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Showing posts from November, 2009

[Interview: Part 2 of 2] Tonia Brown

Earlier, Tonia Brown talked about the books she's written and published. In the final part of this interview, she talks about her concerns as a writer: When did you start writing? I have always written creatively in one from or another, for as long as I can remember. I used to write a fair amount of poetry, and still turn to the task from time to time. I toyed for a number of years with the idea of writing longer works, a story or perhaps even a book, but always abandoned it after reading something from one of my favorite authors and realizing that I could never produce work that good. Then, about four years ago, I was at my third shift job reading some new book by some new author, whose name I shall leave to the imagination. Even at four in the morning I could tell the book lacked substance, style and character. Yet I had paid full price for the thing and was reading it from cover to cover. It was at that point I decided that I had a story to tell and maybe it was time to get it

[Interview: Part 1 of 2] Tonia Brown

Speculative fiction author, Tonia Brown writes fantasy, science fiction and horror stories. Her books include Epiphany (Sugar and Spice Press, 2009) and White Elephant (Sugar and Spice Press, 2009). Her work has also been featured in anthologies that include Vicious Verses and Reanimated Rhymes; Zany Zombie Poetry for the Undead Head (Coscom Entertainment, 2009) and Tooth Decay: Vampires and Zombies stories (Sonar4 Publications, 2009). In this interview, Tonia Brown talks about her writing: Do you write everyday? I try to write at least an hour a day, with Saturdays as a break, although I usually end up in front of the laptop editing some piece. Depending on where I am in a story, I might work just an hour or so, or go for days writing hours at a time. I tend to get obsessive near the end of a tale, and all other aspects of my life suffer because of it. I like to call writing my second job. My poor husband has spent many a weekend completely ignored because of the second job. How

[Interview] Brick Marlin

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Horror and science fiction author, Brick Marlin lives in Jeffersonville, Indiana. His short stories have been featured in a number of print and online magazines, among them, Blood Moon Rising , Necrotic Tissue , MicroHorror and Sand: A Journal Of Strange Tales . His books include Dark Places of Rest (Sonar 4 Publications, 2009); Saturated and Crimson (Publish America, 2009) and The Darkened Image (Publish America, 2007). In this interview, Brick Marlin talks about his concerns as a writer: When did you start writing? I started writing at a very young age, back when I was in sixth grade. It was a few days before Halloween and our teacher gave us an assignment to make up a scary story. Most of the kids in class wrote about ghosts, pumpkins with smiling faces, and Frankenstein-like monsters, but I wrote one up about a serial killer murdering children for fun. (Yeah, I know, I'm a little disturbed) And, if I'm not mistaken, my teacher had a long talk with my parents afterward.

[Interview] Christian Saunders

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Welsh author, Christian Saunders has been published in several magazines and anthologies. His first book, Into the Dragon's Lair: A Supernatural History of Wales was published in 2003. Since returning to the horror fiction fold, he has had a story run in Screams of Terror e-zine and another featured in the anthology, Return of the Raven . His novella, Apartment 14F: An Oriental Ghost Story is available through Damnation Books . In this interview, Christian Saunders talks about his writing: When did you start writing? I started writing back in 1997. Actually I always wrote, for as long as I can remember, but it was around then that I began to try and get my stuff published. I remember telling my careers adviser in school that I wanted to be a writer and he just laughed at me, said I wasn't bright enough and tried to persuade me to join the army instead (I am from a strictly working class area, and the school I attended didn't exactly encourage creativity!). In a perverse

[Interview] Jonathan Vining

Jonathan Vining is the author of Diary of a First Year Grad Student , a work-in-progress which he describes as a novel about "the absurdities of academic life". In this interview, Vining talks about what his concerns as a writer. Is Jonathan Vining your real name or a pseudonym? It’s a pseudonym. Why are you using a pseudonym? Like other books, mine will primarily be met either with praise, criticism, or indifference. Since the latter two possibilities would not exactly enhance my academic reputation and career, I prefer that Jonathan receive them instead of me. Seriously, I think there is a non-trivial possibility that if Diary of a First Year Grad Student gets much attention, it could lead to the sort of needless academic brouhaha described in it. Some of my colleagues have been caught up in these, and they are not pleasant. So using a pseudonym here is intended as pro-active damage control. Under what conditions would you reveal your true identity? I might do so if

[Interview: Part 2 of 2] Neil Marr

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Publisher and author, Neil Marr worked as a journalist for over 35 years before he and his son, Alex, set up BeWrite (a non-commercial writers’ website which offered free professional editorial services and optional online showcasing). After three years, they transformed the website into BeWrite Books publishing house and have gone on to release over 120 paperback titles. In this interview, Neil Marr talks the formation of BeWrite Books, the use they are making of print-on-demand technology and their plans for the future. What made you decide to transform BeWrite into BeWrite Books publishing house? Quite simply, the talent out there that wasn’t getting a look in. The big houses are swamped (that is not a criticism) and their slushpiles are never cleared. We read every proposal. OK, 98% might be knocked back at first fence with no request for full MS, but everything gets a fair crack of the whip -- not by interns, but by one of four experienced pro editors. Often a rejection is accomp

[Interview: Part 1 of 2] Neil Marr

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Publisher, author and former journalist, Neil Marr is the author of Bullycide: Death at Playtime (Success Unlimited, 2001), a groundbreaking book which exposed the epidemic of bully-related child suicides in the UK. Bullycide received rave reviews around the world and sparked countless campaigns and Bullycide-dedicated websites, official studies, several follow up books and government and education authority action to combat school bullying in several countries. In this interview, Neil Marr talks about his writing and the challenges he and his partners faced when they set up BeWrite.net , a publishing house that started off as a non-commercial writers’ website offering free professional editorial services and optional online showcasing. How did the idea for Bullycide: Death at Playtime come about? In the sixties, when I was a cub reporter of about seventeen or eighteen, I covered a huge police search for a missing child who lived just down the road from me. It was just after the hor