Having Coffee with Shawntelle Madison, Author of Coveted

This month, I am having coffee with Shawntelle Madison. Shawntelle is a debut novelist. I met her at Archon in St. Louis soon after she received word that her first book was going to be published.

Please grab a cup of coffee, or drink of your choice, and join me for a Coffee with David author interview.

David Alan Lucas: With so many books on vampires, what attracted you to choose to write an Urban Fantasy about a werewolf?

Shawntelle Madison:  Once I had the idea for Coveted, I actually made a personal decision to exclude vampires from the universe of my book. Not that I don’t like vampires, I just wanted my book to be different from the rest of the pack. Pun intended. ;)

Also, I just felt the book worked better with an OCD werewolf.

DAL: When you are starting to work on a new novel, what do you find brings the story into focus for you? A Character? A setting? Something else?

SM: For me all stories start with a character. The reader needs to be hopefully interested in their journey. Once in a while, an event is where I start, but character comes first the majority of the time.

DAL: How did you develop the voice used in Coveted?

SM:  Of all the books I’ve written, Nat’s voice is one I slipped into the easiest. Who hasn’t felt like the underdog? The one who is bullied and cast out? I just dug in deep and wrote how I felt. The book just flowed out from there.

DAL: What was the hardest part of writing Coveted?

SM:  The hardest part of writing the book was the feelings it brought up. Who doesn’t want to feel left out or abandoned? They are quite painful. In order to convey my heroine’s true feelings, I had to feel the same emotions—which meant a lot of crying while writing. ;)

DAL: What themes in your fiction writing seem to drive you the most?

SM:  For me, I love writing about characters who overcome adversity. I love when a character is beat down, but they are driven to stand up and do the right thing for the people they love.

DAL: Do you work on multiple novels at once? If so, how many?

SM:  I’ve tried working on multiple books at once, and I can, but I prefer to be deep in one person’s head. So I’d say I spend the majority of the time writing one book at a time.

DAL: What do you find focuses your writing?

SM: I get distracted very easily. I focus best when I’m at the library with some good music. If I write at home and I need to focus I use Write or Die. It has forced me to focus so many times.

DAL: How easy was it to take the leap of faith to become a serious writer and chase this career? What did you find that you had to do to take the step?

SM:  I actually found it quite easy to take that step. I knew I wanted to write books. I was hungry to write and that was all I needed to take the process seriously.

DAL: What was your biggest fear when you decided to be published?

SM:  My biggest fear is uncertainty. (This comes from someone who tries to keep track of everything and schedule stuff.) You just never know what will come at you and when it will come. I got no warning from my agent when he called to offer rep. And I was actually in the middle of a phone call with my crit partner when my agent called me with an offer from my publisher for Coveted.

DAL: Who was the most influential person or persons in your writing career?

SM:  I’d say the most influential persons would be my first critique partner, Sarah Bromley and one of my favorite science fiction authors , Octavia Butler. Sarah has been with me since the beginning and has really helped me learn the craft.

DAL: If there was some advice that you could give to a fellow writer, what would it be?

SM:  Never give up that hunger to write and to be published. Whenever I finished a book, I immediately started thinking about the next project. (I’m still that way.) It’s way too easy to give up these days. When people say it’s easier to edit a finished page instead of a blank one, they’re not kidding!

DAL: What advice would you give a fellow writer about pitching a story either face to face or in a query letter?

SM:  Starting working on your pitch as soon as possible before you actually need to give it. Try to whittle your pitch down to a few sentences or even one if possible.

When it comes to query letters I highly suggest you check literary agency websites for samples. There are many on the internet to give you great ideas. Also, don’t be afraid to ask crit partners or critique groups for feedback on your query. You’d be surprised what your own eyes miss.

DAL: When you plot your novels, from whose point of view do you plot from? The protagonist’s? The antagonist’s? The narrator’s? Someone else?

SM: Since I write first person I plot primarily from the protagonist.

DAL: What is your writing schedule like?

SM: You mean people have one? Just kidding. I’m one of those writers who doesn’t write every day—unless I am on deadline. I tend to write in bursts like a sprinter. I will go crazy and write thousands of words per day for weeks, then rest for a few weeks to months. Most books take me four to five months to write.

DAL: If you could have coffee (or drink of your choice) with four other authors from any time period, who would you choose and why?

SM: I’d have coffee with Octavia Butler, Clive Barker, Stephen King, and Dean Koontz. I have so many other authors, but I think I’d enjoy lunch with them first. :)

DAL: How could my readers learn more about you?

SM: If you’d like to connect with me, you can find me on Twitter as Shawntelle, on Facebook and through my website. I also do blog posts on Wicked Authors (Mondays) and Magic & Mayhem Writers (Wednesdays).

To win a free copy of Coveted, please see: First of the Month Book Giveaway: Coveted  http://davidalanlucas.blogspot.com/2012/06/first-of-month-book-giveaway-coveted.html

Thank you for reading and please visit www.davidalanlucas.com and www.thewriterslens.com. You can also follow me on twitter @Owlkenpowriter and the Writer’s Lens @TheWritersLens. Fiction is the world where the philosopher is the most free in our society to explore the human condition as he chooses.

First of the Month Book Giveaway: Coveted

This month, it is my pleasure to bring you another debut author, Shawntelle Madison by giving away her novel Coveted. 

From Barnes and Noble: " “A smart, sexy, rip-roaring good time.”—New York Times bestselling author Angie Fox

“I’m obsessed with Shawntelle Madison’s fantastic urban fantasy debut, featuring hoarding werewolves, magic, and mayhem! More, please!”—Michelle Rowen, bestselling author of That Old Black Magic

 
SOMETIMES WHAT YOU COVET IS IMPOSSIBLE TO KEEP.

For werewolf Natalya Stravinsky, the supernatural is nothing extraordinary. What does seem strange is that she’s stuck in her hometown of South Toms River, New Jersey, the outcast of her pack, selling antiques to finicky magical creatures. Restless and recovering from her split with gorgeous ex-boyfriend, Thorn, Nat finds comfort in an unusual place: her obsessively collected stash of holiday trinkets. But complications pile up faster than her ornaments when Thorn returns home—and the two discover that the spark between them remains intense.

Before Nat can sort out their relationship, she must face a more immediate and dangerous problem. Her pack is under attack from the savage Long Island werewolves—and Nat is their first target in a turf war. Toss in a handsome wizard vying for her affection, a therapy group for the anxious and enchanted, and the South Toms River pack leader ready to throw her to the wolves, and it’s enough to give anybody a panic attack. With the stakes as high as the full moon, Nat must summon all of her strength to save her pack and, ultimately, herself.

“If you like your urban fantasy original, quirky, and offbeat, this is the series for you. Natalya is the craziest heroine since Carolyn Crane’s Justine Jones, and you will love her just as much.”—Ann Aguirre, bestselling author of Devil’s Punch"

How do you win a free copy of this book?  To enter the contest, simply leave a comment or question on the Coffee with David blog between now (June 3, 2012) and midnight June 30 2012. Please include your email so we can reach you if you win. The more comments you leave, the greater your chance of winning the contest. If you refer others to Coffee with David who mention your name in their comments, I'll enter your name again in our random number generator along with theirs, also increasing your chances at winning! The winner will be chosen after midnight on Saturday, June 30th and the announcement made on Sunday, July 1. Good luck and comment often.

Thank you for reading and please visit www.davidalanlucas.com and www.thewriterslens.com. You can also follow me on twitter @Owlkenpowriter and the Writer’s Lens @TheWritersLens. Fiction is the world where the philosopher is the most free in our society to explore the human condition as he chooses.

The winner of Katana is . . .

My apologies for the late announcement.

The winner of Katana by Cole Gibson is: Reading Mind. Congrats!  Please email me at David@DavidAlanLucas with your shipping address and I will get this book out to you by FedEx.

Thank you everyone for your comments!

Thank you for reading and please visit www.davidalanlucas.com and www.thewriterslens.com. You can also follow me on twitter @Owlkenpowriter and the Writer’s Lens @TheWritersLens. Fiction is the world where the philosopher is the most free in our society to explore the human condition as he chooses.

An Apology: May is Always the Month of Juggling Hell

This blog has been silent the last two weeks. While I juggle a lot in my life: a full time bill paying job, caring for an elderly parent, writing, studying martial arts and my role as an officer in the St. Louis Writers Guild, May is the month when things have always gone boom. That is because it is one of the highest pressure and busiest times at the bill pay job and it is membership renewal for the St. Louis Writers Guild (which falls to me as the VP of Membership). But, let me take a step back.

I use to be able to say that I had two full time jobs and two part time jobs--only one of which actually pays me anything. But, a year ago tomorrow life took a drastic turn. Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of my mother's health going downhill like an out of control speed skier who hit a mogul wrong at sixty miles per hour. In short--she had a severe hypoglycemic moment that led to two fractures in a leg (which went undetected by a certain hospital in St. Louis, but I won't mention them here--nor would I ever take anyone there), infections that eventually (because of antibiotics) led to C-Diff, compression fractures on her spine, having to relearn to walk. She has made remarkable progress having gone from 10 baby steps in August and being wheelchair bound to being able to walk everywhere (with a walker) and starting to drive again. I am the only child, so everything fell on to me.

Once she was discharged to home, I was living on sleep deprivation as I had to tend to every need. It was like having a 160 pound baby. Before anyone asks--no, insurance nor Medicare pays for custodial care. It fell to me--all of it. I did have to hire someone to care for her during the day while I was at work, but I was pretty much a prisoner at home. Unfortunately, home is the worst writing environment for me.  Further, she has no appreciation for writing. She actually doesn't read, except the newspaper, and considers writing to be frivolous.

During this time, my bill pay job became (and still is) overwhelmingly demanding. I can't go into things here. I will say I am surprised I didn't have a heart attack while I have been under constant stress for over two years--and was having to pull off the high stress job while sitting in the hospital rooms while she was recovering. Thus my two full time jobs became three and one of those was really at least two jobs in itself. (More like 6, but who's counting?)

So, this May, while I am now able to get back to a semi-normal life because she has improved so much, I was not prepared for the how this month would go and how much of my time would be drained away. On top of everything, I have been working on a new novel and was researching it.  In short, my Coffee with David blog had to take a back seat in the bus.  I am hoping June will be a better month. Tomorrow I will be announcing the winner of the book Katana and posting a new contest.

I will see you all here tomorrow for a new month on Coffee with David.

Thank you for reading and please visit www.davidalanlucas.com and www.thewriterslens.com. You can also follow me on twitter @Owlkenpowriter and the Writer’s Lens @TheWritersLens. Fiction is the world where the philosopher is the most free in our society to explore the human condition as he chooses.

Writing the Fight Scene Part 4 (Understanding the Trained Fighter Part 3)

How do the trained military fight? Like Law Enforcement, the fighting styles of the military vary with time and nationality. If you have a character that you are writing about that is in a particular branch of the military, or in a certain nation, or in a different time period than modern day, I would highly recommend that you conduct careful research into the martial art style that was or is used. For the purposes of this entry, I am going to exam the United States military of modern day. Again, before I start, I remind my readers that I am "painting" with a broad brush. Individuals may vary from what I describe below.

The military personal of the United States is (one of--to avoid arguments) the best trained standing forces of the modern world. With that said, most hand to hand combat training that the average soldier or sailor is given is limited. Depending on the Military Occupation the soldier or sailor, they may have had only a few days of hand-to-hand combat training. As I described in "Writing the Fight Scene-Part 2 (Understanding How Untrained Fighters Think)", this amount of training still limits the level of strategy that they will use in a fight.

Please do not misunderstand me. They are better trained than the untrained fighter, but their overall training is not focused, nor extensive, in hand-to-hand combat. In my post "Writing the Fight Scene-Part 2 (Understanding How Untrained Fighters Think)",I discuss how fighters think and strategize the fight. In that posting, I described the untrained fighter's level of strategy is that of a game of tic-tac-toe and that of a highly trained fighter to be the equivalent of a chess player. In the case of the level of training that the average military personal has would fall somewhere between the two--maybe closer to checkers.

With this stated, each branch of the US armed forces has a different philosophy of martial arts. Before World War II, the armed forces main focus on hand-to-hand combat was a mixture of boxing, wrestling, and - - -well, barroom brawling. After World War II, the five main branches (most think of only four, but for the purpose here and understanding the role of the US Coast Guard, I have broken it out into a separate branch) of the military went down different roads:

* The US Army and US Air Force hand-to-hand training is based mostly on Judo and Aikido;
* The US Navy Force hand-to-hand training is based mostly on Boxing;
* The US Coast Guard hand-to-hand training is based mostly on Boxing and Aikido;
* The US Marine Corps hand-to-hand training has been recently updated to be based on a mix of Karate, Taekwondo, Jujitsu, Brazilian Ju-jitsu, Eskrima, and Muay Thai. (I have news for them-they just tried to reinvent Tracy's Kenpo, which is what I study.)

I used the qualifier of "mostly" on purpose. The reason for this is that the military do work on and improve their fighting methods. Some of this improvement comes from conflicts with other forces--in other words, war-- and from the exchange of styles between these five branches and their personnel seeking training outside of their basic training. Furthermore, I do not describe the training that Special Forces undergo with their fight training.

In my next posting in this series, I will discuss the "gym trained" fighter. This will include any fighter trained in a gym, studio, club, or dojo.

And thank you for reading and please visit www.davidalanlucas.com and www.thewriterslens.com. You can also follow me on twitter @Owlkenpowriter and the Writer’s Lens @TheWritersLens. Fiction is the world where the philosopher is the most free in our society to explore the human condition as he chooses.