Welcome Radina! First, a few quick-fire questions: Which author would you be most nervous/excited to have read your work? Do you prefer cats or dogs? And, though I know we disagree on the whole Hawaiian pizza thing, what is your favorite pizza? ​ ​Such tough questions to start with! 1) I’m going to cheat and name two authors: my mom, who is a writer (fiction and TV/film), because she is my second-toughest critic, after myself, and always has invaluable insight. And Hilary Mantel, because she is my favorite living writer (and Wolf Hall is my favorite book of all time), and it would be terrifying and amazing if she ever read a word I wrote. 2) I’m a cat lover, but dog-curious. 3) When I’m feeling fancy: prosciutto and fresh arugula. When I’m feeling basic: pepperoni.  ​

"When I’m feeling fancy: prosciutto and fresh arugula. When I’m feeling basic: pepperoni." 
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"Several things can make the tension fizzle. The first that comes to mind is info-dumping or
​excessive flashbacks / background in the midst of the action."
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"I do my best to align my social media engagement with what feels good and authentic to me -
my personal goal is to organically connect to readers and fellow writers."
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​Having said all of that, if you are a published author - and particularly an indie who is solely responsible for your book marketing - you may want to take a more strategic and targeted approach. There are many books, blogs, and tutorials on how to successfully market as an indie writer.  Second, as clichéd as this may sound, you have to show up as you. What you see on my social media feed is what you get: my real, sometimes messy, sometimes silly self. And I focus on showing up for the writers and readers I've met online with encouragement, positivity, support, and fun. It has been an amazing experience, and thanks to these connections, I now work with a wonderful group of critique partners and beta readers.

"Second, as clichéd as this may sound, you have to show up as you. What you see on my social media feed
is what you get: my real, sometimes messy, sometimes silly self."
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"I would start by supporting other writers on the vss365 tag - read their stories, like their tweets, and comment with words of encouragement. If you’re feeling brave, contribute your own stories!" 
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On the other tags, writers will often post questions for the community to answer, host giveaways of their books, seek beta readers, and introduce themselves if they’re new and looking to connect with fellow writers. Respond to their posts, answer their questions, and have fun! Most importantly, be courteous, professional, respectful, and kind. ​I should note that I am an extroverted introvert, so I usually enjoy connecting with folks on Twitter.

"If you are an introvert, or have social anxiety or otherwise feel uncomfortable being very open and communicative on social media, I completely understand that “Have fun!” isn’t going to be doable for everyone."
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We generally like to read stories about people, not issues. I think one of the best things you can do as a writer is to read good journalism. The news can either be very dry and dull (presenting an issue from the perspective of statistics), or it can be deeply engrossing (highlighting a single person’s story to demonstrate the broader trends).  In fiction, our job is to take the larger world and whatever big-picture issues we might want to explore, and to make them as personal as possible. One of my favorite reporters is Marie Colvin, who was killed in Homs, Syria, several years ago. Her war reporting, which has been published as a collection in On the Front Lines, is technically about very big-picture issues: geopolitics, ethnic cleansing, despotism. But her stories dig into such tremendously personal details that it often feels like you’re watching a movie. Colvin’s own story demonstrates the truth of all of this perfectly.

"In fiction, our job is to take the larger world and whatever big-picture issues
we might want to explore, and to make them as personal as possible."
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"With fiction, you can write whatever you want - there are no budgets and production practicalities to hamper  your vision. With a screenplay, by contrast, you start with your dream vision ... and then slowly whittle down ..."
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1) The Scriptnotes podcast, hosted by Craig Mazin and John August, is a fantastic resource. I have learned more about the screenwriting craft and the industry from them than from any book or website. They delve into detail on such nitty-gritty issues as the Writers Guild of America fee schedules, seeking agent representation, selling your screenplay, whether you have to live in L.A. if you want to make a career out of screenwriting, and so much more. I can’t thank them enough for the service they’re doing for us lowly newbies.  ​

"The Scriptnotes podcast, hosted by Craig Mazin and John August, is a fantastic resource. I have learned more about the screenwriting craft and the industry from them than from any book or website." 
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​I’m really excited to indie-publish my first supernatural mystery novella! Mile Marker Eight combines the small-town weirdness of The X Files with the dark comedy of Fargo. Here’s a sneak peak: All that is left of Norman Müller is his left boot on the bank of the Neversink Reservoir. When he reappears eight days later with no memory of what happened, Sheriff Brenda Barton must decide: has Norman lost his mind, or is something darker gripping their small town? My target publication date is Halloween 2020.

"I’m really excited to indie-publish my first supernatural mystery novella! Mile Marker Eight combines the small-town weirdness of The X Files with the dark comedy of Fargo."
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Welcome Joanna! First, a few quick-fire questions: Tea or Coffee? Sunshine or Rain? And if you could have any exotic animal as a tame pet, which one would it be? ​ Definitely tea, I’m stereo-typically British! Sun for its brilliance and warmth. Rain; not the hard, fast thunderous rain, but the soft calming rhythmic rain that trickles down the window pane.  ​ I have a dolphin tattoo. I think that explains all. ​ "I have a dolphin tattoo. I think that explains all." ​

 "I walk away from the computer or the notebook for a while. This way I can (usually) clear my head and refocus."
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"The internal  voices telling me I wasn’t good enough spoke very loudly and persistently, so I believed them. [...]
I am learning not to listen to them."
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Joanna's Writing/Reading Space

Children’s stories have such potential to reach both the kids they were written for and the parents that read them night after night. How do you manage the tension between writing for kids and writing for the adults that will read the book out loud?  ​ That’s a good question. Well, I suppose as a parent, I look at the message that I want my book to send and I aim to help the parents teach their children the importance of something. In my current book series, it’s the importance of books and using your imagination. The story may also have a little bit to do with behaving and the consequences of not behaving or not listening to your parents, there is that! I would like to believe that my books will resonate with the parents and they will be grateful for the lesson I am trying to teach. I suppose that is the teacher in me shining through. I also suppose that if I can bring the parents on board with the underlying messages in my stories, by supporting their parenting, then I help teach an important lesson to the children and sell a book. Win, win! ​

Inside Halifax Public Library​ "The sensations that are experienced while in a physical library, or even a bookshop, cannot be experienced online, the sensory stimulation is lost." ​

​This transfer is one of the reasons I wrote the story. I believe libraries to be magical places filled with people and stories and other worlds that do not exist in reality. A physical place that children can go to look at and enjoy books. I know that people can find books online, but I believe it is not the same. Going to a physical library is an experience and is not the same as a virtual library. The sensations that are experienced while in a physical library, or even a bookshop, cannot be experienced online, the sensory stimulation is lost. Holding a book in your hands and flipping through the pages is an experience; a delightful one. I suppose I am trying to share this experience with children because modern technology has removed the essence of exploring a library and all the magic within it.  ​

"The magic of this story flowed through me. It just worked. I can’t explain it."
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"Knowing her as well as I do, I knew that she would be able to create with her hands,
the images I created with my mind." 
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"Eric Schumacher presents the harrowing flight of young Olaf Tryggvason from the vengeful sons of
​Erik Bloodaxe in spectacular close-up detail through the eyes of young Torgil." 
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Author Eric Schumacher

​The narrative carries the reader across Norway, into Sweden, and through the Estlands as the fleeing party seeks safety with their kin in Holmgard, land of the Rus. Along the way Olaf and Torgil must grow into warriors as they suffer a brutal life undercover as thralls, a progression which Schumacher presents in grueling detail. In this, he has captured two equally vivid sides of Viking life, the valorous battles fought with bright shining steel and the stinking cesspit of the slave trading markets. He masterfully navigates the Norse customs of high-raftered halls while also illustrating the heart-breaking injustice of slavery.  ​

"In this, he has captured two equally vivid sides of Viking life, the valorous battles fought with
bright shining steel and the stinking cesspit of the slave trading markets."
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"...the reader feels as if they are aboard the ship in the thick of battle..." ​ ​Schumacher also infuses his deep knowledge of Viking history into the narrative with details such as how to make Scandanavian dishes like skyr and the finer points of spear-fishing in the river. Further, he gives a nod to some recent archeological discoveries, including evidence of the Viking’s more industrial pursuits such as the production of tar and the extraction of iron. Yet in all his descriptions there is no sense of encyclopedic exposition; rather, these savory details flow through the narrative naturally.  ​

"Schumacher also infuses his deep knowledge of Viking history into the narrative with details such as
​how to make Scandanavian dishes like skyr and the finer points of spear-fishing in the river."
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​Welcome Ed! First, a few quick-fire questions: What do you listen to when you write? Who is your favorite villain? And which movie ending do you wish you could go back in time and rewrite?  ​ If it’s quiet around me, I like the quiet. If I need to drown out some neighborhood kids or something, I might use nature sounds, film scores, or jazz.  ​

"Favorite villain is definitely Roy Batty, because you understand the motivations behind his brutal actions,
​and even come to sympathize with him quite a bit. Yet he’s still scary as hell."
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​If you want to write on a pro or semi-pro level, you have to and there’s no way around it. Some people aren’t going to like your stuff, and sometimes they’re right and sometimes they’re wrong, but all that matters is improving your craft, going through those trials by fire until you get better and find the right editor and sell some stories. Then you build on that confidence. ​ "Some people aren’t going to like your stuff, and sometimes they’re right and sometimes they’re wrong..."​

"I discovered that I love screenplay format. That mode of storytelling really worked for me,
​just in terms of the way you have to describe things in a visual way, and you have to be concise and clear."
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​One thing that I think we made a mistake on was, we would have these meetings where me, two producers, and the director were in a room going over the script and rewriting in real time. And that was impossible, just to have four people going “How about this?” and writing by committee. That’s not to say that a writer shouldn’t get feedback and revise a script based on that, but getting script notes and going back and working to fix certain problems in the script is very different from literally building it word by word as a group project.  ​

"I discovered that Scrivener, a piece of software originally designed for organizing and writing novels,
has a screenplay mode with a bunch of shortcuts that make screenplay formatting incredibly easy."
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"My songwriting is heavily influenced by Tolkien and Robert E. Howard and Blade Runner,
and my fiction is influenced by Dio and Led Zeppelin and The Sword."
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​I’m going to approach this from the opposite direction: mythological themes have resonated with people for literally thousands of years, because so often those stories hold some insight into the problems and trials we encounter in our lives: betrayal, hubris, guilt, love and lust, power and frustration. But they’re all elevated to this epic, blockbuster action movie level. Given that we’re going to continue to tell these kinds of stories, what better way to tell them than via metal? Who better to explore epic mythology than bands whose singers sound like demons or gods, with drums like marching armies and guitars that evoke the mightiest heroes battling nameless beasts from the Underworld?

"Who better to explore epic mythology than bands whose singers sound like demons or gods, with drums like marching armies and guitars that evoke the mightiest heroes battling nameless beasts from the Underworld?"
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"On the fiction side, there’s a novel in progress, and some short stories.
I seem to bounce back and forth between horror and epic fantasy." 
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