Don't Worry Lance. You're Not Alone. Meet Zephyr Hopkins.

Okay. Confession time.

Hold on to your hats. This is a big one: I didn’t watch the Oprah interview with Lance Armstrong. Nope. Not a second of it. To be honest, I don’t remember what I was doing at the time.

So, what’s the deal, Jesse? Don’t you care about Lance Armstrong and what he did? Yes, I suppose I do. But I still had no interest in watching it.



I understand how much of an impact the scandal of his usage of performance enhancing drugs is to the cycling world. I understand how much those who finished second behind him—who rightfully should have won—feel slighted. I also understand the certain amount of relief that comes with unloading the truth.

How is it that I have such an understanding? Well, I guess I could say I’ve lived it to some extent. You see, a while back, I found myself in a situation where I had constructed a pretty complex web of deceit designed to create the illusion that our family finances were fine; in reality a few difficult years in sales had really taken their toll. But, even though I may not be the most masculine person in the world, I have more than my fair share of insane male pride. And I followed that male pride into the depths of what many have dubbed “financial infidelity,” a situation where one spouse hides certain financial misdeeds from the other.

What followed the rather spectacular eruption of the truth was a long period of reconciliation, some therapy, and the first steps towards rebuilding trust. It’s been a long road, but we keep heading towards better days, and for that I am grateful both to my wife, and ultimately to God.

So yeah, I guess I had no desire to sit around and relive those painful moments of the “disclosure of sin.” It can be hard to watch, hard to listen to, and believe you me, it’s extraordinarily painful to be on the talking end.

When this whole situation blows over, and we all return to our lives—perhaps we already have—I’d like to think there’s hope for our buddy Lance. His life’s not over. He has many years left to rebuild himself, rebuild his image, rebuild his reputation, and rebuild his legacy.

***

During the weeks after everything I had done was revealed, as a part of my self-imposed therapy, I decided to write something about it. When I first sat down at the computer, I had no idea what form it would take. Would it be a story, an essay, a blog post? I had no idea.



Initially the words and ideas wouldn’t come, and I was afraid the wound was a bit to raw to revisit my dismaying lapses in judgment. The next day, however, I was driving to visit some customers a few hours away, and I had an epiphany. I’m not going to tell you what it was, because it would ruin the story quite a bit. Suffice it to say, when I took a break for lunch, I whipped out my laptop and began writing. By the time I had stuffed a Panera sandwich in my mouth and washed it down with some iced tea, I had written almost 3,000 words. The entire three-hour drive home, I recited dialogue to myself, trying to make it sound realistic. Within a week, the story had grown to 15,000 words, which, incidentally, made it one of the longest pieces I had ever written (besides my dissertation, and no one is ever going read that thing).

I loved the story. The crises in the plot line bordered on insane, but there was an air of truth to it.

Then the story sat for four months. I just wasn’t sure what to do with it.

A few months letter, I let a few people read it, and they loved it.

Then I let it sit for an even longer time.

In December of 2012, I decided to pick it up again, dust it off, and really get it ready for publication. Thanks to a few wonderful friends and their honest opinions, I added another 7,000 words to it, tightened up the story, and ramped up the emotional impact.

And thus was born—well, more like conjured in a literary sense—Zephyr Hopkins. Am I Zephyr? No, that dude is a hot mess of epic proportions. We’re talking Greek Tragedy here. Was my situation similar? Not at all. I am thrilled that my situation was nowhere near as desperate as his.

All that being said, my heart breaks for Zephyr every time I think about him, because no matter how far I remove myself from his brand of trouble…

…Zephyr still lurks in the shadows of my heart.

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Buy The Perdition of Zephyr Hopkins now for $0.99 at:

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Excerpt from The Perdition of Zephyr Hopkins

Here is a short excerpt of The Perdition of Zephyr Hopkins. It is now available at the following eBook retailers for $0.99.

• Amazon.com (US) 
• Amazon.ca (CAN) 
• Amazon.co.uk (UK) 
• Barnes & Noble

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- 1 -

JUDGMENT DAY

2:01 PM

Zephyr Hopkins, cursed with that name since moments after his birth, inhaled until he felt his chest would burst. Vehicles of all shapes, sizes, and colors—and perhaps even creeds—whizzed through the busy intersection. Zephyr’s gaze drilled with meditative focus on the orange stick figure encased behind a wire mesh, warning anyone who might consider jaywalking with an incandescent glow. A single tear forced itself from the corner of his eye, and scalded as it trickled down his cheek, changing course every time it encountered another whisker.

Across the street, the “DON’T WALK” figure disappeared in deference to his next door neighbor: the cheery, backlit-by-white-light “WALK” figure, depicted mid-stride in a happy-go-lucky stroll. An impatient glut of humanity flowed around him, plunging him into the crosswalk. A few less-than-friendly nudges and a disgruntled “Hey buddy” attempted to pull him from his trance, but Zephyr Hopkins was astray in a turbulent whirlpool of echoes of the past few months.

…it’s nothing personal…

…come as quickly as you can…

…don’t be mad…

…lay it all out for her…

Wispy strands of thin, jet-black hair fell over his forehead and in front of his eyes. He brushed it away with a quivering hand as his right foot ventured a few inches forward.

Or a few feet.

Or a few miles.

It was becoming so difficult to tell.

The familiar chime that announced the end of the “WALK” signal blared its clarion call from all four corners of the intersection of Fifth and Main, jolting Zephyr back from his oddly peaceful oblivion and into his heartrending circumstances. He surveyed the scene in the span of a fraction of a second. All four directions of traffic halted while the all-way red light insured everyone was out of the intersection.

So many cars full of so many people. A mother fidgeted with her smart phone while tapping her fingers on the steering wheel, ignoring her gaggle of children with the deftness of an experienced soccer-mom. A middle-aged man in a sharp tan suit and expensive-looking sunglasses checked himself in his mirror before taking both hands off the wheel to smack some sense into an unruly patch of hair above his left ear. An early-twenty-something leaned over to kiss his girlfriend, perhaps lingering a bit longer than public propriety would normally dictate.

- 2 -

PERDITION, DAY 1

10:43 AM

“Zeph, can I see you in my office, please?”

Zephyr peered across the sea of cubicles and saw Collin Nordstrom motioning in that hey-buddy-but-I’m-not-really-your-buddy method he had become so efficient at oozing. The general rule that a company’s best salesman usually makes the company’s worst sales manager was not wasted at Xoreon, manufacturer of the highest quality digital x-ray machines. Collin had managed to win Salesperson of the Year eight of the last nine years, and lost in 2008 for no other reason than four months of scattered absences while his wife battled breast cancer like some fierce hospital-smock-wearing warrior princess. Everyone had been happy to chip in and cover Collin’s territory, less because they liked Collin, but more because they adored his wife Carla.

When the position of National Sales Director became available, it was a foregone conclusion that Collin would be offered the position, and he would subsequently decline. Much to the amazement of the entire sales team, despite Collin’s protests that he would never join the management team, he snatched up the offer with lightning speed and assumed his new role in his new digs. He traded his humdrum cubicle for a real office with a real door that actually closed. He installed mini-blinds on the floor-to-ceiling windows on the interior wall of his office, and frequently kept them closed.

Zephyr stood up and acknowledged Collin with a nod. A fastidious note-taker, he grabbed his pen and legal pad. He slid his uncomfortable black office chair—carefully crafted in some impoverished Asian nation from particle board, low density foam, and scratchy tweed-like fabric—under his desk and strode deliberately toward Collin’s office.

Annual performance review time. Everyone knew it, and everyone expected to be called into Collin’s office for his inaugural round of reviews. For the most part, Collin and Zephyr had always been on cordial terms; however, since his promotion, tensions bubbled to the surface when Collin criticized Zephyr’s peculiar brand of fussiness over the minutest details. “Lighten up,” he’d say, forcing Zephyr to stifle an untoward retort.

Zephyr stepped over the threshold, and Collin motioned for him to take a seat. The strangely suggestive, curvaceous edge of the desk had an unnerving effect on Zephyr, forcing him to struggle to discover a position that would allow him to sit and write in relative comfort. After a few rounds of pushing and scooting and sliding and nudging, Zephyr found the sweet spot and readied himself for a slew of useless tips for improvement in the coming year.

Collin flashed a wan smile. “Zeph, would you mind closing the door?”

Irritated that he would have to repeat the comfort-seeking ritual again, he sighed sharply. He arose and pushed the door shut with no particular urgency. He returned to his seat and fidgeted until he could sit and write while sacrificing neither comfort nor efficiency.

“Zeph, I don’t think you’ll need to take notes during this meeting. It’s going to be pretty brief.”

Well, now that’s merciful. Maybe he’s finally realized if he just leaves me alone to do my job instead of offering his occasional vapid sales-motivation platitudes, next year will be even better than this year.

Zephyr sat back in his chair, distressed by the absence of activity for his hands. Deciding that folding them in his lap was the most reasonable placement, he interlocked his fingers loosely, locked eyes with Collin, and expended minimal effort to feign a warm smile.

Collin looked away and fixed his eyes on a blank spot on the wall. “I don’t really know how to tell you this. So, I’ll just come out and say it. I’m afraid your position here is no longer available.”

Silence.

Within the deepest recesses of Zephyr’s mind, his internal time-keeper short-circuited. Milliseconds dragged on for hours, minutes for seconds, then seconds for years. An impossible feeling of slippage commandeered his senses as the room spun in sporadic, random jerks and tilts. He watched as Collin appeared to be praying, eyes closed tight enough to crinkle the crow’s feet that framed his eyes. However, when he watched Collin slowly lift his eyelids, he realized that everything was moving in extreme slow-motion, and he was merely catching the tail end of a blink.

After hours—or seconds or years, who knew?—time seemed to right itself and Zephyr’s jaw unlocked. Little better than a whisper, he managed to blurt out a few words.

“What? I don’t—I mean—what?!”

“Well, as I’m sure you are aware, your performance has suffered a bit since you made the decision to take occasional leave to attend to your mother. I was very clear that I expected you to perform up to expectations in spite of those interruptions.”

Confusion twisted Zephyr’s features. “I’m not sure what you mean. I met my quota for the year. How is that not performing up to expectations?”

“While it is true that you met your quota, you were the only team member that didn’t exceed it by more than twenty percent. Obviously the market is booming, and simply performing to the minimum acceptable level is, as of right now, unacceptable.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.” His voice picked up a few decibels along the way and beads of sweat formed along Zephyr’s crooked hairline. “How can performing at an acceptable level be unacceptable? Isn’t that, by definition, acceptable?” Zephyr looked from side to side, half-expecting to see all of his co-workers hiding in the office, ready to burst out laughing at what he could only assume was a vicious, mean-spirited prank. “What’s going on here?”

“I’m sorry, but what’s done is done. You will be expected to have your desk cleaned out by the end of the day, although under the circumstances, I’d say sooner is better. Oh, and please turn in your corporate credit card to accounting. Jackie in HR will also have some paperwork for you.”

Zephyr shook his head, ramping up the velocity from purposeful movement to wild, chaotic oscillations. He broke free from the dizzying motion and snapped his head up. “Now wait a minute. You remember when Carla had cancer and you took all that time off? We all pitched in to help you. Don’t you remember that I won you the big account in The Research Triangle? How could you even think of doing this to me?”

“I recognize all that everyone did for me during that incredibly difficult time, but those were very unique circumstances. Caring for elderly parents is not something that qualifies, at least in my book, as a reason to take so much time off work.”

A special blend of hatred, vexation, and an overload of caffeine erupted into physical action. Zephyr charged across the desk, grabbed Collin’s tie, and yanked it forward. Immediately realizing he had made the treacherous march across the Rubicon, Zephyr resolved not to make this desperate situation a waste of time. “Now you listen here, you mealy-mouthed, sorry excuse for a human being. If we hadn’t helped you out during that time, you wouldn’t even be in the position to fire me. You better count your lucky stars that, one, I’m not a violent person, and two, I’m not vindictive, or right after I’d smashed your face into this desk I would pick up the phone and let Carla know about your ‘special friend’ in Detroit.”

Satisfied that he had not only sealed his fate in an air-tight tomb, but had also scared the living daylights out of his now former boss, he scrutinized Collin’s face for any hint of dread. The corners of Collin’s mouth rose with unhurried intention, waltzing towards his cheekbones. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re trying to somehow leverage that knowledge against me. Well, as it happens, I’ve got some bad news for you. I told Carla about Dayna over a year ago and we’re working through it. So, as I see it, you don’t have any cards left to play now, do you?”

Blood and rage surged through Zephyr’s veins and set his cheeks on fire. His fingernails dug into the palms of his hands, punching through the surface layers of skins and drawing tiny crescents of blood on the otherwise pale canvas. He stood statue-still for a few seconds, contemplating screaming, punching, kicking, and crying, but decided against all of the above. He straightened his back, unclenched his fists, composed himself, and opened the door to make a semi-graceful egress.

Collin spoke up, assuming his hold-on-to-your-hat-because-I’m-about-to-teach-you-something-really­-important timber. “Oh, Zeph. Seriously, it’s nothing personal, man. It’s just business.”

Everyone in the general office area took notice as Zephyr slammed the door behind him with force enough to rattle the windows of Collin’s office.

---

The Perdition of Zephyr Hopkins is now available at the following retailers for $0.99.

• Amazon.com (US) 
• Amazon.ca (CAN) 
• Amazon.co.uk (UK) 
• Barnes & Noble

HOLY COW! I forgot to mention...

I've been so blasted busy these past few weeks that I completely forgot to mention (on this blog, at least) that I have a new short story released from Untreed Reads entitled Rumspringa.

Here is the blurb, in case you are interested:


Excessive drinking. Chain-smoking. Methamphetamine addiction.

Such is the life of Wilma Burrows, a woman whose lifetime has been marred by an inexplicable string of bad decisions. Scarred and shattered, she tries to manage each day as it comes, desperate to keep herself from plunging into the abyss, but the demons are always a few short steps behind her.

Sixteen years ago, one of her many indiscretions resulted in the birth of pure and untainted innocence. But that shining glimmer of decency was whisked away, only to fade away as a distant memory.

But some days, even the most faded memories have a way of reemerging in unexpected ways.

And for Wilma, that day is today.


You can also find it at Amazon, B&N and all your other favorite eBook retailers!

Writing Process Interview #4: A sit-down interview with MYSELF

Since the release of my new eBook short story, "Collisions", just took place less than two weeks ago, I thought it might be fun to "interview myself".  And since we are in the "writing process" phase of my interview series "Inspiration to Publication", I'm going to take some of the questions I've posed to other authors and direct them in the introspection-direction.  I think this will be fun...I hope you think so too!

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The Accidental Author:  The release of "Collisions" marks your fourth release in the last year with Untreed Reads.  Is this work similar to some of your other releases, or does it mark a departure?

Jesse S. Greever:  Can I cop out and say a little of both?  I think I've stated before that I find myself exploring the human relationship in my works of fiction, and at times I border on the romance genre, which, ironically, I don't particularly enjoy reading.  However, I think my work tends to transcend the standard romance formula and focus more intensely on the dynamics of relationship between men and women (something I find particularly fascinating in real life).  So, in one respect, this work does reflect some similarities with my other works (particularly "A Summer Wedding" and "5").  However, I think that in terms of the writing itself, it represents a leap in literary style.  I branch out and use some nonstandard "devices" in the writing of this story, including using an inanimate object (the radio in the restaurant) as a character in the story.  And, the ending is a significant departure from my other works.

AA:  You really are a fascinating person.  What inspired you to write this story?

JSG:  Why thank you.  You are an equally fascinating person yourself!  But I digress.  Music is my main inspiration.  I find myself drawn into songs that I like, and in many cases, I either find the "mood" of a song can compel me to write a story.  In this case, during a drive from Tallahassee to New Port Richey, Florida, I heard the song "Owner of a Lonely Heart" by YES, and I realized that I had never really listened to the lyrics closely.  I was almost tortured by the meaning behind the song, as it is a play on the traditional quip about it being better to love and lose than to never love at all.  When I got to my hotel room that night, I spent about four hours polishing off the first draft, and within a week, I had revised the draft to a point where I was ready to submit it to Untreed Reads.


AA:  Speaking of your writing process, do you find yourself more compelled by characters, or the story/plot itself?

JSG:  For me, the plot is TOTALLY the thing.  When I think of an idea for a story, I generally think of it with generic characters in my head.  The plot is what compels me to write a story.  Only when I sit down to commit it to paper do I think about what kind of characters will fit into the story.  In fact, many times I struggle with the characters, and it may take me a considerable amount of time to "flesh out" characters that don't feel like they were "force fitted" into the story.


AA:  Once your characters are written, do you find that the strength of their personalities can alter the course of the story?

JSG:  Almost never.  As I said, the story is it for me.  If I find a character that isn't fitting in the story line, I will either alter him or her or delete them altogether.  I want the plot to be kept intact.  One notable exception is "5", where I found the ending completely different than what I originally had in mind, due to the relationship forged between the story's main characters.

AA:  For you, what was the most difficult part of writing "Collisions"?

JSG:  That's a great question!  How did you know to ask such an insightful query?  Well, actually, there were two things that literally held up the publication for months.  First, the ending had to be tweaked in order for it to be unambiguous.  Second, and most vexing, was the title.  Yeah, that's right, the title.  When I first wrote it, the working title was "13".  However, Jay Hartman, editor extraordinaire, was quick to point out that "13" was not a terribly marketable title (as is evidenced by the disappointing sales of my earlier story "5").  So, for almost two months, we volleyed potential titles back and forth that ranged from "not too bad" to "sublimely ridiculous".  Finally, as I was sitting in a hotel room in San Francisco, I resolved to solve the title crisis.  I sat with the old fashioned pad and pen, and wrote a paragraph synopsis of the story.  Then, I shortened it to a single sentence.  Then I shortened the sentence to a five word phrase.  And then, one word jumped out at me that encapsulates all the action in the story:  COLLISION.  Based on that, it became clear that the title of the story HAD to be "Collisions".  Jay loved it, and the rest, shall we say, is history.

AA:  What types of things do you have to have when you sit down to write?

JSG:  I actually require auditory distractions.  If it isn't music playing, then I have to have the television on in the background.  Silence causes my mind to wander, and if there is something rather innocuous to engage the rebellious wandered in my mind, then I am usually free to write.


AA:  You've already said that you don't really like to read the same things that you write.  What are you reading right now?

JSG:  I'm currently reading the second in the Young Adult Repairman Jack series (entitled Jack: Secret Circles) by F. Paul Wilson.  The Repairman Jack series is one of the greatest action/adventure/supernatural thriller series I've ever read, and the Young Adult series is no exception.  I find Wilson's pacing to be near perfect.  I can usually devour one of his books in two or three sittings, but with a newborn at home, I'm finding it increasingly difficult to read with any consistency.


AA:  What are you working on right now?

JSG:  Well, about a million things.  Aside from a very busy day-job and a newborn at home, I'm working on three separate projects for Untreed Reads.  The first is a series of novellas that I would put squarely in the supernatural thriller genre.  That's all I can say at this point, but keep an eye out for more news on this blog.  Second is a full-length novel inspired by the weird spontaneous bird-kills a few months ago in Arkansas.  Finally, I have another short story that is definitely a departure from my other short works of fiction that I'm about to finish that explores the concept of inevitability and destiny.  All of them I'm pretty darned excited about.


AA:  Finally, if you had one piece of advice for the aspiring author out there who is looking to transition from "writing for fun" and "writing for fun and profit", what would it be?

JSG:  Never transition from "writing for fun" to "writing for profit".  Always, always, always maintain the "fun" portion of it.  I've started out writing stories, and after a certain point, they stopped being fun.  You know what I do then?  I stop working on them, at least for a period, and move on to something else.  If you aren't having fun writing them in the early stages, then the audience will be able to tell quite easily.  That is not to say that all stages of the process have to be "fun".  I don't find proofreading particularly enjoyable, but it is a necessity.  My point is that when you are in the initial, highly creative stages of the process, it should ALWAYS be a pleasure to write.  If not, put that story away for a while and work on something else.  Once you've written the story that has been a true pleasure to write from beginning to end, THEN you've got something worth submitting.

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Jesse S. Greever IS The Accidental Author.  He hails from the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, sells lasers for a living and writes for fun and profit.  He has a wife and two daughters, one who is "hot off the presses".  He has published four digital short stories through Untreed Reads, and you can find them at the Untreed Reads Store, as well as Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Sony eBookstore, and many other major eBook retailers.

"Collisions" is ALMOST HERE!

My newest eBook short story, "Collisions", is in the home stretch.  We finished proofreading yesterday, and it should be out within a week.

Want to see a promotional video for it?  Of COURSE you do!  Go HERE and check out a video that I put together to promote "Collisions".  It is decidedly low-fi, but the music is wonderful (composed by the amazing Seth Boggess, short film director and composer).

If you have a blog, share the link to the video.  If you are on FaceBook, share the link.  If you are on Twitter, share the link.  If you are on a street corner, share the link.  Oh, yeah.  Here's the link:  http://bit.ly/ijRFCh

Process Interview #1: Untreed Reads Author Andy Frankham-Allen

Welcome back to the "Inspiration to Publication" series of interviews.  Now that the first quarter of the year is almost over, I've decided it's time to shove off the shore of the inspiration interviews (and we've had some GREAT ones...if you haven't checked them out, you need to go back and look at them) and tread into the waters of "the writing process".  And to kick off this new phase of the "Inspiration to Publication" series, I've asked Andy Frankham-Allen, author of numerous eBooks through Untreed Reads (among others) to step up the microphone and answer some of The Accidental Author's questions.  Andy sheds some light on his process and talks specifically about his new release, the first book of a four-book series.

Welcome...Andy Frankham-Allen!

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The Accidental Author: Well, it's time to shift gears in my yearlong series of interviews, entitled “Inspiration to Publication”. I've spent the first quarter of the year covering the inspiration behind various authors' works, but now I'd like to focus on the actual process of writing. Andy, you just recently released the first in your four part series The Garden, entitled Seeker, and in addition, you've released a short-story prelude to the series entitled "Serere". Let's talk about that a bit. Once you have the seed of your idea, what is the first step you take in undertaking the task of writing your novel?

Andy Frankham-Allen: Coming up with a decent working title. Sometimes it survives, sometimes it does not. I’m one of these people who need titles and names before I can truly progress with the story, and will often be stumped for hours while I try to find the right title and name. For me, at the start the title is about giving me direction. A single word or phrase that conveys my intention with the story.

AA: In constructing the story arc for your book, Seeker, did you use any of the standard techniques like “mind-mapping” or generating an outline, or did you simply start writing in a more “shotgun approach”?

AFA: I’m not a synopsis kind of guy, although I do appreciate the necessity of such things. When I’m working for myself I tend to just write ‘off the cuff’. I have the core idea, I know the general direction, and then I just sit down and write. As the story progresses though I’ll start to take notes, and makes plans. It’s only after the first draft is complete that I really start to do intense research and start making more concrete plans, because by that point the story is all there before me.

AA: When you devise the main characters in your plot, such as Willem, do you set down a strict character outline, or do you let him evolve organically throughout the writing process?

AFA: All my characters evolve in the writing. I lay down a few basics for them; appearance, age, general stuff. Much like the story initially, I tend not to tie anything down too much. If a character is true, they will evolve on their own, to the point where it is they who are determining how the story will be told.

AA: What drives your writing process more: the characters or the story arc? In other words, do you find the strength of the characters molding the plot to their will, or do you find the plot bending the characters?

AFA: Everything is slave to the character. Well, okay, not strictly true. But all my stories tend to be character led. As I said, I’ll have the idea for the story, work out the plot as I go along, but allow the characters to propel the actual story forward. For it is in the characters where the real story lies. It’s like with The Garden, I know where each volume ends, and roughly how I’m going to get to each ending, but it won’t be until I write the books, and the characters lead the way, that I’ll discover exactly how I’ll reach each of those endings. Each characters needs to be at a certain point, say, by the end of book two, but the journey they take to get there is mostly down to them.

AA: Do you have a concrete schedule for writing, or do you just write when the mood strikes you?

AFA: I try to put aside time each day to write, especially when I’m working to a deadline, as with the current project. But I’m not a sit-down-and-just-write kind of guy. I have to get in the zone. Sure, I can sit down and just write if I absolutely need to, and have done, but I find the end product not as satisfying to me. So I’ll keep on researching, doing things that relate in some way to the project, until I find myself in the zone. And when that happens… well, I can literally zip through 10,000 words in a day quite easily. Which is why I don’t worry too much about deadlines. I always meet them.

AA: In terms of the prelude to the series, Serere, did you write it before, after or concurrently to Seeker? Why that order?

AFA: After. Serere didn’t exist at all until about two months ago, and was never in the big plan of The Garden. It all came about because I wanted to get Untreed Reads (the electronic publisher who handled the eBook version of Seeker) involved in the launch. As a print book, the launch of Seeker was primarily focused on that, since people like to see an end product, something to buy, to have signed, and carry home. Hard to do that with eBooks. But the team at UR had done a fair bit of work on Seeker, too, so I suggested to Jay that I write for them an exclusive eBook prelude to the entire ‘Garden Saga’, which I could then offer free vouchers for at the launch. The fun thing about Serere though, is because it deals with some key moments previously mentioned in Seeker I was able to explore them more fully. Which in turn led to a better understanding of said events, which had the knock-on effect of me altering certain elements in Seeker. Like Red Source, this came completely from a small scene in Serere, and is now a key thing in Seeker and will play out much more in the following books.

AA: Is the entire story arc of the four part series laid out, or does it still have some “growing room”?

AFA: Definitely not laid out in any great detail. I have notes of key events that need to happen, I know exactly how each book ends, and generally how the characters get to each point. But nothing too detailed. A lot of the plotting with come about in the writing, and I don’t want to tie myself down too much at this point, since the next three books will be written over the next three years, which in terms of writing is a lot of time for growth both in my technical abilities, and in the ideas that life generates for me. All that said, however, book two is planned out in some detail, mostly because I started working on that towards the end of last year, and have already written the first five chapters. One character, at least, will not make it to the end of that one. And many readers will be upset by this. Which is… good.

AA: Besides a computer (assuming you're not banging these manuscripts out on an IBM Selectric or a fifty-pound typewriter), what do you have in your writing space?

AFA: Books! Although not as many as I’d like, since a lot of my stuff is still boxed away as I’m currently between homes. But I do have a few books around me, CDs, and DVDs. Eventually I’ll have everything I need around me, but right now I make do. And with the net, research material is quite easy to come by.

AA: Do you need silence or music while you write?

AFA: Always music. I’m a very musically minded person (can’t play anything but a guitar, and that not very well since I stopped learning when I was a kid), and always have music on no matter what I’m doing. I even fall asleep to music. It inspires me a lot, puts me in the right kind of mindset, and just generally keeps me invigorated.

Indeed, such is my connection with music when writing, then I recently happened along a singer called Sam Tsui, and while doing the final rewrites on Seeker I heard Sam's new single, 'Start Again', and it contained lyrics that fitted perfectly with the end of the book. Sam, and his producer, kindly gave me permission to use those lyrics in the actual book. I suspect with the rest of the series I will also find a musical link in one way or another.

 

AA: Now, some more standard fare in terms of questions: What types of things do you like to read? What are you reading right now?

AFA: I try to read stuff that is against type every now and then. Although that doesn’t always work out too well, since I’m very picky about reading well-written works, and unfortunately there is a lot of badly written stuff out there. Especially now. Genres I tend to gravitate towards, though, include thrillers, supernatural, horror, crime, mysteries, real world dramas, and the odd bit of sci-fi. As for right at this moment; I’m reading Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and am discovering I don’t know the story as well as I thought. I’m also realizing that I absolutely adore her prose style, and that is inspiring me in my current project which is set in a similar time period.

AA: What are you working on right now? Part Two of The Garden series, or something else?

AFA: I shan’t get on to book two of ‘The Garden’ until around July, since right now I’m heavily involved in working on Untreed Read’s forthcoming steampunk series, Space 1889 & Beyond. And it’s proving quite a challenge. I’m learning all kinds of new things every day as I research and write the opening novel, and the authors of the series are constantly throwing new concepts and ideas my way. You see, not only am I writing the opening novel, but I’m the line editor for the series, so I’m involved in every tale that’s being written for the series. It’s quite a hefty amount of work, and very time consuming, which is why I won’t be getting to ‘The Garden’ until after 1889 is launched in June.

AA: When it comes to writing a series, are you ever overwhelmed by the enormity of the task you've set out on?

AFA: Yes! All the time. But such a feeling soon passes when I just knuckle down and get on with it. I get the same daunting feeling over Space 1889 & Beyond as I do with ‘The Garden’, as both are quite epic series to orchestrate. More so with 1889 as it is, ultimately, still someone else’s baby and I’m the foster parent who’s been given this awesome responsibility.

AA: Finally, if you had any piece of advice for the author that is trying to make the transition from “writing for fun” to “writing for fun and profit (such as it is)”, what piece of advice would you bestow upon them?

AFA: Just do it! I know so many people who want to write, and faff around with doing this and that but never really getting down to it. And as I always say to them, ‘don’t just sit there talking about wanting to do it, just do it’. Truth is you’re never going to know if this is truly for you unless you get on with it. Trust me, if you weren’t born to write for a living, you’ll soon work it out.

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Welsh-born Andy Frankham-Allen has authored many short stories, some for Big Finish’s Doctor Who anthologies, and many more for Untreed Reads’ horror collection. He’s also authored novellas of all genres, and ONE audio drama; Seeker is his first full-length novel. It is the first in a series of four books, a new take on vampire mythology as well as a series about sexual identity and free will vs. predestination. When not writing, he’s Commissioning Editor and Creative Consultant for Untreed Reads’ Space 1889 & Beyond e-book series (and even then he wrote the opening story, and will no doubt write some more along the way – he just can’t help himself!).

Be on the lookout for my new release!

April is just around the corner, and that means that my newest eBook Short Story will be released in just a few short weeks.  A story of a young man who is challenged to emerge from his isolationism by a captivating young woman, "Collisions" is a story of unexpected infatuation, transformation and breakfast.

Check out the promotional video I put together here, and keep your eye on this blog...when I have the official release date, you'll be the first to know!

Here is the link to the video.

Interview with Untreed Reads Author Lesley A. Diehl

This week's author interview is with Lesley A. Diehl, a mystery author that hails from both New York and Florida (although not at the same time).  Her recently published book, A Deadly Draught, is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Indiebound.  More recently, her story, "Murder with All the Trimmings" was published by Untreed Reads as a part of the Thanksgiving Mystery Anthology, The Killer Wore Cranberry.  Please welcome to The Accidental Author, Lesley A. Diehl.

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The Accidental Author:  First of all, I would like to thank you for taking the time to answer some questions for the blog.  Okay, now on with the interrogation.  I see from your website that you were a professor of psychology.  How do you feel that your previous career helped you in your writing? 

Lesley Diehl:  I was a lifespan or developmental psychologist, so I always write about the journey of life taken by my protagonist.  The reader gets to see part of that journey, and it is all about change.  I’ve always said murder is merely a catalyst in my work, a horrible event that propels the heroine to do something she might have done at another time in her life, but murder forces her to undertake that now.  In my newest book Dumpster Dying, Emily Rhodes is a retired preschool teacher, tiny in stature, dependent in personality, but she finds herself when she sets out to help her friend who is accused of murder.  This event comes together with another life changer—the death of her life-partner and loss of her retirement income.

AA:  Have you taken courses for creative writing, or is it something for which you have a natural talent?

LD:  I always liked to write, and I was encouraged by teachers in high school and college, but I went into psychology where my writing underwent a dramatic change from creative to scientific.  When I returned to fiction many years later, I had to reteach myself to write creatively.  I did so by reading, joining professional writers’ groups as well as writing and critique groups.

AA:  Your short story, “Murder with All the Trimmings”, available from Untreed Reads, is a traditional mystery story with some decidedly non-traditional characters.  What was your inspiration for this tale? 

LD:  When one of my oldest friends read the story, she said, quite correctly, that it was a story about my aunt.  My favorite aunt is the woman, Aunt Nozzie, in that story.  She was such a character, that, as anyone’s aunt, she would inspire a story.

AA:  In “Murder with All the Trimmings”, the menu for the meal was decidedly outside of the mainstream.  Having had a great deal of experience with Spam myself, I have to ask:  do you personally enjoy Spam?  If so, how do you like it prepared? 

LD:  I’m not crazy about Spam, but, having said that, let me add that I can and will eat about anything when I think I’m hungry.  I was raised by parents who experienced the depression and taught to eat what was on my plate, so I always think I’m hungry!

AA:  This is a bit of a “chicken or the egg” question, but when you are starting out a story, do you have a tendency to focus primarily on character development or plot? 

LD:  Both.  I seem to get an idea for a character along with the plot.  As I ripen the plot, the character seems to emerge clearly as well.

AA:  About revising and rewriting, have you joined any writing communities online like Zoetrope or Critique Circle?  If so, how valuable have you found them to be?

LD:  I belong to several online groups such as SINC (Sisters in Crime Internet Group) and the Guppies subgroup.  I’ve used them to exchange full manuscripts with another writer or to join one of their groups critiquing a first chapter or chapters.

AA:  Do you let other people (family, friends, co-workers) read your writing for input?  If so, how valuable do you find that input?

LD:  I have a critique partner.  She and I have exchanged work for the past four years, either when I’m in Florida (she lives in Okeechobee) or through the internet when I go back to upstate New York.  She and I cofounded the Okeechobee Writers league.

AA:  Most people who write also have an insatiable appetite for reading.  Is this the case with you?  Do you like to read the same kind of stories that you enjoy writing?  What book(s) are you reading right now? 

LD:  Right now I’m reading Dennis Lehane’s Moonlight Mile.  I just finished Janet Evanovich’s newest.  Burn by Nevada Barr is sitting on my desk and I’m working my way through John Sanford’s books.  I read almost nothing but mysteries although I have a friend who gifts me what she considers “good” literature in an attempt to give me some culture.  I prefer mysteries because I don’t have the patience for stories that don’t move quickly.  I have a lot of reading I want to do, so an author better grab me immediately.

AA:  You seem to have a great love for beer, especially microbrews.  In fact, I see that your novel “A Deadly Draught” centers on the microbrewery community.  Would you say that beer is one of your muses? 

LD:  I have gained great respect for microbrews as I’ve come to learn about them and have gotten to know several brewers well.  I have two muses, however, as I explained on Monday’s Dames of Dialogue.  When I’m in New York, my muse is the ghost who inhabits my 1874 cottage.  I don’t believe in ghosts, but I do believe in Fred who likes to play jokes on me.  My muse in Florida during my winter stay is the alligator who lives in the canal behind my house.

AA:  Speaking of “A Deadly Draught”, this is a traditional paper book.  Now that you have published with Untreed Reads, do you foresee yourself focusing on digital publishing more? 

LD:  I think a writer today would have to be made of concrete not to consider digital publishing.  I’m hoping to send Jay Hartman a book length manuscript as a holiday gift—maybe he’ll publish it!

AA:  If you don’t mind my asking, what types of projects are you currently working on?

LD:  I’m over halfway through my second mystery with Hera Knightsbridge, my microbrewer.  I’m polishing the manuscript for Jay Hartman about a writer whose house is invaded by guardian angels.  I’ve finished a manuscript set in Florida featuring a Yankee who owns a consignment shop catering to the wealthy who were taken by Madoff.  Of course, she discovers one of the matrons dead in her dressing room.  On a more serious note, I’m trying to get back to a manuscript I began several years ago.  It is set in upstate New York.  The protagonist is the mayor of a small village and the owner of an auction house.  Her husband has died and a man from her past reenters her life as a biologist hired to help the community understand coyotes whom they’re convinced are killing their sheep and calves as well as pets.

AA:  If you had one morsel of advice for the aspiring writer out there thinking about transitioning from “writing for fun” to “writing for fun AND profit”, what would that be? 

LD:  Write, write, write.  Get yourself into a good writing group.  Join professional writers’ groups such as Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.  Go to writers conferences and attend their panels.

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Lesley A. Diehl retired from her life as a professor of psychology and reclaimed her country roots by moving to a small cottage in Morris, New York.  In the winter she migrates to old Florida—cowboys, scrub palmetto, and open fields of grazing cattle, a place where spurs still jingle in the post office.  Back north, she devotes her afternoons to writing and, when the sun sets, relaxing on the bank of her trout stream, sipping tea or a local microbrew.

Check out her website HERE and her Blog HERE. 

Interview with Untreed Reads Author: Benson Phillip Lott

This week's guest spot on The Accidental Author is an Interview with Benson Phillip Lott, author of "Pumpkin", a horror short story available through Untreed Reads.  In this interview, he speaks about his writing process, the steps to publishing "Pumpkin", the importance of a relationship with a publisher, and some hints at future works.

Please welcome to the digital podium:  Benson Lott.

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The Accidental Author:  What do you find to be your primary motivation for writing?

Benson Lott:  Before I answer that, let me just say that I’m very excited and grateful to have this opportunity. So thank you. As far as my motivation goes I have two main objectives: to get the ideas out of my head so I don’t go crazy and second to entertain people. I love telling stories.

AA:  Is writing something you do in your “down time” or is it a career aspiration?  If it is something you do in your “down time”, what is your “day job”?

BL:  Right now, I’m pretty lucky. I can write every day for as long as I please. I do have a part time job (working for a moving company), but mostly, my days are spent in Microsoft Word, typing away. This is by no means “just a hobby.” Writing is my life. I am extremely dedicated.

AA:  Did you go to school for creative writing, or is it something for which you have a natural talent?

BL:  I was born into a family of writers. I did not go to school for it. Or, let me put it another way. When I was in school, while everyone else was listening to the teacher talk, I was in the back of the class writing screenplays and short stories. I even created a comic book series called “Life Sucks”, most of which I wrote in detention for being late or not participating in class. Traditional schooling just wasn’t my path.

AA:  Your short story, “Pumpkin”, available from Untreed Reads, is what I would call a paranoid horror story.  What was your inspiration for this tale?

BL:  Mostly my own experience with self-deception/insecurity. The interaction between the main character, Raymond, and the pumpkin is quite similar to how I inwardly converse with myself at times. Everyone has that negative voice that tells them things about ourselves and others that may or may not be true. I just amplified it and gave the voice a face…sort of.

AA:  In terms of your writing process, are you more character-centric or plot-centric?  In other words, do you think of interesting characters and then write situations around them, or do you think of interesting plots, and write characters INTO them?

BL:  Some of my stories are definitely more focused on the plot. I always try to insert interesting characters, but when it comes to writing horror my main concern revolves around the structure and pace. However, that may change as I progress, who knows?

AA:  Describe your journey to the publication of “Pumpkin”.

BL:  “Pumpkin” is flash fiction. My whole purpose for writing it was to see if I could pull off writing a story in two thousands words or less. The first draft took me about forty-five minutes. I submitted the same day to five different places. Untreed Reads was the first to respond (about four days later). The other responses said they liked the idea, but had complaints about its edgy material. Jay Hartman [of Untreed Reads] was, and still is, great. He had some issues with the first draft as well, but in his case, I agreed with what needed to be changed. He’s been superb in assisting me with promoting the story and I hope to work with him again on a different project soon.

AA:  About revising and rewriting: 

• Have you joined any writing communities online like Zoetrope or Critique Circle?  If so, how valuable have you found them to be? 
• Do you let other people (family, friends, co-workers) read your writing for input?  If so, how valuable do you find that input?

BL:  I have a small circle of friends and family members with whom I share my stories. Their input is vital. What’s most important is that they’re honest with me. I do not belong to any writing communities but that doesn’t mean I don’t recommend them.

AA:  How important is it to you to have an ongoing relationship with a publisher like Untreed Reads?  Will you be publishing more stories with them?

BL:  I’ve already written a sequel to "Pumpkin". If Untreed Reads wants it, they are certainly welcome to have it. I’ve been emailing with Jay at least once a week for over a month and a half. I think it’s important to maintain a relationship with a publisher. Christopher Payne, who selected one of my short stories to be part of his anthology, is now a friend of mine on Goodreads. It’s great to know these types of people (authors, editors, publishers alike). And that includes you as well, my friend.

AA:  Most people who write also have an insatiable appetite for reading.  Is this the case with you?  Do you like to read the same kind of stories that you enjoy writing?

BL:  I read just as much, if not more, than I write. And yes, I love horror writers, although my personal favorite is Bret Easton Ellis, who is an enormous inspiration for me. I’m currently reading Lunar Park for what must be the fifth or sixth time.

AA:  Do you prefer writing short stories, or do you aspire to longer works?

BL:  I have so many ideas that to write them all as novels would require that I become someone like Stephen King (seriously, that man defies all logic when it comes to producing these 900 page novels in what seems like a matter of months). However, I have written two full-length manuscripts and I see myself gradually progressing toward a third. I’ve started with short stories in order to build my publishing credentials faster.

AA:  Some people derive a great deal of inspiration from music, while others find inspiration by observing friends, family or complete strangers.  Others have inspiration that arises from their dreams and nightmares.  What is your muse?

BL:  All of that and more. Ideas hit me all the time, stemming from the most random of places (or people or situations). It’s kind of overwhelming actually.

AA:  If you don’t mind my asking, what types of projects are you currently working on?

BL:  Aside from the sequel to "Pumpkin", my first novel is being reviewed by several literary agencies. And as far as what I’m actually writing at this exact moment: I’ve been rewriting a short story from my back of the class/high school days. Yes, it’s a horror. It’s called “Breath of the Midnight Jogger.” I hope to have it finished by the end of the month. Then it’s right on to the next one.

AA:  If you had one morsel of advice for the aspiring writer out there thinking about transitioning from “writing for fun” to “writing for fun AND profit”, what would that be?

BL:  Write. Query. Submit. Write. Query. Submit. Write. Query. Submit. Start at any level you want (non-pay, semi pro, pro). If you’re good enough, (or marketable enough) the right person will find you. Or more likely, you’ll find them.

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Born thirty years ago in Fairbanks, Alaska, Benson Phillip Lott now lives and works in San Rafael, California. His fiction has appeared in Untreed Reads horror/flash fiction line (October 2010), JournalStone's 2010 Anthology "Warped Words For Twisted Minds", Static Movement (April issue of 2009) and his poetry has been published in The Twin Cities Times (2003).