Interview with Victoria Simcox

 



What gave you the idea for a fantasy book like The Magic Warble and The Black Shard?

I remember I was sitting in the movie theater watching the first Harry Potter movie when I envisioned my main character, Kristina, walking down a snowy sidewalk. At the time that was all of story I had. I went home that night and wrote my first page not knowing where the story would go.

 If/When you have writers block what do you do?

 

I used to get writer's block, but then I realized it came to me when I got too stressed out and felt like I was pressured to write. I had to remind myself why I started writing to begin with—because I enjoyed it, not because I had to; then I relaxed. If you are an aspiring author and going through writer's block and feeling like there's nothing you can come up with to write about, or your imagination has run dry, then take a day off—go see a flick, or do something you enjoy to relax. You'll be surprised how ideas come to you when you're in a happy relaxed state of mind.

 

Are some characters harder to write than others?

 

No, I have a vivid picture of my characters in my head which makes it not to difficult for me to form their personalities. I think I draw a lot from people in my life. But I create a character from different character traits of more than 1 person.

 

If you could meet any person dead or alive...who would it be?

 

C.S Lewis: His Chronicles of Narnia have been such an inspiration to me. It would be so cool, say for instance, to have lunch with him and pick his brain on how he came up with his beloved stories.

 

What do you prefer coffee, tea, soda, water...

 

I prefer coffee to tea and I admit I'm pretty religious about having my coffee each morning and afternoon. I try not to drink soda other than when I go out to eat or to a movie, then I always have a diet coke. Eight glasses of water is my daily goal though I rarely meet that goal it's more like 4 if that.


Check out Victoria's personal blog @ www.victoriasimcox.blogspot.com

Interview with Marion Croslydon

Hey all you readers and writers! Emma Michaels here to introduce our guest author of the day

Marion Croslydon!

Hello Marion and welcome to The Writers Voice.

Thank you to The Writers Voice for having me today. I really appreciate the opportunity to talk about my life as a writer and what I love as a reader.

Are the traits of anyone close to you apparent in your characters?

My husband has clearly been an inspiration for the first hero I created. Rupert is the male lead in my New Adult paranormal romance trilogy, The Oxford Trilogy. Like Rupert, he is an upper-class Brit (although not an Earl!): Posh, sometimes stuck-up, but with fire burning under the ice. They both can wear a tux like nobody else. Both can also be very reserved (maybe because deep down they’re shy) and people can misinterpret their behavior for snobbery.

I think it’s actually easier to create characters that aren’t too close personality-wise to people I know and love. I have more creative leeway!

What would you like for readers to take away from your novel/novels?

How important (and challenging) it is to be true to yourself, and that love is a complex thing.

What is your biggest pet peeve in fiction writing?

As a reader, I strongly believe that the difference between a bad, a good, or an excellent book lies in the strength on its characters. Readers will forget about the nitty-gritty of a plot, the content of a scene, but they will walk away with what they’ve experienced through characters. That’s what they’ll keep with them for the next day... or the rest of their lives.

That said… I think there’s a trend at the moment to focus only on the characters (especially the love story or the sexual chemistry) and to forget about a solid (even if simple) plot to take those characters on a journey.

Another one of my pet peeves as a reader is when, after falling in love with an author, that same author rehashes the same characters or plot over and over again.

I can understand the temptation for a writer to keep using a formula (one that they have created and has seduced readers), but long-term, I also expect from my favorite writers to renew themselves, their sources of inspiration, their setting, their characters, and even their genre.

Where do you do your best writing? Do you like to have certain surroundings?

I admire writers who can write wherever and whenever. I need to be in my Writing Cave, i.e. a small office, all stuffy and dark, but MINE.

I also can’t write with people around me, especially not my daughter. I can’t even write if she’s in the house because all my energy—physical and mental—goes to her.

If you could live in one book for a day, what would it be?

North and South by John Jakes.

When you were growing up, what did you want to be?

I have always wanted to be a writer, for as far as I can remember… and I’ve always wanted to write romance!

Thank you for stopping by

The Writers Voice

Interview with Kristen Simmons

Hey all you readers and writers! Emma Michaels here to introduce our guest author of the day Kristen Simmons!

Hello Kristen and welcome to The Writers Voice.

What would you like for readers to take away from your novel/novels?

Primarily, I hope they enjoy the books, but I also hope Ember's world makes them think about their place in our world - what's acceptable, what's not, and what, if it was taken away, is worth defending.

Was there ever a moment when you wouldn’t trade what you do as an author for the world? What was that moment for you?

The moment my agent called to offer representation. Of all the incredible moments on this journey (including seeing my book on the shelf), that was the most emotional. I had waited seven years to receive that call. I had queried four different books in the process. When she called, I bawled. I still have that original contract framed on my wall.

What do you feel is your biggest writerly fault and how do you deal with it?

Creating characters just to kill them. My editor continues to warn me of this, and makes me trim back unnecessary people in revisions. It's sort of a joke now, but I'm always inclined to do it.

What is your biggest pet peeve in fiction writing?

When authors create characters just to kill them. I know. I KNOW! I am absolutely guilty of this, which is why when my editor tells me I need to rethink the roles of certain people I listen closely.

Worldbuilding is such an important part of writing. What would your words of encouragement for aspiring authors be when it comes to developing their own worlds?

My advice would be to recognize the boundaries of those worlds - such a buzzkill of an answer, right? Ha. Sorry. But creating rules for your world is just as important as letting your imagination run wild. For example, how does a mermaid show sadness? Does she cry? Chances are, probably not since she's underwater. You can make her ocean kingdom ten kinds of awesome, but the second those tears begin to fall you've got a problem.

Thanks for having me!

Thank you for stopping by

The Writers Voice!

Romance During the Zombie Apocalypse

Hello Muses and Fallen Friends,

Romance is in the air. I think that these days, there are more of us infected by the love bug than ever. I mean, I've even reawakened the romantic in me by venturing into a new adventure outside my normal stories of the post-apocalyptic brave and celestial wars. It had to happen right? And have you noticed that the covers on many of the latest romance novels all have this red, black, and white them going on? I think it's a secret code that says: hot, steamy romance contained inside the pages, so be warned. LOL

As I prepare the release of my first Contemporary Romance novel, the Prelude, I find myself feeling conflicted. Why is that? As a member of the zombiesurvivalcrew (a group of hardcore Walking Dead Fans that even include some of the actors themselves) then I had to fight the urge to insert at least one deathly/supernatural creature into the story. And guess what? I did it! My readers all over the world have asked for this book. For me, this literary adventure is all about pleasing my loyal fans.

So as a treat for maintaining self control, I ventured out to see Warm Bodies, a movie recommended by one of my #zombiesurvivalcrew members. It gave me a double dose of the things I enjoy the most: zombies, the supernatural, and ahhh...romance. Okay, so maybe that was a triple dose I just described, but you get the point.

I'd heard so many great things.  I found myself going: "Have you lost your mind? This is a romantic comedy about zombies who come back to life. Well, my point with all of this babble is that walker love inside the zombie apocalypse had to happen sooner or later. This is why shows like the Walking Dead have done so well. It doesn't glamorize the gore of the show. Instead, the characters are real and they have issues to deal with outside of running from the walkers.

I, for one, am excited about the return to good old fashioned contemporary stories, the kind where love wins in the end. What about you?

Yours in Prose,
KaSonndra Leigh

Dehumanized Part Two Excerpt

The past few months I've been working my butt off on the sequel to Dehumanized. Some of you know how this process has been going, if you follow my blog, but others of you don't. It's been hard, seeing as I want it to be as perfect as possible. I keep writing, deleting, then re-writing again because I want no room for error when it comes to this novel. Now, after all the trial-and-error I've been going through, I finally got a handle on things and as celebration I'm going to share a small excerpt exclusively here on The Writers Voice!

Enjoy!

--

Russell must have power-walked or full-out ran, Ryan thought as he sat in the passenger seat of the pick-up truck staring out through the windshield searching for his friend. They were already trucking through the highway, merging into the hum of eighty-per-mile cars. Elizabeth sat in the driver's seat, her green eyes darting between the road ahead and the sidelines, keeping watch for Russell. Sarah and Anna were practically peaking their heads out in the back seat like dogs with their tongues sticking out, Sarah near panicking as they continued down the highway without Russell in sight.

“Where could he be?” Sarah said, frowning so deeply lines were beginning to form on her smooth forehead. “He couldn't have gotten this far,”

“Maybe we missed him?” Anna suggested. “All of these cars racing by...it isn't impossible to not see him walking.”

“No,” Ryan said, shaking his head. “We couldn't have missed him. Unless he's a ninja there's no way with all of us looking we couldn't spot him.”

“He must have taken a different route. He has to be in town.” Elizabeth said.

“So take the next exit,” Anna said, leaning forward in between the front seats. “We have to hurry. It's almost six-thirty.”

Elizabeth nodded, flipping the turn signal and pulling off towards the exit. Ryan glanced up into the sky as they drove, seeing the faded outline of the full moon hanging in the sky. The wolf gave a rumble, raising its hackles in joy at the sight of the moon. He could feel its eagerness coming in waves, their emotions connected. He gave a shiver, suppressing the rising tide of energy the wolf was sharing with him. It took everything he had to not jump and yell out to let loose some of the tension building.

It wasn't long before the buildings of the local town came into view, people meandering about the sidewalks completely unaware of whom...or what was passing them by in the red pickup. Ryan stared into each of their faces, searching for Russell, but he couldn't spot his friend anywhere. He frowned deeply, looking between the buildings at all of the people outside.

“I'm not seeing him,” Ryan said.

“Damn...where could that idiot be?” Elizabeth muttered, tapping her fingers against the steering wheel impatiently. “We've only got a little while before the moon hits its apex, and if we don't find him it spells trouble for all of us.”

“What can we do?” Anna asked. “It's not like we can ask people if they've seen him...we'd be exposing ourselves.”

“We're already cutting it by driving through town like this,” Elizabeth said, her lips pursing in thought. “Wait, I may have an idea.”

“What is it?” Sarah nearly jumped into the front seat at Elizabeth's words.

Elizabeth glanced at Sarah before returning her gaze to the road. “It's nearly the full moon; your senses are at their strongest. You can maybe follow his scent and find him.”

Ryan frowned softly at this. “What, like...hound dogs?”

Elizabeth quickly shook her head. “No! I'm just saying...it's been proven that when the moon is almost full your senses are doubled. I read a whole dissertation about it.” she said.

Ryan glanced back at Anna, who was pursing her lips in consideration. She looked back, nodding her head. He blew out a breath through his nose and turned back to the front.

“Alright,” he said in resignation. “I got this...”

Ryan cranked the window down all the way, feeling the wind brushing against his face. It felt nice, and he couldn't help closing his eyes to relish in the feeling. The wolf gave a purr, much like it did earlier in the shower, and Ryan gave a slight smile.

“You getting anything?” Sarah asked from the backseat. “Can you smell him?”

Ryan flustered in embarrassment. “Um...just hold on,” he said, closing his eyes again and sniffing the air. His nose was assaulted by a barrage of scents. He could smell the exhaust fumes coming from the cars on the street, smell the cologne of the men walking by and the perfume of the women as well. He could smell the grease of the fast food restaurant they just passed, and the trash just outside of the building to their left. He scrunched up his face, trying to discern through the millions of smells in the air to try and place the familiar scent of his friend. He furrowed his brow, trying hard to find Russell.

“Anything?” Sarah asked again.

“No,” Ryan said, scowling as he opened his eyes. “There are too many scents in the air. I can't find him.”

“Let me try,” Sarah said, crawling over the arm rest and sticking her nose in the air. Ryan turned to her, watching as she closed her eyes and sniffed the air slowly, inhaling the scents that wafted through the town. Her eyebrows knitted together slightly, seconds passing in silence as Elizabeth drove and Ryan and Anna watched Sarah. Her features etched into one of frustration, and she flung herself back into her seat with a growl.

“Nothing...” she grumbled.

“Odd...” Elizabeth said, tapping her fingers against the steering wheel more prominently. “If he came through here you should be able to catch his scent.”

Ryan sat and mulled over the situation for a few moments, when suddenly it hit him. “Wait...what if he didn't come through here?”

Elizabeth frowned, glancing at him. “What do you mean?” she asked.

“What if he didn't come to town?” Ryan said. “What if he is still on the highway or something? Or maybe he's already back at the motel?”

Elizabeth mulled this over, and nodded, spinning the wheel to turn the truck around.

“Let's hope you're right...”

 --



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