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Showing posts from January, 2012

10 Questions with Thriller Writer Jennifer Chase (@JChaseNovelist)

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This Author Spotlight features award-winning author and criminologist Jennifer Chase. Jennifer holds a bachelor degree in police forensics and a master’s in criminology.  In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling.  She’s a member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists. Jennifer is an award-winning author, freelance writer, and a criminologist.  She has authored four crime fiction, thriller novels: COMPULSION, DEAD GAME, SILENT PARTNER, and DARK MIND.  She has authored a non-fiction book HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY incorporating a step-by-step process to write a screenplay.  She currently assists clients in publishing, ghostwriting, book reviews, blogs, articles, screenwriting, editing, and research. Jennifer's novels can be seen below. DARK MIND (see above), SILENT PARTNER DEAD GAME COMPULSION and HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY. 1. How did you get into writing? I’ve always had a love affair with

10 Questions with Bestselling Author Melissa Foster (@Melissa_Foster)

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This author spotlight features bestselling and award-winning writer (and mother of SIX!) Melissa Foster, who lives in Maryland. Melissa is the author of COME BACK TO ME (see above), CHASING AMANDA and MEGAN'S WAY (which is being adapted to film) 1.How did you get into writing? I’m an odd duck. I wasn’t one of those kids who carried around a notebook and pencil. I was a major tomboy, with little time for slowing down. When I was in my early twenties, I felt the pull to write—it was so strong, that from that moment on, it’s what I craved. 2.What do you like best (or least) about writing? What I like best about writing is that I never bore of the craft. One is never perfect at writing, or marketing, therefore, I’m always learning and trying to make things better and do things differently. What could be better than climbing into your imagination and bringing pretend people to life? There are so many paths to follow—it’s so exciting! 3.What is your writing

10 Questions with Science Fiction Novelist Glen Hendrix (@GlenHendrix)

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I think Glen is going to win the award for Best Author Photo. This week's Author Spotlight features science fiction novelist and Irish whiskey aficionado Glen Hendrix, who lives in Houston, Texas. Glen describes himself as "Inventor of Virtual Virtuality. Experimental abstract technician. Practitioner of conceptual synthesis (with protection, of course)." 1. How did you get into writing? Me: “Some day I’m going to write that science fiction novel, you watch.” Wife: “Yeah, yeah.” Me: “Why haven’t we seen that idea in a science fiction novel?” Wife: “I dunno.” Me: “Man, I can write a better science fiction book than this.” Wife: “Write the damn book already! You’re drivin’ me nuts!” 2. What do you like best (or least) about writing? I least like the frantic desperation at 2 A.M. when I haven’t met a reasonable writing goal for that day and feel myself slipping and sliding down a dark funnel of mindlessness lubricated with reality shows, rerun

10 Questions with Writer Bert Carson (@BertCarson)

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This week's Author Spotlight features Huntsville, Alabama-based writer Bert Carson. Bert is the author of SOUTHERN INVESTIGATION (see above), FOURTH AND FOREVER ANOTHER PLACE ANOTHER TIME and the forthcoming MADDOG & MISS KITTY . 1. How did you get into writing? I got in and immediately out of writing when I was in the sixth grade.  The teacher assigned a short story writing project, my first such assignment.  I labored over that story more than I’d ever labored over any other assignment, maybe more than I’d labored over all other assignments.  It was quite a fine story, I thought, and to be totally honest, I still think.   Each of us read our story to the class and as I look back on it, that’s where the problem originated.   Public speaking was a major issue in my life for forty years – I had a burning desire to do it and I was petrified at the thought of doing it.  In any case, I managed to read my story and no one understood it.  I suspect, my being pr

How To Handle A Compromised Twitter Account

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You seen what this person is saying about you? ... terrible things.. Hey, theres someone making nasty blogs about you, check them out... Are you aware of the bad things someone is saying about you? this is what they are saying ... real nasty things... We've all seen these bogus messages on Twitter. In case you haven't seen them or aren't aware, THESE MESSAGES ARE BOGUS . These messages are sent by spammers, scammers, losers, and dipsh*ts trying to tempt/entice/coerce you into clicking the link. Clicking the link takes you to a page which tries to sell you an iPad half the time. (The aforementioned spammers, scammers, losers, and dipsh*ts get paid per click, and their automated software has found you.) But it could also be much more insidious, ie DANGEROUS to your computer. I have a close friend who makes his living doing computer repair and setting up networks for small businesses. He is constantly texting me and emailing me, warning that there are new

10 Questions with Novelist Hardit Singh (@HarditSingh1)

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This Author Spotlight features Bristol, UK-based writer Hardit Singh author of the novel TRAFFIC as well as the novel DRIVER and the short stories FAST LANE and CROSSROADS. 1. How did you get into writing? Through books. Took up reading again when I was in University and thought to myself ‘I want to try this.’ 2. What do you like best (or least) about writing? The opportunity to create stories filled with characters that provide escapism and which touch and inspire people. 3. What is your writing process? IE do you outline? Do you stick to a daily word or page count, write 7 days a week, etc? I like to work in the mornings, usually set myself a targeted word count every day and aim to write 7 days a week, but am happy with 5. Currently I don’t outline my work, I like to at least have a beginning and an ending and then begin the journey. 4. Who are some other writers you read and admire, regardless of whether they ar

10 Questions with Writer Kathy Lynn Hall (@RedMojoMama)

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This Author Spotlight features Sacramento-based writer Kathy Lynn Hall author of RED MOJO MAMA . 1. How did you get into writing? I’ve been writing since I was 11. It was a natural thing for me to do as an introspective kid. Then I had a stint as an agented screenwriter, but never got beyond an option, so I retreated from writing for several years and pursued my “career” instead. Finally, I jumped into journalism with both feet and that propelled me into fiction eventually. 2. What do you like best (or least) about writing? It’s screaming good fun, if you let it be. Years of fretting about writing have finally fallen away and now when I sit down to write I’m visiting my best friends (my characters, how sad is that?) and giving them life. My heroines tend to do the things I wish I could do. 3. What is your writing process? IE do you outline? Do you stick to a daily word or page count, write 7 days a week, etc? I can’t outline. It stymies the story for

10 Questions with Literary Fiction Novelist Christina Carson (@CarsonCanada)

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This Author Spotlight features novelist Christina Carson. Christina's work defies common genre classification. She describes her work as thought-provoking commercial fiction, sometimes called Book Club fiction, upscale fiction, or literary commercial fiction. Christina is the author of DYING TO KNOW and SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN Christina lives in Huntsville, Alabama with her husband, novelist Bert Carson. Stay tuned for a forthcoming Author Spotlight with Bert! 1.How did you get into writing? Caution:  Being the queen of the long answer to the short question, I will do my best to resist that temptation. Been doing it [writing] forever – everything from poetry to writing correspondence courses (Alberta gov’t.) to contributing editor of a Canadian investment magazine (stockbroker days – ugh, I just shivered) to an e-zine Bert and I published for about 6 years entitled “The Daily Inspiration,” which we eventually published as a monthly pock

10 Questions with Author and Travel Writer Ben Hatch (@BenHatch )

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This Author Spotlight features author and Travel Writer Ben Hatch (below with daughter Phoebe and son Charlie). Ben lives in Brighton, England with his wife and children. Ben is also the author of the novels  The Lawnmower Celebrity , The International Gooseberry , and the travel guides  Frommer's England with your Family (with his wife, Dinah) , Frommer's Britain for Free (also with his wife, Dinah) , and  Frommer's Scotland with your Family (also with his super-uber-talented wife, Dinah) . 1. How did you get into writing? I started off as a newspaper reporter on The Bucks Herald. I became a newspaper reporter imagining it was a natural entry into novel writing, having read too many blurbs in the back of 1960s Penguin classics. After ten years as a reporter covering fetes, cats stuck up trees and pictures of tall sunflowers, it became clear no editor was going to ring me up from Penguin