Interview with Kristin Pulioff

My Books:

     

 

Hello Kristin, so pleased to interview you and hear about your first novel...

Title:   The Escape of Princess Madeline

  Author:  Kirstin Pulioff

Page Count:  109

Genre:  YA Fantasy

Cost: $4.99

Link Amazon USA:  available in October 2012

Link Amazon UK: available in October 2012

Can you tell me something about yourself?

Let’s see…  I was born and raised in Southern CA, went to Oregon State University and got my degree in Forest Management.  Shortly after graduating, I married the man of my dreams and have been living up here in the Northwest ever since.  We have two wonderful kids, and my primary job is as a stay at home mom.  To add to the chaos, in the evenings after bedtimes, I write, work at my church and do the books for the family business.  I like to describe my life by saying if I am not living an adventure, I am writing one.  J

What inspired you to write?

                Writing has always been an escape for me, a fabulous retreat bringing peace to my life.                When things were rough in school, I would write stories between classes- when I had a job               that I didn’t like, I would write during my lunch breaks.  It is my way of reconnecting to     myself. 

“The Escape of Princess Madeline” began as an escape for me.  I actually wrote this book several years ago, while working at an office.  That position didn’t fulfill my creative needs, so on my lunch breaks, I began writing.  One day, over my tomato and cucumber salad, as I was doodling in my notebook, a light bulb went off in my head.  Suddenly, this story began unfolding in my mind … every day during lunch, I picked up where I had left off, and a month and a half later, the first draft was finished.

 

I have always gravitated towards the fantasy genre.  Growing up, as an elementary youth, I wanted to be whisked away to a far off land with princesses and castles and knights, but what I found was that most fantasy novels were a struggle to read due to them being above my reading level.  So when I began writing and as ideas began to flow through my mind, I really wanted to capture something that a younger reader, a teen, and even an adult would enjoy.

Who are you favourite authors?

                My top three are Dr. Suess, Ken Follett, and Piers Anthony.

Can you tell me something about your latest book?

“The Escape of Princess Madeline,” is a young adult, fantasy book- a story with aspects of magic, fantasy, and romance, with a positive tone and a quick pace.

 

Faced with an impending marriage, a knight champion, and a future that she did not choose or want, Princess Madeline finds herself in the middle of an impossible decision.  Using her charm, strength and stubbornness, she defies her father, the King at every turn, determined to keep her freedom on her terms.  Follow Princess Madeline in this adventure full of twists and turns as she finds freedom and love.

Sounds exciting! How long did it take you to write it?

I wrote the first draft of this story in a month and a half, about 7 years ago.  After having kids, I put my writing on the backburner, and focused on being a stay at home mom.  Now that the kids are older, I have been able to refocus on myself and my dreams, and the last two years have been spent editing, revising and submitting this book.

Can you tell us something about the writing process, do you have a set time for writing, did you do any research or anything else of interest that was involved?

I am pretty funny when it comes to writing.  I don’t have a lot of time, so when I do sit down, I need to make sure I am in my “writing zone.”  That means, no distractions, no noises-except for the voices in my head.  J 

I write in my bedroom closet (where my computer is) a couple of nights a week, and on Sunday afternoons my husband will watch the kids so I can leave the house and write for a bit. 

When it comes to writing though, I open my mind and let the words flow out.  In the first draft, I want to capture everything that comes to mind-each and every piece of inspiration, plot twist, character description.   When I am done with the first draft, then I can go back in and polish it up, make the transitions smoother, add in those special details.

What do you think readers will come away with when they have finished your book.

I hope my readers leave with a sense of being true themselves.  The story really is a testament to standing up for who you are and not being afraid to follow your path.

Will you share a paragraph or two from your book with us?

“Father, this is beautiful,” Madeline said with a little squeal. She could hardly believe her eyes, the dress was beautiful. She held it in front of her and rubbed her hands over the gold embroidery, feeling a thrill as her fingers ran over the soft bumps of the pearls. “I have to try this on!” she said, running from the room to put it on. “Wait here, I’ll be right out,” she yelled back at her father, hurrying into an adjoining room.

                She could hardly believe it, looking down at the dress with surprise, her father was always attentive, but never so generous with his gifts.  There had been a pony for her fifth birthday, but “Princess” only lasted a few months.  After Madeline was thrown and broke her arm, Princess was also tossed.  After that, her birthday seemed to turn into an event of contention between her and her twin brother, Braden, a comparison of gifts as he opened the adventurous ones and hers were more predictable.  It may have been because she was the only daughter, without a mother to raise her, but some days she felt more like a damsel in distress than a princess. 

                This year was different.  This dress was different.  Up and over her head, Madeline slipped the dress on. It was a perfect fit.  Looking at herself in the full-length mirror she smiled, she had never looked so pretty. It was her sixteenth birthday, and she had just begun filling out and looking like a woman and couldn’t keep her eyes away from her reflection, the dress fit just right in all the right places. Her long, dark brown hair had a glossy shine against the pale green silk. The shade of her dress was just slightly lighter than the deep shade of her eyes, bringing out their beauty and depth. The pearls and gold embroidery in the bodice seemed to direct attention to her new developments, and the dress fell gracefully down her long, slim legs. She didn’t know what to think. All she could do was spin and smile, marveling at the woman staring back at her.

                Remembering her father in the other room, she pried her eyes away from her reflection and peeked around the corner. He was sitting in her oversized pink chair, looking a little out of place, his dark crimson robe clashing against the soft pastels and golden hues spread throughout the room.  Her room looked like a spring hillside in full bloom with a full range of pastels and roses everywhere. King Theodore sat in the far corner, looking down at his feet, rubbing his hands over each other, trying to appear calm.  Tears welled up in her eyes and she smiled, seeing a sweet nervousness in him that was rarely seen.

 

Any other links of interest:

www.facebook.com/KirstinPulioffAuthor

www.twitter.com/KirstinPulioff

www.KirstinPulioff.com

 

Interview with R Grey Hoover

Title:  Kicker

Author:  R Grey Hoover

Page Count: 409

ISBN: 978-1-4771-4295-0

Genre: Historical Novel               

Cost: Kindle $3.99

 

Link Amazon USA: http://www.amazon.com/KICKER-ebook/dp/B008U6YYGC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1347564423&sr=1-1&keywords=kicker

Link Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/KICKER-ebook/dp/B008U6YYGC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1347564493&sr=1-1

Can you tell me something about yourself?  

I am a retired data processing professional living in the same community where much of my novel takes place. I am a U.S. Air Force veteran and hold commercial pilots licenses for fixed wing and helicopter aircraft. My hobbies are traveling the world, wood carving and fishing.

What inspired you to write?  

My writing was inspired by my desire to document my father’s military service during World War II.

I see, so your book is based on what really happened during the war, now that’s really interesting.

Who are you favourite authors?

Clive Custler,  H.G. Wells, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Dan Brown and Michael Crichton.  I can easily see some of the authors in the ASMSG group becoming some of my favorites also.

Can you tell me something about your latest book?

I started writing Kicker to document my father’s experienced during WWII. However, as I was researching for the book, I met so many wonderful WWII veterans that I decided to write their stories also. I consider Kicker to be a tribute to all the men and women who served their country during WWII.

I think that’s really moving. How long did it take you to write it?

I spend a little over 8 years researching and writing the book.

Sounds like you did a lot of background work!

Can you tell us something about the writing process, do you have a set time for writing, did you do any research or anything else of interest that was involved?

I did not have a set time for writing and researching. As with many aspiring authors, I tried to fit the writing process in with the other day to day activities of life. The fact that I was retired allowed for a very flexible schedule.

What do you think readers will come away with when they have finished your book? 

I hope the readers of Kicker will gain a deep appreciation of the sacrifices our parents and grandparents made to secure our freedoms, and an understanding of what those freedoms cost.

Oh I couldn’t agree with you more!!

Portions of Kicker can be read at my blogsite: http://rgreyhoover.com/

Any other links of interest:    http://www.kicker-cbi.com/

Thank you so much for this enlightening interview.  Having read your book I can recommend it, a very good read based on the facts.

Interview with the exciting and talented author L J Bush

www.dianemajorauthor.co.uk

My books can be found at
Amazon USA http://amzn.to/QygEAk
Amazon UK http://amzn.to/U7904U

        
 

I have just interviewed the exciting and talented new author L J Bush, read on...

Title: The Double Edged Sword

Author: Lorraine Jean Bush

Page Count: 339 give or take

Genre: Dark Fantasy

Cost: $4.99

Link Amazon USA: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008S0HF9I

 

Link Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008S0HF9I

 

Can you tell me something about yourself? 

I guess it’s hard to describe yourself to others but here goes. I don’t have any friends only my sister, my book gives a lot away about me and my habits bad as well as good. I love small rodents and have had them as pets since I was small, in fact they have grown in size as I have LOL, mice, then rats now ferrets; People think I’m strange but I gave up a long time ago caring what others think. I like playing my guitar and singing. I keep myself busy and I do what I want. A solitary life maybe; but I got used to that a long time ago. On a lighter note I have a wicked sense of humour but not always appreciated!

What inspired you to write?

My feelings. It started off as a release and just grew.

Who are your favourite authors?

Hmm I have loads; Thomas Harris; Stephen King; James Herbert; James Patterson; to name just a few and I loved The lovely Bones by Alice sebold.

Can you tell me something about your latest book?

The Double Edged Sword is based around mine and my sister’s childhood I just took it from there. It says a lot about me, that I would rather live in my make believe world with Vampires than in this real world. I guess it’s my escape. There are going to be 3 books in this series; I am currently writing the sequel called A Leap of Faith which picks up where this story ends. The Double Edged Sword is a Dark fantasy with a hint of romance and a bit of good old slaughter thrown in for good measure.

Wow!  So how long did it take you to write it? 

 It took about 5 months to actually write it. Then the real work starts J

Can you tell us something about the writing process, do you have a set time for writing, did you do any research or anything else of interest that was involved?    

I did do research about one particular Vampire in my book but I can’t divulge which one cause it would give a part of the story away. I went on a Jack The Ripper tour around Whitechapel to gain more insight into his crimes. I visited a few of the areas around London where most of my book is based. The Jack the Ripper tour was awesome and I may go again on Halloween night. I did used to write for 2 hours a day and hopefully, I’m now going to get back into that.

What do you think readers will come away with when they have finished your book.

That’s a hard one; Probably a tinge of sadness for the main character but I hope a need to read the follow up.

Can you give us an interesting paragraph or two from the book:   

  As I walked through the mist laden streets, images of bygone days and of Jack The Ripper flooded my mind. It was eerie, and I got the same strange sense I was being followed.

   I wondered how those women must have felt, walking through the dark cobbled streets in the mist alone, looking to make a quick buck. But what they found was more terrifying than they could ever have imagined in their wildest dreams. Had they been that desperate as to venture out alone? London had always had a seedy, dark reputation; and back then it was full of undesirables. It seemed everyone in Jack’s day would have been fair game.

   I wondered if he felt the same disregard and hatred for humans as I did. Did he feel inside, that by ridding the human race of these down and outs, he was somehow doing the world a justice? I wondered why he had only picked women. If he was indeed a vampire, he could have overcome anyone. Maybe it was just his own personal taste; after all I preferred sucking the life out of men. But to me that’s what I called poetic justice.

 

Any other links of interest: www.ljbush.wordpress.com

                                               http://www.artgallery.co.uk/artist/lorraine_jean_bush_2

                                            Amazon UK : http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Double-Edged-Sword-ebook/dp/B008S0HF9I/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1347912764&sr=1-1

                                               Amazon USA : http://www.amazon.com/The-Double-Edged-Sword-ebook/dp/B008S0HF9I/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1347912884&sr=1-1&keywords=the+double+edged+sword

Interview with Patsy Collins

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_11?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=diane+major&sprefix=diane+major%2Caps%2C150


I just interviewed the very talented author Patsy Collins, read on...

Title: Paint Me a Picture

 

 

Author: Patsy Collins

 

Page Count: It's only available as an ebook so it depends on the font size you chose. Amazon estimate it would be 356 pages if produced as a print book and that sounds about right to me.

ISBN: There isn't one. I've self published. I know it's possible to get one for self published books, but I didn't.

Genre: Ummm. Yes. That's why I self published. It isn't a proper genre which makes it very difficult to sell in the traditional way. There are a few slightly grisly deaths and an inquest but it's not really a thriller or murder mystery. It's not a romance (despite the best efforts of one character) It would be a rite of passage story - except the mc is 53.

Cost: Oh good an easy one. £3.09 or $4.90

Link Amazon USA: http://www.amazon.com/Paint-Me-A-Picture-ebook/dp/B0094WFGHW/ref=la_B004O08LRQ_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1347465804&sr=1-7

 

Link Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Paint-Me-A-Picture-ebook/dp/B0094WFGHW/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1

 

Can you tell me something about yourself? My favourite colour is purple. My garden is planted with lots of purple flowers and my wedding dress was purple.

What inspired you to write? I've always made stuff up. One day I realised that if I wrote it down then I'd be considered an author which sounds soooo much better than liar.

Who are you favourite authors? Oh gosh there are loads. In no particular order and leaving a lot out - Agatha Christie, Philippa Gregory, Sue Moorcroft, Christopher Lloyd, John Grisham, Ngaio Marsh, PJ Tracy, JD Robb, Chimamamda Adicie, Tobias Wolff, PG Wodehouse, Juliet Archer, Reginald Hill, Khaled Hosseini.

Can you tell me something about your latest book? It started as a short story and is the first novel I ever attempted and, at103,000 words, also the longest.

Wow! How long did it take you to write it? 10 years. I've written other things during that time though.

Can you tell us something about the writing process, do you have a set time for writing, did you do any research or anything else of interest that was involved?

I have a full time day job that involves some evening and weekend working so it's not possible to have a set time for writing.

I did have to do quite a lot of research. The most unusual was probably attending an inquest. I also visited an undertaker to ask questions, went to the National Gallery and St Paul's Cathedral by train and underground. I spent the whole time trying to notice the things Mavis, my mc, would be interested in.

Fortunately the painting and gardening are things I already knew about and I'm familiar with the locations in and around Portsmouth that form the main backdrop to the story.

What do you think readers will come away with when they have finished your book. What I hope is that they'll feel they know Mavis and like her. Perhaps too readers might feel a sense of optimism. That's the plan, anyway.

 

Would you add an interesting paragraph or two from you book for us? Well, I think it's all interesting!  Here's a bit selected at random which introduces one of the important characters.

 

She almost walked into a man who was patiently waiting in line behind her.

"Mavis? Mavis Forthright?" he asked.

The voice was familiar, the face was not. She looked at the grey eyes, greying moustache and ginger hair that should also have been showing signs of grey. He was smartly dressed, except for the hideous bright yellow shirt that lent his face an unhealthy hue. He smiled. He fidgeted. She remembered.

"Norman?"

"You remember, then?"

"People are waiting," Mavis pointed out the other students queuing to enrol.

"I won't be more than a minute. Then we can talk."

Mavis nodded, but the moment his back was turned, she strode away from him. Norman Merlin, what could he be doing there? She didn't want to know, she didn't want to speak to him, or see him and she most definitely didn't want to think of him. She heard footsteps behind her and lengthened her stride.

Any other links of interest:

Facebook author page - http://www.facebook.com/PatsyCollins.writer

 

Blog - http://patsy-collins.blogspot.co.uk/

 

To date I have published:

Children of Fury

 

 

Also at Amazon USA: http://amzn.to/Od6XFB and most leading online stores.

Within a period of turmoil for the immortals Heron is born.  A Fury like no other who seeks vengeance which spans thousands of years.  In England during the 1400’s he meets a young woman named Aimee who has already met her soul mate.  As their paths collide with catastrophic results a story of retribution spanning centuries unfolds.  Love can create comfort or even hatred, but cn also be found where we expect it least...

 

I am Nine

 

Also at Amazon USA: http://amzn.to/Od797G and most leading online stores.

As people across the world die from some incurable disease, Naomi a five year old girl who lives in England is torn from her parents. Naomi finds herself alone, growing up on a ship with strangers, as she journeys across the sea into a new and very different future on the American coast.  A future where a pack of great vicious dogs as well as cannibals roam the land...

Enmitus, The Tranformation and am currently writing the sequel

 

Also at Amazon USA: http://amzn.to/U6vIWo and most leading online stores.

Back Cover:

When spaceships leave a dying Earth it is not until centuries and galaxies later that survivors reach planets which will support human life. A community from one of the ships builds a life underground on a barren and ominous planet named Serenitus. Princess Corinna lives a contented life under the surface of Serenitus, with her father Great Lord Corin, completely oblivious to the deceit surrounding her and her people. This is until... powerful Lords from neighbouring planets arrive, the destinies of Corinna and those around her are about to change, forever. Corinna’s strength and ability to survive is tested to extraordinary lengths when she is forced to marry a cruel and evil man in love with another dangerous and despicable woman. Her own heart breaks as she realises her love for another. A story of danger, love, hate, cruelty, deceit and revenge...

 

How I published:

As I did not publish until I had retired from my working career I felt that I should find a publisher quickly as time was no longer on my side. I then proceeded to read about other people’s experiences and how difficult it was for them to find a publisher. Consequently I sent extracts to two publishing houses to try to assess what my chances might be.

One publisher said they did not publish fantasy adventure novels. The second stated that while what I had written was interesting they weren’t publishing this type of book at the moment. Both wished me luck and directed me to a book I could buy which contained many publishers.

At my time of life and having already sent in extracts and waited for responses which took a considerable length of time to fall through my letterbox, I consequently decided to self publish.

While criticism around self publishing might include the work has grammatical errors in the script, that some parts of storylines might need development, at times the author might stray a little from the plot, identification of typing errors (though a number of published books might contain one or several of these issues), it seems to me that self published authors have to work twice as hard as they have no editor unless they have the financial reserves to pay one. It’s not surprising that many authors in the book world, for various reasons and due to personal circumstances, feel they have no choice but to self publish. I self published because writing a book was an ambition which I had carried with me from being a child and was something I finally had fulfilled. Yes, it would be great if my books were successful, but for me personally, someone who had always struggled with English Grammar, self publishing my first two novels without the luxury of an editor was a huge achievement. It also seems the publishing scene is dominated by those who are already famous (established authors or stars who are writing their own autobiographies) and others who have contacts within publishing establishments. As a result of this only a minority of new authors have the energy and time as well as needing a lot of luck to make it through the minefield to publish by traditional means

Once I decided to self publish I began to search the internet and from the many companies out there I did my best to choose one that was well established.

When I approached the company they had two offers available regarding publishing my work however, the one I chose was a kind of 'buy one, get one free' offer as at that time I had almost completed my second novel. What I did not realise throughout the whole process was that I should have taken charge, instead I misguidedly and naively felt as if I had to meet deadlines. If someone telephoned, I would respond instead of saying I needed more time. This meant that my two daughters who supported me throughout tried to check my books fairly quickly. It is my belief that we had probably become 'word blind' when checking my first novel having read it so many times and I think we did a better job with the second book. I chose my own illustrations for the cover and the company did an excellent job, in my opinion, of designing it. When asked about a pen name my nerves jangled as I wondered if people, including my friends would think my books were rubbish and concluded, what the heck, I had spent almost two years writing them! I tried to take everything into consideration and decided 'in for a penny, in for a pound' and used my real name. I believed in my books and therefore I did not need a pen name. As the process of self publishing continued to the point where the books were to be made public I became extremely anxious and nervous. I asked myself, would anyone like my books? Would anyone read my books? However, I have to say the moment I actually held my first book I felt amazing. Apparently the company I have used to date have earned a name for themselves but without them I don't know if I would have ever published and I wanted my first books as a paperbacks option as well as ebooks.

To conclude, the most awkward and uncomfortable thing about the whole process was putting oneself out there, but I did! To date I have had generally had good feedback from family, friends, acquaintances and strangers... so far, so good. Have I sold many books? Answer, it's too early to really make comment.

 

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

www.dianemajorauthor.co.uk

 

My working career began in youth work and then moved to community development. For the final 16 years of my career I worked for a local authority managing youth work and adult learning and I retired in 2011 planning to concentrate on my family and writing novels.

My qualifications include:
Diploma in Youth & Community Work
BSc Open (Hons)
Post Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Management

Question: When do I write?
Answer: Everyday but not at a specific time.
Question: What makes writing easier for me?
Answer: I prefer to write two novels at the same time but I don't always have two storylines. If I have a mental block then I find it easier to switch from book to book.
Question: Who are my favourite authors?
Answer: I like a variety of books but the authors include, Jean Plaidy, Charlaine Harris, Stephanie Meyer, Dean Koontz plus many more.
Question: What advice would I give a new author?
Answer: Where to start? ... If you want to write, go ahead and do it. There are lots of books out there giving advice on writing and publishing if you are fortunate enough to have the money to buy them, but there is so much information on the internet. If you can afford to pay for proof reading and editing great, but not everyone can. Once you have written your book get someone else to read it and within reason act on their feedback. Do any changes to your book and then I wish you lots of luck whichever road you might choose to take. This industry is like all others, you will receive praise and criticism, it is how you deal with it that matters.
Question: Do you review other books?
Answer: Just started to do reviews but need to be careful as there are so many genres out there and I have to be sensitive about my comments about books that are not my preferred taste and remain professional. It is the quality of the story that is told that is important to readers who usually stick with the genres they prefer.