Friday, September 28, 2012

SFF Saturday 9/28/2012

I've been absent from Science-fiction/Fantasy Saturday for far too long.  I wish I could claim that my absence was due to frantic typing of a nearly finished manuscript.  Alas, I've had little time for writing.

Don't forget that, even when I'm not around for these wonderful Saturday samples, there are many other great authors sharing their work.  Please be sure to read, comment, and buy their books!

This week's snippet is once again a sample from "Lilly's Story" (very poor working title). Regular readers (possessing of astounding memories) will recall that Lilly Diaz has traveled from Earth to Rhiadan Sanctuary Station via a Dremikian ship.  It was a miserable journey, and she's quite happy to have reached the station.  Well, she was....

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"Damn it, Dwax, I've told you not to let humans rush through these locks!  How many times have I told you?"

"But Honored--"

"Shut it!  If you weren't going to relay the safety information, what the hell was the point in having you great her?  You were supposed to be saving me time!  Instead, I have to rush down here, leaving the Kigvans waiting, and--ah, hello there ma'am."

Lilly blinked up at the human male leaning over her.  Disoriented was too mild a term to describe how she felt.  It took her another minute before she remembered passing out at the feet of Ambassador Dwax.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Author Interview: Patrick Stutzman

I met sci-fi author Patrick Stutzman through my participation in Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. He released his first novel, "Alone on the Edge" in February of this year. On September 14th, Patrick released the sequel, "Alone in Paradise", which continues the story of Anna Foster.  He has been busy touring blogs and review sites, giving readers a taste of what they will find inside this latest chapter of Anna's adventures.  Today, Patrick was kind enough to answer a few of my questions.  He will also give away a FREE Kindle copy of "Alone in Paradise" to one lucky poster in the comments--so be sure to leave your thoughts!

1. "Alone in Paradise" is a sequel to "Alone on the Edge". Did you always have a sequel planned or did the good reviews of the first book prompt you to writing this one?

To be honest, I had already written Paradise even before publishing Edge. So, I guess you might say that a sequel was always planned. I just couldn’t stop writing after I finished the first one.

2. Is Anna based on a woman in your life, or is she a conglomeration of interesting traits?

I have an extensive history with roleplaying games, so creating characters out of thin air is something I can do with ease. With Anna, she is not wholly based on one person but has elements of a number of people, myself included. She also has a bit of my wife, my editor, and a particular person whose physical appearance Anna mirrors as well. I discovered that the last connection being more than physical was a lucky coincidence.

3. Who does your cover art? Can you talk about about the process involved in finding a cover artist?

My covers are created by the talented artists at Tomomi Ink. I was EXTREMELY lucky in that I mentioned my need for an artist to a friend, not knowing that she worked for the company. From there, a deal was struck, and I have been blessed ever since. Before that conversation, I had an idea on what to do and began looking at various artists that I know through gaming channels as well as locally. I asked them to draft a picture of what I wanted for the cover, and I would determine which one was the best. Before I made the arrangement with Tomomi Ink, the artists that I approached did not produce anything for me to consider, which proved to be rather frustrating.

4. What do you want readers to take away from this part of Anna's story?

When I originally wrote the story, I was merely continuing the adventures Anna experienced without a thought on any particular message beyond an entertaining read. As I look over it again, I realize that a good portion of the last part of the book deals with a real issue that plagues a percentage of women as well as a recent trend among some authors. Without going into details (don’t want to create any spoilers), I want readers to understand that I wish to help raise awareness about this particular issue. I am not glorifying it. Far from it, in fact! I try to paint a realistic picture of it in all its ugliness. Needless to say, this part of Anna’s story takes a dark turn, and I am now giving readers a fair warning.

5. Can readers expect another book about Anna?

At this time, I am halfway through writing the third book in the series titled Alone in the Crowd with a tentative release date in March 2013. Ideas for a fourth novel have recently surfaced, but I need to flesh those out before embarking on that leg of Anna’s journey.

6. What inspired you as a male author to write about a female protagonist?

I’ll be honest. I love women and am truly fascinated by the fairer gender, every part of them. Evidence of this is clear by my willing choice to portray female characters more often than male characters in the roleplaying games I play. (And just to set the record straight, I am straight and confident in my sexuality.) A natural extension of that desire as an author is to create like characters in my books. It’s fun for me to create a realistic female character to whom others can relate and about whom they enjoy reading. (Can you tell that I hate dangling participles?)
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Questions or thoughts?  Be sure to leave a coment!

Saturday, September 8, 2012

KBR "Best Indie Books of 2012" Finalist

Not long after I released Dremiks, I stumbled upon The Kindle Book Review.  They had several advertising options, offered reviews of indie books, and were taking submissions for a contest.  I didn't have the money for the advertising, and didn't yet meet their requirements for review requests, but I took a chance and entered the contest.

In July, Jeff Bennington and his talented review team picked as semi-finalists 25 books from each category.  Since that day, The Kindle Book Review has been faithfully Tweeting, Facebook posting, and reviewing the books chosen to be semi-finalists.

August 2nd, my husband broke his leg in three places, playing Ultimate Frisbee, of all things. On Friday, August 31st, Paragon Studios closed it's doors, laying off the entire staff, including my husband, a talented game producer with eleven years experience in the industry.  The very next day, September 1st, I stopped to check my email before I went to run errands and got another shock:

"Dremiks", my first published novel, had made the Top 5 Finalists in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy category.

I was--AM-- blown away by this honor.  The other books in the finals are great reads by very talented authors.  I encourage you to follow the links in this post and then buy every single one of the books that made the semi-finals and finals.

For all of you who have purchased "Dremiks", recommended it to your friends, and reviewed it: Thank you.