Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Interview with Rose Wynters


Name: Rose Wynters

Book Title: Phase One: Identify (Territory of the Dead series, Book 1)



Writer Questions

1. How long have you been writing for? I have a background in website design, blogging, and article writing and have worked in this field for years. I started putting serious effort into novel writing last year, and I have been writing books ever since. I have another series currently. It's a paranormal romance series called The Endurers.


2. What do you think sets your work apart from others in the genre? It would definitely be the plots in my books. There is a tremendous number of creative writers out there, each one of us distinctive by the plots and characters of our books.


3. Do you have any tips for new writers? My best tip would be don't be afraid to put your books out there! I think for many new writers, the thought is daunting. I know it was for me. We live in a huge world though, made up of people with different tastes. I truly believe there is a reader out there for everyone's books.


4. What books do you read and do you have a recent recommendation? I'm an avid reader, and I enjoy a little bit in just about every category. I don't have any recent recommendations, though. I do enjoy a lot of paranormal romance and books from the horror genre. It has been awhile since I've had the chance to sit down and enjoy some newer releases!


5. Where can readers find you? I spend a lot of time on Twitter (author_rose), my website (http://www.rosewynters.com), and I recently started a Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Rose-Wynters/121652694703696


6. What level of research do you do for your writing? It varies. Some of the research I've done has actually involved taking a trip to a certain city or area.


7. Do you ever consider one of your characters to be a reflection of yourself? Not really, but I'm sure there are some characteristics somewhere that would be similar. I think the same could be said of any writer and their characters!



Zombie Survival Questions


1. You see a hand gun, a bat and a knife. Which do you choose as your weapon for the apocalypse? This is definitely a hard choice! I would say the handgun, and pray I find some bullets for it somewhere. Otherwise, I am really going to wish I chose the bat or knife when the zombies get a hold of me.

2. Place of survival. Your own house, a shopping mall or The Winchester pub? My own house, until the zombies run me out! After that, it would depend on how much fire power I have and how many survivors are in the group.


3. You see an underground parking centre. Do you go in? Nope, I think I would have to avoid that one. There would be something waiting in the dark I'm sure, and it wouldn't be a pleasant experience, at least for me.


4. You see your boss is now a zombie but is no immediate threat to you. Do you still use your last bullet on him/her? No, I'd be on the move searching for a more secure location and other survivors for sure.

5. What luxury item would you keep in the apocalypse? My computer, but it wouldn't be much fun without the Internet.


6. You’re bitten, do you
A) Shoot yourself before you turn?
B) Ask a friend to do it?
C) Turn and enjoy the all you can eat human buffet?

Wow, this is a tough one. Could I get an option D, lol. I couldn't imagine shooting myself or eating everyone around me, so I'd have to say B. Once you're bit, there is really no fairy tale ending for you!





Here is some book information for my zombie release, Phase One: Identify

Blurb: From author Rose Wynters, comes a new zombie horror series set in Pleasant, Louisiana. Can this checkout girl learn how to survive in a world full of zombies?

Tabitha Alexander is an 18 year old that has just graduated from high school. Working as a checkout girl in the small town of Pleasant, her long-term goals for the future don't go beyond enjoying the upcoming summer and enjoying her freedom. Maybe even possibly finding a boyfriend.

Fate has something else in store for her, though.

One night, right before closing time, her world is turned completely inside out with the first screams and sounds of gunfire that tear through the darkness. Nothing will ever be the same again..... If she even survives.

This is book one in a new series called, Territory of the Dead. Best suited for ages 16 and over.


This book tells you how the nightmare began...... Pleasant will never be the same again.


Buy Links: http://www.amazon.com/Phase-One-Indentify-Territory-ebook/dp/B00COGWDC6/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1367950765&sr=8-6&keywords=rose+wynters

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1115255641?ean=2940016467672&isbn=2940016467672

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Science Fiction and Real Science by Jennifer R. Povey


Science Fiction and Real Science

I've talked to quite a few people who think you have to be a scientist to write really good science fiction. Well, some of the top science fiction writers have indeed been scientists. Isaac Asimov was a chemist. The amazing editor Stanley Schmidt holds a PhD in physics.

So, does this mean that you shouldn't try to write science fiction without at least one degree in a science, ideally two or three? Not at all. I only have one undergraduate degree, and it's in archaeology. It's not even a B.S. in archaeology...it's a B.A. What's the trick to writing science fiction without a PhD hanging on your wall? Here are some tips.

1. Develop an understanding of the basic laws of physics. You don't need to have a formal training in physics, but your readers will catch you if you say there's no gravity in space, have green stars (without a very good supertech or other explanation) or think you can fly through a black hole.

2. Read science articles. I don't mean you have to read peer-reviewed journals, but look for popular science articles written by people who know what they are doing. Analog Science Fiction & Fact magazine runs at least two science articles an issue, specifically written for science fiction readers and writers. And, while outdated, any article by Isaac Asimov is worth reading - the man had a true genius for explaining scientific concepts in a manner the rest of us can understand.

3. Know what's being worked on now. At the very least you should check a news aggregator with a science section regularly. I've also stumbled across some great stories by following the right people on social media. First of all, you can get great ideas this way. Second of all, it helps keep you from going off in the wrong direction and making predictions that are proved wrong within a year of releasing your story.

4. Only include the science your story actually needs. This is absolutely the most important. Yes, there are people who write rigorous science fiction in which the story serves the science - and those are the ones with the multiple degrees, or at least who have spent a lot of time studying science. Gene Roddenberry once pointed out when working on "Star Trek" that the cowboy in the western does not stop the action to explain how his revolver worked. (Sadly, once Roddenberry was out of the picture, later Trek series did exactly that on numerous occasions). As long as you don't make actual factual errors (one of my embarrassing ones was not researching what Olympus Mon looks like - I owe my editor for catching that) then it is absolutely fine to gloss over how something works, especially when dealing with technology that hasn't been invented yet.

Good science fiction does require an awareness of how the world works. But it certainly doesn't need an advanced degree. (And all writing requires research. Trust me on that).

Jennifer R Povey - Information and Self Promotion 


Humanity fired first

First Contact. With aliens so strange and predatory that humans could only react with revulsion and primal rage. And so, humanity fired first. Now, the ky'iin are raiding the solar system. The potential key to mankind's salvation? An unlikely pair of diplomats. One, a brilliant young linguist from Mars with a profound social disorder. Through her autism, she sees the beauty within the ky’iin. The other, a ky’iin negotiator who looks beyond humanity’s violent actions to the potential within. Can they serve as the bridge to unite the two species and stop the Contact War? Or will war-mongering saboteurs destroy them before they can act?

Bio:

Jennifer R. Povey is in her late thirties, and lives in Northern Virginia with her husband. She writes a variety of speculative fiction, whilst following current affairs and occasionally indulging in horse riding and role playing games. She has sold fiction to a number of markets including Analog, Digital Science Fiction, and Cosmos. Her first novel, Transpecial, was published by Musa Publishing in April, 2013.

Book links:
Publisher web site: http://musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=563
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CJ3UQIW
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Transpecial-ebook/dp/B00CJ3UQIW
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/transpecial-jennifer-r-povey/1115201560

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Zombieland by Jen Minkman


Zombieland!

I’m totally addicted to The Walking Dead. When one of my friends recommended it to me half a year ago, I was a bit skeptic, though – it’s entertaining to watch 28 Days Later because it only lasts for about two hours, but an entire TV series about a zombie apocalypse? Hmm. I wasn’t convinced. But my husband wouldn’t stop talking about us having to watch The Walking Dead and give it a chance, so one night, we sat down and agreed we’d watch the first episode. But we didn’t; we watched the first THREE episodes, and then we had to stop because it was past our bedtime (we are very disciplined people, you know). But the next day, we downloaded the rest of Season 1 and tore through it in one weekend.What drew me in? The fact that the show has really interesting characters. They feel so human. They all have flaws, but because you follow them on screen so intimately, you grow to love them.And then they die.

That’s right; the makers of the show trick you into loving these people, and then they make zombies eat them. Regular cast members are not spared. You never know (I don’t even think the actors themselves know) who’s going to live and who will be the next zombie dinner. And this, in my humble opinion, is the winning concept of this show. It never fails to shock; it never does what you expect it to. It’s like life, in a way, and it is so believable and gripping that it won’t let go. It makes you think after you switch off the TV.

Zombies are pretty hot at the moment. There’s even a zombie romance showing in cinemas right now: Warm Bodies. It had me in stitches when I first saw the trailer. How could this possibly work? But then I went to see the film anyway and it did work. Zombies and romance, an unlikely combination if there ever was one. It’s a nice new concept amidst the slew of rather cheesy paranormal romance books and films out there (that, quite frankly, usually don’t bring anything novel to the scene after the whole Twilight hype). What do YOU think should be the next paranormal/sci-fi/romance combination in YA literature or movies? What hasn’t been done to death by now? Leave a comment!

Jen Minkman is a Dutch author of paranormal romance & dystopian YA fiction who has set out to do something new in the genre and make her books more character-driven and less fluffy. Her work is available on all Amazons.

Jen Minkman/ Amazon Author Page

http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-of-Time-ebook
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Shadow-of-Time-ebook

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Useful sites for new Authors

Advertising

http://www.pixelofink.com/

http://ereadernewstoday.com/

http://www.goodreads.com/

http://www.goodkindles.net/

http://www.bookblast.co/

http://addictedtoebooks.com/content/paid-advertising-options

We have not tried all of the above sites but, we have tried acouple and saw some sales. Whether these sales came from the promotions it is hard to tell, so always be cautious with your money.

Covers/Editing

http://humblenations.com/    ---> We highly recommend for fast and excellent service

http://www.victoryediting.com/index.html