Monday, December 17, 2018

Book Publishing Secrets with Mystery Author T.C. Wescott



T.C. Wescott was born in Missouri but has lived in Oklahoma most of his life. Like pretty much every author who has ever breathed, he is an avid reader. His favorites are classic mysteries from the Golden Age, as well as just before or just after that period (which is widely considered the period between the two World Wars). His first mystery novel, Running from Scissors, was published in July 2018 and will be the first of at least three books in the Running Store Mystery series.

The Christmas Village Mystery series launched in November of the same year with the debut title Slay Bells. The formula for his books is simple - mixing the classic, traditional detective fiction standards with all the trappings of the modern cozy mystery.
Wescott is also (under another name) the author of two award-winning non-fiction books as well as many essays and articles.

His latest book is the cozy mystery, Slay Bells (A Christmas Village Mystery).

Website Address: www.tcwescott.com



About the Book:

‘Twas the week before Christmas and all through the village, the night settled in over swirling-smoke chimneys; the air was alive with pine and holly, with sugar and cinnamon and cider, by golly!

Along snowy lanes and through shadows it crept, past windows behind which each villager slept, where sleeping dogs lie and cats rest a’purring-

Tonight, in Christmas Village, a killer is stirring.

Welcome to Christmas Village, a magical hamlet where even in December the roses hold their luster and bees buzz among the bluebells. Nestled betwixt an opulent garden with meandering footpaths and an ancient grove of plum trees, Rose Willoughby’s boarding house is plum-full with lodgers. There are no vacancies, but just wait. Soon there will be one…and another…and another.

When the Inn's guests begin dying in inexplicable ways, some villagers believe a beast from old village lore is the culprit. The sheriff knows better, but he’s just as helpless to catch the invisible killer as are the town folk with their eyes to the sky in search of a flying creature. But our mysterious murderer hasn’t counted on yet another lodger coming to the cottage: Maribel Claus.

Short as a stump, round as a wheel, sweet as a candy cane, and a sharp as a whip, Maribel loves a good puzzle. But can she unmask the phantom killer in time and save Christmas?

ORDER YOUR COPY:

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Thank you for your time in answering our questions about getting published.  Is this your first book?
T.C.: Slay Bells is my fifth published book and my second cozy mystery. I’ve published two true crime non-fiction books, a horror novel, and in July of this year I published Running from Scissors, the first book in the Running Store Mystery series. The second book in that series, Running from Arrows, will arrive in January in time for Valentine’s Day.
With this particular book, how did you publish – traditional, small press, Indie, etc. – and why did you choose this method?
T.C.: I published Slay Bells as well as Running from Scissors under my own imprint, which is Better Mousetrap Books. I had great success self-publishing my own true crime books. I enjoy the higher royalties and complete control self-publishing offers. Having said that, my plan is to work towards becoming a Hybrid author, who has one foot in the indie world and one in the traditional publishing world.
Can you tell us a little about your publishing journey?  The pros and cons?
T.C.: The pros are endless and mostly obvious. The cons are that the great Kindle Gold Rush ended before I came along, so marketing a cozy mystery is difficult and expensive. There are SO MANY out there. So, my approach is to make mine unique and write them as well as I know how.
What lessons do you feel you learned about your particular publishing journey and about the publishing industry as a whole?
T.C.: You must have a well-written book, and that means hiring a proofreader/copy editor. Readers deserve that. And to attract readers you need a good cover. That means hiring someone else to do your cover. Cancel your Canva account and hire someone to make a professional cover. I’ve learned with fiction it’s hard to get people to know you’re there. BookBub ads are one good way of getting the word out. What’s the best way? Blog tours. Bless the stars for book bloggers! I’ve loved browsing them for years, so to be featured on so many blogs I’ve enjoyed is a real gas.
Would you recommend this method of publishing to other authors?
T.C.: Absolutely. Just be smart about it. If you’re just writing or publishing to feed your ego, spare us the trouble. If you take your work seriously, then prove it by getting a decent cover and good proofreading.
What’s the best advice you can give to aspiring authors?
T.C.: Pretty much what I said above. Invest in yourself. You don’t buy a nice dress and then throw it in your trunk, do you? If you’ve written a great book, save up to hire a cover artist, or at least buy a professionally made premade cover (they’re not very expensive). Hire someone to proofread your book, or beg an English professor friend to do it. Whatever you have to do to make sure the manuscript is as good as it can be. Remember that you’re competing with the big authors and they have all the advantages. You have only the advantages you give yourself, but if you’re patient and passionate, they’re there, waiting for you.

Book Publishing Secrets with Fantasy/Thriller Author Richard Hacker


Richard Hacker is a longtime resident of Austin, Texas who now writes and lives in Seattle.

His writing has been recognized by the Writer’s League of Texas and the Pacific Northwest Writers Association. In addition to his writing, he provides editing services to other writers and is the editor of an online science fiction and fantasy journal, Del Sol Review. His three published humorous crime novels ride the sometimes thin line between fact and fiction in Texas. DIE BACK, his first fantasy thriller novel, has been published by Del Sol Press.

When not writing he’s singing in a vocal jazz ensemble, cooking with a sous vide and a blow torch, or exploring the Pacific Northwest with his wife and his springer spaniel, Jazz.


Twitter Link: @Richard_Hacker

Facebook Link: http://www.facebook.com/RWHacker 

Thank you for your time in answering our questions about getting published.  Let’s begin by having you explain to us why you decided to become an author and pen this book?
Richard:  I love to tell stories. I love to write. I love the craft of it. The complexity of it. When I came up with the story idea for Dieback, I felt compelled to tell it.
Is this your first book?
Richard: No. This is the fourth published novel. I’ve been writing most of my life—short stories, business and technical writing, and I dabbled in long fiction. About fifteen years ago I decided to focus more on the novel form. I wrote a science fiction novel which is still in the drawer, but it did win best science fiction novel in 2010 at the Texas Writers League Conference. When I moved to Seattle from Austin in 2009 I wrote a humorous crime novel, an homage to Austin and Central Texas. I pitched it at a writer’s conference and found a publisher. Two more crime novels later, I had the story idea for Dieback.
With this particular book, how did you publish – traditional, small press, Indie, etc. – and why did you choose this method?
Richard: I first found an agent to pitch the book to publishers, but it didn’t get the traction it needed to be picked up. The book business is a finnicky thing. One day its dragons and swords, the next spaceships and lasers. But a novelist can’t really anticipate what the market is going to do, so you just have to do your thing. Sometimes the stars align and you’re at the front edge of a trend. And sometimes not. In my case, the book doesn’t fit neatly in fantasy. It has elements of historical fiction, speculative fiction, thriller, and I’d argue science fiction if you consider alchemy to be an early form of chemistry.
I could have self-published, but I wanted to have a creative partner in the packaging and marketing of the book. My publisher is Del Sol Press. I attended a workshop lead by the publisher, Michael Neff, a few years ago. In fact, he heard an early pitch for the book. He liked the story idea, but wasn’t enamored with the title at the time. The Geneologist. He was right, by the way. Dieback is a much better title. Del Sol Press is committed to putting out top notch fantasy novels, so I’m very pleased to be working with them.
Can you tell us a little about your publishing journey?  The pros and cons?
Richard: The path to publication is a long and very winding road. Along the way you think you’ve finally done it, finally crossed the line, but the line tends to move! I had a novel in hand and sent it to a conference, and as I mentioned above, it won best novel. Hurray! I’ve done it! Part of the prize was to have a one-on-one with the agent who judged the manuscripts. It turned out she loved the first twenty pages I had given her. Unfortunately, it was all downhill from there. Back to the laptop I went to hone the manuscript, my publishing dreams on hold. I had worked the novel so much that I was pretty tired of it and decided to write something completely different. A palette cleanser if you will. Out of that came what was then title Toxic Relationship (now it’s Kill’t Dead or Worse…) which I pitched to a publisher at a conference. They picked me up and published three novels. Hurray! I’ve done it! Well, sort of. There’s the whole marketing thing, which these days is more down to the author than the publisher. And with a publisher you’re one removed from all the marketing data that can help you sell more books. I began to wonder why I had a publisher at all. So, when the contract ended, I got the rights back, revised the novels and republished them myself. The upside of self-publishing was that I had complete control over everything. The downside was that I had complete control over everything. Rather than writing, I found myself spending time doing things I didn’t really enjoy around marketing and sales. I needed more of a balance. And that’s where Del Sol Press came in. I feel like I’ve got a partnership with Del Sol Press. I get a creative partner who provides honest feedback (which is hard to come by) and a business partner for the sales and marketing.
What lessons do you feel you learned about your particular publishing journey and about the publishing industry as a whole?
Richard: You have to be persistent. If you take no for an answer, you’re dead in the water. Those no’s can be about the writing, but as you grow and hone your craft and surround yourself with honest critical partners, the no’s are typically more about the marketplace and an agent’s or publisher’s particular business needs. Not artistic needs. Business needs. They are in business to make money. If I’m already famous with a million followers on Twitter, I’m going to get published even if my book doesn’t come up to the standard of someone who is a gifted writer but completely unknown. So be persistent, be open to criticism, continually hone your craft, and write because you love it—because you have to write. Writing for the market or for the money or for the fame is a path to heartbreak.
Would you recommend this method of publishing to other authors?
Richard: A small press is a great way to go, but you have to be discerning. As writers we’re so pleased if someone acknowledges us and tells us they want to publish our work. But it’s important to understand the relationship and what the publisher brings to the table. What are you agreeing to in the contract? How much control do you have over your work—the title, the cover, the format? What kind of editorial resources do they have—are they professional editors or writers in their stable who edit on the side? What kind of marketing support are you going to get?
What’s the best advice you can give to aspiring authors?
Richard: It mirrors what I said I’ve learned in my publishing journey. Be persistent. When you’re writing a novel, edit, edit, edit. Be open to critique. Don’t take critique personally. Take a step back from it and see what truth there is for you. Continually hone your craft by going to conferences and workshops, working with other writers, and most importantly write, write, write. And finally, write what you love to write. Life is short. If you don’t like fairies or dystopian worlds or romance or thrillers or…well, you get the picture. Write what jazzes you. I think it leads to better writing and it’s a lot more fun.
Thanks so much for allowing me to spend some time with you and your readers. For fun, go check out the trailer for the book. https://youtu.be/qesyHscyzNM And I’d love to hear from you. Visit my website, www.richardhacker.com and drop me a line.


About the Book:

In 272 AD Egypt, an enemy thwarts an attempt by League Inkers, Thomas Shaw and Nikki Babineaux, to obtain the Alchįmeia, a document holding alchemical secrets. Sensing his impending death, Thomas secures Nikki’s promise to keep his son, Addison, from the League, an organization
defending the time continuum. After his father’s death, Addison inherits a mysterious pen, accidentally inking himself into the consciousness of a man who dies on a muddy WWI battlefield in France. Hoping to make sense of his experience, he confides in Nikki, his best friend and unknown to Addison, an Inker. Keeping her promise to Thomas, she discounts Addison’s experience.   
Fixated on the pen, Addison inks into a B-17 bombardier in 1943. The pilot, whose consciousness has been taken over by someone calling himself Kairos, gloats over killing Addison’s father and boasts of plans to destroy the League. As Kairos attempts to wrest Addison’s consciousness, Nikki shocks Addison out of the Inking. She confesses her knowledge of  the League. When Kairos threatens to steal aviation technology, she she sends Addison and his partner, Jules, to an Army test of the Wright Flyer in 1908. Believing they have succeeded, they return to find the continuum shifted and Nikki knowing nothing about the League.
Inking back to his father’s mission in Alexandria, Addison and Jules hope to get his help in returning the time continuum to its original state. Instead, Addison’s father gives him the Alchįmeia to hide in a crypt at the Great Lighthouse on Phalos. On their return to the present a Kairos agent murders Jules, her consciousness Inked into the past. Addison follows the clues, Inking into Pizarro in 16th century Peru. He finds Jules in the child bride of the Inca emperor. His plan to find the technology and save Jules without destroying the Inca civilization is thwarted by a fleet of Inca airships. Captured, he is taken to Machu Picchu. With Jules help, they find the stolen schematics, but are confronted by Kairos. He stabs Addison, forcing Addison’s consciousness back to the present and traps Jules in the 16th Century. Addison returns to another altered world. Nikki no longer exists, the world is at war with the Inca, and Manhattan lay in ruins.
Addison Inks his father, learning the origins of the League. Thomas urges Addison to uncover their enemy with the help of his colleague, Maya. Putting suspicion on another inker,  Cameron, she insists he must be killing Inkers and acquiring Pens. In a final attempt to stop him, they entrap Cameron, only for Addison to discover Maya is Kairos, his enemy.  She kills Cameron, also wounding Addison.  He chases Maya, who intimates that she holds his mother’s, Rebecca’s, consciousness. Confused he delays, giving her time to scrawl a name with her pen before shooting her dead.

Inked away when Maya died, Kairos finds himself, not in his intended host, Hitler, but in a German infantry soldier POW in the Ardenne during the Battle of the Bulge, WWII. Hoping to repair the shift in the time continuum, Addison brings the League Pens together with the fate of the world and everyone he loves at stake. He awakens to a dissimilar world, but Jules and Nikki exist. And with life there is always hope.

ORDER YOUR COPY:

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Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Book Publishing Secrets with Laura Vosika, Author of 'The Water is Wide' #publish @lauravosika


Laura Vosika is a writer, poet, and musician. Her time travel series, The Blue Bells Chronicles, set in modern and medieval Scotland, has garnered praise and comparisons to writers as diverse as Diana Gabaldon and Dostoevsky. Her poetry has been published in The Moccasin and The Martin Lake Journal 2017.

She has been featured in newspapers, on radio, and TV, has spoken for regional book events, and hosted the radio program Books and Brews. She currently teaches writing at Minneapolis Community and Technical College.

As a musician, Laura has performed as on trombone, flute, and harp, in orchestras, and big bands. She lives in Brooklyn park with 5 of her 9 children, 3 cats, and an Irish Wolfhound.

Her latest book is the time travel/historical fiction, The Water is Wide.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK




Thank you for your time in answering our questions about getting published.  Let’s begin by having you explain to us why you decided to become an author and pen this book?

Laura: I can’t say I ever really decided to become an author. Writing is something I’ve done since I was eight years old. I couldn’t not write.
As to this book, it sprang from a few sources. One was my favorite childhood novel, In the Keep of Time, in which four siblings go into a medieval tower and come out in the 1500s. Another inspiration was my own life as a classical musician.
But mostly, the people of this world just seemed too alive and real. I have never felt as if I ‘created’ them, but more as if I just knew them, and their story had to be told.

Is this your first book?

Laura: No. This is the third of the five book series, The Blue Bells Chronicles, which I bill as a tale of time travel, mysteries and miracles, romance and redemption, ranging across modern and medieval Scotland.
It tells the story of of two men who switch places in time, of Shawn Kleiner, a notorious modern musician, arrogant and womanizing, whose girlfriend finally has enough and abandons him in a medieval castle tower on the orchestra’s tour in Scotland. He wakes up in the wrong century, where he is mistaken for Niall Campbell, devout and upright Highlander, and sent on a mission to save Scotland.
The Water is Wide continues the story as Shawn and Niall live and work together, both pretending to be Niall, to hide Shawn’s existence, and working for Robert the Bruce and James Douglas, as Shawn tries to get home to his own time, to make amends to Amy and see his newborn child, with whom she was pregnant when he made his accidental slip through time.

With this particular book, how did you publish – traditional, small press, Indie, etc. – and why did you choose this method?

Laura: I published The Water is Wide under my own indie press name, Gabriel’s Horn, which also publishes for other authors.
My decision was based on the changing world of publishing and the emerging technology at the time I wrote the first book in the series. Author John Stanton, a member of my writing group, Night Writers, had gone the indie publishing route. He was talking up the benefits of indie publishing, and pointing out that traditional publishers were expecting most authors to do more and more of their own marketing, while continuing to keep most of the royalties. He and I together created Gabriel’s Horn.

Can you tell us a little about your publishing journey?  The pros and cons?

Laura: I have been indie published for more than nine years now. A simple answer is that the pros are, an indie author will almost certainly be published more quickly and keep a greater share of the royalties for themselves. The cons are that they will do most of the work themselves and forgo the stamp of approval of having someone else say their work is worthy of publication.
The deeper answer is: it’s impossible to say because we can never know what the other path would have brought. A friend of mine was published by a major publisher—and they proceeded to bury his work. I’ve sold exponentially more books with my indie publishing than he did with a major publisher.
Maybe I would have been doing the same thing—most of the work—as I’m doing now, for a far smaller share of the royalties. Or maybe I would have been among the lucky few whom a major publisher really promoted and I’d be selling millions. We can’t know.
In the end, I can only say that, the more I market, the better my books sell and throughout this journey, I have met many wonderful people. I have my books in print and speak at conventions and book festivals. I’m enjoying the journey, people are enjoying my books and I think that’s what really matters in the end!

What lessons do you feel you learned about your particular publishing journey and about the publishing industry as a whole?

Laura: Writing is a labor of love. Write because you love what you’re writing. If you’re concerned about selling, the truth is, it’s all about marketing. No matter how good your book is, no matter how much readers love it, it’s not going to sell many copies unless you get out there and tell people it’s there.
If you want to write and want people to read your writing, be prepared to spend many hours marketing, or pay someone to market for you.

Would you recommend this method of publishing to other authors?

Laura: In the end, yes, although I would also say look at both options. There are many benefits to being traditionally published and there are also drawbacks. I have seen indie published books that are superior to traditionally published. And I have seen indie published books that should have had more work put into them. Traditional publishing doesn’t guarantee a great book and indie publishing is, today, a viable alternative.
I would only add the caveat that if you’re going to go the indie route, get beta readers, give your book multiple readings, give it thorough editing. Choose indie publishing for the right reasons and be prepared to do the work, not only of marketing, but also of carefully editing your own work and making sure it’s very well-written.

What’s the best advice you can give to aspiring authors?

Laura: Join a writers critique group. Find beta readers. Get feedback on your writing. Perfect your writing and strive to make it the best it can be.
https://gaelicwordaday.wordpress.com/

About the Book:

After his failure to escape back to his own time, Shawn is sent with Niall on the Bruce’s business.
They criss-cross Scotland and northern England, working for the Bruce and James Douglas, as they seek ways to get Shawn home to Amy and his own time.
Returning from the Bruce’s business, to Glenmirril, Shawn finally meets the mysterious Christina. Despite his vow to finally be faithful to Amy, his feelings for Christina grow. 

In modern Scotland, having already told Angus she’s pregnant, Amy must now tell him Shawn is alive and well—in medieval Scotland. Together, they seek a way to bring him back across time.
They are pursued by Simon Beaumont, esteemed knight in the service of King Edward, has also passed between times. Having learned that Amy’s son will kill him—he seeks to kill the infant James first.

The book concludes with MacDougall’s attack on Glenmirril, Amy and Angus’s race to be there and Shawn’s attempt to reach the mysterious tower through the battling armies.
Watch the Trailer:

ORDER YOUR COPY:

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