On the Spotlight: Helena Harper

Helena Harper is a native of England, but she grew up in a household that did things somewhat differently to other English households, because her mother was German (her mother had met her father in Hamburg at the end of WWII, when as a British soldier he had been stationed there). This mixed background has had a profound influence on Helena and her understanding of so-called national divisions and whom we call an ‘enemy’ and whom we call a ‘friend’.

From an early age she loved to read and write, particularly fantasy stories, and later she enjoyed studying foreign languages. At Surrey University she studied German, Russian and International Relations and spent considerable periods of time in Germany, Austria and Russia as part of the course. After university she went into banking, but soon realised that was a big mistake. “I felt like I was being suffocated,” she says of the experience.

She then spent a year teaching languages at a private school in London, and enjoyed it so much she decided she would get properly trained. She did a Postgraduate Certificate in Education at Exeter University and then started her career as a modern languages teacher, a career which has lasted twenty years. During that time she has continued to write, concentrating primarily on fantasy stories for young children. However, in the past few years she has also discovered the joys of writing poetry for adults, and her first two books are poetry collections: It’s a Teacher’s Life…! and Family and More – Enemies or Friends?, which have been inspired by her professional and personal life.

Helena is now a private tutor and translator. She is continuing to write children’s stories, and illustrations for her first children’s picture book are now being done. Her aim is to see the book in print before the year is out. Many people ask Helena why she likes to write. She feels she can best express it like this:

The blank page calls,
the heart responds,
imagination spreads wide its wings
and launches into infinity…
Fingers dance,
words flow,
the page fills,
the soul takes flight
and the spirit sings.

Copyright © Helena Harper

Interview:

1. Have you always been interested in writing poetry? Actually, no! I’ve always loved to write, but my first love has always been writing fantasy stories for young children. I wrote poetry at school, of course, and every so often when I was on holiday, but it wasn’t a regular thing.

2. So, what prompted you to write your first book “It’s a Teacher’s Life…!” Well, I’ve been a teacher for 20 years and about three years ago, when I was having a lovely holiday at a beautiful place in the country, I was inspired to write some poetry, and when I came home, I then had the idea to write some more poems about my life as a teacher. Each poem would concentrate on a different aspect of school life, such as the lessons, what went on in the staffroom, school trips, exams, report writing, and so on. I also wanted to pay tribute to some of the support staff who do so much to keep a school running, but are often forgotten about e.g. the cook, the caretaker/janitor, the nurse, the school secretary – the unsung heroes of life is what I call them.

3. Do you have a favourite poem? No, I can’t say I’ve got a favourite. Each one is written from the heart and it’s impossible for me to single one out in particular.

4. What prompted you to write your book “Family and More – Enemies or Friends?” I had the idea one day whilst driving to work. I was just thinking about my family and other people in my life who’ve had a big influence on me, one way or the other, and suddenly the idea popped into my head that I could write a second collection of poems about them and the lessons I’ve learnt from them.

5. Why is it called “Enemies or Friends?” That’s got a lot to do with the fact that my mother is German and my father was English, and I just couldn’t get my head round the fact that, had I been born a few years earlier, all my German relatives would have been my ‘enemies’. To me they could never have been ‘enemies’, just ‘family’. It got me thinking about how futile it is to talk about so-called national divisions.

6. What did you find the hardest about writing your book(s)? Finding the time to finish them and then the editing, the endless checking and re-reading – it drove me crazy!

7. What was the easiest part? Just writing the poems – I was totally absorbed by the process and really enjoyed it.

8. How do you describe your style of poetry? Easy-to-read, easily accessible free verse. I want people to be able to read and understand what I’m writing about from the word go. I don’t like things to be hidden in obscurity. I write simply as I’m inspired to write. The poems I’ve had published in my two collections are really stories and character sketches that just happen to be in verse. One of the reviews on Amazon talks about me developing a new form of poetry, called the ‘anecdotal poem’, and I think that describes my style of poetry very well.

9. What’s the attraction of writing poetry as opposed to writing children’s stories? When I write poetry, I can concentrate on the rhythm and sound of the words and use vocabulary I wouldn’t be able to use in my children’s stories. It’s a marvellous linguistic challenge – the sound of words has always been something that’s fascinated me. It’s one of the reasons I studied modern languages. When I write my children’s stories, it’s more about escaping into a wonderful world of fantasy, leaving the mundane ‘real’ world behind – I find it wonderfully exciting and liberating.

10. When you’re not writing, what are you doing? Tutoring, translating, reading, walking, playing tennis or dancing, doing Pilates, spending time with my niece and nephew.

11. What are your future writing goals? The illustrations for my first children’s picture book are being done at the moment and I will then get the illustrations done for my second picture book. I’m really looking forward to having my children’s books published and going into schools to talk about them. Having been a school teacher for 20 years, I’m no stranger to the school environment, although it will perhaps be a little strange that I will be going into schools first and foremost as a writer rather than a teacher, although everyone can learn something useful, I hope, from my stories.

Published Works

No doubt you remember your life at school as a pupil – the long lessons, stringent rules and chaotic classrooms – but what was it like from the teacher’s perspective? Did they savour the experience of setting and marking our homework? Did they get a kick out of writing our reports? And, most intriguingly, what did they get up to in the staffroom?

If you’ve never been there yourself, you need to follow Helena Harper into this alternative world of coffee addiction, frantic marking, lesson-planning and inspections. She answers all of your questions and more, and her insightful, evocative and often sardonic descriptions leave you more appreciative of the trials and tribulations (and the occasional pleasures) of being the dragon in front of the whiteboard.

It’s a Teacher’s Life…! will open the eyes of the pupils who always thought that teachers didn’t exist outside of school hours… On the other hand, with such a long roll-call of meetings, assessments and after-hours activities, perhaps they were right all along!

Purchase the book HERE.

*****

Who influences us in our lives? How do they influence us? Whom do we call an enemy? Whom do we call a friend? And why? Why do we have relationships at all? These are the questions Helena Harper eloquently asks in her collection of poems that examines the relationships in her own life. She has had to rethink her definition of ‘enemy’, not least because her father was English and her mother German and they met in the aftermath of World War II in Germany. She has also been forced to rethink her definition of ‘friend’. If we learn something from someone that helps us to grow and develop as human beings, becoming more understanding and compassionate in the process, then surely most people we meet in life will be our ‘friends’? Through the memories and experiences of the people in Helena’s life, others can hopefully reflect on their own and maybe come to understand themselves and their relationships better.

Purchase the book HERE.

Review of AMERICA LIBRE, by Raul Ramos y Sanchez

America Libre
By Raul Ramos y Sanchez
Grand Central Publishing
ISBN: 978-0446507752
Copyright August 2009
General Fiction

Dramatic and thought-provoking, America Libre is an ambitious novel.

The story is set in Los Angeles in the near future and begins with our protagonist, ex-army soldier Manolo Suarez, as he is desperately trying to find a job to support his wife and children. Early each morning he goes out in search of work, only to come back exhausted and depressed each evening. At the same time, tension between Hispanic and Anglos is rapidly escalating in the Hispanic communities. When an innocent child bystander gets caught up in a shooting and is killed in El Paso, Texas, the situation begins to turn from ugly to extreme.

Then a mysterious, beautiful blond Hispanic named Jo offers Manolo a job. After a short time, it becomes clear to Manolo that there’s something not quite right about his attractive new boss and the place he’s working in. His suspicions prove clear when he finds out that Jo is a rich woman working for La Defensa del Pueblo, a movement that seeks to re-do the borders between the United States and Mexico, and she offers him a ‘real’ job in the organization as a bodyguard. From that moment on, Manolo is morally torn between two belief systems. Though she doesn’t know the full extend of her husband’s job, from the very start Rosa is suspicious of Jo and doesn’t want Manolo to work for her. Rosa is also jealous, and believes Jo has blinded Manolo.

As Manolo’s involvement in the organization gets deeper and deeper, and the situation in the country between Hispanics and Anglos turns to extreme, the US government decides to take drastic measures to handle the situation, including classifying all Hispanics as ‘Class H’ and putting them in special camps. As all this is happening, the romantic tension between Manolo and Jo increases each day, sending him into an even deeper moral struggle than he ever imagined. Then something horrible happens to Manolo’s wife and kids which serves as a catalyst for making Manolo decide where his loyalties lie.

I have many good things to say about this novel. Sanchez’s gives us a scary and fascinating scenario of what could happen in the future. The book has a powerful premise and the author has set the stage well for the story and the characters. The novel appears to be well researched and all the action scenes and description of weapons sound genuine. The protagonist’s inner struggle and his high morality and sense of justice push the story along and draw the reader deeper into the non-stop action scenario. Manolo is a sympathetic character that made me feel for his predicament. My favorite character, though, is beautiful and enigmatic Jo. She’s strong, passionate, and like Manolo, also possesses a high sense of justice. But for me, she kept the story alive by being more ‘human’, more complex and full of contradictions than Manolo. I guess sometimes, for me, Manolo is too ‘perfect’. But Jo, with all her strengths and weaknesses, comes across as very real.

The relationship between Jo and Manolo, although sentimental at times, is interesting to follow. I kept wondering until the end what was going to happen between them.

The pace is good and the writing flows smoothly; the story drew me right away at the beginning and kept me turning pages until the end. This is a very cinematographic novel and the scenes unfolded before my eyes like a movie. The dialogue is crisp and natural. I found most secondary characters well developed except for Manolo’s wife, Rosa. I’m not sure why, but Rosa never came alive for me. She was completely overshadowed by Jo—I’d say practically invisible next to Jo, and her high morals and role of perfect wife and mother never quite convinced me. If the author did this on purpose to show Jo’s unique character, he succeeded.

In sum, I loved the book and found it intriguing and mentally stimulating. America Libre is one of the books to read this 2009, so make sure you have it on your list.

Read my interview with the author!

Book Review: I Heart New York, by Lindsey Kelk

I read this book while vacationing on the Turkish Riviera this past summer. It was an entertaining, delightful read — the perfect companion for those relaxing days under the sun. That said, this is a novel that will be enjoyed by chick lit fans anytime of the year and at any place.

The story begins in London, with twenty-something Angela Clark discovering at her best friend’s wedding that her fiancee has been cheating on her for some time. What’s worse, everyone somehow already knew about it — everyone except Angela.

Filled with rage, unhappiness and disappointment, Angela flies to New York City and rents a hotel room for a few days. There, a lot of unexpected things happen. She befriends one of the hotel clerks, who introduces her to her group of interesting friends. She meets two very different men who each in his own way sweep her off her feet. Of course, she also does some serious shopping (It’s New York City, right? Plus, she has a credit card). But most excitingly, she’s suddenly offered an opportunity to do what she likes best: write.

Through a series of adventurous escapades, Angela does some growing up and takes a closer look at herself and her life. Will she go back to London, as her family and friends are urging her to, or will she stay in New York and fulfill her dreams?

The writing is light and fun, making this a quick read. The author brings the city to life, with its exciting coffee shops, night clubs and stores. But the best part is Angela. With all her defects, she comes out as a very real and endearing protagonist.

Warning: I Heart New York will make you want to take the next plane to New York.

Interview with Lindsey Kelk, author of I Heart New York

I’m thrilled to have Lindsey Kelk as my guest on The Dark Phantom today. Lindsey is a children’s book editor at a top publishing house and the author of I Heart New York, a delightful chick-lit novel featuring the incorrigible Angela Clark. I Heart New York is the first book in a series of five. The second book, I Heart Hollywood, is due out January 2010. Visit her website and her blogs, BeautyMecca and BeautyAddict.

Thanks for being my guest, Lindsey. Tell us, how did you come up with the idea for I Heart New York and the series?

I’d just come back from a holiday in New York and was incredibly broke and depressed. New York has been amazing, and I just couldn’t seem to shake myself out of the post-holiday blues, so I decided, if I couldn’t go back (and my credit limit said no, I could not) that I would write about it instead.

I always conceived the books as a series, taking in different cities around the world — I love fiction series, I blame my teen obsession with Sweet Valley High. I never want books I love to end.

Tell us a little about your protagonist. What about her will women readers identify with the most?

I hope people will like Angela because she and I are a lot alike! Except she gets the boys and, sob, I don’t do quite so well (send any and all viable applicants to my Facebook page please). People have said they like her because she’s funny and down to earth. Of course the book is a fantasy, so it’s not like stuff like that happens every single day, but I like to think that Angela deals with the situations she finds herself in like an actual person would.

That and she really likes shoes. And boys. And karaoke. And cocktails.

Like I said, we’re a lot alike.

Are you a disciplined writer? How long did it take you to finish the first draft? What about the editing process?

I really wish I could say yes, but since I finished I Heart New York, I’ve been terrible. In my defense, I work as a senior editor in children’s publishing so writing, editing and rewriting is my entire life! I Heart New York was really quick to write, the first draft took just six weeks, but I dedicated my life to it. I would come home from work, cook dinner, eat, open the laptop and write until I fell asleep. By the time I had a book deal and was writing I Heart Hollywood, SO much more was going on in my life and I didn’t have as much time. That one took maybe four months? Now I’ve just finished the first draft of I Heart Paris and just to make my life that little bit more difficult, I upped and moved to New York halfway through, BUT it still only took six months. I guess I’m a lot faster than a lot of other writers but, really, I should be more disciplined.

Editing is easier, my editor is AMAZING and always gives the most insightful and inspiring advice, so once I get her comments in, I can turn them around in a few weeks.

Is your second book already finished? I understand it’s scheduled for publication in early 2010.

Yup! I’ve just had the proofs, the cover is gorgeous. My cover designer, Lee Motley, is a goddess. And, yes, I Heart Hollywood is out January 2010. Scary.

Did you move to Paris for a while in order to write it?

I wish! I visited LA and Paris for research, but I wasn’t able to move. I just moved to New York with my job; it’s really a coincidence that I’m following in Angela’s footsteps, alebit a very big coincidence!

How many books are you planning to write for the series?

There are five books planned in my head, three written, two sort of plotted out but who knows? Maybe I’ll finish these five and then come back to it in ten years…

You also keep a popular blog called BeautyMecca. Tell us all about it!

I LOVE make-up! Basically, before I moved into publishing, I used to work in beauty PR, and, while I loved the products, PR wasn’t for me. BeautyMecca was my way of staying involved with the side of the industry I loved and steering clear of calling up journalists and asking if they wanted to try my new wonder foundation.

It wasn’t wonderful, but I will spare the innocent.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with readers?

Aside from BeautyMecca and www.iheartnewyork.co.uk (I write a blog as Angela for the site) I’m all over Twitter and Facebook if you really feel the need to know what I’m up to ALL THE TIME.

Thanks so much Mayra, that was fun!

Thanks, Lindsey, and good luck with your book. I look forward to reading your second one!

Review of Evenings at the Argentine Club, by Julia Amante

Evenings at the Argentine Club
By Julia Amante
Grand Central Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-446-58162-2
Copyright 2009
General Fiction

Evenings at the Argentine Club is a tale of love and family relationships set in modern Southern California. It centers on two families, The Torres and the Ortellis, who came to the US from Argentina to follow their dreams and ‘make it’ in America. Together with other families, they formed The Argentine Club, a place where they meet on Sundays for entertainment and as a way to preserve their traditions.

The story begins many years after the club was formed and our protagonist, Victoria Torres, is already twenty-eight years old. Victoria still lives with her parents, helping her father with his restaurant business, La Parrilla. From the start, we get the feeling that although Victoria loves her family with all her heart and wants to make her father proud, she also silently regrets not finishing college and pursuing her dreams to become ‘someone’. She feels a bit lost, mostly following the plans set out for her—mainly by her father—and putting her desires aside.

Then one weekend, during an evening at the club, Victoria meets Eric Ortellis, the son of her parents’ best friends. From that day on, Victoria’s life begins to change. The change doesn’t happen overnight but gradually. Eric is considered a ‘black sheep’, a lost son who has come back to his family after many years of being away. Eric had his reasons—to make it on his own and somehow ‘escape’ the fatality of their little town—but no one seems to understand. Soon Victoria is influenced and affected by his ambition and views about life and the Argentine culture. A transformation begins to take place in Victoria’s character, one that deeply affects her relationship with her family but especially with her father, who has never given her total credit for the smart young woman that she really is. More tension arises when Victoria and Eric begin to feel attracted to each other.

The story is told from various points of views, including Victoria’s and Eric’s parents, offering a clear snapshot of their family dynamics. In the end, it is not only Victoria who changes, but her friends and family as well.

Evenings at the Argentine Club is an absorbing novel that sheds light into the Argentine immigrants living in the United States. It is also a love story between two different people who share the same cultural background. The author has done an excellent job in creating everyday, genuine characters that shine on every page. The secondary characters are as compelling as the protagonists. I was hooked from the start by Amante’s simple, smooth prose and by the lives of these people, their culture and beliefs. Even though the story centers on an Argentinean family, the themes and family dramas explored in the novel are universal. Above all, I loved the author’s genuine voice and unpretentious writing style. I recommend you pick this one up!

Interview with Caroline Addenbrooke, author of The Gates of Hell

Caroline Addenbrooke was born in Broken Hill, (Kabwe) in Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) in 1957, and was raised in the small copper mining town of Ndola.

At sixteen, she attempted, and completed her first work of fiction (unpublished).

She finished her education in Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), and then moved to South Africa. Here she studied part time to obtain a diploma in Corporate Governance, a national diploma in property evaluation, and her master�s degree in business administration. She has worked on mega projects in South Africa for the last twenty years.

Caroline has a passion for wilderness, and a great love of animals. Travel and adventure are primary in her life. She is based in Johannesburg with her partner, their two dogs and a cat called Virgil.

Question: Why don’t you begin by telling us a little about yourself?

Answer: Well, I’ve lived in Africa all my life. I was born in Zambia, and I now live in Johannesburg, in South Africa. Africa is my Eden. I doubt I will ever leave.

Question: When did you decide you wanted to become an author?
Answer: When I was about ten, I read a book that captivated me. I so admired the writer, I wanted to become like her.

Question: Were you an avid reader as a child? What type of books did you enjoy reading?

Answer: Yes. Once I read my first real novel, I was hooked. I absolutely remember the incident. The book was called “The Mystery of the Whispering Box”, by – yes – Enid Blyton.
My English teacher had suggested that I visit the library, and take out a book – that this was a good thing. Being an obliging child, I did as she asked, and settled down that Friday evening to comply with the reading exercise. Well, I read all of Friday night, Saturday, and Saturday night, and finished the book on Sunday evening. I have read avidly ever since.
I liked mysteries, and adventure stories as a child, and those are still my favorite, although I have branched out into thrillers, human interest stories and I do so love humor now.

Question: Tell us a bit about your latest book, and what inspired you to write such a story.

Answer: That is an interesting question. I didn’t start out writing this particular book. I intended to write a present day adventure story set in Africa, but as I began researching the early history of the West African coast, and the Congo, the Gates of Hell emerged by itself. I do contend that I didn’t write the story; that it was written by the characters. Essentially it is a story of a family torn apart by war, sectarianism and racism, and it describes the journey of the characters from this tragedy, to their individual resolution. The Gates of Hell, incidentally, is a limestone cataract through which the Congo River plunges on its way to the ocean.

Question: How would you describe your creative process while writing this book? Was it stream-of-consciousness writing, or did you first write an outline?

Answer: Well, I come from the Project Industry. I planned it, structured it, outlined it, divided it into scenes, sequels and tactical disasters…. oh, and I researched it to death. Then I started trying to write within the structure – and the first thing that happened was that Catalina turned up, in a part of the world I had no intention of writing about. Portugal. What to do? Well I tried ignoring her, writing her out, moving her to another more appropriate place in my mind. This all took an awful lot of rewriting, re-planning, re-plotting etc. Finally I just gave up, and let her tell me her story. When I stopped trying to write, and started to listen, the book became something I could never have dreamed up on my own.

Question: Did your book require a lot of research?
Answer: About two years of the seven it took to complete it, were spent in research.

Question: Who is your target audience?
Answer: People who like adventure stories. Adults. Anyone who would like to go on an incredible journey, sailing the Atlantic ocean in a small wooden ship to the mysterious land of the ManiKongo, Mbemba a Nzinga.

Question: What will the reader learn after reading your book?
Answer: A lot about the fifteenth century circumstance of Portugal, Spain and Africa; modern age ships; the Mbanza Kongo.

Question: Agatha Christie got her best ideas while eating green apples in the bathtub. Steven Spielberg says he gets his best ideas while driving on the highway. When do you get your best ideas and why do you think this is?
Answer: When I am traveling, I think. New places are all so interesting and engaging.

Question: Do you get along with your muse? What do you do to placate her when she refuses to inspire you?
Answer: Not sure I have such a thing. When I have written myself into a corner, I get out my notepad and draw mind maps, and what if scenarios till I come to the most intriguing scenario – then I proceed with that.

Question: From the moment you conceived the idea for the story, to the published book, how long did it take?
Answer: About 10 years.

Question: Describe your working environment.
Answer: I don’t have a specific environment. Sometimes I will work in the study I share with my partner; sometimes on a stool in his workshop (because it’s nice to be with him). Sometimes I fire up my laptop in my car – if I have to wait for something. Any place will do.

Question: Do you write non-stop until you have a first draft, or do you edit as you move along?
Answer: I edit as I am progressing with the story. If a scene / sequel is relocated somewhere else, I review the section to make sure it makes sense.

Question: They say authors have immensely fragile egos… How would you handle negative criticism or a negative review?
Answer: Well, I think criticism is a good thing, as long as it is honest and constructive. I think if I had a really bad crit, I would consider it, and look for the truth in it. If I felt it was valid, I would address the issue, and fix the problem – if it was in my capacity to do so. If I felt it was not valid – well, there is a rub….. in the end, it is my story, and it is the best I could do.

Question: When writing, what themes do you feel passionate about?
Answer: I am passionate about Africa; the magnificence of her landscapes; the humor of her people, and the variety and uniqueness of all of her creatures.

Question: Are you a disciplined writer?
Answer: Yes. I’m disciplined in most matters.

Question: When it comes to writing, are you an early bird, or a night owl?
Answer: Whenever I can fit it in.

Question: What is your opinion about critique groups? What words of advice would you offer a novice writer who is joining one? Do you think the wrong critique group can ‘crush’ a fledgling writer?
Answer: I think an association with other writers is really useful. However, it’s a bit like the blind leading the blind. In the group I was in, none of us had a clue. We talked a lot about writing, what we were busy with, what we’d found out. And some quite irrelevant stuff… and became really good friends.

Question: Technically speaking, what do you have to struggle the most when writing? How do you tackle it?
Answer: The laziness of telling and not showing. I stop, empty my mind, get into the characters boots, and describe what is happening through their eyes.

Question: What is the best writing advice you’ve ever received?
Answer: If you are doing it for the money, or the fame – you will fail.

Question: Do you have a website/blog where readers may learn more about you and your work?
Answer: I have a blog (http://carolineaddenbrooke.wordpress.com), am on the publisher’s website (www.rebelepublishers.com), and have a Face book account.

Question: Do you have another book on the works? Would you like to tell readers about your current or future projects?
Answer: Yes, I am busy with another adventure story called Sperrgebiet. It is about the discovery of a fifteenth century wreck off the coast of Namibia, in the Forbidden Zone (Sperrgebiet). It is set in 2010 between Switzerland and Africa, and has a honey badger (inspired by Stoffel the Honey Badger in Moholoholo Animal Rehabilitation Center in South Africa) as quite an important character.

Question: As an author, what is your greatest reward?
Answer: Living the story through the eyes of the characters.

Thanks for stopping by! It was a pleasure to have you here!
Thank You!

Carolyn Howard Johnson On the Subject of Book Reviewing

Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the founder of Authors’ Coalition, an award-winning author and poet, a columnist for My Shelf, and an instructor for the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program. Her books include the popular titles The Frugal Promoter and The Frugal Editor, both USA Book News’ Award winners. Carolyn is also the editor of The New Book Review, a book review blog with a different twist: authors may submit reviews which have already been written about their books, thus extending the life of the reviews. In this interview, Johnson discusses the influence and effectiveness of reviews in terms of book promotion, among other things.

How influential are reviews on consumers?

For some consumers, they are very influential. My daughter-in-law (she helps me nominate books for my Noble (Not Nobel!) Prize that appears on MyShelf.com) buys her books almost exclusively on the basis of reviews. But different people buy their books differently. I believe that word-of-mouth is more influential and most studies uphold that view. By the way, winning a contest can be a big influence, too. And what a wonderful opportunity a win is to get the word on a book out there.

Do you think reviews can make or destroy an author’s career?

They say there is no such thing as bad publicity. I also think that many authors view reviews as bad reviews when they aren’t. A review will have more credibility if it isn’t all raves and rose petals. A balanced review is more credible. And like everything in our culture, reviews are short-lived. Everyone forgets them in short order. Except maybe the author.

Do you think there’s a lot of ‘facile praise’ among many online review sites?

Facile praise. Quite a term. Yes, I do. But if someone loves a book, who out there should tell them that they are wrong. I’d just prefer reviews to be a little more even-handed. After all, the review process is about learning for the author and credibility for the reader, too.

What is your stand on paid reviews?

I’m against them. Paying for something undermines its credibility. And, yes, that even applies to the paid reviews that Kirkus does.

Do you think it’s okay for reviewers to resell the books they review? What about advance review copies?

No, reviewers should donate their books to libraries. It is a fine point of ethics but an important one.

With so many major newspapers getting rid of their book review sections, how do you see the future of online review sites?

I think there is a place for shorter, quicker reviews online regardless of what the LA Times does with their pages. Still, one hates to see lovely old review sections in journals and newspapers deteriorate.

Do you keep the author’s feelings in mind when you review?

Absolutely. But I also keep the future of her craft in mind.

Have you received aggressive responses from authors or publishers because of a negative review? If yes, how do you handle it?

Not so far. I did quit reviewing for a newspaper who demanded that I write only good things because it was a “family newspaper.” This is a freedom of the press issue. Reviews — once committed — get to say what they want. Only their own standards should affect what they say.

Thanks for the interview, Carolyn!

Interview with author and freelance editor Carolyn Howard Johnson

Carolyn Howard-Johnson is an award-winning author and poet, a columnist for MyShelf.com, and an instructor for the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program. Her books include the popular titles The Frugal Promoter and The Frugal Editor, both USA Book News’ Award winners. She’s also the editor of Sharing With Writers and Readers newsletter. In this interview, she talks about her books, book promotion, the future of ebooks and print on demand technology, and offers some advice to aspiring authors.

Tell us a bit about yourself. When did you start writing?

I started writing seriously when I was chosen for my high school’s newspaper staff. I mostly wanted to be a part of it because the cutest boys in school (the ones we called the ivy-leaguers) were on that staff. But it turned out that my teacher thought I had talent for journalism. It turned out that others did, too. One of those young men is still a friend and has written several books and screenplays. And it turned out that I had a love for writing, too. Writing in the clear, organized journalistic style was like putting together a puzzle with words.

What type of books do you enjoy writing?

Truly, my first loves are my fiction, memoir and poetry. But I also get a real charge out of writing how-to books that will help others. I’d love it if your readers would look some of my creative work up, though. Many are award winners and they do tend to get shuffled aside in favor of my successful HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers.

This series seem to be popular with authors. What prompted you to write these books and what sets them apart from other similar titles on the market?

I started with The Frugal Book Promoter. I had fallen into so many marketing potholes (some that cost a lot of money!), and I wanted to help other writers avoid doing that. I figured that if I had those troubles with my marketing background, the average creative author with no experience in publicity or marketing or promotion would really be in dire straits. I also needed that sort of a text for the first class I taught at UCLA so I wrote it myself!

BTW, everything in that book is something I did myself. That makes it very, very practical, full of nitty-gritty how tos and lots of resources. I followed that successful model with the others.

Tell us about your newsletter, “Sharing with Writers and Readers”.

I started that newsletter in my search for the perfect promotion campaign for a writer. I resisted a long time because of the work involved but I’m a great recycler and finally figured out how to put out a letter that had the same practical qualities as my books and I share those secrets in The Frugal Book Promoter. I also strongly recommend having a newsletter. Newsletters are great for building loyalty—for both fiction and nonfiction writers.

Your readers who would like to subscribe may send me a request at HoJoNews @ aol.com. Put SUBSCRIBE in the subject line and I’ll take care of it for them.

Virtual book tours and book trailers are extremely popular at the moment. Are they overly hyped, or are they really great tools of promotion?

Well, we’ve all known for a long time that picture is worth a thousand words. So yes, the visual aspect of promoting is important. The trouble is, the competition with these vehicles is steep and so many authors haven’t perfected their speaking and on-camera skills. And it’s really, really hard to make a presentable trailer. One should choose what fits one’s book, one’s pocketbook and one’s personality when mapping out a promotion campaign. I did it all, but no one else needs to. I fell into those potholes for them. Your readers can see a natural how-to video of me at my Writer’s Digest 101 Best Website blog, www.sharignwithwriters.blogspot.com . It was professionally filmed and, I think, that word “natural” is important. Not elaborate. Just doing what you do. (-:

How do you see the future of electronic and print-on-demand books?

It is growing and the future is huge. Digital is rife with new models that suit all kinds of different books for different niches. Aaron Shephard wrote an interesting book called Aiming at Amazon that tells a writer how to skip all the bookstore hullabaloo and concentrate on online sales.

And here’s the thing. We as authors are in fact retailers. We are selling books. We want to offer our books to readers the way they want to read them, not the way we think they should. Both The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success and The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won’t are available for Kindle and The Frugal Book Promoter is available as a plain old e-book at StarPublishllc.com. I’m working on some other formats now.

What, in your opinion, is the most effective tool of book promotion?

Speaking and teaching by far. That skill carries over to the ability to use TV and radio well. And those videos and trailer you asked about, too. You can learn to do it. Yes, you can!

Do you have a website and blog where readers can find out more about you and your books?

Writers can find lots of lists and other resources on my www.howtodoitfrugally.com Web site, as well as lots about all the stuff I do, including travel and poetry. Here are some blogs that are sure to benefit your readers, too:

Blogs for Writers:
http://www.SharingWithWriters.blogspot.com
http://TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com
http://www.SizzlingBookFairBooths.blogspot.com
http://www.TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com

It’s a little off the subject but I also blog on War. Peace. Tolerance and Our Soldiers at: http://warpeacetolerance.blogspot.com . That’s because my grandson has done two stints in Iraq and I believe our troops desperately need our support, no matter how one feels about the wars we are in.

What is the best writing advice you would give an aspiring author?

I really think authors should not rely completely on the Web for their education in writing. Take some good classes offered by reputable universities who vet their instructors. Oh, yeah. My favorite. Persistence.

Thanks for the interview, Carolyn!

Featured Interview: Horror Author J.F. Gonzalez

My special guest this Halloween is horror writer J. F. Gonzalez, author of several acclaimed novels of terror and suspense including Clickers (with Mark Williams), Clickers II: The Next Wave (with Brian Keene), Survivor, Bully, Fetish, and many others, as well as over sixty short stories and numerous articles. Gonzalez was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to talk about his life and works.

Thanks for stopping on The Dark Phantom today. To start with, would you tell us a little about your background and how you started writing?

I was born in Inglewood, California on May 8, 1964. I am of Spanish and Anglo-Saxon stock. My father’s family can be traced back to Spain. My great-great-great grandmother was born there in 1870. She and her husband emigrated to Mexico and, eventually, my grandmother emigrated to the US with my grandfather. On the other hand, we’ve traced my mother’s family as far back as 1690, to the Strong family in England. This pedigree also includes the likes of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Princess Diana Spencer and, I’m sorry to say, Sarah Palin. I do share lineage on my father’s side with the acclaimed poet, Rafael Jesus Gonzalez; he’s my father’s first cousin.

I’ve been a book geek for as long as I can remember, and as a child I was constantly coming up stories to amuse myself. I was a voracious reader, and devoured everything from comic books to classic literature (Mark Twain was a childhood favorite), to mysteries and science-fiction and fantasy, to poetry. I made the conscious decision to be a writer in my senior year of high school when I read the famous Ray Bradbury story “The October Game”. The feeling that story gave me, especially the impact of that final line – And then some idiot turned on the lights. – made an incredible impact on me like nothing else. I remember the feeling of shock and surprise it had and decided that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to do that to people. I wanted to write stories that would shock them, make them think, provide them with a sense of awe, wonder, and terror.

When did your passion for the supernatural begin?

In addition to always being drawn to tales of science-fiction and fantasy, I was drawn to tales of terror by television. Primarily, reruns of Thriller, The Twilight Zone, and the Outer Limits. I remember watching Night Gallery and Kolchak the Night Stalker during their first run. At the same time, my family on my dad’s side were voracious oral story-tellers. Everybody from my aunts and cousins, to my grandparents all told me various ghost stories or tales of urban legend based on Meso-American myth. They fascinated me.

Not many Latino authors write in this genre. Why do you think this is?

I’ve always wondered this myself since Latino culture is rich with legends that can be utilized in tales of dark fantasy. The tale of La Llorona is a prime example. Latin cultures have many legends and ghost stories. Because I work primarily in U.S. publishing, I am not exposed to work by Spanish or Mexican authors who are published in their native countries and languages. I’m sure there’s some excellent dark fantasy and horror fiction being written in Latin American countries; I’m just not aware of them. Spanish wasn’t spoken much in my house growing up, and I can understand it better than I can speak it. Reading it is a challenge too, and anything I’ve ever read that has been published in Spanish has been in English translations.

In the early 1990’s I co-edited two magazines of dark fantasy and horror fiction and bought a science fiction story by a Latino author named Octavio Ramos, Jr. that was really good. Around the same time, a guy named Dan Perez was sending me stuff, but I never bought anything from him. The only Latino author I can think of off-hand with serious publishing credentials is Guillermo Del Toro, who just published his first novel. Guillermo is more known as a screenwriter/director than a prose writer, though. I love his films. The Devil’s Backbone is a powerful film, set during the Spanish Civil War. Robert Rodriguez is another director who comes to mind, but he seems to operate on a more pulpy level, like me. The Mexican film industry, in particular, has long had a fascination with the macabre. I’ve seen some pretty good (and some really horrible) Mexican horror movies over the years, and some really good ones from Spain.

So while there are no Mexican or Spanish counterparts to US writers like Stephen King or H. P. Lovecraft, plenty of Latino writers with serious publishing and critical acclaim are occasionally producing works of dark fantasy and terror. Most academics call this type of work “magic realism”, but its all fantasy. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a prime example. Aura by the great Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes is another. I’d recommend that short novel (or any of his work) in a heart beat for anybody interested in reading good supernatural horror fiction, period.

Would you tell us a little about the type of books you enjoy writing?

While I enjoy reading all kinds of fiction, I seem to be only good at writing strict genre fiction. I’ve tried writing all kinds of fiction, everything from simple mainstream literature to romance and erotica to westerns. I seem to excel in thrillers, horror fiction, fantasy, and science fiction. Since I excel in those, they are the genres I spend the most time working in.

Do you outline books beforehand?

I don’t outline too heavily. Ideas for novels come to me from different sources. A central image, a news story I might have read that festers in the back of my mind. Sometimes I’ll come up with an idea by simply day dreaming and letting my mind wander. I think a lot of “what if?” thoughts. Like, what if we, as a species, lost our sense of humanity and our sense of being civilized and we were reduced to a very primal state? That sparked the seed that became my latest novel, Primitive, which is a post-Apocalyptic thriller with heavy SF and supernatural horror overtones to it.

While my main objective is to provide entertainment for my readers (because, after all, mainstream US Publishing is an entertainment business), I do try to provide some kind of subtext. Primitive is a prime example. While on the surface it can be seen as a post-apocalyptic thriller, at the heart it examines religious belief, racism, and survival. My next novel, The Corporation, while on the surface can be seen as a horror novel about an evil force that has taken over the people who work at a large corporation, at the heart its about the corporatization of America and how greed can turn into a soulless feeding frenzy where the bottom line is the only thing that matters. People’s lives are worthless; the almighty dollar is our God.

This is probably why I enjoy working in horror and dark fantasy fiction more than other genres. I can give people entertainment and at the same time I can try to illuminate them, make them think. That’s what the best horror fiction does. Shirley Jackson’s famous story “The Lottery” is covered in literature classes all over the country for various reasons (its exploration of mob mentality, for example), but at its heart it’s a horror story. You can find other examples from writers as diverse as Poe, Hawthorne, Le Fanu, and Bierce to Richard Matheson and Stephen King.

In general, though, once I get a central idea for a novel or a short story, I don’t outline too heavily. I’ll sketch out the basic arc of the story, the establishment of the setting and characters, the conflict, and then simply let the characters and their situation carry me along. Things like theme and mood and subtext will arise naturally during the the writing of the first draft. Sometimes I have an idea for a resolution, but many times I don’t. I figure if the ending comes as a surprise, it will please my readers too.

How would you describe your creative process? Do you have any ‘horror author’ quirks?
The creative process is simple. I sit my butt in my chair, put my fingers on the keyboard and produce.

Ideas for stories will come at the oddest times, and when they do I always try to jot them down quickly on a pad of paper, which I then transfer to a file of story ideas on my computer. As far as horror author quirks, no. I realize many people who normally do not read horror fiction think that those of us who make our livings writing it are weird, and maybe we are in a way. However, I’ve had the good fortune of meeting and being friends with many horror writers. They’re all quite normal.

Of all your books, which one is closest to your heart? Why?

Primitive is my favorite for several reasons. The main character is an ordinary guy who becomes a hero by simply surviving and being an inspiration for others to survive in what has become of the world after the majority of the human population has been reduced to ravenous animals. It’s only him, his wife and young daughter and a handful of other survivors that band together. Of course, there are other people unaffected too, but they’re spread across the world. The story mainly focuses on David Spires, the narrator, and details what they must go through to ensure their survival. I’ve had readers tell me they were very affected by David’s courage in the face of extreme adversity. I’m proud of that.

Do you have a website or blog where readers may learn more about you and your work?

Absolutely. www.jfgonzalez.com. I have a blog linked to my website, and readers can learn about me there, read info on my work, and communicate with me through myspace, my message board, or through twitter (www.twitter.com/jfgonzalez)

What do you do on Halloween?

My opinion on Halloween is like a drunk’s opinion of New Year’s Eve. It’s the one day of the year that everybody else goes out of their way to try to scare each other for fun. I do that as part of most of my everyday work, so Halloween is no big deal for me.

Anything else you’d like to share with readers?

Somebody I’d like to explore my Latino/Southwest heritage in a novel. I have an unfinished novel with large Latino cast. The novel is set in my father’s hometown of El Paso, Texas, and it also takes place in Ciudad Juarez, across the border. It’s sort of a modern day gothic novel because its scope is very sprawling, with different storylines that intersect with each other. It’s very hard to describe. I set it aside to work on something else (my novel Primitive, which a publisher paid me to write). Someday, I’d like to return to it.

Aside from that…I live a very private life. I have a wife and daughter. Politically I’m a left-leaning independent. I love to go target shooting with my friends and I’m an ardent supporter of same-sex marriage. I’m an Agnostic, yet I’m very spiritual. I love to take my dog on long walks, and I love to browse for hours in used bookstores. I love all kinds of music and I love to travel. My favorite novel of all time is probably John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men and my favorite movie of all time is probably Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory! I love Japanese food, especially sushi. I love Mexican food too, and I’ve sampled most cuisines from across the Latin spectrum. I never did take a liking to menudo though, but I love chorizo. Yeah, I know, it’s weird, but what can I say?

“A Funny Thing Happened on the way to Getting Published,” by Douglas W. Jacobson

I wrote a book.

Seriously, that’s the most amazing thing of all, to me at least. I’m a sixty year-old engineer and business owner and along the way I’ve written a lot, though none of it is anything your readers would be the least bit interested in. Not unless they wanted to know about groundwater aeration and treatment systems. Ho Hum.

But I’ve also had a life-long interest in World War Two history. Why? I’m not sure. I didn’t fight in it, and neither did my father (washed out of the army with flat feet). Perhaps it was because WW2 was one of the most significant events in human history, claimed more than fifty million lives, and changed the balance of world power. Sounds pretty heavy doesn’t it. Well, at any rate, I’ve always been interested and read everything I could about this greatest of all human conflicts.

About fifteen or twenty years ago I read Herman Wouk’s The Winds of War. And a few years later, the sequel, War and Remembrance. Now that I thought is the way to write about history. Make it real, and visceral, make it directly impact someone we care about. Make it well documented, but do it in a way that even though we know how the war turns out we can’t put down the book because we absolutely must find out what happens to Natalie.

So, the right part of my brain began to poke through and I wanted to write something. I wanted to write something about the war. But what? What could I write that hadn’t already been written by Wouk, or Leon Uris, or Alan Furst, or historians like Stephen Ambrose. Then, a funny thing happened. My daughter married a young man from Belgium and moved to Europe, setting our family on a course that has forever changed our lives.

Over time, while traveling to Europe 2-3 times a year, we became very close friends with my son-in-law’s parents. They are wonderful, caring people who are several years older than we are. They were young children during the German occupation of Belgium, young, but old enough to remember. They didn’t talk about it at first, in fact they still don’t, its over, it happened a long time ago, and they survived. End of story. But gradually, as they realized I really wanted to know, they began to tell me the stories. They told me about living in the cellar while their city was being bombed, about German snipers shooting at children in the streets, about not having anything to eat for months on end, about my son-in-law’s grandfather being dragged away from the family home by the Gestapo in 1941. . . and returning five years later when he walked home from Germany.

It inspired me. It made it real.

And I spent the next five years writing Night of Flames: A Novel of World War Two.

Since the book was published, a lot of good things have happened. It has received many excellent reviews, it received the “Outstanding Achievement Award from the Wisconsin Library Association, and it has sold well, both here and in Europe. But what I find most gratifying is when someone who has read it comes up to me and says how much they loved one of the characters, like Anna, the college professor, or Jan, the cavalry officer, or Schmidt, the terrified German soldier. That makes it real. And that’s what it’s all about.

Douglas W. Jacobson is an engineer, business owner and World War Two history enthusiast. Doug has traveled extensively in Europe researching stories of the courage of common people caught up in extraordinary circumstances. His debut novel, Night of Flames: A Novel of World War Two was published in 2007 by McBooks Press, and was released in paperback in 2008. Night of Flames won the 2007 OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD from the Wisconsin Library Association. Doug has also published articles on Belgium’s WW2 escape organization, the Comete Line; Poland’s 1st Armored Division; and the liberation of Antwerp. Doug has just completed his second novel set in Europe at the end of WW2. You can visit his blog at www.douglaswjacobson.blogspot.com.