Chatting with Joyce DiPastena

Today we welcome Joyce DiPastena, a multi-published, multi-award winning author who writes sweet medieval romances spiced with mystery and adventure. Her published works include Whitney Award finalists Loyalty’s Web and Illuminations of the Heart, and RONE Award Finalists Dangerous Favor and A Candlelight Courting.

ES: Reading: Paper or Electrons? Why?

JDP: I’ve been trying to convert over to eBooks, and for the average book, I can read either version. But when I find a keeper, a book I know I will want to read again and again, I want that book in print. A print book feels like a “friend.” I love the way it feels in my hand, but I also love the ability to flip through multiple pages at once, forward or backward. That’s one feature I miss big time with an eBook. When I’ve read something “a few pages back” and can kind of visualize where it was and want to go back and read it again, I want to be able to just “shuffle” over there, not turn back one page at a time until I find it. And sometimes with eBooks, the print “shifts” on where it was on the page before. I guess maybe that “shifting” feature is what makes eBooks feel a bit ephemeral to me. The format is so fluid, it feels like it could just float off into space and my book would be gone. A print book has a sense of permanence about it. I don’t need that with a book I’m only going to read once, but as I said, when I find a “keeper,” I want to be able to hold it in my hand and revisit it forever. Yes, I know that answer is a bit irrational, because print books can be lost and destroyed as easily as an eBook can (perhaps more easily!), but if I were a rational creature, I wouldn’t be a writer. LOL!

ES: What do you like to read?

JDP: Historical fiction is my favorite, pretty much any time period up through about the Regency period. The closer it gets to the 20th Century, the more my interest level drops off for a setting. Within the historical fiction genre, I love best books about relationships—relationships between men and women (i.e., romance), relationships between friends, relationships between families. I love seeing characters interacting with other characters in a way that touches me somehow. But I also want a positive ending to my books. Too much about everyday life is depressing. Give me a happy ending in my entertainment. I’m not ashamed to confess that I read to “escape.” :-)

ES: There are an estimated 535,389.7 unique ways to die. How do you hope to meet your maker?

JDP: I want to die at peace and asleep in my bed. Just slip away without even noticing it. (I’m so jealous of people who get to die that way.)

ES: What is your greatest achievement to date?

JDP: Raising my parents. (It’s harder than you think.)

ES: What genre do you write, and why?

JDP: I write historical romances and romantic historicals, both set in the Middle Ages. What’s the difference between the two? Basically the amount of time that’s spent on the “romance” part of the story. My current published books are all romances, but my current WIP is what I call a romantic historical. It has a strong romance in it, but it focuses a little more on my hero than on my heroine and explores his relationship to other characters in significant ways, in addition to just the heroine.

ES: Tell me about your current work in progress.

JDP: As I mentioned above, I’m currently working on what I call a romantic historical set in the Middle Ages. The hero is a minstrel of common birth, the heroine is a gently born lady. (The working title is The Lady and the Minstrel.) They fall in love and want to marry, but in that day and age, the social barriers between their stations were almost insurmountable. Will she give up her world to marry him, or will he have to give up his? At first glance, the second option would appear to be the easiest, but it may not be as easy as you think. Either choice will have serious consequences.

ES: Tell me about your most recent published work, and why people should buy it.

JDP: This year I brought out a print copy of my 2012 medieval Christmas novella, A Candlelight Courting, which was a 2012 RONE Award Finalist by InD’Tale Magazine this past August. Here’s a summary of the story:

When Burthred comes courting on Christmas Eve, Meg rejects his advances. She has her heart set on becoming a nun and insists that he call her Christina, the spiritual name she has chosen for herself. She tries to make him swear on her box of holy relics that he will not pursue her, but he carefully words his oath to allow him to stay in her candlelit chamber and try to change her mind. What Meg does not confess is that her reliquary box holds a secret. Burthred needs a wife, and no one will satisfy him except Meg. He swore on his father’s deathbed that he would marry her. But Burthred has a secret, too. When they come together before the Yule fire, their shared revelations will either join their hearts together or tear them apart.

A Candlelight Courting is available here.

Chatting with McKenna Gardner

Today we're pleased to have author McKenna Gardner over for a chat.

ES: Tell me about yourself as a person.

MG: What a difficult question to answer! I feel like I’m quite average, but I accept that I’m unique, just like any person in this world. I think people are fascinating, and all have a story to tell. I like making people laugh, and help solve problems. I like to have order around me, but spontaneity keeps my life interesting. I am the youngest of four children, with three older brothers. I moved around a lot as a kid and liked meeting new people. I have always considered education important and love to learn.

ES: What genre do you write, and why?

MG: I have written historical romance, science fiction, and a psychological thriller. I write stories that won’t leave me alone until they’re recorded. I love honing my craft and providing entertainment for any who read my writing. I have an idea for a young adult fantasy, but I’m not sure I am cut out for the genre. I suppose we’ll find out!

ES: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

MG: I thrive on spending quality time with my family, my husband and my two daughters. Spending time in the outdoors also brings me immense joy. I find interest in the arts, animals, medicine and science. Primarily, I work as an editor for Xchyler Publishing (pronounced “Skyler”) and Hamilton Springs Press. I love interacting with authors all over the world, helping them fulfill their dreams and polish their projects. We are a close-knit group which grows larger every day.

ES: What is the most important thing in your world?

MG: The most important thing in my world is first and foremost my relationship with my Father in Heaven, His Son, Jesus Christ, and my family and loved ones. Nothing else really matters, yet we sure do spend a lot of time simply surviving this world we’re in. I support my husband in his career, I educate my children, I keep my house clean, and I serve those around me just like they serve me. We all share our talents with each other and one of mine happens to be writing. It’s something I become passionate about when the muse strikes and I find joy in it.

ES: Tell me about your most recent published work, and why people should buy it.

MG: My most recent published work is titled A Dash of Madness: A Thriller Anthology. It contains eight psychological thriller stories which examine the grey zone between right and wrong when insanity is involved. My story, Reformation, is first in the anthology. I was also the content editor for the project and thoroughly enjoyed working with each author. Anthologies are fun because many people have very busy schedules and can only cram in a bit of reading at a time. These short stories give just the right amount of jolt to an otherwise average day. A Dash of Madness can be purchased here.

Chatting with Marsha Ward

Today we're privileged to interview author Marsha Ward.

ES: There are an estimated 535,389.7 unique ways to die. How do you hope to meet your maker?

MW: I want to die in bed with my family surrounding me, and with enough oomph left to say something profound as my "Last Words," something that will echo down the ages and be repeated endlessly in family members' journals and on Facebook. [big grin]

ES: Tell me a little about yourself as a person.

MW: I am a widow; a mom to four grown-ups; a grandmother of six; a musician: composer, director, and performer in both vocal and instrumental areas (soprano voice, piano, organ, stringed instruments, and guitar); a jill-of-all-trades and mistress of none; and an unlettered historian. That means I don't have a degree in it, folks, but it seems to be my niche in the eternities.

ES: What genre do you write? Why?

MW: My genre of choice is 19th Century American historical fiction with a dollop of romance, usually set in the Western United States. I style myself as a writer of "Westerns with Heart & Grit." That could change to simply "Novels with Heart & Grit," if I go into other genres. My four published novels make up an on-going series called "The Owen Family Saga."

Why do I write in this genre? I love history, and have a fascination with the Old West cultivated by my father's stories of life in a Mormon colony in Mexico and on the wild frontier of early-day Tucson, Arizona. My non-series, planned but unpublished (and unfinished) novels deal with a Mormon pioneer, and an Arizona cowboy.

ES: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

MW: I dabble in arranging hymns and composing music for small church choirs, because I belong to a small church choir with few, if any, tenors.

ES: What could you not survive without for three weeks?

MW: This is an easy answer: my computer. What writer can live without writing? My preference is to type my work, because my mind goes too fast for longhand. I know that because I sometimes write in longhand at church. Yeah. While that process allows time to think of the right word or phrase, I usually already have those selected, because my subconscious has been working on the scene for a while.

ES: What makes you different from other authors in your genre?

MW: I do a tremendous amount of research, not that others don't, but many women writers on the Romance side of the Western genre don't do as much as I do. Then I use just enough of the research to sweeten the story.

ES: Tell me about your current work in progress.

MW: I'm writing a prequel to the other books in my Owen Family Saga series titled Gone For a Soldier. It's set during the American Civil War, and features Rulon, the oldest of the Owen children. This novel has required a lot more research than usual due to the events of that era, but I've discovered interesting facts that fit nicely into the storyline. Although it's taken me over a year to do the preliminary research, it has been rewarding and revealing.

ES: Tell me about your most recent published work, and why people should buy it.

MW: Spinster's Folly tells about Marie Owen's worry that she will never find a spouse, and the appalling circumstances she gets herself into because she trusted the wrong man. If readers like adventure, suspense, and romance, no matter the setting of time or place, then according to my endorsements, this is a good book for them to read.

ES: Spinster's Folly is available here.

ES: What’s your writing tool of choice?

MW: If you mean actual tool, the computer. If you mean software, I use a free program for Windows machines that was written by an Australian author, Simon Haynes, who just happened to be a computer software programmer in his day job. When he couldn't find a satisfactory program that fulfilled his needs as a novelist, he wrote his own. It's called yWriter5, is supported and upgraded regularly (which is why it's version "5"), and has a great online community. The website describes it thusly: "yWriter is a word processor which breaks your novel into chapters and scenes, helping you keep track of your work while leaving your mind free to create. It will not write your novel for you, suggest plot ideas or perform creative tasks of any kind. yWriter was designed by an author, not a salesman!"

I like yWriter because of the achievable process of writing scene by scene. I've found it so  versatile that I've used it to write two novels, a cookbook, a sampler of novel chapters, and an anthology of prose and poetry.

Find it at http://spacejock.com (the site is named after Simon's main character, Hal Spacejock). Did I mention that it's free?

ES: If you threw a cocktail party and invited all of the characters in your books, who would be the least likely to come, and why? Who would you really hope to see at the party, and why?

MW: I would need a conference center to invite all my characters to a party, but I would not expect C. G. Thorne from Spinster's Folly to make an appearance. He couldn't bear the scrutiny of the rest of them, and he well knows it. He operates best in the shadows.

Julia Owen is the character I'd most like to chat with at the party. I find her fascinating, because she's the power behind the throne. She's married to a 19th Century autocratic head of household, and I'd love to talk about her secrets for managing him.

Chatting with A M Jenner

Today we hear from our third new author, A M Jenner.

ES: Tell me a little about yourself as a person.

AMJ: Like most people, I own many hats (nearly as many as Dobby the house-elf!) Some of my hats are labeled sister, wife, mother, grandmother, writer, letterboxer, budding artist, and newly-retired secretary. When I look in the mirror at me wearing all of those hats, I can giggle along with most of my fourteen (and counting) grandchildren! I’m happy in front of my computer, a cold glass of icy water near my elbow and a plate of chocolate something next to my keyboard. Occasionally my lap holds both, depending on how wild my characters get.

ES: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

AMJ: What I like to do and what I get to do are two different things. I like to travel, read, enjoy a quiet but beautiful flower garden, and watch the different birds in my nearby riparian preserve. What I get to do is muddle through my pre-algebra class, try to understand my art teacher, and care for my family, which brings a joy of its own.

ES: If you could have one super-power, what would it be?

AMJ: I would be invisible. It’s much easier to people-watch when nobody knows you’re looking.

ES: What is your favorite color?

AMJ: Teals, purples, and burgundy.

ES: What’s your writing tool of choice?

AMJ: That depends entirely on if I’m home or on the go. I’ve been known to write on napkins, toilet paper rolls, and fast food sandwich wrappers. Legal pages are nicer, but computers are easier.
ES: What genre do you write, and why?

AMJ: I’ve been known to write poetry (from romantic to horror), and murder-filled suspense with a healthy helping of romance on the side. Friends have often asked me where I’ve been hiding the most recent bodies, as my favorite genre is suspense. At this moment, my friends Scott, Natalie, and I are in the process of separating our careers into our own genres, and I’m really glad the Electric Scroll has taken on the challenge of republishing our several books.

ES: Tell me about your most recent published work, and why people should buy it.

AMJ: Bits & Bites is a collection of short stories that Scott, Natalie, and I worked on together. It has a bit of something for everyone, no matter what genre they like to read. When you finish that, you’ll know the three of us better, and hopefully you’ll like all of our offerings. You can read more about it here.

Chatting with Natalie Peck

We're pleased to interview the second of our new authors, Natalie Peck.

ES: Tell me a little about yourself as a person.

NP: I’m Natalie Peck. I’m married, with a daughter, and I live in Gilbert, Arizona. I love trying new recipes and coaxing my family to eat my creations. Nearly all of my favorite television shows are British. I’m taking a class to learn how to draw, and surprising myself by doing better than I thought I would.

ES: If you had unlimited money, what’s the first thing you would spend it on?

NP: I’d buy my mom a reliable car.

ES: What’s your biggest fear?

NP: Crickets. Well, most bugs, really, but crickets really scare me because they always jump right at my face.

ES: What is the most important thing in your world?

NP: My daughter. My entire world revolves around raising her and convincing her that she’s the awesome individual that she is.

ES: What is your favorite color?

NP: Most shades of purple.

ES: What’s your writing tool of choice?

NP: I do most of my writing on my computer. For writing by hand, I prefer a pen, either ball point or fountain.

ES: Reading: Paper or Electrons? Why?

NP: I read both. I like my Nook, because I can take so many books with me wherever I go, and they weigh nothing, but I also like the feel and smell of paper. My family owns pretty close to 5,000 paper books, and I think I’ve got somewhere around 300 or so on my Nook.

ES: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

NP: I assume you mean with the “me” time that isn’t taken up with cooking, cleaning, child-raising and other such family stuff. I like to read, play computer games, play board games, and watch TV with my family. I love going someplace cool with my daughter, just to watch her eyes light up.

ES: Tell me about your current work in progress.

NP: I’m working on a novella that’s currently named Meet me Midway, which is about two people who meet while they’re stuck in a storm at an airport. Being a romance, of course they fall in love, but then they have to figure out how they’re going to make things work, since one is a senior writer at a Manhattan advertising agency, and the other lives in small-town USA helping the grandparents take care of the family farm. The book will be out this fall, and I’m so excited that the Electric Scroll is publishing it for me.

ES: Tell me about your most recent published work, and why people should buy it.

NP: When I first wrote A Gigolo for Christmas, I asked my friend A M Jenner if we could publish it under her name, since she was already an established author. I’ll be getting it re-published under my own name within the next year, through the Electric Scroll, but until then, you’ll have to buy it with the old name still on it.

The story is a sweet romance between a woman who has nothing left to lose, and a guy who has, in her opinion, the most unsuitable job in the world.  Here’s the official book description:

Shelia Everett couldn't have imagined a worse company Christmas party. By the end of the evening she was unemployed and homeless.

Fortunately her boss' date, Anders Adamson was willing to help her repair the damage. He even offered to help her get a job at his escort service.  What's a good girl to do when she discovers she's fallen in love with a gigolo?  

Anyone wanting to read a sweet romance should buy my Gigolo and take him home for Christmas. You can get it here.

Chatting with Scott Ashby

The Electric Scroll will be interviewing authors on a regular basis. You don't have to be published by us to be interviewed. If you're an independent author and you'd like to be interviewed, please contact us at secretary@electric-scroll.com, and we'll be glad to get you set up.

Our first interview is with Scott Ashby, one of our authors.

ES: Tell me a little about yourself as a person.
SA: I’m Scott Ashby. I’m single. I don’t date much. I probably get along with computers better than people, partially because computers don’t go confusing me by changing their appearance. It’s called face blindness, which means I have a very difficult time identifying even good friends when they’ve changed their hair color or style. I’m ADHD. What else do you want to know?

ES: What genre do you write, and Why?
SA: I write SF/Fantasy because I’d rather make up a world to fit my book than try to make my stories fit into a particularly shaped hole in the real world.

ES: If you threw a cocktail party and invited all of the characters in your books, who would be the least likely to come, and why? Who would you really hope to see at the party, and why?
SA: Prince Liammial from Tanella’s Flight and The Siege of Kwennjurat is the least likely to come, because he wouldn’t see any advantages for him in coming. He already knows I don’t like him much. I would hope Lt. Jenna from Assignment to Earth comes, because I’d really like to get to know her better.

ES: If you had unlimited money, what’s the first thing you would spend it on?
SA: A trip to Europe to take awesome pictures of castles for my book covers.

ES: There are an estimated 535,389.7 unique ways to die. How do you hope to meet your maker?
SA: I don’t plan on dying.

ES: If you could have one super-power, what would it be?
SA: I’d like to be able to kwim. For those who don’t know what that is, it’s the ability to teleport anywhere, instantly. Also they should read Fredric Brown’s Martians Go Home.

ES: What’s your biggest fear?
SA: When I was very young, I was climbing a mountain with my parents. It started to rain while we were on the mountain, and as we were coming down, I slid down some of the stairs. Ever since then I’ve been terribly afraid of heights, and also of falling.

ES: What is your favorite color?
SA: Blue.

ES: Tell me about your current work in progress.
SA: Mind Touch is about a group of people called Teeps, with various telepathic and assorted other mind powers in a post-apocalyptic world who are being persecuted by the Normals, and who must work together to solve the most important puzzle ever posed to the people of their world.

ES: Tell me about your most recent published work, and why people should buy it.
SA: The Siege of Kwennjurat is the sequel to Tanella’s Flight; both books deal with the machinations of a man who’s been scheming for more than thirty years to take control of the kingdom and declare himself king. You’ll want to read both books, actually, to find out just how far Liammial’s willing to go in order to get what he wants…and whether he gets what he deserves.
At the moment, they’re still listed under my friend A M Jenner’s name, but soon they’ll be properly republished as mine. You can find out more about Tanella's Flight and The Siege of Kwennjurat at their pages on the Electric Scroll.

Welcome, Authors!

The Electric Scroll is pleased to welcome authors A M Jenner, Scott Ashby, and Natalie Peck to our press. Let me introduce them to you.

A M Jenner (the A M stands for Anne Marie) is a sweet granny who knows all the best ways to hide a body. She writes romantic suspense that will keep you up all night to finish the book. Before her retirement, co-workers were known to come thundering into her office, tell her where they were in the book, and demand to know what happened next, since they didn’t think they could wait until the end of the work day to find out. She never gives out spoilers, though.

Scott Ashby writes science fiction and fantasy, because he’d rather invent a new world that fits his story then twist his story around to fit the real world. Whether his villains are crazed mages in a desert wasteland filled with magic, or the usurping younger brother of the king, they’re well-rounded, believable characters who will haunt your waking moments. Fortunately, his heroes and heroines are well-prepared to meet their challenges. Scott has often confessed to spending his days dreaming up ways to torture his heroes.

Natalie Peck writes sweet romance inspired by her very own red-blooded American hero – her husband. They have one daughter which they both shower with love at every opportunity. They also shower her with responsibilities, so she doesn’t get too badly spoiled.

In the past, Scott and Natalie have been publishing under Anne’s name. We’ll get that straightened out for them as we help them move forward in the wide world of books. For now, know that their books will be listed under the old name as we transition each of the authors from a joint career into their own lives.