TN: Welcome to Tasche Laine, my featured author this week. Why do you write, and what subjects or genre inspire you? 

TL: I write because I’ve always written. It’s a part of who I am. Before blogs existed I wrote letters—that I actually mailed to people. I’ve always kept journals and diaries, and have written for a few jobs (news reporter, technical writer, education).

A genre that inspires me is realistic fiction, memoir, or biography. I like stories with truth in them, stories I can glean something from and perhaps apply to my own life.

TN: What genre do you normally write in?

TL: CLOSURE is my first book and it is a hybrid of women’s fiction and memoir. It is based on a true story about my life, but aspects have been fictionalized for literary effect, and to protect the privacy of those involved.

TN: Describe your writing style.

TL: The writing style I used for CLOSURE was past-tense, first-person. It is mostly narrative with dialogue interspersed, and has an epistolary element as well, as there are quite a few letters and emails from the characters in it

TN: What is your biggest challenge when novel writing? And do you ever get writer’s block?

TL: My biggest challenge is making time for writing. Going forward, I plan to be more structured and block out chunks of time for writing and nothing else. I don’t really get writer’s block, but when I’m having trouble with a certain scene, I get up and walk away. I come back to it after it’s rolled around in my mind for a bit. So far, this has worked well for me.

TN: How many books have you written, and what inspired you to write your first book?

TL: So far, I have written one book. I was inspired to write it because this story would not let me rest until I told it. It is deeply personal and the emotions expressed are real. I feel an obligation to tell it, to be a voice for those who feel silenced. Part of my story deals with adversity and heavy issues, such as rape and depression. I hope that readers will see this book as more than just a story about two kids who fell in love. Because life is so much more complicated than that. Yes, there is a love story here, but it is also a life story. I was inspired to see it through to publication because I feel I have been given a second chance—I almost lost my voice to a thyroid tumor, and my life to kidney cancer—I survived both, and now I’m making a difference.

I started writing my story at age 19 because of the book, A Bridge Across Forever, by Richard Bach. I became obsessed with the idea of having a soulmate—thus the seed of when my story began.

TN: Why did you decide to self-publish instead of going through an agent or publisher?

TL: I queried 28 agents. Not one of them asked to read the manuscript, and most sent back form letter rejections saying it wasn’t for their list. I never thought I’d self-publish, yet here I am.

TN: How did you come up with your cover design?

TL: The story begins with two kids, best friends, who fall in love. I wanted to capture that childlike innocence of young love without assigning identities; I didn’t want to see their faces. I searched for silhouettes of a boy and girl together and found the shot of their backs. I thought it was perfect.

TN: What software do you use for your print version and/or for eBook?

TL: I typed and formatted my manuscript in MS Word, then converted the print version to a pdf, and the eBook to ePub and mobi through Calibre. I also reformatted it especially for kindle using their software.

TN:  What tips would you give to someone who is considering self-publishing their work?

TL: It’s a steep learning curve, but it can definitely be done, and there are lots of great sites and community forums with indie authors offering valuable help and insights. Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask questions!

TN: Describe the plot for one of your books.

TL: In Closure, best friends and childhood sweethearts Trey and Tara fall in love through writing letters. Each other’s first love, they pledge to spend their lives together. But unforeseen events tear them apart, putting them on different paths. Yet, they weave in and out of each other’s lives through the years, even though they are not together. Haunted by memories and feeling incomplete—that fate isn’t finished with them yet—they see each other after twenty years. Could this be their second chance?

TN:  Do you have any future projects/novel ideas in mind?

TL: Yes. I’m currently writing the sequel to CLOSURE.

TN: Thank you Tasche for sharing with my readers. Learn more about Tasche on her website: http://taschelaine.com

 

TN:  Today our interview is with Kenneth Passan. Why do you write, and what subjects or genre inspires you?

KP:  I enjoy writing because it is one way I can express myself or my interests. When I first started, it was two nonfiction books I had published, related to criminology, true crime and forensics. Those were my specialties in interest, life and experiences. Then I turned to novels, because I’ve always been a storyteller ever since I was a little kid.

The genres of my thriller novels include horror and the supernatural, a wildlife thriller, a marine thriller, and one crime thriller so far. Although I’m not limiting myself to these, these are my main interests in storytelling. I’m usually open to anything else, as long as it’s a thriller. It’s my interest in these subjects that inspire me to write those genres.

TN: What genre do you normally write in?

As mentioned in my previous answer – thrillers of horror, supernatural crime, and anything else that sounds exciting and reads the same way.

TN: Describe your writing style.

KP:  I use a combination of narrative and a goodly amount of dialogue. I try to keep it balanced enough to maintain the reader’s interest and a smooth following of the story and plot. I never use the first person. Sometimes I will jump scenes and characters among different chapters, but I make sure I continue a smooth continuous follow-up on later chapters with the same scenes or characters. I avoid as much as possible trying to confuse the reader by ambiguous storytelling. In other words, I want the chapter to chapter flow as smooth as possible.

TN: What is your biggest challenge in novel writing and do you ever get writer’s block?

KP: My biggest challenge is starting the story. Although I think about and plan ahead what I’m going to write about, it’s how I begin that I consider one of the most important things about the story. A lousy beginning can cause the reader to put it down and not return to it, so I have to make it as a kind of hook to keep the reader reading for more.

Occasionally I do get writer’s block but my persistence, no matter how long this block lasts, always overcomes that. That’s one of the main reasons I can continue writing. My ability to do that.

TN: How many books have you written and what inspired you to write your first book?

KP:  I’ve written a total of seven books so far. Two nonfictions and five novels.

Inspiration to write my first book, Forensics and the Violent Criminal Mind, came from my experience, education, and complete interest in criminology and forensic science. Watching TV documentaries on true crime and man’s violence against man inspired me to write about it. Since I could not qualify to do police work, writing about it or its related sciences was the next best thing for me to express myself.

TN: Why did you decide to self-publish instead of going through an agent or publisher?

KP: Well first of all, I did have three publishers. Two different ones for my nonfiction books. The second one had dropped me because the book didn’t sell and they then refused to publish my first novel just because of that.

Getting an agent was impossible. All 300 that I queried, for most of my books, rejected me for totally subjective reasons. I gave up on agent queries forever. To me, the only vocabulary word they know is “no”. So, for my first novel I did get a traditional publisher that accepted it because of the correct genre. They also accepted my second novel for the same reason. The third they rejected. Not the right genre for them. That’s when I turned to self-publishing. Mainly for the genres they couldn’t accept. One of my future books I plan to write I expect they will take. Bottom line: practical reasons for self-publishing.

TN: How did you come up with my cover designs?

KP: The traditional companies I had used came up with them by their graphic artists. The self-publishing I am doing I try to relate the cover design to the theme and story in the book. Trying to make it attractive and eye catching to the potential buyer. In other words, try to make it so that the potential buyer will want to pick it up and look through it for possible purchase. So I try to consider all that is involved in book buying, since I’m a former book buyer myself.

TN: What software do you use for my print books and ebooks?

KP: I use Word, first of all in order to make any editing easier. When I’m ready to make it an ebook, I either convert it to pdf myself, if required, or I let the self-publishing company do it. If I do it myself, I use Sada PDF Premium, which does allow editing. For print books, I use Word entirely.

TN: What tips would you give to someone who’s considering self-publishing the work?

KP: Do your homework. If there are publishing costs involved, how reputable is the printing company, if there are free online publishing companies ( which there are), and if you are willing and able to do all the work yourself, which involves editing (often multiple times}.  Know the advantages and disadvantages of traditional vs. self-publishing before you make your decision. Whatever company you choose, whether self or traditional, know as much as you can about the company before you commit yourself. You want to avoid getting burned. It happened to me with my first company and after that it never happened again because I did my homework. Never, ever, use a vanity publishing company. I mean, NEVER. You WILL get burned if you do.

TN: Describe the plot for one of your books.

KP: In Stingers, an invasion of the deadly irikandji jellyfish invades the eastern US coast after having been brought along from the other side of the world by ocean currents. When deaths and serious injuries start occurring to swimmers and anyone else in those waters, it’s up to the marine and other scientists, as well as the US Coast Guard to not only safeguard any more lives, but also to get rid of the things. A unique plan is hatched and adopted to engage such a plan before the deadly swarm sweeps all the way up the coastline.

TN: If you’ve written more than one book, which one is your favorite?

KP: My favorite is The Elevator. It is suspenseful and coincides with my interest that the supernatural does exist and not a figment of anyone’s imagination. It also is a lesson that even the most horrific experiences and occurrences, devilish or not, CAN be overcome. Goodness always prevails despite the odds.

TN: Do you have any future projects/novel ideas in mind?

KP: Of course. I always do. Currently I’m well into my sixth novel, which is another supernatural horror. There’s another one I put on hold until I finish this one. This other one, when completed, will qualify for my publisher of my first two novels so I plan for that to be traditionally published. The current one, when completed, will be self published.

TN: Thank you Kenneth for sharing and I wish you continued success. For my readers you can discover more about Kenneth on his website: www.kensbooks.mozello.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over the last few weeks I’ve posted interviews of several self-published authors on my blog. To read them go to the Categories on the left of the blog and choose “Interviews and such.”

Everyone interviewed has a unique story to tell about their writing and their love of writing. The one common element of all the interviews is the authors’ dedication to writing and publishing, and to meeting the daunting marketing challenges of independent publications. Enticing readers to buy the book, and to actually read it and leave a constructive interview is an on-going effort, long after the novel has been published.

Thanks to the authors for their willingness to share their successes as well as their setbacks with my blog followers. I’ve enjoyed reading and editing the interviews, and I’ve discovered new books which are now on my reading list.

There are more interviews on the way, and I hope you will enjoy them.

I’d like to add plug for my books. You can read about them on my blog: https://mytheresanash.com/my-writing/

(Title of this post is paraphrased from a Patty Labelle song – “Music Is My Way of Life”)