Gareth S. Young - - 1000 Trillion Suns

Snobbery and hubris from the traditional publishing world bred some hurt feelings on the self-published side of the industry. To ease the pain, "Selfies" like to point out that they maintain control over their work and don't have to sell their souls like the "Trads" do. I don't think many believe that argument completely, but there's a lot of self-satisfaction in the idea of being in complete control of your artistic vision. This mask of creative integrity has morphed into a widely held conceit that we Selfies can write anything we like and, once our genius is recognized, we can reap the benefits of redefining the publishing industry. Only, that almost NEVER happens. Sure, the internet is awash with stories of this person who made seven figures self-publishing, or that person who was writing a chapter at a time on their blog and now their book is a movie. Yes, it happens...to those two people. Generally, the rest of us struggle. One of the ...

A quick, spoiler-free #WonderWoman review... I went to see this movie fearing the worst. DC have not had the best track record of late and there seemed to be seventy years of expectation resting on Gal Gadot's shoulders. Turns out, my fears were misplaced. DC have finally found a better balance in tone for one of their movies, and, in Gal Gadot, they have an excellent Wonder Woman. Director Patty Jenkins has made no secret of the fact she's a fan of 1978's Superman, and there are a couple of visual nods to the classic Christopher Reeve movie. However, the spirit of Superman is most obvious in the chemistry between Diana and Steve Trevor, something that's been sadly lacking from the other DCEU movies. And most notably absent from the newer Superman movies. Gadot owns the role and gives us much of what DC/WarnerBros missed the mark on with their "grim dark" superhero universe so far: optimism, charm, kindness, and humor - despite the wartime setting. ...

In 1996, Dana Carvey had a comedy show. Don't worry if you don't remember it, only 8 episodes were made before it was canceled. Why is this important enough to mention more than twenty years after the fact? Carvey was a huge deal in the mid-90s after a successful stint on Saturday Night Live, and appearing in Wayne's World and its sequel. ABC must've figured if he got a good writer's room they'd have winner. Looking back now, we are able to see that not only did Carvey have a good writer's room, he possibly had one of the greatest ever assembled. Granted, at that time, a lot of them were unproven, but since then almost every one of them has become a major name in comedy or movies. They were a proverbial Wrecking Crew of comedic talent... Louis CK (head writer) - now a hugely popular stand-up and auteur, who's had great success on television for a number of years... Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert - Both became famous through The...

This week's #SevenQuestions features one of my all-time favorite people: Sara Carrero! If you love the cover to my book "The Wolves of Dynamo" then you have Sara to thank for that (I already have, several times.) She's a whirling dervish of creative energy, whether she's painting, crocheting, making jewelry, constructing Zoinkies... A rainbow of Zoinkies  or cute bunnies... A fluffle of bunnies  ...she is ALWAYS creating. Last November, Sara was an ML (Municipal Liaison) for NaNoWriMo in New York, helping set-up write-ins and get togethers for groups of writers hoping to complete the 50k challenge. I'm exhausted just writing her intro, nevermind doing all the stuff she does. lol. Sara somehow had time to answer my #SevenQuestions...I suspect she might be a Time Lord. 1 - Leather or lace? BOTH! Leather trimmed with lace. There are certain things you shouldn't have to choose between. 2 - If you weren't able to w...

This week's #SevenQuestions are directed at the lovely miss Jacqueline Bach. I have known Jackie for more than five years now - after I butted in on a conversation she was having twitter - and, since then, she's proven to be a great friend, supporter, Harry Potter superfan, and poster of pony videos lol. A visit on my blog is long overdue, so I will waste no more time...over to you, Jackie... Jackie and her critters! 1 - Which character from another book/series would you like to bring into your own book/series? Duh, Harry Potter (but my own version of him), or really any of the awesome minor characters -- I loved Sirius Black and Remus Lupin and would totally hi-jack those guys if I had the chance. Also Luna Lovegood, she was a great character too. Really, there are too many characters in that world that are great....I need to go back and re-read those books again! 2 - Which actor/actress would you love to see play your characters in a movie adaptation? Oh, this is...

Welcome back to #SevenQuestions. My guest this week is Sara Allen Stewart, a vociferous advocate of things she believes in and a vocal supporter of her fellow authors and creatives. As usual, please take a moment to check out Sara's links at the end of the interview! And now, over to Sara... 1 - Which actor/actress would you love to see play your characters in a movie adaptation? I actually have a file with photos of who I would have play my characters. It helps me to know how someone speaks, moves, facial expressions, etc. when I write a character. I don't worry about their age now (or even if they're living), I just picture them at the proper age in my mind. I have quite a few characters in my book and the ones I would choose for Those You Trust include: Erik Estrada, Constance Marie, Donna Murphy, Clancy Brown, Kendall Schmidt, Robert Downey Jr. (it's a wish list, after all), Maureen O'Hara, Mike Delfino, Queen Latifah, Bonnie Hunt, and Lindsay Wagner. ...

The lovely Lexi Miles volunteered to be my first victim of the new year. Lexi's cheerful demeanor and positive attitude are a perfect way to get back into the writing frame of mind. So, without further ado, here are my #SevenQuestions for Lexi...  Hi Gareth, I just want to say, I adored this opportunity to hang out with you for a bit. Thanks so much for having me over for a visit. Okay, I will jump right into answering. 1. Leather or lace? I am a big fan of lace. Absolutely love to shop at Vicki’s Secret! (giggles) 2. If you weren't able to write, how would your creativity manifest itself? Art, music, running a business, or acting. I totally dig those things! 3. One piece of advice for new writers? Write the story you want to read. 4. Can you just sit down and write or do certain things like location, music, ambience, time of day, need to be right? Y es, I can sit down and write pretty much anytime. But ideally, when I can swing it, I like an absolute quiet env...

Say hello to the wonderful Kerriann Curtis, this week's victim of my #SevenQuestions!  I met Kerriann on twitter and she was all,  "That doesn't look difficult. I could answer your dumb questions." And I was all, "Yeah? You think so?" And she was like, "Pfft. Uh-huh." So I sent them and she answered them, like super-fast. And then I was all, "Huh. Well, it'll be December before I can post these." And then she got all up in my business and was like, "Whatever. I can wait. BOOOM." *mic drop* Or something like that. lol. I may have embellished somewhat. My memory isn't the best. Anyway, go check out Kerriann's answers and don't forget to check her links at the end! 1 - If you weren’t able to write, how would your creativity manifest itself? I would love to say that if I weren’t able to write, I would seamlessly transition to painting, sculpting or even dance but honestly these hands were made to wr...

Don't say you don't get high quality guests on my blog. This week we have a DOCTOR in the house. Not satisfied with just being Dr West, Shay is also a writer and she kindly agreed to stop by and answer my decidedly undoctorly questions. Please check out her social media and book links below. Now, over to the Doctor... 1 - If you could swap places with someone for a day...who? and why? I’d love to switch places with Taylor Swift just to see what it would be like to have unlimited money to travel and to be on stage singing to thousands of adoring fans! 2 - Leather or lace? I own a corset that is both of these... 3 - Who would play YOU in a movie version of your life? I would love to have Emma Stone play me in a movie. She is spunky, hilarious, and super good at karaoke! 4 - If you won $100 million on the lottery would you still write? Absolutely! I’d still probably keep my day job too (biology professor) 5 - Can you just sit down and write or do certain things:...

It's #SevenQuestions time again. Lucky number twelve on the blog is Lo-arna Green. Just to prove that not all writers who appear on my blog are from North America, Lo-arna is a writer and poet who hails from the spider-infested hellscape of Australia. Not only have the spiders not gotten her yet, but she also had time to answer a few of my silly questions. Be sure to check out her links at the end of the interview! 1 - Who would play you in a movie version of your life? Someone very clumsy and gremlin-like. 2 - If you weren't able to write, how would your creativity manifest itself? I always wanted to be an actress, more so than a writer. My Mum thought I was funny. She used to say, “acting won’t pay the bills, you need a back up job. What will that be?” I would always answer the same, “writing,” she would laugh and shake her head. I’m not a conventional person. I never will be… so I guess I would do that if I wasn’t able to write. I would love to paint and draw bea...

The eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed there was no #SevenQuestions last week. A small dose of the plague, and Halloween ghostliness, drained all my energy. However, I'm back, stronger and little less plaguey than before, and I bring you a FIRST for my blog. Trina Gunzel is today's answerer of the #SevenQuestions and she's predominantly a NON-FICTION writer! Never had a non-fiction writer on here before. I didn't know how to conduct myself. I hope she wasn't too terrified answering my barrage of questions. Anyway, Trina was kind enough to stop by and join in the fun so...take it away Trina! 1. If you could swap places with someone for a day...who? and why? I tend to write family keepsake boooks, children's books and educational resources, so the first thing that popped into my head with this question wasTinkerbell. Why? My nickname has been Tinkerbell since I was little and what's not to like? Being able to fly around dressed all...

Jewel is, as her name implies, a gem of a person. Kind and supportive to other writers, her 'bored writers chat' hashtag - #BoWriChat - is the reason I know two of the other writers you've already seen on my #SevenQuestions features - Vania Rheault  and  Ashley Graham . Jewel took a break from her busy writing schedule to humor me and appear on my silly blog. Be sure to check out her links below and follow her on social media. And now, Jewel's seven questions... 1. Which actor/actress would you love to see play your characters in a movie adaptation? I have a whole dream cast list for the characters in my Witches' Rede series. Colin O'Donoghue (Hook from Once Upon a Time) would play Rafaele, Emma Stone for Maeve. Mario Lopez as Francisco. Christopher Lloyd as Stilwell (Doc Brown heavily inspired that character), Orlando Bloom as Milton, Mila Kunis as Alexis, Kaley Cuoco as Caitlin. David Tennant as Mr. Davidson (another actor who heavily inspired the char...

Answering #SevenQuestions this week is Andrew Butters, another of the Canadian crew of writers I've had the privilege of associating with. He's taking a break from building Lair North, Eh?™ which he has assured us has nothing to do with world domination...except in a writing capacity. Currently it's just a room with bookcases and writing desk, but if you ask me there's still enough room for lasers and a space shuttle. Andrew is a keen, and vocal, supporter of his fellow writers...and the Toronto Blue Jays. (Well, nobody's perfect.) So, it's my great pleasure to turn it over to Andrew and please check out his links at the end. Add. Follow. Subscribe. You know the deal! :) 1 - If you weren't able to write, how would your creativity manifest itself? Photography. I didn't start writing until I was well into my 30's. Around the same time my fingers started twitching for the keyboard I started taking photographs. It grew into a small business where I ...