Author Interview with ACF Bookens

When I need a good, relaxing evening, I love to curl up with a warm drink and a cozy mystery—especially if it’s one of a series. I’ve read all of Diane Mott Davidson’s Goldy Schultz mysteries, a lot of the Mrs. Pollifax series by Dorothy Gilman and many of the Cat Who… series by Lillian Jackson Braun. There’s nothing quite like revisiting favorite characters in each new book and trying to guess the ‘whodunit.’

This week, I spent my evenings with a hot caramel macchiato and a book about Harvey Beckett, a bookstore owner turned sleuth when she discovers a dead body in her storage room. What a way to start a series! I was hooked from the first page. I am thrilled to know there are more books in the St. Marin’s cozy mystery series, and even more thrilled that I (virtually) know the author! ACF Bookens and I met through the online Indie Book Festival and I am so glad I got the chance to talk more with her on the blog today!

Ellen Smith: Welcome, Andi! I am completely hooked on your cozy mystery series! Can you tell us a little bit about the inspiration behind the stories?

ACF Bookens: Oh, I’m honored, Ellen.  Yeah, I’ve always been a mystery fan – TV mysteries, book mysteries, the game Clue . . . probably because my mom was a huge mystery reader. So when I decided I wanted to write something really fun, I decided to try cozy mysteries. And I love it because I really like the characters and the place I’ve created. But it’s also a way to connect again with my mom, who died almost 10 years ago. Every time I write a new book, I think of how she might have enjoyed reading it. I think she would have enjoyed the read . . . and also that I don’t write fast enough to have kept her in books.

ES: I love the setting of your books! Having lived in Maryland myself, I felt right at home in the fictional town of St. Marin’s. Do you have any tips to share on giving such a realistic touch to a fictional setting?

ACF: Well, St. Marin’s is loosely based on the real-life town St. Michael’s, so I do often rely on maps of St. Michael’s and some of the local history – like there’s a Maritime Museum in my books and in the real town, and Harriet Tubman features into the first book in the series because she was enslaved at a plantation near St. Michael’s. So I find that having a real place to use as a jumping off point can be helpful in letting me put my creativity into the characters and story because setting is sometimes hard for me.  

My best tip if anyone wants to try this is to use the real-life town layout as a guide for where things are in the town. That way, you don’t have to decide if the lake is north or south of Main Street – you can look at an actual map and just know.

ES: Your series opens with main character Harvey Beckett fulfilling her dream of owning her own bookstore. Sounds like a career I would enjoy! Is this a dream of yours, too?

ACF: 100% My husband and I have even talked about opening a bookstore in St. Michael’s after we retire.  I worked in bookstores a lot in my 20s, and I loved them. I hope one day to have my own full of all the books I love and want to recommend.

ES: I love the dynamic between Harvey and her best friend, Mart. I also love that they work at a bookstore and a winery—clearly, they’re my kind of people! Will Mart play a big role in solving the mysteries, too?

ACF: Oh, thanks. I love Harvey and Mart’s friendship, too. Mart will play a role in keeping Harvey alive when her sleuthing gets a bit wild in most of the books. But in book 4, Plotted For Murder, Mart actually finds the victim, and she can’t help but be bitten by Harvey’s curiosity bug and want to get in on the investigative action.

ES: I adore Harvey’s dog, Mayhem. Is Mayhem based on a real-life canine companion?

ACF: Oh yes, totally. Mayhem is based on my rescue dog, Meander, who I’ve owned for almost 8 years now. She’s my gal, and when she was younger, I took her with me everything. She still loves a good car ride.

ES: In addition to writing, what other creative pursuits do you enjoy?

ACF: Well, before my toddler began walking, I was a huge fan of jigsaw puzzles. I love how they let me think, but also give my eyes something to study. I like coloring for the same reason.

But my favorite creative thing to do is counted cross-stitch. Even though I don’t have to make up the patterns, I find the attention necessary to create something from such tiny actions to be so fulfilling.

Oh, and I garden. We moved last summer, so this spring, I’m spending time figuring out what to plant where – anyone else love red-twig dogwood as much as I do? – while I also tend my veggie garden in the planter boxes my husband made me for Christmas.

ES: It was so much fun talking with you today, Andi! Thanks for stopping by the blog! How can we stay in touch with you?

ACF: Thank you so much for having me, Ellen. What an honor!!!

Folks can find me at my website:

And I’m also over on Facebook:

And then I’m Goodreads here:

And on Bookbub here:

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Are you as hooked on the premise as I am? Start here—Publishable By Death is the first book in the St. Marin’s Cozy Mystery Series!

The last thing Harvey Beckett needs on opening day of her bookstore is a dead body. 

All Harvey Beckett wants to do is help the residents of St. Marin's find the perfect book for that moment and snuggle with her hound dog Mayhem.But when the small, waterside town's newest resident discovers the body of the community's persnickety reporter in her bookshop storeroom just before her grand opening, Harvey can't help trying to solve the crime, even when her curiosity puts her in danger. 

The more Harvey learns about the town’s history – and the history of the gas station that’s become her bookstore – the more she understands that forgiveness is a hard thing to give . . . and receive. 

Will Harvey and her friends be able to solve the murder of the town reporter without her becoming a victim herself? 

Publishable By Death (St. Marin's Cozy Mystery Series Book 1)

By Bookens, ACF

Author Interview with Mindy Schoeneman

Life doesn’t always turn out the way we expect. As COVID-19 spreads throughout the United States and around the world, many of us have found ourselves drastically rearranging our lives. Most states in the U.S. have shut down schools for the next few weeks (at least), non-essential businesses are closing down, and many people are transitioning to working from home—or going without work at all. Most importantly, the medical community is working around the clock to meet the needs of COVID-19 patients and keeping us informed on how we can slow the spread.

At times like this, we need stories more than ever. When our world has flipped upside-down and we’re consumed with worry, we look for books that can offer an escape. We look for characters that reflect who we are in times of crisis and what we hope to become.

Adrienne’s Awakening by Mindy Schoeneman will debut next week on March 24th. Honestly, I feel this story couldn’t come at a better time. (Click to tweet) I was actually a beta reader for Mindy’s book and I immediately fell in love with Adrienne. This is a character who finds herself caught between two worlds. She’s trying to find her footing between the life she expected and a terrifying new reality. Adrienne is us.

When I first asked Mindy if I could interview her for her upcoming release, neither of us could have imagined how much the world would change by mid-March. I’ve seen Mindy rise to the myriad challenges of the past week with so much grace and strength. Listen to how she speaks on the process of writing and releasing her story in the midst of so much uncertainty:

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“In 2016, I had an idea for a story that wouldn’t leave me alone. In June of that year, I started writing the story that would become Adrienne’s Awakening. Little did I know that this story would change me. It has changed me on a fundamental level that’s hard to explain without novel-length personal and painful detail. 

Originally, this story felt like something to fill my free time. But sometime in the process, it shifted for me to feel more like a calling. When I didn’t have time to work on it, I didn’t sleep well. My dreams were heavy and I’d wake up worn out and tense. I felt an insistent urging to keep writing, to keep working on this story. I rearranged my business life a bit to make more time for it so I could finish it.

So in December, 2019, I was ecstatic to be editor-ready. I had done it! I had finally fulfilled this insistent urging to write this story. At the time, neither I nor the world had heard of COVID-19. So I began planning the publishing and launch of my book.

After carefully plotting timelines for all the work (copy editing, proofreading, formatting, cover design, etc.) that needed to be completed, I landed on March 10 as my launch date. Then my husband and I received some less-than-happy news that led us to the realization that we would need to move to a larger school district as soon as possible. Luckily, we found a home to purchase as soon as we started looking. I realized as we were reviewing the offer for the house, that our moving date would coincide with my book launch. 

Deep breath. It can be done, right? It’s not ideal, but it’s possible. 

I pushed the launch back two weeks to make sure we had plenty of time to launch this story into the world with as much care as it deserved. 

Then comes COVID-19.

All of my carefully laid plans go terribly awry. My release party—canceled. My first book signing—postponed. 

After recovering from whiplash, I began to wonder if I had imagined the insistent urge I had felt to write this story. Would anyone even know it was being released into the world with all the worry, fear, and noise in the world at this moment? What was all of that for? Why did I suffer through the writing of this if no one will see it? 

I don’t know if my launch will fall flat. But I do know this: I am a better and different person for having written the story that was within me. I am better equipped to face all of this and help where I can because I listened to that still, small voice telling me to keep writing. 

I don’t know what any of this means, but I will cling to it as my confirmation that we’re all important and that each and every one of us has a purpose. I will be content with the thought that my book might spare someone from boredom while they stay home to help protect the most vulnerable members of humanity. That my lack of a book signing event might keep someone from being exposed to illness. And one of my characters might inspire someone else with a story of their own to fill their free time.

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As you can see, Mindy is an incredible person and I am thrilled to interview her for the release of her debut novel, Adrienne’s Awakening!

Ellen Smith: I was captivated by the premise of your story! Telepathy is already a fascinating topic and you gave it a totally original spin. Can you tell us a little about how telepathy works in the world of Adrienne’s Awakening?

Mindy Schoeneman: In my story, telepathy is related to brain waves. The brains act as a sort of receiver and transmitter, and the mind readers are capable of closing off their thoughts. Like flipping a switch to stop transmitting. Of course, it’s not so clear or simple in the story for the characters, but that’s the premise I built from. 

Strangely enough, the way whales communicate first gave me the idea for my version of telepathy.

ES: The characters in Adrienne’s Awakening were so dynamic I felt like they could leap right off the page. In fact, there’s a few of them I wish I could meet in real life! If you could sit down for a cup of coffee with any one of your characters, who would it be?

MS: Wow! Thank you for that compliment! My characters often feel real to me, and in a way they are. I’ve borrowed personality types from those I’ve met throughout my life, and I “typed” them using an Enneagram test. So when I hear others recognize them for true-to-life people, it makes my nerdy little heart soar.

As for coffee, I feel like I’ve already had that coffee date with each of them, and it was glorious! My coffee dates went something like this:

Since 2016, “Adrienne” has been writing in a journal. We meet once a week to discuss what pops up in her entries. I’m starting to feel like her therapist, and I’ve been considering charging her. 

I’ve only managed to get Parker to meet me for coffee once, and when he did he shoed up late, of course. He then told me all about his innermost struggles (and by that I mean he avoided talking about any feelings and kept the entire conversation surface level). 

Effie told me she wouldn’t dare set foot in a “coffee shop” where all the hipsters like to hang out. Instead, she invited me to a dark, dingy dinner in a tiny, out-of-the-way town where she treated me to the best coffee I’ve ever had. She also told me the entire history of the place and the cook’s tragic life story. 

My favorite coffee date was James, though. I’d love to tell you why, but you’ll have to read book two first. ;-)

ES: In addition to writing fiction, you are the creator and owner of Sincerely Me. As a marketer, content writer, and strategist, you already have tons of experience with the written word! Did you find yourself using a different process for your fiction writing than you do for your business? Are there skills you use in your business that have helped you write and launch your book?

MS: Yes and no. Fiction is a completely different beast, and I struggled with finding my footing. Finally, I started treating my characters like a customer. For customers, I create extensive questionnaires I ask them to fill out. Their answers give me an inside look into who they are. Once I started doing this for my characters, everything else started coming together better. 

As for launching my book, my daily work in marketing strategy has helped me in ways I didn’t expect. I’m not just planning a launch, I’m plotting a career as a fiction author. This helps me to keep this book launch in perspective and roll with the hiccups.

ES: Work/ life balance looks different for everyone—what helps you balance your time between family, working, writing, and preparing for the launch of Adrienne’s Awakening?

MS: I’ve spent a lot of time trying to make my life fit the image I have in my mind of what balance and authorship should look like. Thankfully, I finally gave up. Instead, I started doing things that fit with my life and the limited spare moments I do have. So, I gave myself permission to do things that feel extravagantly wasteful, such as printing my entire book, putting it in a big red binder, and carrying it (and a fine-tipped red Sharpie) around with me for weeks as I edited.

Preparing for my launch has been especially difficult because it happened to coincide with me and my family finding the perfect new home for us in a new town. So I’ve been balancing family, work, fiction work, selling and buying a home (plus moving), and the launch. It’s been a lot to juggle, but I have wonderful friends who listen to me rant, pray for my specific needs, and take some of the burden from my shoulders where they can. I also have a husband who always asks, “How can I help?” Without these supporters, I would have been sunk long ago. 

ES: I’ve had the pleasure of beta reading Adrienne’s Awakening, so I know that once readers get their hands on your book, they’ll be eager to read more from you! In fact, this is the first book in The Mind duology. Can you give us any hints about the sequel?

MS: I appreciate the feedback you gave me as a beta reader. You helped me write a better story! 

I sent book one off to the editor with a clear vision of book two. But since then I’ve delved deeper into the psyches of my villains, and the story is evolving. I’m working on hashing all of that out by writing a novella that I hope to release later this year. So I suppose the biggest hint I can give you about the sequel is that you’ll get to know the villain much better. ;-)

ES: Thank you for chatting with me for the blog today, Mindy, and congratulations on your new book! How can we keep in touch with you on social media?

MS: I’m on Instagram, Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter. I’m always happy to talk to people on any of those platforms. 

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The countdown is on! Adrienne’s Awakening will be available on March 24, 2020! Please join me in celebrating Mindy’s book launch at her Facebook launch party on March 26, 2020 at 7:00 CST!

Author Interview with Peter Stipe

Two years ago, I went to my very first author event at the Williamsburg Book Festival. One of the best things about book festivals is having the chance to interact with readers and other authors--plus, there's books for sale! Anyway, it was at this event in Williamsburg that I met fellow writer Peter Stipe, author of the short story collection Finding Our Way. We've kept in touch since then and I've had the pleasure of beta reading more of his work. 

I am so excited that Peter has now published his second book (and first novel!): The Art of Love. Peter was kind enough to stop by my blog for an author interview--read on to find out more about his work, his creative inspiration, and his most recent novel!

Ellen Smith: I’ve had the pleasure of beta-reading some of your stories, including your new release, The Art of Love. Often, your stories focus on exploring relationships. How would you describe the relationship between your two main characters, Mary and Patrick?

Peter Stipe:  Mary and Patrick share a natural attraction to each other.  They fall in love almost the day they meet.  Unfortunately there are too many issues that each of them must deal with for the relationship to work.  The reader learns on page one that the relationship will fail.  But I hope we all root for them to sort it out as we follow their story.

Mary feels an intense need to be perfect in order to please her demanding parents.  Perfection includes attaining perfect grades in grad school, marrying the right man before living with him, and above all, following the strictest directions of her Catholic faith.  Patrick is consumed by his art and is inexperienced in building a relationship with a woman.  He allows Mary to lead him in the relationship and cannot bring himself to act on the urges that both he and Mary feel.  Religious faith does not play into his direction though he does begin following Mary to church.  Their relationship is awkward, stumbling along with neither of them knowing how to move forward.

In counterpoint we see the free-wheeling relationship of their artistic friends, Melanie and Aaron.  Both very successful as artists, living together in a magnificent loft apartment, Melanie and Aaron seem to be the perfect role models for Mary and Patrick.  Then they encounter a crisis that threatens their relationship.  Maybe the perfect relationship has flaws that Mary and Patrick haven’t seen.  Melanie and Aaron are worldly but are also struggling in their relationship

Mary and Patrick are also advised by older mentors.  For Mary it is a former professor, a nun, Sister Catherine whose advice follows traditional Catholic guidelines.  For Patrick it is his Uncle Win, an artist.  Both Sister Catherine and Uncle Win care deeply about Mary and Patrick.  Some but not all of their guidance is worthwhile.

The story follows the development of this difficult relationship.  Mary and Patrick both try so hard to make it work.  We know from the beginning of the book that it can’t.  Still they are a beautiful pair and they share a wonderful year together.

ES: The Art of Love takes place in Rhode Island. I’ve actually never been to New England, but your descriptions made me feel like I was there! What inspired you to set your story in Rhode Island?

PS:  I moved to Virginia three years ago after living most of my life in New England.  It is a beautiful part of the world and I’m pleased that you felt that while reading my story.  Along with Providence the story takes the reader to other parts of Rhode Island; to an art festival in the countryside nearby, to Block Island, and to Beavertail Point, all favorite places of mine.  The story also involves visits to Patrick’s home on the coast of Maine, to Mary’s family vacation home on a lake in Connecticut, to Boston, and briefly to Montreal, though that’s not really part of New England.  Patrick settles at the end of the story in the small town of Newmarket, New Hampshire, near the coast.  I lived in Newmarket before moving to Rhode Island.  It too is a place I am fond of.

I lived outside of Providence and worked in the city for many years.  One of the fun aspects of Providence is the contrast between two colleges there with abutting campuses.  Brown University is a classic Ivy League school with traditional Ivy League values.  The Rhode Island School of Design, RISD, is one of the best art schools in the country.  It is a campus proudly displaying alternative artistic cultural approaches to art and life.  I was intrigued by the contrast of these two neighboring colleges and thought that setting the two lead  characters on these campuses would point to the conflicting views of Mary at Brown and Patrick at RISD

We also follow Patrick, a quiet country boy from the rural coast of Maine into New York City where Mary is most comfortable.  We feel Patrick’s unease in the city and sense another road block in their relationship.

ES: Patrick’s development as an artist is a central theme in The Art of Love. Are you an artist as well?

PS:   I dream of being an artist.  When I graduated high school I almost went to art school but decided instead that it would be easier to earn a living with a degree from a school with a more mainstream curriculum.  I went to college and grad school in Boston and taught for a while before moving into Human Resource Development and Training.  But all the time I was working I kept up with my art as a hobby.  I do watercolor and photography.  Now that I’m retired I am able to dedicate more time to both.  I have my work on display at On the Hill Gallery in Yorktown and participate in several art shows each year.  I have been on the Board of Directors of the Yorktown Arts Foundation for the past three years.

ES: Mary is attempting to navigate her adult life while staying true to her religious beliefs. I think the coming-of-age element to the story will ring true with a lot of readers! What inspired you to write about that conflict for Mary?

PS:  I have known people who are like Mary.  I wanted a way to highlight the unbending nature of Mary’s values.  Grounding them in her Catholic faith seemed to work well.  It could have been any fundamental religious belief.  Having a strong faith is a good thing but it can become a problem when the values within that faith become unyielding to the point that they interfere with natural relationships.  I care for Mary and hope the reader can also sympathize as Mary sees the relationship fall apart.

ES: The Art of Love is your second published book and first full novel! Can you share anything about your future writing projects? Anything in the works?

PS:  Of course!  I’m always writing, several hours a day typically.  I have lots of stories waiting to be told.  I am bouncing between two right now.  One is a fanciful story, maybe a fairy tale.  It follows the development of a girl from birth to early middle age.  As a child she believes that fairies inhabit her grandfather’s garden.  They help her cope with crises.  As she grows older she never outgrows the fairies.  They are always there when she comes up against the challenges of growing up.  Maybe the fairies are real.  Or maybe they are just her way of dealing with troubles in her life. 

I’m also working on a two-part story, tracking my discovery of the life of my great-grandfather Oscar.  His story as related to me by my mother conflicts with the facts I uncover about his life with research.  The semi-fictional part of this story will be how I try to reconcile the differences between reality and my mother’s fanciful account of Oscar’s life.  The real fiction in this story will be my fantasies about how Oscar might have lived, a story that evolves as I learn the truth about him.  I have many other half-worked out stories, some short stories, some likely to evolve into full-length novels.  And my first book “Finding Our Way”, is out.  It is a compilation of eight short stories.

ES: It was great talking with you! Thanks for stopping by the blog today. Where can readers connect with you online?

PS:   People can contact me at Peterstipe.com or by visiting PeterGStipe on Facebook.  My two books, Finding Our Way (a collection of short stories) and this one, The Art of Love, are both with Amazon and with my publisher, Hightide Publications.

The Art of Love

By Peter Stipe

Author Interview with Jeff Haws

If I had to choose a favorite genre, it would have to be “speculative fiction.” Spec fic is an umbrella term for science fiction, fantasy, and horror—essentially, any work that walks that thin line between “what is” and “what if.” Stephen King purportedly writes in this genre: his works include everything from horror to paranormal to time travel. Other spec fic authors include Margaret Atwood, Ray Bradbury, Neil Gaiman, Madeleine L’Engle…in short, many of my favorites.

So when a new spec fic writer arrived on the scene this year, I was thrilled to add another author to my list of favorites. Jeff Haws released his first novel, Killing the Immortals, in July of 2016. This story explores a world in which medicine is so advanced that dying is a rarity—that is, until a new church is founded to restore mortality.

Then, earlier this month, Jeff released a novella. Tomorrow’s News Today features a journalist who is suddenly able to write the future when he drafts his news articles. I love both books—I can’t recommend them enough!

I’m so excited that Jeff agreed to stop by the blog today for an interview! Thanks for joining us, Jeff!

Ellen Smith: I was so interested to learn that you were a reporter for over twenty years before you began fiction writing. One thing I loved about Killing the Immortals was your ability to show many different points of view on a complicated issue. Do you think that working in journalism had an influence on your fiction writing style?

Jeff Haws: No doubt, and in all sorts of ways. One of the differences I realized early was when it hit me that there were no excuses anymore. Sometimes, in journalism, you're just dealt a bad hand. Maybe there's not much to the topic. Maybe the subject doesn't do much other than bite his lip and say "Uh-huh" a lot. But you do what you can with what you have, take lemons and make lemonades, all that stuff. What you, of course, can't do is make up quotes, or facts.

In fiction, though, you have to do exactly that. It was pretty freeing. Character isn't interesting? "Well, that's your fault, dummy. Make him interesting." I wrote mostly sports journalism, and the big thing that makes sports writing hard is you have the factual and structural expectations of news writing alongside the reader-entertainment expectations of music or feature writing. The reader wants to be transported back to the game they watched. They want to identify with the athletes they root for. So my writing is very story- and people-focused, because that's what journalism taught me. And now with fiction, I can make those stories and people whatever I want. It's freeing, but there's also pressure. If it sucks, well, that's completely on me. If I'm dealt a bad hand, I'm, ya know, the dealer. Hell, I can put the cards in whatever order I want. So, the groundwork is very different from journalism, but the goal is largely the same: write something that doesn't suck.

ES: When did you first consider a career in writing? Did you always see yourself pursuing both fiction and journalism?

JH: In eighth grade, I had this crazy English teacher named Mrs. Jones. She had been teaching 12th-grade English for 20 years, and this was her first year coming back to 8th; she had no interest in teaching us 8th-grade English. So she basically brought her 12th-grade curriculum and test ran it on us unsuspecting 8th graders. The first day of class, she walked in and told us she was "a slave driver." We all started looking for an exit. Maybe jump out a window or something? People would understand. But, yeah, she lived up to that. Toughest class I ever had—high school and college included. She had ridiculously high standards. She'd have us write papers on the books we read, and they'd go through two rounds of peer review, then two rounds of her reviews before we'd have a final draft. We'd never seen anything like it.

But ya know what? I learned. A lot. By the end of eighth grade, I knew how to break down a sentence. I knew prepositions and gerunds and semicolons and participles, and it made me enjoy writing. I'd worked my ass off for 4 Cs and two Bs in that class (I also had her for Reading class, where I also got 4 Cs and 2 Bs—I wasn't used to getting Cs, but she had no qualms failing people, so I took that and ran with it), and I was gonna put all that work to use, damn it. By the time I walked into my 9th-grade English class and quickly realized I already knew everything they were teaching me, I needed a new writing challenge. The school newspaper was down the hall. So that's when I knew.

As far as fiction goes, I never really expected to do that. I did start to write a Stephen King-derivative story (To be honest, I probably wished it could be Stephen King-derivative) called "Phobia" in 12th grade, but that was honestly the only fiction I'd ever written until I did a short story for a writing challenge with the local alt weekly about a year ago. I had decided I wanted to pursue fiction writing because it had a permanence I liked—whereas my journalism writing gets tossed in the garbage the day after I write it, no one can ever take a novel away from me—and I needed to create a new creative outlet as it had become harder to drum up freelance work lately. I had no idea how long it would take me, but my first goal was to just read as much fiction as I could get my hands on. I thought I might do that for a year to prep. But when I saw that writing contest, I decided to try it. And I found that...hey, I enjoyed it. And the story wasn't terrible. It didn't win, but it didn't suck. So I accelerated my plan a bit, and here we are.

ES: From journalism to freelance writing to fiction writing, you definitely live a creative life! In addition to writing, what other creative pastimes do you enjoy?

JH: All my creativity comes out in words. I've never really thought visually, from a creative perspective. Everything comes out in words. I don't draw or paint. I'd be lucky to put together a suitable stick figure family. But words pour out of me. I get backed up when I don't write. I can feel creatively plugged, like pressure needs to be released. At my day job, I do content marketing and social media strategy, so I do enjoy the creative challenge of using words to build a brand, and putting together a creative strategy that will help you reach the audience you intend to find—and working with those people who know more about visuals than I do.

I'm also passionate about all sorts of aspects of life that aren't all that creative, from baseball (Cubs fan since 1988) to newspapers to travel to craft beer, great food, classic film, music, religious philosophy, public transit, and grimy dive bars with sneaky-good beer lists.

ES: Both Killing the Immortals and Tomorrow’s News Today have original speculative fiction concepts. I imagine writing speculative fiction was quite a departure from journalism! How did you come up with your ideas?

JH: Killing the Immortals came out of a few brainstorming sessions where I came up with a bunch of ideas I wanted to flesh out. The basic concept was, "It's a stated goal of society and medical science to save every single life possible. So, what if we actually achieved that goal? What would be the ramifications?" Because, while it seems like an obvious goal on the individual level, reaching that goal would be completely disastrous on a societal level. I enjoy "What if?" stories, and what appealed to me about this one was, it's not all that outlandish. We are actively trying to do this, to whatever extent we can. So, I wrote out a long list of problems I saw coming from reaching this goal. When I reached "A cult would form around this going against god's plan," I knew I'd hit on something that could be a novel, especially with my interest in religious philosophy. There are lots more, though, and I'm toying with the idea of writing a series of books within this world. Not sequels, necessarily, but potentially incorporating some of the characters, and with the same basic premise.

On Tomorrow's News Today, that was the same brainstorming session. I wanted to write something about a journalist since I know and love that world so much. So I just started jotting down a sort of stream-of-consciousness page of thoughts that could turn into a story. I know this was an unapologetic "Twilight Zone" influence. I love that show so much. It being on Netflix makes my life better. And this was very much in that vein. If someone read Tomorrow's News Today and thought, "That reminded me of The Twilight Zone," I'd be very happy. Those stories were so often about a person receiving an unexpected gift of some sort, and seeing how it would change them. This story definitely looked at that.

ES: I’d love to know more about your writing process. How long did it take you to write your books? What was the process like for you?

JH: It's kind of funny to me now that Killing the Immortals only took me 6 weeks to write the rough draft. Started it Dec. 19 of last year, and I wrote the last word of the first draft on Jan. 31. That's 85,000-ish words in about 43 days. I sort of feel like that was an out-of-body experience. Then, for good measure, I wrote Tomorrow's News Today over the following 2 weeks, then a short story called The Trolley Problem in about a week in March, and then another one called The Slingshot—I think this is the best story I've written so far—in about 10 days in April. Clearly, I let the cork out of the champagne bottle, and words sprayed everywhere.

I try to write every weekday evening after work, for an hour. Since I can't—and don't want to—abandon my wife downstairs all evening every night, I don't really want to do much more than that. I think it's also good to set a time limit on yourself so you don't get too wound up in your own words and thoughts. I can usually knock out 1,200-1,500 words in an hour. Then, on weekend mornings, I typically wake up at 6, while she sleeps until 9 or 10. I'll write for a couple of hours on weekends or holidays, then read whatever book I'm on until she wakes up. I write straight through and do zero editing until two weeks after the draft is done. You can't make a good story great until you have that story to work with. I'm a big believer in getting that canvas down as efficiently as you can so you can start ripping it apart.

ES: Now I’m curious to know what projects you’re working on! Can you tell us anything about your current work-in-progress?

JH: Besides the final edits on The Trolley Problem and The Slingshot—I'd guess The Slingshot will come out on Kindle in January, while The Trolley Problem is probably set for March or April—I'm working on a story that still doesn't have a title I've liked. It's actually a massive expansion upon the short story I wrote for the local alt weekly's writing competition, and I'm approaching the 25,000-word mark. My hope is to finish it by the end of February, and have it out in the summer.

I feel like the scope of it is bigger than Killing the Immortals. More characters. More challenging concept. And I think it'll be longer. So it's been more difficult to write so far. The basic premise is that a virus rapidly wiped out a huge percentage of the world's population. Alessandra, a small town in North Georgia, was isolated enough for its citizens to avoid transmitting the disease, and they walled themselves off from the rest of the world. Audrey, Alessandra's leader, tells the people that the virus spread through human contact, and she requires everyone to wear a steel ring around their midsection in order to keep people from touching—all cohabitation or even having visitors to your home is banned. What are the psychological ramifications of this sort of forced personal isolation within a community? What will the people do to regain control over their lives? And what will Audrey resort to in order to protect the people of Alessandra while keeping her power?

ES: It was great chatting with you and learning more about your work! How can readers stay in touch with you through social media?

JH: As luck would have it, I'm really easy to find. I'm pretty much everywhere, and I love interacting with readers!

Twitter/Instagram: @byjeffhaws

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/byjeffhaws

Website and blog: http://www.jeffhaws.com

Thanks so much for stopping by the blog, Jeff! It was great talking with you!

Interview with Angela J. Ford

Often people say that writing is a solitary business, but I really think it’s the opposite! I’m always meeting more authors, readers, and book lovers that are just as passionate about great stories as I am. It’s part of what makes the writing life so much fun!

If you love talking about books and meeting new authors, you definitely want to meet Angela J. Ford.

Angela is the author of the epic fantasy novel The Five Warriors and also works as a Digital Marketing Strategist. She recently created a course called How to Plan a Book Launch. I had the honor of previewing the course and I can’t emphasize enough how helpful and well put-together it is. This course has everything I wish I knew when I was launching my first book! Indie authors, take note—this course doesn’t just show you how to market your book, it makes you excited to market your book!

I’m so happy that Angela agreed to stop by the blog today for an interview! Thanks for joining us, Angela!

Ellen Smith: Angela, I love how much support you offer new and indie authors with your course, How to Plan a Book Launch. What inspired you to create this course?

Angela J. Ford: The course creation was a long journey. I started my business as a freelance marketer while I finished writing and published The Five Warriors. I'd been following the book launches of several authors including Jeff Goins, Todd Henry, and Michael Hyatt. Even though I don't have the kind of budget they do (one of them spent $100,000 on a book launch), I knew I could still make an impact, have an amazing book launch, and make money!

Once my book came out, authors started messaging me on Facebook, emailing me and having calls with me to discuss book launch strategies. I put together a free guide: "How to Plan an Epic Book Launch in 6 Steps" and authors started downloading it like crazy, which got me thinking: How can I monetize my expertise and help authors understand book marketing? I created the sales page and wrote up the course curriculum and I found it's actually a lot of fun, I may like talking more than I like writing!

ES: You have personal experience with launching a book from marketing your first novel, The Five Warriors. Can you tell us a little bit about how you planned for your book’s launch?

AJF: I was taking a coaching class about writing a book in 100 days, and it focused on the writing, but not so much on the marketing. However, the coach asked us to put our marketing plans together, which made me think through what I wanted to do. Here goes:
• An interactive quiz + giveaway where people could get to know The Five Warriors
• A ThunderClap campaign to spread the word on social media
• Pre-order bonuses to encourage readers to order the book before it came out
• A book launch party in Nashville, TN
• A virtual book launch party on Facebook for everyone who couldn't be at the party in Nashville, TN
• Giveaways to encourage readers to leave reviews
• Goodreads giveaways of the paperback novel to reach a new audience
• Ads on Facebook, Goodreads and Amazon to make more people aware of the book
• Daily posts on Instagram to connect with book bloggers
• Outreach to book bloggers for a review/promotion
• A blog tour to reach a new audience
• Free ebook promotion to increase awareness of the book and gain new reviews

It sounds like a lot but the key is, I didn't do it all at once! Each month had a focus and goal which helped make the process easier.

ES: I’d love to know more about your writing process. How long did it take you to write The Five Warriors? What was the process like for you?

AJF: Wow it took me two years, which was not what I was aiming for. I was hoping I could get it done in one. I wrote the original book when I was 12 years old, and I still have it just to look back and laugh at it. When I was 25 I took a week long vacation to Tucson, Arizona for a writing retreat. I stayed at an amazing resort and focused on writing, that was the beginning.

From there I wrote almost every day, sometimes it was 10 words, sometimes 100. Once I got into a rhythm I started averaging 5,000 words a week. I also did several re-writes based on feedback from my beta readers, especially since the first ending I wrote was disappointing and fell flat. Re-writing the ending was the best moment in writing The Five Warriors. I was at a coffee shop in Nashville one morning, with a white chocolate mocha (my favorite drink). I wrote for 3 hours in a fury, my fingers flying over the keyboard, never stopping until it was done. It was like I was there, watching what was happening and all I needed to do was write it down.

ES: You’re working on a sequel for The Five Warriors, too! Can you share a little bit about what your work-in-progress is about?

AJF: The Blended Ones is Book 2 of The Four Worlds Series. I've completed the 1st and 2nd drafts of the book and now I'm working on the final draft, but I had a crazy idea for a plot twist, so I’m working on that. With NaNoWriMo coming up, my focus will be completing it by the end of the month, then turning it over to beta readers and starting the editing process.

ES: Do you plan to use any new or different strategies when you launch your second book that weren’t available when you launched your first?

AJF: Yes, I didn't put together a book launch team, that's something I will focus on with the goal of ramping up reviews on launch day. I also plan on having a bigger book launch party in Nashville, TN and using candles as the pre-order bonus.

ES: One thing that shines through in your work as an author and as a digital marketing strategist is that you really love what you do! How did you decide to make the change from the 9-to-5 workweek to the entrepreneurial lifestyle?

AJF: You know, it was one of those moments when I looked at my future and I thought to myself: If I am doing exactly what I'm doing now next year or 5 years from now, will I be happy with the direction my life is taking? The answer was NO – and that's when I knew I had to make a change.

ES: One thing I love about the entrepreneurial life is that it allows us to have more time and flexibility to be creative! In addition to writing, what other creative pastimes do you enjoy?

AJF: Oh, I love traveling! Just like the characters in my books, I'm always off to my next adventure. One of my big passions is music, I used to be a musician when I was a teenager, now I love listening to soundtracks, eventually I want to film a movie. I'm not sure whether you would call this a creative pastime, but I love world building games and I'm still obsessed with Mario.

ES: It was fun talking with you and finding out more about your work! How can readers stay connected with you?

AJF: Join me on Twitter to chat about anything and everything: www.twitter.com/aford21
Find me on Instagram and see lovely photos of The Five Warriors: www.instagram.com/aford21

Thanks so much for stopping by the blog, Angela! If you’re interested in Angela’s course, How to Plan a Book Launch, click here to get started.* I highly recommend it!

*Note: link is an affiliate. I only link and blog about products that I sincerely love and think you will love, too. Affiliate links help me stay well-stocked in fine-point Sharpies, post-it notes, and other writing essentials.