December 17, 2013

Chatting with Sophie Duncan

Today we're pleased to welcome Sophie Duncan, who has come all the way from the UK to be interviewed.

Electric Scroll: Tell me a little about yourself as a person.

Sophie Duncan: Well, I'm a geek, a bit shy with people I don't know to begin with, but I get the hang of it eventually and when I do make friends, you're stuck with me for life. :) I did that D&D character type test that was going around the internet a while back and I came out lawful good, which I think sums me up, since I have a conscience that could knock out an elephant and get really guilty if I do even the smallest thing bad. It also told me I was a human wizard, which I was happy with, because I've always fancied myself waving my hands around and casting spells, but I don't that's really relevant here. ;P

Professionally, I have two jobs, the one that earns the money (at the moment) is project management, but the one where my heart is, is writing. I've been writing since I was young, writing my first 'novel', and the quotes are really necessary, believe me, at 11 – thank god I was pre-internet generation at that age! ;P And I have spent at least half my life wandering around in a daydream, hopefully in latter years, a productive, directed daydream which ends up on paper. As well as writing, I like being creative in other ways, singing, hand bell ringing (I run the local group), crocheting, crafting.

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?

SD: Hmm, what an interesting question – who would be least likely to come to a cocktail party. I think that would have to be Tom Franklin, from Death In The Family. He's had a lot of shocks in his personal life lately, the most dramatic being the discovery that his father is a vampire and he has inherited the blood lust from daddy. He's also telepathic and trying to learn to control it, so lots of people would be a literal headache. 

The character I'd really hope to see accept my invitation would be two people actually, but they're twins, so they count as one (speaking as a twin, I can vouch for this), and they are the Haward Twins, Remy and Theo, from Sacrifice of An Angel. They can both handle themselves in social situations, having been brought up to inherit of Blackwood Manor and the position that goes with it. Remy is a party animal, he would more than keep the conversation going, it would be a party to remember, but with his older brother, Theo, close by to keep an eye on him, the memories wouldn't be too raucous. :)

ES: Reading: Paper or Electrons? Why?

SD: Both, actually, because it depends what I'm reading. I love the convenience and immediate gratification of eBooks, for example, I'm a big fan of Susan Hill's The Woman In Black, I'd seen it on stage and seen the TV movie, but before the Hammer Horror film version came out, I decided one day I wanted to read the source material, the book. So, off I went to Amazon, and within 5 minutes I was reading it. However, there are some book formats eBooks cannot, and never will, in my opinion, cope with. Big format, lots of glossy pictures non-fiction books will never be any good on eBooks, because you're dealing with a screen a few inches across. Those I like to open on my lap and spend my time perusing.

ES: Tell me about your current work in progress.

SD: My current WIP, well, there are in fact 2.
I have the sequel to Death in the Family first draft almost finished, where Tom's journey continues as he discovers more about the vampire traits he has inherited from his father and some talents from his mother, while facing an unknown enemy who is trying to destroy any semblance of control he has managed to establish since his inheritance began to show.
The second WIP, which is halfway through, thanks to 2013's NaNoWriMo, is in fact an extended version of a popular novella of mine, Bonds of Fire. Quite a few of the reviews were asking for more from this story's universe, which is set on a world where some humans and dragons live in symbiosis. The original story was written as a request and I've had ideas about turning it into a full length novel for a while, so Drekken, my dragon warrior protagonist, is exploring more of being a father, falling in love and dealing with the complications of old, old friends that put his new friends in danger.

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

SD: Having had this happen recently, I can firmly say, the internet! Our phone exchange went down for nearly two weeks and I was crawling the walls by the end of it, missing Google+ and Tumblr et al, and just not being able to access the massive resource of images and reference information was inhibiting my thought processes when it came to my writing. I had no idea how much I found Google useful until it wasn't there at my fingertips any more.

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

SD: My twin sister, Tasha. We are two halves of a whole. We live a few houses down from each other in the same street and that is how we like it. We've tried the whole being apart thing, I lived halfway across the UK for a couple of years and they were the worst two years of our lives. We wind each other up, we bicker, we have flaming rows, but woe betide anyone who upsets my twin, because they will face my wrath.

ES: What is your favorite color?

SD: Now, this one is easy – purple – deep, dark on-the-blue-side purple.

ES: What’s your writing tool of choice?

SD: Again, I have two. For my first draft, I use Scrivener, because I can make notes, store reference material and create a scene breakdown really easily. However, once I make it to draft 2, I move on to MS Word, because the spellchecker is more reliable, it's easier for editing and commenting and the macros are much easier to work with than Scrivener (people who use the Mac version of Scrivener will probably disagree with me, but then that version is much more advanced than the Windows version).

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

SD: My latest book is The End Of The Journey, which is the first novella in my Hidden War series. It's a New Adult paranormal fantasy focusing around two young men, Zac Kithrall, a demon-seer, and his sworn enemy, Damon Wulfres, son of the most prominent demon-raiser in Britain. This first story is Zac's as he finds himself in Damon's custody, his mind and senses dulled by a violent influence that wants his soul.
There's a mystery here to draw a reader in, what is possessing Zac, why does Damon have him? It is a fast-paced adventure with demons, magic and sacrifice. Fans of Harry Potter, Twilight, or Percy Jackson should enjoy this story. Plus, at only $1.50/£0.98, it's very reasonably priced.

Sophie Duncan can be found hanging out online at these places:

  • wittegenpress.com/sophieduncan
  • twitter.com/thwax
  • twitter.com/wittegenpress
  • plus.google.com/+SophieDuncan
  • facebook.com/WittegenPress
  • thwax.tumblr.com
  • pinterest.com/wittegenpress
And here is more information on her book, The End of the Journey:

The Hidden War has been raging unseen by normal eyes for generations and Zac Kithrall, demon-seer, and Damon Wulfres, demon-raiser, have grown up on opposite sides of it.

Zac knows these truths, but when he finds himself mostly helpless and under Damon's control, he can't remember why he trusts his enemy, or why they are running from both sides in the war. Weak, and fighting a raging power that is threatening to tear him apart from the inside, Zac is forced to rely on Damon, friend or foe, and, together, they face a race against time to prevent Armageddon. 

The Hidden War is a YA Contemporary Fantasy containing a male/male romance.

Buy links (Amazon, B&N, Smashwords): www.wittegenpress.com/theendofthejourney


December 10, 2013

Chatting with Adrienne Thompson

 This week we're pleased to welcome author Adrienne Thompson, author of Your Love is King. Thanks for stopping by, Adrienne.

Electric Scroll: What could you not survive without for three weeks?
Adrienne Thompson: Music! I don’t think I’d last a day without it!
ES: What is the most important thing in your world?
AT: Love
ES: What is your greatest achievement to date?
AT: Being the mother of three wonderful children.
ES: If you could have one super-power, what would it be?
AT: The ability to fly
ES: What is your favorite color?
AT: Yellow
ES: What genre do you write, and why?
AT: I write Edgy Inspirational Women’s Fiction because I truly have a heart for women and the issues that plague our lives. I just want to tell real stories of love and encouragement and of brokenness and healing.
ES: What’s your writing tool of choice?
AT: The notepad on my iPhone
ES: Tell me a little about yourself as a person.
AT: Creative, soft-hearted, loving, too trusting, ambitious, sensitive, driven, wise, and calm.
ES: What do you like to read?
AT: Anything that is intriguing and can catch and hold my attention.



Here’s a little bit about Adrienne’s latest novel, Your Love Is King.
Divorced nurse and single mom, Marli Meadows, was tired of the monotonous rhythm of her life, so she decided to leave it behind and embark on a search for change. Instead, she found a love.

Your Love Is King can be purchased by visiting the following sites:
Kindle: http://ow.ly/qL0Pd
Nook: http://ow.ly/qL0Xd 
Kobo: http://ow.ly/qL1v5 
Amazon UK: http://ow.ly/qL1C3
Author Website: http://adriennethompsonwrites.webs.com

December 04, 2013

Tanella's Flight Nearing Release!

We're so happy to share the brand new cover for Scott Ashby's book, Tanella's Flight. The book is in the final stages of publication. The various formats will be released as they are ready, over the next three weeks.

The next projects will be Natalie Peck's A Gigolo For Christmas, and the short story anthology Bits and Bites. We're looking forward to getting the new covers from the art department and showing them to you soon.

December 03, 2013

Chatting with Charlene Tess

We're very pleased to welcome Charlene Tess, who has agreed to be grilled by our editor's inquisition today.

Electric Scroll: Introduce me to your favorite literary character (yours or anyone’s).

Charlene Tess: My favorite literary character is Atticus Finch. This character, created by Harper Lee in To Kill a Mockingbird, has always reminded me of my own father, Kenneth Bourland.

Atticus was known for being the same at home as he was in public. He made honorable decisions, even when those decisions were unpopular. In Atticus’ words: “The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.”

He taught his children by example. He was honest, compassionate, kind, and fair. I was so fortunate to have a father just like Atticus Finch - a man who lived with integrity every day of his life.

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

CT: I would spend it on my family members who could use a little help. Circumstances have made life difficult for some of the people that I love very much. I would help them ease their financial burdens. I am also very concerned with the level of hunger in the United States. I would make sure no one is ever hungry.

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

CT: I am a wife, mother, and grandmother. I have two beautiful daughters and three wonderful grandsons. I taught English and creative writing to high school students and adults for 35 years, and I am now retired. I write grammar books, lesson plan units, and novels full time and spend time traveling with my husband. I have been writing all my life, and my first nonfiction book, Simple Steps to Sentence Sense, was published in 1996. My first novel, The Van Winkle Bride, was published in 2001. I have four published nonfiction books and five published novels. I co-wrote one of the novels with my sister under the pen name Tess Thompson.  All of my books are available from Amazon.com. All of my educational materials are available from TeachersPayTeachers.com.

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

CT: My most recent novel, Our Hearts Remember, is the story of the unshakeable bond between a mother and daughter. I have two daughters of my own and a stepdaughter who passed away in 2007, so I have a little experience in this area. It is an uplifting novel that explores a close, loving family in crisis after a small child dies in a tragic accident. The book sells for only $2.99 and it is a satisfying read.

ES: What’s your writing tool of choice?

CT: It depends upon where I am. I write all the time in my head. Many of my best ideas come while I am taking a morning walk. I used to carry a small tape recorder with me in my pocket to record my ideas, but now I just speak into my iPhone.

Two of my novels are set in the mountains of New Mexico, and I wrote both books on legal pads while sitting under the tall Ponderosa pines. When I got home, I typed them into my computer. On trips, while my husband is driving the car, I write on legal pads.

If I am at home, I use my Macintosh computer and MS Word. 

ES: Reading: Paper or Electronic? Why?

CT: Although I don’t think eBooks will ever completely replace paper books, I find that reading an eBook is a very rewarding experience. One of the best things about having an eBook reader is that you can load it with lots of titles to take on a trip and do not have to fill your suitcase with heavy books. That can only be a good thing for writers and readers.

I much prefer reading an eBook on my phone because the books cost less, they are easier to take along with me, and I have a built in night light as I read. I can preload my Kindle Reader on my phone with several books before I travel.

I now sell all of my books as Kindle editions, and no longer offer them as paperback editions.

ES: What do you like to read?

CT: I am a voracious reader, so it would be impossible to name all the genres and authors. I especially enjoy mystery, thriller, and suspense novels. I really enjoy reading James Lee Burke, Pat Conroy, Anne Rivers Siddons, Jonathan Kellerman, John Sanford, Diane Chamberlain, Barbara Delinsky, Nora Roberts, Michael Connelly, and John Grisham. I also like to read new indie authors like L. C. Hayden.

I am usually engrossed in three books at one time. The one I am reading on the Kindle reader on my phone, the one I am listening to on Audible, and the one I am writing.

ES: Make a confession.

CT: I confess that I have been losing and re-gaining the same 10 pounds my whole life. (Okay, maybe 15.) I do all right for a while, and then I give in and eat all the carbs I have been denying myself. I love to bake and I love pie. I keep two sizes of jeans in my closet at all times because I am so short that even a couple of pounds takes me up a size in jeans.

Charlene mentioned her most recent book Our Hearts Remember, earlier in the interview. Here's a little more information about it.

Patricia Gillespie’s life revolves around her husband, Mac; her daughter, Alaina; and her precious five-year-old granddaughter Patti-cake. A tragic accident and a devastating illness change everything in Patricia’s life, and she must deal with the possibility of losing all three of her treasured family members. Patricia’s journey is sometimes sad, sometimes humorous, and always honest as it explores the greatest gift of all: the resilience of love.

You can buy Our Hearts Remember here for $2.99.