Thomas A. Knight

This week's interview is with Thomas A. Knight who is celebrating the release of his debut novel: The Time Weaver.

You can find out more about Thomas and his efforts Here

And you can buy The Time Weaver for Kindle Here

TAS: Let's get the plug out of the way.  Tell us a little bit about the project you are currently promoting - who will be interested and why?

TAK: The Time Weaver is about an unlikely hero, an ordinary guy working an ordinary job in a small town in Iowa. When he gets in a car accident one day on his way home, that's when things get weird. The accident should have killed him, but instead, time stops, and he is left scared and confused, wandering through his frozen town. But he's not the only one who's noticed the anomaly in the flow of time, and two sides of a conflict in a parallel world send somebody to retrieve Seth and take him back to their world, believing that he is the last of a race that can control time. That's where Seth's adventures really begin, when he enters the world of Galadir and discovers that it was he that stopped time and he must learn to control his powers and fight in order to save a kingdom from annihilation. The story is action packed, and should appeal to gamers, role-players and all types of sci-fi and fantasy fans everywhere.

TAS: What aspects of being an author do you most enjoy?

TAK: Being able to enter my world, to live and breath the sights and sounds, to create new and interesting races, people and places. You can sit down and read a book, and get into the story, and even experience it to an extent. But until you've created it for yourself, you can never truly understand what it's like. There's a certain divinity to it, to the creation of all things in my worlds, but at the same time, some of it takes on a life of its own, and its really interesting to see how it grows and flourishes, or withers and dies.

TAS: What aspects of being an author do you least enjoy?

TAK: Losing a much loved character. It takes a lot of time and effort to bring a character to life, and sometimes those characters have accidents, or they do silly things, or sacrifice themselves in truly selfless acts for the greater good. But whatever the reason, it hurts each time I have to say goodbye to one of them. They may only be words on paper, but each one represents an act of imagination, of creation, a personality and almost a living breathing thing. It's tough to let go of them.

TAS: What moment as an author have you experienced that you are likely to remember 20 years from now (good or bad)?

TAK: The moment I wrote the last words in the first draft of my first book. It was a moment of triumph for me, representing hundreds of hours of time and effort, of struggle to get through the hard parts, and breezing through the easy parts. There was a certain finality to it, to suddenly realize that I'd written 108,200 words and completed a book.

TAS: What bad habits do you have when it comes to writing/promoting your books and/or what do you wish you could do better?

TAK: I don't think I've developed what I would call habits yet. I have a tendency when I'm writing to repeat the same words or phrases numerous times. This is something I work on cleaning up during editing, and something that my wonderful test readers are very enthusiastic to point out when I do it.

TAS: Do you have any authors that you try to emulate? Why or why not?

TAK: J. Robert King is one of my favourite authors, with his action driven books. I would very much like to be able to write like him.

TAS: Do you have clear 'heroes' and 'villains' in your stories or are the lines more blurred?  Why do you choose that route?

TAK: In The Time Weaver, the sides were clearly defined, which made it a pretty easy book to write. But this is not a set-in-stone style of mine, just how it came out for that book. In the sequel (which I'm currently working on) the lines get a little more blurred as to who is doing the right and wrong. I don't think it will be who you expect it to be.

TAS: Do you have any pet peeves related to writing? Are there any things that other authors do that drive you crazy?

TAK: I don't think I could define it exactly, but things that jar me out of the story really bug me. Like, I'm reading along, totally engrossed with visuals in my head, and then something happens, or the way the author wrote something totally disrupts the scene. It's the kind of thing that makes me want to put the book down.

TAS: What's the greatest thing you can realistically imagine happening as a result of your writing? How likely do you think that is to actually happen?

TAK: The greatest thing? The sky's the limit? Being able to do my writing as a full-time job. Not that I don't enjoy my day-job, but everyone's gotta dream right? Being able to write full-time and get paid for it, that would be pretty cool.

TAS: Tell us about the most interesting thing you’ve ever eaten.

TAK: Wow, I've eaten some interesting stuff. Snails? Sautéd in a garlic butter sauce, and served on crackers. If you can get past the “biting down on an eyeball” feeling, they are actually quite good. :)

TAS: If you knew you would be trapped in an elevator for a couple hours and you could choose any living person to be trapped in there with you, who would it be and why?

TAK: Stephen King. The man is a genius, and I'm sure the last thing he wants to do is talk writing with a no-namer like me for a couple hours in an elevator, but it would be the chance of a lifetime to just sit and chat with a legend.

TAS: If you could have any super-power, what would you choose and why?

TAK: The ability to control time would be very cool to have. But I'm biased, because I just wrote a book about a guy that can do just that. So often I find myself stressed because I don't have the time to get everything done that I'd like to get done. Having the ability to slow time down and give myself some extra time to do that kind of stuff would be great.

TAS: Would you cut off your right leg for $500,000?

TAK: Well, considering that my day-job is software development, and I write on the side of that, I don't use my right leg that much. $500,000 would pretty much secure my future, so I would have to say yes.

Johanna Garth

This week's interview is with up-and-coming author Johana Garth.  Johanna's great debut novel, Losing Beauty is just out in paperback and available at Amazon .  You can also get if for  Kindle or buy a signed copy from  Fantasy Island Book Publishing .  Please also check out her blog here .

Losing Beauty is the first book in the Persephone Campbell series and has been getting some great press.  You can read reviews:  here, here, and here.

TAS: Let's get the plug out of the way.  Tell us a little bit about Losing Beauty - who will be interested and why? 

JG: Losing Beauty is a modern retelling of the Greek myth of Persephone and Hades.  The people who are the most gaga over it seem to be smart women, thirty and over.   I think part of the book’s appeal for this demographic is that it’s a fun, quick read that still feels substantive.

TAS: What aspects of being an author do you most enjoy? 

JG: Uhh, the writing!  Just kidding!  On second thought…I’m serious.  I really do love the writing the best.

TAS: What aspects of being an author do you least enjoy?

JG: The writing.  Oops, that was my answer to the last question.  There’s only a thin line between love and hate and that’s precisely how I feel about writing.  On any given day I can be on either side of the fence. 

TAS: What moment as an author have you experienced that you are likely to remember 20 years from now (good or bad)?

JG: The first time I saw the cover.  All of a sudden Losing Beauty went from a bunch of sentences that I’d written down, to a real live book.  The cover kind of took my breath away, and I want to give props to the extremely talented cover designer and writer, Ceri Clark, who designed it.

TAS: What bad habits do you have when it comes to writing/promoting your books and/or what do you wish you could do better?

JG: Really, Gary?  You want me to share my bad habits??  Okay, they’re numerous but here goes.  Easily distracted/snacks while writing/spends too much time on Twitter/quits writing when I’ve hit my word goal instead of when I’ve followed an idea to its logical conclusion/spends too much time on Facebook and Google+/answers the phone when my friends call.

If I could pick just one thing to change, it would be the first one.  Sometimes I feel like a kitten chasing any piece of string that happens to pass in my line of vision.

TAS: Do you have any authors that you try to emulate?  Why or why not?

JG: When I first started writing I wanted to be a modern-day Colette (without the husband locking me in the attic until I finished my book business).  That goal hasn’t changed.  She was, and is, an accessible writer who explores the human condition in a way that entertains and amuses.  She’s totally my heroine and the Claudine Stories are some of my favorite books of all time.

TAS: How important do you think a cover is to a book?

JG: Ridiculously important!  I tell my kids they should always try to look clean and neat but a book cover has to do even more.  It has to make you want to pick it up.  Once a potential reader picks it up or clicks on it to read the book blurb you’ve already achieved a certain measure of success.

TAS: Would you paint your web-site on your chest and streak the Superbowl if you KNEW it would make your book a smash hit?

JG: Oh my goodness!  You’re asking me a Superbowl question?  I have trouble differentiating between basketball and baseball and you give me a sports question? J   I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t streak but I might be open to a preconceived ‘wardrobe malfunction’.

TAS: Have you ever changed the way you worded something you were writing because you weren't sure the grammatically correct way to say it as originally imagined?

JG: All the time.  I think that’s what people mean when they say one of the biggest challenges of writing is technical.

TAS: Tell us about the most interesting person you’ve ever met.

JG: My French ex-boyfriend’s mother, she taught me about subtlety and how to make a kick-ass vinaigrette. 

TAS: What city that you've visited has the most interesting food?  Tell us more. 

JG: I lived in New York City for a long time and it’s hard to beat for interesting food.  You can go to Queens and get amazing Greek, Chinese or Italian.  In Manhattan you have everything from world class restaurants to little holes in wall where the cooking and serving are done by someone’s Russian grandmother.   My favorite thing about eating in NYC is there’s always that great feeling of conquest when you find a place that is undiscovered.

TAS: Tell us about a guilty pleasure.

JG: Cheetos.  I hadn’t had them in fifteen years.  I tried one the other day and now they’re all I can think about.

TAS: If you were, literally, the last person on earth, what would you do?  Would you go on?

JG: That’s such a sad question and it makes me think of Cormac McCarthy’s book, The Road.   That book ruined my life for at least three weeks.  Hopefully, my last person on earth situation would be more like a Disney film, and I would find a bunch of happy bunnies and tweeting birds to keep me company.

Jacqueline Hopkins

This week's author is Jacqueline Hopkins.  Her first  book is Wilderness Heart -  A contemporary Romance set in the Idaho Wilderness.  She is currently busy working on a serial killer thriller, a murder mystery and a fictional mainstream set in Alaska.

You can buy Wilderness Heart in paperback HERE or as an eBook in a number of formats including but not limited to:  Amazon  Smashwords  Sony  iTunes  Diesel  Barnes & Noble  Xin Xii

And as a special offer in celebration of her Birthday on July 7th, Jacqueline is offering her book for only $0.99 throughout the month of July.  Just go to the Smashwords link and use coupon code GT64D for a free copy in the format of your choice.  And please share that link and code with your friends. 

TAS: Let's get the plug out of the way. Tell us a little bit about the project you are currently promoting - who will be interested and why?

JH: Well I hope everyone would be interested to read Wilderness Heart but since it is a contemporary romance, probably only women will be interested in it. Although, I do have to say the first purchase and review I received on Amazon was from a man and he said he quite liked it.

TAS: What aspects of being an author do you most enjoy?

JH: Seeing my words in the printed book, holding it in my hands, seeing my name on the cover, knowing people enjoy and like what I have written.

TAS: What aspects of being an author do you least enjoy?

JH: Seems everyone says promoting...and I have to agree with them. It is very hard work and it takes away from your writing, but if you want to sell more books, you have to get your books and yourself out there.

TAS: What moment as an author have you experienced that you are likely to remember 20 years from now (good or bad)?

JH: Holding my first proof, the printed book, in my hands and seeing my name on the front cover. That was very exciting and something I will treasure always.

TAS: What bad habits do you have when it comes to writing/promoting your books and/or what do you wish you could do better?

JH: Bad habits...hmmmm...I procrastinate until I put myself under pressure...but perhaps that is not a bad thing. It forces me to write if I give myself a deadline. I wish I could better market myself, either with more writing on my blog or learning those darn hash tags on twitter and what they are for and mean.

TAS: Do you have any moments or anecdotes that led you to want to be an author?

JH: No, I can't say there are any...at least none that I remember. My parents were a great example to me to want to and like to read. I love to read, but when I am writing, it is hard for me to read.

TAS: Do you write books that are part of a series or stand-alone? Why have you chosen as you have?

JH: Probably stand-alone because I am not sure I could come up with a sequel to a book, although my current thriller wip could be part of a series if I used the main character and put her in my murder mystery and then in the fictional mainstream. I've thought of that, but not sure if I will do it.

TAS: Have you ever written something that made you cringe to imagine your children/parents/significant other reading it? If so, tell us more.

JH: Well, yes...Wilderness Heart has about 3 really major love scenes and I thought it would be hard for me to have my kids, parents and friends read it and look at me differently. My daughter said she loved it as did my friends...they are suppose to say that, right, lol...But I had another gentleman read it from my office. Actually, I am the only female in my office and they were teasing about the love scenes when I first told them I published it. The one who read it said they were pretty steamy. Don't know his definition of 'steamy' but he did say he had to hide it from his 13 year old boy. Three out of the five men in the office bought the book...for their wives.

TAS: Have you ever changed the way you worded something you were writing because you weren't sure the grammatically correct way to say it as originally imagined?

JH: Oh, sure all the time. I still do it and will probably always do it. It has to be right and I hope I chose the right way in the end. But at work, I have the Chicago Manual Style of Writing close by, and at home I am a member of it online, so it is close as my mouse clicks and fingertips.

TAS: What's your favorite all-time cartoon, and when is the last time you saw it?

JH: That's a hard one...but probably Tom and Jerry and probably the last time I watched it was with my grandson, Aden when he was 2, and now soon to be 6 in couple of months.

TAS: Tell us about the area you live and what makes it unique (good or bad).

JH: I could write a book on Sitka. It is beautiful. We are right on the ocean with mountains right behind us. We have about 14 miles of road with the town in the middle and it is only about 1.5 miles wide. Only way here is by boat or plane, and the weather is like Seattle. We have lots of great fishing and it is a super place for settings in a novel. Only draw back is that the population is less than 9,000 so everyone knows everybody and what they are doing, and only one book store so hard to hold a book signing.

TAS: Tell us about an embarrassing moment.

JH: You know I am sure there were lots of them, and if you asked my friends and family, they could probably tell you about some, but I must not have been that embarrassed because I honestly can't even remember a one...I know boring, huh?

TAS: If you were going to be locked in a room and watch one of three shows for 24 hours solid, which would you choose: Gilligan's Island, Starsky and Hutch or the Love Boat?

JH: Gilligan's Island, of course. I love island shows, movies, the life style. I lived in Hawaii during my ex-husband's last duty station from 1988 to 1990, my daughter was born there in 1989 and I could certainly live there again. In January, I took my daughter back there so she could see where she was born...in the big pink Army hospital on the hill and we would definitely love to retire there, so Gilligan's Island would be fine. Besides, I used to watch it a lot when growing up.

Alison DeLuca

Hello and welcome to The Author's Studio!  This site will be devoted to Author interviews and ONLY author interviews.  You won't have to read my thoughts on proper use of the semicolon between interviews . . . which will not only be good for you, but it will be good for me as well.  (Just between you and me, I don't really have any thoughts on the proper use of the semicolon)


I'd like to make this a fun place to get to know authors, so some questions will be a little quirky and designed to get the author and readers thinking outside the bounds of typical interview questions.  I won't spend much time on details that will be available in bios and from other sources but rather include links so readers can look into those details on their own ( and I'd encourage them to do so ).


Our first guest is Alison DeLuca - author of  The Night Watchman Express, an excellent book which I have had the privilege of reading.





You can buy The Night Watchman Express at:


Amazon 


and


Barnes & Noble


And check out Alison's Blog: Fresh Pot of Tea


TAS: Let's get the plug out of the way.  Tell us a little bit about your book - who will be interested and why?


AD: The Night Watchman Express is steampunk Fantasy for 12 – 15 year olds, although a lot of adults are reading it and telling me they love the book. Anyone who love loads of adventure and a little bit of romance and magic will enjoy it.

TAS: What aspects of being an author do you most enjoy?

AD: I love the actual writing. When I am in the zone, it’s as though I’m watching a movie and merely transcribing it as quickly as possible. I also love the camaraderie with other authors.

TAS: What aspects of being an author do you least enjoy?

AD: I really enjoy every part. I suppose, though, that the “shameless promotion” part is a bit foreign to my nature. Authors don’t make very good sales people, but as Indie authors we have to be that way.
  
TAS: What moment as an author have you experienced that you are likely to remember 20 years from now (good or bad)?

AD: Definitely it was the moment J Darroll Hall put my book up on Amazon. I suddenly realized that people all over the world could get and read words I had written. It was a terrifying, exhilarating moment.

TAS: What bad habits do you have when it comes to writing/promoting your books and/or what do you wish you could do better?

AD: I get distracted by social media. I love to see what’s going on in Twitter and Facebook – it’s my biggest downfall.

TAS: What is your favorite book and why?

AD:  Jane Eyre. I have read it at least thirty times – probably more – and I honestly find something new in it every time I read it.

TAS: Do you have any moments or anecdotes that led you to want to be an author?

AD: As a child I spent long summers in Ireland without a TV. My sister and cousins and I got very proficient at amusing ourselves by creating stories and adventures. It became second nature to imagine a new world or an exciting adventure.

TAS: Do you have any pet-peeves related to writing?  Are there any things that other authors do that drive you crazy?

AD: Ah, no. It’s difficult enough to be a writer – I believe we all have to stick together.

TAS: Would you paint your web-site on your back and streak the Superbowl if you KNEW it would make your book a smash hit?

AD:  Damn straight I would, although the front row might want to be careful. As a fifty year old I need “support” if you know what I mean.

TAS: Tell us about the most interesting place you’ve ever been.

AD: The Alhambra in Spain is amazing. It’s like being in a fantasy novel when you’re there. The Moorish kings created the palace and a system of water irrigation and fountains fed by the melting snow from the mountains.

TAS: Is there anything that you look forward to that gets you through a tough day?

AD: Seeing my daughter’s face!

TAS: If you could have any super-power, what would you choose and why?

AD: The ability to create a fresh cup of tea at will, I think. Plus, if I can cheat and have another, the ability to go without sleep. Then I wouldn’t need the tea, so it all works out!

TAS: Have you ever stolen anything?  Can you elaborate?

AD: My daughter did once nick a packet of seeds from a grocery store. She was three at the time, and having a meltdown. I had just dragged her out of the store, yelling her head off, so I was too cowardly to go back with a screaming child. Result: nice fresh daisies by my house.