#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with George Cramer

Please help me welcome author George Cramer to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Things you need for your writing sessions: My handwriting, and yes, I still write in cursive, is so bad, I need a laptop. Add a flat service and comfortable straight-back chair, and I’m set. I can be at my desk, kitchen table, library, or even a coffee shop. Conversations don’t bother me.

Things that hamper your writing: Artificial sounds, music, radio, or television.

Things you love about writing: The ability, or in my case, the hope of using written words to paint a picture another person can experience in such a way as to place themselves in the setting and scene.

Things you hate about writing: Searching for the right colors (words) to paint that perfect scene.

The hardest thing about being a writer: Sitting down and writing that first word.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Being able to take on any project that allows me to avoid sitting down and writing that first word. My biggest escape from creating new material is to self-critique and edit my already written work.

Words that describe you: Easy to work with and open to new ideas and thoughts.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: According to my wife (and kids), I am the most hardheaded, stubborn human.

Favorite foods: Liver and Onions with bacon. Next favorite is an In-and-Out protein burger with cheese and onions only.

Things that make you want to gag: Mayonnaise.

Things you always put in your books: A variation of something I experienced in life.

Things you never put in your books: Incidents that would embarrass me or others.

Things to say to an author: I enjoyed your latest book and wrote a review.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: I didn’t like your book, and I wrote several reviews.

Favorite places you’ve been: Glacier National Park and riding my Harley-Davidson up Going-To-The-Sun-Road. This side trip is often connected to the rides to and from Sturgis, South Dakota. I’ve made several detours through Ouray, Colorado, to ride the Million-Dollar-Highway on U.S. 550, a spur of U.S. 50.

Places you never want to go to again: Jamacia—Nuff said.

Favorite books (or genre): My favorite book is challenging. I like Bernard Cornwell’s immensely. But that is strictly for fun. Among my favorites for content and impact, I would have to include Hard Times: For These Times by Charles Dickens in 1854; and The Stranger the 1942 novella by Albert Camus. I was not a fan of his until I read a few of his works while studying for an MFA at the Institute of American Indian Arts.

Books you wouldn’t buy Horror stories by authors like Stephen King. Fantastic craftsmanship, but no scary horror for this reader.

The most daring thing you’ve ever done: I suffer from fear of heights (acrophobia). I even suffer anxiety and fear while watching movies. The daring thing I’ve done is Zip Lining. I shake, going up the tower and on the platform. However, the second I clamp on, the fear evaporates, and I jump. I love it.

Something you chickened out from doing: My oldest son is a commercial diver. I wanted to share the experience with him, even though I don’t know how to swim. I signed up for scuba lessons and faked it until I got on a dive boat. When it came time for the first open water dive, I got in the water and froze. Getting back in the boat, I cursed myself for being such a ^^%$^ coward. When the other divers started their second dive, I went in and found it exhilarating.

The coolest person you’ve ever met: Joel McRae. Mr. McRae was an American Actor who most of your readers have never heard of.

The celebrity who didn’t look like they did in pictures/video: Eve Arden. Ms. Arden was an actress who passed away in 1990. She was even more beautiful in real life than on the screen.

About George:

An enrolled descendant of the Karuk Tribe of California, George Cramer brings forty years of investigative experience to crime and historical fiction. He earned an MFA-Creative Writing from the Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

George conducted and managed thousands of successful investigations throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. An expert in Interviewing, he kept his skills honed by volunteering as a Missing Person’s investigator at the San Leandro, California, Police Department.

George’s debut novel, The Mona Lisa Sisters, was published in 2020. He contributes to several anthologies and the Veteran’s Writing Project.

He is a member of Crime Writers of Color, Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, California Writers Club, and the Public Safety Writers Association.

Besides writing, his love is a long-distance motorcycle riding on his 2001 Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic.

Let’s Be Social:

Email: gdcramer@msn.com

Website: https://gdcramer.com

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/george.cramer.56211/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gdcramerpi/

Research Your Genre - Tips for Authors

It’s often hard when writers plan out a new WIP (Work in Progress), especially if they want it to be a series. You need to know what will be selling in the next two to three years, and I don’t know about you, but my crystal ball is broken. Here are some ideas that can help as you plan your next project.

• Read everything you can get your hands on in your genre. It helps you to see what is popular now and the trends.

• Read all of the acknowledgment pages. See who the agents, publicists, and editors are. This will help you later when you query.

• Peruse online book retailers and visit bookstores to see what is on their shelves. You’ll need a list of comps (comparables) when you start your querying process.

• Many times, books are rejected because the publisher already has one that is similar.

• If you believe in your story, you need to come up with ways to show that it is different from everything else that is out there. What makes it unique?

• Look at agents’ websites and their wish lists. This shows you what they represent and is often a good indicator of what they think they can sell in the next few years.

• When you’re plotting your story, look for hooks that will appeal to your type of reader. Set it in a unique place. Give your character an interesting job that readers want to know more about.

• Write the best book you can. Make sure that it is professionally edited before you begin the query process.

The publishing business is a tough business. Agents and editors represent stories they think will sell, so it’s a good idea to spend some time researching your genre.

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Diane Zinna

I’d like to welcome author Diane Zinna to #ThisorThatThursday.

A few of your favorite things: Fresh notebooks, speckled paper clips, soft flannel pillowcases, the Schmigadoon! soundtrack, and hygge time at night reading with my daughter.

Things you need to throw out: Boxes I tend to save because they’re so sturdy and could be good for something, someday.

Things you need for your writing sessions: My laptop, ice water, quiet time in my car. (I mostly write in the front seat of my car.)

Things that hamper your writing: Wi-Fi.

Things you love about writing: How it feels like the core of me.

Things you hate about writing: How sometimes I need reading glasses on top of reading glasses.

Things you never want to run out of: Seltzer, sharpened pencils, side doors into my hardest stories.

Things you wish you’d never bought: Those Tik-Tok leggings.

Something you’re really good at: Duolingo Korean lessons
Something you’re really bad at: Speaking in Korean

Something you wish you could do: Sing in something more than a lullaby voice.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: Reject help from others and do everything myself.

Something you like to do: Ice skate. Why don’t I ice skate anymore?
Something you wish you’d never done: As a teenager, I threw away stacks of diaries from childhood. I can still remember the day I stupidly tossed them all in a dumpster and shouted, “I don’t need these! I’m a different person now!”

Best thing you’ve ever done: Left my last job.
Biggest mistake: Believing that a company was like a family.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Bungee jumped at Action Park (see harrowing documentary, “Class Action Park”).
Something you chickened out from doing: Speaking before the UN.

The coolest person you’ve ever met: The writer Grace Paley. We browsed the aisles of a Florida Walgreens together, picked out cheap earrings and lawn chairs, and drove around town.

The celebrity who didn’t look like he/she did in pictures/video: The lovely Catherine Keener, who I saw browsing a wood furniture store in the Smoky Mountains.

Things you always put in your books: Grief, travel, new love, sweet dogs, my soul.
Things you never put in your books: Sarcasm, cynicism, the word “anal” (until recently).

The craziest thing a reader said to you: After reading a fictional passage about sickly tigers that skulk away alone into the jungle forever, my mother-in-law said she finally understood me.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: That my acknowledgements felt like a letter in a bottle from one writer to another.

About Diane:

Diane Zinna received her MFA from the University of Florida and has taught creative writing for more than a decade. She leads her popular "Grief Writing Sundays" every week for writers of all levels of experience. The All-Night Sun, her first novel, was longlisted for The Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize and the Cabell First Novelist Award. Originally from Long Island, Diane lives in Virginia with her husband, daughter, and doodle. 

Let’s Be Social:

Website: dianezinna.com

Twitter and Instagram: @dianezinna  

Book Title: The All-Night Sun (Random House, 2020) 

Bookmarks - An Inexpensive Marketing Tool for Authors

Everybody likes give-aways. Make sure that you have bookmarks to hand out at your events. I always give them out to everyone I talk with. Many times, I’ve seen a spike in ebooks after the event.

Here are some things I've learned over the years.

1. Pick a size that works for you and fits the size of your book.

2. Order enough to be economical (printing and shipping costs), but not so you have thousands to store.

3. Make the cover, your name, your story's title, and website large enough to read.

4. Use matching or complimentary colors. There are plenty of free color wheels online that will help you see what works with the colors you choose.

5. If you add pull quotes or story summaries, make them short enough to be readable. Eight-point type is too small. Less is better when you're working in a small space.

6. Use the back to promote your other books. That way, visitors know what else you write.

7. If this is your first publication, use the back to promote your blog and social media sites.

8. Make sure the any pictures (including the book cover) you add to the bookmark are in proportion. The book cover should be a rectangle. Use a high-resolution graphic. Most graphic design programs will let you hold down the shift key as you resize a graphic go keep it proportional.

9. If you include an author picture, make sure it’s recent and professional. Selfies may not have the resolution that you want when the bookmarks are printed.

10. I use NextDayFlyers because they have sizes that work for me. There are lots of companies out there. Shop around and look for discount codes.

11. I add bookmarks to any give-aways that I happen to do. A little book swag is always a nice surprise.

12. Many of your independent bookstores or libraries will give away your bookmarks. Ask if you can leave a few when you visit.

What else would you add to my list? Happy reading!

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with D. A. Andrews

I’d like to welcome author, D. A. Andrews to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

A few of your favorite things: I like coffee, my cat Luna, and currently New Girl.

Things you need to throw out: I definitely need to throw out a lot of old clothes, but I am sort of a hoarder and attach too many memories to things.

Things you need for your writing sessions: coffee and that elusive inspiration fairy

Things that hamper your writing: depression

Things you love about writing: How cathartic it is

Things you hate about writing: Chasing inspiration

Things you never want to run out of: Coffee

Things you wish you’d never bought: my treadmill haha

Favorite foods: anything you can make from a potato!

Things that make you want to gag: liver!

Favorite beverage: coffee

Something that gives you a sour face: porridge!

Something you’re really good at: writing

Something you’re really bad at: painting! I wish I was so much better at it!

Favorite places you’ve been: Denver, CO, Portland, OR and Savannah, GA

Places you never want to go to again: Don’t hate me! But maybe New York!

Favorite books (or genre): YA!

Books you wouldn’t buy: Science fiction

Favorite things to do: lounge around, travel, listen to audio books

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: washing the dishes!

Things that make you happy: cats, books, me, my boyfriend

Things that drive you crazy: I have really bad road rage, so driving definitely drives me crazy.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: I want you all to know, that I hate this style of writing verse. I will say that every time I read a book that writes verse this way, because it bothers me. Sometimes so much, that it destroys the enjoyment. Especially if the poems themselves aren't anything special.

After I read the first poem I feared, that this collection would share the same fate. But I was wrong. Yes, the style still bothered me, but the words and themes reached my heart. Especially since I'm picky when it comes to love poems. In theory, I'm a romantic. But most love poems are just too sugar sunshine rainbow for me. These ones felt more real. Like something a normal human being would feel, something I could relate to. They were really nice. The ones about loss too.

I was not on board with every poem, but I can't deny that they are all nicely written.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: Probably the same thing haha

About D. A.:

D. A. Andrews was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica. Throughout the years, she has developed wide interests in various aspects of life, such as coffee, weddings, books, and psychology. She is a graduate of the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus with a BSc. in Marine Biology and Psychology (Honours) and is currently pursuing her MBA. She considers herself a nomad at heart and has changed cities and apartments quite as often as she changes her clothes. She is currently resting her head in Brunswick, Georgia, with her black cat (and familiar), Luna.

Let’s Be Social:

https://www.goodreads.com/dayandrews_

twitter.com/daandrews_

https://www.tiktok.com/@daandrews_?

instagram.com/daandrews_

facebook.com/authordaandrews

Building Your Following - Tips for Authors

Building a following on social media (or building your author platform) takes time and patience. Here are some things that have worked for me.

• Pick one of your social media sites to work on for a month. Follow 10 new people each day.

• Set aside some time every day (even if it’s only 10-15 minutes) to be engaged on social media. (This is the social part.) Make sure that you like, comment, and share others’ posts. Join in others’ celebrations. Make sure to tag people when you mention them.

• Decide what kinds of followers you want to focus on. Are you looking for bloggers, podcasters, bookstagrammers, readers, librarians? Take a few minutes to look at bios and follow those you have a shared interested with.

• Look at author accounts that are like yours (e.g. your genre). See who follows them and follow them.

• When someone follows you, look at his/her followers. Choose ones that have things in common with you to follow.

• Make a list of themes in your book. For my current series, mine are glamping, vintage trailers, tiny houses, and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Search for those topics to find people and accounts interested in your book topics.

• Make sure that you post to your major social sites regularly at whatever interval works for you (e.g. daily, weekly, twice a week, etc.).

• Look at the content of your posts. People are looking for entertainment and information. Your posts shouldn’t all be “buy my book.”

• Use your analytics page to see what posts and what times of day are getting the most attention. Then post (or schedule your posts) during those timeslots.

• Pick one or two of your socials that you want to work on and add the link to your email signature. You’ll be surprised at the people you correspond with that don’t know you’re a writer.

I started out with three Twitter followers. It took a while, but with some care and feeding, it was worth it to watch the accounts grow.

What Do You Have to Have to Write?

Writers have their own routines and habits. Here are some things I have to have when I’m researching and writing a mystery.

Music - I usually listen to faster music when I’m writing. I like a lot of genres, but if I’m trying to concentrate, I listen to jazz or classical. Those are my choices for editing, too.

Caffeine - I must be caffeinated for my writing sessions. I’m not much of a hot drink drinker, so I drink soft drinks, iced tea, and iced coffee all year. My day starts at 5:00 AM, and caffeine is always part of the morning ritual.

Snacks - I don’t do a lot of snacking, but when I’m in writer mode, chocolate is a must-have. Dark chocolate is my favorite (no nuts or coconut).

Exercise - I tend to sit still too long. My fitness band is good about buzzing when I’ve been in my seat too long. I also have two crazy Jack Russell Terriers for officemates, and they let me know when it’s time for a break.

A Plan - I’m more of a plotter (even though I do go off script) than a pantser when I write. I like to have an outline of each chapter. That helps me when I start and stop. It also helps when I go to write the dreaded synopsis.

No Distractions - When I am in full writing or revising mode, I need to keep the distractions to a minimum. No TV, internet, or phones. It is too easy to just stop to research something and end up watching funny cat or dog videos for an hour.

What works for you? What would you add to my list?

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with M. J. Preston

I’d like to welcome author M. J. Preston to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

A few of your favorite things:

I’m a dog owner, I have two beagles, Milo, and Jake, they are my favorite two things. Oh wait? Pizza and nachos are edging toward being my even more favorite two things.

Things you need to throw out:

You know, Jake and Milo aren’t as good as pizza and nachos, and they’re tearing around the house. I better throw them out before an incident occurs.

Hardest thing about being a writer:

Finding time. Time is the something all writers need. How much we can dedicate to our craft is dependent on its availability, so it’s paramount. The march toward the great big morgue slab waits for no one.

Easiest thing about being a writer:

The first draft of anything! Novel, short story It’s that first incoherent drunken half-pitched stumble to the finish line! There is nothing more euphoric than the buzz I get when a story unfolds, it’s like pain free birthing. There is something that happens when I set my mind to writing, I am overtaken by a muse, who is a whispering miserable bastard, but he’s the best in the business for me. I transform when I write, going from “me” to a key-tapping-zombie falling headlong down the rabbit hole. Once I’m there, I have the keys, until the story is told. Then it’s yours.

Words that describe you:

Given my background in the military, I’ve been called a lot of things, but those that are genuine would be: Fun, friendly, supportive, dependable.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t:

Too trusting, and wears heart on sleeve. Not my heart, mind you. I’d be dead. I generally get a human heart off the black market, also known as Amazon, they’re relatively affordable and they don’t start to decompose for about a week.

Favorite foods:

I love all sorts of food. I think spaghetti has always been my-go-to. I love Italian cuisine, but I really dig a wide variety of foods from Mexican to Chinese. I cook a traditional-bastardized Chicken Chow Mein. It’s a hit around these digs.

Things that make you want to gag:

Mushrooms, I cannot stomach them. Mushrooms literally make me gag. From the first time I tried one in 1972, I rolled that alien gizzard around in my mouth until I could distract the cook and spit it in the garbage. Since that day, I have moved woefully through the culinary world avoiding the fungus that grows in sh!t. Think about the last five words of the sentence you just read. Why would you put that in your mouth?

Favorite music or song:

I’m all over the place in my music these days, in that I could be listening to All them Witches, belting out Alabaster or grooving to the rhythmic beat of Eminem rapping a story about an obsessed fan in, Stan. Music is a very big part of the creation process for me, it is the soundtrack to the story I’m telling. Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, The Black Angels, Johnny Cash, Metallica… I could keep going.

Music that drives you crazy:

Techno music. I’d rather gargle with mule pee laced with light bulb glass, than have that stuff rolling around in my head.

Favorite beverage:

Beer.

Something that gives you a sour face:

Politicians, even after many beers.

Favorite smell:

Cedar.

Something that makes you hold your nose:

Sauerkraut farts, they are the worst. [No more questions about that.]

Something you wish you could do:

Play guitar.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do:

Operating an interstellar, dimensional and time shifting, universe jumper. If I had a nickel for every time, I get a call from this secret society or that, and at all hours of the night, wanting to do a fundraising brunch in the corner of hell. It really interrupts my schedule, but it does pay the bills.

Something you like to do:

Psst. I like writing. 😉

Something you wish you’d never done:

I wish the hell I’d stayed off that grassy knoll. People just won’t let that go.

The last thing you ordered online:

Sanding discs for a drywall sander. [No, the basement isn’t finished yet.]

The last thing you regret buying:

We bought a patio set. I wanted to buy a t-shirt gun, but oh, no. “Mrs. Preston kept mentioning what happened to Ned Flanders wife on The Simpson’s so patio set it was. Ned’s wife was killed by a t-shirt gun. Practicality trumps coolness. Not cool at all.

Things you always put in your books:

I usually include a soldier or a trucker as a character somewhere in my books. I did not realize I did this until I revisited my work years later. This was unconscious, until now, thanks for ruining that by the way.

Things you never put in your books:

Now, this is sort of embarrassing, but I will never put a piece of smoked salmon in a book ever again. After a while it, roughly five minutes, the book begins smell fishy. Also, it leaves an oily stain on the pages which if you’re shipping internationally causes all sorts of grief. Because of the fish, the FDA must be involved, and let me tell you those goose steppers have zero sense of humor. Worst marketing idea I ever had.

Things to say to an author:

Anything pertaining to their stories. MJ you’re awesome. Your last story. Total fricken genius!

Things to say an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book:

You know Stephen King wrote a story that was way better than this. [Guaranteed death by dismemberment.]

Favorite places you’ve been:

The Northwest Territories and the east coast of North America from New Brunswick to Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts. I have met and know so many cool people in all these places.

Places you never want to go to again:

New Jersey. The cops there are way too serious.

Favorite books (or genre):

Everything except…

Books you wouldn’t buy:

Nothing personal, but romance ain’t my thing.

People you’d like to invite to dinner (living):

Joe R. Lansdale, Robert R. McCammon, Jonathan Mayberry, Gene O’Neill, Bill Burr, and Bob Barker. Bob would get a free meal, but it would be a working dinner as he would be required to call the guests down to podiums where they’d make bids on their dinner.

People you’d cancel dinner on:

I know this will be devastating for Stephen King, but not because I don’t like him. Sometimes you gotta knock people down a couple pegs. And let’s face it, even the King of Horror needs a little humbling every now and again. Imagine his angst standing at my door, a bottle of cheap Maine wine in his hand, while me and the boys are ignoring him and playing Perogy Plinko for real money. Sorry Steve O, you just aren’t cool enough for us cats today!

Favorite things to do:

Hugging my grandkids.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing:

I run through fires and eat bugs all day long, it’s a thing now. Can you rephrase the question? Perhaps, insert gargling with Mushroom extract infused with the stuff that comes out of an infected anal gland? Never mind, I forgot the question.

The nicest thing a reader said to you:

It was a librarian. She said, “I like how you put words together.”

The craziest thing a reader said to you:

It puts the lotion on its skin, or else it gets the hose again. Thank you, FBI Swat.

About M. J.:

M.J. Preston’s debut novel: THE EQUINOX, published in 2012, was a quarterfinalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Awards and rated a solid straight horror novel by a reviewer at Publisher’s Weekly.

His second novel: ACADIA EVENT, published in 2015, was inspired by his time running the world longest ice road, as an ice road trucker, in the Canada’s Northwest Territories. It is set to be re-released with his publisher, WildBlue Press.

His third novel: HIGHWAYMAN, a thriller, was published July 02, 2019 with WildBlue Press. He has also published scores of short stories in anthologies around the world. In addition to writing, MJ is an artist and an amateur photographer.

The sequel to Highwayman, titled: FOUR, became available for purchase on the 25th of February 2020.

He resides in Alberta, Canada with his wife, Stormy and beagles, Jake and Milo.

Let's Be Social:

Visit him online:

His website: http://mjpreston.net

His Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mj.preston.9/

His Twitter: https://twitter.com/MJPreston1