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

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!

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! :)

A little protest: I have always thought about it, since I made my author profile… However, I always forget to write about the matter!

The thing is, authors have Blogs here at GoodReads, while non-authors simply don’t have the feature. I wonder why – and I want to tell GoodReads I am disappointed about it.

Not that everybody will be blogging loads – but hey, there are lots of people who have things to share and many non-authors who are also bloggers, so why not give this space to them?

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Spotlight with Elizabeth Morgan: So I had the pleasure of doing an interview with indie author Elizabeth Morgan.

She writes in a variety of genres and is just re-releasing On The Rocks – a short story I have reviewed (you can read it here: )

And I invite you to read a cool interview on Elizabeth’s work and life as a writer on my Creative Blog: https://illustratingwords.blogspot.no/

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Follower’s Giveaway: While I am cooking my upcoming novel, As Cold As Thorns – coming closer to writing the end – started the illustration process and am doing beta reading with an amazing group organized by RBTL Blog Tours, I don’t want to say goodbye to Elisa! Not just yet!

So, if you’d like an e-book copy of The Night of Elisa - An Illustrated Gothic Novel (though not as nice as the print editions!) – you can participate following these rules: 1) You need to follow my work here at GoodReads and 2) leave a hello or a comment on this blog post :)

I am giving away 5 e-books (you can choose the format Kindle or Epub). The winners will be announced in two weeks: 29th August!

I've came across Jessica Hernandez work and Blog via GoodReads. She is an indie author and helps promoting others like me through her blog as well. So, of course, I invited her for a spotlight around here and I invite you to join and read her interview as well as get to know her books of Hawk of Stone duology. Are you ready?

1 - How was the writing and publishing process for your first novel, "Capering on Glass Bridges"?
Capering on Glass Bridges was born from an idea that I had while in high school. Over the succeeding years, I developed this idea considerably, and I often spoke with my mother about the fantastical world that I sheltered in my mind. It was she who encouraged me to write about it. As the end of my final semester in college approached, I made the decision to do as she suggested; I told myself that, upon graduation, I would finally pen the novel that had been floating about in my head for ages.

The publication process proved to be an overall positive experience. It’s in my post-publishing journey that I’ve encountered one of my biggest obstacles to date—which I’ll discuss in further detail when I answer question three.

2 - How did that process evolve when you worked on book 2, "The Yesterdays of Tomorrow"?
Initially, I did not create an outline for book one. I sat down in December of 2014 to “pants” my way through Capering on Glass Bridges. After writing about seven thousand or so words, I realized that I didn’t like how the story was coming out, so I discarded it and left the project alone for a few weeks. In March of 2015, I sat down at my desk and created an outline of my story. As I’m sure you can imagine, the writing process went a lot smoother thereafter. Hence, with my second novel, I created an outline before writing a single word. In my opinion, the outline has a function akin to that of a compass; it helps one better understand the different directions in which a story can be taken. My outlines, however, are rather skeletal. That is, I make sure to leave sufficient room so as to allow certain aspects of the plot to evolve as the story progresses.

3 - What is your biggest challenge as indie writer?
Overcoming obscurity. When you’re starting out as a writer, not only do readers shy away from your work simply because they perceive you as an unknown, but—often times—you are invisible to most of them as a consequence of the sheer number of writers out there. I’d love to get to the point where I have a loyal audience—be it of one person or of a thousand—to which I can present my writings.

4 - What are you working on at this moment and/or future plans as author?
I am currently working on my third novel. It takes place in Acu—the same fantastical world wherein Capering on Glass Bridges and The Yesterdays of Tomorrow are set. This book, however, is unrelated to my first two titles. Readers will be introduced to a new kingdom and a new cast of characters. I’m very excited about this project! Though it’s a work of fantasy, it’s imbued with a few elements characteristic of mystery and psychological thriller novels. Needless to say, the writing process is proving to be immensely enjoyable, and I look forward to sharing the finished product with readers.

5 - How do you keep inspired and who are your fav icons on books, arts, music?
I am inspired by too many things to name. I’ve learned that one needn’t be exposed to something new in order to be inspired. One simply has to endeavor to view the familiar from a different angle.

C.S. Lewis is one of my favorite authors. Lewis’ prose is exceptionally colorful. His writing style is such that readers can visualize the events unfolding in the narrative without any difficulty. I can still recall flipping through the pages of The Magician’s Nephew when I was younger and being in awe. The world that Lewis had created was so rich and so detailed that it felt extremely real to me; it felt organic. As a writer, I actively strive to emulate this effect. I want my readers to feel as though they’ve been transported to Acu—the fictional realm in which Capering on Glass Bridges and The Yesterdays of Tomorrow are set. I want them to feel immersed in this world.

6 - What do you think of social media and how do you make it work for you?
I’ll admit, I’m not too active on social media. I’m trying to change this, though. Social media is invaluable in bridging the formidable gap which exists between new authors and readers. It enables the two to connect and open up a dialogue with one another. (Which is pretty awesome!) I don’t know if I’ve succeeded in making social media “work for me,” but I’m certainly laboring towards this goal.

7 - Your biggest wish or dream?
I’m a bit of a chocoholic. I kid you not. I have memories of returning home from school as a first grader and running to the kitchen to stuff my face with chocolate chip cookies. For this reason, were I granted one wish, I’d request that chocolate be made as healthy—in terms of nutrition—as broccoli. I’d spend all day eating chocolate lava cakes. Yum!

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CLICK ON THE COVERS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT JESSICA'S BOOKS:

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CONNECT WITH JESSICA
GoodReads: Jessica Hernandez
Blog: https://jessthestoryteller.wordpress....
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJpI...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessymariee...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jessy_marie77

I came across Harry Whitewolf's work here at Goodreads. I noticed several friends adding his work to their to-read lists and/or reading it and of course, it got me curious. So I went to check it for myself and read his Poetry book New Beat Newbie - which i totally recommend, even for those who do not like Poetry, like me! (You can read my review HERE https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... .) Since then I have admired his work :) I invite you to learn more about Harry's great mind, through the interview we did for my blog:

1 - When did you start writing? And why did you pick up Poetry/Travel and Children's Fiction?
I’ve always written things. Even as a small child I was coming up with stories and poems, and as a young adult, I was writing a lot of poetry and often performing it. So poetry has always been something that’s just within me. The travel books weren’t something I particularly planned. I just started writing about my Argentina trip and before I knew it, I discovered I had the makings of a book (Route Number 11), which then paved the way for its sister book The Road To Purification; set in Egypt.

Although I published my kids’ books after those travel books, I had actually written the drafts for them a few years before. I haven’t promoted my humorous children’s books (which I write under the pen name of Mr. Wolf) as much as my other work, as I see it as a sort of sideline. Writing kids’ books is most definitely just good fun though. I enjoy the process so much more than writing my other stuff, as my imagination can just run riot and I feel like I’m in a cosy bubble.

2 - You have published several books, which one do you consider your best and why?
I consider The Road To Purification: Hustlers, Hassles & Hash to be my best. I had constructed a new and unique way of writing with Route Number 11, so I was then able to improve and refine that with its successor. I have minor quibbles about my other books, but I feel Road To Purification is exactly how it needs to be. It was also the hardest book to write, ‘cos it wasn’t easy reliving my mad fucked up Egyptian trip!

And I think Two Beat Newbie is my best poetry book. I feel like I reached my apex with my poetry in that one, and I’m not sure I can do any better. That’s why (seeing as I always attempt to improve my writing with each project) I decided to take a sideways step with its successor Rhyme and Rebellion and make a few minor changes to the way I wrote.

3 - How's your writing process, from drafting to finished books?
I write in a mad flurry of blurriness where I can’t get the words down quick enough. Then I edit, rewrite, edit, rewrite etc. for as many drafts as it takes. I’ll have read my books dozens of times before they take shape as the finished articles.

4 - What is your biggest challenge as indie author?
I guess it’s the same as any other indie authors: trying to get noticed! And I guess ‘cos I write non-genre-friendly stuff, it’s a little more difficult too. (i.e – My travel books read more like beat-ish fiction and are mostly enjoyed by people who don’t read travel and my poetry books are enjoyed by people who mostly don’t read poetry!)

5 - And your biggest dream?
The big dream for myself is to earn a modest living solely from writing books. But the biggest dream of all is for world peace. Obviously. :)

6 - Which genres do you like most as a reader?
Yeahhh… see, I’m not really a genre person. Like, I don’t read much fantasy but I love Lord of the Rings, and I don’t read much sci-fi but love 2001 and Vurt. I like Beat stuff, I like Irvine Welsh, Anthony Burgess, William Blake, Mervyn Peake, Sue Townsend, Douglas Adams, George Orwell, Richard Bach, Douglas Coupland… The list goes on, of course. I like specific writers and specific books more than any genre.

7 - How do you get inspired?
By living!

Smoking a fatty boom blatty doesn’t hurt either.

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CHECK OUT HIS BOOKS!
Rhyme and Rebellion Awards: 50 best indie books of 2016, readfree.ly

Where to find Harry's work:

Read Two Beat Newbie for free

Read Mr. Wolf’s The Top Secret Cheese for free

Harry’s books on Amazon.com

Harry’s books on Amazon.co.uk

Website: www.harrywhitewolf.com

Mr. Wolf’s website: booksforchildren.wixsite.com/mrwolf

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And a small news to I wanted to share: I have started a new photo-portfolio in form of a blog. I had one before under the name "YggdrasilFoto.no" and now I reshaped it into Sousa & Neshaug Photography and invite you to take a look :) There's a lot of cool pictures coming!

https://sousaneshaug.com/

I came across Andy Carrington’s work here at GoodReads. I had interviewed Harry Whitewolf and he liked and shared the post. After that we became acquaintances. Andy’s bio and his books got me all curious. I have always been a non-conformist, so the ideas behind his book titles and covers were something I assimilated with. I think we live in a world where the systems have failed and Andy, like Mr. Wolf and R. Dreyfus are some of the few who are representing this indignation through works of written art.

I haven’t yet read Andy’s books - yet, but have added them to my to-read list. However, some good friends of mine at GR, have read and left excellent reviews of his material. Without further ado, you can read here an interview we did these past days.

1- When did you start identifying yourself with the punk lifestyle and ideas?
Quite late. I grew up on Public Enemy / Wu-Tang and pretty much lived off Hip-Hop’s Golden Era (late ‘80s-early ‘90s) through all of my teens. I didn’t really start listening to The Clash / Upstarts till the early ‘00s. There wasn't really any music scene around our end and we relied mostly on mixtapes / CDs and word-of-mouth. It wasn’t till after moving to Bradford I started knocking about down the 1 in 12 Club, getting out to gigs and becoming more involved in the movement. The writing pretty much coincided with that.

I just love Punk’s angst. It’s urgency. It can be whatever the fuck it wants and it doesn’t care whether you like it or not. Some of my closest mates help out voluntarily, work the bars, play in bands, run local charity events; and it’s this self-sufficiency and collectiveness that I respect most / identify with.

2- When did you start writing your books?
2008 / 2009.

3- We can see you use the written art as form of protest. How easy/difficult is it to bring your message to the people compared to other forms of art, such as visual, music or performance?
Not easy.
If I could sing or dance, I wouldn’t be doing this.

4- Do you do/have done live reading? How was/is the experience for you? What can people expect from you on such events?
First reading was on a Halifax radio Punk show; then @ the 1 in 12 in Bradford for an anti-fascist all-dayer. I’ve done a few. The one in Dublin warming up for Hooligan / Upstarts was probably the best.
Sometimes they cheer, sometimes they heckle, sometimes they sit in stone silence. It all depends.

What can people expect? Aggressive outbursts, mumbling fuck-ups and nothing going to plan.

5- How’s your writing process? Do you have any rituals?
I find smoking weed and listening to Public Enemy alleviates stress. Then the writing just happens when it happens…

6- What keeps you inspired?
See above.

7- What are your biggest challenges as a niche indie author?
Being heard. Also jumping from shitty job to shitty job, just trying to eat / pay the rent and get by on a week-to-week basis is a challenge in itself.

8- Do you have any favourite books or authors?
Harrison / Bukowski / Orwell / Larkin / the Fantes / Ian McMillan / M.J. Black / Larkin / Whitewolf / Dreyfus / Andy T / Laura Taylor.

I take more from music than I do reading, to be honest.

9- Which is your best book, according to yourself and why?
Apathy Will Kill Us All, probably. I dunno.

10- What can new readers expect from your books, in general?
Bad language / scepticism / direct insults / lefty bias.

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SPOTLIGHT
Here you see a couple of Andy's books - and their cool covers!
Click on them to visit the book's page here at GoodReads.






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Where to find Andy’s work:

Website: www.andycarrington.co.uk
Amazon UK | GoodReads

I first came across Rupert's work through Harry Whitewolf, Janie C and Jason, great GR friends, who were reading The Rebel's Sketchbook. Well, I am an artist and I am a rebel by nature. I loved that title and the cover, so 'explosive'! I thought it was some kind of punk-ish real sketchbook, but it turned out it was a collection of short stories, rather than an art book, and guess what? It was one of the coolest books I have ever read! For some, the stories are 'dark humour', for me, an 'acurate picture of reality.'

Indulge in this interview I did with Rupert Dreyfus:

1) When did you start writing and which are your main influences?
I’ve written on and off since I was a kid. It was mostly self-indulgent, artless drivel. Then when I turned thirty, something clicked and I realised that writing literary fiction isn’t for everyone so no need to try imitating it anymore. After a little experimenting I discovered a style and a subject matter that seemed to compliment each other. The rest is a blur.

As for influences: it’s hard to say who or what my main influences are. We always think of influences as having to be other writers but we all know this isn’t strictly speaking the case. For example music is a massive influence on my writing; specifically the old punk bands and their approach to using the arts as a nailbomb against the established order.

When it comes to literary influences, over the years I’ve enjoyed the works of Orwell, Poe, Kafka, Dashiell Hammett, Irvine Welsh, William Burroughs, Cornell Woolrich, Edward Carey, Oscar Wilde and Patrick McGrath to name a few. I have also discovered some incredibly raw poetry in recent years; poets such as Raegan Butcher, Harry Whitewolf and Andy Carrington. Can’t get enough of it.

2) Do you live off writing or do you balance it with another job? How easy/difficult is it to make it as an author?
I don’t make anywhere near enough money to survive off writing stories so a day job subsidises my savage addiction to ink and paper. Needless to say I’m not in it for the money anyway. I mean it’d be lovely to wake up to having enough money to switch the world off and make a lifestyle out of writing stories, but I can’t see that happening any time soon. Leeching off creativity is reserved for the privileged among us.

As for how easy/ difficult it is to make it as an author: it depends what we mean by ‘make it’. I think it’s a fallacy to link ‘making it’ to financial success because profit isn’t a useful yardstick for the true value of art. I think getting just one stranger to read your book is making it; even if they think it’s eternally wank. Better still each time we bypass the gatekeepers and take back control of the arts we’ve made it.

3) How do you connect with readers? How has been the response towards your work, which is quite polemical?
I mostly connect with readers through social media and by email. Pretty much every day I send DMs and emails to friends and readers. I love to connect with anyone who has taken time out to read my books and support me. The old days of pretentious authors living in their ivory towers are numbered. It’s all about community and caring for your readers as much as they care for you.

To answer your second question: the response to my work has been largely positive which, given the subject matter, is surprising really. Back in 2014 I set off expecting most people to have a negative gut reaction to what I write because counterculture in the Digital Age is deader than Hugh Hefner’s libido. The only difficulty I’ve had so far is getting my stories firmly on to the cannon. But it’s a work in progress…

4) Which of your books/projects is your favourite and why?
Without a shadow of a doubting Thomas my latest novella Prezident Scumbag! has been my favourite project. It was certainly the most fun to write and allowed me to vent about some pretty serious stuff. I was in an awful place in my personal life, too, and it turned out to be perfect for finding the narrator’s inner-voice.

The subject matter is also close to my heart. If I could write only one story in my entire career then it would be centred around calling out the racists and the fascists in society, and doing everything I possibly can to extinguish their nasty, disgusting views.

5) What is your biggest dream as an indie author?
I deep down hope to make enough money out of writing to purchase an island and turn it into a self-sufficient anarchist community. There’d be some spare rooms for visitors to seek refuge; particularly vulnerable people from around the world. Like an open house for free spirits. And everyone’s welcome. Except for Trumpets. They can fuck right off.

The characters of your stories, are they inspired on people you know? Or people you observe through the media?
Some characters and their personalities are drawn from people I know in the real world; others are satirical swipes at political and cultural figures of the day. I always try to choose my targets wisely and make sure I’m not slapping about harmless people.

If you could recommend 3 books to the readers, which would they be?
Brilliant question! The first three books that came to mind are Profit Over People by Noam Chomsky, New Beat Newbie by Whitewolf and Coming Up for Air by Orwell.

Thanks for the interview, Isis, and peace be with you.

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Connect with Rupert:
Website: http://www.rupertdreyfus.co.uk/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Rupert_Dreyfus
The Rebel's Sketchbook on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/151474895...
Prezident Scumbag! on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...
Spark on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spark-Rupert...

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SPOTLIGHT
Rupert's Books:
Click on the covers to check their GoodReads official pages.

The Rebel's Sketchbook

Prezident Scumbag! A Sick Bastard Novella

Spark




If you like unsettling criticism, dark humour, and polemic observations about the condition of mankind and politics, don't waist another bloody second. Go there and check out his books!