Blakely’s Friday Interview with A.L. Kessler

Please give a warm welcome to A.L. Kessler, author of In the Light of the Moon (Dark War Chronicles) (Volume 1).

alkesslerTell us a bit about yourself and what you’re currently working on or promoting — I’m A.L. Kessler. I’m a stay at home mom and wife to a giant geek. I write primarily paranormal romance and I live in Colorado Springs, CO. I have two black cats who think they own the house. I’m addicted to chocolate and coffee. My current project is The Dark War Chronicles (DWC), a paranormal romance series that has all sorts of creatures fight a war against each other. It has adventure, romance (of course!) and amazing characters. Continue reading

Blakely’s Friday Interview with Jessica O’Gorek

Please give a warm welcome to Jessica O’Gorek, author of Gemini Rising: Ethereal Fury.

meWhat genre is your book?
YA paranormal romance

Do you write in other genres as well?
I can write in adult paranormal and horror/thriller

Who or what inspires you?
I’m inspired by my desire to make a living doing what I love, by my family’s faith in my ability as a writer, and by watching my dad click away on his typewriter as a child.

Do you have an agent and/or publisher or are you self-published? If self-published, do you use a professional editor? If traditionally published, who is your publisher?
I am published through Cogent Publishing, NY, but I am my own agent which has put my writing on hiatus. No time! It’s all spent promoting.

What advice do you have for writer’s just starting out?
Do not wait until you are published to start marketing yourself- start 1-2 years in advance and build an audience who are excited about your release. Line up reviews for 3-6 months into the future and keep track of who says they will review your book, use a spreadsheet. Count on 50-70% of your reviews coming through. You can never have enough reviews, guests posts, or interviews!

Do you outline your stories or just go with the flow?
Go with the flow, scene by scene, the plot comes to me

What does your writing space look like?
Just my laptop and me, I can write anywhere as long as it’s kind of quiet

What are your three favorite books including the authors?
Twilight saga, Stephanie Myer / Cell, Stephen King / Under the Lake, John Saul

Who is your favorite author and why?
Stephanie Meyer- because she inspired my imagination and Stephen King because he instilled a dark side in me and deep love of horror

What project are you currently working on?
Book #4 of the Gemini Rising Series

Is being an author your dream job? If so, how long have you been chasing the dream? If not, what would be your dream job?
Yes, it is my dream job. I’ve been chasing it hard for about two years now but I’ve been writing since I was 12.

What book are you currently reading?
Ella Medler– Blood Is Power

What has been your best moment as a writer?
When I found out someone wanted to publish my book!

What challenges have you faced in your writing career?
I’m facing one right now- how to get noticed amongst the slew of authors and books that the self-publishing industry has created. I feel like I’m doing so much work, I didn’t even need to go with a traditional publisher!

Is there a message in your book(s) that you want readers to grasp?
My upbringing taught me great respect for the earth and as a kid I always held a great contempt for what my ancestors did to the Indians and how we developed America. I remember being so angry in college when I discovered what horrible people all of our founding fathers really were. Why didn’t they teach me the truth in high school? So, yes, I would say my beliefs of how we treat the environment and how it might get even with us one day comes across loud and clear in my books.

How much time a day do you spend on social media?
4-6 hours or until my eyes bleed.

What do you do to stay sane as a writer?
I’m not sane.

Do you read your reviews and if so, how do you cope with a bad one?
I read all of my reviews and I haven’t had one under three stars yet. I have had some very good constructive criticism though. I like all feedback. If it’s bad it will most likely help me in some way to better future books in the series. If there was something I left out or didn’t make clear enough, if part of the book was too slow, or too long, it always helps to get as many opinions as possible! If I get a scathing review, well, I’ll just remind myself of Stephanie Meyer’s success despite all of those who don’t like Twilight.

Has reading a book ever changed your life? Which one and why, if yes?
Yes, the Twilight Saga. It evoked my adult imagination, which was something that no other books or movies had done. I honestly thought I was done writing…

If someone wrote a book about your life, what would the title be?
Serenity Now, and Later

I have found the writer’s community to be very supportive and welcoming.  Please share three writers that you recommend for us to check out.  

  1. Marilyn Phillips- YA  paranormal 
  2. Aine Massie- YA paranormal 
  3. M.C.V. Egan 

You can find Jessica on her website, Facebook page, Twitter, Goodreads, and blog.

Click on the cover below to buy Jessica’s novel:

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Blakely’s Friday Interview with Tamala Callaway

Please give a warm welcome to Tamala Callaway, author of the SuperNatural Novel Series & Hostile Series

2013-01-18 17.42.47Tell us a bit about yourself and what you’re currently working on or promoting.
I am a wife and mother of two. I work for the Coweta County school system transporting children to and from school, aka “Bus Driver.” Currently, I am working on part two of my Second Generation series which is a spin-off of my SuperNatural novel series. All together, the entire series is 7 novels long.

Who or what inspires you?
Initially I was inspired by my oldest daughter to write the SuperNatural series. As a storyteller to my children, they would always want me to revisit my made up stories over and over again. By suggestion, my daughter asked me to write a story so that she could read it over and over again whenever the mood hit. When a few pages weren’t enough for her, and the request to continue the story was becoming an everyday plea, I ended up a year later with five full novel length books in one complete series. Even when I said enough was enough, she and others who had been brought into the trap of SuperNatural begged for more. That then inspired me to do a similar story but focus on the offspring of the original characters, thus begetting “The Second Generation series, part 1 & 2.”

What genre is your book? SuperNatural is YA/Adult. It fits into the paranormal, fantasy, romance genre. Do you write in other genres as well? Yes. I have also written a suspense, thriller, romance series called the “Hostile Series.” Hostile Contact & Hostile Vengeance.

Do you have an agent and/or publisher or are you self-published? I am self-published. If self-published, do you use a professional editor? I do not. I would love to, however, it can be quite expensive for the amount of books I’ve written in a short period of time and not to mention the page/word count. Like I said before, I am a school bus driver with limited funds outside of family necessities.

What advice do you have for writer’s just starting out?
If you or someone you know has a story to tell whether fiction or non-fiction, just start writing. Don’t worry about editing, embellishing, or critiquing while you’re writing. It distracts you and can be daunting. Besides, you can always come back to clean and polish later.

Do you set writing goals and if so, what are they?
Sometimes. If I find myself procrastinating on writing, I will give myself a week to write a chapter. Usually, I will start when I only have 2 or 3 days to do so, then suddenly I am tapping away on the keys to my laptop and will have written 4 or 5 chapters within a few days. I believe I work well under pressure. But that’s just me as far as I know.

What does your writing space look like?
I have a spare bedroom that I have set up as a professional office. Book shelves, desk, lamps, curtains and wall décor. I have a desk top computer that sits unused because I prefer to write on my laptop, but change up the screen saver to keep the look fresh. My office must be clean for me to concentrate, so when the family infiltrates my space, I have to reorganize in order to get back to work.

What project are you currently working on?
The final book in my SuperNatural “The Second Generation” series. It will make the 7th book and I’m looking forward to the bitter/sweet end of an era. It is where it all began for me as a writer, but I have taken on other genres and look forward to expanding my horizons as an Author.

Is being an author your dream job? Yes. If I could financially support my family as an Author, I would be in heaven. I didn’t know that I would love writing so much if I hadn’t been challenged by my daughter and preview readers. If so, how long have you been chasing the dream? 4 years – 8 novels later.

What book are you currently reading?
I recently finished “The Ex Wife” for a book club. However, I am doing the re-read thing on “The Second Generation book 1” as I am anxious to complete book 2, already 111 pages written so far.

What has been your best moment as a writer?
I have two: A book signing event that I wasn’t expecting to do so well, and sold out of the 45 copies of my books, wishing I had brought more; and walking up on a group of teenagers in Barnes and noble reading my books and discussing them, and asking… “Hey, how are you enjoying SuperNatural?” The looks on their faces that they actually recognized me was priceless and euphoric.

Is there a message in your book(s) that you want readers to grasp?
In SuperNatural, yes. Not judging a person for their exterior or what you think you may know about them, and recognizing the differences in others as a useful resource rather than a hindrance, and loving unconditionally between you and one other individual proves more fulfilling than mindless courtship with many.

Do you see yourself in any of your characters?
Quite a few. Some have my mentality, some my aggression, some my ability to love hard, & others have my habits (bad and good).

Is there a character that you enjoyed writing more than any of the others?
Yes, Ramone has always been one of my favorites. He is a male version of me in my younger years. (Hardworking, resourceful, loving, caring, supportive, & extremely protective of the ones he loves. Not to mention, people tend to be drawn to him for whatever reasons.)

What do you do when you’re not writing?
Decorating, rearranging, cleaning, or spending time with my family. Working is a must, but not my favorite pastime.

How much time a day do you spend on social media?
More than I need to. Approximately 2 hours daily. It used to be much more, but I’m embarrassed to say truthfully.

If someone wrote a book about your life, what would the title be?
Living in the fast lane, beware of dangerous turns.

I have found the writer’s community to be very supportive and welcoming.  Please share three writers that you recommend for us to check out.  Here is what Tamala had to say: 

I chose these people as they have been a force in helping others create platforms and fan bases as Authors. Wherever you see either of them, you will find positivity, motivation and growth.

  1. Jeff Todd
  2. Scarlett Dawn
  3. Savannah Mae

You can find Tamala on her website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest, and Amazon.

Click on the icons below to buy Tamala’s novel:

SNNS Postcard

Hostile Contact flyer