Monday, October 31, 2011

This Week's Reader Interview with Russ Brown

1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I am a primary teacher in Cumbria, worked as a professional actor and now try to squeeze in writing children's fiction.

2. When and how did you discover that you love reading fiction?
I can always remember loving books, I enjoyed Dahl and all kinds of popular children's fiction of the late 70's and early 80's I remember always being given new books to read passed down from my brother.

3. What are some of your favorite books and who are some of your favorite authors?
Apart from you, you mean Mike!
As a teacher I love Roald Dahl and the slightly twisted humour of Paul Jennings, also love David Almond. As an adult I like fairly conventional main stream horror writers such as Stephen King and James Herbert although to be honest I feel their best work is their earliest materials. Also love the unlimited wealth of the Indie authors online.

4. What is your favorite thing about reading fiction?
A good fiction book completely envelopes the reader. You become the character or a watcher observing their every move, I often find a good fiction book impossible to put down.

5. Do you have any “pet peeves” about authors, something they do that really annoys you?
When they write a great piece of fiction and either end it too quickly or send it in a completely different direction, referring back to Stephen King for example a number of his more recent books start as traditional horror and then head off down the sci-fi alien genre. I also have a peeve when an author loses their passion and churns out formulaic nonsense.

6. Do you write fiction yourself?
I do I write children's picture books.

7. What do you think about ebooks vs. paper books?
Ebooks are the future, they are amazing things that give instant access to everyone and opens the door for anyone to share their work with the world, I am a strong advocate of the fact that paper books' days are numbered.

8. What is your favorite Mike Wells book and why?
Wild Child, it is like very early Stephen king that light fresh feel to it with a constant sense of foreboding.

9. Thank you for taking the time to give this interview, Russa.
Thanks for giving me the chance to chat to you and look forward to reading much more from you.

Russ can be contacted @russbrownauthor on twitter and through his website at www.russbrownauthor.co.uk


Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Close Encounters of the Seedy Kind: Why I Left Hollywood to Become a Novelist

When I first started to take my fiction writing career seriously, I decided to try my hand at screenwriting.  I’ve always loved movies just as much as books.  Plus, I figured writing screenplays might be easier than writing novels, as you don’t have to put in a lot of fancy description in film scripts (In hindsight I don’t think it’s any easier, but that’s what I thought then)

I was lucky with my first screenplay.  The working title was Art & Soul. It was a tight psychological thriller about a romance novelist who eavesdropped on private cellphone conversations to get his story ideas, and who falls in love with one of the women he’s been spying on.  I pitched it over the phone directly to producers.  I soon had one interested, an indie film producer who had won the prestigious Palm d'Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival a few years before.

“Mike, you’re a fantastic writer,” he told me with great sincerity.  “You should move to California, where the action is—you’ll do very well out here.”

I packed up and headed West, giddy about my seemingly fast-track Hollywood career.    

The man was a seasoned producer, in his 60's, and planned to finance the movie himself.  He bought a one year option on my screenplay, meaning that he had a year to pay me the full price for it.  He planned on doing that as soon as I'd made all the “minor” changes he wanted.  

A soon as I arrived in LA, he took me under his wing.  “Mike,” he said, putting his tanned hand on my shoulder, “before we start working together, there's one thing you should know about Hollywood.  Out here, we all practice The Golden Rule.”

“The Golden Rule?”

He grinned.  “He who has the gold, rules.”

We began “polishing” the script. I worked long, long hours, with me doing revision after revision, making small changes that he wanted.  He'd started out as a screenwriter himself, and he taught me a lot of subtle tricks  that greatly improved the screenplay, made it more gripping and engaging.  Some of the changes he wanted me didn't feel quite right.  But I remembered The Golden Rule, and I ended up making all the changes he wanted anyway.

Then, when I thought we were almost finished with it,  he said, “I think Melina (the young woman my hero falls for) should be a long-legged, fiery redhead.”

I wasn’t sure about this.  “But Melina isn’t a ‘fiery’ character.  She’s just the opposite—she’s cool and collected.”

“Trust me, Mike.”  There was deadpan look in his eye.  Don't forget The Golden Rule, it seemed to say.

I made the change.  But when I reread the script, I felt the story no longer worked.  With Melina’s new personality, her actions were no longer believable.  I mustered up my courage and decided that at the next script meeting I would tell the producer this in no uncertain terms, Golden Rule or not.

Well, he brought his new girlfriend along to the meeting.  She was about 1/3 of his age.  It happened that she was a long-legged redhead with a fiery personality.  Coincidentally, she had recently had started taking acting lessons.

The producer began asking for even more changes, telling me to crank up the “voyeurism.”  He wanted new, more titillating scenes added, scenes that were beginning to turn the film into—in Hollywood parlance—a schlocky B movie, the type that would bypass theaters altogether and be released straight to cable TV.

“It may be a little schlocky,” he admitted, “but schlock sells, Mike.  This film will be profitable right out of the gate.”  He gave me a winning Hollywood smile, his bleached teeth nearly blinding me.  “You can write your dream script later.”

I soon lost all my enthusiasm for the project.  I vividly remember staring at the computer screen one day, reading one of the seedy scenes I’d just written, and thinking I can’t do this anymore.  I felt like I was turning my own well-raised, cultured daughter into a cheap tart.

I called the producer and told him I was quitting.  

I left the Great State of California.  I began working my first novel. 

Believe it or not, I don't have any hard feelings about this experience—I pretty much knew how things would be in Hollywood.  Today—20 years later—readers often tell me that my novels have a tight, cinematic feel.  I have no doubt that this is a key element of my “unputdownable” style, and results from the intense training I underwent working with on that first screenplay.

Still, I was disappointed that Art & Soul was never made into a movie.

Maybe one day I will go back out to Hollywood and give screenwriting another try.

But not until I have accumulated enough gold to make the rules.

Monday, October 24, 2011

The "Birth" of a Story Idea: Baby Talk

Like most authors, one of the most frequent questions I'm asked by aspiring writers is, "Where do you get your story ideas?"

Most of my ideas are sparked from incidents that happen to me in real life.  Most of them don't "grab hold", but a few do, and those are the ones that turn into books.  It's almost like these story kernels have an energy of their own and carry me away with them, gaining speed and momentum, much like a snowball rolling down hill.  Of course, the snowball picks up sticks and rocks and all kinds of other debris along the way that have to be cut away on the second draft (see Does Bruce Willis Have a Dog?), but that's basically how the process works for me.

A good example is my horror novel, Baby Talk.  One night some friends and I were watching America’s Funniest Home Videos, and there was a clip that showed a 5-month old baby that could already talk. Supposedly.

“IIIIII looooove youuuuu,” it said, looking up at the camera, its little mouth twisting spastically to try and form the words.

“Oh, isn’t that darling,” one of my female friends commented.

“Darling?" I said.   "I think it's creepy.  If that were my five month old baby, I think I'd run as fast as I could in the other direction.  It's not normal for a baby that young to be talking.  It's not natural!”

An interesting discussion followed about whether the baby actually understood what it was saying, or was simply parroting the sounds it had heard so often from Mommy.  I thought it was the latter, and that's why it felt a little unsettling.  The words "I love you" did not sound sincere to me.  In fact, the tone seemed almost mocking.

I did not sleep well that night, tossing and turning, thinking about that creepy little baby talking on the video.  I couldn't get it off my mind. By the next morning, the snowball had started rolling downhill.   I kept imagining what it would be like to have a 5-month old baby that started talking to me.  What if it only talked to me when we were alone together?  Would anybody believe me?  And what if the baby didn't like me, for some reason, and refused to talk in front of anyone else to make me look foolish? 

The story began to take form.  I imagined that I was the protagonist and was quite young, only 19, and had gotten the mother pregnant during a casual one-night stand.  I pressed her to have an abortion, but she wanted to keep the baby. Out of a sense of obligation and guilt, I decided to marry her.

The baby would know all this, of course--babies do sense things while still inside the womb--and the little bundle of joy would be out to get me for wanting her aborted.

As soon as I started writing the opening scene, where little Baby Natasha starts talking to Neal Becker whey they're alone, the story began to become very real to me, and it was easy to write.  Like Wild Child, the narrative just flowed out.  Readers tell me it reads that way, just smoothly flows along and draws you in deeper and deeper.

What I think happens with a good book is that the writer successful transfers that "snowball effect" onto the reader--the reader's imagination is fired just as the writer's was, and the supplies just the right bits and pieces to make it grow larger and larger, and more real-seeming, in the reader's imagination.

By the way, Baby Talk has a very cool twist at the end.  As with Wild Child, the unexpected ending did not come to me until I arrived at the end of the book myself.

If you like horror stories, particularly psychological horror, you might give this book a try--Book 1 is a free download.

But I warn you:  better not read this one at night!

This Week's Reader Interview with Dax Tucker

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I was born Aug. 14, 1971 in Redondo Beach, CA. I have been writing stories since I was 9 years old and volunteering to share them in front of class, to just recently in June of 2011 when I released my first published work, "The Leaf Catcher," an epic poem that is the first volume in a series entitled The Traveling Box Trilogy. The series explores and defines the human mind, body, and soul while composing it in a classic epic poem style that speaks in the language of our time. My motto is to strive to be physically and mentally strong, and so I engage in tournament chess and weightlifting. I have an MBA, a BA in psychology, and am married with three children. I currently reside in Los Angeles, CA.

When and how did you discover that you love reading fiction?
Unfortunately, I didn’t start to enjoy reading till I started college.  I regret all the years I wasted not reading, and try and make up for it now by reading about 6 books at a time. I have a different book in each room of the house and always have an audiobook going in the car. Additionally, I have a color Nook with so many books lined up to read I have enough reading material to last a lifetime!

What are some of your favorite books and who are some of your favorite authors?
The problem with having read so many books now is that it is hard to name all my favorites without leaving some out. But some of the books that left a lasting impression on me are Douglas Adam’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series (Adam’s is like a modern Mark Twain in my eyes with his ingenious humor), Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games trilogy(I can hardly wait to see if the movie, planned for release in March of next year, does justice to the book.)  How can I not have respect for J.K. Rowling and her Harry Potter series? Not only are her books the epitome of well written fantasy, but her life story is an inspiration to all aspiring writers. A masterpiece of poetric prose is Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, and for superb examples of simple down to earth story telling I love Jeannette Walls’ The Glass Castle and Barbara Kingsolver’s The Bean Trees. I could just go on and on, but before I run out of room I want to say that your Wild Child books are some of the best short stories I have read as they can convey so much and get you emotionally involved in the characters in such a relatively short period of time!

What is your favorite thing about reading fiction?
Life may sometimes be stranger than fiction, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t enjoy and learn real life applicable lessons from a good book of fiction. Moreover, we can be introduced to people and events that we may never get to see in real life. The world is a huge place and life is too short to visit everyone and everyplace, so books can be a convenient way to supplement our travels.

Do you have any “pet peeves” about authors, something they do that really annoys you?
Ok I get that in a series sometimes authors need to remind the writers what happened in the previous books, and this is helpful especially when it has been a year or two since the last book, but what I don’t like to see is when they spend an inordinate amount of time recounting the previous events. If they think they need to spend a third of the book summarizing the last one then they might as well just say “read the previous book/books.”

Do you write fiction yourself?
My book is an epic poem, like Dante’s Inferno, so it is fiction in the sense that the characters and events did not really exist, but it is written in poetic form.

What do you think about ebooks vs. paper books?
I know this is a hot spot for you Mike, and I Love your blog on ebooks for dummies. I just happened to be in a Borders book store one evening to hear a family having a conversation about this topic, and sure enough the mom brought up the “I just love the feel and the smell of a paper book” argument. 

Immediately, I thought of your step by step guide of how to hold your ebook like a paper book and the can of Smell of Books spray! Honestly though I have to say there is a place in my heart for both forms of books, and audio books for that matter too. If they came up with another format I would probably like that too; <stands>Hello, my name is Dax Tucker and I am a bookoholic…But seriously though, I love the eco-friendly, portability, practicality, and numerous other features of ebooks, but I also love the durability of a paperback that you can throw and leave your drink on top of without worrying about it breaking or shorting out, and the battery will never run out on a paperback!

What is your favorite Mike Wells book and why?
I have only read both of your Wild Child books so far and they are both equal in can’t “putdownable” strength. I look forward to more in the series (And I really want to know what you have planned for that big catfish at the bottom of the lake! Ancient guardian of the green water perhaps?)

Thank you so much for taking the time to give an interview for my blog, Dax!
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you Mike for all your insightful advice. Your blog site has a wealth of helpful information to all authors whether published or not. I would also like to encourage your readers to check out my book, The Leaf Catcher, and see if they can meet its challenge: “Can you go just one day without thinking a negative thought?” Read the book and you will learn that the secret to helping you attain this goal is your perception—How you choose to perceive yourself, others, the environment and events around you will be instrumental in determining your quality of life.

Twitter: @DaxMTucker 

Monday, October 17, 2011

Which classical female author are you?

This Week's Reader Interview with Sarah Brabazon

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I live with my husband and two children aboard a 32’ yacht. We are currently in Tasmania, and making our way slowly up the East Coast of Australia. We have no schedule and no particular destination in mind. I love how as cruisers, we are able to stay in a community for enough time to make connections with people and get a real sense of a place. I’m a romance writer, and ship’s engineer (I have a degree in maritime engineering), my husband (an IT executive and photographer) is the skipper and sailing master, and also takes care of the bulk of homeschooling our seven and nine year old sons.

When and how did you discover that you love reading fiction?
I grew up in a mining town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The population density was one person per square kilometre, so friends were thin on the ground. By the end of primary school, I had read the entire contents of the school library, and the junior section of the town library and had started on the encyclopaedias. Books have been my friends, mentors and teachers throughout my life. I don’t remember not being able to read, and I still read voraciously, both fiction and non-fiction–sometimes when I should be doing other things.

What are some of your favorite books and who are some of your favorite authors?
As a child, I devoured Nancy Drew, Enid Blyton and anything featuring horses that I could find, including Black Beauty, The Black Stallion and Elyne Mitchell’s iconic Australian Alps horse series that begins with The Silver Brumby. I love science fiction, from Asimov and Jerry Pournelle to Ian M. Banks, Terry Pratchett and Greg Bear. I re-read CJ Cherryh’s Foreigner series every couple of years. I read fantasy, particularly anything written by Tansy Raynor Roberts. I also read historical fiction from Patrick O’Brien to Kris Kennedy (check out her covers, they are awesome!). I love vampires, werewolves: Charlaine Harris’s Southern Vampire Mysteries (Eric is my quintessential alpha hero), the Twilight series and also were-marsupials (Kate Gordon’s YA series ‘Thyla’ is original and entertaining).

Speaking of YA, I love Scott Westerfield. His ideas are original and his stories mesmeric. The collaborations between Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer are among my all-time favourites too. In Category Romance, I love Kelly Hunter, Annie West and Trish Morey. I also read a lot of non-fiction: writing craft, psychology, natural history, social history and anything else that might be interesting (read: anything with an intriguing cover or blurb, or recommended by someone from my network). I could go on, but you get the drift...

What is your favorite thing about reading fiction?
I love a good long series when it transports me to another world where I can stay awhile, but I also love a well-written category romance because I can have a one or two hour break from reality, without getting sucked into an all-nighter. Reading allows me into the mind of another person; I become the hero and the heroine, and triumph over adversity again and again.

Do you have any “pet peeves” about authors, something they do that really annoys you?
Yes, I do. I have tried to read the Lord of the Rings about twenty-five times, but I always get hung up on the histories in the beginning. People tell me to skip over it but to me, if a book is to be read at all, it is to be all read (I’m getting over this, so maybe it’s time for another attempt).

Do you write fiction yourself?
I currently write pure romance, contemporary and historical. I’m on the path to publication, targeting Mills and Boon. With a backup plan, inspired by Bob Mayer and yourself, of joining with a bunch of friends and ‘self’ publishing.

What do you think about ebooks vs. paper books?
I love both! I bought my first eReader in 1998, a Franklin eBookman 911, and it cost me US$499 at a time when the Aussie dollar was running at about 50 cents. I find the current crop of readers to be cheap, versatile and easy-to-use. The main thing for me is longevity, since proprietary formats disappear. I love my book management software ‘Calibre’, which converts between formats so I will always be able to read the books I have bought. On the other hand, I often see the words ‘please plug in your Kobo for charging’ when I go to read. This never happens with a paper book (would someone please develop a solar charging e-ink screen – like the ‘eco-drive’ watch). I now try to keep my numerous purchases in electronic format and only buy paper books when I absolutely love them (usually in hardcover). Since on the boat, I have only about a foot of bookshelf space, these purchases go in the shipping container for when I am land based again.

What is your favorite Mike Wells book and why?
I’m a complete wuss when it comes to horror and thrillers which you do particularly well, Mike. So my favourite novel has been ‘Secrets of the Elusive Lover.’ I love how you create characters who feel real. I wanted to bang Adam about the head with a fat book for his duplicitous ways, but I was reacting to him as if he were real––not fictional. Even though I love a ‘happily ever after,’ I think he thoroughly deserved his ambiguous ending. So it was a completely satisfying read.

Thank you for taking the time to give an interview on my blog.
You were one of the first people I connected with on twitter (through #MyWANA) who has become a friend (do we say tweep?). You demonstrate the best aspects of the Social Networking culture-under-development that I first learned about while reading Kristen Lamb’s excellent book ‘We Are Not Alone’. Thanks for the opportunity to revisit my reading past and share what I am doing now.

Facebook: Sarah Brabazon
Twitter: @Sarah_Brabazon
Or you can email me direct at sarahbrabazon@gmail.com

Monday, October 10, 2011

This Week's Reader Interview with Emily Hill


Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Certainly.  The first thing I’d like you to know about me is that I am a fan of your writing.  So, I’m thrilled to be able to share my reading preferences and why I like your writing style so much. 
I am an avid reader.  As a child I was read to – classics, comics, it didn’t matter the format, we were encouraged to read, to listen to the readings of our teachers and librarians; and accept the perspective of other’s.

When and how did you discover that you love reading fiction?
Well, before I answer that question, let me make a distinction.  There is love – and there is passion.  I knew I loved reading when I discovered The Wizard of Oz.  My maternal great-grandmother was an antique dealer.  Somehow she came to be acquainted with L. Frank Baum, the author of ‘The Wizard of Oz’.  After her death my sister and I were bequeathed a complete, autographed set, of Baum’s Oz series.  My sister still has that set in her library.  

But, as I said, there is also passion.  I became passionate about fiction when I discovered Stephen Dobyns’ ‘The Two Deaths of Senora Puccini’.  No finer book has ever been written by a contemporary author.  Oh, sure, there is Feuntes’ ‘The Death of Artemio Cruz’; and ‘Chronicles of a Death Foretold’ by Gabriel García Márquez; and ‘The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis, by Jose Saramago – but American contemporary writers?  Dobyns is the one who swept me away.

What are some of your favorite books and who are some of your favorite authors?
Well, you are certainly a pretty clever author! ‘Baby Talk’ was right up my alley – the pathos, the level of evil.  And your titles! Who comes up with your titles!  Oh…right…I guess I know that story!  But, beyond your work, I would include Richard Russo for laughs; and Anita Shreve for topics that concern, primarily, women.  

I pay attention when Ann Patchett publishes.  Margaret Atwood’s books line my shelves; and I would be remiss not to mention the late great Edith Wharton.  Wharton’s ‘The House of Mirth’ was a masterpiece of gradual pathos.  So, my point here is that my standards are pretty high, and I’m pleased when I look over my collection and see that your titles are included in my collection.

What is your favorite thing about reading fiction?
The ‘life is stranger than fiction’ aspect of fiction. Or rather, the type of fiction that I enjoy.  I could conceptualize a young father falling into a state of madness and mayhem in the way that you described in ‘Baby Talk’.  Equally, I can envision a daughter carrying on her father’s defense as portrayed in ‘Lust, Money, and Murder’.  

I have had the luxury – and the challenge – of an interesting life  Therefore, it is easy to frame into a fictional context all that I experience, and visa versa.

Do you have any “pet peeves” about authors, something they do that really annoys you?
Nope.  “Hug an author” is my motto.  I cannot imagine having a pet peeve with anyone’s creative genius, whether an author, or an artist who specializes in oils, or watercolors, or photography.  I’m not that presumptuous.

Do you write fiction yourself?
Yes.  Like you, I write across a number of genres – from historical fiction to paranormal non-fiction.  No, I did not cross-switch those two descriptions.  

What do you think about ebooks vs. paper books?
I’m a bit of a traveler, eBooks have certainly lightened my suitcase.  And who, other than an author, can argue with the great price of eBooks.  But I cherish my paper-book collection.  My hard cover, and soft cover books are my collection of nieces and nephews.  

What is your favorite Mike Wells book and why?
Well, I was introduced to your writing – and your personality – over ‘Lust, Money and Murder’ but the grabber for me was ‘Baby Talk’.  Although I may look like a kindly suburban grandmother, my tastes run to dark, edgy, twisted individuals.  Oh my!  No, no!  I’m not referring to you, dear.  I am referring to your character in ‘Baby Talk’, little baby Natasha.  

Truly I could not put ‘Baby Talk’ down and missed my call for bedtime because - in my wildest dreams - I could not have thought up as devious a plot as little Natasha had in mind for her less than welcoming daddy.  A horror classic.  

Thanks so much for taking the time to be intereviewed The Green Water Blog, Emily!

Thank you for inviting me to guest-chat your wonderful, and colorful, blog.  There’s something about the color green that is so compelling.  It’s been my pleasure to share your company on Twitter and other social media networks.  I wish you The Best in a long and successful literary career.  I’ll be watching you, and taking note. 

My contact email is   info@AVHarrison-Publishing.com
My website is at   http://www.emilyHillwriter.com

Thursday, October 6, 2011

How to Download & Read Free Ebooks on Your Smartphone, Tablet, PC or Mac

You don't need a dedicated ereading device like a Kindle or a Nook to read ebooks.  You can read them on smartphones and tablets, as well as desktop PCs or Macs.  All the companies that sell ebooks make this very easy and convenient as follows:

If you have an iPhone (also applies to iPads and iPods):
If you have an iPhone or iPad or iPod, the simpliest way to read ebooks is to download them to your device directly from the Apple iBookstore (via iTunes).  You can search for books and download them onto your phone with one click.  One of my thrillers, Lust, Money & Murder, Book 1, is currently a free iBook (if you are reading this on your Apple device right now you can just click on the links in the previous sentence).  Once you have the book you can read it with iBooks (also free).  

You can also read ebooks on Apple devices using a number of free ereading apps.  There are good apps from Amazon (Kindle books), B&N (Nook books), Kobo, and other ebook retailers.  However, doing it this way requires having another account in addition to your iTunes account.

If you have an Android Phone or Windows Phone (also applies to iPhones and iPads): 
On your smartphone, go to the store where you download apps and get a free ebook reader app, such as free Kindle for Android app. You do this the same way you would download any other app.  Once you have the app on your device, all you need to do is go to the Amazon store (it's usually easier with a computer) and then "buy" the book. Of course you must have an account at the store from where you downloaded the free ereader app to do this.  Non USA/UK readers tell me that Kobo is a good place to get ebooks for non-Apple devices, as in addition to credit cards, they accept PayPal.

If the book you want is currently free on Amazon (or Kobo), like my thriller (Lust, Money & Murder, Book 1) the price will be listed as 0.00.  When you "purchase" the book, it will automatically be downloaded to your smartphone, tablet or whatever device you select at that moment. 

For tablets and smartphones, it's that simple.  I have an iPhone, and I often prefer reading ebooks on it over my dedicated Kindle reading device.  I always have my phone with me, and sometimes in tight places (for example on the London Tube at rush hour!) there is very little elbow room, even for a Kindle. The iPhone is handy and quick to pull out of my pocket and start reading.


For Your Desktop PC or Mac:

Many people are suprised to find that they enjoy reading ebooks on desktop PCs or Macs...after they have installed a good ereading app.  This is because such apps provide an attractive, comfortable reading space on your screen, and many also include many useful features, such being able to click on a word to immediately see its definition.  Most of the major companies that sell dedicated ereading devices (Amazon, B&N, Kobo, etc.) also provide free ereading apps for PCs & Macs.  Simply search the web for "free ereading app for (your preferred store)" and you'll find the links.

Also, Smashwords, an ebook reseller and distributor, has a good onscreen reader that allows you to read any book you buy right on your screen.  They also accept PayPal, which is convenient for non-USA/UK customers.

Once you're set up to read ebooks on whatever device you have, there are thousands of free ebooks you can download to your device, including many of the classics.

Enjoy!


Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Why I Will Never Change the Cover of Wild Child

Although many readers love the cover illustration of my young adult thriller, Wild Child (paperback edition), it is occasionally criticized, and there is a certain pattern in the comments.   “Looks amateurish”, “Not polished” and “Unprofessional” are a few examples.

Well, there's a reason that the cover may appear appear amateurish, unpolished, and unprofessional to some people.  It was created by a 17 year old art student in Atlanta, the winner of a city-wide student art contest I held in 1997 for the best cover illustration for the book.  His name is Seron Fuller, and he is an phenomenal artist.

Over 150 students entered the contest.  No guidance whatsoever was given other than to read the book and come up with the design that they believe best depicted the story and characters.  There were lots of interesting designs, but when I saw Seron’s illustration, I was awestruck.  He chose to depict what I consider the perfect moment in the story, when Briana shows Kyle the magical green water.  The expressions on their faces, and their body language, it says it all!  Briana:   euphoric, hyper, and slightly out of control. And Kyle:  bewildered, concerned and uncertain, as if thinking, “What am I going to do with this girl?”

Before I go on, I want to emphasize that the readers who have criticized the cover design had no idea that it was done by an art student, or that I’d even held such a contest.  I know that these well-meaning readers have only had my best interest at heart—most raved about the story and the writing.  They only want to see Wild Child get into the hands of even more readers, believing that a more professional-looking cover would help make that happen.  And they may well be right.

But there are several reasons I will never change the cover design of Wild Child.   

First, a key part of art contest prize was that the winning illustration would be used as the paperback book cover forever.  Not just for the first six months, or until the second paperback edition was published, or until I got tired of the design, but forever. To change the cover now would be going back on my word, and I would never do that.

Second, my books are like my children, and I think most other authors feel the same way.  If you’ve read The Wild Publication Story, you know that I threw 3,000 paperback copies of this little baby in the trash can—every copy I had—before the poor thing could even walk!  Miraculously, she was able to crawl out of  that rubbish bin all by herself and make her way into schools, to help teach young people English, and into the hands of a dozen Amazon resellers, to help those people make a living.  To change the cover now would be like telling my 16 year old daughter, “Honey, you’ve done absolutely amazing things up to this point, but some people think you’re ugly so we’re going to give you plastic surgery.”

Whenever I’ve been tempted to have a new cover designed for the paperback, I always remind myself that it was Seron’s cover that was on all those copies that found their way out of the trash can, and not another.   This may sound silly to some people, but I believe there is a certain magic in his cover illustration, just as there seems to be in the story itself, and that this magic comes across to readers, at least on the paperback edition that you can hold in your hands.

Seron Fuller's Self-portrait
But there’s a far more important reason that I would never change the cover.  When Seron Fuller won the contest and I presented him with his $250 check, I asked him what his future plans were.  He answered, very modestly, “I want to be an illustrator at a Hollywood movie studio.”  I thought this was very ambitious, but on the other hand, with his amazing talent and quiet determination, I did not think that goal was beyond his reach.  I told him so, and I encouraged him to go for it.

Today, 14 years later, Seron Fuller works in as an illustrator in Hollywood, at Paramount Pictures.

Just knowing that his winning the Wild Child cover illustration might have played some small role in his journey to achieve his dreams is worth more to me than any amount of money I could every make from selling mere books.

Thank you, Seron, for being part of the Wild Child magic!

This Week's Reader Interview with Rebecca Welch

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
It is hard for me to say a little bit about anything, much less myself, but I'm going to give it shot. I am a single mother of an amazing teenager. I am a legal assistant with a major fascination with the law, government and all the shenanigans that entails. 

When and how did you discover that you love reading fiction?
I didn't learn how to read until I was almost 6 years old. But when I finally learned, I couldn't stop reading everything in sight. I reached a college reading level by the time I was eight years old, it was strictly from wanting to just read and read. I love reading everything I can get my hands on and fiction has a special place in my heart because it allows me to use my imagination and be transported to lands that "could" exist. 

What are some of your favorite books and who are some of your favorite authors?
I have a number of favorite books and authors. I am a huge fan Janet Evanovich and basically all of her books are on my favorites list. Pete Hamill's Forever is also a book I think that everyone should read. It is a fascinating telling of the history of New York City from a first person perspective. 

What is your favorite thing about reading fiction?
My favorite thing about reading fiction is the ability for my personal imagination to play a role and almost be an extra character. While it is important for an author to include proper description of characters and places, a reader is able to add their personal thoughts, memories and visions to a story. Reading fiction is always a pleasure that you make it. Even a story that you may not think you will enjoy can be a true journey through your own imagination. 

Do you have any “pet peeves” about authors, something they do that really annoys you?
I don't really have any pet peeves as far as authors go. I am truly amazed that any individual would even attempt to put into print words that will last forever, words that came from their own mind. It is an amazing thing to be an author and to work to have your words read by the masses or even by a few chosen individuals that you trust. 

Do you write fiction yourself?
I do write fiction on occasion but I have found that my fiction tends to be more fantasy, based on my personal reality. I definitely tend to write what I know and this can make for difficult completion of anything I start. I tend to revise too often to complete but maybe someday I  can have some finished work to share with others. 

What do you think about ebooks vs. paper books?
When it comes to the e-book versus the paper book, I am very torn. I love the new technology and what it has allowed a reader to do. It is wonderful to be able to carry a book with you in a compact manner and have it available for reading anytime...waiting in line, or sitting at a doctor's office. But I have to admit that I still love the smell of a book and the feel of a well worn book spine in my hands. I think that there is a place for both in the world and hopefully I won't be looking back one day wondering where all the books went! 

What is your favorite Mike Wells book and why?
I am sad to say I have only read book one of Lust, Money and Murder. But I truly loved every second of it. I have recently become the proud owner of an iPhone and intent to continue reading Mike's writing. I think the pictures he paints, and the ability to make every character even the antagonist in a story likable is something that is truly amazing. I am looking forward to more and sharing updates on how I have loved the other books he has written, as I can already tell that I will. 

Thank you, Rebecca!
My pleasure!

Rebecca Welch can be found on Twitter at @rebwel