Aaron Lazar Interviews Joan H Young - Cozy Mystery Writer from the North Woods!

Hi, folks!

I recently discovered a wonderful author and read all three of her cozy mysteries in a row. Yes, they were that good! I hope you'll enjoy this interview with Joan Young - it was great fun getting to know her. 

Enjoy!

Aaron Lazar

www.lazarbooks.com

APL: I fell in love with Paddy, the Irish Setter in Paddy Plays in Dead Mule Swamp. What is your experience with dogs? Have you always had them, or recently acquired one? I've loved them since I was little, and always have one or two in the family. They sleep with us. ;o) If you have canines, who are they and how have they affected your life?

JHY: Yes, Paddy is an Irish Setter. I haven't owned that particular breed of dog, although I've known a couple. I've owned dogs all my life, although I don't have one at the moment.

My best childhood friend was a dog, since I grew up as an only child in the country. I'm a complete sucker for canines - they become an integral part of my life. Of course they sleep with me! However, at the moment, I'm trying to keep my options for traveling open, and am remaining dogless for now. The most recent was Maggie a Vizsla mix. Our adventures have been covered on my blog (myqualityday.blogspot.com) since I began blogging. However, as dogs will do, she became old and I had to say goodbye.

Before that, I had Chips, a mutt who looked like a miniature Golden Retriever. He may be the most special dog I ever owned (can't really compare him with that childhood dog). He hiked over 1200 miles of the North Country Trail with me, before I lost him to cancer. There's a lot about him in my book, North Country Cache.

APL: Your Anastasia Raven cozy mystery series are just wonderful. I've read them all. I am smitten by the locale, the swamp, the house that Ana is renovating. What kind of house do you live in now? Are you near a swamp? Near the woods? Tell us about it and how it differs from Ana's house.

JHY: They say you should write what you know. When I was grappling with a person and a place I could sustain for a series of books, I knew I had to focus on small towns and rural areas.

My current house is not like Ana's. However, a house we lived in for two years is the mirror image of Ana's, without the addition she put on. The name of the swamp is "stolen" from a local area known as Dead Horse Marsh, although the swamp in the book is much larger. There are many rivers where I currently live, and so that general type of terrain was easy to add into the story locale.

I do live in the country, but don't have nearly as much forest to call my own as I would like. However, I'm not far from a National Forest, so there is lots of room to get out and play in the trees. I studied wetlands for a number of years, and so making that type of landscape a key feature of my books was a no-brainer.

APL: Your appreciation of nature is so evident in your stories, from the descriptions of the bird songs to the flora/fauna in the woods. From your bio I know you've always enjoyed the outdoors. Do you have any special hiking/canoe/camping pals you prefer to do these outings with?

JHY: Yes, I spend as much time outdoors as I can. I'm pretty much willing to take anyone along who doesn't whine too much and thinks it's fun. That said, there are several people who've gone out with me more than others.

A friend who still lives in New York, Marie Altenau, is my best friend, and forever hiking partner. We met the summer we were 12, and have been close ever since. She hiked over 2600 miles of the North Country Trail with me, and we still try to hike about 100 miles each year.

Locally, there is a Chapter of the North Country Trail Association which maintains a section of that trail. We sponsor a public hike (or sometimes paddling, or skiing) every month. I always attend those when I'm home.

And, there are a couple of local friends I like to go out with for hiking, kayaking, skiing or snowshoeing. I also go out alone quite a bit. I'm totally comfortable with that.

APL: There are a few men in your series who seem like possible love interests for Ana. Although she's definitely "off men" for now, after her disappointing divorce/discovery with her husband, it seems by book three that she's finally coming to terms with her husband's relationship with Brian. Do you think there might be hope for her with the newspaper editor or local detective, both who seemed interested in her?

JHY: Interesting question. You will read part of the answer to that in the next book!

APL: You have a special talent for describing young people and their relationship with mentors. I loved the little boy in your second book, and Sunny and Star in the third book. Do you have experience mentoring young people? Do you have children from whom you've drawn these experiences?

JHY: My husband and I were in youth ministry for 22 years. I guess that gives me some experience! Also, we adopted three boys, now all grown. I'm actually quite relieved that you found those descriptions genuine, because sometimes I think I don't understand children at all.

APL: Have you ever based your literary characters on real people, dead or alive? Was Ana completely made-up, or does she possess qualities of folks you've admired? Any of these qualities similar to you, the author?

JHY: I am trying not to make a character exactly like someone in real life. Ana has some of my characteristics, but so does Cora. Ana is definitely more feminine than I am. Cora is neater. As a writer yourself, I'm sure you know that sometimes characters just grow into themselves no matter how we first wrote them.

The opening for "News," where Ana is tearing out the walls was real. I did that. So, scenes sometimes can be taken from real events. Corliss (Len) from "Paddy" is physically a man I saw at a gas station. However, his personality and needs are totally fabricated. I suppose it's dangerous to live near an author because you might end up in a book.

APL: Both book 1 and 3 are full-length novels, but book 2 is a novella. What's the story behind this? I wanted more of that book and was disappointed when it was over!

JHY: "Hollow Tree" is probably only a short story. Basically, I wanted something I was willing to give away for free that would entice people to try the other books. A prequel didn't seem to fit, so I stuck the free one between the other two. I realize it's short, and the ending is a bit abrupt, but I still think it's worth having a free offering.

The idea came to me in a brainstorm and I wrote it in one weekend of insane typing.

I do find it strange that one of the reasons given in the reviews for a lower rating is that it's too short, since it clearly is advertised as a short story! I suppose that's something of a convoluted compliment.

APL: What are you working on now? I hope it's a fourth book in the series.

JHY: Yes, it is! I'm about 2/3 finished with another full-length book called Bury the Hatchet in Dead Mule Swamp. This plot is much more complex than any of the others, and I hope to keep readers guessing until very near the end. It should be ready to release in early 2014. It's filled with interactions between familiar characters, and a few new people.

You can find all my books and published stories, with links for how to purchase them, at booksleavingfootprints.com

Author Bio:

Joan Young has enjoyed the out-of-doors her entire life. Highlights of her outdoor adventures include Girl Scouting, which provided yearly training in camp skills, the opportunity to engage in a 10-day canoe trip, and numerous short backpacking excursions. She was selected to attend the 1965 Senior Scout Roundup in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, an international event to which 10,000 girls were invited. She has ridden a bicycle from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean in 1986, and on August 3, 2010 became the first woman to complete the North Country National Scenic Trail on foot. Her mileage totaled 4395 miles.

In 2005, North Country Cache made its debut for the 25th Anniversary of the North Country Trail, telling stories about the first half of her NCT hike. Since then, more and more of her time has been spent writing, including a monthly column in the local newspaper about outdoor recreation. If only more and more money came from that endeavor, it could be called a career!

 

She has recently begun writing more fiction, including a number of short stories, some of which await publication through Twin Trinity Media, and the Anastasia Raven mysteries.

A Christmas Mini-Miracle, by Barb Caffrey

To tell the story of my relationship with my late husband and frequent writing collaborator Michael B. Caffrey (1958-2004), I need to go back to an earlier, simpler time. It was 2001, and it was Christmas. And I hated it.

Why did I hate it? Is it because I hate Christmas? (Hardly.) Is it because I was lonely, and was far away from my friends and family, wondering what would happen next? (Getting warmer . . .)

Well, during the 2001 Christmas season, I was talking to Michael via instant messaging. He and I had met through a mutual friend in July of 2001, but as I was going through a bitter divorce, I didn't pay much attention – excepting one thing: He called me "Barbara" (which is not my name), and I also, unfortunately, called him "Mike" (which was not his name). But once we got past that, we got on like a house on fire, and shared many tales of the books we'd read, the books we were writing, and life in general.

What I didn't know at the time was, Michael had decided right then and there that he was going to marry me. But he had the mother-wit to keep it to himself, as I was very much off men, thank you . . . Jesus Christ himself could've come down from Heaven and said, "Michael is your soul mate," and I'd probably have disbelieved him, as I was just that much off men.

Anyway, Michael lived in San Francisco, while I lived in Iowa. That's why our friendship at this time was conducted long-distance, and mostly consisted of e-mail and instant messaging exchanges.

On Christmas Eve of 2001, Michael and I got into a lengthy conversation that lasted for well over thirty-six hours straight. We talked about all sorts of things, and couldn't bear to stop talking with each other. (Thank goodness for an Internet connection!)

At the end of that conversation, he asked me, "Can we please consider ourselves dating now?" And I agreed . . . not knowing that we'd end up happily married six months later, being able to write together, work together, laugh together . . .

. . . or that he'd die just three, short years later in September of 2004.

Michael was the most important, influential person in my entire life. When he died suddenly, I was absolutely devastated. He was only 46. He should've had years – the four heart attacks that killed him were without warning. He'd passed a stress test eight months previously, and he was so bright, so talented, such a wonderful person in every possible respect . . .

It was because of the terrible sense of incompletion – knowing that Michael had not had enough time to get his own work across – that I made a vow to get all of his work into print. He'd left behind two novels in various stages of development, one completed novella, and three short stories; writing with me, we'd had our first short story accepted for publication ("Bright as Diamonds" in the BEDLAM'S EDGE anthology, published in 2005), and had finished another story, "Trouble with Elfs," published in 2007.

And, of course, he'd worked with me on my novel ELFY, forthcoming from Twilight Times Books in 2014 – he edited it, helped me figure out the Elfy language (Bilre), culture, mores and more. But perhaps even more importantly, Michael was as proud of my work as he was of his own – so how could I not help him, now that he had passed on and was no longer able to help himself?

The first thing I did was to write 1400 words of internal monologue into his completed novella in his science fiction/space opera Adventures of Joey Maverick series, A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT, to make it a legal collaboration and a little easier to sell (as it's extremely difficult to sell works by a deceased, unknown author and it's much easier to sell as a collaboration). I tried several markets, but eventually A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT ended up at the Written Word Online Magazine and was published in May of 2005.

Then, in trying to pull another adventure from Michael's oeuvre, I realized I was going to have to do something completely collaborative in order to come up with a stand-alone adventure for Joey Maverick. So with JOEY MAVERICK: ON WESTMOUNT STATION, I added subplots, new characters (one of them a saboteur), and some action to come up with an adventure I hoped people would enjoy, and did my best to remain consistent with Michael's writing style – which is absolutely nothing like my own.

Doing all of that took me over a year and a half, as I needed to research a number of things – feline biology, as one of Michael's alien species, the Kiral, is feline-derived. Bomb-making materials, and a plausible reason someone might get a bomb onto a space station and not be found out immediately. How a space station head of security would act when a lowly Lieutenant who's not even assigned to the station manages to stop a bomb from going off. And I had to figure out how to make all of this work within Michael's premise for the Joey Maverick series, which went something like this: "Joey Maverick's one, notable adventure that everyone knows about is in the novella A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT. Everything else he does is so quiet, no one knows what he's doing."

Or as I decided to think about it, quiet heroism.

Many military men and women do all sorts of things – rescue missions, disaster relief, etc. – that never get written up in the history books because they're considered "minor." Yet without them and their quiet adventures that no one talks about, what kind of world would we be living on?

And from there, it's just a short step toward figuring out how to write an adventure that is plausible but definitely would not be something most people would ever know about – as sabotage on a space station is probably the very last thing anyone would want to get out. Instead, it would most certainly be covered up, and would fit Michael's premise as well.

So I wrote the story. Showed it to my first readers. Sent it around . . . and didn't find anyone interested in it for three years.

Then, I found e-Quill Publishing in Australia. They liked Michael's writing and put Michael's two Maverick stories plus his three fantasy stories about Princess Columba and her cat familiar up for sale.

But I found this wasn't the end of the story, either. Because my American friends were having trouble buying the stories through e-Quill – something about Australia's version of PayPal not syncing up with the American version. And then, finally, ELFY was accepted by Lida Quillen at Twilight Times Books . . . which was the main impetus for me ending my relationship, quite amicably, with e-Quill Publishing in 2012.

So what was I going to do with Michael's stories now? Well, the first thing I did was to ask Ms. Quillen if she thought she might like them, but while there was interest in seeing Michael's three fantasy stories, there wasn't any interest in his space opera Joey Maverick series.

And money was tight, as it's been since Michael's untimely passing, so I was worried I'd not be able to come up with decent cover art (as I knew that was essential if I was going to self-publish).

Fortunately, a friend of mine steered me toward iStockPhoto (a great place to look for cover art). I found two photos right away that I felt were perfect for Michael's two stories. Once I had my chosen images, I sent them to a cover artist for lettering that my friend recommended, and got them back quickly.

At this point, the process stalled out yet again as I was unable to get the stories formatted to my liking. This vexed me for nearly a month until I finally decided to post two RTF files at Amazon . . . and no one's yet complained about the formatting!

So this, indeed, is my Christmas mini-miracle. It started in 2001 with that lengthy conversation of ours, and it ended with me finally getting Michael's two stories up at Amazon at the very end of November, just in time for someone to find them for a Christmas present to give to a special someone – or maybe just to give to himself.

I like to think that Michael would be happy with what I've done with his stories. So I'd just like to wish him a Merry Christmas, wherever he is . . . and I hope that when I go to greet him in eternity, he'll tell me he knew I could do it.

And smile.

**********

Links:

Web site: Barb Caffrey's Blog (AKA Elfyverse) http://elfyverse.wordpress.com

A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT 

ON WESTMOUNT STATION 

BARB CAFFREY is a writer, editor and musician from the Midwest. Her humorous fantasy novel, ELFY, will be published in 2014 by Twilight Times Books, and her story "At the Crossroads" will appear in the 2014 anthology STARS OF DARKOVER. Previous stories and poems have appeared in BEDLAM'S EDGE (with late husband Michael B. Caffrey), HOW BEER SAVED THE WORLD, the BEARING NORTH anthology, the Written Word online magazine, Joyful Online, the Midwest Literary Magazine, and at e-Quill Publishing. Barb has edited for Masterpiece Comics, the Written Word, ComicsBulletin.com, is on the editorial board of Twilight Times Books and completed a copy-editing internship at the sports Web site Bleacher Report. She reviews books for Shiny Book Review and, more occasionally, at Amazon.com for their Vine program. And once upon a time, she was an opinion columnist and arts and entertainment reporter for both the Daily Nebraskan and the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Ranger News; additional op-eds were published by the Racine Labor Paper and by the Racine Journal-Times (under the previous married name).

She is the widow of writer and editor par excellence Michael B. Caffrey (1958-2004), who was also her frequent co-writer.  He completed one novel, MAVERICK, LIEUTENANT, in his lifetime, and had nearly completed a second, MINIATURES; both are currently being edited and revised for publication based on Michael’s notes. One of Michael’s stories in his Adventures of Joey Maverick series, “A Dark and Stormy Night,” was first published by the Written Word in 2005, reprinted at e-Quill Publishing in 2010, and is now available at Amazon. “On Westmount Station,” the second story in the Adventures of Joey Maverick, was published by e-Quill Publishing in 2011 and is also available at Amazon.  Michael’s three fantasy stories about Princess Columba and her remarkable cat-familiar were published in September 2010 by e-Quill Publishing; the fourth, incomplete story will be completed by Barb as soon as circumstances permit.

Due to Barb amicably ending her professional relationship with e-Quill Publishing in mid-2012, Michael’s Columba stories are currently unavailable. Barb plans to bring these stories back out ASAP, as she’s vowed that Michael’s work — his words — will live on as long as there are people to read them.

She follows politics, loves sports, watches far too much reality TV and is mystified by the “Maury” show. What all this says about her is anyone’s guess.

Find her at Elfyverse (AKA "Barb Caffrey's Blog") for discussions of all and sundry, or at Shiny Book Review. Or send her an e-mail at barbcaffrey (all one word) AT yahoo DOT com – she'll get back to you.

Pre-holiday stuff

I am flying by on my Christmas sleigh, drawn by eight tiny reindeers, to tell you of some pre-holiday news...

First, An Unexpected Performance will be on FREE DOWNLOAD for Kindle starting tomorrow and going for a twenty-four hour special. Remember you do not need a Kindle device to read Kindle books. All you need is the Kindle app.

And second, there is a FREEEEEEE short story available for you on my website called Christmas is a Crime. It is dark, and edgy, and not very appealing for most people, but you dear Murderer, you will eat it up. So go to Kim Smith, Author and get your belly full.

Also, all of my Christmas short stories are available now for .99 at Amazon. You can get Christmas Layover , The Christmas Kiss , and The Christmas Heist all for a mere buck. If you go to Red Rose Publishing you can get them for .50 - so don't delay!

On another note, it is only a bit over a week until our big celebration (yes, it is almost like a speeding train, bearing down on us!), and I am almost finished making presents. Yes, Murderers, I am MAKING my presents this year. I have found that my kids have such wide and varied tastes that there is no way to purchase gifts that will make the grade. They do not like certain clothes, they watch Netflix movies, they have video games, and music and other things that would be gifts, so that leaves gift cards and homemade things. Which they love much more. I also stuff stockings for them with things they can use into the New Year, like shampoo and toothpaste. (okay, I am a mother Santa.)

So, for the next few days left to me to get 'er done, I will be finishing up my Santa chores. Then it will be off to the kitchens to bake the goodies. Does anyone have a good recipe for Gingerbread or Snickerdoodles?

Top Ten Reasons Why I Love My Writing Gig

by

Dora Machado

People are always asking me why I write. The truest answer has something to do with the fact that I can't stop writing. But I love what I do, and just in case the benefits of my chosen profession aren't obvious to the  rest of the world, here are the top ten reasons why I absolutely love my writing gig:

1.      My daily commute entails a thirty-second shuffle from bed to desk.

2.      It's nine p.m. to five a.m. and I like it that way.

3.      My supervisor is a cat.

4.      I can spend hours surfing the Internet, learning about ancient curses, medieval remedies, magical spells, curse givers and mythological goddesses, and nobody gives me grief about it.

5.      The water cooler is out back. If I really need cooling, I swim in it.

6.      I get to daydream and that's okay. My third grade teacher was so wrong about daydreaming!

7.      Business casual = yoga pants. Casual Friday may occasionally involve flannel pajamas.

8.      I have to read a lot to write a lot. Well, if someone must make the tough sacrifices….

9.      During work hours, I live in my own world. Literally.

10.  I get to share my work, life and passion with amazing readers like you.

****

Dora Machado is the award-winning author of the epic fantasy Stonewiser series and her newest novel, The Curse Giver, available from Twilight Times Books. She grew up in the Dominican Republic, where she developed a fascination for writing and a taste for Merengue. After a lifetime of straddling such compelling but different worlds, fantasy is a natural fit to her stories. She lives in Florida with her husband and three very opinionated cats.

To learn more about Dora Machado and her novels, visit her website at www.doramachado.com or contact her at Dora@doramachado.com.

For a free excerpt of The Curse Giver, visit:  http://twilighttimesbooks.comthingsTheCurseGiver_ch1.html.

E-mail:Dora@doramachado.com

Website: www.doramachado.com

Blog: http://www.doramachado.com/blog/

Newsletter: http://doramachado.com/newsletter.php

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DoraMachado101

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DoraMachado

Amazon: http://amzn.to/13oVu2P

Manuscript Makeover - The Inner Critic by bestselling author, Victoria Howard

Hello, MB4 friends and fans, 

Once again, we're featuring a fascinating guest blog by bestselling author Victoria Howard, author of three romantic suspense novels, The House on the Shore, a Joan Hessayon Award 2009 finalist and 2009 London Book Festival Honorable Mention, Three Weeks Last Spring, a Pushcart Prize nominee, and Ring of Lies. 

Please help us welcome Victoria to Murder By 4 today, we are very honored that she stopped by to teach us a bit about her editing style.

Warmest wishes,

Aaron Lazar

 

Manuscript Makeover – The inner critic

copyright 2013, Victoria Howard

You’ve finally reached the end of your 120,000 word novel and typed the words ‘The End.’  What’s next?  Do you print it out, parcel it up and send it off to the first agent on your list, then immediately start researching another book?  Well, you could, but the fact is the manuscript you’ve slogged hard over and written to the best of your ability, still needs work. 

Before you all start screaming at me, take a deep breath and relax. Ask any agent or publisher and they will tell you that first, second or even third drafts are rarely ready for publication let alone submission.  There’s always that little something that could be added or a sentence improved upon and that’s were careful revision or editing comes in.

So where do you begin and how do you make those improvements?

Different authors have different techniques.  Because your manuscript is your baby, it’s all too easy to be lulled by familiar words and phrases into thinking it is error free and perfect.  I suggest you put your manuscript aside for a week or two.  Focus on something else, and then return with a clear mind and fresh eyes. 

Print a copy of your manuscript, as it’s easier to make notes in the margin and mark sections which require revising.  My first revision is always for content and here are a few points to consider:

• Does the story open with the main protagonist in conflict with the antagonist or someone else in the story? 
•  Can the reader easily identify who the main protagonist is? 
• Have you described the initial conflict/event in such a way that it draws the reader in and makes them want to continue reading?
• Are your main characters realistic/strong/well-motivated?
• And the villain.  Is he or she a real person or just a device to push the plot along?
• Is your plot realistic or too far-fetched?
• Does the setting come alive for the reader?
• Do you write the stimulus before the response? Remember, for every action, there is a reaction, so don’t allow your characters to react before the reader knows what they are reacting to.
• Is there too much back story, resulting in poor pacing and long, boring narration?
• Does the middle of the story sag or does the conflict between the protagonist and antagonist escalate to the point where both are willing to sacrifice almost everything to achieve their goals?
• Has your protagonist grown emotionally during the story?
• Have you closed all the sub-plots before the climax?
• Is there sufficient suspense/mystery in your story?
• Is the ending emotionally satisfying for the reader?
• Is the dialogue realistic?  People rarely say, ‘I do not…’ but rather, ‘I don’t…’
• Do you remain in the correct point of view and is it clear to the reader who is speaking?
• Do you ‘head hop’ – switch POV from paragraph to paragraph?
• Have you fully explored your characters emotions and tactile sensations?
• Is your story written in the right tense?
• Have you withheld or repeated information which will annoy or bore your reader?

This list isn’t exhaustive, but it does give you a basis from which to work from.  The secret is to revise slowly, scene by scene, chapter by chapter.  Make notes in the margins or in a notebook.  When you’ve finished reading the whole manuscript, go back and revise any sections as necessary.  It’s never easy to discard your work and rewrite a scene or chapter, but more often than not, your manuscript will be better for doing so.  

My second revision is always for grammar and typos. Read slowly and carefully, you’ll be surprised how many typos, missing periods or commas you’ll pick up.  Also read aloud – this will enable you to find jarring transitions, discordant dialogue and clunky sentences.   This is also the time when you revise for style. 

• Are your sentences of equal length? Varied lengths provide more interest to readers.
• Are they simple or compound?  Too many simple sentences and your work can sound amateurish.  Too many long sentences and the reader may become bored or lose track of what you are attempting to tell them.
• How many times on a page do you start a sentence with the same word?
• Does your sentence have impact? Short, punchy sentences create pace. One-word sentences have power and act as a brake, making the reader it up and take notice.
• Does your manuscript include clichés? If so, remove them, and rephrase the sentence using one of your own making.
• Create and employ metaphors to increase imagery.
• Do you use strong nouns and verbs as opposed to adverbs (-ly words), which are weak? If so, re-write the sentence.

And don’t forget.  The same principles should be applied to your synopsis and query letter. 

Author Bio

Victoria Howard is the author of three romantic suspense novels; The House on the Shore, (a 2009 Joan Hessayon Award finalist and 2009 London Book Festival Honourable Mention), Three Weeks Last Spring, and Ring of Lies. She is also the author of several short stories, including the Kindle short, A Little Protection.

Born in Liverpool, Victoria trained as a medical secretary, and subsequently worked for the National Health Service.  She spent twenty years living on a croft in the Highlands of Scotland, managing a company involved in the offshore oil and gas industry.

During those rate times when she isn’t writing, Victoria can be found curled up with a book, gardening, designing knitwear, walking her Border collie, Rosie, or travelling the world.  

Victoria is also a member of Romantic Novelists’ Association and The Alliance of Independent Authors. 

Social Networking Links:

Website:       http://www.victoriahoward.co.uk

Twitter:        https://twitter.com/VictoriaHoward_

Facebook:     https://www.facebook.com/Victoria.Howard.Author

Google +     https://plus.google.com/u/0/113638495123842732826/posts

Blog:            http://authorvictoriahoward.blogspot.co.uk

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/victoriahoward3/boards/

Welcome to December!

It is December (again!) and the time has come for some updates. I have news for you pertaining to books, blogs, and radio shows.

First, books. I am in the throes of a new story. Haven't decided if it is going to be a short story, novella, or novel yet, but it feels short. It feels like a novella. It also feels very serial-esque. So who knows-2014 may bring a whole new series from moi. It has been entitled, Apocalypse, and I am quite sure that will change. It is about a mother seeking her daughter during an alien invasion. No, it is not sci-fi, but it is pretty fantasy bent.

My blog has been humming since I started posting stuff about my Christmas stories. This week I posted this and my numbers jumped considerably. Love it when that happens.

And now for the really interesting big news, Maria DeVivo is going to be on Writer Groupie TOMORROW! Maria as you will remember is the awesome author who was our guest with her book, The Coal Elf. Tune in at Writer Groupie here and have a listen. 10 PM Central Standard Time Friday night.

If you still haven't gotten your copy of An Unexpected Performance, I have to tell you, you are missing out!




Hope you have a wonderful weekend, Murderers...I am getting the house all dolled up for the holidays. Great things are a'cooking up here too!

A Reviewer's Mind

Plus Great Suggestions for Your Audiobook Collection

By

Dora Machado

I love to listen to a good story. I find it comforting, relaxing and fun to hide in a quiet corner, plug in my headset, and bask in the wonders of a great tale. My love affair with audiobooks probably began early on as a child, when my parents shared their love for books by reading aloud to me. I remember thinking that it was such a treat! I then read to my own children and relished our time together. Reading aloud to our children is not just fun; it’s also a loving gift and a lasting legacy. Look at me. I’m still craving the story that the voice tells. Or is it the voice that tells the story?

I am pleased to bring you today my interview with the founder of Audibookjungle.com, Mihail Abadzhiev, Mike, as his online friends like to call him. Audiobookjungle.com is one of only a handful of sites dedicated exclusively to audiobooks. I discovered this new site by accident, when my publicist submitted Stonewiser: The Heart of the Stone Audible edition for review. It's packed with helpful reviews, discussions, articles and tips for audiobook addicts. So if, like me, you love to listen to your books as you commute to work, wash the dishes or before you turn in for the night, don’t miss http://audiobookjungle.com.

Hi Mike, welcome to MB4! Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you become a reviewer, when did you start audibookjungle.com and why audiobooks?

I started my blog just a few months ago and it has been quite fun so far. I just wanted to create a place where I can talk about all the audiobooks I'm listening to and inspire others to read more or find their next favorite book. There's just so much awesomeness in audiobooks. They make reading a different experience and put it in entirely different context. That makes them not only very enjoyable but also useful.

What advantages/disadvantages do audiobooks have over print or e-books?

Reading in general comes down to personal preference, but one undeniable advantage of audiobooks over print or e-books is convenience. I could be listening to a book as I'm typing this answer right now. Well, maybe not, but in situations where my hands are occupied and my mind is free, audiobooks are perfect. Walking in the park, driving, cleaning the house – why not immerse yourself in a good story while getting things done? Can't do that with your Kindle!

Also, the books I've read in audiobook form somehow feel more real. It's like your favorite childhood stories your parents read to you in bed – you still remember them and they feel special and dear to you. There's just something almost tribal and primal about one human telling a story to another and it feels great.

Now, there are some disadvantages to this type of reading. You lose the opportunity to imagine how the characters sound like, is their voice deep or not, etc. Another thing which I discovered when I started writing reviews was, I didn't know how to spell characters' names or places (that's really awkward with fantasy novels) because I only heard the narrator's pronunciation, which results in me having to constantly look up things online to make sure I'm spelling them correctly.

Wow. You are absolutely right! I never thought about that before, but it would take some research to find out the spelling for the characters' names and such. What's the difference between reviewing an audiobook and reviewing a print book?

Reviewing an audiobook is, in my opinion, reviewing an entirely different work of art from the original. I could read a book in print and rate it as mediocre then listen to it on audio and rave about how awesome it is. They're different reading experiences and as such they have different properties I expect to find. For audiobooks, the narrator in most cases makes or breaks the final result. That's why I make sure to mention how the narrator's performance affected me while listening.

Does a great book always make for a great audiobook?

Well, nobody would want to listen to the Encyclopedia Britannica, right? I think that all fiction and a big portion of the non-fiction books are well suited to be read on audio. Then there are the instances where a great book gets done perfectly as an audiobook and it's just magical. No better word for it.

How do you decide which audiobooks to review?

Well, I review the ones I find interesting. I don't get them just so I can review them – reading comes first, reviewing is second. I usually read the blurb and if it sounds intriguing I'll pick it up. If I'm on the fence I'll look for reviews online and see what others thought of it so I can get a better idea if it's something I'd be into.

In your opinion, what makes for a great audiobook?

Hmm... You can't have a great audiobook without a great story, so that's first and most important. Second is the narrator, of course – his/her tone of voice, ability to convey emotions, genders, accents. As I mentioned, a narrator can make or break a good audiobook experience but ultimately it's a totally subjective thing. This is something I think isn't mentioned enough but all of this falls as a responsibility on the audiobook producer. He has to point the narrator in the right direction, make them pronounce things certain ways and in general help them do their best. So, yeah, the producer is another vital element.

What makes for a not-so-enjoyable audiobook?

Again, this comes down to personal preference but for me the narration could stop me from enjoying an audiobook. The narrator could be reading too fast or too slow, his accent may be too thick and hard to understand. I've given up on audiobooks before just because the narration is annoying me and it feels like I'm wasting my time.

Technical issues like missing chapters or parts of the story are really annoying as well, but that happens very rarely anymore.

Here come the holidays, and people are going crazy thinking about gifts. Do you have some great audiobook recommendations for us?

I like to read various types of books but my absolute favorite is the sci-fi genre and I feel that's where I can give the best recommendation. For younger people or any sci-fi fan really, I recommend the Ender's Game: Special 20th Anniversary Edition. I've not listened to it yet but everybody says it's amazing. One of my favorite audiobooks ever is Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi and narrated by Wil Wheaton. It has greedy corporations, lawyers, humor and cute fluffy aliens. Just go check it out, it's awesome! Going for a more cinematic feel or, as their tagline is “A movie in your mind,” try GraphicAudio's Vatta's War series. It's a very high quality production and really entertaining. That's three solid gift ideas for you right there!

I'm not sure if this is a fair question, but I'll ask anyway: What's your favorite audiobook of all time?

Oh, man... That's like asking a mother to pick a favorite child! Well, if I had to choose just one, it would be The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfus. In my mind it's one of the best fantasy stories ever written and the narration is flawless.

Thank you so much for chatting with us and thank you also for giving us writers an insight into the mind of an audiobook reviewer. We wish you much success with audiobookjungle.com. 

To contact Mike:

Website: audiobookjungle.com

E-mail: audiobookjungle@gmail.com

Facebook: fb.com/audiobookjungle

Twitter: @audiobookjungle

To Read Mike's Reviews, including his review of Stonewiser: The Heart of the Stone: http://audiobookjungle.com/stonewiser-the-heart-of-the-stone-audiobook-review/

****

Dora Machado is the award-winning author of the epic fantasy Stonewiser series and her newest novel, The Curse Giver, available from Twilight Times Books. She grew up in the Dominican Republic, where she developed a fascination for writing and a taste for Merengue. After a lifetime of straddling such compelling but different worlds, fantasy is a natural fit to her stories. She lives in Florida with her husband and three very opinionated cats.

To learn more about Dora Machado and her novels, visit her website at www.doramachado.com or contact her at:

E-mail:Dora@doramachado.com

Website: www.doramachado.com

Blog: http://www.doramachado.com/blog/

Newsletter: http://doramachado.com/newsletter.php

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DoraMachado101

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DoraMachado

For a free excerpt of The Curse Giver, visit:  http://twilighttimesbooks.comthingsTheCurseGiver_ch1.html.

http://amzn.to/13oVu2P

For a free sample of Stonewiser: The Heart of the Stone, Audible edition, visit: http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Stonewiser-Audiobook/B00F52CJIY/ref=sr_1_1?qid=1379186069&sr=1-1

Murder By 4 is in the spotlight!

Well, what do you know? Murder By 4 is on a coveted list of Writer's Digest Online Resources!

Here's the link for the 2013 Yearbook for NOVEL WRITING:

http://www.writersdigestshop.com/writers-digest-yearbook-novel-writing-group

We are here, in this section!

 

And look at us, a respectable number 10!

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

- Aaron Lazar
www.lazarbooks.com