#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with VK Tritschler

I’d like to welcome author, VK Tritschler, to the blog for this edition of #ThisorThatThursday.

A few of your favorite things:

I have an old moose-hide jacket from my Uncle which is one of my favorite things. He gave it to me many years ago, and I have traipsed it with me around the world. I love the delicate beading work, and the softness of the leather. But also, I love that this is a jacket that had stories. It’s so old I can almost feel them woven into the fabric. The other thing I have that I love is my little shelf of old books I have collected. These are mostly well-known collectables like Dickens and Austen, but I do have a couple random poetry collections. I got a special shelf just for them.

Things you need to throw out:

Most of my clothes! I am not a person who invests a lot of time on appearance, because I don’t see value in the exterior of anything outside of my book covers, but I do like comfortable easy to wear things which I then use to the point of no return.

Things you need for your writing sessions:

I don’t have anything specific that I need for a writing session except for my laptop. I have written in cafes, on beaches, in the car and at home. I don’t have any must-have requirements as I am fortunate to have a brain that can expel thoughts without prompting.

Things that hamper your writing:

A busy environment can be both a blessing and a hamper. On one side a busy coffee shop gives me amazing ideas and thoughts for characters and personality traits, but on the other side it can be distracting and drag away from the plotline taking the story on a whole new tangent. But the worst hamper for me is time! Ah, for that blessed moment that I can grab from an otherwise hectic schedule. That is what I dream of.

Things you love about writing:

Writing is for me what watching movies or listening to music is for others. It allows my mind to wander to places outside of the daily grind and gives me a chance to explore the potential that the world around me presents. I am never bored when I am writing, which is a wonderful feeling.

Things you hate about writing:

I hate that it can feel competitive and that it makes me doubt my own abilities. I can read or hear another author’s story and think to myself, gosh, that was wonderful I wish I could write like that. But I think all authors feel that way. In all of us there is an expectation of being better or doing better. I think that in itself is what drives us forward and makes us work at our craft.

Things you never want to run out of:

Coffee and imagination. I cannot imagine a world without either, and I hope I never have to experience that.

Things you wish you’d never bought:

I wish I had never brought a Smart watch because a) it constantly reminds me of things that I put into my diary but was deliberately trying to forget was coming up (i.e. major deadlines) and b) it’s always telling me to breath or move, both of which I think I do plenty of since I am actually still alive. Still, despite being the most item I have ever worn, it does keep me on track. Ugh.

Something you wish you could do:

Travel. I mean I know technically you can now, but who has the extra energy or time for all the subsidiary nonsense? I yearn for a day when you can buy a ticket that morning, jump on a plane that afternoon, and wake up in a foreign country without a single quarantine rule. Ah, the blissful memories.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do:

Be good at everything I do at my full-time job. Sometimes I wish I was a little less good, and a little more hopeless, because I feel like then I would get designated less and have more time to write!

Something you like to do:

I like to escape. Life, the world, my family occasionally. I love my own company and I have a craving for adventures. Together me, myself and I, get into all kinds of mischief. So, if I can’t do that in the real world, I will do it via my books.

Something you wish you’d never done:

Gotten older. The best part about being young is that you don’t understand what life is yet. You have all that potential to make mistakes, do things wrong, and generally be a mess, and you have no idea of what that means long-term. You live in the now! God, I miss that.

Things you always put in your books:

Romance, relationships, discovery, and renewed understanding. These are the things I find more relevant to life and living, and these are the things therefore that each of my books have. Regardless of the genre.

Things you never put in your books:

I was going to say violence, but that’s not entirely true. I do have some fight scenes which are quite dramatic. I guess rape, would be one I refuse to write. A person’s body in my humble opinion is their own temple and is sacred, and there is no storyline in which I can justify the violation of that.

Things to say to an author:

Hi, my name is…let’s just start with that. Authors are people, and like all people we like to get to know you. Don’t be shy, and if you have a question, ask! Chances are if we don’t know the answer, we will make one up, so you might be the only person in the world that finds that out.

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

Don’t introduce yourself. Troll them on social media about how rubbish their books are. And tell them that you will only like their work if they (insert random storyline you desire). There is nothing that will kill imagination faster than parameters.

Things that make you happy:

Driving in my car with music blaring and the sun shining. The start of a new book (either reading it or writing it). When I have time to be myself.

Things that drive you crazy:

People doing dumb stuff. Hatred for hatred’s sake. Having an amazing story idea and nothing to write it down on. Dreams – refer to the last!

About VK:

VK Tritschler is the definition of very busy. Having both a fulltime job, a growing family and a career as an author she has a lot going on both around her and in her imagination. She lives on the amazing Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, having moved there from her hometown of Christchurch, New Zealand. Her family consists of a very patient husband, two rampant boys, and too many pets to mention.

She has a wonderful set of amazing writers who support her in the form of Eyre Writers, and in return, she offers crowd control services for the Youth section who are the future best-selling Australian authors.

Her first book “The Secret Life of Sarah Meads” was released in 2018 and since then she has participated in the NYC Writing Challenge, the Clunes Booktown, and helped organize and run the Eyre Writers Festival.

Let’s Be Social:

www.vktritschler.com

www.facebook.com/vktritschler

www.twitter.com/vktritschler

www.goodreads.com/vktritschler

Here's Looking at You - Invest in a Professional Headshot

You are your brand, and of all the things you can spend money on for your writing journey, I would suggest that professional photos are well worth the investment. You also want to make sure that your photo looks like you. If you’ve lost weight or changed your hair color, it’s time to update your photo. Here are a few things I’ve learned over the years.

• Selfies and cell phone candids often don’t have the resolution that you want. It needs to be high enough to be reproduced in digital and in print formats.

• Make sure that the photographer you use does digital touchups to ensure that your photo is topnotch.

• Be careful with the touchups. Slight adjustments are good for a quality photo. You just don’t want someone who is heavy handed with the airbrush tool. I’ve seen some that no longer look like a photograph or the person.

• When you’re reviewing the proofs, make sure the background isn’t busy or distracting. Look at what’s behind you. You don’t want something in the background that looks like it’s going through your head or attacking you.

• Make sure that you’re the only one in the photo. You don’t want parts of arms or legs where someone has cropped out the person next to you.

• Outside shots are great for natural lighting. Just be aware that bugs, nature, and the wind sometimes don’t cooperate.

• Wear solid colors that highlight your skin tone and hair color. Busy prints often don’t translate well in digital formats.

• Make sure any jewelry or hair accessories are complementary.

• Look at your nails. Photographers often include hands in the shot.

• Get recommendations from other authors on photographers and services.

• Make sure you know what’s included and what you’re getting for your money. Some photographers charge for multiple outfits.

• Also make sure that you have the rights to use the photos as you see fit. Some photographers require copyright information for use.

Professional photos are an investment. They’re worth the time and cost to help give you a consistent look on all your marketing efforts.

#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.