Interrogating Willie Wit

Here is a tiny interview

How do you strike the balance between writing something you want to write and writing something that people want to read, in terms of the compromises you make, if any?

Writing for me was a very cathartic experience, erupted from nowhere last year following the death of someone I had known for over 30 years. Looking back now 'Twenty Tiny Tales' is a road map of my grieving over the following year, before I felt it was finally done with me. A daily battle with my own dark raged and a determination for something positive to come from this event grew in me, to create a tribute of sorts. Most importantly something with humour and cleverness throughout, to balance the grim reality it had sprung from.

I began it with a very 'punk' attitude, the most important thing for me was to just tell the story, to hear the laugh at the end of it. I had little concern for exact punctuation or spelling, computers were a mystery, as was creating documents, I just had something to say and therefore I was going to say it...

I was lucky to have a forgiving and encouraging audience on the Amazon forum, without this fine band of people my pain would have lasted a lot longer. The original version has had content added twice as the time passed, it took a long time to purge it completely. The final darkness near overwhelms towards its end but it came from the heart, and therefore it is what it is.

What excites, attracts or appeals to you about the genre(s) you write in.

My initial inspiration came from being exposed to flash fiction on 'Smashwords' it made me realise that I could possibly do this, the complications and machinations of the publishing world had been removed - throwing open the doors for all. The main surprise of these stories was their variety of size, it set my head on fire. I love the intensity of the small space being used, it is much more difficult that people realise, it needs precision. Prior to that books/stories usually meant really big, even what was regarded as 'short' could be of a fair size - but now anything was possible. I was lucky to find 'Moxie Mezcal Manifesto' which mirrored the punk spirit, showing that it could be done – but now it was writings turn.

Do you have a box, drawer, folder etc where you keep thoughts and ideas for future stories? Such as names you have come across, bits of dialogue, ideas, characters - even if you have no idea when you might use them?

My writing just happens to me – literally.

I make no plans, no notes – nada. It is a pure experience - Zen like.

I woke the other morning and wrote 9 pieces for my next book in an hour then fell back asleep, when roused proper I had little memory of what I had written – but there it was near done and dusted. At the end of every story I am convinced it will never happen again, because I have no idea how it just did. It's peculiar, and I will never get used to it, it's literally like a light switch being turned on and off.

How do you manage plot bunnies (ideas that invade your mind that aren’t usually helpful to the story you’re writing but breed like...er...bunnies)?

I don't really have enough room in my stories for bunnies - I did fit an ant into one this morning tho'...

Do you become so wrapped up in your writing that your spouse wonders if they're married to you or one of your characters?

I was completely lost to the world when I started writing 'Twenty Tiny Tales', and again when I created 'A Brave New Hope' over the course of a week, a year later. I doubt I will write any larger pieces, I seem to be quite naturally creating smaller and yet smaller...

What type of book do you like reading? Is it the same genre as you write?

My reading is on 'Random', I started a list of 'books read' last September and have just hit 100, most memorable was IQ84 and Irnaldur Indridason, as well as completing the Rebus/Rankin series. I find books like 'The Tipping Point' fascinating, the workings of  culture and society provides useful ideas for the kindle world I find. I  love Bob Dylan interviews.

I am forever drawn to Smashwords though, I will download 30 shorts then nibble through them moreishly – like alphabet popcorn. They are my literary punk singles, it's just a shame my old knees won't let me pogo to them... hehe.

What lengths do you go to to convince us readers that your book has the X factor?

I don't do any hard sell, I think things peaked last year for the one and only time, authors need to just be themselves as individuals. It is a word of mouth situation nowadays, there are few avenues left due to the number of authors around, it very like when new music movements erupt and the world is suddenly filled with bands. I have found making an effort to review books is a good route to go down, people seek out things and individuals that pique their interest, I know I do.

How do you feel when a reader points out the spelling mistake(s) you have made?

It was 9 months before I was made aware of spelling mistakes, by then I felt embarrassed, I had moved on from the period of intense emotional creative madness I had experienced. I then decided to make it as good as it could be, finding I had the time and brain space to look at it with a clearer head.

I thank anyone who makes the effort to make me aware of errors, I do it often myself. It is important to me now as I suffered greatly from poor 70s schooling, bad habits were engrained then. People should be encouraged to write, and express themselves - not criticised for the mistakes they may make.

What do you like most about visiting KUF/forums?

I like the civilised and approachable nature of KUF, but am always lured to the speed and dynamic energy of Amazon, the fora are forever changing, it has been a source of perpetual fascination for me over the last 2 years.

What is on your near horizon?

My 'editor' littlesheepy is in the process of completing my next offering 'Teeny Tiny Tales' for release any day now on Smashwords, a collection of 78 word 'nano epics' . I have only been writing them for 3 weeks and have done about 45 now, it looks like this is what I am going to be doing for a bit...

They are great fun, and surprisingly interesting to write, each being a small alphabet puzzle to be solved. They are perfect for the modern world and its shortening attention span... 

:o)

Where can we find you for more information?

http://williewitssmallstories.blogspot.co.uk/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Willie-Wit/160648857345307

- or sitting in the cafe just up from the library.

'A Brave new Hope' is free on fri/sat/sun 28/29/30 Sept

Many thanks Joo for this, it is appreciated.

Alex by Adam J Nicolai

Ian's 5 year old son, Alex, was kidnapped, raped and murdered with the kidnapper being also killed.  Now Alex is "haunting" Ian every night.

I found this a compelling tale of a man descending into madness with lack of sleep as every night he is kept awake by Alex screaming.  With the book split into short chapters you want to find out a bit more, a bit more, just another bit more.  Is Ian mad?  Is Alex really there?  What is Alex trying to tell Ian?  The tenseness ramps up and up.

This is quite a claustrophobic story.  If it was a film it could be made with a rather small budget.  But I liked that.  I really felt for Ian, the book made me want to help him somehow.

Another book I thoroughly recommend.

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006FA7Z8E/?tag=kuffbl-21

Jack MacFadden and the Faerie Realm by D.M. Andrews

Jack MacFadden has just turned thirteen and his imaginary friend, Puck, tells him his true path in life.

This is a lovely magical story about a boy who discovers the faerie world and the faeries that are no against him.  It's a light story, but doesn't talk down to the audience.  

As an (allegedly) grown woman, I like reading these stories.  They take me out of the real world and remind me I used to be thirteen years old, a long, long time ago lol.  I'd be interested in a further story to see how Jack's story furthers.

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008EYT4IS/?tag=kuffbl-21

Interrogating John A.A. Logan

Interrogating John A A Logan, a man with a big back-list just waiting to get out.

How do you strike the balance between writing something you want to write and writing something that people want to read, in terms of the compromises you make, if any?

I try to only work on stories that genuinely excite and surprise me, as I move along through them discovering what comes next. As long as I have that element of delight and discovery in the story, I feel there’s a fairly good chance of carrying readers along as well. When I edit, if something feels wrong, or is inconsistent, I remove it, all in the effort to improve the story. Trying to get deeper into the heart of the story as a book goes on, and removing any impediment to that. I spent several years writing material that I would call “private writing” or “practise writing”, which no-one is EVER intended to read, before I moved into a phase in the seventh year of writing where most of what I produced was publishable in the form of short stories which I sold. So I always had a clear distinction between writing that was only for myself, and writing that was for other people. Bit like the difference between a diary and fiction. Fiction seems to be a more high-octane kind of writing, it takes off as though jet-propelled. I’m in the 23^rd year of this writing process now, and I still separate the “private/practise/diary” writing from the fiction. I know I’ve hit the fiction/story/novel area of writing, which is for public consumption, when a piece of work seems to take off, accelerate and assume a life and driving energy of its own. There’s a unique excitement that comes with that work as well, which tells you this is something other people might want to read too. That doesn’t mean it won’t need a lot of editing and controlling, though!

What excites, attracts or appeals to you about the genre(s) you write in.

So far I’ve written fantasy, thriller, supernatural, science fiction, psychological, noir, war, social realism, literary fiction, allegory, speculative, spiritual, magic realism, espionage…lots of love/romance/relationship elements in the mix sometimes too (some of that was published in paperback anthologies, some in ebooks, and some of it is in my “backlist”, not quite out there as epub yet, but on the way!). I think this got started when I loved short story writers and novelists from all those genres, and also film-makers like Stanley Kubrick whose voice and style remained recognisable whatever the genre or subject matter he was working in. So each of those genres excites me, but also the freedom to move among them is important too. It’s always the process of the story that excites me I think, following it through to its own proper conclusion whatever the subject matter. I enjoyed very much doing a thriller like The Survival of Thomas Ford, but equally I enjoyed adding layers of psychological complexity to the characters as the story evolved, and then letting nature, or even the magical/mystical spirit of nature, encroach more and more on the story and on the characters as the book reached its conclusion. Comedy too, finding the vein of humour in even the darkest moments, and vice versa. In my new book, Storm Damage, there are ten stories of varied genre: science fiction, a suspected witch in an English village just after World War One, a bombing raid over World War Two Dresden that turns into a ghost story set in modern India…another story about a pig meeting a wolf on a hillside and having his life changed…so it may be that what excites me is splicing together the DNA of these different genres like a mad scientist! Perhaps somebody should stop me before it’s too late!

Do you have a box, drawer, folder etc where you keep thoughts and ideas for future stories? Such as names you have come across, bits of dialogue, ideas, characters - even if you have no idea when you might use them?

No, so far I keep it all in my head. I know that is a bit odd! Many of my favourite writers did keep notes and plans on index cards etc…or work on novels in sections. I was at a talk about 14 years ago by the novelist, Bernard Mac Laverty, who wrote Cal and Lamb. He said he had tried to keep a notebook for story ideas but then he would be in the flow of writing a story and that he felt it was wrong to “lasso” those notes into the story, it just felt wrong to him. I know for many writers it works well, but for me it also isn’t the right thing. I just keep moving forward with a given story, and trust that it’s all there in the subconscious somewhere, dialogue, characters, ideas, ready to come out when I need them. I know Robert Louis Stevenson worked the same way (in fact, before sleeping at night I’ve read that he would knock his pillow three times and invoke “the brownies” to come to him in his sleep and give him the idea for his next story…then he’d wake in the morning, a new idea mysteriously come to him, and there would be the new book, ready to get on with). Graham Greene also wrote about using the subconscious this way. He’d read the work he’d done that morning, last thing at night (if he was sleeping in his own bed, he said!) and let his subconscious work on the material while he slept, then as soon as he woke in the morning he would write the next 500 words (exactly 500) of his story. And he would do that every day until the book was finished. Even Hemingway would go to write in the morning, dipping into what he called “the well”, being careful not to empty it, always leaving something there for the next day’s work. So, it seems for some writers it’s external folders and notes etc, for some others it’s the subconscious used as an internal “folder” to draw on, and I’m in the second group. I also don’t write in sections, or “parts”, as I know some people do. I pretty much start at the first word, and write straight through to the last. Graham Greene had some phrase for that process I think, something like “the last words of a novel are written in the subconscious mind before the first words are ever put to paper”. But I know that way of writing doesn’t work for everyone. One of my favourite writers, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance’s author, Robert Pirsig, would keep his ideas building up on index cards for several years before beginning a new book!

How do you manage plot bunnies (ideas that invade your mind that aren’t usually helpful to the story you’re writing but breed like...er...bunnies)?

Ha ha! Plot bunnies, yes, dangerous wee creatures indeed! I do have a technique for them, having had a couple of books sabotaged by them over the years. I stop after the first 50 pages/10,000 words of a new manuscript, and I go looking for them. Usually they aren’t hard to spot (the long ears and fluffy tail hehheh). I take them out then. Every 10,000 words moving through the book I check for them again, just to make sure they don’t succeed in turning one of my books into Watership Down 2. With The Survival of Thomas Ford, it was very lucky I did a 10,000 word anti-bunny check, because there was a sub-plot about corrupt Free Mason Police Officers transferred from London Met to the Scottish Highlands, which I was really enjoying doing, but under scrutiny I spotted that I would never have been able to control/do justice to that unnecessary sub-plot in the full run of a long book, not safely and surely anyway, so instinct told me to cut that one from the book.

How much of you is in your characters? Which of your characters is the you that you’d most like to be? Or be with ?

That’s really difficult. It reminds me of the story Kirk Douglas told. He wrote his autobiography about his own life and his son, Michael, didn’t seem to think much of it. Later, Kirk wrote a novel, and his son said about one of the characters in it, “That’s you! The autobiography isn’t you! That’s you!” So the mind is always playing these tricks, hiding from us who we “really” are etc…other people can recognise us better. Then again, if I’m writing from the subconscious, perhaps some of me is in every character, as well as some of every person I’ve ever met. There are some stories though where it is definitely “me” in a story. I tend to not let on which ones those are though! I wouldn’t mind being The Airman from Storm Damage…he gets to fly around in the sky at high speed, his moustache buffeted by the wind, and at the end of the story he gets a pretty good shot at “going home” with his old friends, though “home” isn’t very clearly defined. The characters I’d most like to be with, at least for the night, are the talking wolves at the top of the hill in The Orange Pig, from my book, Storm Damage!

Do you become so wrapped up in your writing that your spouse wonders if they're married to you or one of your characters?

I’m unmarried, but there are certainly one or two people who’ve let me know I spend far too much time on the computer, or engrossed in the latest book/characters  etc!

What type of book do you like reading? Is it the same genre as you write?

My earliest favourite books were by John Steinbeck (I loved The Pearl, Of Mice and men), Stephen King, Peter Straub (The Stand, The Talisman, Ghost Story), Kurt Vonnegut (Cat’s Cradle), Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. My all-time favourite books are: Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita; John Kennedy Toole’s A Confederacy of Dunces; Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s The Leopard; Dostoyevsky’s The Idiot, Notes from Underground, Crime and Punishment. A Green Tree in Gedde by Alan Sharp. Cain’s Book by Alexander Trocchi. Most of Milan Kundera’s novels. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig; Hunger by Knut Hamsun. I found The Master and Margarita on a bookshop shelf by accident, noticed the cover, read the back (Satan comes to 1930s Moscow with a talking black cat and a naked witch, turns the city upside down) and had to have that book! Knut Hamsun’s Hunger I might never have heard of except a friend found it at the local library and told me he thought I’d really like it. So my reading is a hodge-podge of lots of writers I’ve come across by accident or rumour over the years…and they’re all very different kinds of writers from various genres…films have also been a huge influence on me, from Kubrick mentioned earlier, to Celine and Julie Go Boating (French 1970s film with magic and humour); The Green Ray (French again! Young woman seeking love); Bergman’s films; Equus; The Pawnbroker; Far From the Madding Crowd; Midnight Cowboy; Deliverance; One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest; The Unbearable Lightness of Being; Local Hero; The Offence; The Man Who Would be King…………and now there are the indie books I read like Cally Phllips’ The Threads of Time…..Reb MacRath’s Nobility……Roz Morris’ work, Linda Gillard’s……right now I’m reading the great Stu Ayris’ Bighugs, Love and Beer, looking forward to finding out what a “nadger” is! …….In general, I love thrillers, comedies, supernatural, fantasy, psychological…….so all those genres seem to pop out when I write…and sometimes hybrid versions combining elements from all the influences!

What lengths do you go to to convince us readers that your book has the X factor?

Hmm…one of the characters in my new book Storm Damage, talks about the Z Factor! I’ve only been epublishing for 9 months now. And I only have two ebooks out. I’m conscious that I need to tell readers my books exist, and what they are about, but that I mustn’t go on about it too much, particularly as I’m just starting with the ePublishing. I think maybe it’s important to let a reader decide for themselves if they feel that, for them, a book has the X factor. And maybe the writer should stay out of it, and not imply in any way that they believe their own book has the X factor! I did come into this though, nine months ago, with quite a lot of belief in my novel, The Survival of Thomas Ford. But that didn’t come from me thinking the book was hot stuff. No, after 21 years work, I’d had a London literary agent sign a contract with me for the book, telling me it was one of the best he had ever read. Then he gave it to the film consultant who had discovered Slumdog Millionaire and she told my agent that The Survival of Thomas Ford was the best book she had read in the last 4 years. That film consultant phoned me for a total of 11 hours in 2011, discussing all the things she wanted to do with The Survival of Thomas Ford. Then several publishers were found in London who said they loved the book, but when it came right down to it they did not buy the book. My agent and the film consultant blamed this on the recession etc. It was clear to me though that they still believed totally in the book. So, with my agent’s blessing I took the book to epublishing and then to kuforum.co.uk in January, and the Goodreads UK Amazon Kindle Forum. I think I came in pretty strong, making a lot of noise about how good the book was, but this confidence really came from how good the literary agent and film consultant had been telling me for over a year the book was. Anyway, thanks to kuforum and the Goodreads UK kindle forum, The Survival of Thomas Ford succeeded in the epublishing sphere (winning a Special Award recently in the Best of the Independent eBooks Awards) so I am very happy about how it has all gone and have high hopes also for my new book, Storm Damage. Storm Damage is a 200-page book containing ten stories, and I have a confidence boost for that book too, as one of the stories from it was previously published by Picador in New Writing 13, a paperback anthology edited by Ali Smith and Toby Litt that was distributed/sold in most countries of the world, from Japan to South America to India, to USA and UK. My story shared space in the book with stories by Muriel Spark, David Mitchell, Fay Weldon etc. So I suppose what I do to convince readers, is tell them stuff like that when I can! But then they have to make their own mind up, and that’s the most fun, finding out what readers really think. The Survival of Thomas Ford has 43 reviews on Amazon UK now, 36 of them are five-stars. So, thank-you readers!

How do you feel when a reader points out the spelling mistake(s) you have made?

I thank them and then go and fix the mistake!

What do you like most about visiting KUF/forums?

I think it’s brilliant that there is such a place for authors and readers to go and interact! I remember in February there was a thread on KUF that went on for 3 or 4 days, intensely debating the relative merits of genres, it just grew and grew, and I still remember it now which says something! I was really excited turning up there the other day with my new book, Storm Damage. (Then Joo helped me out by setting me up with clickable covers in my signature, which look brilliant, thanks Joo!) All through this year, whenever I had some news, if I went to kuforum with it I was encouraged or congratulated by readers and by other writers. If I had a problem or wasn’t sure about something, I’ve found advice there too, from people who really know. One thing I’ve never been clear about, was kuforum.co.uk set up by just one guy, Lou? I’ve never talked to Lou on there, but if that is the case, that is quite an achievement, considering Goodreads UK Amazon Kindle Forum and kuforum.co.uk are THE main UK places we e-readers and e-authors can meet. So, congratulations and thank-you to Lou! (And Susanne, and Chitma, and Kaska, and to all the others there’s not room to list here!)

What is on your near horizon?

Ah…well, now that I’ve published Storm Damage, I have to get a special synopsis of The Survival of Thomas Ford done which my literary agent wants to take to film producers. Then I have to finish my sixth novel, which again will go to my literary agent who will send it out to the London publishers. At the same time, I have four more novels ready to go independently through the epublishing route, but in each case I’ll want to tinker with them a little bit more before publishing (perfectionist streak, not very healthy!) And on the very near horizon there’s an Alliance of Independent Authors meeting in Inverness, Scotland, on 28^th September which I will be attending, that’s another helpful organisation for us “indies”!

Where can we find you for more information?

www.johnaalogan.com

Thanks Joo, I enjoyed my interrogation there!

What Happened To Polly by Jennifer Hanning

One day 10 year old Carmel loses her 3 year old sister Polly at a fair.  This is the story of how Carmel copes with the guilt.  But this story is so much more.  It is a heart-tugger, but not over the top.  

I did find bits painful to read as it must be so, so hard not knowing what happened.  For all the sadness in it, it is not a horrid story.  It is very well written and I will say un-put-downable as I read most of it on one wet Sunday.

After reading the first few chapters, I so wanted to go straight to the end to see if it was a happy ending as I didn't know if I could bear it if it wasn't.  I resisted and was so glad I did.

This is definitely a book I would recommend to everyone.  I loved it.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006OU2NNM/?tag=kuffbl-21

Blackened Cottage by A.E. Richards

I started reading this book without really knowing much about it.  Other reviewers I trust had recommended it, so I thought I'd have a read.  Sometimes it really helps not knowing what's going on.  For this story, it enhanced reading it for me.

It's the story of a young girl running away.  She has various chasers and helpers and you do have to suspend your disbelief as to all the times she gets into trouble.

I enjoyed the different POVs.  I thought it made the reading fresh.  It took a bit of time for me to realise what era the book was set in, but that was just me :)

If you like something a little different, then this is a good one.  I rather enjoyed it.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008XM3TUK/?tag=kuffbl-21

Interrogating Jonathan Hill

Heeeeere's Jonny

How do you strike the balance between writing something you want to write and writing something that people want to read, in terms of the compromises you make, if any?

I think authors must write about what they want. I have tried writing something that doesn't interest me and it doesn't work. The reader will pick up on your lack of enthusiasm. If you write about something with interest and passion then it should naturally follow that the reader will want to read it.

What excites, attracts or appeals to you about the genre(s) you write in.

At the moment, I am writing all sorts of genres. My book 'ECLECTIC: Ten Very Different Tales' contains humour, horror, drama, sadness, hope...the full range of emotions. I love to challenge myself and to be able to write a funny story and then suddenly switch to darker material is something that excites me. I am happy that readers have picked up on this and have found my book varied and enjoyable. That was my aim when writing the book - to cover a range of genres and write a book where everyone can take something from it.

How do you manage plot bunnies (ideas that invade your mind that aren’t usually helpful to the story you’re writing but breed like...er...bunnies)?

I send the plot farmer out armed with his shotgun!

Seriously, though, I usually write them to get them out of my system and then delete them when editing.

How much of you is in your characters? Which of your characters is the you that you’d most like to be? Or be with ? 

My characters have bits of me in but not to too great an extent. I draw inspiration from people around me and from people I have known in the past. Sometimes, characters just pop into my head and I develop them without consciously thinking.

What type of book do you like reading? Is it the same genre as you write?

Well, my book is an eclectic mix of genres and that reflects my reading. I read all sorts, from comedy to drama, tragedy to horror. I tend to enjoy darker 'depressing' books more, simply because I want to be moved when reading a book. Comedy books and light-hearted books are great entertainment but don't satisfy me as much as emotional books.

What lengths do you go to to convince us readers that your book has the X factor?

Quite simply, I try to write short stories that are as rounded, engaging and surprising as possible. Some stories will move you and others have twists that will shock or surprise you.
To me, reviews and word of mouth are the most important factors in selling a book and there is nothing more rewarding than garnering honest positive reviews. It is such a shame that some authors feel the need to write their own reviews or negatively review others' work. It devalues honestly earnt reviews that independent authors, like me, are so proud of.

How do you feel when a reader points out the spelling mistake(s) you have made?

I'm fine with that. Although I'm a perfectionist and aim for perfect spelling and grammar before publishing so, if you find a mistake, you'll be very eagle-eyed indeed!

What do you like most about visiting KUF/forums?

The atmosphere is always pleasant. It is an informative place to visit. I would love to post more often there but usually only have time to catch up on the latest threads.

What is on your near horizon?

Well, I am writing more stories for the follow-up to my first book. The sequel will be along the same lines - a varied bunch of genres. 

The Royal Exchange theatre in Manchester (near where I live) runs a playwriting competition every couple of years and I fancy having a go at writing a play for that.

Where can we find you for more information?

My blog is http://jhillwriter.blogspot.co.uk and I post book reviews, author interviews, Kindle and book news, quizzes, competitions and more...
I am on twitter (@jhillwriter) and you can follow my mini eclectic tweet tales there - stories contained in a single tweet.
I also have a Facebook page (Jonathan Hill: Writer, Reader, Book Lover).
My blog is the main method I use to update my readers.

Blood Will Out by Linda Gruchy

Blood Will Out is another book in the Elversford series of police procedurals by Linda Gruchy.  This time it is centred around Suzy Rolfe, a member of the Sexual Offences Investigation Team based in Galchester, rather than DI Hedley (although he does poke his nose in)

The premise of this story is drug rape.  Most of the main characters are female which made it an interesting dynamic amongst them.  It was very much a whodunnit with different story strands teasing each other until it came together.

I think this was a better story than Death in Spigg's Wood, although there were similarities in that it takes the case all the way.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009DAG0ES/?tag=kuffbl-21

The Selfish Act by Rosen Trevithick

This is one of Rosen's heart-wrenchingly sad short stories.  Rosen (as shown in her book Seesaw) can write very funny and also full of pain.  This is one of the pain ones.

Mowenna has what seems a happy life but she is far, far too troubled.  One happy day, she can't take no more and we are with her as she tries to deal with it the only way she can.

I hope I never feel like this.  The story really makes you want to hold her and tell her everything will be alright.  You get an insight into the workings of the mind of someone on the edge and it's a very, very scary place.

Despite the pain and sadness, this is a story that needs to be read.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006KIXMYW/?tag=kuffbl-21

Alice Parker's Metamorphosis by Nicola Palmer

Alice Parker is a thirteen year old on the threshold of change.  But not quite into womanhood.

This is a story for younger children, but that didn't stop me from thoroughly enjoying it.  I suppose it's slightly different reading it as a grown woman and understanding the greater meaning of her change.  Or it might just be a kiddies book.  

This is very well written.  Alice's fear of the unknown, her best friend's unquestioning help and Alice's brother - a bit awkward around her.

A very nice story indeed.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006NOC7PI/?tag=kuffbl-21

Interrogating Darren Humphries

Darren Humphries the geek that's in a parallel universe.

How do you strike the balance between writing something you want to write and writing something that people want to read, in terms of the compromises you make, if any?

There is actually no balance to be struck here. I write the story that comes to me and hope that people like it. I’ve been very lucky so far to have found an audience of people who do seem to enjoy what I do. If you write for your audience you end up writing to a formula and that must be a lot less interesting and a lot less fun, although it might be more lucrative.

What excites, attracts or appeals to you about the genre(s) you write in.

I have always been attracted by science fiction and fantasy. These are the genres that allow all of the really big questions to be asked. We’re talking epochal questions such as what it is to be human, where the human race is going, how technology is changing us and so on. Of course, I don’t ask any of those questions. Whilst I write (mostly) science fiction and fantasy, what I most enjoy about it is telling the story and (hopefully) being funny. I’m not writing literature here, I’m providing a fun and entertaining escape from the real world for a while that hopefully leaves you a bit happier than when you started the book.

Do you have a box, drawer, folder etc where you keep thoughts and ideas for future stories? Such as names you have come across, bits of dialogue, ideas, characters - even if you have no idea when you might use them?

I don’t have a box or whatever actually. What I have is in my head.  Old and unused ideas sit in the back of my mind percolating and bubbling and eventually come out in ways that I didn’t expect, naturally fitting into what I am writing. Ten percent of AN ORC NOT LIKE OTHERS is actually from another fantasy story that I was going to write that never went anywhere. As this book took shape, that other story slotted right into place.

How do you manage plot bunnies (ideas that invade your mind that aren’t usually helpful to the story you’re writing but breed like...er...bunnies)?

I’m not sure that I get plot bunnies. I have ideas for stories in my head all the time, but they consigned to the cauldron that’s always bubbling there and eventually emerge fully formed or are subsumed into other stories, or just die.  I usually have several stories on the go at any one time, so ideas usually find a place in one of them or disappear quickly. An idea that remains strong and is demanding to be written might get shoved further up the priority list. For example, the sequels to both TO INFINITY and AN ORC NOT LIKES OTHERS have languished half-written whilst other, more urgent ideas have taken their place, including books 2,3 and 4 of THE MAN FROM U.N.D.E.A.D. series.

How much of you is in your characters? Which of your characters is the you that you’d most like to be? Or be with ?

Any character that you write has to have some of you in them, even if it only your imagination. Obviously GOODNIGHT DEAR:THE UNSENTIMENTAL DIARY OF A BEREAVED HUSBAND is all me since it’s a diary that has my unedited thoughts in it throughout a difficult time for me, but the fictional characters all reflect my ideas and values. For example, I always try to write strong female characters because my life has been full of those. My evil characters have a tendency to be smooth and suave rather ugly and smelly. My heroes tend to be flawed, always trying to do the right thing, but not always sure of themselves or completely selfless. Mainly I aim for them to be entertaining and fun to be around, even the bad guys. Witty dialogue is a must.

The character I’d most like to be has to be Agent Ward, the Man From U.N.D.E.A.D. who just has such an interesting life and such a touch with the ladies. He’s probably the (extremely) idealised version of me. The character I’d most like to be with is Ellie, the Bodyguardian Angel from THE GREAT ROCK N ROLL DOOMSDAY TOUR because I had so much fun writing her that I didn’t want the book to ever end. Sadly it did, and no ideas for a sequel have ever come close.

Do you become so wrapped up in your writing that your family wonders if they're related to you or one of your characters?

Being a one-parent family, I can only write when my children are in bed, so I don’t think they ever get the full force of my detachment when I’m writing. As for the rest of my family, most of them aren’t interested in the books that I write and they don’t own kindles (everyone gasp in horror!) so they never get to read them. Even if I bought them all one for Christmas they wouldn’t use it to read my books.

What type of book do you like reading? Is it the same genre as you write?

I write the kind of books that I would enjoy reading. I don’t see how anyone could honestly do otherwise. I am a huge fan of Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett and Tom Holt, all of whom are in the same area. The time that I saw THE MAN FROM U.N.D.E.A.D.:THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE KIDNAPPED CHEMIST in the Amazon chart sandwiched between the Pratchett/Gaiman masterpiece GOOD OMENS and that work of genius from Douglas Adams THE HITCHIKERS’ GUIDE TO THE GALAXY was such a huge thrill for me. That my work could share screen space with theirs for any reason was just mad.

I also like other books though. Tom Clancy’s technothrillers are fun to read and Stephen King remains essential reading for me even though his output of late has been patchy. I also try to get in some of the indies that I see recommended on the forums to show my support, but I would rather spend my time writing that reading, so opportunities are limited. 

What lengths do you go to to convince us readers that your book has the X factor?

I actually don’t. I always hoped that if the books were good enough then people would find them and enjoy them and tell others. I never really thought that I could ever make a living out of this, so I don’t market extensively.

What I do try to do is have a good cover. The first few aren’t that special, but I’ve learned and hopefully the later ones are better at catching the eye and not looking amateurish or generic. I also work long and hard on the blurb. You don’t have many words to get the idea across, so I try to keep them short, pithy and fun. I hope that’s enough to get people through to the sample which will either convince them or not.

I also contribute to forums without trying to sell my books. I don’t shy away from the fact that I’m an author when the subject comes up, but I don’t push it either. If people engage with me they might like me and therefore might like my books.

How do you feel when a reader points out the spelling mistake(s) you have made?

I welcome it. In fact, I have a small group of readers who have become my editors, my Triumvirate Voluntary, and between us we manage to eliminate most of them, though I am sure that a few get through. I admit that the earlier editions of my earlier books had some typos and I’m not proud of that, but we’ve worked on that and they are so much better now.

What do you like most about visiting forums?

Simple answer – the people. These are people with a passion for books and reading and that can never be a bad thing. There is such a cross-section of people and on most of the forums they are all nice to each other and are free to share their thoughts and opinions without fear of ridicule or censure. Any success that I have had has come as a result of the support that people on the forums have shown to my books. They read them, liked them and said so , both in the forums and in reviews. Engaging with people who are actively wanting to read what you are writing is a real spur to getting it written and my productivity over the past year or so has been down to that. Any indie author who does not actively engage with forumites is really missing out.

What is on your near horizon?

The house across the street.

But seriously, ONE SMALL STEP FOR THE MAN FROM U.N.D.E.A.D. (also known as UNDEAD 4) will be coming out in October. I have a collection of short stories I aim to have out in time from Christmas entitled SHARING A FENCE WITH THE TWILIGHT ZONE and next year should see both UNDEAD 5 and an UNDEAD spin-off book come out. And then there’s still those TO INFINITY and AN ORC NOT LIKE OTHERS sequels to be finished.

Where can we find you for more information?

I have a blog (darrenhumphriesebooks.blogspot.com) that I blog on far too infrequently, I have the chattiest author thread on the Goodreads UK Amazon Kindle Forum (lots of chat, not so much news) and I run a science fiction TV series website (www.scififreaksite.com). One day I might have time to keep up with any one of them.

Love Rage by Linda Gruchy

Love Rage is a short story which packs a punch.  The story matter is not for the faint-hearted, although it's not as gruesome as a lot of other books.

I have read Ms Gruchy's full length crime novels and also her romantic novellas (as Linda M Priestly).  I find the writing in both genres to be very good and this short story is no exception.
I'm not sure if I love or hate the "wafting seaweed" description, though.

I found myself feeling for the characters, especially for Gil trying to escape his family, but always being dragged back.

This is not one of my favourite of Linda's books, but is certainly a competent read.

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0097W84IM/?tag=kuffbl-21

Interrogating Alan McDermott

Interrogating Alan McDermott, author of Gray Justice

How do you strike the balance between writing something you want to write and writing something that people want to read, in terms of the compromises you make, if any?

The simple answer is: there is no balance.  As an indie author I get to write what interests me without an editor or publisher telling me to re-write a character or remove certain scenes, and I think that enables me to get me story across the way it was intended.  I could fluff out my characters a little more, explaining how big their feet were and what they had for breakfast, but unless it adds to the story I don’t see the point.  When I’m reading a book I hate to go through four or five pages detailing someone’s past when only one line becomes relevant later on, so I give the reader the bare minimum information.  This also lets the reader visualise the characters in their own mind, which gives them more of a connection with the story as it is their version of Tom Gray and their version of Andrew Harvey that are locking horns. 

I wanted to leave it to the reader to decide if they like or dislike Tom Gray without me insisting that he’s the good guy and everything he does is right.  In fact, I intended him to be just another father, with flaws just like anyone else.  The idea of him being the perfect hero was never an option, because that has been done to death.  Tom could have come up with a Justice Bill that made perfect sense and would be a real improvement on the current judicial system, but I thought it better for him to have misguided conceptions guided by anger rather than any true political insight.

If I tried writing a different way I would soon get bored, and I know my readers would, too.  Tom Gray has built up quite a fan base, with a couple of thousand coming back to read the second book in the series, and to change my style now would be a disservice to those readers.

What excites, attracts or appeals to you about the genre(s) you write in.

I’ve always had a fascination with the SAS, and I wrote a story based on them over 20 years ago.  Sadly that was lost, but I was always going to create a character who was either a serving member or recently retired from the regiment.  If someone is going to go through tough situations, it is important that they have the background to enable them to cope, and I just couldn’t see an accountant going through Tom Gray’s experience.

Do you have a box, drawer, folder etc where you keep thoughts and ideas for future stories? Such as names you have come across, bits of dialogue, ideas, characters - even if you have no idea when you might use them? 

It’s a Word Document called Next Book, and I add to it now and again.  If none of the ideas fit in the current work, I think about how they could be used in future stories.  At the moment I have several ideas for book 4 but haven’t yet decided on the main theme.  My plot bunnies also go in here, otherwise they’d just bounce around my head all day long.

How much of you is in your characters? Which of your characters is the you that you’d most like to be? Or be with? 

I think the only resemblance between myself and Tom Gray is that he’s just an ordinary man, the kind of person you could bump into in the supermarket.  He isn’t arrogant, and he isn’t perfect, but the comparison ends there.  I don’t think there are any characters I would particularly like to be, but I would enjoy an evening in the pub with Tom and his mates.

Do you become so wrapped up in your writing that your spouse wonders if they're married to you or one of your characters?

With Tom having flaws and being capable of overlooking the simple things (like the air-freshener), I think my wife would say we were one and the same.  I haven’t changed since I began writing, but I certainly haven’t spent as much quality time with my wife as I used to.  It was only in the last week that I decided to cut out social media for a while to concentrate on family life and writing, otherwise I would still be spending four hours a day on Twitter and getting nothing done.  I still get up at just after four in the morning, but now I spend all of that time writing rather than on Twitter, and my evenings are clear to take the kids to the park and watch a movie with my wife.

What type of book do you like reading? Is it the same genre as you write?

I love reading thrillers, especially ones involving the military or security services.  Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six is one of my all time favourite books, and I’ve read the entire Jack Ryan series.  I need a book to be realistic, flow quickly and keep me hooked throughout; otherwise I get bored and give up.  This is something I try to apply to my books, too.

What lengths do you go to to convince us readers that your book has the X factor?

I’ve never been one to blow my own trumpet, but I do let people know I have one!  I will quote from reader reviews when trying to get the message out, because their opinion counts the most. 

How do you feel when a reader points out the spelling mistake(s) you have made?

I am so grateful when this happens.  As an author you get so close to the book that even glaring mistakes seem invisible, and it takes a reader to spot them.  When I first published Gray Justice I rushed to make it available to the public, and it hit the shelves with a couple of hundred errors.  Readers have pointed some of them out and eventually I had it proof read by a fellow author.  Even this didn’t catch everything, and I have had three glaring whoppers pointed out since.  The good thing is that where once my reviews mentioned the need for a proper edit, more and more people are complimenting me on the lack of errors.  I did get a negative one recently but that was from a copy that was purchased prior to the major edit.

I already have some author friends and some Tom Gray fans waiting to go over Gray Redemption with a critical eye, so I am hoping that between them they manage to eliminate the vast majority of the mistakes before the public get their hands on it.

What do you like most about visiting KUF/forums?

I’ve met some wonderful people and have found a few gems, but it also gives me an insight into the readers and their thoughts on everything from pricing to the perfect length for a book, as well as the dilemmas faced by other authors.

What is on your near horizon?

I am currently writing Gray Redemption, the final part of the Tom Gray trilogy, after which I shall take a short rest from writing while I develop the idea for my next book.  I would quite like to create a series based on Andrew Harvey, the MI5 agent from Gray Trilogy. 

Will I bring Tom Gray back in a future book?  I haven’t decided yet.  Even as I write a book, I have no idea how it’s going to end, so even I don’t know what’s going to happen to Tom.  It’s going to be exciting finding out, though!

Where can we find you for more information?

My blog is at http://jambalian.blogspot.com