Indie April: Guest Post by Karl Fields, author of Instant Preplay

Today's Indie April authors is Karl Fields, author of Instant Preplay (review here) and The Odd Job Squad (review here) and J. Meyers, author of Intangible (review here)


Karl has written you guys out a guest post on coming up with the book title, which is awesomely informative and very witty.
Enjoy.

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In Name Only

One of my favorite parts about writing is deciding on a name. It’s a very good thing then that I’m indie, because as a traditionally published writer, you may have some input regarding the title, but unless you’re a heavy hitter, the publisher gets the final say. Seriously, imagine on the first day of school, when the teacher is taking attendance. As she gets to your son’s name, she stops abruptly. “Christopher? Well, that simply won’t do. From now on, you’ll be…‘Oliver.’” Yeah, it’s kinda like that.

As a writer, I’m a total plotter, except when it comes to titles. For me, they tend to come from nowhere at the most random times. With my first book, The Odd Job Squad, I came up with the title very shortly after the idea for the story itself. The story changed massively during the revision process, but the title never did.

On the other hand, my current book’s working title was Time Shifting, which refers to recording a program on your DVR and watching it later (the story is about a boy who discovers his DVR records shows before they air). I didn’t love it, but since I was still in the first draft phase, I didn’t worry too much about it. Much later – I can’t remember the exact moment or what I was doing – the name Instant Preplay hit me. I thought it over, decided I liked it and that was that.

I’m a fan of titles that use word play or turns of phrases. For instance, I recently came across a book about a 12-year-old girl who, after being struck by lightning realizes she has the ability to talk to dead people. The title? Small Medium at Large. And I love Eats, Shoots & Leaves, a book on punctuation that’s a must if you do any sort of writing.

And as long as I’m addressing writers, here are a couple practical notes on titles:

* Copyrights. Generally speaking, you can’t copyright titles, however trademarks are another matter. You can’t trademark a “single creative work,” but you can trademark a series. So while you’re free to name your book “Twilight” (and several people in addition to Ms. Meyer have), calling your book “Harry Potter & The Great Witch Hunt” or “LOL Cats For Dummies” is going to get you sued. Fast.
* Google is your friend. While there are no legal hurdles preventing you from slapping “Twilight” on your book, for obvious, practical reasons, you might want to avoid doing so. Same with inadvertently using a name that was the title of an evil, terrorist dictator’s manifesto, which a simple search can help you prevent. While you’re at it, Google your characters’ names, too. Yours truly very nearly named one after an, ahem, adult film star. I’m just sayin’.

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Thanks Karl, I find it funny that you nearly named a character after an adult star, what was it, Kandy Kane or something!? I think that naming a book is one of the hardest things for me, my work in (very slow) progress has no title yet, I've been thinking about it for a year!

Indie April Interview: Jennifer Krey, Author of The Hollow of Mont Noir

Today's Indie April author is Jennifer Krey, author of The Hollow of Mont Noir. (review here) 

Jennifer has stopped by to answer a few questions about herself, her book and her experiences and has also given you guys a Smashwords coupon for 50% off the book. (Seriously, go get, it's fantastic!)

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Hi Jennifer, thanks for stopping by!
Thanks so much for having me!  I'm thrilled to be here!


Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I'm a stay-at-home mom with two little boys, ages 6 months and 2-1/2 years.  I've always enjoyed reading and writing, and I'm very excited to have published my first novel!  I also like cooking and baking, and I'm really into Paula Deen right now.  I know that a lot of her food is totally bad for you, so I try to limit myself to no more than one recipe a week.  I just made Elvis Pie (a peanut butter and banana pie) and it was outstanding!  I also love Elvis, so it was perfect for me!  My family loved it as well, and they're already asking to have it again.


Can you describe The Hollow of Mont Noir in three words?

Without-A-Trace meets Twilight.  (I made Without A Trace one word... is that cheating?)
(Yes.)

Why should people read your book?

I think (hope) my book is a fun, easy read.  It's part of a series (the Howl Series) that I see as being four books, and I'm already working on the second book, "Ochre Sky," so hopefully, my readers won't have to wait too long for the next book.


Who is your favorite character in The Hollow of Mont Noir?
Tough question.  If they were actual people, Riordan would probably be my favorite, but I really enjoyed writing for Samantha Bellamy.  She is kind of nasty, and that was fun.  Samantha is my husband's favorite character, too.  He wants me to write a spin-off just about her, but I have too many other ideas in the queue right now.
(Do it! Samantha is such a mean character so a spin of would be awesome!)

Were any of your characters based on real people? (If Riordan was, feel free to send him my way...)
No, none of the characters were based on real people, but someone recently asked me what famous person Riordan might look like.  He would look like River Phoenix (the post-Stand By Me River Phoenix with a bit longer and darker hair).  I adored River Phoenix - he was my first celebrity crush.  I won't say how old I was when he passed away, but I was old enough to be heartbroken.  I still remember where I was when I heard.


Seriously, Lycan or Strigoi? Why?
Well, in the Howl Series, the lycans (werewolves) are basically good and the strigoi (vampires) are basically bad... according to the lycans, anyway, which is the only viewpoint we get in "The Hollow of Mont Noir."  So, in this book, I'm definitely on the lycans' side, but.... things can always change.  That's all I'm going to say.
(Oooh, epic foreshadowing?)

What advice would you give to anybody planning to self-publish?
Enlist the help of your friends to review and proofread your book!  I put out a plea on Facebook, hoping for one or two reviewers, and I actually got a huge response.  I had classmates from high school and college, former colleagues, and friends all offer to read my book before I published it, and I can't thank them enough.  They caught typos I had overlooked even after reading the book fifteen times and offered suggestions to improve the story in many ways.


Thanks for being here today, any last words to see to the readers?
Thank you so much for your support!  I would like to offer all readers of Ink Scratchers a 50% discount on "The Hollow of Mont Noir" ebook through Smashwords.  Enter code BZ99E at the checkout to purchase the book for the promotional price of $0.99 through May 31, 2012.  Thanks again for having me here!
(Isn't she awesome?)

Indie April: Character Post by Michael Mullin, author of the Plight and Plot of Princess Penny

Today's Indie April authors are Susan Kaye Quinn, author of Open Minds (review here) and Michael Mullin, author of The Plight and Plot of Princess Penny (review here) and 8: the Previously Untold Story of Creepy the Dwarf (review here)

I am absolutely in stitches over this character post by Michael Mullin, which is by Creepy the 8th Dwarf (from Michael's first TaleSpins book, 8) about princess Penny (from The Plight and Plot of Princess Penny).

Enjoy!

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I’m not a big fan of blogs because most of them are pretty lame. That said, this one’s pretty cool, so I agreed to write here today. I’m not looking for any more fame or anything, but I am glad my story is finally out there . . . you know, told . . . or written. Whatever.

The author, that Mullin guy, was okay. He did his homework, including a kind of interview with me. (He doesn’t talk in rhymes, thank god. That would have been beyond annoying.) The important thing is he got the story right. And I guess I’ve been asked here today to tell you how that happened.

Guest Editor’s Note: It was at this point we informed Creepy that the blog’s day -- and his guest post -- were to be about The Plight and Plot of Princess Penny, Michael Mullin’s other book.
Of course. That figures. I guess it won’t be long until I’m forgotten again. Whatever. Probably for the best.

Yes, I read the Penny story and yes, I know her. (Don’t ask how; I just do.) The truth is she’s pretty cool. Plenty of people try to do the ‘‘I’m different’’ thing, and it’s just epically fake. Here’s a good rule of thumb: If someone’s ‘‘I’m different’’ vibe comes with any sort of ‘‘Look at me!’’ vibe, you can pretty much roll your eyes and go back to the game on your smartphone.

But Penny is the real deal. She went through a lot of weird stuff. I suppose she’s going to be more famous than I ever will be, and that’s cool. I’m not into that. Neither is she, actually, but she’ll probably deal with it better, being from a royal family and all.

Part of me wants her to turn into some pop-star ‘‘Lady PP’’ diva so I can just hate her and get it over with. But she won’t; I know that’s not her scene. Her parents rule a kingdom, and she’s never gotten full of herself, so I doubt any amount of book sales would change her.

I guess the main thing we have in common is that we come from this other realm, and people didn’t treat us very nicely. But you gotta be yourself no matter what. I don’t say that here to be preachy -- I’m just talking about what made our situations (mine and Penny’s) worth reading about. It sucks that so much of life seems to be the individual vs. the crowd. Not sure why that is, but I’ll bet anything in my basement room that it won’t be a crowd that changes things.

The truth is there’s a crowd for everyone. And by ‘‘crowd’’ I don’t mean fans at a baseball game. Your crowd can be any size, and let’s face it, the smaller it is, the more meaning it has. In other words, your best friends are the ones who qualified before ‘‘friend’’ became a verb. Know what I mean?

Thanks for taking the time.

~ Creepy (the 8th Dwarf)

The Ruins of Noe Blog Tour: Interview with Danika Dinsmore

Today I am happy to be hosting a spot on the Ruins of Noe blog tour. The Ruins of Noe is a middle grade to young adult fairy book which is so cute and adventurous! Check out my review later!

Right now I am extremely happy to be introducing Danika, who has answered a few questions for me.

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Hi Danika, thank you for being here today! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Thanks for having me, Jade.  
That's a really open-ended question. Let's see... I have an MFA from the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. I'm not kidding. I'd love to get my PhD some day, but in a foreign city. And it would have to be a non-stoggy sort of program. I want to teach kindergarten at a University level. I don't like rules. If someone tells me something can't be done, it makes me want to do it. My favourite word is pamplemousse (my favourite animal name-word is hedgehog). I can't imagine living in a house without a cat. I'm doing what I love to do and am grateful every day for it.
How's that?

Can you describe The Ruins of Noe in three words?
Ack! (wait, does that count?). Imaginative, suspenseful, heart-breaking

What was your inspiration for the series?

Several years ago I decided I wanted to write a coming-of-age story about two faerie sisters. I wanted kids to be able to relate to them and for the faeries (and the children) to go on a true adventure. I've always loved coming-of-age stories and quest stories, and especially love stories that have both: character arc and adventure.

I originally wrote it as a screenplay, and I wrote it while working with two girls (who had a Himmy/Briggy kind of relationship, even though they weren't sisters) on the set of a film called Desolation Sound. It was in an isolated area in the forest. Talk about giving me the inspiration to write the story. One of the girls gave me the idea for the giant caterpillar.

What is it that you do on set?

I've done everything from writing and producing to transportation and set dec in the indie film world. In the service film world, I'm a Studio Teacher, which means I'm in charge of the health, safety, morals, and education of children while they are on set.

Did you originally plan to write a book targeted at a younger audience ?

Like I mentioned above, it was originally a screenplay. And yes, I wanted something for a younger audience because my (former) agents kept asking me to write something more commercial. Seriously, this was meant to be a commercial family film so I could finally sell a screenplay. Little did I know I would fall in love with it and that it would take over my life.

Who is your favourite character in the White Forest books and why?

Well, Brigitta has to be my favourite because we're growing up together, so I feel extremely close to her. However, if you asked me to pick my favourite non-Briggy character right now it's Ondelle. There's a big part of me in her. I understand her best, but the reader never knows what's going on internally with her, because it's Briggy's story. I've had to convey her internal world with her action and dialogue. BUT, all that's about to change with Book Three (she says mysteriously).

What was the biggest difficulty in getting the book published?

This is not a career for the faint of heart, the easily ego-bruised, or the gotta-get-rich-fast crowd. I'd say getting published isn't the difficult part in the long run. I believe anyone, if they commit to it, can get published. It's selling the book afterward that is the hard part. It is 75% of my job right now. Why should someone who's never heard of me spend their money on my book rather than on a latte and a slice of pizza or on 500,000 other books about there? Books are an investment of time and energy (and pizza tastes good now). So, I try to connect with people in person as much as possible (students, parents, teachers, librarians, etc) in schools and at events. It takes a lot of effort. But I'd rather be doing this than anything else!

Who is your biggest inspiration?

Children. They never cease to amaze me. And they are wise. They are onto us. The world's gonna be okay. (I love that answer!)

What books being released this year are you dying to get your hands on?

The fourth book in Cinda Williams Chima's Seven Realms series. I thought it was a trilogy. I literally cried out when I got to the end of Book Three and realized I had to wait ALMOST A YEAR until the 4th one was released.

I want to check out China Mielville's new YA novel RAILSEA. It sounds great (although I was not a big fan of Un Lun Dun, his middle grade book, I do know that wasn't his best work)
I'm also curious about J.K. Rowling's adult novel THE CASUAL VACANCY. I'm not sure what to expect. It intrigues me.
John Green's THE FAULT IN OUR STARS just came out a few months ago. I've yet to read a book of his with a female protag, so I'm glad he's done it. Plus, it sound wicked funny in that John Green way.
Lastly - Libba Bray's THE DIVINERS! 

Thanks for being here, anything else you would like to say to my readers?

We couldn't be authors without you. :-)(Nawwwh!)

The Storyteller Blog Tour: On Translating The Storyteller

Today, I am happy to be hosting this stop on 'The Storyteller' blog tour.

The Storyteller is a beautifully written, gripping and gritty story which was orginally written in German and the guest post that I am hosting today is written by the translator of the book into English!

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‘We did it!!!’

This jubilant email from the Storyteller´s author, Antonia, reached me well over a year ago. The story that originally had been written in German would be published in America in January 2012! So now the complete book needed to be translated –which is where I come in.

I begin with reading the Storyteller:

The author takes me on a journey back into my past. We were school mates for nine years. Even when we were only teens, Antonia would ask her friends to help her with her latest story: Would we type out these pages of handwritten text for her? Imagine: Pages full of the tiniest handwriting you´ve ever seen, and the most fantastic stuff – someone I know wondered how anyone could write such stories without blatantly being on drugs. Turns out Antonia was/is a talented writer and lover of stories.

I read about the two antagonists of the story – and am promptly reminded of pupils that actually existed. When I get to meet the lighthouse keeper I recognize him instantly. Despite the slightly altered name and the description it was so obviously our former literature teacher! Never will I forget how he enthused about a couple he had watched kissing at the crowded bus stop (“They were oblivious to the world, as if they were on an island with no other person nearby – it was beautiful”). Or the disgusting and weird German poems he made us read (maggots in decomposing bodies .. ). Yeesh!

Further along the story I get worked up about how merciless the author treats her antagonists! How can she?! She created them, and then she lets them go through… HOLD UP, you don´t know the story yet. On the other hand I am fascinated by her beautiful, poetic language. Reading is like watching a film in your head anyway, but Antonia Michaelis paints these pictures like no other!

Then I start the actual translation. I`m a Brit (I´ll come back to that one later!), but grew up in Germany, and so the author had asked me to do translations or corrections quite a few times before. I enjoy the work – it´s a privilege to read the books before they´re out on the market. And I like working over the text until not only the words, but the feeling´s right too.

When a difficult word or sentence appears, I shove it to the back of my mind. The kids, 3 and 6 years old, are in bed and everything´s quiet and …

“MUM! I need more drink!” (The seventh in ten minutes.) “MUM! What happens when you die?” (This a favourite bed-time question.) The “front” of my mind is often so crammed with kids stuff I wouldn´t even hear if the back of my mind was yelling answers at me.

After the intro has been translated, the author decides to simply write her novel again, in English. Talk of an all-rounder, and no, it´s no use being envious! So my task changed: Now I should correct the author´s English. Working on the text, I note she has changed something: In the English version, she differs between the teen’s language, covering everything from good English to almost slang. (Author´s note: it probably didn´t help Antonia had just been reading Pynchon´s Inherent Vice) Good, this is something the American publisher had been a little worried about: Will the teens sound authentic? None of us is an American teen, so…

We had warned the American publisher that I was a native Brit, and yet, after “all was done”, we were told the following: This reads a little weird, it’s just so BRITISH!! There will be so much to Americanize. After that the teen dialogues had to be changed to sound a little more US centric.

Now the Storyteller will be published in the UK.I wonder if they will have someone re-British-ize it? Go figure!

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Thank you so much for writing this post! I now understand how it was possible for the book to be written so absolutely beautifully but also so technically and grammatically correct but I now see that it's down to some awesome author/translator teamwork! Thank you both for making the book so easy and gorgeous for me to read!

Guest Post - Rhett Metz (Co-author of Gypsy Knights)

Today I have the pleasure of welcoming Rhett Metz to the blog, Rhett is one half of Two Brothers Metz, the sibling duo that penned the fantastic Gypsy Knights (Find my review here). I'll let Rhett introduce himself from here! Enjoy and please comment and show your respect to Rhett for taking time out of his busy schedule for me!

Buy the way - my advice? BUY THE BOOK!

Onto Rhett:

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First off, thanks so much to Jade for letting us share her blog for the day–we’re really excited to be here!

Lafe and I usually write our guest posts in a back-and-forth about an experience we had while writing Gypsy Knights. But – Lafe is in Idaho camping right now… so that leaves the guest post in my hands!

I thought it might be cool to do a top 3 list. Here are my top 3 favorite moments from Gypsy Knights, and a bit of background on them.

3. Casey rescues Duri.

The Scene: The story opens with our main character – Durriken Brishen “Duri” (14) – and his parents racing toward a hospital (Duri’s parents have been poisoned). A car crash ensues, and Duri’s parents drowned in the Weber River in Utah. Casey is the first female freight train engineer in the US (the story is set in the 1960’s). She is big and tough and an absolute teddy bear at heart. She stops her train when she sees the crash and rescues a nearly hypothermic Duri and his 6-toed cat, Nightshade. Casey ends up unofficially adopting Duri.

Background: When in doubt about naming a character, we always turn to baseball. The sport has a long history of amazing names. Casey Musial is named for Mighty Casey and Stan Musial. Her other character traits blossomed naturally.

Nightshade was inspired by a trip to the Hemmingway house in Key West. Those six-toed cats are totally awesome!

Trains – we love them. There’s something so romantic, so American, and so Romani (which is the correct term for the culture many insensitively refer to as “Gypsy”) about trains. How can you not love them?

2. The Mississippi Mud

The Scene: I don’t want to give away too much here. There are two main characters. They’re 14. Dilia, the girl, is Guatemalan/American and Duri, the boy, is Romani/American. Their relationship is…contentious. They are hopping box cars, criss-crossing America, searching for Duri’s lost Grandfather. Meanwhile, they’re being chased by a madman. There is quite a bit of tension. It builds to a rather romantic moment that takes place on the shores of the Mississippi River. 

Background: There are a number of fun things going on in this scene that only the close readers will pick up on. We have an earring theme, a chess theme, a travel theme, and a coming-of-age theme that are all at the forefront. Of course, as hopelessly pathetic as Lafe and I were at 14, Duri has some of our shortcomings but – unlike us at his age – he has some success too!

1. Lucile the Boiler

The Scene: Duri is piloting a train across the American Great Plains. He and Dilia have recently had a series of skirmishes with each other. When Duri jilts Dilia and embarrasses her in front of the freight train’s crew, she responds in shocking fashion. 

Background: Okay, yes, I wrote this scene. Perhaps I’m partial J When I finally came up with the action Dilia would take that was essentially the nuclear option, I was giddy to put it down on paper! You’ll have to check out the book to see what she does! 

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About the Authors: Two Brothers Metz (Rhett and Lafe) live in Pittsburgh. Gypsy Knights, Book One of the Gypsy Knights Saga, is their debut novel. We would love to hear from you, feel free to write to us at twobrothersmetz@gmail.com

Amazon Kindle:

http://www.amazon.com/Gypsy-Knights-Saga-ebook/dp/B0051VRLRS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311821709&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble Nook:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gypsy-knights-two-brothers-metz/1031249018

GoodReads:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11558161-gypsy-knights

Twitter:

@twobrothersmetz