The 2014 Blog Tour With R.P. Steeves And Others....

Welcome to Blog Tour 2014! Here's how it works: One author writes a blog post asking a few of his or her friends to join in, and then you go down the rabbit hole, figuratively, with some of the most fascinating authors in the business.

My pal R.P. Steeves nodded my way earlier this week, and I am now carving a few minutes out of my precious vacation to talk. Rich (R.P) talked about his fantastic Misty Johnson character in his piece. So thanks, Rich... you're in trouble. :)

1. What am I working on now?

At this exact moment? This blog post. I'm currently on vacation... but as you all know, an author can never truly turn off his or her mind. The mind of an author is an exciting one, and we're always conjuring up settings and worlds and characters and story lines that make readers want to turn pages. The plotbunnies, aye, they be a-mulitplying.

I am always working on something: I'll be diving into edits of INCINERATION quite possibly tonight or tomorrow, depending on if I find anything to read at one of the used bookstores in Provincetown (edited to add, which I did: two Robert B. Parker Spenser novels, DOUBLE DEUCE and SUDDEN MISCHIEF. I love me some Spenser for Hire.). I finished the first draft to TRAVEL AGENT, the sixth Jaclyn Johnson thriller, about eleven days ago. And I have the potential start to a new Alex Bourque mystery novella in my mind, which should take me a couple of weeks to write. I haven't written an Alex Bourque in a while. It would be great to dive back into his world.

2. How does my work differ from others in the genre?

A good question to which I may not have the answer. I'm a detail-oriented author, which means I love to give the reader a solid feel of where the story takes place--and I do this in several different genres. Detail is everything to me; it is second to plot, character, and substance. There are some books that leave out the detail, and that hurts my eyes. I want to be pulled into the book with the visual details. A good majority of the comments in favor of my books are the details. Then again, there are some readers who don't like the details. Caveat emptor.

Or is that fourth? I don't know. I love keeping readers on the edge of their seat, turning pages so they can see what Jaclyn or Alex or Connor Wood or (fill in the blank here) does next.

3. Why do I write what I do?

Because daddy needs to keep the food on the table? No, but seriously....

Thrillers are a rather popular genre, and I had abandoned the fantasy genre mainly because I didn't have the money to hire an artist to give me a colorful-yet-bloody cover, much in the same vein as the R.A. Salvatore novels. I started out as a fantasy author, because at the time, I loved writing about fantastical worlds. I still love reading fantasy; I always will.

I've also dabbled in mystery, historical romance (now under my pen name, D.L. Boyd; there will be more coming from "her" in the future), and sci-fi. I just love to write what moves me! After the aforementioned novella is done, I have a horror-thriller in mind that'll knock everyone's socks off--if I do the legend justice.

4. How does my writing process work?

The process. It's a great mystery to many as to how an author works. Some think that authors simply have a bottle of Jack Daniels or something even stronger next to them.

My process is simple: I cut open a vein and bleed onto the keyboard.

I'm a detail-oriented, plot-driven author. I know the outcome of the story even before I start writing it. I look at maps of real places--if my book happens to be set in a real place--and I delve deep into the setting; the characters have to go somewhere, and my readers connect best with real places. I want to see the rolling hills, the gentle curve of asphalt, the towering hills on other side of the road, and I have to make sure that the description is just right: if it's a real place, readers can see that and if they tell you that they saw it perfectly in your description, then you've done your job.

My process involves keeping readers on the edge of their seats, as I've said. And that means bringing in the very best in my literary arsenal onto the pages. I want the readers to feel the sweat, to hear the sounds. I want them to use their senses--and truthfully, I want them to go into sensory overload by the time they've finished reading my books.

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And now it's my turn to spread the love, so to say. I've tagged the following authors.


Let's see: Terry Simpson, Nickie Storey, and up-and-coming author Ted Flanagan. That should do it. :)

Now Rich, can I enjoy the rest of my vacation?

www.seansweeneyauthor.com

Author Spotlight: K.R. Jordan

Today, we start the week with a special treat, as K.R. Jordan, one of my favoritest peoples in the state of Texas, has just released a new novella entitled Riftglade. You can find it on Amazon. She's also on Goodreads, as well as Facebook. Remember to click LIKE on it so you can let your peeps on Facebook know, you know, that you like it.

Without further ado, here's Miss Jordan!

Thank you very much for having me on your blog, Sean!  Hello everyone!  I’m River Jordan and I write under the nom de plume, K.R. Jordan.  I’m from the Gulf Coast of Texas where I enjoy swimming, writing and fishing as hobbies.  I only write part time, but I have been writing since forever!

If you haven’t read any of my short stories, my writing leans toward YA or YA paranormal (Leela: http://www.amazon.com/Red-Wine-River-Jordan/dp/1908505753/ref=la_B008ZUP3EA_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1358743641&sr=1-2 and Alba: http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Light-S-J-Davis/dp/0615605923/ref=la_B008ZUP3EA_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358743641&sr=1-1 ). My collaboration with author Scott Prussing, Blue Fire Heat is a love story about his two main characters: http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Fire-Heat-ebook/dp/B008NY559Q/ref=la_B008ZUP3EA_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1358743641&sr=1-3 I wrote the story and he added the “heat” to it.  It is for adults only. I also write poetry, though none is published as of yet.

I’d recently read an extremely sensual poem by poet/author Gary L. Robinson named Clover’s Bliss:

I laid her down in a field of clover

her wanting body I hovered over

dress gathered, seductive at her waist

ahh I saw her thighs, longed to taste

she raised her hips, dress pulled over

and left it lying stoic in the clover

yes, nothing to hinder my view of her

with a whisper she said "come higher..."

she opened herself to me, nothing left to hide

yes no need to play, just to explore inside

freed and pulsing my masculinity her reward

with the heels of her feet she led me inward

I lay my hardness on her place just to tease

she gasps in a breathless tone "take me, please"

without a second thought and boyish grin

I concede to her request, our passion begins

Making love in a field of clover!

These are my dreams, over and over

Clover's Bliss by Gary L. Robinson, 2012

Like most authors, I never know what will inspire a story. It could be anything, you know?  Well, this poem started a story in my head that just took off!  It really wrote itself!

Riftglade is published by Hot Ink Press ( http://www.amazon.com/Riftglade-ebook/dp/B00B2V984K/ref=la_B008ZUP3EA_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1358743641&sr=1-4 ) and does have an erotic love scene but is chock full of excitement and adventure as well! 

Princess Yaliza must reluctantly venture out into the world on her own to find her destiny. Right as her journey begins, she is flung straight into an unexpected adventure!

 

Thanks for dropping by, River!

www.seansweeneyauthor.com

Author's Resolutions, 2013

Ahh, it's that time of year again. The time where everyone tries to better themselves with a list of things they hope to accomplish in the upcoming new year. I did this last year, and I believe I stuck with them throughout 2012.

Here's my list of resolutions for 2013, in no particular order:

I will continue to take better care of myself in 2013.

I lost a few pounds this year, about 20. I had stepped on a scale around Christmas 2011, and it had said 232 pounds. I cried. I stomped my feet in anger. I even threw the scale. I managed to eat better, exercised, do some walking (that lasted a few months), and drink less soda and coffee (up until the last few weeks or so). I got down to 209. I'm now at 211. I'd like to get down to 190 within a year. Yep, another 20 pounds and I'll be a happy, healthy author.

I didn't consult with a physician this year, though. I have to do that, or else Jen will hurt me. She has promised this.

I will publish three books in 2013.

I've set my writing goals for the upcoming year: Publish three books, and write 200,000 words. One of the books is already finished and just needs cover art. I'm waiting to see if I can get a better picture of it before I slip it through the uploader. I'm currently writing REDEEMED, which is halfway done, story-wise, at 83,550 words. I figure it'll take me at least another 70K-85K to finish the story. I also need to plot, write, and publish the fifth AGENT novel. I'm actually jotting notes down about it now. I'd like to write about 130,000 words in that one. Anything outside of those two books will be gravy for me.

I wrote somewhere between 260K-275K words for fiction this year. A fourth book would be difficult, but I probably could do it.

I will not rush my writing in 2013.

This one goes alongside the last resolution. I don't want to rush my story. I want the story to come out at its own pace. I want the details to come out. I don't want to rush and miss anything. It'll make my stories that much more readable.

I hope.

I will spend less time promoting and let my work speak for itself in 2013.

Tough one. I'm always on Facebook and Twitter trying to drum up sales when I'm supposed to be writing. I have 15 novels out, plus short stories and novellas. I hope to have 18 out within a year's time. My work has improved, as far as I know, so that I shouldn't have to do excessive amounts of promotion. At least that's what I hope. That could be my ego talking. Check back with me and see if we get into a fistfight.

I will blog more in 2013.

Kind of tied into the one above. In 2009, I wrote 19 blogs. In 2010, I wrote 69. In 2011, I wrote 15 blogs on Blogger, 24 on LiveJournal. In 2012, I wrote 33 blogs (this is No. 34). My peak, as you can easily tell, was 2010. But most of my blogs were about me and my writing. Sometimes they were about my observations in the publishing world, talking up Kindle and all that. I hope to do more blogs about people in the industry -- in other words, more author interviews. I want to sell books, yes... but I also want to introduce you to authors you may not have heard of before, authors whose books you should read.

Happy New Year, everyone. Keep reading.

www.seansweeneyauthor.com

Guest author: Jeffrey Beesler

I'd like to introduce you all to Jeffrey Beesler, whose debut novel Spell of Entrapment made its way into the Kindle store this week. Jeff is a talented, budding author from the state of Washington who is on a blog tour to promote the book. I've already read it, and I must say it's a breath of fresh air into the fantasy genre.

Without further ado, here's Jeff:

When a knight, Sir Patrew of Trava, infiltrates sorceress Embekah’s manor, a spell of entrapment binds them both inside her home.

This is the premise for my debut novel, Spell of Entrapment, the first installment in the Mages of Trava series. I’d really like to discuss how I came up with such an idea, but I fear the story has long since escaped me. Quite frankly, I’m not even sure how many of my ideas ever crop up.

This morning on my way into writing this guest post for Sean, I happened upon a photo that another writer friend had posted to Facebook. It featured a fortune cookie whose omen for the day read as follows: “Creativity: Anarchy of the mind”. This got me to thinking, as desserts are often wont to do in my case. How many times have I had a dream I just couldn’t shake, or a thought that wouldn’t die no matter how much I wanted it to? 

Sometimes, however, I get the sense that these ideas speak to me even when I’m asleep. Often I’ll have dreams of people who I’ve never even met in real life. It’s almost as if my own characters are talking to me in my sleep, trying to get my attention even as I’m working on something else.

For Spell of Entrapment, I decided to tackle the matter of solitude, and what it might be like for someone who spent twenty years of her adult life in exile. Then I built on this by making her come face-to-face with the awkward nature of having to socialize with someone after having no one to talk to all those years. Adding in the notion that this guy should carry a sort of antagonism toward her, I wound up fleshing out the conflict in the novel.

Not every idea I have will be turned into a novel or story. However, I consider each idea that crosses my path as an exercise in and of itself. It’s keeping my creativity healthy, which will keep me in fine shape to tell stories for many years to come.

Jeffrey Beesler was born on May 2^nd, 1978. In addition to self-publishing his debut novel, Spell of Entrapment, he has had a short fantasy story published in Abandoned Towers #4, The Broken Pipes of Drei City.  He is a graduate of the LongRidge Writers Group correspondence course, Breaking into Print. His book can be purchased here:

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Spell-Entrapment-Mages-Trava-ebook/dp/B007C0MKPY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330014268&sr=8-1

Smashwords:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/135275

Thanks for stopping by, Jeff!

www.seansweeneyauthor.com