time I find a reader has downloaded or purchased my book, it's the greatest feeling in the world to realize someone is reading the book you've poured so much time and effort and love into. Learning how to utilize social media and connect with both readers and authors on a more personal level has been something I've been working on a lot over the past year, and I'm happy to have met so many great people along the way. Finding a way to navigate
the self-publishing market and reach a wider audience is definitely the biggest challenge, especially when you're on your own and have a low budget.

6 - About "Void", where did you get the inspiration for the problems the group of friends go through? What made you decide to write about that?
A - I got the inspiration for the problems the characters of VOID face from the world around me. Living in the US, there are so many politically charged subjects that divide and fuel hatred on many fronts, from both gender and sexual equality to religion and marriage. I've always been a big believer in equality and appreciating the differences between people. A person should be allowed to love whoever they want, and everyone should have an equal chance at enjoying all that life has to offer. I also got inspiration for the character of Javier especially from my own
experiences. Over the last six years or so, I've lost both an uncle and a grandfather to various illnesses, and I understand what it's like to lose someone you love. Not in the same romantic love kind of way that Javier does, but loss is never an easy thing to go through, and I've known people who don't seem to understand what kind of depression can settle over someone after a big loss like that, so I wanted to highlight the
struggle of overcoming loss, and finding a way to enjoy life after loss.

7 - How was the writing experience of putting together a drama, after focusing on horror genre for many works? How did it impact your writing?
A - You know there's a quote by Mark Twain that summons this up for me perfectly. He said, "Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't." I think this is a perfect summary for my experience writing drama over horror. In the horror genre, there are endless possible paths to choose from because utilizing the supernatural or serial killer elements are often not based in reality, while a drama has to follow the rules of real life. You want there to be perfect, happy endings, but while this can happen for some,
not everyone is going to come out on the other side of the story unscathed. Whether it's physical or emotional pain, life is hard, and I think writing this drama had to be a reflection of life itself. Having to ground yourself in a real-world setting is a lot more difficult for me than
it is to explore the fantastic realms of the horror genre. It was a challenge, but it was a challenge I enjoyed conquering, and I couldn't be more thrilled by the end result.
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And that’s it, hope you have enjoyed it! :)