Author Interview

Author interview with horror writer Matthew Lutton

A master of horror, Matthew Lutton is the author of 10 Drink Minimum (2022) and Candy Dish (2023).

Q: When did you first catch the writing bug? What drove you to persist?

A:  I had written when I was younger and enjoyed telling stories. I was driving a lot for work and would listen to audiobooks on my drive, and then I would start to write my own endings to the stories. Some would be better in my head than the actual ones so I decided to try writing some short stories, and my coworkers seemed to really like them.

Q: What/who were your early literary influences, and how do you think their writing has shaped you as a storyteller today?

A: I have always been a big Clive Barker guy. Just the way that he can make grotesque stuff sound beautiful. Chuck Palahniuk is another huge one. I have always said if it makes you uncomfortable it’s horror, and he’s the master of that.

Continue reading “Author interview with horror writer Matthew Lutton”
Finish Writing Your Novel Now!

A writer? Who, you?

At this point, you may be wondering if writing a novel is even something you can do, let alone writing a new one every year. Perhaps you have never taken a creative writing course or shared your writing with others. You may question whether you can even call yourself a writer without ever having written a complete work, whether it be a novel, an essay, or a poem. Maybe you believe you can’t possibly call yourself a writer until you have finished writing something. If that’s the case, you may wonder how you can justify the time you will spend writing a novel when you’re not even a “real” writer yet. These feelings of doubt are completely normal. Some would even say that this, too, is part of the writing process.

Don’t let imposter syndrome keep you from writing your novel! Image created with Canva AI Generator.

One struggle that many emerging writers battle is imposter syndrome. This is a common experience among writers and other creative professionals. It is the feeling that despite their accomplishments, skills, or expertise, they are not truly qualified or deserving of their success. There are several reasons why writers may experience imposter syndrome. For example, writers often have high standards for their work and may compare themselves unfavorably to other writers or to their own idealized vision of what their writing should be. This can lead to feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt. Writing is also a subjective art form, and writers may receive rejection or criticism from publishers, editors, or readers. Even a single negative comment or rejection letter can trigger feelings of self-doubt and insecurity.

Continue reading “A writer? Who, you?”
Finish Writing Your Novel Now!

Is writing a priority for you?

Ayla is a successful attorney who has always had a passion for writing. Throughout her legal career, she daydreams about writing a novel and imagines the stories she would love to tell. However, due to the demands of her profession, long working hours, and other personal commitments, Ayla never finds the time or energy to fully pursue her writing aspirations.

Image created using Canva AI Generator.

Ayla’s desire to write a novel is a lingering dream, always at the back of her mind. She collects ideas, snippets of dialogue, and character sketches in a notebook, hoping that one day she will have the opportunity to bring them to life on paper. However, the pressures and responsibilities of her career consistently take precedence.

As the years pass, Ayla occasionally experiences moments of regret or a sense of unfulfilled potential. She may attend writing workshops or join book clubs to stay connected to her love for literature, but the time and dedication required to actually sit down and write a novel elude her.

Continue reading “Is writing a priority for you?”
Author Interview

Author interview with romance novelist Julie Navickas

Author Julie Navickas poses with a copy of one of her novels

Julie Navickas is a best-selling author of contemporary romance with Inkspell Publishing.

She is known for her keen ability to tell heart-wrenching, second-chance love stories through relatable characters with humility, humor, and heroism. Her Trading Heartbeats trilogy is the recipient of a Literary Global Book Award and three first-place wins with the BookFest in the contemporary romance category. Her debut trilogy has also earned two finalist designations with the American Writing Awards and a Clarion Award.

Q: Does writing energize or exhaust you?

A: Writing energizes me. After a decade-long career in higher education, I now work in corporate communications at a national insurance company. I write strategic comms for a living. And while I enjoy the work, I look forward to the time I block in the evening hours to work on my own creative craft. Storytelling gives me energy and “fills my cup” at the end of a long day.

Continue reading “Author interview with romance novelist Julie Navickas”
Author Interview

Author interview with poet Shadrin Lee Schneider

Shadrin Lee Schneider grew up in Pekin, Illinois. As a graduate of Graham Hospital School of Nursing in 2009, Shad now works as a nurse and a deputy coroner. To relax, Schneider enjoys writing, traveling with his wife Susan (the editor of his books), listening to podcasts and music, walking, and brewing beer.

The cover of a book of poems and shorts titled, "Perpetually Eating Multicolored Sprinkles" by Shadrin Lee Schneider.
Shadrin Lee Schneider is the author of two books of poems and shorts, “Perpetually Eating Multicolored Sprinkles” and “Nobody Likes Pants,” as well as two children’s books, “Crunchers” and “Don’t be a Wiggle-Wop.” His books are available on Amazon.

Q: When did you first catch the writing bug? What drove you to persist?

A: As a registered ER nurse, I started watching less TV and started writing poetry as a way to relax during Covid. I found it very therapeutic, so I kept writing throughout the pandemic, sometimes during a quiet evening, sometimes while out walking. I would even challenge myself to write a single poem during the time it took while waiting in line when shopping. Creative writing definitely helped me survive that challenging time as a healthcare worker and has stuck with me since.  

Q: What/who were your early literary influences, and how do you think their writing has shaped you as a storyteller today?

Continue reading “Author interview with poet Shadrin Lee Schneider”
Digital Marketing, eBooks

How to buy and read eBooks from Smashwords

English: A variety of laptops, smartphones, ta...
English: A variety of laptops, smartphones, tablets and ebook readers arranged. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A few of my readers have been confused about how to purchase and read eBooks from Smashwords, and I can understand why. How can you know which book format to choose if you don’t know that your Kindle reads .mobi files? One aspect of eBook marketing that I believe Smashwords has failed to recognize is that not all readers are as familiar with our publishing jargon as we publishers are. So, I’ve decided to provide my readers with a quick Smashwords buying guide to help you download and read mine and other indie books with as little frustration as possible.

Formats

The first thing you need to know when downloading eBooks from Smashwords is what format your particular device uses. Of course, you can choose to read online, but a dedicated eReader often offers a more seamless reading experience. The following are a few eBook formats that are available for most Smashwords books. I have listed each of them with their corresponding device/app. Continue reading “How to buy and read eBooks from Smashwords”

Memes

Why varying word choice should not extend to #dialog tags

As writers, we all know the importance of varying our word choices. However, regardless of what your middle school language arts teacher might have taught you, this concept should not extend to dialog tags.

writing meme
Your dialog tags should never be more interesting than your story!

If you’re like me, you have probably had at least one English teacher admonish you for overusing the word, “said” when writing narrative. That teacher probably asked that you instead switch it up and use dialog tags such as, “he replied,” “she moaned,” “he argued,” and “she admonished.” While this might have been appropriate for a middle school English class, it is absolutely incorrect for a novel. Continue reading “Why varying word choice should not extend to #dialog tags”

Novel Writing, Writer's Block, Writers on Writing

Writing the boring: How to write transitional material between novel chapters

I struggle to set up each new chapter in my novel. I want to jump right into the dialog and action and keep the story moving along. While writing the first installment of Valley of the Bees, I did just that. I wrote the story in the throes of momentum and didn’t slow down for anything as uninteresting as setting up my chapters properly. When all was said and done, my story came out to around 25,000 words and was in desperate need of transitional material between chapters. Imagine how I felt when I realized that I was going to have to sit down and write all of that boring stuff at once.

back to basics - writing with the five senses

Lesson learned. Continue reading “Writing the boring: How to write transitional material between novel chapters”

Novel Writing, Writers on Writing

Setting goals and reaching them late… one way or another

I always plan to write over winter break, but somehow it never happens. I work at a University that closes for almost two whole weeks the end of December. Perfect time to get some writing done, right? Apparently not!

So then January came along, and I buckled in and started writing regularly. I have been scheduling it into my day, but not giving myself too much grief if I occasionally get off track. And I must say, it has been going pretty well for me. I am writing at least three days a week (while working a full-time job and single-momming two rowdy boys in the process) and hacking out the first draft of book two of my Valley of the Bees series a few pages (and sometimes a few sentences) at a time.

My goal was 20,000 words by the end of January. Of course, that didn’t happen, but I did get close. And today – three days into February – I ALMOST made it finally. Of course, I typed the final word of the chapter I was working on, looked down at my word count, and saw this:

19,999 words toward my 20,000 word goal. Seriously?
19,999 words toward my 20,000 word goal. Seriously?

Of course! I was one word shy of my goal! Seriously? Continue reading “Setting goals and reaching them late… one way or another”

book cover
eBooks, Publishing, Short Story

Now available on Kindle: Her Name was Amber

book cover
My new short story, Her Name was Amber, is now available on Kindle for only 99 cents.

I am giving myself a sweet birthday present today and announcing that my new short story, Her Name was Amber, is now available on Kindle for only 99 cents!

It feels great to get back on the fiction-writing horse. I wrote this 4,000 word story in one day! (Don’t worry, I edited it before I published it! Although, if you do find any errors, please let me know so I can fix them!)

Description

Amber is finally forced to deal with her dysfunctional marriage while mourning the death of her teenage daughter. Meanwhile, an even bigger disaster looms near as the outside world struggles with its own uncertain fate. In this prequel to her upcoming novel, Valley of the Bees, author Amanda L. Webster introduces you to the matriarch of what is destined to become a powerful – yet still dysfunctional – family in a not-so-distant dystopian future.

Buy your copy of Her Name was Amber on Kindle today! Continue reading “Now available on Kindle: Her Name was Amber”