Featured Author: Sean Patrick Reardon

Sean Patrick Reardon has been the number 1 supporter of this blog, and now, without me doing anything, he has the Number 2 Bestselling Book at Smashwords.com. Every author who has been reviewed here has received a posted comment from Sean, offering encouragement and support. I mean, look at the guy. How can you not like Sean? Now Mindjacker, his first novel, is ready to steamroll its way to Numero Uno. Lets take a look.

"When wealthy Russian mobsters contract L.A psychologist Joel Fischer to develop a device to manipulate minds, the DreemWeever exceeds all expectations. Everything is on track for delivery and a big payday, until two adventurous stoners steal his Dodge Challenger that, unknown to them, contains the DreemWeever in its trunk. Fischer and his crew have two days to get it back or he dies."--From the Smashwords description.

Here's his 10 Questions answered:

10 Questions

1) How long have you been writing?

I got into trying to write with the intention of perhaps getting others to read it in 2005. I have always had a great imagination and sense of adventure. As early as I can remember I loved reading, watching television, and movies. In school I loved anything that required reading or writing, especially creative writing.

2) How are you marketing your books?

I try to take advantage of every opportunity I can find or is offered that will let me talk about the novel and my writing. I am a huge fan of networking through blogs, websites, facebook, and discussion forums. I also love to work with libraries to do author events. I always try to be polite and if someone offers me an opportunity or provides comments, I make it a point to always follow up. I have been putting out some short stories lately that have been very well received and this has been very helpful in terms of showcasing my writing ability and style to readers who might need persuasion to take a look at the novel.

3) Tell us why readers will like your latest book.

I realize that not everyone likes every genre, but if crime and thrillers are what you are into, "Mindjacker" should be appealing to this readership base. I tried to write a story that read like a movie, with a soundtrack, and had the style of crime stories by Tarantino or Guy Ritchie. I take the reader on a thrill ride across the country from Los Angeles to New York to Boston and New Hampshire with a tale of gangsters, thievery, technology, and mind manipulation and hope they would like to come along for the ride.

4) How do you edit your books? Do you have help?

I did as much as I could and it was by far the most agonizing, tedious process one could experience. I then had pilot readers, who have an eye for grammar and punctuation, give it their best shot. I can only say that I paid my dues writing this novel, but it made writing the next one that much easier.

5) Where are your books available?

Mindjacker" is available in print and ebook at:

Amazon: http://www.blogger.com/goog_1782185007

Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Mindjacker/Sean-Patrick-Reardon/e/9781453654750/?itm=2&USRI=mindjacker

The ebook version is also available at:

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/17083

Apple iBookstore: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/mindjacker/id380446238?mt=11

6) What have your reviews been like so far? 

I have been lucky to have received many positive reviews for not only "Mindjacker" but also for the short stories I have written recently. 2010 has just been a tremendous year for me for so many reasons.

Smashwords: http://www.blogger.com/goog_1782185019

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Mindjacker-Sean-Patrick-Reardon/product-reviews/1453654755/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

Barnes & Noble: http://www.blogger.com/goog_1782185024

7) What do you deal with at your blog/website?

My blog http://seanpatrickreardon.blogspot.com/ focuses not only my writing but all sorts of crime writing related news, websites, blogs, and events. I love the blogsphere and have met so many great like minded writers, who all help each other out and share information.

8) Have you found reader discussion groups for your genre?

Sure. I am member of a great Yahoo crime writers group and used to hang around the Absolute Write forums more than I do now. I find the best way to communicate, share and learn is to frequent and participate in blogs with other writers in your genre. For me at least, doing that has been the best move I ever made.

9) Would you like to review your favorite Smashwords writer?

I am always open to reviewing a fellow Smashwords author, especially if they write in the crime or thriller genres. To date I have enjoyed and reviewed works by SW authors Declan Burke, John McFetridge, and Mark Staniforth.

10) What are you working on now?

I'm working on a standalone crime thriller, which I'm calling "Sissy Murphy". The pitch I have so far is; American writer, pothead, and pacifist Seamus Murphy is befriended by Irish ex-patriot Danny Moore, who uses Seamus' love of Ireland and lack of confidence to transform him into a killer, who will help Danny settle unfinished business.

(Neil's note: at his blog, Sean tells how he has marketed his book to the Number 1 slot! Check it out by clicking the hypertext. And learn from what you read.)

Congratulations, Sean. And thanks for reading SBR.

Big News From Mark Coker, Founder of Smashwords.com

Go to the Smashwords Channel Manager page and see this terrific news!

https://www.smashwords.com/dashboard/channelManager

Featured Author: Paul Collis

Paul Collis is a Londoner now living in California. The Wrinkly (This tale of one man’s ridiculous attempt at living in a Florida retirement community – and his unexpected encounters with lust, drugs, cosmetics and an identity crisis –)is his comic novel, written from his own screenplay. He agreed to the 10 Questions, and provides us with 10 terrific answers.

Interview with Paul Collis, author of The Wrinkly.
Neil, thank you for this opportunity to chat about myself. I really appreciate the effort you put into this blog, and the service you provide to Smashwords authors and readers.
1) How long have you been writing?
I spent 30 years writing 30-second TV commercials for ad agencies in London and San Francisco, as an art director and as a copywriter. If we were given 40 seconds we could let the dialogue breathe a little. If we had 60 we’d think we were in Hollywood. A decade ago, when work started to get thin on the ground, I had an idea that I thought would make an amusing movie, so I attempted a script roughly 200 times longer than I was used to. ‘The Wrinkly’ didn’t get picked up, but I liked the process and I wrote another, which became a finalist in the Acclaim TV awards. Then, a few years ago, I read that a major studio was about to move on a project with exactly the same premise as ‘The Wrinkly’, so I decided it was worth rewriting as a novella (it’s 45,000 words). But it was only this year that I chose the tools to publish it myself – Smashwords and Createspace, Amazon’s print-on-demand service.
2) How are you marketing your books?
This is my first attempt, so the answer is – not as well as I should be. I bought the domain name TheWrinkly.com, set up a basic web page and email account, and sent out a press release through a free PR website. I decided not to pay for reviews at Kirkus and similar operations, but I sent a printed proof to Booklist, the librarian review site about six weeks ago. (I’ve had no response so far.) ‘The Wrinkly’ involves a retirement community and golf, so I sent emails to relevant webzines. But I’m not that keen on Facebook; I’m easily distracted, and for me it would be a time-absorbing black hole – regular email’s bad enough. I did set up a page for The Wrinkly on Facebook and conducted an experimental targeted ad campaign. I ended up spending $20 to make one sale. I’m sure it’s better for big-ticket items, a classic Studebaker, something like that. As far as the real, 3D world, a few local bookstores have agreed to carry the paperback. But my main strategy has been to beg my friends to buy it.
3) Tell us why readers will like your latest book.
I think quite a few people might empathize with a guy who’s dissatisfied, unfulfilled, who wants to quit the rat race. In Mike Lewis’s case he’s 39 and he works in a youth-centric culture to which he doesn’t really relate. He’s quite good at golf, but doesn’t think that he could make money from it. By chance he discovers a solution – premature retirement in an idyllic senior community. He cons his way in (it is fiction) only to become the center of a farce involving cosmetics, drug running, lust, and manatees. And who doesn’t like manatees? (I’m donating half the proceeds of the paperback to them.) Unfortunately there are no scenes involving graphic violence, deviant sex or drug crazed Nazis, so that’ll reduce its appeal a tad. But for anyone in need of some light entertainment while on jury duty, this might fit the bill.
4) How do you edit your books? Do you have help?
I thank the god of cheap laser printers because, for me, reading on a screen is one thing but editing on a screen is another; I like to cross things out in red pen. I imagine I edit the same way as most people – by reading, rewriting, reading again. Scouring for typos, repetition, grammatical errors, for inconsistencies in character and chronology. And looking for sentences that are just plain dumb, because what might seem amusing at 11pm is often not so brilliant at noon the next day. As for help, I have a friend who’s a better writer than me, and I asked her to read it not so much for her literary suggestions, which would only make me more insecure than I am already, but for her ability to root out my most egregious Britishisms.
5) Where are your books available?
The Ebook is at every site/format where Smashwords ebooks can be bought. On the Smashwords site itself, insert the coupon code  HR57Y  and The Wrinkly will cost $0.99 instead of $1.99. The Paperback is online at your local Amazon, or it can be ordered through your local bookstore.
6) What have your reviews been like so far?
I’ve had none at Smashwords yet, but the few reviews at Amazon are mainly short and friendly, most of them noting its cinematic origins. I mean, they realize it’s meant to be more Caddyshack or Cocoon than The Corrections.
7) What do you deal with at your blog/website? I’m not much for blowing a trumpet, mine or anyone else’s, and TheWrinkly.com is about as basic as a web page can be. Although it does have an email link.
8) Have you found reader discussion groups for your genre?I haven’t really looked, but I’m sure that if I checked out groups covering writers like Carl Hiaasen and Dave Barry I’d learn something useful.
9) Would you like to review your favorite Smashwords writer? I’m embarrassed to say I’ve read very few so far, so I don’t yet have a favorite. I’ve promised myself, and now you, to make an effort and turn off the radio and keep the newspapers unopened for a week and get down to some reading. So I’ll let you know when I find one.
10) What are you working on now?
A novel about theft and revenge, set in 17^th century London and 21^st century Los Angeles. I’m halfway through it and I’m not speedy, so you’ll have to give me a year or so.

Enjoy The Wrinkly on your new eReader, and recommend to your gifted friends.

Featured Author: David Michael

Most days, David Michael is a software developer and a writer. Some days, he’s a writer and a software developer. Other days, he’s an amateur photographer. Because, really, who is the same person every day?

David is the designer and developer of The Journal, personal journaling software for Windows. He has also designed and developed video games, and has written two nonfiction books and numerous articles about video game development.

His horror novel, The Summoning Fire, is discussed here:

10 Questions

1) How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing off and on my whole life, starting from about age 10 or 11, when I wrote my first short story (about a lost puppy) and numerous comic books (about superheroic, anthropomorphic animals). The current “on” stretch started back in 2002, with only a few months “off” in 2008 to focus on a software project.

2) How are you marketing your books?

Most of my marketing has been focused on online communities, submitting to book reviewers, and similar. I have a blog, Guns & Magic (www.gunsandmagic.com), where I post free fiction as well as thoughts about writing (mine and others) and news about my various books.

3) Tell us why readers will like your latest book.

The Summoning Fire is a fast-paced story of betrayal, revenge, and suicidal tendencies. It’s dark and horrific in a very casual way as the story explores the nightmare society that is Hell on Earth.

And it has a bad-ass woman with a shotgun and a sword, a half-devil crime boss with cannibalistic tendencies, and an amorphous creature summoned from a completely from different Hell that sees in shades of emotion and eats people by absorbing them.

4) How do you edit your books? Do you have help?

I edited The Summoning Fire front to back several times (more than 3, fewer than 8). I also had a few “first readers” who gave me feedback and helped me see where the story needed adjusting and/or rearranging.

5) Where are your books available? (Include hyperlinks)

The Summoning Fire is available from Amazon.

Trade paperback:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1453839917

Kindle:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0044KMPVY

Smashwords:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/25241

6) What have your reviews been like so far?

The Summoning Fire has been getting good reviews. All of the reviews so far have been 4/5 stars and can be read on the Amazon page:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1453839917

7) What do you deal with at your blog/website?

I talk about my writing (both production and process). I announce when I have new books available. I list the books I read (with a consolidated list at the end of the year). I post short stories. I’ve posted a couple book reviews.

8) Have you found reader discussion groups for your genre?

Yes. And I’m looking for more.

9) Would you like to review your favorite Smashwords writer?

I’ve not purchased a book via Smashwords yet. Right now only about half the books I read are ebooks I read on my Kindle.

10) What are you working on now?

I’m working on a new horror-humor novel in the vein of “Lovecraft Lite”. I hope to have the first draft done by the end of 2010. Sooner if possible.

Take a look at all of David's books and write your reviews at Smashwords.com.

Featured Author: Tonya Plank

When I Google Tonya Plank, a ton of good stuff comes up. Like her bio at The Huffington Post:

Tonya Plank worked as a criminal appeals attorney in NYC for many years. A ballroom dancer and a longtime balletomane, she writes the acclaimed dance blog, SWAN LAKE SAMBA GIRL. Her first novel, SWALLOW, a dark comedy about a young Manhattan attorney suffering from Globus Hystericus, won the gold medal for best regional fiction in the 2010 Independent Publisher Book Awards, the gold medal for women's fiction in the 2010 Living Now Book Awards, and was a finalist in the ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards and the National Indie Excellence Awards. She is currently working on her second novel.

Lawyer, dancer, writer, this lovely lady has a lot going on. It's about time she got featured at SBR, and uplifted this editor's spirit, with her effort and her terrific answers.

10 Questions for Tonya Plank

1) How long have you been writing?

I've been writing since college - since childhood really - but I've been writing fiction seriously for about eight years, when I started my first novel. Swallow. Before that, I wrote several short stories in college but never tried to get them published, and as a lawyer I wrote several law review articles for publication. I wrote Swallow, during nights and weekends, while I was working full-time as a lawyer.

2) How are you marketing your books?

I sought lots of reviews from top Amazon reviewers, book bloggers, and professional reviewers (like ForeWord and Midwest Book Review). I also entered Swallow into several contests for small presses that also accept self-published work - and it actually won a few awards! I did giveaways on Goodreads and Library Thing, and I made a book trailer, loaded it onto YouTube, and promoted it on sites like Blazing Trailers. I also joined the Kindleboards and Mobileread.com and promoted it there a bit. I've also done some advertising and sponsorship activities, mainly on Kindle Nation Daily and Goodreads.

3) Tell us why readers will like your latest book.

Swallow is about a young Manhattan attorney, Sophie, who has just graduated from law school, moved to New York, landed her first job and received a marriage proposal from her longtime boyfriend, when she is suddenly stricken with a little-known but actually not uncommon psychosomatic disorder known as Globus Hystericus, or Globus Sensation. With Globus, you feel a large knot, or ball, in your throat and it can make it very difficult to eat, speak, and sometimes even breathe. But it's purely psychological; there's nothing actually there. It wreaks havoc on Sophie's life, causing rapid weight loss, mental and physical fatigue, and making it difficult for her to argue in court on behalf of her clients. So, the novel traces Sophie's journey from figuring out what is causing her problem, to taking steps to get rid of it. I tried to make it somewhat humorous though, so it's not all dark! Bloggers and reviewers have called it entertaining and engaging. Since Sophie is a criminal appeals attorney (as was I for many years), the novel also provides a portrait of the New York criminal justice system, and what it's like to be a public defender, working on behalf of indigent defendants.

Swallow won several awards, as I mentioned above, including gold medals in the 2010 Independent Publisher Book Awards and the 2010 Living Now Book Awards. It was also a finalist in the ForeWord Book of the Year Awards and the National Indie Excellence Awards. It's received many very good reviews, and was recommended on Vanity Fair.com by VF contributing editor, James Wolcott.

Although it's about a specific disorder, I think many people can relate to the anxieties and self-esteem issues Sophie suffers from, and will find the psychological and lawyerly aspects of the novel educational and entertaining.

4) How do you edit your books? Do you have help?

Well, with my first book, I had an agent. She wasn't able to find a publisher for me, but was very supportive of my desire to self-publish. The book had gone through several revisions under her. I had also edited heavily based on suggestions teachers and fellow students in my writing workshops had given me (I took about three novel-writing workshops total, where the whole book was critiqued). That was how I edited the first book. With the second, which I am writing now, I will probably seek the advice of my writer friends. I may hire an editor if I feel the need (and have the money). 

5) Where are your books available?)

In ebook form, Swallow is available at:

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/12099

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Swallow-ebook/dp/B0032FNZZC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1288719779&sr=8-2

Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Swallow/Tonya-Plank/e/2940000906439/?pt=BK&stage=bookproduct&pwb=2

Sony: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/tonya-plank/swallow/_/R-400000000000000249700

Kobo: http://kobobooks.com/ebook/Swallow/book-g5JxGlKDKEmLmGUgdxq5Sg/page1.html

Diesel: http://www.diesel-ebooks.com/cgi-bin/item/9781452439037/Swallow-eBook.html

And in the iBookstore on the iPad.

6) What have your reviews been like so far?

Most reviews have been very positive; a couple have been critical but the reviewer still seemed engaged with the book and its themes, which is what's important to me. I've received many reviews, mostly from bloggers, and I've listed most of them on my website, here: http://tonyaplank.com/reviews

In particular, here is a full link to one of my favorites, by the Review Broads: http://www.thereviewbroads.com/2010/08/book-reviews-swallow.html

7) What do you deal with at your blog/website?

On my website, I have links to my book, the reviews, the awards I've received and the interviews I've given. But on my blog, which is titled Swan Lake Samba Girl, I mainly write about dance and arts events in New York. I used to be a ballroom dancer (I still sometimes dance, but it's become too expensive to do regularly), and so my blog was originally about my experiences ballroom dancing. It's since expanded to include all forms of dance, and anything else I find interesting - books, art gallery openings, etc. It's actually received some good press - from James Wolcott at Vanity Fair, and it was written about in the Wall Street Journal, and was mentioned on CNN.com.

8) Have you found reader discussion groups for your genre?

Well, my book is really general fiction, or literary fiction. The closest genre it fits into would be legal mysteries, since so much of it is about the practice of law, and there is the mystery of the disorder itself. I have found some discussion groups of that genre, mainly on Amazon and on Mobileread.com.

9) Would you like to review your favorite Smashwords writer?

I'm currently reading Waiting For Spring, by R.J. Keller, and am really loving it. It's a literary novel that's very realistic, very character-driven, and beautifully written. The author has a way of bringing you into the lives of her characters, making you feel like you're experiencing the action with them. For lighter, reading, I like J.L. Penn who writes sweet, funny chicklit.  

10) What are you working on now?

Right now I'm working on a novel about a group of young people who all witness a shooting from various perspectives. It will be a courtroom / urban drama.

Now hear this: her award-winning book is only 99 cents at Smashwords.com. It's Not Yet Rated. Come on, let's help this dynamic writer get her groove on. Download and enjoy a great read, and write a good review and post it, and then go to sleep smiling, knowing you've done your good deed for the day.

John Dufresne in Writer's Digest

From John Dufresne's blog:     http://www.johndufresne.com/blog/

No. 16: The Need to Read“Don’t disregard this rule, but don’t let it limit you, either—because it’s not enough to read what you like to write. A writer has to read everything from Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations to the backs of cereal boxes. The writer’s problem, and his opportunity, his obligation, is to know the world. Imaginative writing is a craft that favors the diligent and informed over the inspired and indifferent. You need to know the world, and you also need to develop your craftsmanship. The best teachers of fiction, for example, are the great works of fiction themselves. You may learn more about the structure of a short story by reading Chekhov’s “Heartache” than you could in a semester of Creative Writing 101."
—John Dufresne, “10 Experts Take on the Writer’s Rulebook,” September 2010 (click here to check the rest of the issue out)
http://blog.writersdigest.com/promptly/A+Writer+Has+To+Read+Everything+From+Wittgensteins+Philosophical+Investigations+To+The+Backs+Of+Cereal+Boxes.aspx

There's a great discussion going on at Jason McIntyre's blog. Indie writers should weigh in.
http://thefarthestreaches.blogspot.com/

Also, several Smashwords authors whose Features are pending got good press at Indie Mega Seller and blogger extraordinaire Joe Konrath at http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2010/11/with-little-help.html
I pity the fool who doesn't read his blog! dead man walking!

If you want to sell books, read Konrath. If you want to talk about what happens when you don't sell, check out Jason.  If you want to argue with me, you have to buy the beer.