Jilly Paddock Interview!

Jilly Paddock interview

Hello Jilly, and welcome to Ralph’s Rants does Interviews; how are you tonight?

I’m fine, thanks. Hope you’re well too.

Jilly, how long have you been writing?

I started to write at school, in my early teens. Before that I’d always enjoyed writing essays for English and took great delight in twisting the titles we were given so I could write something fantastical or with a science fiction theme. I had two friends who shared my interest in SF and we all started writing our proto-books. We’d brainstorm plots and critique our work in breaks and lunch hours. All three of us are now published writers.

What are your writing influences as far as authors go?

I read a lot of SF and fantasy, all the usual culprits: Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein and Tolkien, plus John Varley, Fritz Leiber and John Sladek. I also like a lot of British writers, including some that your readers may be unfamiliar with, such as Iain Banks, James White, Colin Kapp, Dan Morgan, Mary Stewart*, Louise Cooper, Tanith Lee and Gwyneth Jones. I’d say that the biggest influences on my work are Cordwainer Smith and Peter S. Beagle.

*I just looked up Mary Stewart and it said that she wrote books “featuring smart, adventurous heroines who could hold their own in dangerous situations”–oh, so that’s where my inspiration came from then!

What books or characters have influenced your writing?

I loved James White’s Sector General books, which are about a hospital in space. Both staff and patients come from all kinds of alien species, and the wards are set up for everything from simple water-breathers all the way up to creatures that live on hard radiation, where the doctors have to visit in lead-plated tanks. The hero, Dr Conway, can be a bit too clever and smug, but there are some brilliant supporting characters. I liked O’Mara, the head of Psychology, and Dr Prilicla, the insect-like empath, but I identified with Murchison, the nurse who later worked in the pathology labs, as that was my day job.

One of my favourite short stories is ‘The Game of Rat and Dragon’ by Cordwainer Smith, in which humans are telepathically linked to cats to hunt the monstrous things that haunt the unreal space that FTL spacecraft travel through. I pay homage to that idea in my space opera, Warbird, and in the Zenith-Alpha 4013 books.

I’m greatly influenced by lots of poems and lyrics of folk songs, particularly those with a touch of magic and the supernatural, such as ‘Tam Lin’ and ‘The Two Magicians’.

Tell us all a little about your new novel, what’s it called?

My latest book from Pro Se Press is a short novel called Dead Men Rise Up Never. It’s an SF/murder mystery about a man killed by a unicorn. The case is given to Detective-Inspector A. Afton Lamont and her not quite human partner, Jerome, and their attempt to solve it is complicated by an AI who inhabits various avatar bodies and her master, a privileged aristocrat who leads a bohemian community of artists. Also included is a bonus short story, ‘Five of Humours; one of Melancholy; one of Honey’, in which Afton and Jerome get drunk with their colleagues after an unpleasant case.

Another story in the series will appear soon in Legends of New Pulp Fiction, a benefit anthology for Tommy Hancock, from Airship 27.

What is the setting for it?

Afton and Jerome live in Prosperity City on a human colony planet called Siobhos. It’s a quiet place with a relatively small population, a green and pleasant world. It isn’t at the cutting edge of technology, and we’d find their computers, mobile phones and electric or gas-powered cars very familiar. I guess it would be a very nice place to live.

Is this your first full length novel?

No. I have about a dozen finished novels waiting for publication. Some need a bit of revision and polishing, but some are ready to go.

Is this a one off novel or the start of a new series?

This is the longest Afton and Jerome story, but it isn’t the first. The characters met in The Spook and the Spirit in the Stone which is currently available as a self-published e-book. That edition will be replaced by a new print and ebook edition, which will come with an extra short story from Pro Se later this year. There are also a couple of other short stories, plus several unfinished ones.

Are there any characters in the book inspired by yourself or anyone you are close to?

I don’t think it’s a good idea to base characters on real people.

Okay, I’ll admit that I have written someone who really upset me into a book and killed them off–actually I made them into two different characters and killed both of them off–but I did file off the serial numbers and remove all identifying details, so only I know who they are.

I use fragments of people to enrich my characters; a gesture here or an expression there, and I borrow behaviours and reactions. Sometimes I’ll use an actor as a template, just to help me visualise how a character looks.

What else have you written?

Pro Se published To Die A Stranger in 2014, the first in a series of SF/espionage novels about Anna-Marie Delany and her computer partner, Zenith Alpha 4013. The second is With Amber Tears and is due to come out later this year. There are at least eight more novels in the series, most of them finished.

I’ve written a long space opera, Warbird, which will be produced in two volumes by 18thWall Productions, hopefully later this year.

I have a short story, ‘Mountains of Ice’, in a charity anthology, Blood Type: An Anthology of Vampire SF on the Cutting Edge published by Nightscape Press, in aid of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. I’m in some wonderful company in that book!

I also had a story in Pro Se Presents #19, ‘The Third Worst Thing That Can Happen on Mars’.

I’ve self-published an e-book collection of short stories, The Dragon, Fly and other flights of fancy and a first contact novella, No Earthly Shore. The title story of the collection will be reprinted by 18thWall.

Everything seems to be pending–I expect they’ll all turn up at once, like buses!

What is your writing process? Do you plot the entire book out at once or do you wing it with a beginning and an ending in place?

The latter, I think. I usually get the start and a few scenes along the way, and some idea of the ending, then I have to fill up the gaps. Sometimes the whole thing will just drop into my head–with ‘The Dragon, Fly’, I got the whole story out of the aether and wrote it very quickly. ‘Mountains of Ice’ was the same. I got the inspiration a week before the deadline and handed it in with a day to spare.

How long did it take you to write your novel?

I started writing the Afton and Jerome stories in the 1990s, so about twenty-five years! It’s even longer with the Anna and Zenni series, which was begun in 1973. The early manuscript for Warbird was done on an electric typewriter in the 1980s, and I had to scan and OCR it to get it on the computer. The long delay in publication has been beneficial, as they’re all thoroughly edited and polished, and I was able to alter the first books in the series as the plots developed. It’s not that I’m that slow a writer, it’s just that—apart from a brief period in the early 90s, when I actually had an agent—I hadn’t really made much effort to actually get stuff published until the last few years. Real life and work simply got in the way and I hadn’t even thought much about it until I took early retirement from my job and decided it was time to get back to my writing again.

What are your next stories or novels about and how far ahead do you plan?

I’m currently working on the fifth volume in the Zenith-Alpha 4013 series, and there will be a sequel to Warbird and another Afton and Jerome, but those are still in the planning stages. There’s also a half-written fantasy novel, Ladder to the Moon, which I really must finish.

When can we expect to see another release from you?

With Amber Tears should appear in late 2015/early 2016 from Pro Se, and Warbird, volume one should also be out soon.

Thanks for joining us here on Ralph’s Rants, Jilly. Feel free to leave us all some links to your web page or your twitter or facebook accounts as well as your amazon author’s page.

My blog is at https://tabbycat.wordpress.com/

facebook -https://www.facebook.com/JillyPaddockAuthor?ref=hl

twitter - https://twitter.com/JillyPaddock

Amazon Author page - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jilly-Paddock/e/B006XQQD06/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1(UK)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jilly-Paddock/e/B006XQQD06/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1(UK)

Is there anything else you’d like to share with us about your writing and books?

When my books were only on my hard drive, unpublished and unshared with anyone, I could dip into them and change bits whenever I wanted. Once they get into print, I can’t do that anymore. The hardest thing is to let go and send them out into the world. You just have to hope that people like them, and I have to say that most of the feedback I get from readers is overwhelmingly positive.

Have a great day, Jilly.

Back at you, Ralph, and thanks for hosting this interview.

As always all of my own books are available at http://RLAngeloJr.com or http://tinyurl.com/ralphsamazon

Subscribe to my blog! Click on the link at the top of the right hand column to get my daily rants delivered to your inbox.

Andrew Salmon interview-Today we welcome Andrew Salmon to Ralphs Rants does Interviews

Andrew Salmon interview

Hello Andrew and welcome to Ralphs Rants does interviews, How are you doing?

I'm doing all right! Busy over here with projects coming out of my ears but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Andrew you have a new novel out, tell us a bit about it.

SHERLOCK HOLMES: BLOOD TO THE BONE from Fight Card Books. You can guess from the title who the hero of the story is. In it, Holmes and Watson are helping a woman bare knuckle boxer who is part of a tag-team boxing duo working summer carnivals. Her husband has disappeared, which threatens the contract they have with a local carnival and she's out on the street unless he can be found. The Victorian dynamic duo investigate. When her husband turns up dead, supposedly from an accident at the carnival, the fun begins. Holmes, Watson and the female boxer, Eby Stokes, join together to find answers and those answers threaten the very foundation of the Empire.

This is not the first time you have written this character, correct? How many times does this make?

SHERLOCK HOLMES: BLOOD TO THE BONE is my 8th go-round with the dynamic duo. Seven of which are in print and for Kindle, one is in the can but hasn't been released yet and I'm currently writing my third Holmes tale for FIGHT CARD BOOKS.

Is Sherlock Holmes your favorite character to write?

At the moment he is. After snagging a Best Pulp Short Story award with my very first Holmes tale, it was a no-brainer to write more. That initial acceptance has lead to another award win, multiple nominations and great reviews. Over the years writing Holmes, these milestones have shown me that I'm on the right track with my Holmes and Watson stories. And my Holmes work has received the highest accolade any Sherlockian scribe can ever receive: on more than one occasion, my work has been considered on par with Doyle's by some readers! That floors me every time I think about it. What a tremendous, humbling honor.

Thing is, I enjoy writing the tales. I ADORE the research. Watson's voice is cemented into my consciousness and it's not out of the ordinary for Holmes and Watson to have discussions in my head out of the blue. Then it just falls to me to write down what they say. It's scary sometimes. I consider myself extraordinarily lucky that the tales have been my most rewarding work - both personally with awards and accolades but also financially - and that I love writing them. No plans to stop any time soon.

So ‘Blood to the Bone’ is another ‘Fight Card’ novel, which I believe is the second you’ve written about Sherlock. How is this one different than the first?

The first one, SHERLOCK HOLMES: WORK CAPITOL, was really about creating something that had never been done with Holmes in his illustrious career. Building it from the ground up with in-depth research into bare knuckle boxing in Victorian times. Once steeped in the research, I had to figure out how Watson would describe a boxing match and what technique would Holmes use in the ring. Once the heavy lifting was done, all I needed was an engaging plot to keep things moving. The results were some great reviews, satisfied readers, another award nomination and great sales. Not bad for uncharted territory.

Sitting down to write the second one, I realized I could pull it off now that the groundwork had been laid with the first one, but, really, a straight boxing tale would, ultimately, just be more of the same. And that's never good.

Digging around in my research files, I found a small chunk of stuff on women's Victorian boxing I had tucked away. Right on the heels of this, the floodgates opened and I stumbled into a vast wealth of information about the fighters of the time - everything I needed to know, including the first batch of these women being inducted into the Bare Knuckle Boxing Museum's Hall of Fame at the same time I was fleshing out this idea. Being unaware there even were female fighters at that time, it occurred to me that I wasn't alone in my ignorance of these great championesses as they were called back then. Thus BLOOD TO THE BONE was born. Here was a chance to do another Holmes boxing tale yet keep it fresh, new and interesting to readers of the first while shining a light on a forgotten chapter of history.

What is your favorite aspect of writing a ‘Fight Card’ novel?

As I've only written Holmes tales for Fight Card as yet, I'd have to say the research. I so love digging into the past for nuggets of interest, I can't get enough of it. Also, with WORK CAPITOL, it was a chance to do something no one had ever done with Holmes before, something fresh that still read like Doyle. Working with Fight Card's editor, Paul Bishop, has also been a lot of fun. He's a great guy and his enthusiasm for pulp and writing in general is palpable. And I'm looking forward to working with him on more Fight Card projects in the near future.

Andrew, let’s talk about you for a little bit. What is your writing background? How long have you been writing?

I began writing the day I came out of the theater after seeing Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan back in June of 1982. That movie changed my life. I went into the theater a reader. I came out a writer. With no reading background outside of comics back then, I've been wallowing in words ever since. I earned a BA in Creative Writing at university, moved out here to Vancouver twenty years ago to get serious, then bounced around collecting rejection slips until finding Airship 27 on the eve of the e-publishing revolution. Still honing my craft, working hard, but my efforts over the decades are paying off. Earning money, winning awards, hearing from satisfied readers, things are great these days after years of struggle. Still a long way to go but at least I'm on my way now. The train isn't sitting in the station anymore.

How many books do you have out?

Lumping everything together, novels, anthologies and e-shorts, I've published or been part of 26 books to date, most of which are still available in print and for Kindle. And there are more coming. I'm just getting warmed up here.

What is your favorite genre to write?

Historical stuff! I've written numerous genres - sci-fi, sword and sorcery, mystery, hero yarns, horror, hard boiled, I've got a western tale coming out later this year - but, to be specific, it's got to be any of the historical genres. Anything that involves research and shining a light on the world of yesterday gets my juices flowing.

What is the one thing you hate about writing?

Promotion. Don't get me wrong, I love doing it, it's just the results that can sometimes be frustrating. You whip a tale into shape, get a great cover, great back cover blurb, price it reasonably, hit all the promotional places you can and... nothing! There are no guarantees and readers can seem so arbitrary sometimes, it's frustrating. But you've got to keep plugging away in search of that magic formula. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

What is the one thing you love? (Notice I wrote the hate question first?)

Everything! Getting the idea, fleshing it out, research, first draft, revisions, seeing that cover art for the first time, putting the whole thing together or watching the publisher do it, then seeing the book get thrown out into the world to sink or swim. Best job in the world! Wouldn't trade it for anything!

How many books do you put out in a year?

One - three though I'm going to increase that starting next year. These last three years I've been doing the Holmes books for Fight Card and those are time consuming. Fun, but time consuming. As a result other projects I've been cooking up have slowed down and I'd like to get to them sooner rather than later.

What is next for you?

Well, this December will see the release of my last Fight Card Sherlock Holmes book. Not because I'm not having a blast writing them, but, at present, I simply don't have an idea for another one. As I mentioned earlier, I don't want to do just more of the same and the three books will cover every aspect of Victorian boxing I see. The first dealt with the men. The second dealt with women and the third will be something of a free for all covering all of the physical abilities Holmes can bring to bear on a problem. That said, if a killer idea comes to me, I'll be back at Baker Street ready to rumble.

I'm not done with Fight Card however. I've got two projects I'm going to work on for them that are not Holmes related. I'm also putting together an omnibus of my shorter Holmes tales from Airship 27. I've just released a Black Bat e-story and want to do more of that. I've been working on a novel now for almost 5 years and plan to finish that up next year as well. I'd like to write more Moon Man stories. Of course, more traditional Holmes tales. I'm also putting together a series with an adventure team I've created. And I want to write a James Bond novella now that the character is public domain here in Canada. I'm always on the lookout for projects from publishers so if anyone out there thinks I'd be a good fit for something they are putting together, please get in touch with me.

Andrew it was great having you here on Ralph’s Rants, feel free to leave links to your website, your twitter feed, your Facebook page and whatever else you may have.

Amazon : http://www.amazon.com/AndrewSalmon/e/B002NS5KR0/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_2

Twitter: @ASalmauthor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrew.salmon.94

Blog: http://berlin-noir.blogspot.ca/

Thank you for joining us, Andrew, it was a real pleasure, best of luck and until next time take care!

Thanks for inviting me! I very much appreciate it! Best of luck to you in all your endeavors. And, hey, readers out there, keep those pages flipping!

As always all of my own books are available at http://RLAngeloJr.com or http://tinyurl.com/ralphsamazon

Subscribe to my blog! Click on the link at the top of the right hand column to get my daily rants delivered to your inbox.

Ralph's Rants Does Interviews-Welcome Bobby Nash!

Bobby Nash interview

Hi Bobby, how are you? It’s been a while since you were on Ralph’s Rants, glad to see you back again.

BN: Thanks, Ralph. Glad to be back. Thanks for having me.

So what’s new in the world of Bobby Nash? You always have about a hundred things going on so I never know what surprises you have up your sleeve. I think you have somewhere around 20 books out now right?

BN: I do try to keep busy, yeah. (laughs) I don’t have an exact count handy, but I have somewhere around one hundred published stories scattered across novels, anthologies, ebooks, comic books, graphic novels, audio books, and screenplays. I was first published in 1992 and had a few comic books published around that time as well as doing comic strips for a local kids magazine that ran for 12 years. It wasn’t until my first published novel, EVIL WAYS premiered in 2005 that I started to write and get published steadily. Hard to believe that’s been 10 years.

As for what’s new, oh you know how it goes. There’s always a new project or twelve ready to go. I’m currently nearing the end of EVIL INTENT, a novel sequel to EVIL WAYS plus a 10th anniversary EVIL WAYS hardcover edition for my BEN Books imprint. I’m always working on a story for my next Pro Se Signature Series: From The Pen of Bobby Nash story called CRIMSON MOON and writing comic scripts for the forthcoming DOMINO LADY THREESOME comic book series for Moonstone Books. And that’s this week. HA! HA!

So tell us about your newest project, Bobby.

BN: Artist Jamie Chase and I worked on a graphic novel adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ AT THE EARTH’S CORE novel that will be in comic shops on Wednesday, August 19th. It will be available at all other bookselling outlets on September 1st. It is from Sequential Pulp Comics and Dark Horse Comics. I had a great deal of fun working on this one, but also a bit of nervousness. Trying to adapt a well-known and respected author like ERB is a touch scary. Hopefully, the Pellucidar fans will like what we’ve done.

Where is this story set? What era?

BN: AT THE EARTH’S CORE takes place in Pellucidar, the land at the center of the planet Earth. Pellucidar is a thriving ecosystem filled with many races from humans to the most savage of beasts and is ruled by the deadly Mahars. When David Innes and Abner Perry drive their fabled Iron Mole beneath the Earth’s crust, they find themselves trapped in Pellucidar, a land of eternal daylight and danger. How could I not have fun writing that?

Is this an ongoing tale? As in will we see these characters again?

BN: AT THE EARTH’S CORE is the first of Burroughs’ novels set in Pellucidar. Jamie and I are back to work on book #2 now, simply titled PELLUCIDAR. It’s great fun revisiting these characters. If they do well, we hope to be able to adapt all of them. Fingers crossed because Tarzan eventually makes his way to the Earth’s Core, you know?

What drew you to write this story?

BN: This was one of those odd situations where I was hired to work on the book. Once I was signed on, I read the novel and went from there. I’m reading through PELLUCIDAR now and staying just a few chapters ahead of Jamie. Outside of that, it was an easy project to say yes to doing. I read many Edgar Rice Burroughs tales as a kid and loved the sense of adventure found in them. I love writing adventure so it was a delight to play in those worlds ERB created. These stories are classics and I was honored to be invited to be part of them.

You’re one of the busiest and most successful guys around, what else do you have cooking that is going to be coming out soon?

BN: As I mentioned above, AT THE EARTH’S CORE hits this week. Other releases coming up include ESO’S TALES OF THE STATION anthology for the Earth Station One podcast and published by New Legend Productions (I also helped out with the editing on this one), THE BLACK BAT RETURNS from Moonstone Books, SNOW STORM from Stark Raving Press, EVIL INTENT from BEN Books, STRONG WILL from New Legend Productions, V-WARS vol. 5 from IDW, THE RUBY FILES vol. 2 from Airship 27 Productions, plus stories featuring DOMINO LADY, GHOST GAL, THE AVENGER, and more. I don’t know in store dates on all of them yet, but they’re all in some form of production or another.

Are you where you want to be as a writer, Bobby? What I mean is, are you happy the way things are going for you writer-wise?

BN: Never. Or, perhaps I should say, “Yes and no.” Yes, I am very happy with where I am as a writer. I have come a long way from back in 1992 when I had my first story published. I’ve accomplished a lot and am humbled and thrilled to be where I am today. However, the no side of that is that I’m not done. I still have goals to strive toward and I want to continue to do more and be able to support myself with my writing. I also wouldn’t mind seeing the words “New York Times Best Selling” in front of my name, either. That’s a goal, one of many, I’m still working toward.

What to you is the biggest stumbling block to get past as a writer?

BN: There are two.

Time. Time is a big factor. I work a full time day job at present and I have a rather lengthy commute so writing time during the week is short and sometimes non-existent. I spend my weekends writing and doing cons. As you can imagine, there’s never quite enough time to do everything I need to do.

The other stumbling block is me. What’s the old joke? A writer says, “I’ve got a lot of writing to do today so I better get started. But first… let me clean my office.” You can insert almost anything after “But first…” and it’s easy to see how I keep myself away from the writing desk. Deadlines certainly help when it comes to getting past this, but there is also discipline. Once I get in front of the laptop and start writing, I am usually okay. It’s just sitting down that’s the hard part sometimes.

What is the biggest thrill to you as a writer?

BN: Seeing all of my hard work finished and in a physical form I can hold in my hands. Getting that first copy of one of my books is an absolutely amazing feeling. There’s just nothing like it. I hope that’s a sensation that never goes away, no matter how many stories I have published in my lifetime. Second to that, I’ve met some wonderful people who have said some very nice things to me about my books and that is another big thrill. Plus, I’ve gotten to meet many talented people because of my writing. Some of my closest friends are people I’ve met as a result of my writing, whether at a convention, through mutual publishers, social media, and the like. I love the writing community. It is filled with wonderful people.

How far ahead do you plan? What I mean is do you say ‘I‘m going to do this book next and then that one and then that one’? Or do you just do one at a time?

BN: What’s this “plan” thing you speak of? In all seriousness, there is a plan, sort of, most of the time... kinda. I know what projects need to happen and I have a nice white board in my office and a fancy Excel spreadsheet on my computer to help keep track of them. Then I spend my time juggling them as deadlines pop up or galleys or edits come in, which aren’t scheduled most of the time, and I try to juggle as best I can.

Do you think it’s a bad idea to plan far (Several books)  ahead, or do you consider it a strength as a writer?

BN: Oh, it’s absolutely helpful for me. I know all writers have things that work for them, but knowing what needs to be down helps me. The hard part is keeping the new ideas from jumping the line. You have to clamp them down and make them wait. Following your muse is awesome, unless you have a deadline on another story. Plus, if you’re working on a series, it never hurts to have a general idea where you’re going. I have loose plots for future stories with several of my characters stacked up in the corner of my brain just waiting to go. I just have to make the time to get them all done.

What are you strengths as a writer, as you see them?

BN: That’s a good question. I’ve never really thought about it. My writing style is pretty straightforward. I write stories to entertain. I’m not looking to change the world or anything or push an agenda. I write stories that I hope will entertain readers. I guess that’s a strength. I also do my very best not to miss deadlines. I am a writer and I love my job, but I’ve learned to treat it like a job as well, which means writing whether you feel like it or not. It can also mean sleepless nights, weekends spent chained to the writing desk, or whatever it takes to get the job done. It can be a tough job at times, but I absolutely love it.

Finally what does the future hold for Bobby Nash?

BN: Wealth and prosperity. Or so I hope. Ha! Honestly, I don’t know. I have no plans to stop writing any time soon, but the world is a strange place, especially in corporate America. My day job could be gone tomorrow or editors and publishers could stop offering me work. I hope that doesn’t happen, but it is interesting times in which we live. I would love to do more comic books, more novels, and more screenplays. I still have ideas buzzing around in my head and goals not yet met. There’s still a lot of hard work ahead of me, I think.

Bobby, as always it was wonderful having you here and I want to wish you the best of luck in all your endeavors. Feel free to leave our readers your contact information (Web page, twitter handle, facebook page, Amazon Authors page etc.

BN: Thanks, Ralph. This was a lot of fun. I appreciate the opportunity. Here are some links where folks can find me:

www.bobbynash.com

www.twitter.com/bobbynash

www.facebook.com/AuthorBobbyNash

www.google.com/+BobbyNashAuthor

http://amazon.com/author/bobbynash

http://ben-books.blogspot.com

http://instagram.com/bobbynash14

www.pinterest.com/bobbynash

Thanks Bobby, looking forward to talking again soon!

BN: You bet, Ralph. Thanks again.

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As always all of my own books are available at http://RLAngeloJr.com or http://tinyurl.com/ralphsamazon

Subscribe to my blog! Click on the link at the top of the right hand column to get my daily rants delivered to your inbox.

Ralph's Rants does Interviews-Barbara Doran, Author of the just released 'Claws of the Golden Dragon'

Barbara Doran Interview

Hello Barbara and welcome to Ralph’s rants does interviews

Thanks for having me!

Barbara, tell us a little about yourself; where are you from?

My father was a West Point grad and my mother was a Chinese student who'd been working at the cafeteria my grandmother ran. With dad in the military we've moved around to a number of different places; Chicago, Colorado and Missouri, among others. I've been in the Western Ohio region since my father retired, however. I'm married, with two children, a dog and a cat who claims my only job is to feed her.

How long have you been writing?

I've been telling stories to myself since I was small, and started putting them down on paper as soon as I figured out how to write. Once I started, I never stopped.

Barbara, tell us about your new novel? Is it your first novel?

This is my first published work. I have a number of other works I'm trying to get published, but this is the only pulp… so far.

What is the novel called and what is it about?

"Claws of the Golden Dragon" is set in the town of Strikersport, CA, and is about a series of strange incidents relating to the local Chinatown and the inheritance of one of the main characters. A villain known as The Voice starts causing trouble and in so doing, cause the mysterious masked adventurers, Tiger and Dragon, to step in to protect Chinatown.

What inspired you to write this novel?

"Claws" came out of the idea that so many of the original pulps had some painful attitudes towards Asian characters. If they weren't outright villains they were sneaky, or lazy or simply there for comic relief. I wanted to have a pulp story where there was an Asian presence and they weren't any of those things. (Although I have a feeling Tiger and Dragon are natural comedians, tricksters that they are.)

Who do you consider to be your inspirations to write?

Pulp-wise, I'm a big Shadow fan. I also adore Sherlock Holmes and M.R. James, although they predate the pulp era by a number of years. I've been a comic-book fan for most of my life, with a fondness for Doctor Strange, Tomb of Dracula and Phantom Stranger.

Who are your favorite authors?

Mainstream-SF/Fantasy/Mystery authors I love reading include Terry Pratchett… (GNU Terry Pratchett), P.C. Hodgell, John Scalzi, Diana Wynn Jones, Tamora Pierce and Donna Andrews.

Pulp-wise: Maxwell Grant, Leslie Charteris (Though I'm not sure he qualifies as a true pulp writer) and Edgar Rice Burroughs were among my favorites. I also love Jim Beard's work and am slowly getting to know the other New Fictioneers.

What is your favorite genre to read?

It varies according to mood, but I think I like Fantasy most. I prefer the more intimate types of fantasy, with smaller casts and a need for the heroes to resolve a problem together and to learn a little about themselves. Of course, what I really love are cross-genre pollinations, where you never quite know what you're going to get.

Now tell us all what is your favorite genre to write?

Like my reading, my writing depends on my mood. It's most often fantasy based, in fact, the entire world I work within is based on the idea that magic exists and that there are parallel worlds connected to ours. So even if I'm working on a mystery, if it's set in what I call The Acre, magic's there, though it may or may not be noticed.

Besides your current novel, ‘Claws of the Golden Dragon’, what else are you working on?

I'm currently finishing a mainstream fantasy called "The Sea Wolf and The Falcon", which is set in the early 1600s and is about two young men who get dropped into the Summerlands (fairyland), where they have to help find the murderer of one of that world's Kings and - in the process - discover their own natures.

For Pulps, this November I'll turn back to the world of "Claws" and tell the story about how two of the main characters, Mudan Chang and Connal McLeod, met. 1930's Shanghai will play a big part in the story, which means I get to do loads of research! (I love research.)

How has the experience of being published been to you? Was it wonderful, was it trying? Did you enjoy it? Or are you glad the first one is over and done with?

I've enjoyed it. I've been submitting my longer works to larger publishers for a while with no joy, so Rob giving me a chance has been just great! I'm glad the story's out and available to the public and am really hoping people enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Barbara it was wonderful having you here on Ralph’s Rants and I want to wish you all the best. Please leave any other information you may have here, such as your website, your twitter handle, your amazon author’s page and your facebook page.

Website:

Twitter: (BarbaraDoran)

Facebook:

As a note for the curious, Sum Ergo Scriptum was originally intended to mean "I am, therefore I write", but my Latin translator forgot that scriptum actually means an unfinished piece of work. This turned out to be a happy mistake, however, because I'm not done yet and don't intend to be for a long time to come.

Thanks again, Barbara, good luck!

Thank you for having me!

You are very welcome!

As always all of my own books are available at http://RLAngeloJr.com or http://tinyurl.com/ralphsamazon

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Your daily Ralph- All things Cagliostro!

This week The Cagliostro Chronicles is on sale! The very first book in the series is on sale in kindle format for only .99 cents! That's right true believers, only .99 cents! Get your copies today at http://tinyurl.com/cagchron 

 

 

Also, the first audio book of any of my novels is now out there, and again it's The Cagliostro Chronicles! Get your copy at either the Audible store http://tinyurl.com/cagchronaudible  or on Amazon itself at http://tinyurl.com/cagchronaudio

 

and don't forget the third installment of the blockbuster series is also out there at http://tinyurl.com/cagchronIII 

 

 

Your Daily Ralph- New release!

Just released- The Cagliostro Chronicles Audio book available at The Cagliostro Chronicles audiobook Get your copy today!

Your daily Ralph- Things to come

Hi all, I know I've been less than 'Daily' about this blog, but I'm going to try to be more on top of it.
Right now, my most recent release is 'The Cagliostro Chronicles III: Into the Heart of Evil' It's the third chapter in the ongoing story of man's first faster than light vessel and the war with the evil Agalum empire. An empire built on control and a never ending lust for power. But there's a new player in the game; the horrific Tahir Ga'Warum. Interdimensional monsters who have come to our universe seeking conquest, as well as a bite to eat. Now the mighty Cagliostro must go behind Agalum lines and seek out an ancient cache' of weapons designs before the Agalum can get their hands on them and decipher them, effectively giving them the upper hand in the war.  Will Mark Johnson and the crew of the Cagliostro be able to uncover and retrieve the ancient weapons designs before the Agalum can? And what of the Tahir Ga'Warum who are looking for new worlds to conquer? How will they be dealt with?  Find out in the pages of 'The Cagliostro Chronicles III: Into the Heart of Evil' http://tinyurl.com/cagchronIII

 

So what else is coming down the pike? I'm working right now on my first real pulp novel. It stars a mysterious agent of the night who must discover more about himself than about his enemies. In 1937 the city of Riverburgh is a small city some 40 miles north of Manhattan, but it's problems are just as big, just as dangerous as its larger cousin's.  It is here that the shiver inducing Grim Spectre hails from. A creature that looks more ghoul than man. His skull-like face forever hidden in shadow beneath his cloak, the Grim Spectre hunts the streets of Riverburgh seeking those that would do innocents harm. Like a glowing, caped ghost he floats above the streets dealing out vengeance with rock hard fists or twin '45's. He walks through walls, and floats through ceilings appearing within criminals very midst to deal out punishment that a corrupt police force is too conflicted to attempt. Where innocents are taken advantage of and beaten or robbed, the Grim Spectre will appear to even the score. But is he man or is he hell spawned demon? Or is he neither and perhaps something in-between? Find out soon within the pages of The Grim Spectre!

 

As always all of my novels are available at http://rlangelojr.com or at http://tinyurl.com/ralphsamazon