Guest Blogger Thomas Amo: The Reality of Fiction

I want to begin by thanking Natasha Larry for inviting me to guest blog on Paranormal Wire. I’m very fond of this site and very honored to be asked to write for it. My blog today is talking about the reality of what we fiction writers believe or pray isn’t true.

Attention all indie fiction authors in the room, if you would please raise your hands so we can take this very small moment to recognize you’re here. Sorry I can’t see all of you as there are some mainstream writer’s sitting in front of you blocking my view. Raise your hands a little higher if you wouldn’t mind. Oh yes hello Mr. Five Kindle sales for the month of March. How are sales going for April Mr. Five? Oh nothing so far? Wow that’s not good. Oh Mr. Five I meant to ask you where is your best friend Mr. Three? You were sitting next to each other at last month’s meeting. You’re not friends anymore? Why is that? He’s now Mr. seventy-five? How do you think that happened? Is it because he’s a better writer? He has more friends on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and a book cover with a hot babe on it? Is he better looking than you are? Whatever it is, it just isn’t fair.

Okay so how many of us fall into this trap of self-abuse? Do you imagine everyone is selling more books than you are? Living a far more interesting life than you. What’s their secret? Are they just popular people to begin with? Because only good things happen to the pretty people, right? Wrong! I know, their book sales are sky rocketing because they did a deal with devil.

There is no rhyme or reason why some books with lousy covers make huge sales over books with gorgeous covers. Then you have some books that loaded with bad grammar and offend the English language so much you can barely get through it, but they sell books like mad. It doesn’t make sense in fact for some of us it tortures us. You will drive yourself crazy if you think there is a magic formula for becoming the next super author.

It’s kind of like being in a casino. How often have you spent hours at a slot machine and everywhere around you, the sounds of slot machine bells keep going off. People are winning all over the place, but not you. You tell yourself if I keep chasing the bells this has to pay off eventually. You run from this machine to that machine until you’re out of money and you go home angry and hurt you spent it all trying to get something for nothing. If you do win you’re not really winning you’re usually just getting back what you put in earlier.  So how is this like writing? Because we all judge winning differently. Some of us are really excited about the process of slowly building a following and seeing our sales increase gradually. So getting five sales this month is five more than I had last month. Others view it as a personal insult and become beaten down so quickly they give up too soon.
All of us would love to do this for a living and get movie deals and hang out with Johnny Depp, but how many of us are truly willing to fight for it and not give up. That’s why there is only a tiny percent of huge movie stars, NY Times Bestsellers. Because they didn’t give up when they were Mr. Five sales. I have had my share of rejection letters. Hang on to those babies. They are your medals for the battles you’ve gone through.

You want me to read your book? You want me to know your name? Then you need to find out if I read books you write. Don’t send me something about sports, or how to be a vegan. I’m not interested in those subjects. I like ghost stories, true crime, and really good scary stories. I’m kinda worn out on the whole vampire/werewolf thing, so stick with a good serial killer.

Basically what I’m saying gang is make sure you’re preaching to the right choir and be professional always. No matter how much someone else pisses you off, let it go, be nice, we live in a time where your career can end based on as little as 140 characters and you want to do this for the rest of your life, so remember when your mom said, if you don’t have something nice to say don’t say it at all. Big mouths and offenders usually end up ruining their own careers, they don’t need your help.

If sales are slumping, ask yourself what more could I be doing to improve this instead of feeling defeated and saying, no one wants my book. Network; pay it forward, because this is a gamble worth waiting for the jackpot.

TUESDAY TIPS AND TIDBITS - The Don'ts and Do's of Bad Reviews

"I HATE you - and your stupid book too!"

That's the last thing any author wants to see in a review of his or her book. However, at some point, nearly every published author has to face an uncomplimentary book review. The hard part is dealing with bad reviews and handling the fallout that may be caused by them.

It’s easy to get angry at the reviewer, and the first impulse is usually to whip off a nasty reply and post it with the review, or blog about it, or go onto some private group forum and complain about it. However, invariably that can be the absolute WORST response, and may even backfire, creating a negative buzz about the author and the work. This is especially hurtful when the author appears to be ‘attacking’ the reviewer for stating what may appear to be an honest opinion.

The other approach is to ignore bad reviews and pretend they don’t exist. However, that’s also difficult to do when the reviews are posted on Amazon and seem to influence other readers, causing them to turn away or post similarly degrading reviews.

It may help to recognize that not everyone who writes a review is actually just a reader. Some reviewers have built a reputation by reviewing books and stake their reputation on being cruel and snarky. Paid reviewers for prestigious publications may actually be influenced to write crappy reviews for books that compete with books they’ve decided (or are told) are noteworthy. And sometimes readers who write nasty reviews may just be having a bad day or a bad life, and take it out on defenseless authors whom they believe cannot fight back. And, sadly, sometimes petty authors will give poor reviews for other books they’re jealous of. The point is, when readers go to all the trouble to get online and sign into an account that allows them post reviews, they’re MOTIVATED to do so – either because at the time they’re wild about the book they just read, or they’re soured with a negative attitude and looking for an outlet to vent. Whatever the case, the result is the same – the author ends up with either a glowing or hateful review filled with praise or venom.

When this happens, the best – and perhaps only – thing to do is ... take the high road. By that I mean, yes, respond to the negative review, but in a healthy and respectful manner, the same way you’d respond to a great review. Thank the reviewer for taking the time to read your book. Express concern for the reviewer’s apparently bad reading experience, and offer to refund the reader’s money spent in purchasing your book. (Yes, many readers grouse about ‘wasting’ $2.99 on an ebook that offers hours of reading time as opposed to happily spending more to wolf down a Big Mac in less than five minutes.)

You may be tempted to correct errors in the review, but never attempt to, point by point, justify your position. The less fuss you make over a bad review, the better. In graciously offering to provide a refund, you often diffuse the venom and sometimes actually make the reader realize the review was in poor taste. If a forum offers dialog between the reader and the author, as Amazon does with its review and reply/comments, then you have the opportunity to show the rest of your loyal readers what a professional you are by being gracious under fire. And sometimes the hateful reader will amend earlier review comments to be more in line with the actual reading experience, rather than venting anger that may have been spurred by an event or situation in the readers life that had nothing to do with the book or author.

As for ‘professional’ reviews, where the author is not given the opportunity to respond to a poor review, sometimes you just have to say, ‘Oh well,’ and let it go.

Of course, if all your reviews are bad, or they keep pointing out specific errors or faults in your book, this may indicate your book could use some shoring up. If you have the opportunity to fix the issues consistently remarked upon in reviews, do so, and make sure your revised edition is clearly indicated so that new readers will know those issues have been addressed.

And finally, take heart that at least you are getting reviews. That means somebody’s actually buying and reading your book. Let that be your motivation to finish the next one!

Pat Morrison, Penumbra Publishing

Interview with Fantasy Author: Glen Quarry

I recently read and reviewed Glen Quarry's young adult/fantasy novel: Thyme in a Flask. Soon after, I invited him to give a brief interview at Paranormal Wire, here is the result of my request =) Enjoy. 

Q: How long have you been writing?

Sometimes it feels like I've been writing a long time, though in reality it's been less than ten years. I have a lot of interests, and early on I never took the time to sit down and write creatively. I've always been an avid reader of  fantasy fiction, and nine years ago or so (when I first bought a computer and armed it with Microsoft word), I decided to try to put an idea into words.

Q: What was your favorite book as a child?

The first books I read for myself were the fanciful animal stories by Thornton W. Burgess (Peter Rabbit, Reddy Fox and many others.) These stories were very easy reading, and chock full of illustrations. What an adventure to fly with Peter for the briar patch, with Reddy or Granny fox hot on his heels!

Q: How did you come up with the idea for you're book, Thyme in a Flask?

I have to admit, I did things wrong when I first began to write. Because of my inexperience, I started with a singular adventure and had no plan for the sustained story. Once the original adventure was done, where should I go from there? Instead of learning from my mistake, I added another adventure to the first, and then another to  that. I wasn't seriously writing, but just finding a way to explore my creativity. After a few years of piddling around, I decided I needed a master plan. This is when I finally conceived the idea for Thyme in a Flask.

Q:  Besides writing, what else do you enjoy doing?

I love working with wood, and in my spare time, I like to build furniture. I also do crafts and birdhouses.

In the summer, I enjoy riding my bicycle on the many trails around my home. My brother often visits from Kansas, and we'll spend a week going from one trail to the next.

Q: Can you offer my followers any advice on getting published?

Do not be easily discouraged, as getting published is much harder than writing. It's too bad it is this way, but there are so many talented writers out there that you must compete with them for the right to have your story printed.

Q: What are you currently reading?

I am reading Laddie, a True Blue Story, by Gene Stratton-Porter. This is a story about the youngest girl in a large family and her brother, Laddie. The author pens the dialogue in an ingratiating, homely style, which I find very pleasing. The story is old, first published nearly 100 years ago, but there is an endearing quality to this aging writing that makes it worthwhile.

Q: Tell us about any upcoming projects you have in the works.

I am working on a sequel to Thyme in a Flask. This will take Jon and Samuel, and Dorthea too, to Pagrah, where they find themselves in an unexpected predicament.

Without wanting to give too much away, I will say Jon and Samuel are visiting voluntarily, whereas Dorthea finds herself there very much against her will.

Q:  Who is your favorite author?

Terry Brooks, author of the Shannara series.

Q:  Who is your favorite character in Thyme in a Flask, and why?

This is a toughie. When I started the story, I identified myself with Jon, the main character. We have a lot in common, me and Jon. Our personalities are similar and we see things in the same way. Yet, in some peculiar way, I find I liked portraying Dorthea the best, and she soon became my favorite character. Several people have told me they preferred Dorthea also, and perhaps this is a direct result of my own fondness for her.

Q: What is your favorite Harry Potter movie and why?

I still like the first one the best. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's stone is the beginning of the series, where Harry is a young boy; an orphan, yet a King in the world of wizardry. It reminds me of the Cinderella story. Harry may seem ordinary, but he so much more than what meets the eye. He is raised by abusive relatives, but rescued and taken to Hogwarts, where he begins to find out enticing information about his true parents and their elevated standing in the world of sorcery.

J. K. Rowling is very good with putting the right words on paper to bring her readers into the world she is creating. As she progresses into the series, her writing becomes more sophisticated and involved. Her later works delve deep into the darker side of wizardry, but I prefer the innocence of the beginning.

Q:  How can readers contact you?

I can be contacted either through my website, www.glenquarry.com, or by sending me email at glenquarry@myomnitel.com. My author's page with Eloquent books is: http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/ThymeInAFlask.html

Q: Can you offer any advice on writing young adult fantasy?

For me, writing fantasy was natural, and probably the only genre I would be good at. All you need is an imagination, but it needs to be a good one. Nowadays, there is so much fantasy written that you need to think outside the box, lest you find yourself visiting an old story you have read. This can be very easy to do, and highly undesirable, though it's not a fatal mistake, as long as you be sure to put your own vision on the paper. Avoid using made-up terms you've seen in other fantasies; these belong to the inventors that coined them.

Last, don't be discouraged after writing for several hours and then going back to review it, only to find a ghastly composition that you see as a complete waste of time. First writing is rarely good enough. After you have committed your idea to paper (or word document), you can go back and edit to improve it. I found that I had to edit and re-edit my writing many times, but I am very proud of the end result.

TUESDAY TIPS AND TIDBITS (#2)

WHAT NAME, THE ROSE?

3/22/11

I’m Dana Warryck, author of science-fiction romance and paranormal vampire romance. I’m guest-blogging today in Paranormal Wire’s TUESDAY TIPS AND TIDBITS spot. Since Pat Morrison of Penumbra Publishing started off her post last week with a quote from Shakespeare, I’ll do the same...

“A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet.”
–Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

Paraphrasing here, Juliet is telling Romeo that no matter what his name is (Montague or something else) he would still be the same man, the man she loves. While the comparison I’m going to make isn’t exactly the same, I think it’s close enough. I’m referring to novel titles. A book would still be the same, even if the title were changed – but it might not be as marketable, just like Romeo and Juliet weren’t a likely couple because of the issue of their names prompted by the ongoing feud between their families.

Titles aren’t normally copyrighted (except in the case of the ‘for Dummies’ books, which are actually trademarked). What does this mean for the typical fiction writer in regard to naming a book? Say you’ve spent days, weeks, maybe even months trying to come up with a great title for your book. Something catchy, something that sounds familiar, but with a special twist that makes it absolutely perfect for your particular story. But then, to your horror, you find that someone else has used the same idea and published a book with the exact same title!

Case in point, I have a book titled The Dead of Wynter, which I started about three years ago and, for a variety of personal reasons, haven’t finished yet. Foolishly I posted the ‘coming soon’ info on my web site. (Let that be a lesson to you. Don’t ever leak information about your next book until it’s in production for publication. Why? Because ideas can’t be copyrighted either. And if you give away the heart of your book, or even a great title idea, some other author hungry for new ideas could conceivably take what you’ve got and run with it.)

So, now I see there’s a recent book out with the title Dead of Wynter. The storyline for this book is nothing like mine, but the title is almost exactly the same, playing on an alternate spelling of ‘winter’ that harks back to the familiar saying, ‘dead of winter.’ The author has even named the family of characters ‘Wynter,’ pretty much like I did my main character in my novel.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am certainly not accusing this author of anything. It could very well be a coincidence, because if I came up with the idea, it’s a sure thing someone else would think of it eventually. Take the invention of the telegraph, for example. Or the light bulb. Or the radio. Whoever gets the patent filed first wins, no matter who came up with the idea first. But with book titles, it’s a bit different – no copyrighting, remember? I admit I should not have allowed life to get in the way and stop me from finishing my book three years ago, because now this puts a ding in my spiffy, shiny idea for a book title and attendant story. But I’m not going to let that stop me from getting my story published eventually, with the exact same title I originally came up with – even if somebody else beat me to the punch.

But in regard to choosing a title for a published book, not every author can make that call. The real test comes when a publisher offers you a contract on your novel, and your book’s got a great working title until – dang! – some other publisher releases a book with a title so similar, your publisher doesn’t want to make it look as if they’re copycatting the competition. So now you and your publisher have to come up with a different title that is hopefully just as good. But you’re set on that original title because it was so perfect for your book! What are you going to do? Well, if your book is not in the same genre as the other book, and yours is going to come out sometime later, maybe you can convince the publisher to just go with the original title. But really it’s up to the publisher at this point. (Marketability, and all that.)

So, what happens when you come up with a great catchy title, but it doesn’t fit the tone or genre expectations of your story? That happened to me too with my novel The Protectorate: Patriarch. Originally when I started that novel, with the idea of a suave and sexy vampire having to take care of a human baby, I intended for it to be a humorous story and came up with the working title Vampire Daddy. Well, by the time I finished that story, it turned out to be a dark erotic romance. The baby was still there to provide a bit of humor, but not in the way I originally intended. So, when it was accepted for publishing, the publisher naturally wanted to change the title and came up with the much better title that the book now has. The point of this is, if your title doesn’t fit your story or do it justice, you’re simply going to have to pass on that title and come up with something different. The whole point of a book title is to elicit interest in your book – not unintentionally mislead the reader.

Speaking of that, what if you have this really long title that has a long subtitle attached to it, mainly because you couldn’t come up with a really good short and catchy title, so you just sort of used the paraphrased short summary line of your book as the title? (You know, kind of like that big ol’ run-on sentence I just laid on you.) Well, in that case, the common advice is to dump that title and come up with something else. Or use part of the main title as a series title (if you plan on doing more books of the same type, or with the same characters in the same world you’ve built). The thing is, if you’re going for humor, and you want your title to be a funny run-on sentence that makes people scratch their head and laugh, then your title can be as silly and long as you want. (Example: Jamie Wasserman’s just-for-fun ebook series, Night of the Guppy, Book 1 in the series, Sylvia Chesterton, Vampire Guppy Hunter.) But if you’re trying to attract a traditional readership in a genre where titles are within the common parameters of five words or less, your best bet is to go with the shortest possible title. That way it’s probably going to be easier for readers to remember. (Example: Amanda Hocking’s series volume titles like Switched, or Fate, or Torn, etc.) And use the same pattern in your titles. If you use one-word titles, make them work by picking a word that is a perfect summary of your book’s storyline.

In closing, I’d like to stress a few important points...

First, the title of your book is important for marketing reasons, so don’t take the choice lightly. Put as much thought and planning into your title as you do the actual writing of your book (and then the marketing of said book).

Second, if you’ve got a really good idea for a book or a book title, don’t tell anybody until it’s in publishing production with an expected release date – then you can tout it all you want. The reason for this is twofold. You don’t want to give away your ideas, and you don’t want to promise a book to your readers if you’re not sure you can deliver.

And finally, if you’re going to be a writer, WRITE. Stick with it, no matter how hopeless your dream of becoming a successful author may seem at the moment. Finish your writing projects and do what you have to do to get them published. Don’t put it off, because you never know what life’s going to throw at you next. You may not get another chance to finish that project you started so long ago...

Dana Warryck
http://www.danawarryck.com
Crystal Clear: Storm Ryder
Lucifer’s Last Lover
The Protectorate: Patriarch

TUESDAY TIPS AND TIDBITS

The Ides of March

Hello everyone,

I’m Patricia Morrison, Acquisitions Editor of Penumbra Publishing (a royalty-paying micro-publisher offering books in print and ebook format). Authors, staff, and guest bloggers of Penumbra Publishing will be providing blog posts for your amusement and enjoyment each Tuesday, right here at Paranormal Wire. The content will usually deal with helpful tips for fiction authors or issues that affect readers, but may occasionally touch on other subjects generally related to the publishing world. We’re open for suggestions on this, so contact us if you have specific questions.

And now, on with the show...

Today is the dreaded IDES OF MARCH! (That’s the 15th of March, in case you don’t know what ‘ides’ means, or your electronic calendar isn’t working properly.)

In ancient Rome, this day was dedicated as a fun-filled festival celebrating Mars, the God of War. It was on this day, while Julius Caesar made his way to the Theatre of Pompey, that a seer warned him he would die that very day. (“Beware the Ides of March.” – quote from William Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar.)

And segueing from Caesar to the quote, “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s...” (attributed to Jesus in the Bible, Matthew 22:21) brings me to the real point of this article. That’s right, it’s exactly one month before the dreaded T-Day.

No, not Turkey-Day! That’s in November. I’m talking about April 15, TAX DAY in the USA.

You’ve got 31 days from today to get your taxes done and postmarked (or e-filed) by midnight, April 15, for the tax year 2010. While this may not give you time to prepare for the tax ramifications of being a professional author doing your tax return for last year’s earnings, now’s the time to plan ahead for your 2011 tax return – especially if you’ve recently been published or are about to be published, and are just now starting to deal with all the paperwork involved with trying to document your business activities.

“Business activities?” you say with a questioning lilt in your voice...

Yep, that’s right. BUSINESS. If you’re a writer who’s serious about being a professional author, then you have to treat your writing pursuit as a business – not a hobby. And then you can use the expenses associated with your business to offset your earnings.

“But I haven’t even earned any royalties yet,” you object in abject denial...

Well, yes, but what if you suddenly start earning royalties? (Trust me, stranger things have happened, and you don’t want to get caught surprised and unprepared.) It doesn’t matter whether you’ve been working to become a writer for a month, a year, or ten years. It doesn’t matter whether your family and friends believe in you or not. It doesn’t matter whether all those hours you’ve spent trying to cultivate your craft have yielded no fruit – yet. And the important word here is YET, because if you keep working at it, and working at it smart, then you might actually see some fruits of your labor.

“Really?” you ask in with genuine interest as you bat your eyelids in astonishment...

Yes. Really. Because, if you treat your chosen profession (writing) as a business rather than a pipe dream, you’re more likely to succeed. Why? Because you’ll be seriously pursuing your dream with the intention of making it a reality. You’ll do what is necessary to make yourself succeed. You’ll join a good critique group or find a writing partner who will help you learn how to write better if your work isn’t appreciated enough to be snapped up by an interested publisher. You’ll learn what it takes to clean up your sloppy manuscript full of errors that keeps getting rejected. You’ll learn how to write a query letter that sings like a canary rather than squawking like a crow. You’ll go to writing conferences to pitch to editors or agents who may be interested in your writing. In short, you will ACT like a professional – and that will go a long way toward molding you into the professional you need to be in order to succeed.

But ... what about the tax advice I seemed to be offering? Well, I’m not really qualified to give advice in that area, but I can tell you a few basics to get you started.

• Keep a journal of your writing-related business activities and attendant expenses, as well as receipts. Expenses would certainly include travel to writing conferences and the cost of said conferences, and postage to send snail-mail submissions, for example.
  
• Keep track of expenses for related costs of purchasing a web domain and activating an author web page.
  
• If you use a portion of your home as a dedicated office for the business part of your profession, keep a record of utilities and repairs, purchase cost, and year put into service, to help you decide how best to provide depreciation information and cost of operation for the home-office portion of your business.
  
• Be aware that if your earnings from writing are fairly large (like a couple thousand a month – don’t laugh, it could happen), you might need to make quarterly payments to the government for Social Security and Medicare that would normally be deducted from a ‘day job’ paycheck. This would be done to avoid substantial penalties being imposed for underpayment of these estimated contributions.
  
• The business activity code to use on Schedule C of your self-employment reporting is 711510 for independent artists, writers, and performers.
  
• http://www.irs.gov has a lot of information online (a LOT), including some tips for self-employed folks and those thinking of starting their own businesses.
  
• If you find the paperwork requirements overwhelming and have the means to do so, you might wish to hire a dedicated bookkeeper and have your taxes done by a CPA. However, even these professionals will need to have something to work with, so keep track of your expenses and your earnings by retaining receipts and notifications of payment.
  

Just remember, don’t let the business of writing sap all the fun out of writing. After all, you didn’t decide to become a writer because you wanted to be saddled with paperwork. No, you wanted to WRITE – so go do it, and do it well!

Pat Morrison
Penumbra Publishing
http://penumbrapublishing.com

Interview With Fantasy Author: Alexander Hammond

I love Writers Face-the online networking website for writers because without that I wouldn't have ever had the pleasure of interviewing fantasy author Alexander Hammond about his newly released analogy of short stories.

I won't bore you with too much of my own commentary. I'll just say i asked Hammond about his background, other bodies of work, writing process and major influences.

On his background Hammond states that:

"I’m a Brit and located in both London and New York. I travel extensively internationally and when I’m not travelling, I’m in either of those two locations….though I prefer New York. Fabulous place.

I’ve been writing for about fifteen to twenty years (I’m nudging middle age). Initially I wrote advertising copy…lots of it…which prompts the necessity for disciplined writing and an economy of words. Nothing is wasted.


I then co wrote a cartoon strip for a number of years and again, I mention the history of this in my bio on that site so I won’t repeat myself. This type of writing requires even more discipline insomuch as the generally required standard for a three box strip in a newspaper is a maximum of twenty five words or less…plus its got to be funny! This was a wonderful experience.


So, my first book was The Zodiac Files. A compilation of the cartoon strips by the same name. Its now long out of print and as I co wrote it with my then wife (who conceived the idea entirely on her own), whilst it was my first book, it was hers as well. Credit where it’s due. We used pen names.


I continued to write, completing two humorous travelogues based on my business travelling. I tried for a long while to get them published but to no avail. This will change this year however as I’m currently discussing their publication with a publisher at present. This publishers interest came about as a result of them knowing about Tales from the Edge of Forever being published. Once one company has ‘taken the risk’ then it encourages other companies. Equally it’s the same with agents. I’ve had two approaches since this book became available.


Once the carton project died I continued to write. Firstly a screenplay which I thought was the best thing ever (it wasn’t!) and then a further movie screenplay entitled Perfect Disability which there is currently some interest in from various parties. The pitch is Notting Hill meets The Usual Suspects.

Two years ago, through a series of personal connections, a party who knew of my ability to write, commissioned me to ghost write a book on behalf of a third party. Sadly I cannot discuss this any more due to legal constraints. It did achieve a modest success…for the person for whom I wrote it."

That brings us to his third book Tales from the Edge of. Forever. Hammond states that this was his personal favorite...


"and very much the sort of thing that I like to read myself. Writing a cartoon strip aimed at a sophisticated adult audience made me sharpen my craft in creating the most impact in the briefest possible space, hence short stories based on my favourite subject (fantasy) seemed like a fun idea. The project was a true labour of love."

Q: What writer's have influenced your writing the most?

"I’ve always loved fantasy and science fiction. My god was Arthur C Clarke who I discovered when I was around eight years old. He took me to places I’d never been before or even thought existed in people’s minds. Philip K Dick was next. I read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep’ way before it was (brilliantly) filmed as Blade Runner and the same can be said of We can remember it for you Wholesale which was appallingly filmed as Total Recall.


First reading Frank Herbert’s Dune was a revelation of almost spiritual proportions insomuch as the originality of the storyline was breathtaking. And so it goes one. Asimov, Carl Sagan’s Contact’. William Harrison’s collection of short stories Rollerball, including the short story of the same name. Firstly brilliantly filmed by Norman Jewison in 1975 and then disgracefully remade in the train wreck that was the 2002 version.


In tandem with science fiction I also loved more spiritually based fiction such as the fantastic work of Richard Bach. Quite frankly, any of his titles are worth reading. A superb wordsmith.
So, that being the case, I wanted to try and create some stories that crossed both genres and this anthology is a result of those endeavours. I started each one with the thought process ‘What if?’ and went from there. Deity was an example of that. In some of the stories I had a very clear view of where I wanted to go. Stories such as Abracadabra, The Man who thought Hell was a breeze and My Special Guest Tonight are good examples of that.


With some however, I had no idea where I was going to go and they took on a life of their own. I would write a few hundred words a day and then cogitate for a day on where I could take the story, or just sometimes try an open myself up and let a direction come to me. It sounds all very whimsical and maybe it, is but creativity is a difficult thing to pin down as I’m sure you’ll know. Consequences, Ambition and The Button are examples of this.

Q: Where did you get your story ideas for this anthropology?


My ideas and where they come from are generated by a (probably) over active imagination and a reluctance to truly grow up. I’ve watched and read far too much science fiction and fantasy in my life. Comic books and graphic Novels are also a passion. Whether it be Invisibles, Halo Jones or, at the other end of the scale….the numbingly good and yet totally horrifying Preacher series.

Additionally I also read a lot of ‘Hard Science’ books. Hawking, Sagan, Fyneman etc etc, which also influenced some of the more exotic physics referenced in the story’s Ambition and An Astronauts Dream."

I concluded this interview by asking Hammond if he could provide any advise for aspiring fantasy writers.


"Well, I know its often said so my advice is not original but, read as much as you and write as much as you can. Persist persist and persist and be brutal with your own critique. Read and re read again and again what you’ve put on the  page and think ‘How can I make this read better’. It’s a true chore but definitely worth the effort."


http://www.facebook.com/ahammondwriter
http://twitter.com/ahammondwriter