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Welcome to my place in the blogosphere!
feel free to explore the Flight Deck and check out my books and website.
Then fasten your seatbelts, sip a glass of something sparkling and let's chat awhile!
I hope you'll stop by again for guest authors and spotlights from time to time.

Beloved Enemy joined Starquest and Children of the Mist to continue the Destiny Trilogy and I'm thrilled to announce was shortlisted for the R.N.A. RoNA Awards 2017, awarded 2nd Runner up in the RONE Awards 2017 and was the winner in the SF/Fantasy category of the 'Best Banter Contest'.

Showing posts with label Interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Interview. Show all posts

Wednesday 5 August 2020

Interview of Chat & Spin Radio

Earlier this week (Monday August 3rd) I had an interview on 'Chat and Spin radio' This is a UK internet based radio station and they're very supportive of authors, writers etc.

You can hear my interview here:

(It starts at approx. 35.15 on the scale, immediately after the strains of Manna Manna (Remember the Muppets? 😄 )

If you'd like an interview yourself, this is the message they would like me to share with my fellow authors:

"Chat And Spin Radio is an Internet Radio Station based in the UK.
We Broadcast to half a million UK & International Listeners per week 24/7.
We are looking for Book Authors, Writers, Artists, Illustrators, Businesses & Charities to come on the Radio Station over the Phone or by Skype / Facebook FREE PUBLICITY PROMOTION to get out to our Listeners while on Lockdown.
Please email IAN JOHNSON on chatandspin@gmail.com for more information.






For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! I also promise that I never have and never will share your information or email address with anyone or any organisation.  http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join

Sunday 19 May 2019

Fresh off the Starship


I'm delighted to welcome Ann Crawford to the Flight Deck today, to tell us some more about herself and her book Fresh Off The Starship - a romantic comedy, which as it says on the cover is 'out of this world' - so appropriate for this blog, don't you think! 😊


HL: . OK, I just have to ask you AnnWhere did the idea for the book come from
AC: I moved to Kansas—from the Northern California coast and after growing up in New York—thirteen years ago to marry my husband and be a stepmom to his two wonderful kids. I’d been through Kansas a few times as I crisscrossed the country over the years. He grew up halftime in Wichita and halftime on a farm in Western Kansas. When he took me out there, I fell in love with the people and the land. When I would tell people from big cities and the coasts that I was living in Kansas, they’d roll their eyes—like I probably used to (oops!). So I wanted to celebrate these people and the land as well as delve into some of the issues they experience there, as many places do. I wanted to show these Kansas folks’ depth, sincerity, and wisdom—they’re definitely not the bunch of “hicks” so many may think.

Also, I heard a line from the movie Starman many years ago: something along the lines of “You humans are at your best when you’re at (facing) your worst.” I’ve wanted to create my own starbeing for decades and have to look through her eyes to see how beautiful we humans can be and how amazing life on Earth is. It was really fun to have to imagine taking a sip of water for the first time as well as the many other fun—and far more exciting—things humans engage in.

HL:  I love it! So often Science Fiction and Fantasy is seen from the human perspective, this sounds like such fun. How long did it take to write?

AC: This book took only 5 months to write AND publish! My writing often includes speaking into the Notes feature on my iPhone, and I probably spoke about half the book into my phone as I was driving back and forth across Kansas over two nights on either side of a weekend conference farther east. It’d been in the back of my mind for so long that it just came out. And that magical night on the side of the highway, that Matt and Missy have in the book and which is based on something that actually happened, certainly helped.

HL: When did you start writing?

AC: Oh, age 3 or so. 😊 As I was growing up, sometimes I looked at my childhood books that my mom read to me, I saw that I’d written in them, trying to continue the story!

HL:  LOL, been there myself! :) What do you do for fun when not writing?

AC: OMG, I look like such a mild-mannered author and all, but I do a lot of wild-and-crazy things…I can fly a plane…I go scuba diving…I travel—a LOT (70 countries and counting, plus all 50 states). My favorite thing of all, though, is to just sit on a balcony overlooking the ocean, in a tropical setting. Reading and movies are two big loves, too.

HL:   Wow what an exciting life you have! So what comes first: the plot or the characters?

AC: The characters! They can get quite rowdy in my head. 

HL:   Yes, I can relate to that one too,. Sometimes the only way to shut characters up is to write about them! 😏If someone were to play one of your characters in a movie, which character and what actor would it be and why?

AC: I think Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper would make a GREAT Missy and another-character-to-remain-unnamed here (don’t want to spoil it).

HL:  Have you a favourite actor/hunk? If you’ve answered question 6 would this be the same person?

AC: I have a major thing for Aquaman. My husband is growing out a beard and looks like a sea captain or Poseidon or someone along those lines. Last night I said to him, “You look like Aquaman’s dad!” Knowing what a big thing I have for Jason Momoa, he said, “Wow! That’s a HUGE compliment!”

Actually, Jason would make a great character-to-remain-unnamed, too. 

HL:  Intriguing! What’s you’re writing process? Has it changed since writing your first book?

AC: I have a writing “nest” – a comfy sofa that faces out a window where I have a view of a grove of trees and a beautiful garden. I have a desk, too, but I never seem to write there. I put my laptop on a huge, thick cushion on my legs, and I’m more comfortable than at a desk plus my posture is better. I’ve written five books on that sofa. Oliver, our parrot, is right next to me enjoying the view, too, along with some neck scratches when I’m taking a break.

I generally meditate right after breakfast and then write. I spend the afternoons doing things like marketing work (which can be endless) and recording audiobooks, which is REALLY big fun. I had no idea it’d be so much fun for me. I’m converting a couple of my books into screenplays and that sure takes a while, too.

My writing process has changed over the years, especially since I’ve started writing full time. When I had a day job, I pretty much just wrote on Sundays. Then I started writing for an hour each weekday very early in the morning, before work started. I’m so grateful I can spend my whole mornings writing now—and even have Sundays to chill!

HL:   Do you listen to music when you write and if so, what kind of music – or do you find it distracts you?

AC: I develop a new music playlist for every book…and after a little while it’s Pavlovian: as soon as I turn on the music, I’m in the world of the book. Even now, if I hear a song from, for example, the Angels on Overtime playlist, I’m back in the mountains of Idaho.

HL:   What is your personal definition of success?

AC: Winning the lottery and not changing a thing about my life—how I spend my days, what I do, where I live, being able to touch lives…in other words, already doing and having all those things. I’m getting there!


HL:   Is there any advice, as a new writer, that you were either given, or wish you had been given?

AC: Keep writing! Show up to, as the adage goes, “put the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair” at a pre-arranged, uninterruptable time every workday, and the book will get written. Even if you have only fifteen minutes a day, little by little a book can get done.

Some writers are plotters, where they outline and pre-arrange the book before writing it. I’m definitely not one of them. I write whatever wants to be written that day and then tie those pieces together.

For me the most important thing is being open to the music from the muse and the changes it might bring. I once said to a screenwriting professor that my writing surprises me sometimes. “You mean you say, ‘I can’t believe I just wrote that?’” she asked. The class laughed, and so did I. But…well…yes, I do mean that, LOL.

HL:   If you were an animal, which one do you think you would be, and why?

AC: A dolphin! I’m such an ocean person and they are such amazingly happy, playful, beautiful beings. I had the opportunity to swim with them in the wild, off the coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. That was one of the highlights of my life. 

HL: Oh, brilliant choice! I love dolphins too, but I can only dream of swimming with them. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us today, and wishing you much success with this book - it's on my Kindle and I can't wait to read it!



BLURB:

Love to laugh? You'll enjoy this feel-good tale.

A starbeing skyrockets to Earth from the other side of forever with a specific assignment: to help steer humanity away from the collision course it's on. But we all know how travel can get drastically diverted--instead of landing in Washington, D.C., where she could assist on a grand geopolitical scale, she ends up in...Kansas!

Wrong place, right time? Join our shero on this whimsical journey as she pursues her purpose as well as discovers the beauty of life and love on Earth.



EXCERPT
Matt hands her a large drink with a little mountain of fluffy white stuff on top, with stripes of brown dripping down the mountainsides.

“Here, got you extra whipped cream and lots of car’mul on top, just the way you like it.”

Missy takes a lick of the whipped cream and her eyes go wide. “Oh!”

“Well, yer not supposed to lick it like an ice-cream cone. Sip it.”

She does and then slaps her hand on the table.

“Missy! You okay?”

“Oh, my! How can you beings ever complain about anything?”

“How’s that now?”

“Nothing.” She takes another sip and moans again. Several customers seated nearby look over at her.

“Missy, sweetheart, can you calm yourself a bit?”

She takes a bite of the round treat on a stick he’d set down by her. The moans escalate.

“Geez,” Matt says, trying to sink farther into his seat, “I feel like I’m straight out of
When Harry Met Sally.”

“Who’s Harry? Who’s Sally?”

“The main characters in one of yer favorite movies. You made me watch it at least half a dozen times.”

She takes another sip and bite. The moans escalate even more. By this time everyone in the café is looking at her.

“Missy! Perhaps we should eat these in the car.”

“Wherever you want!”

The customers in the café receive one more rendition of “Ohhhhhhhh!” as Matt leads her out the door and she takes another sip of her drink.

Okay, maybe it’s not thaaaat bad here.

AUTHOR BIO

I'm a fun-loving, world-traveling, high-flying, deep-diving, and living-to-the-max author of eight books. When I'm not flying planes, scuba diving, climbing every mountain (on the back of my husband’s motorcycle) or riding the world’s fastest roller coasters, you can find me in my writing nest with a view of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains out the window. I've lived all over--from both oceans white with foam, to the prairie, and now to the mountain. Yes, a little backwards, but what the hey.

My bestselling and award-winning novels go as high and deep as I do—they’re profound yet funny; playful although poignant; heart-opening and heart-lifting; thought-provoking and inspiring; and edgy while universal. I'm also a screenwriter and award-winning filmmaker and humanitarian.

Social Media & Book Links
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest
LinkedIn
Amazon
Goodreads
Book link:

The book will be on sale for only $0.99.


Ann Crawford will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 Rafflecopter giveaway



Follow the tour HERE - the more blogs you comment on, the more chances you have of winning!








For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! I also promise that I never have and never will share your information or email address with anyone or any organisation.  http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join

Wednesday 12 December 2018

Eileen Troemel Author of the Wayfarer Series

I'm really pleased to welcome Eileen Troemel to the Flight Deck today, to tell us more about her writing and her Wayfarer Series.

I just have to ask this, Elieen - what do you do for fun when not writing?  

Crochet - I'm a nut about this.  I've crocheted since I was 12 and usually ended up making my own pattern.  This led to me publishing these patterns. 

I used to enjoy crocheting too - but now I don't have time, unfortunately, but I've checked out your patterns and they're gorgeous.

When did you start writing?  
I was eight and in third grade the first time I wrote a story.  I always wanted to do something with writing but was too practical to jump in when I was young to be a writer.  I wrote up until I had children and then I was busy with kids - three of them in five years.  As my kids grew up, I realized I was missing something.  I started journalling again which led to poetry and short stories and then working on a book.  This started in my late 30s.  I wrote essays, articles, poetry and worked on a novel.

What comes first: the plot or the characters?  
It depends on the story.  With my Wayfarer series, my daughter picked the setting (space adventure) and I picked the character.  The opening scene with Adara getting ready for an interview - that is exactly how I saw it in my head before I started writing.  Other books start based on a concept - Dragon Lord's Mate for instance - the question in my head was how would the raider society which was prevalent in ancient times handle life if they stopped raiding but still went out each spring to "raid" or find their mates. 

Tell us about your latest release and what you think readers will enjoy about it
      Wayfarer Resolve is book 18 in the Wayfarer series.  Without giving away too much, Adara has come to a point in her life where her personal stuff is on track and she's comfortable with her mate Decker and her growing family.  But she's not comfortable with her role in the Wayfarer community.  In this book, she stops second guessing herself and steps up to the roles she's in.  It's about her being a strong woman but also about accepting the changes the Wayfarer community has gone through and what is key and vital to them. 

So, if someone were to play one your characters in a movie, which character and actor would it be and why?  
    Hugh Jackman as Decker in Wayfarer.  He has the stature and the presence to fit into the character.  Emma Watson or Bonnie Wright to play Adara.  Young and naïve.  I think either could tackle the diversity of the things Adara goes through from enduring torture to being a loving caring person.   

Great choices! Have you a favourite actor/hunk?  If you’ve answered question 7 would this be the same guy?  

John Wayne.  I grew up watching him and LOVE his movies - well not always the female roles in them but they were mostly produced before the sexual revolution.  Harrison Ford, Tom Sellect, Sam Elliot - they are all yummy. 

Oh yes, I'm a fan of John Wayne too! 
What have you learned about writing since you were published that surprised you the most?  
Once your book is published the work really begins.  As a self-published author, I publish my books but I can't just let them hang out there in the hopes someone will find them.  I've had to work at marketing while balancing cost versus gain or return on investment.  It's not just "Look I'm an AUTHOR"  It's how do you attract your readers. 

Isn't that the truth though! What’s you’re writing process? Has it changed since writing your first book? 
Most often my stories start with a scene or character.  I don't plot out my stories.  I write.  The characters tell me their story.  If they go quiet, I need to stop writing their story and move on to another.  I often have two or three stories going at once.  I work a day job so my writing is mostly at night after husband and daughter go to bed.  I work from 8 - 4 at my day job, come home to spend time with my people.  They are usually away from me by 7ish and then I write, edit, and crochet.  I'm usually up till midnight.  There is usually one light on in the house and a laptop on my lap while I work through whatever manuscript is in my head (or editing…)  When I finish a manuscript I have beta readers I send to.  Unless something nudges me, I'll let the manuscript sit until I get responses from my beta readers.  Next is the start of editing (or hacking apart and rebuilding my story).  First step is to do a spelling and grammar check along with searches for words I know I over use.  I add page numbers (or try to remember to and am annoyed when I print without them).  Then I do an actual paper edit.  This can be a quick process if the writing process was smooth and easy.  OR it can be a matter of hacking things apart and rebuilding the story because it needs it.  If I've done a lot of rewriting, I'll do a second paper edit and repeat as needed.

 Do you listen to music when you write and if so, what kind of music – or do you find it  distracts you?  
Classical or Celtic music - no lyrics or singing.  It becomes background noise if I'm really in writing mode.

I love Celtic and Classic music too - although I don't find lyrics too distracting as long as I have the volume low.  Do you have a support system? Do you have a writing community? What valuable lessons have you learned from them? 
    Some of my family have been supportive.  My oldest daughter is really good at talking through plot points with me.  My middle daughter is really good at making me see multiple options when I get stuck in a cliché.  My youngest daughter is a science oriented person - which I am not - so she is a great reference.  I've not really been part of a writing community until this year.  I've joined a Facebook group and asked advice of more experienced writers. So I'm starting to build my support within the writing community.

What is your personal definition of success? 
I'm not a planner.  I can't give you my one year goals or five year goals.  To me, success as a writer is telling a story that makes the reader laugh, cry, and hate putting the book down.  If I've managed to do that, I've told a successful story. 

What is your favourite source of inspiration?  
Life.  I pull inspiration from almost anything.  While driving to and from Indiana when one of my daughters lived down there, the landscape inspired Wild Magic.  My thoughts were what would it look like after our society fell.  The opening scene in Wild Magic and really the entire landscape in the book incorporates the local area (midwest).  Wayfarer was inspired in part by all the space shows - Star Trek, Star Wars, Lost in Space and others - which I grew up seeing. 

 Is there any advice, as a new writer, that you were either given, or wish you had been given?  
     Write what you like, read what you write, learn - never stop learning.  You need to hone your craft.  I'm self published.  This means I have to be really good at writing, editing, business, graphic design, marketing, and a whole lot more.  It also means you have to play to your strengths and know when you're going to have to pay for other services.

 What sort of research do you do for your books and what’s your favourite source  of information?  
When I'm sitting in my recliner with my laptop, I have my smart phone right next to me.  I've texted people I know questions (this I like best because I feel like it's a better answer from someone in the field) on accounting, science stuff, and so on.  I've also Googled all sorts of topics. 

 If you were an animal, which one do you think you would be, and why?  
Mythical - dragon   real life animal - panther or a spoiled house cat   Mythical dragon - who doesn't want to be a dragon.  They are powerful and have hoards.  Spoiled house cat?  Well now I tell my girls when I die I plan to come back as one of their spoiled house cats.  They are pampered, waited on, and get to sleep as much as they want.  Plus they cause mischief and don't get into too much trouble - mostly.  

Ah yes, it would be quite awesome to be a dragon! Thanks so much for visiting, today, Eileen, I've loved chatting to you. One more thing, let's show the readers where to find you.


Thank you so much, I’m so happy to have you featured on my blog.



For Readers of this post only - Eileen is giving a free copy of Wayfarer  (code HN95G)and Wayfarer Aegis (code QQ98C) which you can download with the following links:



 Wayfarer: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/473960
and Wayfarer Aegis: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/525847







For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! I also promise that I never have and never will share your information or email address with anyone or any organisation.  http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join


Tuesday 4 April 2017

Do you write naked?

...That was one of the questions I was asked by the lovely Mrs N on the POTL blog today. Find out the answer HERE




For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join Every new subscriber will get a FREEdownload of my fantasy novella 'Dancing With Fate' (If this doesn't arrive within two days just email me at hywelalyn@btinternet.com)

Friday 8 January 2016

Shadows of the Highridge -Interview and #Contest

It's a real thrill to welcome Jay Swanson to the Flight Deck today.

Please help youself to something cool and sparkling, Jay - I hope you don't mind me being informal - and the astro-bot will be along in a moment with some delicious nibbles.  Ok, let's get started with some things I and the readers are dying to know about you:

 HL: Tell us a little more about yourself, with three things not many people know about you.

 JS: Most people probably don’t know that I was totally into zombies as the craze rose, the fervor pitch of which I personally believe was struck with the release of Left 4 Dead. I loved that game, probably played a gazillion hours of it and could still identify the special zombies by sound alone if you asked me to. Don’t stone me for this, but I think zombies are overplayed today. The undead will always remain an interesting aspect of genre fiction, horror, fantasy, what have you, but zombies… eh. I’m over it.
Except in the occasional dream. Then it’s fun again.

 I. Love. Pizza. I love it so much my sister and I got matching pizza tattoos. Don’t believe me? Check my Instagram.

 And for the final bit of trivia: I can’t tell you because it was illegal and I can’t share illegal things on this blog. I can however tell you about the time I convinced a man carrying an AK-47 to let me climb a massive lighting tower in a West-African port. That wasn’t TECHNICALLY illegal, it just required a little convincing on my part. And it was all to impress a girl.
Isn’t it always? She was South African. I love the South African accents, particularly with British inflection or a gentle dusting of Afrikaans.

 HL:  Hm, I think I agree with you about the zombies, LOL.  What fascinating answers. What do you do for fun when not writing?

 JS: You can do stuff for fun and not write? I need to have a conversation with my publiohyeah that’s me. I run a lot, around 20 miles/week or more. That’s more for health than fun though. To be honest, and this is kind of sad to put in writing, I don’t have a ton of fun right now. I just finished a job that required I travel every week. I flew over 100k miles domestically in 2015 (not counting international trips) and spent an average of 20h/week in transit.  To put that in context, I was on an airplane every four days. So… I’m very good at navigating airports. That’s almost like a game, right?
Now that the job is over, I intend to take up rock climbing and probably a video game or three. Oh, and friends. I’m going to have friends again.

 HL: Oh, we all need our friends! :) When did you start writing?

 JS: I wrote my first play when I was in first grade. My class produced it. I found the tape a few years ago and actually remembered writing it. I was (of course) the badass prince wearing purple boots and a cape. Can’t go wrong with any of that.

 HL: What comes first: the plot or the characters?

 JS: Eggs. No, chickens. Actually for me it’s end scenes and emotional payoff. What is it I’m aiming for? What does that climactic scene look like? Then, once I’m cheering or weeping or laughing or soaring, I start asking other questions. Who’s there? Who is required to be there? Who’s missing? Why? What makes this ending worthwhile? What was it that they had to overcome to get here? I build backwards. It’s fun to open with your first line, to craft it and hone it and hook hook hook – but then you’ve gotta end it somewhere, and while not all great beginnings lead to great endings, all great endings can have great beginnings.

 HL: Tell us about your latest release and what you think readers will enjoy about it


JS: Shadows of the Highridge is a book about how we handle grief, tragedy, calamity, and ourselves. This won’t post for some time, but I’m just now leaving Paris in the wake of the attacks that claimed so many lives in the city and national stadium. Having lived through an incident like that myself, I went into my time there understanding that not everyone would react the same. Not everyone sees these things with the same eyes, or comes out with the same emotions (if their minds even permit emotion to pass through so shortly after).

 Shadows of the Highridge explores that, but not in such a heavy-handed fashion. If you enjoyed Tremors (and can survive Kevin Bacon being an upstanding coward instead of a sleazy adventure-seeker) then you’ll really enjoy this book. I should stop bringing Kevin Bacon up in all of these posts. Shadows of the Highridge is fantasy, it’s horror, and there are some laughs along the way. It’s also a really quick and fun read.

 HL: It sounds like a wonderful read! If someone were to play one of your characters in a movie, which character and what actor would it be and why?

 JS: KEVIN BAC Oh wait I promised to stop doing that. A haggard and roughed up Jake Gyllenhaal would make a decent Vanig, although so would that guy with the huge mustache from Tombstone. I just wish we could get Sean Connery from the 80’s back to play Salisir.

 Cate Blanchett would make a great Hellen (Vanig’s epic sister). And get whoever played Gollum to play the worms. All of them.

 HL: (Grin) and I'm sure he'd be honoured! Have you a favourite actor/hunk? If you’ve answered question 6 would this be the same guy?


JS: My favorite actor/hunk would probably be Nathan Fillion, but I haven’t written any major roles that match his charm.

 HL: What have you learned about writing since you were published that surprised you the most?

 JS: While you get better at writing, it doesn’t get any easier. I mean it does in many ways, but the ceiling is ever-rising. I thought I’d write a masterpiece out of the blocks. Ah, my sweet naïve younger self. It’s one of the great joys of the craft and simultaneously one of its most daunting aspects: there is always room to grow.

 HL: What’s you’re writing process? Has it changed since writing your first book?

 JS: Sit, hands on keyboard, music in ears (usually EDM of some variety), and maybe coffee in reach (I only drink the milked-down and sugared up kinds unless it’s straight espresso). My method has changed only in location. I used to write on an old Danish rail ferry converted into a hospital sitting on the coast of western Africa. Now I write primarily on airplanes or in coffee shops (I’m writing this on an airplane over Wichita right now – the view is alright but the dang clouds keep mucking the whole thing up).

 HL: Clouds have a habit of doing that, don't they! You've already answered this really, but I'm going to ask you to elaborate! Do you listen to music when you write and if so, what kind of music – or do you find it distracts you?

 JS: Ah hey, my clairvoyance strikes again. I do write with music – I almost have to. The way I put it to people is that I’ve got this annoying ten-year-old version of myself throwing all kinds of ideas and wants at me at all times and I have to placate him somehow. Turn the music on. White noise with a beat. Get him to shut up for twenty minutes and when he finally has something to say, it’ll be worthwhile.

 HL: Do you have a support system? Do you have a writing community? What valuable lessons have you learned from them?

 JS: My support system is growing, which is really exciting. When I started out I sent my first manuscript to something like 20 people. Christmas day, 2010, from Appelsbosch, South Africa. I think five wrote back. The rest were stricken from my friends list forever (kidding). Those five people who did respond were key to moving forward and remain with me today in one form or another (life takes us all for different rides at different times).

 Now, thanks to conventions and really really generous acquaintances, I’m meeting all kinds of writers whose names I will refuse to drop here (but Mark Twain and I are tight). It’s so refreshing to meet other people like me in the sense that they’re burdened with stories to tell. Some of my favorite conversations have happened over beer in strange places like Saratoga Springs and Spokane (I even alliterate my convention destinations). More to come on that front, I’m sure.

 HL: I certainly agree that we can't do without those fantastic 'beta readers'. What is your personal definition of success?

 JS: Besides saving the world? Hmmm… I’ve been thinking on this a lot lately. I actually spent a few evenings in Paris sketching it out in one of my notebooks (let’s be honest, the fact that I can even say that makes my life pretty amazing as it is). What makes me happy? Where do I want to live and with whom? What do I want to do (because writing on its own may not satisfy me in the end)?
I need adventure. I need friends. Love. Romance. I need to sail the open sea and to dive into the depths of forgotten places. I don’t want to lose those parts of myself. I also need a home base. Something stable. Something known. I need family. I need to create.

So I don’t have an answer for you that is concrete. I would say that the day my writing (and the surrounding projects) can afford me the ability to pack up and leave on whatever journey calls me next would be the day I call myself a writing success. But then again it will be the day I actually fall in love for the last time. It will be the moment I reach some far-flung location I’d only heard of and realize I’ve overcome another deep personal failing. It will be when I can forgive myself the transgressions I hold too dear.All of those moments will be success as well.

 HL: What is your favourite source of inspiration?

 JS: Learning. Any time you read a good book that explains some aspect of the world, sit under the arch of an ancient building and admire arts long-lost, or see a new landscape unfold and break the horizon in ways you never before imagined – those are moments where inspiration lurks. As our mind opens to new emotions, new thoughts, ideas that contradict everything we hold true – as we change – we become agents of that change for others. And change is the great source of conflict, where conflict is the great source of story.

 HL: Absolutely! I couldn't agree more. Is there any advice, as a new writer, that you were either given, or wish you had been given?

 JS: I’m really glad no one told me not to do it. I’ll make something up though:
Don’t assume the publishing world is out to get you (in the negative sense). It’s not. It can be cold and cutthroat at times, but it is a business. Take the time to get to know other writers, befriend publishers, editors, and keep honing your craft. There are more friendly and helpful people around than villains. The gates may be closed to you for now, and your self-published efforts may feel futile, but do whatever you can to keep from taking any of that personally. Remember that no one owes you anything, and you owe your fans and readers everything – no matter how few or how many there are

HL: Very true! What sort of research do you do for your books and what’s your favourite source of information.

 JS: I just read as broadly as I can, and I try to read good stuff. I used to feel obligated to finish any book I picked up – not any more. I don’t have time for bad books, especially when they’re non-fiction (sometimes I’ll finish bad fiction just so I know what the heck the rage is about or to learn what not to do).

 HL: Funny, I've come to feel exactly the same way!  Now, just for fun - if you were an animal, which one do you think you would be, and why?

 JS: Hippogriff – you can fly, you’re huge, tough, sexy, and yet not destined to be evil. If we’re going with the non-13-year-old-Jay answer, I’d be a dog because they’re probably the only species that humankind won’t be wiping out in the near or distant future (survivalist-Jay).

HL: Sadly that has the ring of truth to it! 
Many authors model their characters on people they know. Is this the case with your characters and do you see yourself in any of them?

 JS: They’re all pretty much modeled on the worst and best aspects of who I am and who I hope to be. Or who I hope I never become. I never consciously model any character off any person, but sometimes little ticks or quirks will find their way in, I’m sure. I should probably model some after my grandfathers, because they were total BAMFs in their own rights.

 HL: Who is your favorite character in your book and why?

In Shadows of the Highridge I would say it’s Tolly. She’s got a lot of horrible things on her plate to deal with, and she won’t do it all in the right way, but who does? She’s quick-witted, smart, fast on her feet, tough, and unafraid to speak her mind. Calculating without a lack of empathy. I just like her a lot.

 HL: Who is your most favorite character of all time from any book?

 JS: Samwise, of course, but I didn’t always think that. I tended to prefer the big shiny heroes. Sam used to make me cringe, and while I never disliked him I really struggled with how his story ended. It wasn’t what I wanted for him – it seemed so unjust. He loses Frodo. Merry and Pip get their romance and seem to all but forget he exists. He’s left with a life that’s so… normal (albeit exceptional by Hobbit standards). But then it’s not about what I want, is it?
Sam is the loyal friend, the true hero of LOTR, we all know this. But Sam taught me how to handle happiness for others when it’s not what you would have for them – when it’s not exactly what they would have for themselves. None of us gets to choose our own ending, so let’s be thankful when they’re good ones – normal or otherwise.

 HL: That's a really interesting answer, not what I was expecting perhaps (I was thinking Strider) but yes, Samwise is a great character.
So...where can readers connect with you?

 JS: You can read my ongoing project, Into the Nanten at intothenanten.com. We bill it as the world’s first real-time fantasy blog, filled with illustrations by Nimit Malavia, and from which Shadows of the Highridge spun off. If you’d like to follow me you can sign up for my newsletter, follow me on Twitter @jayonaboat, check out the artwork on Instagram @mindofjayswanson, or come say hi over on Facebook. I’d love to hear from you.

 HL: Is there a question you really, really wish someone would ask, but they never do? If so what would be your reply?

 Interviewer: What’s your favorite word?
Jay: “Parraseux,” because it’s so delightfully ironic for how much work it takes to say.
Interviewer: Why do you have to be so difficult? Speak English.
Jay: Fine.
Interviewer: That’s your favorite word? “Fine?”
Jay: No! Would you stop? I’m thinking.
Interviewer: …
Jay: “Kleptocracy.” Spellcheck doesn’t even recognize it, but it’s an amazing word. Right up there with “Bankster.” I guess I have a thing for portmanteaus. Oh! “Portmanteau.” What a great concept.
Interviewer: You can stop now.
Jay: And XKCD’s take on it with his entry mocking Wikipedia with “Malamanteaus.” GENIUS!
Interviewer: I’m turning off the recorder now.

 Jay: And I totally forgot–END TRANSMISSION

 HL: Love it! Thank you so much for taking time to visit my blog, it’s been a thrill having you here and learning more about you and your writing. I wish you much success now and in the future.

 JS: Thanks for having me! It was a pleasure to thrill, and I hope you’ll have me back by sometime down the road.

HL: I'd be delighted, you're welcome on the Flight Deck anytime - just let me know your timeline and co-ordinates and I'll send down a shuttle for you! :)


SHADOWS OF THE HIGHRIDGE
BLURB;

Moving along the soil is the quickest way to die; for Tolly to survive she must learn to stay silent.
Life on farms like hers was difficult enough in the face of plague and a decade of drought, but something worse has come to the foothills under the Highridge Mountains. Something that will destroy everything she loves.
 Mere miles away, Vanig’s search for water to revive his farm is cut short when soldiers arrive bearing dark news of disaster striking farms throughout the region – and they suspect he is the root cause of it all. Those suspicions spike when a disheveled warrior appears hundreds of miles from home and takes Vanig hostage.

 Death looms in the shadows of the Highridge.


EXCERPT:

“Farmer.” Gaptooth grabbed Vanig by the shoulder and turned him. “We ain’t walkin’ no farther. You do your thinkin’ on the way back.”

“Do you think I came out here to ruminate?” Vanig was shocked at how the anger boiled over, but he followed it.

“To rumiwhat?”

“I need to make a survey of these draws.” Vanig shoved the soldier’s hand off his shoulder. It felt good. “Take measurements. Draw. No amount of thinking will move it without knowing just what I’m moving it through. You think because I live out here that I’m some stupid mystic. Sacrifice a goat and maybe this time the rain gods will bless me with abundance? Well they won’t. Gods and man have abandoned this place all the same. It’s a waste; and without someone like me to change that, that’s the way it will stay.”

Crooknose stepped forward to speak, but Vanig held up his hand.

 “I need an hour. Give me that. Go drink your fill and sit down to rest. Gods know you both need it.”

 Crooknose shoved his finger into Vanig’s chest. “Listen here you goat lovin’, dirt humpin’, ignorant piece of shit. We’re leavin’, and we’re leavin’ now.”

 “We are not,” Vanig growled. “So get your finger off my chest.”

“Don’t move. Any of you.” All three of them jumped at the sound of the voice. A new voice, one they didn’t recognize. “I mean it! Don’t move. Take one more step and you’re all dead.”


Jay Swanson is the creator of Into the Nanten, the world’s first real-time fantasy blog. He is also author of a spin-off novel, Shadows of the Highridge, the standalone short novel Dark Horse, and the Vitalis Chronicles trilogy. Jay grew up in Washington State, and has lived all over the world since then. Jay served for three years with Mercy Ships, a medical charity that runs the world’s largest private hospital ship, the Africa Mercy. In each country they visit, Mercy Ships donates free surgeries to the world’s forgotten poor, alleviating the suffering that so often accompanies a lack of access to medical care. He started in IT, then worked as the editor for their international Creative Pool, and finished as the on board Media Liason.

Paris will always have a place in Jay’s heart; he lived in France for two years, but he’s currently working in the US as a consultant on electronic medical records. Basically, he lives on planes.
Jay has a background in design and video production which have been instrumental in his self-publishing endeavors. Jay was telling stories from an early age, and latched on to video as soon as he discovered he could borrow people’s cameras. The stories that would one day become the Vitalis Chronicles began to take form in Jay’s head as movie ideas while he was still in college, and he began writing them down when he realized that they might make good books as well as films (and that if he died in Africa, there would be nothing left to prove they ever existed). He started writing White Shores in May of 2010 and finished on Christmas day of that year in Applesbosch, South Africa.
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

Jay Swanson will be awarding print copies of Into the Nanten to two randomly drawn winners (US shipping only -- an e-book of Shadows of the Highridge will be substituted to international winners) and a print of the original artwork created for his series Into the Nanten (US only shipping) to two other randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour.

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