Recently, I had the privilege to interview author David Wood. He has written many books including "You Suck", "Quest" & the soon to be released, "Atlantis"! 

Interview is posted below my review and includes a link to his site!


You Suck! 4 out of 5 stars

What a great title for a young adult paranormal book! The story centers around teenager Dunn Kelly, who balances high school, bullies, sports, keeping his alcoholic father in line and covering for him at his job as a Paranormal Police Officer. When a teen celebrity chooses to film a reality show in Dunn's small town, Dunn is drawn in to investigate a series of brutal murders that occur to the contestants. Each of contestants vying for the teen sensation's life are vampires, and while this is commonplace in the story, their deaths are anything but! Dunn finds himself juggling his already complicated life with the grown-up responsibility of solving the murders and trying to handle the popular star's affections! Will Dunn be able to keep his head above water, or will he crumble? The outcome is quite surprising!
The suspense in this book was perfect and kept you wanting to read on. It is stories like this that will keep your teen reaching for a book instead of their iPhone. And at a Kindle price of only $2.99, you can go wrong!

You Suck: A Dunn Kelly Mystery
http://amzn.com/1478353287

1. You didn't start writing until 2004 - why did you wait so long?
Lots of little reasons, but nsecurity was the big one. I'd always wanted to be a writer but couldn't believe anyone would actually want to read anything I wrote. In retrospect, I wish I'd started much sooner.

2. You are quite accomplished, having several degrees under your belt - what made you want to achieve so much?
I'm one of those weird people who is interested, and at least competent, in a lot of things. I enjoyed my pre-publishing careers a great deal, but I'm happy to be writing.

3. Why do you root for the Atlanta Braves?
I love baseball. The nature of the sport, the structure of its season, and the way it values its own history lends itself to narrative. Baseball teams and players have great stories, and each season is a story in itself. It's also a conversational sport that moves at a leisurely pace so the fans can discuss and analyze the game as it's happening. The reason I love the Braves is I grew up in Atlanta and suffered through the misery of the 1970s and 1980s, and stuck with them through it all. Now it's a love/hate relationship, as I wait for the inevitable late season or playoff collapse.

4. What inspired you to write "You Suck"?
I was signing books alongside my friend, Jim Bernheimer (a fantastic author), and envied the way he kept hooking people with the hilarious premises of some of his stories. I wanted to try my hand at something with a humorous premise, so I mulled over what things I'd like to make fun of, and settled on vampires, teen pop stars, and reality shows.

5. Are any of your characters in "You Suck" based on people you know? Can you share some details?
Oh, yes! I'm a former middle school teacher, "You Suck" is dedicated to my old school, and many of the characters are inspired by, or at least named after former colleagues or students. One of the detectives was my Assistant Principal, the CSI, Dunn's "hot" teacher, his swimming coach, and the custodian are all former colleagues, and Abriel and Parker are named after former students who've kept in touch with me. Even Dunn Kelly himself is named for two teacher friends.

6. What genre do you prefer to write? You write quite a few!
I can only choose one? Bummer. I suppose Action-Adventure, because I get to solve ancient mysteries and see the world through my characters, though I have a blast writing YA and fantasy, and would like to try a few more genres some day.

7. How much research on vampires did you need to do before writing "You Suck"?
Not a great deal. I chose the various vampire stereotypes I wanted to spoof, and did some reading on the ways to kill vampires, but the book is really about a teenager and his struggles, so that was my focus.

8. What advice would you give writers just beginning their craft?
Have fun and don't worry so much about whether or not what you're writing is marketable. If you're serious about publishing, get involved in some sort of writers' workshop where you can get honest critique of your work. Finally, be patient. Whether you go the traditional or independent route, it's going to take time to achieve your goals. Don't make hasty decisions that come back to bite you and don't give up.

9. Do you blog? Has that contributed to your success in sales and how so? Please share your blog website with us.
You can find me at www.davidwoodweb.com. I don't blog frequently, but lately I've been posting a weekly pulp adventure serial on my blog every Monday. Feel free to check it out if you like Indiana Jones or Doc Savage.
I don't think the blog has impacted sales, but I do think my Facebook page, in particular, has benefited me because it's such a great vehicle for interacting with readers. You can find me there atwww.facebook.com/davidwoodbooks

10. What is your favorite book you've written and why?
I'll answer that question right after I tell you which of my children is my favorite and why. But I kid...
Honestly, I can't choose one. Quest is special because it's the one that really took off and confirmed that my decision to write full-time was the right one. I love You Suck because it was so much fun to write and so many of my friends have read and enjoyed it. Ultimately, though, I love whatever I'm working on at the time.

11. How long does it typically take for you to complete a book?
I juggle so many projects that I seldom work straight through a single book without interruption, but four months is probably about right. I brainstorm, research, chart out the main scenes and settings, let it simmer in my brain for a couple of weeks, and then dive in. Typically, I write a chapter a day, and take weekends off, so six to eight weeks for a first draft, followed by revisions.

12. Tell us about your favorite author moment.
Any time someone tells me they enjoy my work, I'm ecstatic, but I guess my favorite moment (or set of moments) was this year's Thrillerfest. I kept having "pinch myself" moments while hanging out, even having dinner with, authors whom I've long admired. Such a great feeling!

13. Who would you choose to have as a mentor? Any of the greats?
Neil Gaiman. He's one of those rare writers whose prose and storytelling are first-rate, and can write in a variety of genres.

14. What are you currently working on?
I'm mostly working on Atlantis, the next book in my Dane Maddock Adventures series, but I take a break with The Gates of Iron, the next installment in the fantasy series I write under my David Debord pen name, and The Impostor Prince, which I'm writing with Ryan Span. I'm also in the planning stages of three future collaborations. Never a dull moment!

15. Give me three great facts about you!
Great facts? Nothing like ratcheting up the pressure. Can we make it "interesting" instead? I'd hate to let your readers down.
I'm a second degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do.
I co-host the ThrillerCast podcast, a podcast for readers and writers of thriller and genre fiction, with my friend Alan Baxter.
Prior to writing full-time, I worked as a landscaper, pizza guy, newspaper deliveryman, warehouse worker, injection molding technician, martial arts instructor, recreation director, youth minister, pastor, and teacher.

David Wood

I was recently interviewed by the lovely Lori Hays about The FINS Trilogy. If you're interested in listening, here is the link. It was a great deal of fun and I really enjoyed the conversation!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/authorsglobalradionetwork/2013/08/31/author-ashley-knight-known-as-the-mermaid-lady

Steven Savile

"He cracked his knuckles one at a time and stepped out of the sheltering obscurity of the hanging gardens, pushing back the tears of a weeping willow. The melancholy leaves fell across his face, leaving smears of pollen on his lapel like poisonous kisses."

(http://www.amazon.com/London-Macabre-ebook/product-reviews/B009EUC1EU/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1)

This excerpt was pulled from the fabulously talented, Steven Savile's  London Macabre. London Macabre is one of my favorite books. Dripping with delicious tones, the writing pulls you into its pages and keeps you wanting more. And there is so much more! My review of London Macabre on Amazon is short and sweet because after reading such beautifully written words, I found myself fumbling:

"This book is absolutely brilliant! I enjoy reading Mr. Savile's books - all are unique & fabulously written, but this book is a sensory masterpiece. It is like a ripened mango - perfectly luscious & distinct, yet dripping with so much savory nectar you can't possibly manage to devour it entirely. So delectable are the perfectly weaved words that I find myself clamoring for more.
Intense, descriptive & passionate, I wouldn't be surprised if this book hits the top ten lists. Love, love, love it! Please take a look - it's worth every penny and the online version is so well priced, I encourage you to buy it!"

Of course, you can find Steven the second you type his name onto Google - pages and pages of him in fact! And what a read it all is! A master of horror, action, adventure, adult AND young adult books, there seems to be no stopping this man who, for all in-tends purposes, is a writing God. 

http://www.amazon.com/Moonlands-ebook/dp/B00C1N3YXE/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Moonlands is one of Steven's sweet books that departs from the adult action world into Young Adult territory. Focusing on a teenage girl named Ashley who discovers an ancient Fae Kingdom opening up around her, it is a brilliant piece of fantasy fiction that showcases Steven's talent for switching genre's so effortlessly, one can only admire him. 

http://www.amazon.com/Silver-OgmiosTeam-Adventure-Steven-Savile/dp/B007BWF4R4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379430881&sr=8-1&keywords=silver+steven+savile

Silver - yet another action-packed adventure - made Amazon's top best selling book list. I would rank it alongside such greats as Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code. If you love mystery and intrigue, this book is right up your alley! I have posted the link and hope you will check it out. In any case, this will give you a taste:

"There is a plague coming....For forty days and forty nights fear shall savage the streets. Those steeped in sin shall burn. The dying begins now"

With this chilling message a wave of terror unlike anything the world has ever seen sweeps the streets of Europe. Thirteen martyrs burn themselves alive in thirteen major cities simultaneously. And this is just the beginning. A religious cult calling itself the Disciples of Judas has risen in the Middle East. They twist the words of ancient prophecies to drive home the fear. Everything you believe in will be proved wrong. Everything you hold true will fail. Day by day the West wakes to increasingly harrowing acts of terror. As fear cripples the capitals of Europe, the only question is where will be the next to fall? London? Rome? Berlin? In a race against time - believing the terrorists intend to assassinate the Pope - Sir Charles Wyndham's unique Special Ops team, codename Ogmios, track a labyrinthine course through truth, shades of truth and outright lies that takes them from the backstreets of London to the shadow of Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin and all the way into the heart of the Holy See itself.

Again, Steven is easily found on google, amazon, facebook, twitter - you name it. Go and check out his work - you will not regret it! In fact, I bet you will add him to your top 5 lists. I did. 

Author Kristina Schram

Author Kristina Schram has written a series of Young Adult books called The Chronicles of Anaedor. I had the good fortune of receiving a copy of the first from Hive Collective – a self-publishing collaboration between authors and publishing service providers.

Titled, The Prophecies, this fun, quick-paced novel catches a ride along with Lavida Mors – a 15-year-old girl who is forced to attend a private school and board at an enormous mansion of which only a handful of people live. Most of the story is recited in first person and as a result, you are granted access to the thoughts of a very intelligent, but sarcastic teenager who cannot believe the disastrous hand she has been dealt. With the discovery of a secret tunnel, she is plunged into an enthralling adventure filled with oddities rivaled mostly in Guillermo del Toro films. Soon she learns that the fate of this world is dependent upon her and it will form her destiny - whether she wants it to or not!

This book was captivating and exciting – one I greatly enjoyed and was eager to find out a bit more about Ms. Schram. Graciously, she agreed to answer a few of my questions.

1.      How did your interest in writing begin? I was always such a big reader as a kid that the idea of being an author seemed to be a natural progression for me. I thought, I love reading, so I should love writing. And lucky me, I do love writing! I love being able to create my own worlds…it engenders a feeling of power that probably feeds into my egomaniacal ways a bit more than is healthy.

2.      Was The Prophecies your first published novel? Yes, though I wrote several ‘starter’ novels before that. They’re currently gathering dust on my computer.

3.      Did you begin this book with the knowledge that it would become a series? If so, how did that influence your writing process? I did, and it definitely affected my process. Mainly, I wanted to write the whole series before I published the first book, meaning I had to be very patient with myself. I knew it was going to be a complicated story with lots of characters, and since I don’t do outlines (I should, but that would be too rational), I figured I’d better get my story straight before the first one gets into print.

4.      How long does it typically take for you to finish writing a book? When I first started writing, it took me a LONG time since I did it in between changing diapers and grocery shopping and doing laundry and feeding everyone. Now it takes me about 6-8 months. It might take less, but I’m also editing several books at the same time and running the boys to soccer practice and getting interrupted by requests for eggs and vinegar (don’t ask – I don’t) and they still seem to want to be fed on a daily basis. I guess I like to multi-task, which isn’t always the best course for maintaining one’s sanity.

5.      Did you have to conduct any research for this book? For example, Druids? Oh, yeah. A lot. But then, I like research. The Internet is a great resource, though I encourage writers to use more than one source (I love me some Wikipedia, but I cross-check my facts whenever possible). One way to gather information is to do it in person. I didn’t want to rely on the Internet to describe the town where I set the Anaedor series, so I drove there and stayed for a couple days. It was difficult and time-consuming research, though others might call it a nice vacation. I didn’t find any Druids, so I had to rely on the Internet to gather my information. Their absence was disappointing, but I managed to carry on.

6.      Which part of The Prophecies was the most challenging part to write? Writing dialect is always challenging for me. For example, Gruamach, a Dwarf character in the book, has a Scottish accent. Why? I don’t know, though I blame the LOTR movies. Dwarves tend to be a tough breed, however, and everything I’ve read indicates that Scottish people are a hearty race. So it fits. But anyway, writing dialect means you’d better be on your toes and check and double-check every conversation your character is involved in and every word they speak. I’m sure I missed a dae (do) or a canna (cannot) somewhere, which, of course, frustrates the perfectionist in me.

7.      Do you find YA an easy genre to write about? Why or why not? I do, though I’m not sure what that says about me. I don’t know if it’s because I’m a kid at heart or just immature, but I prefer writing for this age. Maybe I simply don’t ever want to grow up. Unfortunately, the problem with writing YA is that some adults think they know what kids that age act like. They’re wrong, but they think you, the writer, got it wrong. What they don’t know is that I have a teenager, I have my journals from that age, and I’ve counseled and worked with teens. Kids this age can be both terribly naïve (even in this day) and stunningly wise, obnoxious and charming, self-focused and giving. It’s these contradictions that make teen-hood such a difficult and yet poignant and memorable time.

8.      The description in this book is quite beautiful. For example, one of the earlier scenes describes a character’s sweat on their forehead similar to dewdrops gathering on a mushroom. In another, you write of leaves falling like hang-gliders on a runway of green grass. So vivid! People who write this way tend to see the beauty in every-day things. Do you draw on your own personal experiences to form these scenes? Thank you! I’ve worked very hard on doing description right, mainly because it’s so easy to get wrong. When I first started writing, I overdid. I wanted to be a writer. Now, like Stephen King says, I sometimes have to ‘kill my darlings,’ meaning I can’t include all the description I’d like – it bogs down the story. So I struggle to write good description and with taking it out again when necessary. To answer the second part of your question, yes, I love the beauty in every day things. I think that’s why I like photography. I can’t go anywhere without wanting to take pictures. I do draw a lot from my own personal experiences when writing description, but when I haven’t experienced something (like battling mythical creatures), I close my eyes and imagine the scene I’m trying to describe. When I do that, I become the scene, I feel what my character is feeling, see what they’re seeing, smell what they’re smelling (though that just might be my kids’ dirty socks). When I get it right, I feel like I’ve been there myself, which is actually a pretty amazing feeling.

9.      Which of your characters do you most connect with and why? Oh, tough question! I identify with a number of them, actually. But I suppose I connect with Lavida the most, especially in terms of her feeling like an outcast. I felt like that a lot growing up and understand how hard being left out can be. I like that she’s a smart aleck, but is also respectful toward others. I also like that she isn’t perfect and knows it. In some ways, Lavida’s very real to me – the whole world of Anaedor is – and it’s hard to leave them behind…so I don’t. Not really. Lavida and Anaedor will always be a part of me.

10.  What are some ways your husband helped you through the process of writing about Anaedor? My husband is surprisingly creative (and I say surprisingly because he tends to be more left-brained - he’s a software engineer), and has given me some great ideas. He’s helped me get over bumps in my plot, come up with ways for me to get around obstacles I’ve created, and been so supportive throughout the whole process. I might have been able to do this without him, but the end product wouldn’t be as good as it could have been.

11.   What has been your favorite author moment to date? I think one of my favorite author moments is a series of moments. As an author, I’ve run writing workshops at several local schools. What I’ve learned from them (even though I’m supposed to be the one doing the teaching) is that these kids really want to reach for the stars. Their willingness to work hard and not give up inspire me to keep doing what I’m doing. In one particular workshop, one young girl – a 3^rd grader – was trying to figure out a simile to describe her partner. She struggled and struggled, but finally, on her own, she came up with an excellent simile. She was just so proud of herself, and I was so proud to see her persisting even though in the beginning she could hardly grasp the concept. I hope that she carries that perseverance with her.

12.  Do you plan on writing your entire life, or is this a goal you have achieved and you’d like to move on from?  The plan at this moment is to keep writing. I like being challenged and writing still remains a challenge for me. I’m always finding ways to get better. Plus, I have so many ideas in my head. If I don’t release them, they’ll stay there, festering, and believe me, that’s not good for a person.

13.  If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor? C.S. Lewis. His Narnia books really inspired me as a child, and I will always connect him to my first realization of the wonders and joys of reading. If I can do for people, by even half, what he did for me, I will consider my foray into writing a great success.

14.  What are your current projects? Like I said, I’m a multi-tasker, so I’m juggling several different projects right now. Currently I’m working on three different series… One series consists of stand-alone paranormal gothic romances. The first book, The Wrath, is out in e-book form and will soon be in print, and another book is in the works. Another series I’m brewing up is a fantasy trilogy. Book one is complete, I’m editing book two now, and I’ve started writing book three. Like with The Chronicles of Anaedor, I plan to finish the trilogy before publishing it. I hope to get it out some time in 2014, but that might be pushing it. The third is the Pandora Belfry Adventures series and is about a 14-year-old girl who was raised in an insane asylum. It sounds dark, and it is, but it also has a light side. I’ve also started my own publishing company, Mischief Maker Media, so I’ve been learning how to format e-books, make book covers, and figure out how to prepare a book for print. I love it!

15.  What is your advice for other authors? One thing I’ve learned is to be persistent. Don’t give up! If you have a book and you’ve tried the traditional route (get an agent, go through a publisher) but are unable to catch anyone’s interest, then look into doing things yourself. These days, we’re at a crossroads in the writing and publishing world, which can be both good and bad for authors. I went the traditional route and was left feeling frustrated and dissatisfied with the slow pace and lack of control (I wrote an e-booklet, The Battle to Become an Author: When Great Expectations Go Awry, to capture that frustration, and which offers real-world solutions to handling it). Now I have my own publishing company and am in complete charge of my destiny, which I love! I only have myself to blame if things don’t happen and that’s what I like. If you need more guidance early on, you might try a myriad of companies aimed at helping you reach your goal. Before going off on my own, I went with Hive Collective to get me on the right track.

16.  What are you reading right now? The Thin Woman by Dorothy Cannell. I love her main character, Ellie Haskell, who’s refreshingly feisty and funny. I’m also reading National Geographic, which I cherish, and one of my own books (for editing purposes). On lazy weekend mornings, I dig into a Jane Austen book, which happens to be Persuasion at the moment. I just finished reading a YA book, Far Far Away by Tom McNeal, which I found unique even though the plot centers around fairy tales (which seem to be the big thing right now). I like to have a lot of things to read at all times. I get a little weird if my supply gets low.

17.  Give me three good to know facts about you! I love to play basketball. We even have a basketball hoop in our barn so we can play in the winter. I can throw a tomahawk and knife and have taught my boys how to do so, as well, in case there’s a zombie apocalypse. One of my favorite things to do is to explore caves. I’m just a rookie, but someday I hope to go off the beaten path and do some ‘real’ spelunking! This summer we visited South Dakota and hit three caves in two days. I was in heaven!

http://hiveauthors.wordpress.com

http://bit.ly/14A3DxQ

http://www.kristinaschram.com/