Writer Janet Ann Collins

Janet Ann Collins is visiting us today from the beautiful Sierra foothills of Northern California. She is an award winning author of two fiction books, columnist for the Antique Auction Explorer, freelance writers, retired teacher and public speaker.

Please tell us about your books.
I have written two fiction books for children. The Peril of the Sinister Scientist is about a middle school boy who thinks he was cloned from the blood on the Shroud of Turin because a scientist who had worked on that experiment is stalking him. Secret Service Saint is a picture book about Nicholas, who discovers the fun of doing secret good deeds and eventually becomes known as Santa Claus.



What are you working on now?

I have a book for young readers and I’m working on several things, including a middle grade fantasy about a girl who can communicate with animals by thought language. I’m also spending lots of time learning how to do marketing and publicity for my published books and managing two blogs, Onwordsblog.blogspot.com and
Janet Ann Collins.

Can you describe a typical day in your writing life?
I reserve two days a week for writing and squeeze some in on other days if possible. After I check my e-mail I work on my current project for several hours. Often I’ll do the laundry the same day so when the dryer buzzes I can get up and move around for a few minutes, then get back to work. If I’m on a roll I may write more in the afternoon. Otherwise I use that time for plotting, planning, sending out submissions, and working on publicity for my books.

How do you define your writing?
My writing falls into many categories; adult, children, fiction and nonfiction, Christian and general market. My tagline, “Opening Eyes, Opening Hearts,” sums up what it all has in common.

You can learn more about Janet and her writing by visiting her online at JanetAnnCollins.com .

Meet Suspense Author Darcia Helle

Darcía Helle says she writes because, "My head gets cluttered with characters that demand their story be written."

A suspense author, she has written five novels: Enemies and Playmates, Hit List, No Justice, Beyond Salvation, and Miami Snow. Her sixth book, The Cutting Edge, will be out in late summer. She joins us today at Writers in Business to share her experiences as a writer. Welcome Darcia.

I’ve heard wonderful things about your novel, Miami Snow. Can you share the plot?

One day Nick Donovan has it all; a beautiful, pregnant wife, a nice house, a great job. The next day he is on his own, starting from scratch with Nick flees to the opposite coast of Florida, trying to leave his ex-wife and the memories behind. But that couldn't happen. Soon Nick finds that he is tied to Shelley in a way that he hadn't expected. And, in her bitterness, she does everything she can to ensure his misery.
Brandy is Shelley's opposite; wild, sensual, free-spirited. With Brandy, Nick is able to rebel against all that Shelley stands for. Brandy quickly leads Nick into a world of sex, drugs, and cash. And now Nick finds himself caught between the two worlds, desperate to stay afloat.

Sounds like a great book! Can you tell us about your other books?

Miami Snow is my fifth book. I’m currently in the editing phase of my sixth, entitled The Cutting Edge. My first two are Enemies and Playmates and Hit List. My third and fourth, No Justice and Beyond Salvation, are the first two in the ongoing Michael Sykora series.

My first five books are suspense, with some level of mystery. My sixth is more difficult to define. The Cutting Edge combines suspense and mystery with humor. It tends to be more comical than edge-of-your-seat, nail-biting suspense. However, the main character does cross paths with a serial killer, so the suspense is definitely there! It’s also written in the first-person, which is new for me.

I understand you are working with CreateSpace. Has it been a positive experience?

CreateSpace is great to work with! They have deals with a variety of online stores, as well as libraries. My books are automatically listed in those stores and libraries can order them.

Publishing is a difficult business. The traditional method (agents and large publishing houses) is closed off for most new and/or unknown authors. Unfortunately, there are a lot of scams with the small presses and self-publishing companies. CreateSpace is a fantastic option to this dilemma.

What marketing strategies have you tried? What has worked best for you?

I've tried countless methods, including Google Adwords, contests and giveaways, ads on specific book/reader groups, Twitter, and blog tours. I'm not able to do physical book tours or book signings due to health constraints from chronic, late-stage lyme disease. Therefore, my marketing is all Internet-based. I've found that what works best for me personally is interacting with readers. My Facebook page is open to everyone and I also belong to a site called Goodreads. I'm just me all the time and I welcome readers - as well as other writers - into my world. That interaction, combined with the occasional giveaways, has brought an increase in sales. I've also met some amazing people along the way.

How can our readers learn more about you and your ongoing efforts?

I’m quite accessible! My website has all of my book information, as well as contests, a monthly newsletter on a variety of crime & punishment topics, and a bunch of other distractions. I have a blog that I update frequently. I’m on Facebook, where I share my crazy world with anyone wishing to join me there. And I’m now learning my way around Twitter.

My Website
My Blog
Facebook
Twitter

I can also be reached through email at Darcia@quietfurybooks.com. I love to hear from readers as well as aspiring writers.

Thank you Darcia!

Virtual Book Tour member - Marvin Wilson

I am a member of the Virtual Book Tours - Writers on the Move group and each month we interview another member. Today we meet Marvin Wilson. He is the author of three published books, I Romanced the Stone (Memoirs of a Recovering Hippie), Owen Fiddler, and Between the Storm and the Rainbow.

Marvin has had articles published in several ezines, and has been interviewed on hundreds of blogs, radio and TV shows. A prolific blogger, his internationally popular blog, Free Spirit, was voted first place in the 2008 Book Blogger Appreciation Week award contest, in the Christian/Inspirational Fiction category. His other blog, Tie Dyed Tirades, is also growing in global popularity.

Marvin is an editor with All Things That Matter Press and also does freelance editing. You can reach him though his website .

Stephen Tremp's Breakthrough

Stephen Tremp's Premiere Book Breakthrough, an action suspense-thriller set in Boston, MA, and Orange County, CA, weaves together cutting edge discoveries in theoretical physics and technology with greed, murder, and mayhem. This novel addresses potential larger social issues to address if Einstein-Rosen Bridges should move beyond the realm of mere possibility. Breakthrough will appeal to fans of Dean Koontz, Dan Brown, Stephen King, and Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.

Stephen is joining us today at Writers in Business. Welcome Stephen. First, please tell us about your new book.

Breakthrough, the first book in the Adventures of Chase Manhattan series, begins with a big bang and offers the audience exciting, unique, and diverse heroes and villains. The result is a fresh suspense thriller series integrating elements of greed, betrayal, passion, lust, unconditional love, coming of age, and hope. The action is swift. There are numerous red herrings, twists and turns, that will keep the reader turning the pages and wanting more.

~ Wow… that sounds like my kind of book! Where can we purchase a copy?

Books can be purchased through my web site and through
Barnes & Noble.

~ What method are you using to track your writing income and expenses?

Through 2009, I used the shoe box method. I have receipts for all books I purchased to give as gifts, Post Office receipts, food and Starbucks receipts, and an account for mileage. I then transferred everything to an Excel spreadsheet.

Moving forward, I expect the financial aspect to become complicated and I need more sophisticated record keeping. I do know QuickBooks and will be using this software. I’m sure my accountant will appreciate the effort and make his job easier. Organization is the name of the game. If an author is organized, they position themselves for success. A disorganized author is setting themselves up for mediocrity or even failure.

~Can you share a marketing tip with us?

Exposure is everything, even at the expense of sales for an aspiring author. I’m focusing on Blog Talk Radio, expanding my blog exposure, my FaceBook exposure with my Fan Site (Fans of the Breakthrough Trilogy), and traveling to major metropolitan areas for book signings. I may or may not show a profit for 2010, but I will gain national exposure. I’m working with a number of A.M. radio talk shows and local morning TV talk shows, so hopefully I’ll be able to line up two-minute interviews and promote my book Breakthrough and my upcoming books Opening and Escalation.

~Do you use business cards?

I use business cards mainly at book signings, although I do hand a few out now and then. I need to have new ones printed using my blog rather than Web site. I released both sites about the same time and for whatever reasons, the blog took off and the Web site did not. Sign of the times, I guess.

So the new business cards will have my blog site and I’ll lose the Web site. I’m also going to include my FaceBook Fan Site (Fans of the Breakthrough Trilogy). I don’t think having three sites on a business card is a good idea. It’s too much for the recipient to look at. So the Web site will fall by the way side.

Writing has progressed from a hobby to a business for me. This is not to say I’m losing the love and passion for writing. These will forever drive me. But as the promotional and marketing aspects expand and sales increase, an author needs to take seriously the business aspects.

I love the title of your book, Bookkeeping Basics for Freelance Writers. This is where I need to start, the basics. Ignorance is not bliss, its ignorant. There’s power in knowledge. And knowledge applied helps birth wisdom. I also need to look for write offs that I’m not aware of.

Thank you, Stephen. Yes, finding those write offs can be the holy grail of the recordkeeping experience. There are many deductions available for writers and my book shows readers how to harness them.

It was a pleasure to learn more about your writing and your experience as an author. To read more about Breakthrough and Stephen’s new books, please visit him at his blog and his web site .

The Art of Writing by Margaret (Peggy) Fieland

Born and raised in New York City, Margaret Fieland has been around art and music all her life. Daughter of a painter, she is the mother of three grown sons and an accomplished flute and piccolo player. She is an avid science fiction fan. She lives in the suburbs west of Boston, MA with her partner and seven dogs.

Her poems, articles and stories have appeared in journals and anthologies such as Main Channel Voices, Echolocation, and Twisted Tongue. Her first book, The Angry Little Boy, has been completed.

Welcome Peggy.

Thank you Brigitte, I'm happy to be here.

Tell us what you write about

I'm a professional Computer Software engineer (BA in mathematics, MS in computer science), but I've written poetry as far back as I can remember.

Who has inspired you in your writing?
Lewis Carroll. My all time favorite book is “Alice in Wonderland,” which I reread every exam time when I was in college, as I made it a habit to avoid the library during exams. I'm also very fond of Carroll's poetry. I've got several stanzas of Jabberwocky and You Are Old, Father William memorized.


What made you want to start writing?

Good question – I started and became addicted. I really love writing -- and I just plain enjoy writing poetry, rhymed and unrhymed. I've developed my own algorithm for generating rhymes, which means that I often don't have to use a rhyming dictionary at all.

Besides, if I don't write it down it stays stuck in my head.

When do you write? Do you work best when you set aside specific times?

Since I have a full time job, I write whenever the spirit moves me, and I have (or can make) the time. The nice thing about poetry is that a lot of it is short and taking a couple of minutes to jot down poetry is pretty easy to do. Waiting for appointments is a favorite time to write. I've had good luck being "inspired" by those articles you find in waiting rooms.

Do you ever have a problem with writer's block?

Not so far, thank goodness {pauses to knock wood}.

You may visit Peggy’s website at MargaretFieland.com to view some of her writing. Peggy is a member of VBT- Writers on the Move who are celebrating their anniversary this November.

Learn more about this fantastic promotional group for authors by visiting VBT-WritersontheMove.blogspot.com. Prizes are given away each day during this event.