Indieviews Interview: Nicki Lynn Justice!

Hey guys!

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks. I’ve been writing, doing school, I had one of my short stories shoot into the top 10 category for Short Stories on Amazon, so it’s been busy, to say the least!

Anywho, here’s a long overdue interivew with author, Nicki Lynn Justice!

 

Logan Rutherford: Tell us a little bit about your self, and about you latest book.

 Nicki Lynn Justice: I live in rural Alberta on a small
hobby farm with my husband, 4 amazing children, 7 horses with different
personalities, 3 wonderful dogs and 2 great kitties! When I am not feeding my
horses or cleaning up after my kids I am either reading, writing, taking kids to
practice/appointments/4H/pony club/school or sports functions, or camping! I
love going for coffee and chatting about what I’m reading and/or what my friends
are reading.

I have always loved to read, ever since
my dad read “Green Eggs and Ham” to me. About 10 years ago, while reading “Green
Eggs and Ham” to my oldest daughter, I suddenly understood what Dr. Seuss and my
dad were up to! I realized what a powerful tool stories
were.

I’ve always written, although what I’ve
written has changed over the years. I wrote stories in school, then spent 7
years writing papers while I was in university. After I graduated, I spent a lot
of time writing opinion papers on legal issues. It wasn’t until I had my first
child, who is now 21, that I began writing for fun again. I have written on and
off during the years, but the desire to write is something that has never left
me.

THE ORACLE, the first book in NINE LIVES, my new YA Futuristic
Fantasy series is available on Amazon kindle. Just click on

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FGAQ12!THE NINE LIVES SERIES:

THE NINE LIVES SERIES,
of which THE ORACLE is the first book, is the story of an average teen
girl who takes a cosmic leap from 21st century Earth to a backwards 26th century
prison planet, where it is common knowledge that Earth no longer exists. Can
Marina, who needs to figure out not only who she is but who she isn’t, prevent
Earth from sliding into a barren, cold non-existence? She going to give it all
she’s got, but to do that she needs some help. She turns to Brahmin, who, in her
words, is “awfully built jail-bait”, and her friends and family, to stage the
greatest battle the universe has ever known!

Combine the romantic
suspense element of Twilight and the other-wordly elements of Avatar within the
framework of the global warming debate, and you have a summer read that makes
everyday seem like a beach day.

Here’s the blurb for THE ORACLE:

Everyone has bad hair
days, and Marina is no exception. What she doesn’t understand is why her bad
hair days are always the worst ever! An accidental journey to a world far in the
future because of her grandpa’s psycho cat pretty much makes her day not only
the worst ever, but wins the title of most bizarre day ever.

In the chaos
that ensues as she tries to find her way home, Marina embarks on a quest to find
and rescue the mother that she never knew. In order to do so, she needs to learn
a valuable life lesson. Not only must she accept who she is, she must come to
terms with who she isn’t.

This story targets young adult readers, and
deals with the personal responsibility we all have for the “Green” movement and
taking care of our planet, while tackling the often-sticky issue of the need for
young people today to take school seriously and pursue education as a way to
make a difference in the fate of this world.

LR: Why did you start writing?

NLJ: I started writing because telling a good story is a painless,
entertaining way to get a message out. Also, no one wants to listen to me talk.
Lol!

LR: Where and when do you write the most?

NLJ: I write anywhere anytime. I like to write in my kitchen on my laptop,
but I also write when I take my kids somewhere and want to kill time. Or I will
write when I’m a passenger  on a long road trip, My favorite place to write is
in my backyard on those warm fall days when there is lots of sun and no pesky
mosquitoes or bugs.

LR: How do you come up with your charcters?

NLJ: I start with an idea for the storyline, and think of the character
traits that an individual would have to have to make it happen. Then the
character seems to take on a life of their own.

LR: Why did you chose to self-publish?

NLJ: Self-publishing an e-book is the best way to save a tree. I think
ereaders are the way of the future. Once I decided that I wanted to be in the
e-book market, self-publishing was a no-brainer. I don’t like working for other
people. I love being self-employed!

LR: Who is your favorite author(s)?

NLJ: My favorite indie authors are those who write more sophisticated young
adult/fantasy stories are Moses Siregar, Kevis Hendrickson, Carl Ashmore,
Charles Mooneyham, and, last but not least, Amanda Hocking. Of course, everyone
loves J.K. Rowling and Stephanie Meyer. For adult stories, my indie
picks areTracy Cooper-Posey (she writes amazing books for adults in different
genres from paranormal to romantic suspense and everything inbetween…and alot
of her stories are a little bit different and very strong and cutting edge in
the romance area). I also love D.D. Scott and her “Boot-scootin
Blahnicks” series, as well as her “Cozy Cash Mysteries”. Sybil Hodge and Chicki
Brown are favs as well. Of course, I will always grab a new book by Nora
Roberts/J.K. Robb, or Dianna Gabaldon.

LR: What is your favorite book(s)?

NLJ: My all-time favorite book is “Gone with the Wind”. Diana Gabaldon’s
“Outlander” novels are a close second.

LR: How do you promote your book(s)?

NLJ: This has got to be the hardest part of self-publishing. It’s so hard to
get noticed. Sites like this one are so wonderful! Those of us who are “indie
authors” get some great exposure for free. I appreciate every bit of that, as
well as the work that goes into maintaining a site such as this one. So, I guess
this is where I get to give a *High Five* to Logan!

I also use facebook, twitter, my blog, and I’m active on Kindleboards,
Goodreads, and Mobileread.

LR: What are some of your hobbies besides writting?

NLJ: Of course, I love reading. I also love horses and horseback riding.
I have my own horse, a 10 year old quarterhorse mare, and we have shared some
great trailrides. I think my love of the great outdoors, and my wish to preserve
our wonderful wilderness areas, comes from my horseback rides. I have ridden on
trails through some beautiful areas, and contemplated the works of nature. You
might notice that horses play a big part in The Oracle. You’ll have to read it
to find out how and why though.

LR: Where can people find you on the internet?

NLJ: The best place is my blog at www.nickilynnjustice.webs.com. My blog is pretty
much me uplugged…just your basic rural Alberta mom with an opinion on
EVERYTHING from soup to nuts, including reading, writing, weightloss secrets
that really work (ha ha got you), how to be a millionaire (or not), self-help
(okay, sure), and gourmet cooking (K.D. forever)! 

I have a facebook page at : http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Nicki-Lynn-Justice/17988238,
and a Twitter account.

Thanks Nicki!

Nicki’s book, “The Oracle” is going to be reviewed on the site shortly, so stay tuned!

Indieviews Interview: Armando Rodera

Hello. Hey. Yo.

This weekend has been crazy! Not only is it Labor Day weekend, but there are wildfires everywhere!

Anyways, here’s a new Interview with Spanish author, Armando Rodera!

Logan Rutherford: Tell us a little bit about your self, and about your latest book.

Armando Rodera: I am a young Spanish writer who has just launched the adventure of self-publishing through Amazon and my own site. My novel “The color of evil”, a police thriller with psychological intrigue, is written in Spanish (“El color de la maldad” – Spanish Edition), and it’s garnering good reviews in Europe and America.

It’s about a dangerous serial killer who prepares special recreations in the scenes of his crimes, leaving macabre clues to the police in a physical and mental grief. At this moment the novel appears at the top of the Hot New Releases of thrillers in my language and well positioned in the Top 100 best-sellers in its category.

LR: Why did you start writing?

AR: During primary school I won a competition for children stories in my school, but I never imagined twenty years later writing became not only a late vocation but the best means to express myself and develop as a person. A breath of fresh air that made ​​me rethink seriously how I wanted to live my life, and to write every day became more than a simple need.

LR: Where and when do you write the most?

AR: I usually write in my living room with the laptop, sometimes in my bedroom. I like to write about all the morning, with daylight. I need silence to concentrate and to write, neither noise nor the company of others.

LR: How do you come up with your characters?

AR: At the beginning of a story I don’t usually have very defined characters. I work hard in the plot, developing the story and characters grow along with it, sometimes reaching some paths would never have imagined.

LR: Why did you choose to self-publish?

AR: The Spanish-language publishing industry is undergoing a major crisis, exacerbated by the arrival of e-books. In these conditions it is very difficult for a novice writer to break into an already saturate market. So I decided to throw myself into the digital adventure, publishing my book through Amazon and my own site. So far I am very satisfied with the experience. I never imagined that a book in Spanish, with just two months of publication, was to be read in the U.S., UK, Germany and other major countries, apart from Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries in America.. And with a great acceptance by critics and audiences.

LR: Who is your favourite author(s)?

AR: I’ve always liked Stephen King, especially his earlier books. In this genre also highlight Dean Koontz. In thrillers I really enjoy the adventures of agent Pendergast in Preston & Child novels. Also with Michael Connelly, Patricia Cornwell, David Baldacci and more authors, includes some great Spanish writers unknown outside Europe. And among the great classics, Alexandre Dumas and Jules Verne.

LR: What is your favorite book(s)?

AR: Although I enjoy the stories of the writers mentioned above, long my favorite book was “It”, by Stephen King. This book influenced me a lot, like years later “The Shadow of the Wind”, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, which helped me to consider seriously the possibility of writing my own novel.

LR: How do you promote your book(s)?

AR: I opened my new author website, including a booktrailer on the novel, promotional phrases of great writers of detective novels in Spanish and more. Also created a novel fanpage in Facebook, and increase my presence on social networks like Twitter. Also through literature blogs, specialized forums, reviews, interviews, etc.

LR: What are some of your hobbies besides writing?

AR: I love travelling and discovering other cities, other countries: its people, its culture, gastronomy, etc. Of course I am an avid reader devouring more than 60 books each year. I like very much movies and some TV series. Also some sports like basketball.

LR: Where can people find you on the internet?

AR: On Amazon: “The color of evil” (“El color de la maldad” – Spanish Edition)

My website: Armando Rodera

My blog: Aventuras y desventuras de un escritor novel

Twitter: @ArmandoRodera

Thanks a lot!

Logan Rutherford (@jaloru95)

Indieviews Interview: Chris Turner

Hey Guys! I am here with another interview! But first, I wanna say a huge thank you to all you guys reading this! Yesterday, Indieviews exploded. I have requests for Interviews and Reviews flooding in, so “Thank You!”

Anyways, today we have an interview with Indie Author, Chris Turner. Check it out!

Logan Rutherford: Tell us a little bit about your self,
and about your latest book.

Chris Turner: I started writing back in the early 90’s
during a biking backpacking trip to Asia. I was really inspired by Lord of
the Rings which I was rereading around the time. Well, all to say, writing
became one of my fondest passions, along with playing music and painting. My
latest book Wolf’s-head is the first book in the Rogues of Bindar
series. Along with the other two volumes, they have been enthusiastic pursuits
in the making since 2007, and I’m very proud of the series.

LR: Why did you start
writing?

CT: Fascination. I have a lot of creative
energy that needs to be channelled. Some authors are so stimulating—like
Tolkien, Jack Vance, Fritz Leiber—that you just have to give it a try! Never
would I have known that 20 years after the fact, I would have had a real chance
at getting stories out to the world—thanks to e-publishing, Amazon, Smashwords
and the like.

LR: Where and when do you write the
most?

CT: Pretty much everywhere—on paper, in my
mind, on the computer. When I can’t physically type, I’m frantically trying to
scrawl it down on bits of paper before I lose the thread. Obviously most of the
bulk of the work is done in front of a laptop, but ironically, a lot of the
ideas occur in meditation. My mind gets very clear then, and all the little
niggling problems of plot, setting, character disconnects, dialogue issues get
resolved. I get new revelations on the characters: how to strengthen their
conflict and their quest and the overall theme of the story. As the current
novel is being written, it’s a flowing, seamless work in progress. It’s
constantly being evolved, revised, and with constant rewrites, gets better and
better.

LR: How do you come up with your
characters?

CT: Oddly, the characters are the last things
to appear. First it’s the setting, then the time frame (future/past/sf-world or
fantasy world). The characters appear after that. I find it takes a long time
to develop the characters; they just progress slowly, day by day, and I can’t
rush their unfolding, otherwise I blank out. I find even half way through the
first draft, the characters are changing enough that I have to rework their
dialogues, and their relation with the rest of the story. I’m glad this
happens—otherwise the writing wouldn’t be half as deep.

LR: Why did you choose to
self-publish?

CT: Like most independent writers, I really
had no option. After endless rejections, and realizing that it was not the
quality of my work that was the problem (but more the dismal statistics on
getting published), I got fed up with that route and started looking into
self-publishing. In today’s publishing sphere, I believe a writer is better to
go Indie. All the tools are in place; it doesn’t really cost anything, outside
of an author’s time. But then again, to manifest anything of quality, requires
time, in my opinion. Authors can be their best promoters. I am convinced of
this because they are the most passionate of any about their work. They will
take the necessary steps to present their magnum opus before the public,
especially if they believe in themselves.

LR: Who is your favorite
author(s)?

CT: Jack Vance, R.E. Howard, J.R.R Tolkien,
Alexandre Dumas, Fritz Leiber, Arthur C. Clarke, John D. Macdonald.

LR: What is your favorite
book(s)?

CT: Eyes of the Overworld, The Demon Princes,
Lyonesse, Count of Monte Cristo, 2001 A Space Odyssey, The Lord of the Rings and
the Conan chronicles.

LR: How do you promote your
book(s)?

CT: Currently through review blogs, interview
spotlight blogs, like Indieview, and Kindleboards and Twitter. I also am having
a blast designing my own book covers.

LR: What are some of your hobbies
besides writing?

CT: Landscape oil painting, which has turned
out to be quite lucrative. Other hobbies include biking, meditation, guitar,
tennis and canoeing. I used to be heavily involved in studio recording back in
the ’90’s when my brother and I had our own band. I’ve dabbled in a lot of
personal software development projects too: chess engines, multimedia tools and
educational software.

CT: Where can people find you on the
internet?

http://innerskybooks.blogspot.com/

http://www.innersky.ca

Twitter (@ChrisInnersky)

Thanks a lot, Chris!

One last thing before I get outta here. I announced my first full length novel, THE ARRIVAL. You can check out the announcment on my personal blog, Existential Bacon. http://existentialbacon.wordpress.com

Alright! That’s all folks!

Logan Rutherford (@jaloru95)

Indieview Interview: Miles Cressman

Hey Everybody!

I’m here with another interview! This time, it’s with Miles Cressman. You will learn in the interview that he has recently published his first book, The Dream Metropolis. Anyways, here’s the interview! Huzzah!

Logan Rutherford: Tell us a little bit about your self, and about your latest book.

Miles Cressman: I’m a recent college graduate of the University of Oregon, where I majored in English and minored in Anthropology. I’ve been spending a lot of my time recently trying to find a foothold in the writing community as well as bugging all of my friends to read my book. My debut novel is called The Dream Metropolis, and it focuses on an abstract city of dreams that is wholly created by the thousands of dreamers who dream inside of it. Their dreaming is part of a project that hopes to use their dreams and imagination to create an entirely new reality, and separate the human mind from the human body forever. It’s a pretty bizarre idea, and I honestly can’t tell you all the elements that came into play in its creation.

LR: Why did you start writing?

MC: I started writing when I was younger due to seeing a lot of fantasy films and playing a lot of role-playing videogames. Now, though, my college experience as an English major allowed me to read the full gamut of classic literature in the Western world, and beyond that, all the way back to antiquity. My writing style has also changed dramatically from when I first started seriously writing (about two years ago), and I feel a lot more comfortable in carving out my own niche as a writer.

LR: Where and when do you write the most?

MC: I write the most at home, preferably in my living room or my bedroom, anywhere I can get some relative peace and quiet away from people (and the noisy construction going on throughout the day in and around town). Honestly, though, I write whenever the Muses strike me with inspiration, which seemingly happens at any time.

LR: How do you come up with your characters?

MC: I like to pull my characters from people I know in real life, dashed with a lot of hyperbole. I like to provide variety in my main characters, but always end up writing from the perspective of the broken male individual. The ways in which he is broken vary between stories. I’m not quite sure why I favor that type of character over others (such as the more common ‘broken female’ character), but I think it’s because for all the misogyny and sexism in the world, little attention is paid to the rigors and standards men have to constantly achieve or be tested against, often failing or falling quite short. Many of my stories tie back to this notion of the failed man.

LR: Why did you chose to self-publish?

MC: I chose to self-publish because, honestly, I don’t think I have the writing chops to get a traditional publisher to back my work just yet. I think I’ve come a long way as a writer, but there’s so much more to go. Plus, I’m living off pretty much a shoestring budget as a college grad, like many other college grads, so I don’t have much leeway when it comes to giving money to publishers to have them, hopefully, publish my work. Self-publishing also seems like a fantastic and exciting new way to get your work out, and it allows us to hear voices we would have never heard otherwise.

LR: Who is your favorite author(s)?

MC: My favorite author is a toss-up between Mark Z. Danielewski, George R. R. Martin, and Kurt Vonnegut. Each of these three authors have influenced me in myriad ways: Danielewski taught me that grammar, format, and style are superficial when you can twist and bend all three in exciting new ways; Martin taught me that the best way to get people to love your characters is to make them bitingly realistic; Vonnegut taught me to appreciate humanity and the human spirit.

LR: What is your favorite book(s)?

MC: My favorite book is, once again, a toss-up between Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, Only Revolutions by Mark Z. Danielewski, and any book from the (original) Dune series by Frank Herbert. Heart of Darkness stands out as being one of the first novels I truly fell in love with, and then subsequently engaged in multiple arguments with friends over.

LR: How do you promote your book(s)?

MC: I’ve been promoting my book through friends, word-of-mouth, book review blogs, and interviews. I’m still relatively unknown at the moment, but only time will tell if that remains to be so. I’m trying every possible avenue I can, so long as it’s free!

LR: What are some of your hobbies besides writing?

MC: Honestly, writing is my number-one hobby, and has been for the past few years. I’ve tried my hand at other activities, but I lack the passion for them that I have found in writing stories.

LR: Where can people find you on the internet?

MC: I have a Facebook under my full name, Miles Cressman, which is also my Google+ name, a Twitter account (Azure_Horizon), and a WordPress blog called Paean to Dreams, the name of my current book series.

You can check out Miles’ first book, The Dream Metropolis, on Amazon HERE!

Cheers!

Logan Rutherford (@jaloru95)

Interview with Brandon Alston and Quinteria Ramey!

Dun-dun-dun! It’s the first Indieviews interview!

Here’s the bio off of the Author’s Amazon page: Brandon Alston and Quinteria Ramey probably aren’t very different from any college sweethearts you know, juggling school, work, and a relationship. Both have been writing for as long as they can remember, so on their third anniversary(2010) they collaborated on a young adult paranormal romance “Grey Eyes.” During the writing process the two grew closer and simply fell in love with the characters they created. They are hopeful that you will too.

Logan Rutherford: How did you come up with the idea for Grey Eyes?

Brandon Alston and Quinteria Ramey: A Taylor Swift music video! I believe it’s called “Love Story.” It’s about a guy and girl, and they’re sneaking around to meet one another in the past. Then at the end of the video, they meet on a college campus in the present. It got us thinking like, wow, that could be a pretty cool story. Lovers who find one another across time. We used angels and vampires as vehicles to explain how each of them could live forever.

LR: How did you come up with the characters?

BA & QR: Most of the characters just kinda came to us during the brainstorming process. We started with the characters from our original idea, Ana and Tristan, and everyone else came about as we mapped out the story.

LR: Where and when do you write?

BA & QR: When we first began to write, it would be whenever time permitted. At the time we were juggling school and full time jobs. Recent successes with the books have allowed us to quit work and delay school so now I get up in the mornings and write for at least four or five hours every day.
I have a little portable writing desk that I move around the house. It’s usually parked in the living room in front of the television but as deadlines approach it moves to more secluded spots in the house.

LR: Since it was two people wrote Grey Eyes, was it hard to write with another person? Did one not like an idea that the other had?

BA & QR: Most of the collaborating takes place during the outline stage. Most of the actual writing is done by Brandon. I will go over it once the first draft is done, and I’ll make corrections as far as ensuring that our protagonist’s voice is feminine and with editing. I think we have a great working relationship. And a great romantic one! J

LR: Can you tell us anything about the final book in The Forever Trilogy, Angel Eyes?

BA & QR: Angel Eyes brings Ana’s story to a final resolution. The questions regarding her fulfilling her purpose and about which boy she’ll end up with are answered. You’ll also get to meet Daemon for the first time, and we think he’ll be everything the fans will have imagined him to be. There will be all of the twists and misdirection that makes the books so fun and we’re hoping people enjoy it!

LR: Can you tell us anything about your new series, Blue?

BA & QR: Blue will be about mermaids! But not just mermaids, warrior mermaids. It’ll be another paranormal romance but vastly different than the Forever Trilogy.

LR: Who is your favorite author(s)?

BA & QR: Our favorite authors are J.K. Rowling and Suzanne Collins. Daniel Silva deserves honorable mention.

LR: What are your favorite book(s)?

BA & QR: The Hunger Games, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

LR: Why did you choose to publish on the Kindle, and other eReaders?

BA & QR: It presents the opportunity to get your work to readers without the hassle of dealing with agents and traditional publishing houses. There has never been a better time to be an author. If you have a story you feel confident in, you can have it out and available to the reading public in 24 hours. It’s an opportunity that has changed our lives.

LR: What do you do to market your book?

BA & QR: Nothing super innovative. We have a blog which we use to keep readers updated on current and upcoming projects, we have a Goodreads account, we submit to book bloggers… The key to writing a popular book, IMHO, is to write something original in a popular genre. I truly believe it’s as simple as that. And eye catching covers!

LR: Do you have any advice for aspiring authors out there?

BA & QR: Keep reading and keep writing! Both will keep your narrative in mind in the best possible shape.

Thanks for interviewing us!

You can buy their books here.

Stay tuned for more!

Logan Rutherford (@jaloru95)

A little bit about Indieviews

Hey guys!

My name is Logan Rutherford. I am the author of “The Runners” series, an Amazon #1 bestselling series.

I started this website for one reason: I fell in love with the Indie community.
You can write a book, publish it to the various ebook marketplaces, and people will download it, and read it. It’s amazing. People can actually read your work, and even make some money.

What this website is going to be, is a place where you can read interviews with your favortie indie authors, read reviews of books, and lots more!

Later today, I am going to post the first ever Indieviews interview. The interview is with Brandon Alston and Quinteria Ramey, authors of The Forever Trilogy, and the upcoming Blue series. The authors are Amazon bestselling authors, and were able to quit their jobs to focus on their writing!

If you’re and indie author, and you want to be interviewed, then email me at indieviewsblog@gmail.com

Hope to see you around!
Logan Rutherford (@jaloru95)