Indie BookFest 2013 is all day long event (starting at 8:00 AM and ending at 5:00 PM) celebrating
Indie Authors and Artists and their freedom of expression. Join some of your favorite Indie Authors for a day filled with book signings, sessions, and lots of good food and great fun! You won’t want to miss the sessions throughout the day, where several panelists will be speaking on a variety of topics relevant to writing, publishing, promoting your books, and all things indie.
Indie BookFest 2013 will be held at the Buena Vista Palace in Buena Vista, FL, on August 3rd, 2013 … just minutes from all the Disney and Universal parks! Everyone attending Indie BookFest 2013 will
have access to special room rates while staying at the Buena Vista Palace. Turn this one day event into a fun little getaway and indulge in
the sunshine and parks while you are visiting the Orlando area.
Sessions, refreshments, morning gourmet coffee bar, lunch, & much more? = $20
Fun hanging out with a great group of your favorite Indie Authors? = PRICELESS!
Visit these blogs in the blog hop!
A Momless Mom
Books, Beauty and Bodacious
Books, Brownies and Barkers
Cu’s Ebook Giveaways
Frankie Blooding’s Bookshelf
If the Book Fits
Jamie Loeak
Kats Reads
Living, Learning, and Loving Life
Paranormal book club
Passionate Book Divas
Pink Fluffy Hearts: Diary of a Coffee Addict
Readers Confession
Reality Bites! Let’s Get Lost!
Teracia’s book hoarding problem
The Official Site of Inger Iversen
you?
nervous wreck before and during each book signing that I do. I say “um” a LOT to try to deal with the
nerves. Also…I fan girl just like
everyone else. I’m always sneaking away
from my booth to meet other authors.
of our local branch came rushing out to meet me in the car. That was surreal. Not just that she wanted to take a pic with
me, while totally having the worst hair day of the year, but that someone in my
area had read and loved my books. Best
day ever!
the love and support you find from other authors. I have developed so many lasting friendships
with some truly amazing people over the past year.
who will listen, is to not sweat the reviews.
The good ones make you think you are better than you really are, and the
bad ones shake your confidence. Glean
what you can, hone your craft and let the negative reviews wash off your
back. They don’t define you as an author
unless you let them.
visit?
you know I’m spending some quality time in the teen section. I am a diehard ya fantasy fan. I love paranormal anything. Sci-fi?
Bring it on! Romance? Action?
Yeah, I’ll take a double helping of those please!
from, but what do you do with them? I
keep a dream journal under my bed and if you were to drop by my house at 2am
(totally creepy, by the way!) you would find me perched on my toilet,
frantically writing down ideas under the bathroom light. I also have a notepad app on my iphone, a
small notebook in my purse, in my car, in my desk, etc. Having enough ideas to write a book is never
my problem. It’s having the time to work
on all of them.
I read Young Goodman Brown and did a paper on him in college. I fell in love with his writing and the
story. I loved the descriptiveness of
that particular story.
songs to get the creative juices flowing?
she’s recorded.
best cheerleader?
helped read my stuff when no one else really got involved.
what is your favorite section to visit?
The covers are always awesome and I just love YA.
writing ritual?
write.
1. How long did it take you to write Contingency?
It took me two
months from start to finish to write the first draft of Contingency.
Blood Trade by Faith Hunter, Taking on the Dead by Annie Walls, The Breeders by
Katie French.
everything.
book?
everything you’ve written is crap. Keep writing. When you’re done writing,
prepare to butcher your writing, do several rewrites, and then sew it all back
together again. I’m a firm believer that the true magic of the writing process
happens during editing and rewrites.
take you to write For Everly?
It took me six weeks to write For Everly. That’s
the shortest amount of time it’s ever taken me to write a novel. It just
flowed!
superpower, what would it be?
I would
want the ability to manipulate time. Since I work three jobs and have a family,
I never have time to read. I miss reading!
book trailer?
I sure do!
4.Were you an
exceptional English student in school?
I
was. In fact, I majored in English with a focus in Creative Writing (graduating
magna cum laude). Ironically, I didn’t realize I wanted to be an author until I
was in my thirties.
your favorite “fan” moment?
I was
floored when a fan reached out to me and said she intended to dress up like one
of my characters (Olivia from Central) for Halloween. That really made me feel
like I’d made the “big time!’
up with the idea for your books?
reading R.L. Stine, Stephen King, Agatha Christie Christopher Pike, Carolyn
Keene, Franklin W. Dixon, and V.C. Andrews, and from watching many, many,
horror/thriller films. When I decided to sit down and write my first standalone
novel (after writing three with my mom under the penname C.A. Kunz) I knew that
it had to be a thrilling mystery with a dash of romance thrown in for good
measure. Also, it absolutely had to take place around Halloween (my favorite
holiday). I really wanted to craft a twisty-turny storyline that would have
reader’s second guessing themselves when it came time to pick “whodunit”.
certain process you do to get the creative juices flowing?
writers, but when I start a new book, and need to get the creative juices
flowing, I immediately attack the back book blurb and try to get the whole idea
for the novel down to just a few paragraphs. Then I write down the bios for
each character to get them all out of my head and onto paper. The next step of
my process is to create a skeletal outline, expanding on the back book blurb
that I worked on earlier. Then the last step before I begin to actually write
is to draw up how I envision the cover for the book to look. I keep this
drawing by me while I write as a visual stimulant for my writing. I find that
this process helps a ton when it comes to actually writing the book, and has
worked for me for quite some time now.
take you to write One Tiny Secret?
One Tiny Secret. I wrote the first three chapters in about a week or so, and
then took a month break to focus on the day job. Then I committed all of my
time after that to writing, and finished from the third chapter on in about a
month and a half.
inspired you the most on your journey?
few that I’ve been inspired by since I was a kid, and continue to still love
today: J.K. Rowling, R.L. Stine, Stephen King, Agatha Christie Christopher
Pike, Carolyn Keene, Franklin W. Dixon, and V.C. Andrews.
at your favorite coffee shop?
coffee. This is even in my author bio, so you know it has to be true, hahaha!
And when I go to Starbucks, Panera, Dunkin Donuts, or pretty much any other
coffee shop, I tend to order the seasonal drink. Pumpkin spice lattes are my
favorite, but coming in a close second is anything caramel.
up with the idea for your books?
I got the idea for The Edge of Eden when I was
perusing pre-made book covers on Once Upon a Time Covers Facebook page. When I came across the cover fell in love and I went back to it multiple times over the next week before finally decided that it was meant for me. I was working on another project and pulled off of it. The story about an alchemist and the world she lived in
poured out of me. Anya has become one of my favorite characters to write about.
shop?
Always a caramel macchiato, the only difference is if it’s hot or iced.
3.Is there one Indie author who has helped you out? What was their advice?
who have helped me a lot but if I have to choose only one it would be Liz
Schulte. She is simply amazing and has a website http://thestorymavens.com/
which offers writing advice. The best advice has been to finish. You can’t do
anything else until you have a manuscript.
It depends on what I’m writing but right now it has been Gin Wigmore,
Imagine Dragons, and a lot of Awolnation.
The ability to write super quickly. Maybe then I
could get all of the ideas for books out of my head before I get more!
1. What is one thing about you that your fans don’t
know?
I am hopelessly addicted to McDonald’s vanilla
cones. I’m not a fan of their food, but
I do like cones and tea.
forward to the most at Indie Bookfest 2013?
online ‘friends’ for a while, and to get up with some old fans.
favorite ‘fan’ moment?
someone was yelling my name out loud across the crowded lobby. The girl even asked if I wanted to sit with
her and her friends. That was awesome.
super power what would it be?
what is your favorite section to visit?
🙂
Tawdra Kandle
much fun. She was only supposed to be in the first book, and then she was
supposed to disappear. And then one night, in the middle of writing the second
book BREATHLESS, Tasmyn had a dream, and it was Nell. It was one of the
scariest scenes I had ever written–so much so that I freaked myself out.
Shortly after that, Nell told me more of her story, and it turned out that she
was in all four books. . .and then also needed her own. I am so excited to
write her book! It is called UNDENIABLE and will be the second book in the
Serendipity Duet
title before I write the story. So I didn’t have a title for FEARLESS until I
was more than halfway through it. I just called it Tasmyn. Then one night I was
leaving a restaurant, thinking about a particular scene. . .about how Michael
makes Tasmyn feel. . .and a song from the (then brand-new) Taylor Swift album
came on the radio. The whole idea of the line about the first kiss was so
evocative of Tasmyn and Michael’s first kiss, and the title captured one of the
main themes of the series, which is Tasmyn moving from a place of fear and
hiding to confidence and power. As for the cover. . .I was not a cover person
when I first indie published. I happily am surrounded by people who are wise
and talented. I wanted a sense of Tasmyn being tossed into a world far outside her experience to date, and I
wanted the magic there, too. My youngest daughter took several photographs of a
small town near us, and the cover artist was able to use the picture in the
background. I LOVE this cover!!
flowing?
are probably Blue October, Matt Nathanson and Christina Perri.
2013?
somewhat lonely. I love any chance to hang out with other authors, meet new
friends and talk books and writing. It’s going to be a blast!
been extremely supportive from day one, but my youngest daughter has made my
writing life possible. She takes over all household chores and cooking when I
am on deadline, gives me ideas, feedback, takes photos and proofreads. . she is
my cheerleader all the time and I am so grateful!
favorite ‘fan’ moment?
received my first fan letter in the mail.
It was from a fifth grader who had read both books. It made me realize
how far the book is starting to reach.
writing ritual? My ritual is crazy. I usually squeeze some time in ever few
days after the kids are asleep. I turn up the music, read back a few pages, and
everything starts to flow. My favorite
writing accessory is caffeine and my big comfortable chair.
your book comes to life, who would it be?
the southern warrior every girl could want. I’d like to bring the main
character, Ava to life too, but I’m sure some huge catastrophe would follow.
LOL
exceptional English student in school?
that I would one day be an Author. I think for me, the story came and I had to
find a way to put it on paper. I never imagined
I would fall in love with the writing process.
make the day just a little longer.
voices in my head to begin with Shannon Morton (author of Tempted by Evil book
1 of The Light and Shadow Trilogy). My running partner and I spend many an
evening pounding the pavement and harping about the characters in our heads,
and what the may are or may not be sharing with us at the moment.
what I say or want to do or talk about trying to make happen he is right beside
me telling me to do it and that we will find a way to make sure it gets done.
After that would be my mom.
was their advice?
advice or suggestion have been Karina Gioertz, and MCV Egan. Another couple who
are always so sweet and supportive are Joan Lane and Paulette Mahurin. And
lately Eileen Register has helped me out a bunch too.
with keeping myself hidden. Most of my fans know I have stories in multiple
genres coming out over the next few years, most of my fans know I’m the owner
of Turning The Pages Magazine, most of my fans know that I am not only a writer
and reader but I am also a huge crafter and video game nerd, and most know the
fun facts like I’m married, have 2 dogs 3 guinea pigs, live in FL. Blah blah
blah. I guess something that many don’t know about me is how crazy shy,
skittish, and unsociable I really am. I can talk to you every day all day on
the computer but face to face or on the phone I get nervous and freak out lol.
Covered”?
written, tweaked, rewritten, stopped, restarted, for I’m thinking it is going
on 5 or 6 years now. But the last rewrite which is what you get in book one
only took about 6 months to write down and say this is how it is going to be.
a redhead. My temper is flash fire rage that levels everything and everyone in
the surrounding vicinity. Despite what many think I do have a soul and most
certainly am not from the devil. However, given my incendiary nature I can see
how many people may have gotten confused.
about you that your fans don’t know?
Pumpkin Spice Lattes in the fall goes on my shit list. I hate anything that
reminders me winter is real and for whatever reason that stupid drink is the
start of a chain reaction wherein everyone is in a frenzy to embrace the change
of season and destroy my dreams of eternal sunshine.
Amy Bartol’s Premonition series, Michael Siemsen’s A Warm Place to Call Home,
and Tarryn Fisher’s The Opportunist and Dirty Red. I loved them all.
novel I have no idea if that’s fast or slow. What I can say is I wish I had
more time to dedicate to writing.
exceptional English student in school?
the beach for the weekend – you can take two books with you, one is an Indie
book and the other is ‘mainstream’ – which two are they?
favorite ‘fan’ moment?
and met to amazing teens who just chatted my ear up for an hour, and they were
awesome. Talking to them made my characters come alive and it got me all
excited to go write some more.
forward to the most at Indie Bookfest 2013?
have fan girls moments, repeatedly.
what is your favorite section to visit?
dystopian/scifi section as well.
about you that your fans don’t know?
really want to gross me out, just put a dirty foot near me. Yuk!
super power what would it be?
like a time-turner because I think that could be too dangerously tempting. But
to just stop time for a bit—let everyone else relax under my personal ‘pause’
button—so that I can add more hours to my day to write and do my mundane
responsibilities. Then I’d just hit my ‘play’ button and be able to hang out
and have fun!
going to the park for a relaxing picnic or are you an amusement park
rollercoaster person?
and love amusement parks, motorcycles, and even hope to get my pilot’s license
one day. But with that being said I also love taking a step back and just
sitting still and watching people—especially in places like a park or beach.
It’s times like that where I come up with some of my favorite ideas for scenes
and characters. Besides, picnic food is awesome!
favorite ‘fan’ moment?
Book Fair. We were able to get a signing at alocal indie bookstore called
Treadwell’s. That day I had the chance
to meet my European “Crew” a group of seven of my biggest supporters and
cheerleaders who came from locations throughout England– and even the
Netherlands and Estonia just to meet us and to meet each other. It was such an
amazing time to realize that my stories had facilitated these wonderful
friendships.
Heather Allen
your favorite to write?
view. Crazy? Yes! I loved writing from James’ perspective in the second book –
Barely Breathing. But in the final book-
forever Breathing Ever and Jack are my favorite characters. I think each book
has been a journey in itself.
super power what would it be?
time. This is the most dangerous one right? Alter events and change time…I
choose this one though because I have no patience. I want to know things as
soon as I can. Waiting in anticipation is good but knowing facts to make the
best decisions is better!
inspired you the most on your journey?
romance, horror, mystery, YA, NA… But I accidentally stumbled upon the Indie
world because of one author. I wrote Just Breathe over the course of a year but
didn’t know what I would do once it was finished. While trying to go the
traditional route, I picked up a book by Abbi Glines and devoured it. I found
later that she was self-published and it just felt right for me.
trailer? Link
songs to get the creative juices flowing?
absolutely love alternative music but some books warrant other music. I just go
with whatever inspires me for each book. As I write- if an inspiring song comes
on, I save it and add it to the playlist. A little teaser – my next book which
will be a NA is inspired by Blink 182.
up with the idea for your books?
tried to sit down and write. Probably because I didn’t think I could. It came
back to me in 2009 after I finished a series that left me feeling empty when
complete. I didn’t want to read anything else for awhile and for some reason,
the idea popped back up and I figured I would write some of it down. At that
point in time I had no idea that it would shape into a novel, thusly changing
my goals in life.
your favorite to write? Why?
character. She’s feisty, courageous, hard-headed, kind…everything I’d want to
read in a heroine. Her journey to self-discovery and control is one that I find
encouraging.
super power what would it be?
getting places a lot easier!
advice to yourself before you published your book?
better to branch out to your peers and learn about them and how everything
works before you dive in under your head.
songs to get the creative juices flowing?
Thirty Seconds to Mars always gets me pumped and ready to write. I also enjoy
M83 and most any indie alternative artist. It helps me zone out and think.
STAND silence (it freaks me out), so I always have loud music going. I write a
lot at a local cafe, so I have to make sure I have my caffeinated beverage of
choice, some water and am sitting at my favorite table.
vanilla chai with an espresso shot. That really gets the writing juices flowing
🙂
I wanted to use the word “deeper” somehow. So I looked around at
other book titles and then I found a line of poetry on google and that was it.
Plus, no one else had it. The cover was done by Sarah Hansen at Okay Creations.
I told her I wanted to have the hands reaching out, and she helped me choose
the image, but the rest was all her. When I saw it the first time, I was
completely in love.
Bleu, On The Island by Tracy Garvis-Graves, Point of Retreat and Slammed by
Colleen Hoover. I’m on a contemporary kick lately.
she pictured me as tall and willowy and it was one of the nicest things
anyone’s ever said to me.
Heather Allen
1. What character was your favorite to write?
I have found that I love writing from the male point of view. Crazy? Yes! I loved writing from James’ perspective in the second book – Barely Breathing. But in the final book- forever Breathing Ever and Jack are my favorite characters. I think each book has been a journey in itself.
2. If you had one super power what would it be?
If I could have one superpower it would be to travel through time. This is the most dangerous one right? Alter events and change time…I choose this one though because I have no patience. I want to know things as soon as I can. Waiting in anticipation is good but knowing facts to make the best decisions is better!
3. What author has inspired you the most on your journey?
I am an avid reader. I will just about read anything, romance, horror, mystery, YA, NA… But I accidentally stumbled upon the Indie world because of one author. I wrote Just Breathe over the course of a year but didn’t know what I would do once it was finished. While trying to go the traditional route, I picked up a book by Abbi Glines and devoured it. I found later that she was self-published and it just felt right for me.
4. Do you have a book trailer? Link
Just Breathe – the first book in the Trilogy – Book Trailer
5. What’s your go-to songs to get the creative juices flowing?
Each book is inspired by different songs and artists. I absolutely love alternative music but some books warrant other music. I just go with whatever inspires me for each book. As I write- if an inspiring song comes on, I save it and add it to the playlist. A little teaser – my next book which will be a NA is inspired by Blink 182
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