Lynn Hardy: November 2012

The Journey of an Author - Katrina Byrd

We have a wonderful treat today... Katrina Byrd (The Boa Flouncer) author of Byrds of a Feather has stopped by!

Tell me, were you a reader before you were a writer? What do you enjoy reading?

I love to read!! Some of my favorite authors are Barbara Kingsolver, Stephen King John Floyd, Dean Koontz, Ann Patchett and the list goes on. I like to read a variety of genres. I really love a great story.

I developed a love for wonderful storytelling in the first grade. It was a special treat for me to curl up with a good book and get lost in the action of the characters. As a child I loved Laura Ingalls Wilder. Her stories inspired me to tell my own stories. I started journaling at seven. I wrote my first story when I was nine.

Is Byrds of a Feather the first book you’ve written?

No. I have two other books as well. One HOT Minute is a collection of flash fiction short stories all dealing with something hot. Justice is Blind is a collection of two short stories and a monologue.

Where their some particular inspirations for the character’s development or character traits for Byrds of a Feather?

Byrds of a Feather is a humorous motivational book about celebrating life and being you. Byrds of a Feather was inspired by funny and inspirational quotes I make on facebook. People always tell me how they love my facebook posts so I decided to make a book in that same format.

Byrds of a Feather’s title is a play on my last name (Byrd) and the fact that I like to wear feather boas.

There are many roads that lead to becoming a published author, each one littered with its own potholes. What was the most challenging aspect of writing (latest release)? (dialogue, character development, creating names, etc)

With Byrds of a Feather the biggest challenges was making the humor resonate from the page. There are things that are hilarious when you say them but when you writ it on paper it loses the humor. So I had to spend a lot of time making the humor sound good on paper. I also wanted to get messages across without sounding like I was preaching to the reader.

How did you tackle this challenge?

I tackled this challenge by writing and rewriting. One of the main things I did was to try to write the humorous anecdotes like I talk. So instead of saying, “I am strutting towards my dreams” I would write “I’m struttin’ toward my dreams.” At first this felt weird but the more I wrote it the better.

Being an author is so much more than just writing a good story. Besides the “pen and ink,” what is one of the most difficult things you’ve encountered on your journey as a published author? What helped you get a handle on it?

I think my biggest challenge was marketing my book. It felt so awkward to me to talk about myself and my writing but it was much easier to do this with social media. I started an author page on facebook and I became affiliated with writing groups like the Indie Exchange and Book Junkies. I also put my books on Kindle. I have learned that marketing is a continuous process. There’s always wonderful articles about marketing and I’ve connected with other authors and discussed marketing tips.

It sounds like you've come quite a distance. Thank you, (Katrina Byrd), for coming today and sharing a little of your experience with us, for helping us avoid a few potholes on the journey to becoming a published author.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/boaflouncer

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Byrds-of-a-Feather-ebook/dp/B006UOS5YI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1351636273&sr=8-2&keywords=byrds+of+a+feather

The Life of a Published Author - The Truth no One Tells

There’s so much more to becoming a great writer than just getting published, but for most people, that is their end goal. There is a truth about what it’s like as a published author that I’ve learned over the last few years. L.E. Modesitt Jr said it more eloquently then I ever could:

“No author, not even in a book the length of War and Peace, can describe and cover all the aspects of a society and the people with which he or she populates that culture. What authors do is provide bits and pieces in a way that the author believes will evoke a fuller picture of that society and those characters in the reader’s mind. The inherent problem with this very necessary technique is that it can fail if a reader’s mindset, background, or knowledge base is such that the reader cannot evoke the feeling of that society… and the reader immediately says that the society and the characters are “cardboard.” In addition, the more subtle the nuances in a society or character, the more detail from the author and the more understanding on the part of the reader that is required. Needless to say, sometimes this is the fault of the author for not providing enough detail…”

We have a wonderful treat today... Karen Pokras Toz author of Millicent Marie Is Not My Name has stopped by!

Tell me, were you a reader before you were a writer? What do you enjoy reading?

Yes, I’ve always loved to read from as far back as I can remember. My favorite genres are historical fiction, memoirs, and any character driven stories. Lately, however, I have been broadening my choices and have been enjoying some paranormal, YA, and fantasy stories as well.

Is Millicent Marie Is Not Your Name the first book you’ve written?

No, It is actually my third book. I have also written two other children’s chapter books: Nate Rocks the World and Nate Rocks the Boat.

Where there some particular inspirations for the character’s development or character traits for Millicent Marie Is Not My Name?

I knew I wanted to write a book with a main girl character, having already written two books for boys. At the time I wrote Millicent Marie, my daughter was in sixth grade. While, Millicent is not based on my daughter, I did try to incorporate some of the issues she spoke about regularly, such as gossiping and friendships.

There are many roads that lead to becoming a published author, each one littered with its own potholes. What was the most challenging aspect of writing Millicent Marie Is Not My Name? (dialogue, character development, creating names, etc)

Definitely finding my voice. For the past three years I was completely immersed in Nate Rocks’ world. When I started writing Millicent Marie, everything sounded like Nate. I had to (not so politely) remind Nate that this was not his story and that while I loved him dearly, he needed to butt out. (What – doesn’t everyone have conversations with the voices in their head?)

How did you tackle this challenge?

Well – it took many attempts, but Millicent was finally able to nudge her way into the forefront. Once I was able to develop her voice and personality in the way I had envisioned, everything began to flow freely (and Nate behaved himself).

Marketing is a huge challenge, mostly from a time perspective. At first, I was spending so much time marketing that I didn’t have time to write. I was miserable, because really, for me it’s all about writing. I wear so many hats, it’s difficult to fit it all in. It took me a while to learn how to balance my time (an art I’m still perfecting). Balance is definitely key to being on this journey.

It sounds like you’ve come quite a distance. Thank you, Karen Pokras Toz, for coming today and sharing a little of your experience with us, for helping us avoid a few potholes on the journey to becoming a published author.

Find out more about this author:

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/karentoz

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/karenptoz

Website: http://www.karentoz.com

Find them on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/karentoz

Millicent Marie Is Not My Name

Twelve-year-old Millicent Marie does not like her name. After all, she was named for a woman who died more than fifty years ago and was not the most loveable member of the Harris family. Her friends call her Millie, but when she writes in her diary she refers to herself as Amanda – the name she always wished she had.

When Millie’s younger brother finds her diary on her computer, he decides to publish it as a blog for the entire world to see, including the boy Millie has a crush on. In the midst of all the mayhem, Millie/Amanda discovers she is suddenly Springside Elementary’s most sought after sixth-grade mystery gossip and advice columnist.

But not all is fun and games, as Millie quickly learns, once she realizes feelings are at stake. Nobody, least of all Millie, expects things to turn out as they do in this tale of friendship and respect.

Karen Pokras Toz

Karen Pokras Toz is a writer, wife and mom. Karen grew up in Connecticut and currently lives outside of Philadelphia with her husband and three children. In June 2011, Karen published her first middle grade children’s novel for 7-12 year olds called Nate Rocks the World, which won First Place for Children’s Chapter Books and the Grand Prize Overall in the 2012 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards, as well as placing first for a Global E-Book Award for Pre-Teen Literature. In 2012, Karen published the second in the Nate Rocks series, Nate Rocks the Boat, followed by middle grade novel, Millicent Marie Is Not My Name. Karen is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI).

Prophecy of the Flame Movie - Jerik

Jerik the Dwarf

Have you missed the Big Three - the three leading roles? Want to start from the beginning? Check out these earlier posts:

Who will Play Prince Szames? Click Here

Who will play Prince Alexandros? Click Here

Who will play ArchMage Reba? Click Here

The Crusaders of the Light, the group of gamers zapped into a magical world, wouldn't be complete without an axe-swinging Dwarf. Darren is big, burly architect. Somehow his transformation into a four and a half food, broad shouldered, axe swinging dwarf just seems to fit. Sure, he grumbles and grumps, but under that bushy beard lies a heart of gold.

Zoe Brooks

We have a wonderful treat today... Zoe Brooks, author of Love of Shadows has stopped by!

Tell me, were you a reader before you were a writer? What do you enjoy reading?

I am told by my parents that I was making up poems before I learned how to read and write. So I was a writer (well a poet at least) before I was a reader. I love magic realism – books where the real world meets fantasy. I didn’t know that was what I liked until I went to fantasy conference in Leicester and was talking to another writer about my work. "Oh," he said. "You write magic realism." When I got home I googled magic realism and realized that not only did I write it but that most of my favourite books were in that genre too. In order to get a better understanding of the genre I have set myself the challenge of reading and reviewing a magic realism book a week for a year. You can follow my progress on http://www.magic-realism.net.

Is Love of Shadows the first book you’ve written?

No, there have been quite a few books in which I learned how to craft books and which now sit in a drawer never to see the light of day. The first book to be published was Girl in the Glass – the prequel to Love of Shadows.

I had previously published books of poetry, but I won’t count those

Where their some particular inspirations for the character’s development or character traits for Love of Shadows?

The central character in the book is a young woman called Judith. She starts life in Girl in the Glass as Anya, but changes her name in order to escape someone who is pursuing her. For over twenty years I worked with disadvantaged women – refugees, victims of domestic abuse, the homeless – and I was inspired and humbled by their remarkable stories. In order to get my head around what I was hearing I used my imagination and made up stories. But after twenty years it all became too much, all those layers of thick skin had been worn away and I had to stop. I turned to writing and in so doing I hope helping my readers gain an insight into those women’s worlds.

Judith is influenced by those women. She’s a survivor, but she is damaged by her past. There is in her head a voice which tells her she is nothing and this means that she expects to be let down. She doubts that anyone can love her and tests those that do, but is also drawn to the wrong guys. She is driven by a need to heal and help others, but is bad at accepting help. She is loveable and at the same time frustrating. In addition to the women I met through work, there have been a couple of women who have been very dear to me and who were very influential on why and how I wrote about the character. People tend to think you write about yourself, but that isn’t true.

There are many roads that lead to becoming a published author, each one littered with its own potholes. What was the most challenging aspect of writing Love of Shadows? (dialogue, character development, creating names, etc)

For Love of Shadows the difficulty was that I was writing for some people who have not read Girl in the Glass as well as for people who have. This threw up a number of problems, most obviously how to provide enough backstory without being boring, but also how to start the novel. The opening of a novel is so crucial, it has to grab the reader, either when they flip open the book in a store or when they download the beginning from Amazon.

How did you tackle this challenge?

With hard work. I kept going back to the story and rereading it with the new reader in mind. Then I added elements, but avoided overloading the opening. When the book was finished I gave it to someone who hadn’t read Girl in the Glass and got their feedback. Beta readers are really important.

I am an introvert, brought up in a very British family where "showing off" was frowned on, so the hardest thing to do is promote my book. I just have to remind myself that if I don’t no one will read it and I will have let down those women who inspired it and the readers who would have loved it. Social media helps as it’s a lot easier than talking face to face. And people like you Lynn make it so much easier.

It sounds like you’ve come quite a distance. Thank you, Zoe Brooks, for coming today and sharing a little of your experience with us, for helping us avoid a few potholes on the journey to becoming a published author.