Gareth S. Young - - 1000 Trillion Suns

"...to hold as 'twere the mirror up to nature: to show virtue her feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time his form and pressure." - Hamlet Act 3, Scene 2 Why am I quoting Shakespeare? Well, I think as writers we would be remiss if we didn't take every opportunity to hold our mirror up to nature. Our characters should not only reflect aspects of our own inner lives, but readers should be able to look and see something of themselves in them too. Writers must weave their tales with effective literary devices: metaphor, simile, allegory, analogy, imagery, and mood, painting a picture with depth. And even when the stories are set in distant futures or long forgotten pasts, the reflection in the mirror is something the reader recognizes instantly.  Recently, I read “The Forever War” by Joe Haldeman. A classic of sci-fi storytelling, it follows one soldier’s journey from the first battle of a long war, all the way to the last...

Gina West: Questionatrix and goofball Read the first part of the interview here: PART ONE ...and now, the conclusion... 18. I know you love comics. How have they influenced your writing? Look out…here comes the boring… Comic books are deceptively complicated. Okay, perhaps not every story, but to create a story in around 26 pages takes a lot of work. The writer has to write as if this is your first ever issue of the comic you’ve just picked up while not boring the guy who’s been following it for a thousand years. Much like a television writer, they have to write to beats so that they end in a way that will make you pick up the next one. They also have to write to the strengths of the artists they work with. And it all has to fit into a picture or a speech bubble. I’d liken individual comic books to the chapters of a story, a long ongoing story, except in each chapter you have to introduce your main character over again and the chapter has to be a stand-alone story while...

Hello everyone! Regina West here. How are you all doing? Today, I’ve donned my leather boots and my favorite corset and whipped the Spartan into submission so that I could take over his blog! He's currently whimpering in the corner. (There, there, Gareth. Yes, you may kiss my boot. Such a good little Spartan.) Kidding, kidding. Mostly. I met Gareth on Twitter where our first conversation was about music and playing guitar. I made the mistake of bragging that I knew how to play a Scottish folk song, and he promptly challenged me to record myself playing it. Although my strumming fingers went numb at the mere mention, I, nevertheless, recorded the song (about 50 times until I got it right) and sent it along with apologies for my clumsy playing. True to form, Gareth was gracious and supportive and forcibly overlooked all my missed notes, a kindness I very much appreciated. Since then, we’ve talked about everything from writing (obviously) to olives (he hates them; I lov...

One of the wonderful things about the world of Indie Publishing is it allows writers to express themselves more freely with their own voice. Too often the machine swallows up the individual and some of the character is diluted. Indie writers, because they are doing all the hard work themselves, get to be true to themselves and stay unique. Heather Hutsell is one of those unique voices I was lucky enough to bump into on Twitter. She's a writer who's also a seamstress, an artist who likes to act and an occasional djembe player. Smart and engaging, she has written several books and is in the process of writing several more. I asked her to stop by and take part in my Bright Lights series and true to what I already knew about her, she provided some great answers. Enjoy! Heather Hutsell Q - Hi Heather, tell us a little about your latest book. Hi Gareth! My most recent book is The Quad —a dystopian version of the United States of America, set in the year 2028. ...

It's always a nice surprise when conversations turn to something other than writing (you know, just for a brief respite) and it turned out that MV Freeman loves movies! This was great news because I'm kinda partial to them myself and that was the way MV and I got talking on Twitter.  However, further discussions of the Dark Knight will have to wait for another time because MV is here to talk about her new novel, Incandescent, and answer some questions about her writing craft. And just for the record, anyone who can throw a comic book reference into the conversation is fantastic in my book! lol.     MV Freeman Q - Hi MV, tell me a little about your Incandescent series. Here is the basic concept: Three races vie for supremacy as humans and half breeds are caught in the crossfire. Each book will have a different Hero/Heroine but move the arching story forward. Incandescent focuses on a Russian Mikhail Petrov an Elemental who will do anyt...