Monday 28 November 2011

Interview with M. L Guida

Hello and welcome to our world M.L Guida. 
I – What would you say is the most important thing to consider before starting to write a book?
  The most important thing I consider is an idea where I see the story heading.  Before I write, I have to figure out my characters’ enneagram.  An enneagram is a personality type.  This will help develop the character’s goal, motivation and conflict.
M – How do you plot your male characters? Are they based on people you know or your ideal man? Do you have physical or mental pictures of your male characters? 
 Like I said before I identify their enneagram.  In Cassandra, Eric is definitely an eight which means he’s a leader, the boss and/or controller.  He’s a demon and an alpha male.  I get a definite picture of my male characters in my mind.  Some authors use pictures, but I don’t. 
P- Do you like to work in peace and quiet? Or noise? 
 Both.  I hate to admit this, but most of the time the television is on.  I like the noise, but there are other times, especially in the summer, where I like to write outside. 
 F - What do you like to do for fun? 
 I like to ski, take my dog for a walk or watch my nephews and niece sports game.  There’s nothing like cheering for my nephew when he racing down the side line with the football in clutched next to him. 
A – What has been the most amazing point in your life so far?
  I have to admit it’s getting published.  Many people dream about it, but it’s actually happening to me and its exciting. 
I – What is your favourite musical instrument and why?
  I love to listen to the electric guitar.  I never left the 80’s.  I love to listen to Eddie VanHalen strum his guitar or the first three notes of ACDC’s You Shook Me All Night Long. 
R – Do you like reality shows?
 I do.  I used to be addicted to the Biggest Loser, but after Jillian left I lost interest.  But the one I always wanted to go on with my younger sister was the Amazing Race.  I would love to travel all over the world and do all those crazy antics. 
Y – What is your favourite memory from your youth or childhood? 
  My favourite memory is waking up on Christmas morning.  I used to wake up really early like two or three in the morning.  I’d run down the hall to the living room and see all the toys around the Christmas tree and run back and wake my sister who got mad when I told her what she got.  I have to admit I love Santa Claus and still do. 
M. L's story appears in the paranormal romance anthology, Finding Ms. Wright, available here.

Saturday 19 November 2011

Interview with Lori Corsentino

Hello and welcome to our world Lori Corsentino. As we live in an enchanted forest and we are magical folk, let us transport you to another world for your interview today. Tell us where you would like to go and why. It could be another time or a setting that is special to you. Just say the word and we are there…….
I’d love to visit England, either in current times or during the Regency period. I’m just fascinated by it.

I – What would you say is the most important thing to consider before starting to write a book?
An aspiring author needs to commit themselves to the project. That means you need to be working on the project, five days a week, just like a job. Whether it be plotting, brainstorming, or actually writing, the author needs to put in the time.
M – How do you plot your male characters? Are they based on people you know or your ideal man? Do you have physical or mental pictures of your male characters?
I work with a bunch of guys, and I’ve been friends with various men most of my life, so I take information I’ve learned and use it for my male characters. I always throw something in that I would find ideal, but I’d say that my heroes are a nice mish-mash of the best – and not so best – of what I know of the men in my life.
I have to have an actual picture of my hero before I can begin to “hear” him clearly. You can bet I look through a lot of magazines looking for the right guy!
P- Do you like to work in peace and quiet? Or noise?
It all depends on what I’m doing. When I’m writing intently, I usually like some background music. New age, classical, and jazz are all good because they don’t have words in them. When I’m plotting, I usually like silence, or music with words. It’s funny how sometimes I can associate a specific song with a character. In Evelyn, I have found a song that represents Alexander to a T! I’ve also found one that is Claudius’ theme song. Both are new age and have a medieval taste to them.
 F - What do you like to do for fun?
I enjoy gardening and digital photography. Combine the two, and you have a wonderful spring or summer day spent at the Denver Botanic Gardens photographing the beautiful flowers. I also enjoy creating jewellery with natural stones.
A – What has been the most amazing point in your life so far?
I think viewing the scenery on the train trip from Denver to Glenwood Springs, Colorado was pretty amazing to experience.  You can’t see that when travelling in a car.
Visiting the monument in Pearl Harbour, and the cemetery at the Punch Bowl on Oahu were both amazing. It was an honour to, for a time; share the same space as the brave crew of the Arizona.  The Punch Bowl is a beautiful place, fitting for the souls it hold. Besides, just being inside an extinct volcano was pretty amazing.
I will also say November 15, 2011 was full of amazing things. It was the release day of my novella Evelyn in the Finding Ms. Wright anthology. That was pretty amazing! 
All of these things have taken my breath away and made me sit in awe, but for many different reasons.
I – What is your favourite musical instrument and why?
I’d say the guitar, because there is so much you can do with it, and so many different sounds that it is capable of producing. Think about flamenco music, and then compare it to you favourite heavy metal or country band. Each type of music uses the same wood and strings, but the hands and mind of the one who wields it gives each a completely different interpretation. What an amazing instrument.
R – Do you like reality shows?
No – not really. There is little to no reality in reality shows. I’d prefer a good documentary if I want to see some real life.
Y – What is your favourite memory from your youth or childhood?
Being in the mountains, camping and/or fishing on a summer morning with my family is a biggie. Snuggling up to my Dad when I was a child, or being held by my Mom comes a close second.

Lori’s love of reading has transcended to include penning her own tales of romance. She is experimenting with writing in several different genres, including paranormal – a definite favorite. “There is just so much you can do when you step outside the known world,” she explains “and creating a paranormal story allows you to take yourself and your readers anywhere your imagination wants to go!” Her debut novella, Evelyn, will be published as part of the Finding Ms. Wright: Three Tales of Extraordinary Love anthology available from 5 Prince Publishing .

Sunday 13 November 2011

Interview with Aubrie Dionne

Hello and welcome to our world, Aubrie Dionne. As we live in an enchanted forest and we are magical folk, let us transport you to another world for your interview today. Tell us where you would like to go and why. It could be another time or a setting that is special to you. Just say the word and we are there…….
I’ve always wanted to go to the spaceport on Tatooine, the desert planet in Star Wars. We’ll need some good bodyguards, though, because the bar can get kinda rowdy. 
Now that we are sitting in your special place, we have a few impish questions to ask of you.
B – How do you carry out your background research?
I google everything from planet and star names to space terms, such as a quasar. I ask people questions like: How would a ship the size of a small city land in the ocean of another planet. Usually they look at me kinda funny, but then they give me ideas in their answers.
O – Do you ever obsess over your work?
Um…yes. I think you have to obsess to a certain extent in order to get it done. There were many nights where I sacrificed American Idol, playing spider solitaire, or sleep to get in my word count.

O – From a writing point of view, what has been your most memorable occasion?
I think getting an agent was a big one for me. When I first started writing, I had no idea what a literary agent was. After reading several blogs online, I soon figured out that it was a big deal to have one, and that certain larger publishers won’t even look at your work if you don’t.

It took querying four books at about 100 queries each to find Dawn Dowdle at Blue Ridge. Thank goodness she liked the first three chapters of Paradise 21!

K- Of all the kisses you have ever written about, which is your favourite and why? 
When Aries first kisses Striker is pretty steamy. She’s never kissed a man before, and he’s trying to recover from a bad choice in love. So, it’s two people coming together from very different worlds.
I – What would you say is the most important thing to consider before starting to write a book?
If it’s your first book, it probably won’t be published, or at least not by a big publisher. You have to write many books to perfect the craft of writing, like playing an instrument, or learning a new language. The whole process takes time. Years. Maybe even a decade.
I thought I’d write one book and be the next J K Rowling. Boy was I wrong. Four  books and six years later I’m finally reaching a successful point in my writing career.

M – How do you plot your male characters? Are they based on people you know or your ideal man? Do you have physical or mental pictures of your male characters?
I pictured Clive Owen for Striker, my main character. Don’t tell him, though, because I’d never be able to actually talk to him or meet him in real life. No way.
I’m a very girly girl, so writing manly characters is not my forte. I had to work at it. I watched a lot of manly shows like Rocky and Terminator to get a feel for the lack of words men use and their strange way of hiding their true feelings.

P- Do you prefer to write from the male or female point of view?

Female, of course!
 F - What do you like to do for fun?
I actually turned what I like to do for fun into a career. Twice. I teach flute and write for a living, so both of my careers are fun. Sometimes they’re not, (Like when a flute student hasn’t practiced in a month, or when I’m stuck on a plot point) but at least I enjoy what I’m doing most of the time.
A – What is the most adventurous thing you have ever done?
I’m only adventurous in my head. *hides face* I actually don’t do anything adventurous. The two things that I’ve done that took the most courage were standing up in front of the orchestra to play a Mozart concerto, and sending out my books into the public.

I – What is your favourite musical instrument and why?
Well that one’s easy. I’m a professional flutist.

R – What genre of books do you like to read the most?
Science fiction and fantasy. I like to travel to other worlds. The more different than our own, the better!
Y – What is your favourite memory from your youth or childhood?
I used to play pretend outside with my sister and the boy next door, who shall remain nameless for his own benefit! We used the swing set as a space ship, and we’d act out all of the original Star Wars movies. My sister and I always fought over who’d be Princess Leia!
 Follow the link to buy Paradise 21   
Blurb:
Aries has lived her entire life aboard mankind’s last hope, the New Dawn, a spaceship traveling toward a planet where humanity can begin anew—a planet that won’t be reached in Aries’ lifetime. As one of the last genetically desirable women in the universe, she must marry her designated genetic match and produce the next generation for this centuries-long voyage.
But Aries has other plans.

When her desperate escape from the New Dawn strands her on a desert planet, Aries discovers the rumors about pirates—humans who escaped Earth before its demise—are true. Handsome, genetically imperfect Striker possesses the freedom Aries envies, and the two connect on a level she never thought possible. But pursued by her match from above and hunted by the planet’s native inhabitants, Aries quickly learns her freedom will come at a hefty price.
The life of the man she loves.

Thank you for the fantastic interview!!!



Tuesday 20 September 2011

Welcome

There is nothing better in life than a good book and we fairies love good books. Here you'll find reviews and interviews from authors all over the world. We look forward to sharing our love of books with you and inspiring you to read them too.