Morgan's Musings
Just my rambling, plus whatever book I've recently read!
Jamie Summer is a native of Germany, where she lives with her husband and son. She's currently working on her next book and wishes there were 48 hours to the day so she could do everything she sets her sights on. PersonalCan you tell us a little about yourself?
My name is Jamie. I’m a German girl that has a deep love for the English language. I’m a writer, blogger, avid reader, coffee and TV show addict and try to be a dancer. What do you do when you’re not writing? I’m either reading, blogging, out for a walk, taking dance classes or generally spending time with friends and family. Do you have a day job as well? Yes. I’m currently on maternity leave but when I’m not taking care of my little man, I’m helping students go on an exchange year abroad. What was your favourite book as a child? I don’t actually remember, to be honest. The first bookish memory I have are the Harry Potter books. When was that point in your life that you realized that being an author was no longer going to be just a dream but a career you were going to turn into reality? It was just very recently. I’ve always written fan fiction with my best friend, but I never thought it was gonna turn into more. When I dreamt about the beginning of Dalysian Hope, even then I only thought I was gonna write the story for myself. And my best friend. She ended up being the one that encouraged me to publish the story. What book do you wish you had written? The Harry Potter books actually. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I wanna be happy with what I’m doing. No matter what that is. I wanna still live where I do now, with my family, and have all my friends and family with me. Writing wise, I just wanna have been able to put out the best work I could. Writing When did you start writing and when did you finish your first book? I started writing Dalysian Hope beginning of 2015 and finished it by mid 2015. Not sure anymore when. It was a rather fast writing circle for me. How did you choose the genre you write in? The genre chose me. The dream was very clear on the age of the people, so I had little choice in the matter. Other than that, for my other books I usually simply let the story guide me. Whichever genre that might be. Where do you get your ideas? I get a lot of my ideas from premade covers I buy. They are amazing when it comes to inspiration. Other than that, I’ve had ideas while out for a walk and while driving. So basically anywhere. Do you ever experience writer’s block? I did, yes. I realized after a little while that the last part I wrote didn’t work and it was making it hard for me to continue. So I deleted that part and started writing again. Definitely worked wonders. Are you a planner or a pantser? Pantser all the way. Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult? Sam Destiny is my biggest influence. In all aspects of writing. She’s the one that got me into writing, she’s the one that encouraged me to make the next step and she’s still the one routing for me when not even I am. Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published? My biggest challenge was being pregnant and having a little one. That put everything on hold for a while. The book was done in fall of 2015, but there were a few issues that I needed to deal with, which is why Dalysian Hope wasn’t published until March this year. The book is where it deserves to be now, which makes me incredibly proud. If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your novel or getting it published that you would change? I think everything is a learning curve. No matter what problems or issues you have in releasing your first book, there will always be something that you can take away from it. So that’s why I wouldn’t necessarily say I’d do anything differently, because it made me appreciate everything now so much more. Have you written a book you love that you have not been able to get published? Nope. I don’t have any skeleton stories in my closet. Everything’s out there. Well, except for my next release. How do you market your work? What avenues have you found to work best for your genre? Networking is the key. Make friends in every part of the business. The shares, the comments, everything you get from them makes your visibility go up. Plus, getting to know all those amazing people is a HUGE plus. I love the people that I’ve had the privilege of meeting through this journey. Can you tell us about your upcoming book? I’ve recently finished the second book in my YA fantasy trilogy, so that will be coming up next. Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination? So far it’s all been my imagination. That’s not to say there aren’t any factors in the stories that are close to real life. What was your favourite chapter (or part) to write and why? I’ve had a favorite part in the second book of my YA fantasy that I loved writing. Simply because I think it will be a huge OMG moment. At least that’s what I’m going for LOL How did you come up with the title? Research and the amazing help of my bestie. Are there certain characters you would like to go back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with? There are so many ideas in my head still, so it’s hard to choose only one. I’m set with writing for the next few years, when it comes to having ideas. Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers? Network with fellow authors, bloggers, anyone. They are gonna be your biggest support, but they will also be able to give you the best advice. Listen to their recommendations when it comes to editors, cover designers, formatters etc. It’s valuable unlike anything else. What does your protagonist think about you? I hope they like me LOL Would he or she want to hang out with you, the author, his creator? I think they would. I’d like to believe that, at least. What has been the toughest criticism you’ve been given as an author? Thankfully, so far it hasn’t been that bad. One of my reviews said that my story dragged one and there were too many mysteries involved, but since that was what I was going for, I kinda took it as a compliment^^ What has been the best compliment? My YA fantasy has been compared to the Hunger Games. Nothing else need to be said. That’s like… wow. Which character speaks the loudest, to you? Do any of them clamour to be heard over the others? I don’t have characters speak to me like they do to other authors. My voices are usually quieter, more in the background. Which doesn’t mean I’m not writing their stories. What sort of Starbuck’s coffee would your characters order? Simple coffee or some complicated soy-non-fat-extra-espresso-half-caff-nightmare? Oh, mine are more the low-maintenance people. So a simply coffee with cream, or a vanilla latte, that sort of thing. What sort of writing environment do you create? I.e. music or not? Pen and paper or laptop/PC? Music for sure and my mac. I usually type on my Mac, but there’s one story I started writing with pen and paper. I prefer typing, though. Is there a certain type of scene that is harder to write than other? Racy? Love? Action? I haven’t written any actual love scene, and I’m terrified of those. Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans? That I love them dearly. I know that’s such a cliche to say that, but it’s the simple truth. Having readers message me and telling me how much they loved my book, THAT’s why I’m doing it. Is there one subject you would never write about? What is it? I’d not try the BDSM route. Not that I have anything against that, but I couldn’t do it. No way. Do you have any strange writing habits? Like writing in the shower? Nope, I’m pretty normal in that case. If you could cast your characters in a Hollywood adaptation – who would you choose for which character? Oh boy, that’s a hard one. I never thought about that before. Maybe I should ask the readers what they think. How important are the names in your book? They are important for who they represent, but the names don’t have any special meanings that are related to the characters, like I know other authors do. Did you choose them based on how they sounded or looked, or was it completely random? Random. I love random name generator. However, I do make sure it sounds okay as well. Do you have any name choosing resources you would recommend? Oh, I got several name generators I use. People are free to PM me for those LOL Do you read your reviews? I do, yes. Do you respond to them, good or bad? No. I like them, but I don’t respond, even though sometimes I wanna respond to the not so good ones and be like: thank you, that was actually very helpful. I never do. Do you have any advice on how to deal with the bad? I don’t have any advice for that. Everybody deals with that their own way. What is your best marketing tip? Be open and make friends. What is your least favourite part of the writing or publishing process? Having to wait that long until the story is out from the moment I finish writing.
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Originally from Vermont, Ann now lives in Virginia with her husband. Ann spent much of her childhood moving from place to place. Now settled, she enjoys exploring nature and the freedom to pursue the dreams of her imagination through writing.
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Personal Can you tell us a little about yourself? I'm a Yorkshire lass, living in Australia with my three boys, two of which are teenager who test my patience with their mood swings. I've always loved to read; crime thrillers and paranormal being my favourite genre's, although I will give anything a go. What do you do when you’re not writing? When I'm not writing you can find me running around, cleaning up after the three smelly boys mentioned above. If by some miracle I have spare time you may find me in front of the TV, binge watching some addicting show, or I hiding in the barn with a good book. Do you have a day job as well? I'm currently writing full time. What was your favourite book as a child? I used to buy a new Goosebumps book every week. I can't really pick a favourite but I'll say R L Stine was my favourite author. Followed closely by Enid Blyton When was that point in your life that you realized that being an author was no longer going to be just a dream but a career you were going to turn into reality? It wasn't until I plucked up the courage to hit publish. Even now, it doesn't feel real. When someone asks what do you do for work? And I tell them I write books I have a few seconds were I actually remind myself that that's what I do. What book do you wish you had written? I think we all secretly wish we could write a 'Harry Potter' sometime in our career's. Not necessarily the story itself but it's success. For millions of people to enjoy your books for years to come. And for them to be made into a series of movies. In saying that, I'm so grateful for the readers who have enjoyed my books, I might not have millions of readers but I value each and everyone I do have. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? In ten years, I hope to still be writing books that my readers a enjoy. Maybe I'll have some books in brick and mortar stores. Writing When did you start writing and when did you finish your first book? I started writing my first book when I had just had my youngest in 2008. It took a few months to write and then it sat on my computer for years until I felt like I could share it. It wasn't published until 2014. How did you choose the genre you write in? I don't think I consciously chose a genre. The characters started talking to me and I just went from there. Where do you get your ideas? They can come from the strangest things, a conversation I overhear - even if it's just one sentence it may spark something and a character will start talking. A stranger I walk past in the street or a couple I've seen - my mind will just fill with what their background story could be or where they maybe going. Do you ever experience writer’s block? Yes. I'm really bad with pressure. Some authors need pressure to knock out the books, but I'm the opposite, if I have a deadline creeping up on me my mind goes blank and there is no way in hell I'll finish before the deadline passes. Are you a planner or a pantser? I'm a pantser. I usually know where the story is going before I really start writing. I get the story in snippets, a scene at a time. One day I could be working on a scene that belongs towards the end, the next day I could be writing the first chapter. I know roughly where they all belong and end up slotting them all together like a jigsaw, filling in the gaps and blending them all together. Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult? I would never have managed to self publish without the help of GJ Walker-Smith. I love her books and contacted her after reading them. We became friends and when she found out I had written a story she guided me through the whole process. I'll never be able to thank her enough for all she's done for me. Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published? Editing... I had massive fail when it came to finding an editor. I've never been very good with punctuation and naively thought any editor would be wonderful at fixing my punctuation errors. It wasn't until a week before I'd planned to release my first book, that an author friend read through my book and asked if I'd given her the pre-edit version by mistake. It was a mess. If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your novel or getting it published that you would change? I would go back and ensure that first book got a thorough edit before releasing. After I had the editing issues, I rushed to fix it as best I could. A friend went through it and fixed what they could. Unfortunately I received some initial reviews that picked up on editing issues and I regret that now. Even though I have since fixed any issues that have been pointed out, I wish I'd waited to release the best version I could from the start. Have you written a book you love that you have not been able to get published? I've started to write a book that I really love, it has so much potential but it scares me. What if I don't do this amazing story justice? I haven't finished it because I don't want to destroy the beautiful story I have in my mind. How do you market your work? What avenues have you found to work best for your genre? Honestly I have no idea. I'm just winging it and hoping for the best. Can you tell us about your upcoming book? Releasing the Wolf is a little darker than Pride to Pack or Forever Young and Beautiful. It's more NA too, due to the characters ages. Not necessarily steaminess though, I'm more romantic than racy when it comes to bedroom scenes. Here is the blurb: Before his untimely death, the Alpha of the Rossi pack gave beta Jesse O’Keefe one last order: protect his daughter at all costs. Now Jesse is Alpha, and for seventeen long years he’s fulfilled the task of protecting Rosa Rossi. But that’s about to change. A pack member’s unwavering quest for vengeance and a case of mistaken identity start a chain of events that put Rosa’s life in danger. Can Jesse keep his promise to his late alpha, or will he fall short of doing the one thing he lives for? Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination? Some of the characters are based off real people. Releasing the Wolf actually has three characters like that, Kate, Gareth and Danny. I wrote a short story called Cure For Christmas, which was in an anthology the main character has cancer. I delved into my own experience with cancer when I was writing her story. We didn't have the same type or stage of cancer but I felt I could still use my experience and feelings, when telling her story. What was your favourite chapter (or part) to write and why? I don't know if I can pick one particular part. I enjoy writing the scenes that have all the action, and the ones that give me all the answers when it's finally wrapping the story up. How did you come up with the title? All titles are different. Sometimes the just come to me when I'm writing, other times I have to try out lots of different ones before I finally find the right one. Are there certain characters you would like to go back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with? All of them. For the Mount Roxby series, Cain, Jared, and Alyssa will be getting their own books. Paddy, Misty and Dominick all have a story to tell somewhere. I'd like to visit Bel and Theo. Ruby has more to tell me too. I guess I'm going to be writing for a long time. ;) Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers? Write for you, because if you don't love your story, no one else will. What does your protagonist think about you? This is a tough one. I could tell you what they think about any of the other characters but I don't know what they think about me. Hopefully they think I'm telling their stories exactly how they want them to be told. Would he or she want to hang out with you, the author, his creator? Yes, I can see Bel and I having a good chat over a few drinks at Misty's. What has been the toughest criticism you’ve been given as an author? Even though not everyone is going to like your book, it still breaks your heart a little to hear that someone didn't like it. What has been the best compliment? "I loved your book. I can't stop thinking about your characters and wondering what will happen to them next." Which character speaks the loudest, to you? Do any of them clamour to be heard over the others? They tend to take it in turns pretty well. I did have one new character say "I'm sorry Kevin, but I just can't do it anymore." Over and over. It didn't matter what I was working on, this line would just pop up in my mind. It took me a year to work out who the character was and what he couldn't do. I didn't even know who Kevin was. What sort of Starbuck’s coffee would your characters order? Simple coffee or some complicated soy-non-fat-extra-espresso-half-caff-nightmare? Most would be simple. Except Dominick, he'd pick the most complicated just so he could try and trip up the barista. What sort of writing environment do you create? I.e. music or not? Pen and paper or laptop/PC? I get back ache if I sit at a desk for longer than an hour, soI like a comfy chair and my laptop on my knee. I like to have music playing, usually pop or country. Is there a certain type of scene that is harder to write than other? Racy? Love? Action? I can't really write racy scenes. I can write them for a villain, but I just feel like I'm invading my protagonists privacy. That's why most of my love scenes are fade to black, they lay out the foundation and leave the readers imagination to do the rest. Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans? Thank you for giving my stories a chance when you picked them up. Also thank you for your patience as you've waited between books, because I know I'm not one of the authors that pop books out every couple of months. Is there one subject you would never write about? What is it? BDSM. It's a subject I'm not really keen on, also it would mean racy scenes and as we've already discovered, I'm not so good with them. Do you have any strange writing habits? Like writing in the shower? Not really, my characters talk to me all the time. I have had them talk when I'm in the bath but they know that's my reading and relaxing time so it's not a regular occurrence. If you could cast your characters in a Hollywood adaptation – who would you choose for which character? Just to name a few for the Mount Roxby series: Jensen Ackles - Theo Jessica Alba - Bel Mika (the singer) - Dominick Amanda Righetti - Alyssa How important are the names in your book? Most of my main characters come to me already named. It's only side characters that I have to find a name for, but again if they already have a strong spirit to them, they'll tell me their name. Did you choose them based on how they sounded or looked, or was it completely random? It's usually a personality thing, although Ruby was named after my niece because she looks like her. Do you have any name choosing resources you would recommend? I have a love affair with Google. Google knows everything. Do you read your reviews? I skim them, if they are 3 stars and above I'll read them completely. If they are lower, it depends how much I want to torture myself. Those 1 and 2 star review can be soul destroying. Do you respond to them, good or bad? I never, ever, respond to a bad review, that's a slippery slope. Regarding good reviews, I'll hit the like (goodreads) or useful (Amazon) button, but I won't respond personally unless they've been sent to me (if I've been emailed, pm'd or my page has been tagged) because reviews are for other readers and not everyone wants the author to comment or message them. Do you have any advice on how to deal with the bad? Not everyone is going to like your book and that's okay. Some people are even constructive with their criticism and you might learn something but some people are just mean. Every time you get a glimpse of an exceptionally evil one, hit the 5 star filter and read all those 5 star reviews, soak up all of that love. What is your best marketing tip? I've been told pre-order is the way to go, the sooner you can get the chatter going the better. My personal tip is, write the best book you can and publish it, if it's good word of mouth will do the rest. What is your least favourite part of the writing or publishing process? Writing a blurb or synopsis. I'd rather stick pins in my eyes. Aimie is a Yorkshire lass living in Australia. She is a mother to three boisterous boys, two of which are teenagers who are driving her crazy on a daily basis. She loves to people watch, it's her favourite way to come up with new characters and stories. So next time a stranger is staring at you in the street, don't panic, they could be an author basing a character on you. Aimie has always loved to read and write, paranormal and crime/thrillers being her favourite genres. Her characters are talk the loudest when she's at the beach or a forest. Aimie would love to hear from you. She would be happy to receive an email or post on her Facebook page. Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Smashwords |
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