Happy Thanksgiving!  

Guest blogger Richard Dalglish

 

Amazon.com: Tales of a Rogue Advocate: The Healer The Pearl eBook : Dalglish, Richard: Kindle Store

What can we expect from you in the future?

I'm working on another novel in my fantasy/mystery/legal thriller series. This one is titled “The Ulder’s Plot,” and I hope to have it finished soon. It features defense advocate Killandrio Bludd, introduced in “The Last Witness: A Fantasy Legal Thriller.”

How do we find out about you and your books?

I have an Amazon author page (www.amazon.com/author/richarddalglish) and a Facebook author page (www.facebook.com/RichardDalglishAuthor/). I participate in discussions with members of Facebook writers groups and try to post the occasional relevant item on social media.

What do you do to relax and recharge your batteries?

Take a walk every day. Try to get a reasonable amount of sleep. Eat well. And read good writers, including nonfiction writers.

Where do your ideas come from?

No one knows.

Do you feel humor is important in books and why?

I like at least some humor, which, if it’s done well (not so easy), is entertaining, even apart from the main storyline. Everyone likes to laugh (I hope).

What kind of research do you do?

Since I write medievalesque fantasies, I often need to research various aspects of medieval life. Also, since some of my fantasies are legal thrillers, I’ve done research on various aspects of the law and courtroom procedure. But I take plenty of liberties, and my trials are far more raucous (and, I hope, entertaining) than real ones.

How many books have you written, how many have been published?

I’ve written seven, six have been published, one hasn’t been. But the unpublished one (my first) served as a self-taught seminar in novel writing, so it was worth writing even if it’s never published.

After you've written your book and it's been published, do you ever buy it and/or read it?

Yes.

Among your own books, have you a favorite book? Favorite hero or heroine?

I have two favorite characters. One is rogue defense advocate Killandrio Bludd (“The Last Witness: A Fantasy Legal Thriller,” “Tales of a Rogue Advocate,” and “The Ulder’s Plot,” a work in progress). My other favorite character is the sorceress Astil, a former criminal who became law-abiding but is still known as “the most dangerous woman in the known world.”

What is the most rewarding thing about being a writer?

Finishing a book that I feel comfortable submitting for publication.

If you weren't writing, what would you be doing?

Editing. In fact, although I’ve been “retired” for years, I still do freelance editing.

Are there any words of encouragement for unpublished writers?

If you want to write, and it’s more than a passing fancy, you probably have the potential to do it well. And if you keep at it, you’re likely to improve over time. But also understand that although you might be better at writing than 95 percent of your classmates or former classmates, that isn’t good enough. That’s why you need to keep at it and keep improving. Don’t be afraid to join a writers' critique group or some of the writers' groups on Facebook.

Guest blogger Daniel Richardson

 

Those Who Are Invited In - Kindle edition by Richardson, Daniel. Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Please tell us about your latest book.

Those Who Are Invited In - Longtime partners Bernard Yates and Sofia Wren are traveling to Besimeni, a quiet fort town on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, to visit her grandparents who are in self-imposed exile on their nearby farm. Meeting them for the first time, Bernard seeks their permission to propose to their granddaughter. The Wrens may welcome him into the family but not before they test his mettle, for they possess more sanguinary and otherworldly secrets of their own to disclose.

Internal Exile - A twin-tale of isolation and terror, it explores the abyss through the eyes of a nine-year-old sleep-paralysis sufferer Lucy Wren. On the eve of her first family reunion, she is once again tormented by the same three shadowy figures who have made a habit of haunting her. However, tonight there is a fourth and things are getting worse. 

What can we expect from you in the future?

I’m currently writing a novel about capital punishment as seen through the eyes of a reluctant, medieval executioner. I am also wading into the waters of a screenplay covering the real-world issue of mistakenly being declared dead by the Social Security Administration.

How do we find out about you and  your books?

You can find out about my current releases and upcoming works on X @DoublePlusDanny and on my author website - www.danielrichardsonauthor.com

Daniel Richardson Author website for Daniel Richardson. www.danielrichardsonauthor.com

. I also post on Facebook.

How much of your personality and life experiences are in your writing?

I think the adage “write what you know” only goes so far. I like to sprinkle in bits of my personality and experiences, but I equally draw from people I’ll never meet and places I’ve never been.

When did you first think about writing and what prompted you to submit your first MS?

I started off writing in the non-fiction space, specifically literary and legal analysis in my bachelor’s and post-bachelor’s programs. I mustered the guts to plot out a few potential novels from kernels of stories, more like loglines, and selected the one I felt I could best write. Fortunately, my first MS was accepted and published. I’ve been digging in ever since.

Do you have a set schedule for writing or do you just go with the flow?

Yes. I think it’s important to have a schedule. Sometimes I’m not in the mood, but I’ll still sit down and mull over ideas until the mood strikes. Other times, I’m furiously writing notes into my phone, a scrap of paper or anything else I can get my hands on. 

What about your family, do they know not to bother you when you are writing- or are there constant interruptions?

I had that chat with a family member. It wasn’t pleasant, and I’m sure I could’ve been less curt about it. Folks who don’t write don’t understand the emotional and physical toll it can take. Once I’m in the mood to write, I need to be alone and without distraction.

What do you do to relax and recharge?

I devour books, fiction, non-fiction and writing style guides. I highly recommend On Writing by Stephen King and Save the Cat by Blake Snyder. I watch films, build and play instruments, and watch European football. 

Where do your ideas come from?

I’m not telling you! Just kidding. Many come from strange things I’ve read about, experienced or heard about. I like to have ideas collide to build something new, so it’s never just one idea that gets written out but a few that dovetail into one another.

Do you feel humor is important in books and why?

Yes, but not all the time. It depends on the tone. Usually relegating those light moments to specific characters or settings is the best way. I never want a novel to be devoid of it, as I’m trying to depict real-life, and even in the darkest moments we can find some levity.

What kind of research do you do?

A painstaking amount, first of all. I come from the non-fiction/academic space, so I know my professors would be irritated if I inserted historical inaccuracies. I shy away from falling down rabbit-holes as that’s an easy way to lose hours of writing time. However, I make sure that details, spanning from boat specifications in 17th century Ireland, to modern-day technologies are precise, concise and clear for my readers. There’s nothing worse than getting bogged down in details that distract from character or story for the sake of proving how much the writer knows.

Please tell us about yourself.

I’m a Maryland native living in the Midwest with my two dogs, Jack and Sugar. I hold a bachelor’s in Russian literature and International Relations from Beloit College and a master’s of law from Santa Barbara and Ventura Colleges of Law. I’m even-keeled and passionate about what I love.

What are some of your favorite things to do?

I build folk and blues instruments from scrap wood, watch European football and horror films. 

What are some of your other favorite authors to read?

I studied Russian literature in college, so I’m biased towards Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Bulgakov and others from those eras. I’m also quite keen on Camus, Voltaire, Rushdie, and so many others. My favorite stories are mythic, like Tolkien, and intrusive, like Kafka.

What do you think of critique groups in general?

No one is a harsher critic of my works than I am. I want my works to be broken down so I can build them up again. Groups are great for that, but I’d rather have a trusted editor destroy my first or second draft before I think it’s ready for submission. Perhaps it’s because I don’t want to be vulnerable to a group in that way, preferring my madness to be directed at a trustworthy individual.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Working on my fifth or sixth novel and perhaps my second or third screenplay. Writing will always be in my future.

How many books have you written? Two. How many have been published? Two. I’m working on a third now. Fingers crossed!

After you’ve written your book and its been published, do you ever buy it and or read it?

I certainly buy them. It’s a lovely feeling to see the spine of your own book next to your inspirations on a shelf. I do flip through them, but I don’t go front to back. I’ve read them so many times before that I’m mostly checking for formatting and other technical aspects. I know how they end!

A favorite amongst my books? Favorite hero or heroine?

Picking a favorite book is like picking a favorite child, easy. Just kidding. There are aspects of both of my published novels I like, and parts I wish I could go back to and change just a bit. I’ll always have a soft-spot for my first novel, Those Who Are Invited In, as it kicked off my professional career as an inkslinger. I’m finishing up my first draft of a novel called The Blizzard and The Sieve. The protagonist is a medieval carpenter’s apprentice who is compelled into becoming his town’s executioner. Writing that transition in his life and delving into his psyche is making him quite a challenging but enjoyable hero. For my heroines, Lucy Wren, a deuteragonist from my second novel Internal Exile. She is a sleep-paralysis sufferer desperate for friendship.

Most rewarding thing about being a writer?

Crafting ways to approach questions I do not have the answers to and meeting my readers. They’re the best barometers for what’s working in my stories, so I love to hear from them.

If you weren’t writing, what would you be doing?

Procrastinating.  

Greatest Desire? 

Give my dogs the life they deserve.

Words of encouragement? 

Writing is a skill like any other. You need to carve time into your schedule to hone your craft. Get it down, get it good, then make it great.

Guest blogger: James L Hatch

Amazon.com: James L. Hatch: books, biography, latest update

Amazon.com: Extinction: The Ultimate Price of Hatred eBook : Hatch, James L.: Kindle Store

This novel postulates the origin of oil, suggests reasons for terrorism, offers a solution to the energy crisis, and presents the inevitable outcome of rampant hatred. It is the first novel of a four novel series that includes Extinction, Aftermath Horizon, Beyond the Horizon, and Infinity Quest.

Extinction Blurb: Dr. Marcy Whites overcomes enormous genetic engineering obstacles to resurrect a prehistoric bacterium (V5) capable of creating renewable oil. On the other side of the world, people die by the millions when genetically-engineered beta-hemolytic streptococcus (BHS), a pathogen developed for bio-terrorism, is released by accident in Mecca. Carried by fanatical Ambulatory Infectious Agents seeking martyrdom, the flesh-eating disease spreads like wildfire with a 100% kill rate. Out of desperation, countries agree to sanitize the infectious outer perimeter of the kill zone with nuclear weapons. Dr. Whites joins a government team attempting to adapt V5 as a BHS antidote. Their deadline passes, and Operation Sanitize releases mankind’s most powerful weapons against its smallest enemy. Nuclear detonations temporarily halt expansion of the kill zone, but Dr. Whites continues antidote refinement knowing BHS-laden dust will someday settle to the surface.

 What can we expect from you in the future? 

 

The past year has been an exceptional one for me, with four new novels produced (Extinction, Beyond the Horizon, Infinity Quest, and A Brief History of Sin) and two new book covers developed and replaced on older novels (The Trophy Wife and Oh, Heavens, Miss Havana!). That is a difficult pace to maintain; it means I didn’t do anything but write, edit, and plot. The lawn grew long, dirty clothes piled up, mail was not opened, and cold cereal was the fare for dinner. Writing was my solace after my wife passed. I’m not sure if I can maintain that regiment. Everything is dependent on creation of new concepts for novel ideas. The writing is the fun part; new plots and creative ideas are difficult. So what’s next? I’m currently working on a paranormal comedy concerning Facebook “Friends.” Some aren’t what they post. 

 

How do we find out about you and your books? 

 

Everything about me and my novels is provided at cookinwithmisshavana.blogspot.com (no “g” on “cookin”). My book covers, back cover blurbs, and excerpts from all my novels are provided there, as well as blogs from other authors. 

 

How much of your personality and life experiences are in your writing? 

 

I have been lucky enough to travel much of the world, work at some fantastic jobs, be married to an incredible wife, and receive a top-notch education. Every book I write includes elements of those things. I cannot stress enough how important it is to know love and romance in your own heart in order to write it down in a way that others might understand. 

 

When did you first think about writing and what prompted you to submit your first ms? 

 

I know the day and the hour. It was 8:46 a.m. on 9/11/01 when AA flight 11 struck the North Tower. At first there were tears … and then there was anger. I used writing to quell my anger and, over time, eventually wrote my first book, Extinction. The book was full of venom and I knew I could never publish it. It took years to smooth the rough edges to make it acceptable. That 450 page novel was released by Solstice this year.  

 

Do you have a set schedule for writing or do you just go with the flow? 

 

I write every day. I usually begin from 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. and try to write until 2 p.m. Then I watch mindless movies. 

 

What about your family, do they know not to bother you when you are writing - or are there constant interruptions? 

 

I am not surrounded by family like many writers are; however, life provides plenty of interruptions. Sometimes I just want to shut off my phone. Almost all my friends know not to visit until after 2 p.m. During my wife’s illness, I gave up writing completely so there would be no conflicts. Writing requires too much focus to try to do it while multitasking. 

 

What do you do to relax and recharge your batteries? 

 

Nothing beats a bourbon and coke as the sun sets over the lake behind the house, as long as it’s not too cold. Other than that, I love movies. I find them very relaxing, especially the really creative ones. 

 

Where do your ideas come from? 

 

All of my ideas have come to me during sleep. I used to keep a writing pad on the nightstand so I could take notes. Now I just use the “notes” application on my phone. It is much easier to talk to the phone in the dark than to turn on a light in order to write ideas down. 

 

Do you feel humor is important in books and why? 

 

Oh, yes. Writing comedy is vital. Including humor in suspense novels is also important. A good plot is vital, but it is made even better when humor is interspersed throughout the text.  

 

What kind of research do you do? 

 

For highly technical novels like Extinction, I spend lots of time on Wikipedia and surfing the Internet. That is especially true when trying to understand extremists. Sometimes I wonder if the next knock on my door will be the FBI. I have never gone to the local library for research. I have worked in technical disciplines all my life, so I generally have a good idea what direction to go in. Comedy research is much more fun. I love finding a new rude joke to insert into the flow of the story.  

. 

Please tell us about yourself. 

 

My Ph.D. is in meteorology and my undergraduate major was chemistry. I have retired four times. I am 80 years old and widowed. I have led an exceptionally blessed life and have accomplished everything I dreamed as a youth. I have traveled the world, from near the North Pole to Australia, and that is the reason I know without question I live in paradise in central Texas overlooking Lake Belton. I love writing more than anything I have done, and currently have 10 novels with Solstice Publishing (Melissa Miller was one of my earliest advocates).  

 

What are some of your favorite things to do? 

 

I used to dance and play in the lake, but those things are for the young. Now I write, do minimal chores around the house, and party down with my great neighbors. I also love to cook when I can find time. 

 

Who are some of your other favorite authors to read? 

 

I enjoy Frank Herbert and believe I’ve read all his books at least once. I am currently reading Sea Stories by Admiral William McRaven (Retired). 

 

What do you think of critique groups in general? 

 

At my age criticism really doesn’t mean much. Thirty years ago, maybe, but now I only want to hear comments that will make my writing better. My neighbors are my usual critique group, especially after a few glasses of wine. 

 

Where do you see yourself in five years? 

 

I am tempted to answer this question by stating, “dead.” But, who knows, I could last a little longer. I intend to use the remainder of my life preparing for my passing (building houses for kids and grandkids, for examples), ensuring my estate is in order, and writing as much as I can. 

 

How many books have you written, how many have been published? 

 

I currently have 10 novels with Solstice, but I have published with Eternal Press, XOXO Publishing, and a few more. Once I found Solstice, I stayed there. I don’t intend to leave unless they make me. 

 

After you've written your book and it's been published, do you ever buy it and/or read it? 

 

Always. I love collecting book covers and proudly display them on my office wall. Because most of my books are series, it is important to reread prior books just to make sure I don’t trip on some obscure fact mentioned in the past. 

 

Among your own books, have you a favorite book? Favorite hero or heroine? 

 

Oh, yes. My hands-down favorite is Miss Havana. What a vixen. I have enjoyed her antics. While I write about her, it’s like she is living that life and I am just observing. Sometimes I laugh out loud at the dialogue. It’s like it comes from the characters and not from me. I believe my favorite book is The Training Bra. Lots of humor in that one. 

 

What is the most rewarding thing about being a writer? 

 

Nil Whittington (Ordinary People; Extraordinary Lives) would say she hates writing but loves having been published. I enjoy both, but putting a new book cover on my wall is the most rewarding. It’s like collecting merit badges when I was a Boy Scout. 

 

If you weren't writing, what would you be doing? 

 

That’s a scary question. I suppose then I’d have to clean the house, wash the windows, mow the lawn – all the things I really don’t like doing. 

 

What is your greatest desire? 

 

I would like lots of people to read my books, especially the comedies. There is not enough humor in this world. 

 

Are there any words of encouragement for unpublished writers? 

 

If you feel the “burning in the belly,” then you will succeed. It took many years before I began to consider myself a reasonable author. At first my rejections were weighty, but over time I learned a few things. I am an amateur grammar maven now, and I love reading texts (any text) without errors. I don’t submit anything for Solstice review without proof reading it at least six times.