Author Interview with C.T. Brown, author of "Sovereign Nation!"

 

 

1. Hello and welcome to my blog! To start off, what made you decide to take the plunge into the world of publishing?

Hello and many thanks for the opportunity to answer some questions on your blog. After many years of almost finishing novels and shorter works I finally finished one thanks to the inspiration of my muse (my wife). This was then sent off to many places in the hopes of getting an agent or a publisher, it didn't so it instead spent the next 18 months in a drawer. I then entered a competition where you submit the first chapter of a novel only to realise it would work better as a novella which I then wrote. With two completed works languishing in drawers I discovered Amazon's KDP programme and had a revelation - I could actually publish them myself! I had never really been aware of self-publishing before and suddenly there it was, just what I'd been looking for without realising I was looking for it.

 

 

2. Tell me about your book.

Sovereign Nation is a thriller featuring politics, archaeology, espionage and the surprisingly happy marriage of it's heroes, Bel and Emily Carter. Here's the blurb:

"Searching for the tomb of the legendary First King of Britain shouldn't lead to anything but more professional ridicule for archaeology professor Belinus Carter. Instead he and his wife Emily, a secret agent for the Royal British Protectorate, are drawn into a political conspiracy that leads all the way to the top of British society. Fighting for their lives and hunted by the government of the country they are sworn to protect, the Carters and the Royal British Protectorate  must go on the offensive.

Using the secrets of the tomb of King Brutus they will battle to restore the country they love and defeat it's darkest foe - an enemy from within that threatens the very fabric of Britain and everything it stands for.

Politics, archaeology, mythology and espionage crash together in Sovereign Nation."

Admit it, that sounds exciting, right?

3. What has been the biggest challenge you've had to face in publishing so far?

Getting published. Largely due to my own lack of knowledge about the joys of self-publishing and my attempts to join the world of 'traditional publishing'. Had I never bothered with that I'd have been published 18 months earlier and probably be another book or two ahead.  Other than that my biggest challenge has probably been the same as most writers, fighting procrastination!

 

 

4. Do you have a favorite author?

I always come back to Douglas Adams and William Shakespeare, completely different bodies of work but both really understood people and that is the key to good writing.

5. If you could achieve one goal with your writing, what would it be?

Become a multi-billionaire and live a life of offensively outrageous luxury. Either that or just to share my stories with anyone who wants to read them. Depending on my mood I am either ludicrously ambitious or not remotely ambitious at all.

 

 

6. What do you do when you're not writing?

Work, eat, sleep, take too many photographs and wonder when I will be able to fit in some archery.

 

 

7. Can we expect more books from you?

Oh yes, there is already a novella follow up to Sovereign Nation and the crime novella Second Time Lucky. Soon there will be another one too, I just have to actually finish writing it instead of thinking about what I want to write after that.

 

 

Off-beat questions

 

 

1. I see you write thrillers. What is the most thrilling thing you have done?

My characters do the thrilling things, I drink tea and try to avoid doing anything too dangerous.

 

 

2. "Sovereign Nation" takes place in Britain. Ever been there? If so, what's your best experience you've had there?

Not only have I been to Britain, I am from Britain. Born here and lived here all my life. My best experience here? Getting married to my muse!

*

Author bio:

I am an independent author, amateur archer and enthusiastic photographer. I've worked in Customer Services, Logistics, Reporting, Analysis and for many years as a Data Monkey in the Telecommunications, Insurance, Online Auction and Cycle Hire industries - leaving me qualified for nothing but with lots of experience of pretending to understand what others are talking about.

My books are written from my extensive lack of experience of the worlds of international espionage, archaeology, politics and murder investigation - I have heard you should 'write what you know' but choose to ignore it.

I have been very happily married to my muse since 2010 and I use the word 'muse' because without her I would never have completed my first novel, she gave me the confidence to do it and the inspiration to keep writing.

 

 

Blog:

C T Brown

				C T Brown Thoughts, opinions and more from an amateur author, archer and photgrapher.
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Buy "Sovereign Nation:"

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FF5XPSY

Unlocked is free! To celebrate, here's a sneak peek of Lokte!

Unlocked is finally free on Amazon! Since becoming free, my ranking has shot from the 100,000s to the 8,000s! This is very exciting news! Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N200KBY/

To celebrate, I thought I would offer a short excerpt of Lokte before it comes out this Friday. Here's the prologue:


Prologue

           

            Thomas Jackson hung the phone silently on the receiver, his heart pounding like a drum in his chest. He was shaking. The news he received filled his body with dread, the shock spreading along his insides in a slow, creeping trickle. He wanted to move, but his feet seemed stuck to the hardwood.

            His phone began to ring again, sending a loud noise throughout the house. He feared answering it . . . but it could be him.

            He pressed the green, flashing button.

            “. . . Hello?”

            “Thomas,” a voice said. It was Sophia from church. She was old, and her words came out in sputters. “Have you checked on him?”

            “. . . What?” His mind was too fuzzy to process her question.

            “I know this news is awful, but you need to check on your friend. Now.”

            His feet began to tingle. “You’re right . . . I’m sorry. I-I’m heading there now.”

Tom hung up the phone and forced himself forward, his shoes clunking loudly as he exited the house. Darkness shrouded the city street. His weak legs formed long, earnest strides across the concrete as buildings zoomed past in a blurry whirl, the night air blowing drops of water on his flushed face. Streetlamps illuminated the sidewalk, flashing him with sudden jolts of yellow light beneath the clouded sky.

Why had he hesitated before? He had to get there soon; his friend needed him. He pressed even harder against his sore limbs, the world seeming to dissolve around him.

            It felt like ages before he finally turned on that familiar street. The tiny white house loomed ahead, its red door slightly ajar. He leapt on the concrete steps and past the front yard where the grass was beginning to turn a murky brown. He barreled inside.

            The house was dark, with a few pieces of furniture flipped over, and broken glass scattering the tan carpet.

            “Hello?! It’s me, Tom. Are you there? HELLO?!”

            Silence. A sudden crack of thunder boomed, and lightning flashed outside the dim windows. Steady drops of rain pelted the roof.

            His chest still heaving, he bent down and grabbed a broken frame lying on the floor. He stared at the picture with a heavy heart.

            “Lord,” he whispered, another strike of thunder sounding out behind him. “Only you can help him now. Please help him.”

            Outside, beyond his scope of hearing, a woman began to laugh, her high-pitched cackle resounding into the night sky.



Don't forget to join my Facebook Launch Party and become eligible for some free prizes! https://www.facebook.com/events/567820270010578/572882656171006/?ref=notif&notif_t=like

"Unlocked" is available! Also, here's an invitation!

I published "Unlocked" a few days ago on Amazon and Smashwords. It was a very nerve wracking process, being my first published work and all. But I consider it a great success :) I'm so happy to finally have all my hard work up and available to see!
The main point of this prequel is to get people ready and excited for "Lokte," coming out September 12 (twelve days, wow!). I think it serves as a great accent to the story, delving deeper into the history and the characters.

Here are the links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N200KBY/

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/470632


Both of these should allow you a free preview, so you can see if the story interests you before you buy it.

In other news, I'm holding a public Launch Party for "Lokte" on September 12. It should be a lot of fun. It's free to join, you'll be eligible for lots of prizes given away throughout the night, and all you have to do is stop by the invite page occasionally and make a few comments :) . Send an invite to your friends. The more people, the better!

Here's the launch party link: https://www.facebook.com/events/567820270010578/570488546410417/?notif_t=like


It's so nice to see things finally coming together. I can't wait to share "Lokte" with the world. I hope the story will touch all of you the way it has touched me.

Author Interview with Mikey Chlanda, author of the Heist!

1. Hello and welcome to my blog! To start off, what made you decide to take the plunge into the world of publishing?

  After having to retire early from the fire department due to injuries from a car crash, I went to a college reunion. I ran into an old friend and talking about our first fire department, which was  headquartered at the college. We were talking about how the older guys were dying off, and how it would be nice to capture some of the oral history. So I decided to write the history of my first fire department. It was a way of reconnecting with the fire service, as well as getting my mind off of my rehab and on something else.  

2. Tell me about your book. 

“The Heist” features an aging heistman, Shaeffer, who specializes in taking down football stadium receipts, armored cars, and other heavyweight scores. He's seeing his career go down the drain. The big cash scores are drying up. Nobody carries cash anymore – everything is Paypal, bitcoins, or debit cards. Like a lot of us, he's frustrated and pissed by an increasingly high-tech world. He rants about shopping for reading glasses with the magnification printed in too small type to read without having to buy the damn glasses. To top it off, his live-in girlfriend walks out on him. So with his buddy Grogan, he pulls one more job to get a fresh start and figure out what the hell he wants to do with the rest of his life.

3. Who/what inspired you to write? 

 I've written on and off over the years (my first published work was in 1986), but running into Jeanne, my college friend, was the impetus behind making writing a career choice. My creative writing teacher in high school was Frank McCourt, so that was definitely a help. He always said he wanted to write the great American novel and damned if he didn't do it.

4. You write both nonfiction and fiction. Which one do you find easier to write, and how did you get inspired to write both? 

I find non-fiction easier to write. Once I finish the research, the book is pretty much written. When writing fiction, sometimes I need a break, or bounce ideas off of friends, what happens next.

5. If you could accomplish one thing with your books, what would it be?

 I'd like to leave a legacy for my son. After I'm gone, I'm hoping he can still get a sense of me through the books and show his kids and grandkids what I was like.

6. What do you do when you're not writing? 

I read (obviously!), bike, and tell way too many jokes. I also like discovering new IPA beers, cooking, and baking bread.

7. Can we expect more books from you soon? 

The next Shaeffer book is due out in September. There's a “How and Where to Sell Your Records” guide and a Cincinnati Bengals trivia book due out this fall as well.

Off-beat Questions

1. I see you've written a non-fiction history novel. Would you call yourself a history buff? If so, what's your favorite period of history? 

I wouldn't say I'm a history buff, but I'm definitely drawn to quirky events and characters in history. I'll be reading a newspaper article or a book, think “That's interesting” and start an internet search to find out more about it. Before you know it, I have a few dozen websites bookmarked, a half dozen books on my Amazon wishlist, and another book on the way.

2. What other subjects in non-fiction are you interested in?

 Firefighting, obviously. Quirky facts about New York City, where I grew up. Music, especially rock and blues. Manned space exploration – I think I've read every book by an astronaut. I love reading about “man against nature” as I call them – reading about wilderness survival, the many failed quests to find the Northwest Passage, Shackleton, things like that.

Mikey Chlanda was born in and raised in New York City (born 1961 - ). He came to Yellow Springs to go to Antioch College. When Maples (the college fire department) found out he had been an ER Tech in a Manhattan emergency room, they made Chlanda join. Chlanda fell in love with the fire service and after college, he joined the village fire department, retiring as a lieutenant. His first book, "Maples: A History of the Antioch College Fire Department" is a history of the only student-run fire department in the world. His second book, "MFSL: A Concise Price Guide and Discography", was based in part on his knowledge garnered from 25 years of selling vinyl music, 15 of it in a brick and mortar store that he owned. He just released his first novella "The Heist" featuring Shaeffer, an aging heistman struggling in a high-tech world.

He is currently working on his next Shaeffer book. He splits his time between Yellow Springs and Cincinnati, Ohio, but wishes he could be in New York City.

A Prequel to Lokte!

Hey guys! I made a spur of the moment decision a week ago. After so anxiously awaiting the release of my debut novel, Lokte, I decided I wanted to write a prequel.

Knowing this, I set aside my other project and went to working on it straight away. I finished the first draft yesterday. It's a short prequel; only twenty-five pages prior to editing. But I have to admit, it was a lot of fun to write. I think it will be a great addition to help deepen the story of Lokte. It focuses on one of the book's secondary characters, Sophia, delving into her history of dealing with demons. It will be fun to see what this does for the story. Plus, it's gonna be free on Amazon. Can't go wrong with free fiction!

Now to decide whether or not Lokte needs a sequel. I have a sequel in mind, but deciding whether I want to write it or not is a tough one. I enjoyed writing Lokte, and I'm sure I would equally enjoy writing a sequel to it; but then, I feel as if the book should almost be a stand-alone. Hmm. Decisions, decisions. I suppose I will let my readers help me with that one.

At any rate, the prequel should be published sometime next week, once I get it edited and finalize the title. My first published work. I'm getting chills already.

I will soon share the Prologue to Lokte here on my blog, with links on my social media sites. Until then, forgive me for this post being so short. I just thought I would add a quick update to how things are going here in my crazy writing world.

Until next time!

I'm pleased to welcome Paul Seiple, author of Chasing Fireflies, Book 1 of the Morning Star series!

1. Hello, and welcome to my blog! To start off, what made you decide to take the plunge into the world of publishing?

First of all, thanks for having me. I've always "written." I started writing songs when I was kid and thinking I'd replace Vince Neil in Motley Crue. The songs weren't that good, neither was my voice. I decided to publish after I wrote The Shape of Things to Come, which was the first story that I truly wanted to share. 

2. Tell me about your book.

Chasing Fireflies is the first book in my new Morning Star series. It follows the life of a homicide cop with boxful of secrets from his past that refuse to stay hidden. 

3. I see you write thrillers and horror. Are there any horror/thriller authors that have inspired your writing?

Honestly, music inspires my writing more than anything. I learned to write from listening to Jerry Reed and Jim Croce. Every song told a story. If I had to choose an author, I'd say Joe Konrath's Jack Daniels series made me fall in love with writing serials. 

4. What part did you have the most fun writing (without spoilers, of course)?

With this being the first book of a series, I loved adding little snippets of the future that will only become obvious as the series progresses.

5. If you could achieve one thing with your writing, what would it be?

It's already happened. I had someone on twitter private message me and tell me that he loved my book. Selling books is great, but knowing that someone took the time to reach out and tell you he loved your book is what makes it worthwhile to me. 

6. What do you do when you're not writing?

When I'm not writing, I'm thinking about writing. My mind never turns off. There is always a story idea floating around in there. I also try to stay as active as possible. It's really easy to ignore physical activity when you're a writer. Health-wise, it's incredibly important not to take your body for granted. I spend a lot of free time hiking, biking, and playing basketball.

7. Can we expect more novels in the future?

Absolutely. The second book in the Morning Star series will hopefully be out in October. The lead character in the series is also teaming up with Joe Konrath's iconic Jack Daniels for a couple of adventures. 

Off-Beat Questions

1. You write horror. What is something you're afraid of? Any weird phobias (one of mine, for example, is small spaces)? 

I like heights about as much as I like Justin Bieber. In fact, my idea of Hell is being trapped on a roller coaster blasting Bieber songs. This is not really a fear, more of an odd fact. The Ouija board that is a key point in my book The Dark Stuff actually exists. It's in my basement now. There is a scene in the book where the board is used to contact a dead neighbor. That happened pretty much as it does in the book. I have no explanation for what happened. 

 2. You're a thriller writer. What would you say is one of the most thrilling things that has happened to you?

At the risk of sounding boring one of the most thrilling things has to be writing "The End" in my first novel. Since I write about the stuff, I wish I had a story about the time I hunted down a serial killer and caught him just before he took his next victim, but I don't. I'm such a poser. But seriously, even though I've written most of my life, I really didn't feel like a writer until I wrote the last sentence in the first novel. For me, that's pretty thrilling.