Monday 13 June 2011

Award-Winning Author: Gerry McCullough

Today on the blog I’m delighted to be featuring award-winning author and poet, Gerry McCullough!

Gerry has been writing poems and stories since childhood. Brought up in north Belfast, she graduated in English and Philosophy from Queen's University, Belfast, then went on to gain an MA in English.

She lives just outside Belfast, in Northern Ireland, has four grown up children and is married to singer/songwriter and Media Producer, Raymond McCullough.


Hi Gerry! So what will readers like about your latest novel Belfast Girls?  

So far, I find they like the characters. Sheila, Phil and Mary, the three girls growing up in Belfast, are all very different. Sheila starts off shy and lacking in self-confidence. She’s the ‘ugly duckling’ who turns into a beautiful supermodel. Phil is bouncy, confident, popular with boys – but she lets herself be dragged into trouble by the man she loves, Davy Hagan. Mary starts off as a wild child, nearly dies of a drug overdose, and then has a spiritual awakening which turns her life around. People seem to be really interested in the girls and their lives and loves. There’s a lot of action, too, but that’s more of a bonus.



What inspired you to write the novel?

I’ve always written stuff, since my childhood. It seemed natural to write about my hometown, Belfast, and about the sort of things which I know something about.  Then, there’s so much misunderstanding about this place. I hoped I could explain a bit about the goings-on here to the rest of the world.  In a country where religion has so often been a dividing factor, Sheila, Phil and Mary are friends in spite of being from different religious backgrounds, and that’s not really as unusual as you might think. As for writing about girls growing up in Belfast, well, that came even more naturally to me, since that’s been my own life, growing up as a Belfast girl!

Do you have any new works in the pipeline?

I’m halfway through another novel, of a similar type to Belfast Girls, and I also have a collection of short stories newly edited by a professional which a local publisher here has shown some interest in. I have hopes for them, and for my new book, if I can ever find time to complete it.

Who are your favourite authors?

How much space do I have for this?  Let’s keep it brief – Jane Austen, Tolkien, C.S.Lewis, PG Wodehouse, Agatha Christie, Georgette Heyer, Terry Pratchett – better stop there!

And finally, can you tell us something about yourself that not many people know.

I hate desiccated coconut. Real coconut is a different thing, mind you. My father brought one home one year at Hallowe’en, and broke it up with a hammer, and I enjoyed my piece very much. But the desiccated stuff is just too dry, I suppose. Now, isn’t that interesting?

Haha! Now people know what not to buy you for your birthday. Thank you so much for joining us today, Gerry. It’s been a pleasure. Best of luck with Belfast Girls.



Belfast Girls on Amazon US
Belfast Girls on Amazon UK


Friday 10 June 2011

Hot New Author: Samantha Towle

Today I’d like to welcome Samantha Towle, to the blog! I’ve had the page-turning pleasure of reading her novel The Bringer and I can honestly say I adored it. 

Can you tell us a bit about yourself, Samantha?

I live in Yorkshire with my husband Craig, children Riley and Isabella, dog Max and cat Murphy. The youngest of four daughters, I love music - all music - and dream of a day when …. now that's another story. My first book, 'The Bringer' was published by Night Publishing in May 2011. My second, 'A Single Bite' will be published later in the year.
 
What will readers like about your latest novel The Bringer?

It’s not your average ‘angel’ novel. It’s full of twists and turns, and I think readers will really identify with Lucyna and her naivety when she finds herself in falling love with James. We’ve all felt the thrill that love creates, that first shot of ecstasy when you meet the ‘one’ and how overwhelming it can be. But Lucyna has never felt anything before now, so she is completely overwhelmed and totally out of her depth with all of these feelings her love for James is creating within her.

I think readers will enjoy going through the journey with her and encountering the twists thrown in along the way!

What inspired you to write it?

‘Don’t Cry’ by Guns N’ Roses. I got the idea for ‘The Bringer’ whilst listening to the song. It got me thinking about the painful effects that love can have on us, then I got to thinking about what it would be like if we didn’t have to feel at all, would things be easier and that is how I came up with the concept of The Bringer. An ethereal being with no feelings, whose sole purpose is to guide the recently deceased to Heaven, who without warning suddenly develops feelings.

Can you tell us a little about your work in progress?

‘A Single Bite’ is the novel I’m currently working on. It’s due out later this year. It’s slightly different to ‘The Bringer’. It’s still a Paranormal Romance, and whilst there is angst and heartbreak in it, there is also a lot of humour.  Alexandra ‘Alex’ the MC is very clumsy with her words, she often speaks before thinking!

Who are your favourite authors?

Thomas Harris, Charlaine Harris, Sophie Kinsella and Paige Toon.

Tell us something about yourself that not many people know.

I have worked every job known to man! From being a chambermaid, to factory work, to waitressing, a bit of modelling, singing, you name it I’ve probably done it!
 
… and now you can add 'published author' to the list! Thanks so much for letting me interview you today. It’s been heavenly (sorry, bad pun).

The Bringer on Amazon Kindle US
The Bringer on Amazon Kindle UK   
The Bringer on Smashwords  

Tuesday 7 June 2011

Hot New Author: Robert Craven

Today I’m thrilled to welcome Robert Craven to HOT NEW AUTHORS, a brand spanking new feature on my blog. I’ve been pestering him for weeks to let me know the release date for his fab new spy thriller, Get Lenin, and now here it is! Yay!

                           Available from Amazon
So Robert, what will readers like about Get Lenin?

What readers will get is adventure, espionage & both the horror & the glamour of the 1930's as the story unfolds into WW2 through the eyes of the main character Eva Molenaar.

What inspired you to write the novel?

I grew up loving the books of Alastair Maclean, Fredrick Forsyth, Jack Higgins and John Le Carre. I came across a book called 'Lenin's Embalmers' about 10yrs ago which told the story of Lenin's mausoleum shipping in its entirety to the Urals in the face of the German army advance. Then a bulb went off in my head that went 'what would happen if...'


Do you have any other favorite authors?

As well as those mentioned above I love Cormac MaCarthy, Arthur Miller, Robert Ludlum and Martin Cruz Smith. Irish authors Roddy Doyle, John McGahern, Frank O'Connor and Brendan Behan.

And are there any new works in the pipeline?
I have almost completed the sequel, but mindful of how Get Lenin does. I have pitched to Night Publishing a semi-autobiographical work called 'Vocals preferred, own transport essential'. I was a musician in Dublin in the late 1980's to the mid 1990's and would jot down incidents and stories along the way. It needs a lot of work and is more of a long-term project.

Finally, can you tell us something about yourself that not many people know.

I've a pathological hatred of mime artists.

I'm with you on that last point! Thanks so much for taking the time to chat to us and I'd like to wish you massive success with Get Lenin. It's a great read.

Tuesday 10 May 2011

How do you Promote your Novel?

For those of you who don't know, I've written a paranormal romance called Hidden. I uploaded it to Kindle just under a couple of months ago and, to my surprise, it started selling. Most of the initial sales were to friends and family (thank you!), but when the friends ran out, complete strangers started to buy it. I've sold almost 200 copies to people I don't know. As an unknown author, I don't think that number is too shabby. I've kept my pricing modest, but not too low at $2.99. It's not any where near Amanda Hocking levels or even Jake Barton, but it's exceeded my expectations.

However, it does freak me out on many levels. I swing between: they're all going to hate it, to, wow! 

I don't know how people are coming across my book. Are they searching on Google or Kindle? Is it being recommended? I'm trying to cover all the bases so far as promotion is concerned, but there doesn't seem to be enough of me to go around. Here's some of what I've managed to do in the way of promotion so far:

TAGGING
I've tagged my book on Amazon. Not just the odd keyword, but I've really tried to think how people might search for my type of book. Like: 'vampire', 'paranormal romance', 'supernatural' - those are fine for my genre, but if someone's searching for a book, they might also type in: 'books with vampires' or 'vampire ebooks'. Also, I looked at the more successful books in my genre and copied their tags.

FORUMS
I occasionally chat on the forums - Kindleboards, Amazon, Goodreads etc - without promoting my book every two seconds. This is really hard to do (for me anyway). I always want to talk about my book, but it would probably annoy them if I were to constantly shove my title in their face. So I try to hold back and just chat, have a laugh, be helpful and hopefully, other forum users might check out my profile and book.
Note to self: I must be more active on the forums.

BLOGGING
I'm a lazy blogger. My new resolution is to share my publishing experiences with other writers. And if this has the added benefit of raising my profile, then it's all good!

LINKS
The more links you have pointing towards your website/book page, the better your search results will be on Google. So try and get your links in as many places as poss.

GOODREADS
This is a great place to have a profile. You get a book page like this and you can apply for an author page, like this.

I also use the 'Listopia' function and have added Hidden to the relevant lists. Eg: 'Best YA', 'What to read after Twilight' etc. I'm hoping this will boost visibility.

BOOK REVIEWS
Try to get a few good reviews on Amazon/Goodreads/ Smashwords etc. If you know someone who's read your book, plead with them to put a review up for you. Most people who browse for books like to know what other people think and it could definitely sway them to buy yours. There are also a lot of book bloggers out there who will write an honest review in return for a free copy of your book. I've compiled a comprehensive list on Twitter called Brilliant Book Bloggers.

TWITTER
I tweet my latest reviews, releases etc. But that can get tedious for others, so try to intersperse your tweets with some sparkling wit and interesting news. Or, if you're anything like me, the odd rant/moan.

FACEBOOK
I've given Hidden its own Facebook Page where I can keep people updated about new books in the series, new formats, trailers etc. Once I reached 25 fans for my page, I was able to choose which name I posted with: Either Shalini Boland or Hidden (Marchwood Vampire Series)This gives you the added benefit of posting on other Facebook pages using your book name and image.

This list isn't anywhere near finished yet, but I'm dying for a cup of coffee, so I'll carry on later ...

UPDATE: Sorry, it's taken me a few weeks to finish my coffee, but I'll revisit this soon x

Sunday 10 April 2011

Hidden #SampleSunday

He felt the drumming of the earth, the heartbeat of all humankind in his bones and blood, in his skin and soul. It sang a song that he had known forever and in that instant everything became clear. He knew the reason for it all; the key to life and it was so obvious. How could he not have known this simple truth before now?
And then as suddenly as it had come, it left. His beating heart slowed, the song faded and the knowledge slipped away like an elusive memory refusing to come to mind. He felt a devastating loss, worse than if his dearest love had died.
A heavy melancholy descended, so profound he felt as though he should like to sleep for a thousand years. In the cold darkness, tears rolled down his face and stung his cheeks like acid. He closed his eyes and tried not to think. It hurt to think.
It hurt.
God, it hurt.
Like the skin being stripped from his body. He could not breathe and his eyes burned white hot with a searing pain.
He tried to speak but his throat constricted, closed shut. Was he in hell? Was this the fate he deserved? Please, God, no! Help me! he silently screamed. Save me! I promise … I promise anything. I will do anything. Just please … make … it … STOP.

HIDDEN on Amazon

Monday 28 March 2011

Mega Excitement for Mini Trailer

I've got a new mini trailer for Hidden, my paranormal vampire adventure and I'm so in love with it that I had to post it here. B. Lloyd from AuthorsAnon created it and I think she's done a top job. Thank you, B!


And the other cool thing is that KindleObsessed put it on her website as one of five trailers that should persuade you to part with your money.