Interview with Author Robert Hookey

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. Today I have a special treat for you! I’ve interviewed my great friend Robert Hookey. He’s the author of “Into the Dark.” A Sci-Fi story that’s on my TBR pile! So read on and learn about the author and check out his book!

• What inspired you to write your story?

My lovely bride could see I was bored and frustrated (brustrated) almost immediately after being laid off from my job as a Niagara Falls bellman (thanks for that, Covid-19) and she asked, “Why don’t you get off Twitter and go back and write another book before you drive me totally insane?

And so I finally indulged my lifelong dream of creating my own superhero universe while simultaneously working through some personal trauma that has been haunting me for years. Writing is wonderfully affordable therapy.

• What is your writing process like? Do you have a favorite time and place you like to write?

I try to get up at 7:30 each morning and write as much as I can get out of my addled head as I can before I get too distracted and start surfing the web. Lately I’ve been trying to stop writing around noon so I can spend time with my family before I get back to work full-time. Incidentally, as much as I love my family, I’m hoping the world gets back on track soon so I can go to sleep at night knowing I have a full-time job to pay the bills that writing can’t – which is pretty much all of them.

• How many books do you have planned for this series?

Into The Grey and Into The Light will bring my characters and their world to a satisfying conclusion – I hope. Though I’m not against continuing to explore the world of the Infinite Crossover Crisis in the future.

• How do you handle writer’s block?

I walk away and watch a television show or read a book or comic for inspiration. Sometimes a walk or spending time with my daughter or wife or even playing with the dog can free my mind up and get me back on track.

It’s important to remember that a self-published author doesn’t have to worry about deadlines, so writer’s block has no real sway over us. We can take a month off and it may actually help make the eventual finished product even better.

• I love the fact that your daughter designed your cover. What a great way for you two to strengthen your bond. Has she given you any insight into your current characters, and can you envision a project where she’ll help with the writing as well?

My daughter is incredibly “woke” as the kids say, and she constantly inspires me to consider inclusion when crafting my tales of superheroes in the real world. I’ve tried to include characters from all over the world who live their truths and love who they want to love regardless of what society thinks.

In fact, my daughter is the reason my heroes are facing more than just supernatural beings and supervillains. I want to build a world where heroes face down killer cops, corrupt politician and despicable media moguls – and I want to show my daughter a world where there is a reason people are so tempted to indulge their darkest impulses beyond just human weakness.

• Do you have any advice for other aspiring authors who may want to self-publish?

Don’t do it! It’s a lot of hard work that rarely yields immediate results and leaves you doubting your own artistic abilities.

That said, if you do decide to go the indie author route, remember to hold nothing back. Indulge your every impulse and infuse as much of yourself – good and bad – as you can. Brilliant writing comes from the author’s heart and soul.

So as loathe as I am to refer to a sports metaphor… leaving it all on the field is the only way you’ll ever be happy as a self-published author.

And don’t ever underestimate the power of social media in a writer’s success. After all, it brought us into each other’s orbit, right, Lisa?

That”s right, Robert! Where would we be without social media? Thanks for allowing me to interview you and here’s wishing you many sales on your book!

Watchmen meets The Good Place in this (relatively) original, (kind of) groundbreaking, and reasonably-priced novel of good, evil, and everything in-between, overloaded with enough pop culture references to make your grandmother’s head explode.

In an all-too-familiar world controlled by ancient beings known as The Dark, heroes of every origin must assemble (yeah, I said it, sue me) to pull humanity back from the edge of annihilation – if they don’t kill each other first.They may not be the Avengers, the Suicide Squad, hell, they may not even be the Great Lakes Avengers… but they’ve been brought together by a hero in a Green Hornet mask and leather jacket to match named Nemesis to face every form of evil imaginable. From seemingly-invincible masked killers who stalk teen camp counselors to clones of Nazi super soldiers to monsters of the human variety, Nemesis and his team of unlikely heroes will traverse the globe to dismantle The Dark’s vast power structure once and for all.If you took The Umbrella Academy, The Boys and The Cabin In The Woods and gave them a hearty stir you’d get Into The Dark: Book One of the Infinite Crossover Crisis, a clever, electrifying, genre-busting adventure that pits the most unconventional superheroes in the Multiverse against the embodiment of mankind’s capacity for evil itself.Into The Dark is the inaugural novel by indie author The Hook. He hopes you like it. (But if you don’t, feel free to keep it to yourself.)

You can find Robert’s Book on Amazon. The link is below

https://amzn.to/3wabbd6

Thanks for stopping by and reading Robert’s Interview. Leave a comment for him, he’d love to hear from you!

There are No Guarantees

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’m back today after a week of work and writing. I was able to take some time off yesterday and head to one of the beach towns near me and have dinner with the hubster. After dinner, we went for a walk on the beach. I got some great shots of the sunset and it was nice to get some fresh air. It was good to get outside. Other people had the same idea because the beach was packed and there was a lot of traffic, much like the traffic on a hot, sweltering day.

Photo from last night’s walk

But enough about that. Today I want to talk about something that I feel many writers struggle with, including me. And that is, the fact there are no guarantees. You can be the best writer in the world, but your story may not be what agents and publishers are looking for. It’s a bitter pill to swallow especially after you’ve spent so much time writing the story, then editing it, and rewriting parts of it. Sometimes, you have to ask yourself if it’s worth all the time and effort you’ve invested in it.

https://allthefreestock.com/

But when you really think about it, there are no guarantees in anything in life. There’s no guarantee that you’ll get a job in your field of study once you graduate from college. There’s no guarantee that the person you’ve invested so much time with will be the one you end up in a long-term relationship or marriage with. There are really no guarantees for anything in life.

That’s why, you have to enjoy the process. You must enjoy the act of writing. Of putting sentences together to form a story in order for it to be worth it. It can’t be all about the result. We all want to be bestselling authors, but we don’t know if we’re going to get there or not. All we can do is put the time in, write, and hope.

https://allthefreestock.com/

But if you enjoy the act of writing, you can do it just for the pure joy of it. You can see your own growth even if the rest of the world doesn’t appreciate it. When you can get to that point, it doesn’t matter whether or not the public appreciates your work, you do. So keep writing. Besides, there are other avenues available to authors these days, like self-publishing. But that’s another blog post for another day.

https://allthefreestock.com/

So, keep writing and hoping. You’ll get where you need to go. Thanks for stopping by and reading my post. How about you? Are you writing for the pure joy of it? How do you overcome the end result blues? Leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you!

Where to Find your Writing Family

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. It’s Valentine’s Day and I hope you have a happy one. Hubby and I went out for a quick dinner last night. It was good to get out of the house and spend some time just the two of us. The dinner was quick because it was snowy and cold, and we had a nice warm fire waiting for us at home. That fire was hard to resist.

https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/living-coral-color-year-2019-heart-1250940526?id=1250940526&irclickid=wnHznWzz4xyLTZnwUx0Mo3bx

But enough about that. Today, I want to express my appreciation to the writing community. I haven’t done a writing post in a long time, but I felt today was an appropriate day to do so. The authors I’ve met in person and online have been amazing. They’re always willing to help, share their knowledge, and provide support. I appreciate that so much. I’ve been working on my latest WIP for a long time now, and I must say I’m proud of it. I wouldn’t have gotten this far without the help I’ve received from my writing family.

https://allthefreestock.com/

So, if you’re working on a novel, I would recommend reaching out to other authors in your area or online to offer their guidance. Writing can be a lonely job and it’s always good to connect with like minded people who understand what you’re trying to do. To find a writing group, call your local library and see if they know of any in your area.

https://allthefreestock.com/

There are also mentor programs online. I’ve worked with one Author-Mentor Match and it was amazing. We’ve created a family where we offer support and advice in our group. They provide critiques and encouragement and when we get involved in twitter pitch contests, we are there to retweet each other’s pitches. I’ve never experienced so much support in such a competitive environment. Another well known Mentor program is Pitch Wars, and I’ve heard they’ve had great success as well. So, thank you to my writing family. I appreciate all your support and encouragement.

So, if you’re looking for fellow authors a good place to start is Twitter. Start following the hashtags #amwriting and #writingcommunity. That’s where we find each other.

https://allthefreestock.com/

So, come join us! We’re here for you!

Where do you go to get your support? Leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you!

Taking It to the Next Level

 

Photo on VisualHunt.com

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’m knee deep in editing and revising two manuscripts and I’ve got a third one sitting on ice, waiting for me to get back to it. Then I had another idea just pop into my head this week. I’m letting that one percolate while I revise and then I’ll plot it out.

 

Photo on VisualHunt.com

But enough about that. Today I’d like to talk about what it takes to get to the next level. Whether you’re a writer or an artist or a salesman, there’s that moment where you plateau. You can’t go any further without making some changes.

So the first step is realizing that you’ve reached that point. You’ll recognize it because you’ll feel like a hamster caught on a wheel. Churning out the same product and getting the same results. You know you’ve got to make a change, but you’re not sure what that change is.

Photo credit: captainmcdan on Visual Hunt / CC BY

Once you reach this point, you have to find a mentor. I believe in any type of enterprise, mentors are essential to the success of the business, whether you’re a salesman, author, or artist. You need someone who’s going to tell you the truth. I know it feels good to have someone lavish your work with compliments and tell you you’re awesome, and they may actually feel that way, but you need someone who’s going to help you grow. You need someone who’s going to take you past the mediocre point so you can become great. That’s what mentors do.

Photo on Visual Hunt

I’ve found in business and in the creative field that the chance for success is increased greatly if you have a mentor helping you with your weak spots. It’s not always comfortable working with someone who’s critiquing you. Sometimes that criticism is hard to take, but it’s necessary for you to grow.

You also must make sure that mentor is credible. There are many people in the world who believe they’re experts. Not all of them are, so you need to do some research. Find someone who has a great track record. Talk with people who’ve worked with them in the past. Look at their history. Are they a best-selling author? Are they a top salesman? If you can answer yes to these questions and they’re interested in being your mentor, I say go for it. Remember the old saying…

 

Thanks for stopping by and reading my post today. What are your thoughts on taking it to the next level? Leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you!

Have you lost your Inspiration to Write?

 

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’m back today to answer a few questions for you. What do you do when you lose your inspiration to write? When nothing seems to be working and you’re wondering if it’s all worth it? I have these feelings sometimes, I’m sure every writer does because writing is not about instant gratification. That’s for sure.

So what do I do when I lose my writing mojo?

When I’m struggling with a scene and just can’t get it to work. I get up and go for a hike. A hike usually gets my creative juices flowing, and it’s good for my body. Hiking relieves my stress and I’m burning calories.

Photo credit: Christian Arballo via Visualhunt / CC BY-NC

If the weather’s nasty outside, I’ll turn on the tunes and do some housework. With a husband and two boys there’s always something that needs to be done. By doing these mindless tasks, I free up my mind and solve my plot issues.

When I was going through chemo, I was on the verge of giving up on writing. It seemed so exhausting; writing the books, trying to find agents and/or publishers, and marketing the books. When I was sick, these tasks seemed extremely daunting. I really questioned why I was heading down this road, and I did stop writing for a while. I just was not inspired.

But when I finished my chemo treatments and I started to recover, my motivation came back. My oldest read my Super Spies series and he was so proud of my work. Then my youngest read my first one and he liked it, but he’s more into Percy Jackson. That’s okay. He’s reading. 🙂

So, whenever I’m stuck and don’t know if I should keep writing, I look at my kids. I don’t want them to think their mom’s a quitter. I want them to know I persevered. I want them to see that success is not a straight line. Sometimes you don’t get what you want right away. Sometimes it takes a lot of attempts to get something right.

 

One last thing I do, is just take a break and read. I put my manuscript away, curl up on the couch, and lose myself in a good book. This inspires me to continue my work because I want my books to touch people the way some books touch me. What am I reading right now? Here’s the cover and blurb.

Though she left Charleston a spoiled daughter of the South, Emily returns from her stay in the North a changed young woman. Her assumptions about slavery have been shattered, and her secret dream of attending university has blossomed into fierce ambition. As the passions sweeping North and South toward war threaten to envelop the city she loves, Emily must battle her father’s traditional expectations in her own bid for freedom. Meanwhile, the real fight may lie within her heart, which stubbornly refuses to accept that a choice for independence must be a choice against love.

“Poetic” and “Nuanced”, Ella Wood is the story of a young woman standing at the edge of war and struggling with questions of morality, purpose, and love.

So, there you have it. These are ways I get inspired to continue my writing journey. How about you? What do you do when you’re struggling? Leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you!

 

Slice of Life: A Glimpse of the Writing Life

 

Hello everyone. I hope all is well with you. I’m back today with another Slice of Life Post. Spring break was last week, so I got a quite a bit of writing done. I feel pretty good about my WIP that I finished awhile back. I decided to have another Beta Reader read it and while she read it, I thought of some changes that would make the story stronger. I’m happy to say I’m almost done with the changes and I’m feeling pretty good about them.

While I was driving my kids to the gymnastics place over break, I thought of another idea. I always seem to get them when I can’t write them down. Isn’t that the way it always is? I mulled it over while I watched my little Ninja fly along the gym floor. It’s a good one, but I’ll have to put it on my list. I’ve got three stories going and two new ideas. We’ll see if I can get them all done. Sigh. I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed to say the least.

Photo credit: joiseyshowaa via Visualhunt.com / CC BY-SA

But I love writing. It’s such an awesome feeling when the story comes together. I’m sure you know what I mean. 🙂 It’s such a stress reliever for me. However, I’ve noticed that my writing is taking up all my free time. I could sit in my pajamas all day and pound away at my keyboard, but that isn’t practical.

I work around my kids’ schedule and sometimes it’s hard to fit in any writing time. However, I try. I’ve set a goal for at least 1000 words a day. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but when you only have an hour to yourself, sometimes that’s all you can do. I figure in fifty days, I’ll have a fifty thousand word novel written. Of course, that’s just the rough draft. Once that’s done, that’s when the real work begins.

The editing takes me the longest because I’m a pantser and there’s a lot of editing when you’re a pantser. But I can’t seem to follow an outline. It takes the wind out of my sails. I like to start a story and let the characters take control. It’s fun to see what they’ll do or what situations they’ll get themselves in.

Photo credit: Harald Groven via VisualHunt / CC BY-SA

How do you like to write? Are you a plotter or a pantser? Leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you!

Thanks for stopping by and reading my post, it’s just a quick glimpse into a writer’s life. I hope you enjoyed it. To read some other Slice of Lifer’s Posts, click here.

Writing. It’s not for Sissies

 

Hello everyone. I hope all is well with you.  I’m back today and I’m talking about how writing isn’t  for sissies. Why do I say this? Because not only after slaving over our masterpiece for hours and days on end (sometimes years), we have to face that notorious foe, rejection. If we’re lucky enough to get published, we then have to market our books and network with other authors.  I know we’re introverts. We like to be in our writing caves tapping away at that keyboard, creating our next masterpiece. Networking and hawking our wares takes a lot out of us. We cringe.

Photo credit: Shiny Things via Visualhunt.com / CC BY-NC

But here’s the thing. Marketing your book once it’s published is in our hands. We have to get out there and let the world know it exists. I was doing just that this weekend. I participated as a vendor in an Expo that my town does every year, and this year they had an author’s corner. I was the only YA author there, and when there were lulls in the traffic, I chatted with the authors beside me. We started talking about marketing our books, and I received a great idea from another author who wrote his book on leadership. His target market was companies, while mine was young readers.

Not only did I get a great idea from him, (I can’t tell you what it is yet, because I want to see if it works)  but I developed a relationship with him. So, if anyone asks him if he knows a great YA series for their child, he’s going to remember me and recommend my books. This is how that infamous word of mouth everyone talks about gets started.

Now the downside of doing expos, craft shows, and book fairs is that we don’t know what kind of traffic we’re going to get, and we don’t know if our target market is going to be there. So pick these with care. I sold quite a few books at this expo and I’m doing another one in June that’s geared toward kids.

These expos can be a lot of work, but once you get the routine down, it’s fairly easy to set up your booth and take it down. I always bring my computer, too. So if it is slow, I can work on my current WIP. That way I don’t feel like I wasted my day.

I believe we must do these physical appearances as well as have a presence online. So pick a social media forum that works for you. Preferably one that your target market also uses and try and build relationships with your followers.

Photo credit: Anne Helmond via Visualhunt / CC BY-NC-ND

It’s important to build relationships with book bloggers as well, or blog tour hosts who have relationships with bloggers. In my opinion, blog tours are essential to getting the word out about your books. They not only provide reviews which every author needs, but they provide exposure as well. This means you’ll have to do some research to find out which blog tour will work best for you. Now, I’ve organized my own tours, done free tours, and paid for tours. The one that has worked best for me is “The Magic of Books Promotions.”

Not only did I get awesome exposure, but I sold the most books I’ve ever sold during a blog tour. This gal works hard for her authors and she’s worth every penny I paid.  I strongly recommend her. Here’s the link if you want to check out her prices.

 

http://magicofbookspromo.blogspot.com/

Finding a good tour company can save an author a lot of time. Precious time we could be spending in our writing cave. That’s where we really want to be, isn’t it?

Thanks for stopping by and reading my post, if you have any ideas you’d like to share with other authors please leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you!

 

 

A Slice of Life

 

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’m participating in “A Slice of Life” today. I’m excited and a little nervous because this is my first time. I hope you find what I want to share interesting.  It’s a story about my oldest son.

I had gone out to breakfast and then church with a couple of friends. We were talking about making the New York Times Bestsellers List and what it takes to make it. My friend told me the story about another author who made the list by taking out a loan and buying the required number of copies to do this.

Now, it’s been one of my goals to do make this list. I just think it’d be a great accomplishment and I’m working on improving my writing to get there, but what an easy way to do it. However, would I feel the same sense of accomplishment if I made the list the easy way as opposed to having my book make it all on its own?

photo courtesy of allthefreestock.com 

http://allthefreestock.com/

 

 

So, I was talking with my hubby and my son happened to be in the room listening as I explained the story my friend had told me. Just as I said, “I don’t think I’d feel a sense of accomplishment if I made it that way.”

My oldest wrinkled his nose and responded. “Mom, that’s cheating.”

“You’re right,” I said and he rose from the couch and went in the other room.

I was so proud of him. He knows the difference between accomplishing something on your own and buying it. I don’t know where or when he learned that lesson, but I’m so glad he did. I hope I had a part in teaching him that.

It’s funny, when you’re a parent, you think of yourself as the moral compass in your child’s life, you never think that they’re going to be your moral compass. 🙂 It just goes to show you, you never stop learning and we can learn from everyone can’t we?

 

photo courtesy of allthefreestock.com 

http://allthefreestock.com/

 

Thanks for stopping by and reading my “Slice of Life” post. I’d love it if you’d take a look at the other posts and if you want to leave a short snippet of your own slice of life in the comment section, feel free! I’d love to read it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

What’s the future of the Ebook Industry?

 

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. We went Up North last week and enjoyed some time by the water. It always relaxes me when I can hear the waves rolling into shore.

Even though the water was cold, the boys still went in. They’re die-hard swimmers that’s for sure!  Each year they become stronger and I’m so thankful for that. We have a creek in our back yard and one of my biggest fears is that they’ll fall in. I can rest a little easier now because they’re strong enough that they’ll be able to get to the bank without too much difficulty.

While we were on vacation, hubby and I got a chance to chat and we started talking about the internet and how it’s making things so much easier and less expensive. We’ve cancelled our cable and we’ve (I shouldn’t say we because hubby is the techie guy in the family :)) set up our TV system to receive everything from the internet. It’s all free.

We get movies and TV series too. We don’t have to subscribe to HBO or Showtime to get these shows. We’ve saved a little over $125.00 a month by doing this and I think this is a trend that will continue. I don’t believe this is illegal because we’re getting past seasons on the series and the movies are older. We can’t get the new seasons until the current one is through.

However, there are pirate sites out there that allow people to get goods and services for free. Hubby thinks this is going to continue and I’m wondering if he might be right. After all, even in the e-book industry there are pirate sites that allow you to download e-books for free without the permission from the author or the publisher.

Photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons. Photographer is Earl and here’s the link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/earlg/160807760/in/photolist-bs1j1J-7WrNYy-fdbxA-5GNL7C-f8abWi-8FV6bn-9n4bKv-62Q6NV-7gQQ6p-8FgcZV-8Fgd16-bQ1VbR-ar26AT-62dXyR-4pKaka-apCoiJ-d

 

After thinking about it for a while, I disagree with my husband on this. I don’t think the big publishers will allow this to continue.  It’s also going to make the lawyers rich as authors and publishers take this issue to the courtroom.

We’re all going to be bogged down in the legal mire of copyright law and just who can share information on the internet. I can see long drawn out legal battles. As an author, I’m anxious to see how this will be resolved.

Right now, if my book is on a pirate site, I can send a cease and desist letter and they take my book down. So far, that’s all I’ve had to do. I’m not looking forward to the day when it’s going to take more than that.

It makes me wonder what new struggling authors will do if they can’t afford legal representation. It’s an unfair position for them to be in, in my opinion.

What are your thoughts on this growing concern? Do you have any solutions to this problem? Leave a comment and share it with us! 🙂

Social Media: What is Its Impact on our Primary Relationships?

 

Hello everyone! I hope all is well with you. I’m back today and I’m discussing something that I’m sure is near and dear to everyone’s hearts. I’m talking about Social Media.

As an author, I rely on Social Media to get the word out about my books and events that I’m participating in. It’s a great way to make professional connections with other authors, bloggers, and reviewers.

****This photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons. Photographer Fred Cavazza

Link to license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/

However, that’s the business side of Social Media; let’s take a look at the personal side of it. Many experts feel that Social Media is weakening our primary relationships. When I say primary, I’m talking about our relationship with our families and close friends. The experts feel that people spend so much time building up their social networks that they neglect these relationships. In fact, this article states just that. To read more, click the link. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/how-does-social-media-affect-relationships.html

I can see where this would be a problem. However, I do see a positive side to Social Networking as well. I think it’s incredible that my child can communicate with another child from another country via Social Media. What a way to bridge the gap between different cultures. What a great way to learn something about another country first hand.

I see this as a great positive. In my opinion, a whole new world has been opened up for the next generation if it’s used properly. When I say if it’s used properly, I mean if it’s used in moderation.

Just like we don’t want our kids playing video games 24/7 we  don’t want them interacting via social media sites for that long either. We should use the same constraints with social media that we would for any new activity that our kids engage in. The motto around my house is that everything’s good in moderation.

We as parents can make sure our kids don’t forget about their “real life” friends by setting limits on the amount of time they’re on social media and making sure they’re involved in other things like clubs and sports.

If we do this then the negative impact from Social Networking will be less. I’m sure there’ll be some kids who abuse it, just like there are some who abuse alcohol, or text and drive.

That’s why it’s important to have parental involvement. If parents are close by monitoring their child’s activity on the internet, they’re less likely to get into trouble. I know. Famous last words, right?

Thanks for stopping by and reading my post today! If you have any insight on how to set guidelines for social media use for teens, please leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you!