Author Interview: Dark-eyed, Light-hearted A.G. Porter, Author of The Darkness Trilogy

December 12, 2014November 11, 2015jjeremyhicks

For my first author interview in December, I have the pleasure of sitting down with A.G. (Amanda) Porter, indie author of The Darkness Trilogy. On her blog, she lists writing as her favorite past time; and in this writer’s fortunate experiences with Amanda, she makes a great beta reader and an even better friend. Like me, she grew up in the hilly countryside of Alabama, where she resides today with her husband, stepson, and self-described furbabies.

Could you tell us about your journey to the exciting, fast-paced world of writing fiction?

Oh gosh, where do I start? As cliché as it sounds, I know it began when I was just a little girl and I watched my mom typing away at her typewriter. Yes, a typewriter. She would writer the scariest stories! She still does and I can’t wait for her to put them out for the world to read!

I had always been an avid reader of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps and Fear Street Series. In high school, I carried around a 5-subject notebook that I would use to write my stories in. I wonder if my parents still have them because I’m sure those stories would be so funny to read now and probably really embarrassing!

After graduating from school I thought I had to get out in the real world and get a real job. I went to school, got a degree in business, and went into the corporate world. All the while, I was still writing. It hit me one day that I was never going to know if anyone would be interested in reading my books if I didn’t put them out there. Then in 2012, after being told “No” for the millionth time by literary agents, I decided to just do it myself and I’ve never been happier.

Did you have someone helping you along the road to self-publication or was it an entirely self-taught experience?

I had plenty of encouragement from family and friends, but most of the process was just me. I had to figure things out on my own. For example, where to find a cover artist, how to convert the Word document into an ebook, etc. I thought once I was finished writing then that was it. I was so wrong. There is so much more to being an Indie Author than just writing a book. You don’t realize that you’re actually a small business and you’re not only an artist, but you’re a marketer, a personal assistant, a promoter and the list just goes on.

It would have been nice to have a mentor to help, you know, someone who had been through it before. I know many self-published authors who are more than willing to help now, but back then I didn’t know anyone! Ha! That is why if I see someone who I know is new I try my best to reach out to them or if someone reaches out to me I will drop whatever I am doing and help them.

What have you learned about the rigors of the writing, editing, and self-publishing process from Book One of the Darkness Trilogy to Book Two?

Don’t rush it. Yes, you will have readers that want you hurry up and get those books out and that is get, but you will be doing them a disservice if you rush the books just to get them out of the door. Also, you can’t edit your own stuff. Let someone else look over it. Be prepared to pay a pretty penny to make your stuff look good, but not just to anyone. Do your research! There are some people out there who just want to take your money.

If you want to use Beta Readers, please, please, for the love of all that is holy, please make sure this person is trustworthy. I have heard so many horrors about Beta Readers being Book Pirates. I can’t imagine seeing my work online for sale by someone else just because I thought I could trust someone to read an ARC. Again, do your research.

Do you have a preference in genres that you prefer to write? Any that you plan to avoid?

I have always loved the paranormal, so I will probably stick to that most of the time. One day I would love to try a Sci-Fi story. I love that genre, but we’ll see. I plan to try my hand in fantasy as well. I have a dragon rider series that I have been working for about 10 years that my stepson wants me to finish. We shall see!
I’m not too much into Romance. There are romantic elements in my books because I believe that people love to be in love, but I couldn’t write a book that is entirely centered on someone’s romantic relationship.

You mentioned that you weave your faith and beliefs into your storytelling. How do you go about it without coming off like you’re proselytizing to your audience? Have your received any feedback, positive or negative, about it?

My faith is just a part of who I am, I suppose. It just automatically comes out into the words that I write. I’m not sure about most authors, but for me, my books reflect my mind when it comes to my faith. I’ll also say that my books have a lot darkness in it, but that isn’t me at all. I’ll put it this way because someone else approached me with a similiar question. This is how life is; you have goodness and darkness. Sometimes they come at you at the same time and you have to fight with all you have in you to hold on to the light. For me and my writing style, I fight with my faith.

However, I know that there are people out there who do not share my beliefs so I would never want to come across as shoving what I believe down their throats. The main character of my book, Rayna, is dealing with an evil presence, a darkness, so she clings to the light, her faith, to fight it off. She also knows that she has to find her inner strength as well. There isn’t one time in the book that she or anyone else says, “You better go to church or you’re going to Hell.” Haha!

There are many characters in the book that have no religious upbringing and mention nothing about faith because, again, we’re all different. I’ve just created a world where (think Supernatural or Buffy) demons roam the earth so you better watch out. So Rayna uses her gifts and her faith to fight that evil off. So far, the feedback has been positive and I think it’s because the readers know it’s a work of fiction.

As with any discussion of faith and religion, my mind drifts to sin, to guilty pleasures. What book is your guilty reading pleasure? Why?

Hmm. I would probably have to Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire and all her other vampire books. I guess it’s a guilty pleasure because Ms. Rice can get pretty dark. I started reading those books when I was pretty young and they were darker than anything I read at the time. So I felt like I being mischievous. Haha!

Bringing the conversation back around to your writing, could you tell us a bit about your creative process? Are you much of a “plotter” or do you write by the seat of your pants…or tights as the case may be? 😉

Haha! I am not a plotter. I sit down and let it fly, for the most part, when it comes to my paranormal books. The fantasy book is something different though. That series has so many characters that I’ve had to create a list and have even drawn a map. It’s a terrible map because I’m not a cartographer! I wanted to draw it though so I could have a visual of the world I was creating. I haven’t really created an outline for it, but it’s more preparation than I’ve ever done for a book.

What other authors have influenced you the most as a writer?

R.L. Stine and Dean Koontz for sure are at the top of my list. I love their writing style and the strong careers that both of them have had. If I ever get the chance to meet them, I think I might just pass out. 😉

The Geek Gathering 2014

Are you working on anything currently? Would you provide a brief excerpt from it?

Why yes, I am working on book three of The Darkness Trilogy. I’ll be glad to share something. Here you go:

He didn’t get to finish his sentence. An ear splitting sound ripped through the night sky and blinding pain stabbed me in the back. A force, stronger than I had ever felt, kicked me in the spine and threw me across the yard. I landed hard on the gravel, skidding for a while before I stopped.

My back felt hot and my face was raw. I was fairly certain that more than one bone in my body was broken. I tried raising my head, but the muscles in my neck didn’t seem want to work. My eyelids were heavy and I really wanted to sleep. Something was telling that I shouldn’t, that if I did, I wouldn’t wake back up.

The Shadow descended on me, crushing my will to stay awake. He held me underneath his power, wrapping my broken body in his powerful arms. Using his strength, he pulled me up into the sky where I had a bird eye view of the carnage below. It was hard to look at, like something from a war zone.

Up here the air was cold and my breath turned to mist as soon as it left my mouth. My fingers and toes were numb and my nose started to run though I was unsure if it was blood or not. Tears turned to ice as they stung the corners of my eyes.

I saw my body lying on the ground; my left leg was twisted at a grotesque angle. My right arm was underneath my body and it looked as though I wasn’t breathing. A large chunk of my hair was burned and the back of my shirt was scorched off, revealing red flesh that would take time to heal if I lived that long.

Is there an upcoming (or recent) release that you’d like to promote here? If so, what’s it about and where can we find it?

My most recent release is Book 2, The Forsaken, of The Darkness Trilogy. You can find it on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IP1DBCA

Thanks again, Amanda. Let’s hope the new year brings with it the final installment of The Darkness Trilogy. Best of luck on finishing it. I’m sure your fans are as eager as your friends to see this project brought to fruition.

For more about A.G. Porter and The Darkness Trilogy, check out her blog at the following URL:

https://agporter.wordpress.com

Stay tuned to this blog for more interviews. My next author interview is Alexander S. Brown, author of Traumatized and Syrenthia Falls. Plus, we’ll talk more with the sexy dolls of Cherry Sparkle Burlesque.

Rocket City NerdCon Rocked It!

October 27, 2014October 27, 2014jjeremyhicks

Not all first year fandom conventions can be great. In fact, as they are logistical and scheduling nightmares, few are. And fewer still survive to enjoy a second year to get it right. I am proud to say that Huntsville, Alabama’s Rocket City NerdCon is one of the few. I sincerely hope that it will not only continue but thrive with each passing year.

Who am I to make this proclamation? Well, I had the privilege of appearing as an author guest at RCNC this past weekend. And I am happy to report that it not only met but exceeded my expectations, which were quite high after hearing that it would be located at the main branch of the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library, a spacious facility run by a dedicated staff.

Knowing that I had to be a part of convention history in the making, I stocked up on muscle relaxers and ibuprofen, strapped on my portable E-stem device, and rocketed toward the Rocket City. Greeted by the courteous, helpful convention staff, a combination of library workers and volunteers, I received mechanical assistance to help me load-in my books and materials to my table on the second floor, which kept me from having to take a half dozen trips to the car.

As I set up my displays and promotional materials, I surveyed the aisles of books around me. I felt humbled and thankful to be present among volumes produced by masters of my chosen craft. Whether it involved escaping into a fantastical world crafted by writers of fiction or pouring through dusty reference materials for research purposes, libraries have always felt like home to me. And as an adolescent harboring dreams of becoming either a professional writer or Indiana Jones, I had been to this one before. Returning to it for Rocket City Nerdcon as a published author and seasoned field archaeologist felt like Odysseus returning home, without all of the nasty business of a bunch of guys hitting on my significant other.

Like home, familiar faces welcomed me, familiar odors greeted me, and even a familiar band played in the background while I tried to convince people passing by to read The Cycle of Ages Saga and other unforgettable products from Dark Oak Press. On display before a sea of strangers, I experienced a level of comfort that I am unaccustomed to most places in the Deep South, even in my favorite haunts like libraries, museums, and deep woodland archaeological sites. After months of near isolation, depression, and creative blockages, the result of pain and suffering from an injury on one of those remote excavations, I feel restored by these familiar, even familial energies summoned forth by the powers responsible for this amazing first year convention.

For that, I am thankful to all of those involved in its planning, preparation, and execution. From chairs that provided adequate lumbar support for my herniated discs to a top notch convention staff, I cannot say enough good things about Rocket City NerdCon and hope that this is just the start of another fine tradition for the city of Huntsville. And a recurrent second home for wayward writers like me.

In addition, I would like to thank the fans and those who chose to take a chance on the weird, wild stories written by those published by Dark Oak. And I would like to thank my good friend Donovan DeArment and his family for sheltering me at their home and helping me with my table over the course of the weekend. Know that all of you are associated in my heart and mind with such a happy moment that the very thought of it will propel me higher than Peter Pan himself.

Horror Author, Jeremy Hicks talks about The Cycle of Ages Saga: Finders Keepers

October 17, 2014November 11, 2015jjeremyhicks

Author A.G. Porter interviews me about writing horror and the Cycle of Ages Saga. Check it out for a snippet from the upcoming sequel novel, Sands of Sorrow.

A.G. Porter

Jeremy Hicks

Author Jeremy Hicks is one of the first authors I met when I started going to conventions. Let me tell you, if you’re just starting out and haven’t had the opportunity to meet your fellow authors, conventions can be very intimidating. Meeting Jeremy immediately put me at ease. I knew if all of the authors I met were like him, then I was going to have a great time!

Jeremy has been on my blog before and I am so glad that he’s back to talk to us about his horror novel The Cycle of Ages Saga: Finders Keepers. He’s also giving away a paperback copy! Enter below:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/5c01ba827/

AP: Where did you get the idea for The Cycle of Ages Saga: Finders Keepers?

JH: The idea came from my past role-playing experiences, specifically playing in a D&D campaign run by my friend…

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Author Interview: The Awe-Inspiring Andrea Judy

October 8, 2014November 11, 2015jjeremyhicks

Today’s interview comes with a disclaimer. Both for legal and ethical reasons.

I met Andrea Judy at the Pro Se Press booth at MidSouthCon 2013 in Memphis, and I was hooked. From her animated personality to her action-packed pulp tales, this author left a lasting impression. And became a good friend in the process. Since then, I have had the privilege of sharing a dinner table as well as a table of contents with the awesome Andi Judy, as she is known in some writing circles. I refer to her respectfully (and with her permission) as the Pixie Princess of New Pulp, because anyone who knows her knows that she, like her characters and stories, is larger than life, despite her elfin appearance. All while being one of the sweetest, most down-to-earth people you’ll ever have the pleasure of meeting. As she continues to evolve as a writer and storyteller, I look forward to the weird, wild tales that she’ll introduce to me and the rest of the world.

Without further adieu, I give you the awe-inspiring Andrea Judy.

First of all, could you tell our audience what kind of stories you write and what kind of themes you explore in your writing?

I write stories that I want to read. I’ve had my writing described as colorfully morbid and I think that’s a good description for me. I tend to look towards the dark side of life and try to explore how there’s never really a clear good/evil divide. I also tend to favor writing stories with women protagonists because growing up, I didn’t have many stories that had a woman as the protagonist.

I think that’s a perfect way to describe you and your writing. Somehow you shine like a brilliant gem on a sunny day but still manage to explore the dark side of humanity with that lovely gray matter of yours.

For me, the strong female character has been one of the most striking features about your writing. From Senorita Scorpion to the Pulptress and her archenemy, The Bone Queen, women are kicking ass and taking names from the first page onward. Makes for exciting, empowering stories in my opinion.

How long have you been writing? And what started you along this path?

I think I’m like most writers in that I always wrote. From a very young age I was a storyteller. I don’t know if I can pinpoint an exact moment that started me along the path of writing but the first moment I considered myself a writer was when I received my very first rejection letter.

Isn’t that the truth. But I agree. You’re not a real writer until you’ve submitted your work and had it rejected. Rejection, like mistakes and often defeats, are learning experiences that build character. And with writing, I find it leads me to closer reading and editing of my own work to find out what went wrong with my story in the opinion of that editor or publisher.

What writers influenced you along the way?

I’m a huge fan of Neil Gaiman, but I also love Lisa Mannetti, and Margaret Atwood.

If you could sit down and talk to any of those writers, living or dead, who would it be and what would you discuss?

I would love to just shoot the breeze with Margaret Atwood and listen to stories about what’s she seen in her life. I think she would have some wild and awesome tales to tell!

I must admit that that answer surprises me. I would have bet real money on Neil Gaiman. After our close encounter with Neil at his signing in Decatur, Georgia, not to mention him re-tweeting your blog post about it, I figured you’d want to sit down and talk with him again. But then again, I’m sure Margaret Atwood could provide a lot of insight on what it was like for female genre writers forging their way to the top in decades past. I imagine she’s as hard-boiled and iron-willed as any of your pulp heroines.

What books have stayed with you over the years?

My top ten books over the years:
10. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
9. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
8. The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
7. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
6. The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter
5. On Writing by Stephen King
4. The Gentling Box by Lisa Mannetti Author
3. Beloved by Toni Morrison
2. The Book of Men by Dorianne Laux
1. Don’t Let Me Be Lonely by Claudia Rankine

Excellent list. There are a few on there I’ll have to add to my reading list. A Wrinkle in Time is one of my all-time favs. And most anything by Gaiman, King, or Morrison makes for a good read.

What advice would you give someone attempting to write professionally and seeking to be published traditionally?

Finish the book. Don’t get distracted by the shiny, great new idea. Finish the project you’re on and then go after the new idea. I think a lot of people get caught up in trying to write the PERFECT BEST MOST ORIGINAL IDEA EVER and never finish anything. You can’t edit or publish a blank sheet of paper.

You’ve mentioned your recent forays into riding horses on the weekend. And we’ve played Cards Against Humanity on occasion. What other activities or hobbies do you enjoy? And if you’ll pardon the pun, do you find that they help spur your imagination or work their way into your writing?

Honestly I have very few hobbies. Almost all of my free time is devoted to writing. Right now my hobby probably includes playing with my new cat, Kamala, and occasionally playing a video game.

As I understand it, you handle marketing and promotions as a part of your day job. Has that helped you to promote your own material? And if so, what advice could you give to writers struggling to market their works on their own?

I work in a marketing department and run the social media accounts for my day job so I get to spend all day on Facebook, Twitter, etc. It has been helpful but it also leaves me a bit burned out by the time I get home.
It has helped me learn more about the dos and don’ts of social media, and it lets me experiment and see what works and doesn’t work. The difference is, marketing yourself as a brand is different than marketing a company so there is some crossover but there are still big differences.

I think my best advice for writers is to not try to do everything. You don’t need to be on every social media channel. Find the one or two you like the best and go to town on those. Social media is about building a community, so interact with people and have fun with it.

Thanks for the advice. I’m learning the hard way about stretching myself too thin on social media. Led to me burning out on the whole deal and neglecting all of my social network promotions for books and such. As I move back into the field of book promotions and building a community of dedicated fans, I’ll keep your experiences in mind.

As part of the New Pulp movement, do you find yourself set free or more limited by the expectations of fans as well as publishers associated with this rising subset of the American fiction market?

I think that there are limitations with the pulp market, and that the audience wants a certain type of story. I like the pulp style of a lot of action and adventure, and I’ve enjoyed writing in it, but I’m looking forward to starting to explore other styles in the future.

I couldn’t have said it better myself. And I have had similar experiences while trying to meet the expectations of fans as well as publishers of this sort of material. In the end, I think we have to do what you advised and write what we want to read. Then even if no one else reads it, at least we enjoy the process and our final product.

From what I understand, you were a finalist in a contest that involved writing a sequel to The Dark Crystal. Could you tell us more about that experience and the upcoming trip you will be taking thanks to it?

Well, The Dark Crystal was one of my favorite movies growing up. A friend told me that there was a contest for a prequel novel in the world of The Dark Crystal. I dove totally into it and worked really hard on my entry. I did not win, but I was in the top 25, and an editor’s choice. This September I received an email inviting me to a reception with the winner of the contest, and representatives from the contest, a small reception to acknowledge the hard work put into the stories. So, I’ll be heading off to New York to attend that reception, and to meet a friend or two who lives that way as well. I’m really excited about the trip and the entire Dark Crystal experience.

You should have a great time in NYC. Really sounds like a once in a lifetime experience. And who knows? If they do more Dark Crystal books, which is likely with the success of a prequel or sequel, the editor who liked your work might recommend you for the job. I’d second that recommendation in a heartbeat. 🙂

What writing project are you working on currently? And can you provide a snippet from it?

I am currently edited the second Bone Queen novel, and working on an essay about fandom. The only snippet I’ve got is from my fandom essay.

“As I supervised the towering pile of tentacle hentai, my boss started cursing behind me. “Dammit, dammit! Sell it all, sell it all! They’re going out of business.” It was the first time I ever realized that conventions were more than costumes, and fun; an entire industry ran on the backs of the fans.”

Last but not least, what is your latest release? And where can readers find it?

My most recent release is the short story, “Catching Steam”, in Capes and Clockwork which you can find on Amazon. I’m also working to get the second Bone Queen novel out before 2015.

Thanks again, Andrea. I appreciate you taking the time for this interview. It’s always a pleasure when I have the chance to learn more about you and your writing. Happy to have had the chance to share you and your creative endeavors with the world. I hope the readers out there who haven’t experienced your storytelling prowess yet will feel the impact of your stories as deeply as I have. Because I’m not only a lifelong friend but a lifelong fan.

To find out more about this super author and her amazing stories, check out Andrea Judy at the following links:

Judy Black Cloud WordPress Blog

JudyBlackCloud.com Blog

Andrea Judy’s Facebook Author Page

Andrea Judy’s Pro Se Author Page

D. Alan Lewis & A Double Dose of Lycanthropy

July 9, 2014July 9, 2014jjeremyhicks

With the release of not one but two werewolf-themed anthologies from Dark Oak Press this week, I thought it expedient and enlightening to interview one of the people who made it possible. Author, editor, and good friend D. Alan Lewis has been sweating these two Luna’s Children collections since last year, working diligently to comb through the massive amount of submissions, select the best stories, and then edit them for publication. Though he has not been alone in this daunting task, his drive and dedication have made these anthologies possible.

This is a glowing introduction and rightly so. But then again, I am clearly biased as Alan saw fit to anchor the first volume, Luna’s Children: Full Moon Mayhem, with my edgy, ultra-violent revenge fiction piece entitled “Beta Male, Alpha Wolf.” As editor, Alan also selected my Cycle of Ages Saga story about dwarves on a submarine powered by a dirty nuclear reactor for Capes & Clockwork, Dark Oak’s recent steampunk superhero anthology.

In addition to his duties as editor, technical writer, and father, D. Alan Lewis is a writer of some of the most imaginative fiction to make it onto my bookshelf. When I first met him at MidSouth Con in Memphis, this unassuming, quiet fellow with the wolfish baby blues sat behind a table with his first novel, Blood in Snowflake Garden. After reading the back cover, I took this absurdist Cold War-era noir tale of murder, mystery, and cupcakes at Santa’s North Pole home with me and enjoyed every page. You will never read another Christmas story like this one. Since then, he has written and published several pulp stories and a few novels. Of them, the gritty, unflinching supervillain tale, The Bishop of Port Victoria, is another favorite. Of course, I could go on and on about telling you about this talented technical writer turned genre author and editor; instead, I’ll let him tell you about himself, his influences, and his projects.

Q. As writers, we all come from different backgrounds and found our way to this profession in our own way. How did you make the transition from amateur to professional writer? When?

A. I grew up telling stories, some for honorable purposes and some not. As a teen and young adult, I got into roleplaying games and usually ended up running the games, since my friends loved the stories I’d weave for them. I’d toyed with writing for many years, but never got started. This was partly due to procrastination and partly due to a lack of support from family and friends. After my last divorce, I decided to jump in to the writing world with both feet. I hooked up with a writer’s group in Nashville and with their support, I managed to finish my first novel.

From there, it became a matter of networking. I’d been going to SF&F conventions for years, so I started talking to authors and publishers who attend. Those contacts lead to multiple book and story deals. And that leads to the latest work, the 2 Luna’s Children books.

Q. What genre(s) do you write? And do you prefer writing short stories, novellas, or novels? Why?

A. I’m a bit of a writing slut. I write a little bit of everything in all kinds of lengths. I have 3 novels out at the moment; a murder mystery, a pulp/noir tale, and a steampunk adventure. As for short stories, I have steampunk, pulp/noir, superhero tales, horror, and vampire & werewolf stories, and straight-up Sci-Fi.

I don’t have a preference about the length, as long as I have enough room to tell the story that I’m trying to convey.

Q. What writer(s) has/have influenced your writing the most? How have they influenced you?

A. Douglas Adams has always been a favorite and a major influence. His works were so ‘over the edge’ at times and I loved that. While I didn’t want to be his clone, I did want to write like him. Early on, all my stories were developed as comedies, but I didn’t feel that I could match his level of craftsmanship. And as I worked, I found that my skills were more along a darker path of storytelling.

Q. Is there a work of fiction that you keep coming back to, one that you read over and over again? If so, why?

A. Douglas Adam’s ‘The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul’. I just love it.

Q. As a writer, are there common themes or topics that you like to explore?

A. I love surprise twists, so everything I write has something in it that I hope will catch the reader off guard. I also love having tortured, troubled characters. As far as topics, I don’t have anything that I include in every story.

Q. As an editor, where do you find the time and patience to edit something as daunting as an anthology?

A. Patience is needed in ample amounts, some of the time. It never fails to amaze me that some authors will send in a story riddled with errors, but if an editor misses one and it gets in the final product, those same authors will throw a fit.

As the first reader, I look for a story first. Does it fit a need that my anthology needs? If so, then I look at the errors. If there are too many, I send them back to the authors and explain what mistakes I’m seeing and ask them to rewrite it. Then, once it comes back, I get to work. With Luna’s Children, there were so many stories that I had a team of editors helping me with all the stories, making sure that I didn’t miss anything.

With Capes & Clockwork, I was dealing with mostly established writers who knew their craft. I also had only 16 stories to deal with, so that anthology fell into place quickly and efficiently. The Luna’s Children books were the complete opposite. While there were a number of talented writes, there are a lot of first-timers. Still, many of those first-timers were giving me great stories, underneath all the mistakes. Luna’s Children includes 43 stories in the 2 volumes, which were drawn out of over a 150 submissions.

Needless to say, the werewolf stories took much longer to weed through, edit and put together.

Q. What special challenges do you face in editing an anthology versus a novel?

A. An anthology is a collection of stories from OTHER people. These are not my stories, so I can read it as an outsider and can spot problems and issues. When I edit my own stuff, I have to try and remember not to read it as the writer but as an outsider. While in my mind, I know how a scene is playing out in the words. But as the reader, is that scene playing out in the same way? Sometimes as a writer, you can’t see the obvious mistakes since you’re too close to the story.

Q. What can you tell us about your newest releases, the two volumes of Dark Oak Press’s werewolf-themed Luna’s Children anthologies? And where can readers find it?

A. Luna’s Children: Full Moon Mayhem and Luna’s Children: Stranger Worlds is now available on Amazon Kindle and will soon be available in print and other ebook versions. All will be available at your local and online book retailers.

Full Moon Mayhem contains 22 stories that are more based in the real world. While, the 21 stories in Stranger Worlds takes the werewolf genre into new worlds, other times, different realities.

Q. Now that these collections are finally being released, what will you be working on next?

A. Currently, I am working on the submissions for Capes & Clockwork 2, which is an anthology of Steampunk’d superhero stories. The first volume came out early this year and was such a hit that the second book was green lit immediately.

In addition to that, I’m working on short stories for the upcoming ‘Black Pulp 2’ and ‘High Adventure History 2’, both from Pro Se Productions. I’m also outlining an untitled Steampunk/Noir detective story that I hope to have out by year’s end. In the long term planning, are the next books in the Hawke Girls and the Snowflake Garden series.

Q. Finally, where can we find out more about you and your other works of fiction?

A. My website/blog is: www.dalanlewis.com

I am on twitter: @Dalanlewis

I’m on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorD.AlanLewis

And I have an author page on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/D.-Alan-Lewis/e/B006DA9P2U/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1331611519&sr=8-2

Thanks for sitting with us for the interview today, Alan. Good luck on your future projects and upcoming appearances. In the proud tradition of tired werewolf cliches, I hope you have a howling good time. 😉

J. Jeremy Hicks — Author

Field archaeologist turned screenwriter and novelist. Co-creator and author of the Cycle of Ages Saga. Co-founder of Broke Guys Productions.

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