Writer Chat Wednesday Welcomes Arizona Author Mark Gardner

I'm happy to welcome author Mark Gardner to Writer Chat Wednesday and to introduce a fellow Arizona author to my readers. I met Mark at S.A.F.E.Con in Prescott Valley, Arizona and we agreed to keep in touch. I recently caught up with Mark and here is a snippet of our conversation.

NW: What genre do you write? 

MG:  New pulp / sci-fi

NW:  What inspired you to start writing? 

MG:  I was working for a large U.S. corporation and I was fired on the day Amazon announced Kindle Direct. I looked into it, and dusted off a manuscript I had toyed with for a few years. Once it was finally done and published, I knew I had been bitten by the writing bug.

NW:  Do you have a career other than being a writer and if so, does that career/job influence your writing or inspire it? 

MG: I don't know that I'd call it a "career," but I work part-time at a national video game retailer and part-time at a local radio station. Since I'm a student of the human condition and human behavior, my daily interactions inspire my writing. In fact, several regular customers at the game store have given feedback on stories in progress. I usually offer these people personalized prerelease copies of my paperbacks.

NW:  Please tell us a little bit about your most recent release. 

MG:  Forlorn Hope is the story of a husband and wife scientist team who are traveling to Yellowstone National Park to see if they can reverse a global ice age. There are those who don't want the couple to learn the secrets of the ice age.

NW:  This sounds like an interesting premise. What inspired you to write this book? 

MG: I had the initial idea from former talk show host and Professor of Economics Dr. Terry J. Lovell. He was discussing anthropomorphic global warming and had referenced the American Revolutionary War and the fact that it happened during a mini-ice age. "The day after Tomorrow" was a popular movie at the same time so I imagined that movie for my descriptions of the landscapes. Finally, A few friends of mine kicked around plot points during the writing process.

NW: My husband is a huge fan of The Day After Tomorrow movie and he loves natural disaster stories, so I'll have to tell him about your book.

           What do you hope people will take away from reading your books? Do you have a message or theme?

MG:  My only theme is that there are great stories to be told. I don't consider myself an author, but a storyteller and I enjoy hearing and telling a great story. I self identify as a Libertarian (not the political party, but the social philosophy)  so a common theme in my writing is the danger of a too-powerful federal government. Also, I've been known to mess with my readers.

NW: Are you self-published, small press or traditionally published? Self-published.

NW:  What influenced your decision to publish in the way that you did? 

MG: I don't have a long story about traditional rejection. My decision to self-publish has to do more with my wanting complete control over my art than any statement about indies versus traditional publishing. I want control over choosing beta readers, editors, cover art and pricing. I also intentionally try to avoid "popular" writing and just do my own thing. I sincerely believe my audience will find me if I put my art out there.

NW:  I can relate to that, Mark. Sounds like we have something in common there in terms of reasons why we self-publish. Are there any authors that inspire you? If so, who? 

MG: My stock answer is Harry Turtledove from a body of work standpoint. I also really dig Chuck Wendig's zany "Art harder, motherf*cker" from an overall attitude towards writing. But, as with anyone influences are a multitude. I've at one point or another tried to channel Steven King, Ben Bova, Janet Evanovich, Kim Stanley Robinson,Jerome Bixby and Ken Grimwood.

NW:  What are you working on now? 

MG: The next publication will be a short story about a family attempting to escape religious persecution. It's about 9,000 words. Expected publication is Fall 2014.

NW: Besides writing novels, are you involved in any other sorts of writing projects and if so, what? 

MG: I do the weekly flash fiction challenge over at Chuck Wendig's site. I'm on my last semester at Northern Arizona University that takes a lot of time I could be writing.

NW:  Okay, time for some silliness. Chocolate or vanilla? 

MG: Vanilla (with Heath chunks.)

NW:   Coffee or tea? 

MG:  Either, with enough sugar to mask the disgusting taste of both beverages.

NW: Favorite sport? 

MG:  I like to go bowling.

NW:  Beach or mountains? 

Mountains.

NW:  What three words describe Mark Gardner? 

MG: Belligerent, sarcastic & narcissistic. (Submitted by my wife.)

If you'd like to learn more about Mark and his work, please check out these links:

Author website: http://article94.wordpress.com

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7752902.Mark_Gardner

And if you'd like to purchase Mark's books, please follow the links below:

Book links:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forlorn-hope-mark-gardner/1117912540?ean=2940149081004

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HMCPAEA

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id768948900

https://www.createspace.com/4393135

Mark Gardner lives in northern Arizona with his wife, two school-aged children and a pair of spoiled dogs. Mark holds a degree in Computer Systems and Applications and is currently attending Northern Arizona University.

Summer Teen Reading Party with Amy Durham

The Summer Teen Reading Party continues! Have you snagged any fun books yet? If you've read any of the books featured, leave me a comment on my blog here and let me know what you thought.

Please welcome my Writer Chat Wednesday guest Amy Durham, author of Once Again, a book that sounds very intriguing to me! Check it out:

NATALIE WRIGHT (NW): Do you have any news to share about your work?

AMY DURHAM (AD): My first novel, “Once Again”, a Young Adult Paranormal, is currently available in both eBook and print format. It’s the story of Layla Bradford and Lucas Ellis, two teenagers who discover they are the reincarnations of a young married couple from the mid-1800s who suffered a horrible tragedy. The madman who hurt them was never brought to justice, and no one ever knew the truth about what happened. Layla and Lucas must solve the mystery of their past life in order to keep the tragedy from happening again.

NW: What genre do you write in?

AD: I write Young Adult Fiction. Most of what I’ve written and what I’m working on falls into the “YA Paranormal Romance” category, but I also have plans for a non-paranormal YA Romance. I love YA for it’s cross-over appeal. And I love that it give young readers hope and encouragement, while at the same time taking young-at-hearts (like me!) back to the exuberance and excitement of youth!

NW: What works in progress do you have?

AD: I’m currently working on the sequel to “Once Again”, which is titled “Once and for All”. It follows two of the secondary characters from “Once Again”, as they encounter their own reincarnation mystery, as well as an ancient curse that has never been broken. I’m also working on “Dusk”, book one in “The Messenger” series. Messengers are a bit like angels, but not exactly! Readers will just have to wait and find out!

NW: Which character from your books do you like most / are most like?

AD: There’s a LOT of me in Layla Bradford, the heroine in “Once Again”. She’s a typical middle-of-the-road student in her school, not popular but not the bottom of the social ladder either. She’s comfortable in her own skin, but still a little insecure when it comes to others’ opinions of her. Her journey in “Once Again” isn’t just about falling in love with Lucas or figuring out the mystery of their past life, but also of discovering exactly who she is, and learning that who she is is absolutely, positively good enough!

NW: Who is your favorite author and why?

AD: I have several favorite authors. First and foremost, JoAnn Ross, whose book “Fair Haven” was the book that finally said to me, “THIS is what you should be doing!” She’s a wonderful example of how to create vivid settings and write with a sense of community and family. She’s also a gracious and giving writer and a super person all the way around. On the YA side of things, I really like Rachel Vincent and her “Soul Screamer” series. Talk about teenage angst!

NW: How long have you been a writer?

Author, Amy Durham

AD: I’ve wanted to be a writer since the 6^th grade. It started out as poems and silly stories. In the 8^th grade I began to take it more seriously, and from that point on, I always wrote. But I didn’t pursue it seriously…more as a hobby. I kept thinking “Someday, I’ll write a book.”  In 2003, just before my second child was born, I decided that if I kept saying “someday”, I would never do it. If I was going to write a book, I was going to start NOW. I spent a lot of time learning from other writers and practicing the craft of writing fiction. This year, I felt like I was “ready”, and my first novel, “Once Again” was published.

NW: Do you have a “day job”? And if you do, what do you do when you’re not writing?

AD: In my day job, I’m a middle school music teacher. I also have three sons. So, I stay busy! When I’m not teaching, parenting, or writing I LOVE to cook!  It’s a very big creative outlet for me. I also love to read (no surprise there), and when time and finances allow, I like to travel.

NW: Who is your favorite fictional character and why? 

AD: My favorite fictional character is Jude Murray from Nora Roberts’ “Jewels of the Sun”.  I read this book when I was pregnant with my second child, just before I made the decision to pursue writing in earnest. I identified greatly with Jude, who was a teacher (a college professor) who longed for something “more”, and then found herself when she began writing.

NW: What is your favorite movie – the one you can watch over and over again?

AD: “When Harry Met Sally”, followed closely by “Notting Hill”.

NW: What do you hope readers will take with them from your writing?

AD: I hope young readers come away from my story feeling like they were able to escape into their imaginations for a while. I also hope they are encouraged and feel hopefully that the struggles of adolescence won’t last forever and that they will survive! I hope young-at-heart readers are able to remember the beauty and the heartache of first love, the disappointments of youth, and the joy that followed when they survived into adulthood!

You can find Amy online at the following places:

Email: amybdurham@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorAmyDurham

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Amy_Durham

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/Amy_Durham

You can purchase “Once Again” at the following retailers:

Amazon -  http://www.amazon.com/Once-Again-Sky-Cove-ebook/dp/B0071NTTV0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327669156&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble -  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/once-again-amy-durham/1108428186?ean=2940014029940&itm=1&usri=once+again+amy+durham

iBooks - http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/once-again/id501768486?mt=11

Smashwords - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/126513

Writer Chat Wednesday: Jack Albrecht & Ashley Delay

Welcome to this edition of Writer Chat Wednesday. This is a first for Writer Chat - I'm talking today with two authors! Jack Albrecht and Ashley Delay are the co-authors of Osric's Wand (don't you love that cover!) and they were kind enough to stop by today and chat. I hope you enjoy this fun interview as much as I did and come back this Friday when I'll be reviewing Osric's Wand: The Wand-Maker's Debate!


Natalie Wright (NW): Do you have any news to share about your work?


Ashley grinned excitedly and said, “Yes! Osric’s Wand: The Wand-Maker’s Debate hit Amazon.com’s Epic Fantasy bestseller list last month! It is holding its place in the top 10 of the Dragon category as well. We are thrilled to have been received so well by fantasy readers.”  
“We were expecting it to take years to gain best seller status since our advertising budget is limited, but with one well timed promotion we have arrived! We are so grateful to the help we have had from many amazing authors and some very beneficial classes on marketing, social media, and cross promotion from a great organization, the Indie Book Collective,” Jack added as he refilled his iced tea,
“We really do need to give the Indie Book Collective credit here, they know their stuff. We highly recommend them to anyone who is an author. They have many publishers coming to them for classes on how to sell books. We can’t stress how valuable their wisdom in this arena has been. Everyone should check them out!”

NW: What books have you written so far?

“The Wand-Maker’s Debate is actually our first novel, but we are hard at work on the second book in the Osric’s Wand series." Jack looked over at Ashley with a grin. "You know, I have been promising on twitter to tell our fans the name of the next book in this interview."
"I know. It has been so hard to keep it a secret since the title inserted itself into my mind. Go ahead and tell them," Ashley responded excitedly.
"Well you named it, so I thought you should be the one to 'cut the ribbon,' if you will."
"If you insist," she grinned. "I am pleased to announce to all of our current and future fans, the second book in the Osric's Wand series is . . . The High Wizard's Hunt!"
Jack gave Ashely a high five and shouted, "Now, that's how you do a reveal!"
Ashley laughed at his excited antics. "It's moments like this when I can see where Pebble gets his charm."

NW: What was the inspiration for your book?

“I get asked this a lot.  It sort of evolved from reading other novels that I love,” Jack said, “I am somewhat of a fantasy nut, and I soak them up like a dry sponge.  But I have a personality that notices things, not just in books, but in our world.  In our world, magic (sorry folks, I believe this so just follow me if you don’t agree) doesn’t exist.  That fact is a universal constant, no creature of any kind wields it.  So, what would a world where magic exists look like?”  He paused for emphasis, and Ashley couldn’t help but interrupt.
“I personally feel Jack doesn’t notice much at all if he thinks magic doesn’t exist in our world,” she said with a teasing smile.  Jack continued, unperturbed by her sarcasm.  
“For us, our magic is science. In the world I imagined, I would think their science would be magic. I would also imagine that if magic was wielded by some, it would be able to be used by all.  Not to the same level of course. I mean, a butterfly uses science everyday to fly, but it doesn’t have a big screen TV in it’s living room!”  Jack gestured excitedly with his hands as he spoke, “And of course, I fell in love with the wolf dream from WOT, and talking animals from numerous other fantasy novels. That made me think, Hey, why wouldn’t some animals talk?  Not all of them, but in a world with magic, I am sure that MANY would,” he realized he was rambling a bit and continued in a nonchalant manner, “So that’s what started the whole process. Thousands and thousands of hours of reading, and thinking.”

NW: What is your favorite scene from your book and why?

Jack’s boyish grin returned as he thought back to his favorite scene, “Chapter 2, when Gus lives through a bad “hunt” and then ends up being so nice to a woman later in the chapter. I think it shows a great deal of how life is on Archana, and even more about his personality. I did not start out wanting him to be like this.  I wanted him to be a wise old man, er prairie-dog, sort of like Dumbledore from Harry Potter, but he refused to be written that way. He was just as stubborn to write as he appears in the book!”
“I have a hard time choosing a favorite, but I would have to say it is a scene close to the end where Osric finally gets a glimpse of his own power. If I told you any more it would spoil the ending. If you have read the book, my favorite part begins when Osric punches Thom,” Ashley added with a knowing smile.

NW: What works in progress do you have?  

Ashley responded, “We are about half way through The High Wizard’s Hunt, the sequel to The Wand-Maker’s Debate. Since we have completed the first half of the book in about 3 months, we feel a fall release is going to be fairly certain.  The Osric’s Wand series is well on its way!”

NW: Which character from your books do you like most / are most like?
Jack rubbed his chin as he pondered his answer, "It is really difficult for me to choose a favorite, knowing the characters like I do. But if I was pushed to choose, I think I would have to go with Gus, or Pebble. They have distinctly different personalities, but I can identify with them both. Gus has this grumpy, knowing way about him, and Pebble is just adorable!" He grinned, thinking of the prairie dog pup's childish antics. "As for who I am most like . . . I have no idea. I tend to think of myself as Osric, but that is because I write more of him than I do the others, and I have to really think in order to get him correct. I have a hard time writing about myself too, that is why I think I am most like him. I know his thoughts, and his motivation, but putting it on paper is a struggle because there is so much involved with each choice he makes."


Ashley sat in contemplation for a moment before responding. "I would have to say my favorite character is Machai, because he is so much fun to write. As for who I am most like, that is much harder to say. The obvious choice might be Bridgett, as she is the main female character. But she and I only have a few similarities." Ashely thought about how each character may develop in later books and added, "Perhaps she will turn out to be more like me than I know, since I write most of Bridgett's parts in the books. Jack has a hard time writing in a female character without make them sound like shallow, giggling girls." Jack feigned like he was going to throw something at her, but nodded in agreement instead.

Ashley Delay

NW: Who is your favorite author and why?

Jack nearly jumped out of his seat, “Hands down, Brandon Sanderson! No other author that I have read gives a payoff like his books! You invest all this time and energy into a book, or series of books. When you finally reach the end, you want something that makes you go “WOW, time well spent!”, and pisses you off that the ride is over. I think Brandon Sanderson does that like no-one else. For my dollar, he is the best fantasy author on the planet right now.”

“I, however, find it impossible to choose a favorite,” Ashley stated. “I have read so many wonderful books by talented authors, I could never narrow it down.  Although, I can say, books by Anne McCaffrey, Terry Goodkind, and Elizabeth Moon are on the top of my list.”

NW: How long have you been a writer?

“I started writing Osric’s Wand in December of 2010, so that puts me at a year and five months. However, I have to say if I had known that it was this fun, I would have started years ago! Ashley came on board quickly. I can honestly say, this book would have been very different from what it is today without her. She is an amazing writer who writes an almost flawless first draft. I, on the other hand, need every step along the way to refine what I put on the page!” Jack responded avidly.

Ashley smiled at the flattery and rolled her eyes, “I have been writing since I was very young. I tend to vent my emotions on paper, and my poetry, lyrics, and stories could tell my life story if anyone could interpret them. However, I never thought of myself as a writer until we published The Wand-Maker’s Debate and it started to outsell my greatest expectations.”

NW: What is your favorite part of the writing process?

Ashley replied, “As much as I love the constant banter and debate with my co-author, I think my favorite part is finding out what happens next. We plan out what we think will happen and brainstorm together, but once we start writing it evolves and tells its own story, regardless of our intentions. I love the anticipation and surprise that comes with each chapter we write.” Jack’s jaw hung open in exaggerated surprise, and he pointed over at her discreetly.
“If you had any idea what a control freak she is, you would be as surprised as I am to hear that’s her favorite part,” he winked and added, “Honestly, I love every bit of it, but my favorite part is watching it come together as we write.  We have several people who come around to watch us as we write, and seeing their reactions to the evolution of the books is so much fun!  It is an experience every writer should have. There is nothing like a fan flipping out, excited about words you just put on the page,” Jack said.

Jack Albrecht

NW: What is your favorite movie – the one you can watch over and over again?

Jack responded quickly, “In my eyes, there is nothing better than The Princess Bride. Swordfights, magic, pirates, giants, true love, revenge, miracles and humor... That movie has been in my house since kindergarten! I have worn out 5 VCR tapes, and 3 DVDs!  I could watch it every day and not get tired of it.”
Ashley shook her head in disbelief at how easy it is for Jack to choose a favorite, “Again, impossible to narrow down to just one. Right now, I would say anything with Sean Connery or Nicolas Cage.”

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Where to buy:
Amazon Kindle $0.99

Paperbacks can be purchased anywhere, or at Amazon for $8.99