Hsien W Lou's Sparked - An otherworldy Epic of Vampires and the Undead

Hsien W. Lou's debut novel, Sparked, is an epic, otherworldly tale of the vampirical undead, stealing Sparks from people on Earth to use to extend their own lives.

 

 

Hsien, what motivated you to become an author?

I have always had an interest in writing and wanting to express personal, interesting and strange tales. I hope that people would be able to relate and find them interesting and fun.

What is the greatest joy of writing for you?

Writing is enjoyable, creating a whole universe with unique, simple characters and placing them in interesting, puzzling situations and finding how they solve them is great fun, at times it seems like the characters begin to write themselves. 

Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?

Yes, it was about two children. A boy and a girl. The boy was trapped in another world that was linked to the girl's mirror. So one day the mirror in her bedroom cracked and she entered the world to save the boy but she ended up trapped there too. It was a horror tale, it did not end well.

When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?

I spend it working as an environmental consultant, volunteering at church, reading, spending time with family and most importantly sleeping. 

What is your writing process?

My writing process begins with a strong storyline. I like to create original storylines and once this is done it is quite easy to follow through because it tends to place a foundation and you continue to flow from there.

When did you first start writing?

It seems like I have been writing forever but I do recall starting with poetry and then deciding to write short stories and now novels.

What are you working on next?

I am working on three new books, the sequel to sparked, a romance novel and a fantasy book about a mage. I realised I really like writing fantasy, when I write the story, it flows out easily.

What's the story behind your latest book?

It's about a lazy thirteen year old mage whose parents are the most powerful mages in the universe but he has no powers at all. He witnesses the culprit who kidnaps a few of his classmates at school and goes on a journey to save them and in the process finds his powers.

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?

I grew up in a small town and a close knit family. And since my family is a big supporting factor and most of the time we get a long fairly well, I always want all the characters in my book to have happy endings but it is almost never the case.

Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?

I think Terry Pratchett's Mort had a big impact on me, I love his writing so humorous and interesting. He can really liven up his words and characters.

Describe your desk

My desk is a mess, there are random papers and sticky notes and different coloured pens scattered everywhere. My laptop is placed on top of the papers, I don't think you can see the colour of the desk any more, instead of brown I think the appropriate name is paper desk.

What do you read for pleasure?

I read fantasy books, I am currently reading Brandon Sanderson's Words of Radiance. It is a great read, especially the main character Kaladin, I enjoy the way he is overcoming his personal challenges.

What inspires you to get out of bed each day?

My loud alarm clock.

What do your fans mean to you?

They mean a lot, I do hope they find an interest in the books and I believe it is important to gain their opinions of the story and characters. I think it is important as fans/ readers assist you to improve so I do value them and their opinions.

How do you discover the books you read?

Sometimes I will randomly pick a book in the fantasy section of the bookstore and read it. I find appealing storylines that attract me and also inspire me to write.

Who are your favourite authors?

Terry Pratchett, C. S. Lewis,  Victor Hugo, J. R. R. Tolkien,  Charles Dickens, Julia Quinn, Lewis Caroll, Mark Lawrence

Thank you, Hsien, and best of luck with your novel, Sparked! Sparked is scheduled for release Dec 2014/Jan 2015, so look out for it in all your favourite places, like www.swannbooks.com

TOP 5 Groaners Writers Should Avoid

TOP 5 Groaners Writers Should Avoid.
or, how to be rejected by a publisher in 5 easy steps, by John Walker Lee

You know how your story starts with your character waking up from a dream?
Or they're running away from something symbolic?
Or you gave the reader a weather report, because the level of precipitation is very, very important to the plot?
Or your character gets out of bed from their dream of being chased by a train and they go to look in the mirror and you describe what they see, and you think, I have found it, I have found a way to describe them all in one go and get it out of the way so that I don't have to think about it later, I can
just
list
facts.

You're one bullet away from being a Powerpoint presentation.

Maybe you wrote about an epic battle between a wizard/elf/mutant/vampire/werewolf and his estranged father. Even though you have the unimaginable power to create entirely new worlds you don't, you plagiarize someone else's world.

Maybe your lead character is perfect and never messes up and always catches on to every ledge they jump for, after all, they are the protagonist. Maybe your protagonist never has any conflict, never makes the wrong choice, never stops to take a shit in twelve days.

Your character, so desperate for relief, must obey a prophecy revealed in the first page of your story and now you drudge forward, knowing what will happen at the end, hoping some suicidal reader will drudge along with you. You're plodding forward to the anti-climax like some aged donkey because you deleted all the mystery, all the wonderful unknown, all the things that made you feel something.

Your FBI agent races to find that one guy who is the world's foremost expert in his field, haunted by his past, and they must quickly fly him across the world and give him full authority over the entire US army to prevent the attack of zombies/ebola/nuclear destruction/beings from another dimension.
Your story ends at the airport, where the rebellious anti-hero runs after the general's shy daughter and catches her just as she's about to board the plane.

And you shoot yourself.

As you fall down on the tiled floor in slow motion you wonder, why 5?

How long must my book be?

Swann Books embraces digital publishing.

Historically, a novel would need to be 80,000 words to hit the maximum profit margin versus printing, transport and storage cost. (These things were all worked out in big graphs)
Well, those things aside, 80,000 words was considered a good amount to have an engaging story with a buildup of drama.

That is no longer the case.  Now, a story can be as long or as short as it needs to be and still be published.  Swann Books publishes everything from Flash Fiction, short stories, to novellas and novels.

Flash Fiction, poetry or prose
Less than 2,000 words.
Will be published as part of an anthology with 20 other Flash Fiction stories.

Short Story
2,000-20,000 words.
Will be published with 2 or 3 other short stories.

Novella
20,000-40,000 words
Can be published on its own at a reduced price.
These are popular 'bus and train books' as they can be printed in a smaller format than regular novels. The story often continues through several books, giving the author a chance to earn a steady income at a faster pace than novel writing.
These are my favourite books.

Novel
40,000-150,000 words.
A novel typically takes a year or more to write.

Epic
Novels longer than 150,000 words should probably be split into multiple books.

It is highly recommended for new writers to start with Flash Fiction and work their way to writing novels. When working with shorter stories you are forced to trim all the fat from your novel and find the shortest turn of phrase, making it a cleaner experience for your readers.

After dinner with Gillian Custard

We have a little dessert with Gillian Custard, author of Adventure at Black Rock Mountain.

They say you must write for kids just like you write for adults, only better.
Gillian Custard's fresh adventure, Adventure at Black Rock Mansion, gives kids a wild holiday in the North of England, where a gloomy groundskeeper tries to make their lives very tricky indeed.
But the three brave kids work together to outwit their tormentor and get involved in an adventure far greater than they anticipated!

Gillian, is there much of a difference between writing for adults and children?
"I don't think so, at least for older kids. We always underestimate the sophistication of older kids, and we can't really bundle them into the same literary shelf as young kids.
I wrote Adventure at Black Rock Mansion for those kids that are outgrowing their picture books and who are ready for deeper, and scarier, stories."

How do you research a story for kids?
"My own kids are a wonderful inspiration. I have a fortunate circumstance of live-in consultants. They're both quite bookish and if an idea passes their scrutiny with out getting a frown or an 'Oh mom, that's so corny!' I know it will work for others."

Gillian Custard, we are looking forward to working with you on Adventure at Black Rock Mansion, and many other books!
"Thank you! I am very excited to be published. It's been my dream since I was in school."

John Walker Lee on Method Writing

You've probably heard the term 'method acting' on TV or in interviews with actors. It's where an actor gets into their role by becoming their character for a while.
Heath Ledger is a famous example, staying in character for his role as The Joker in The Dark Knight even when the cameras weren't rolling. His portrayal of the mad Joker is praised by critics as one of cinema's most authentic characters. Sadly, Heath's personal problems cut short his contribution to the world of cinema, but it highlights how interesting, and sometimes dangerous method acting can be.

John Walker Lee is the only method writer I know. He not only researches his characters, but will take on the role of one of the them to research character interactions. He is able to glean subtle nuances and opinions about the characters that most other writers will struggle to find.

In preparation for SuperModel, Lee became a fashion photographer for a year and worked with hundreds of up-and-coming models in the fashion industry. I asked him how it affected his writing style...

CS: "How does method writing help the writing process?"
JWL: "Method writing, or perhaps immersive writing, tells me more about the people around me than I can imagine. When I started writing Supermodel I knew I was out of my depth when it came to the psyche of the teenage girl, so I worked with models to find out what they wanted in life, what they struggled with. I learned what it was like to be a girl, really, very different from being a guy."
CS: "You became a fashion photographer to study for this book. Would you have been able to write the book without immersing yourself in the characters?"
JWL: "It would not have been the same book. A lot of the anecdotes in Supermodel are based on real events, things that happened to models. When I started out I had this naive impression of models having this easy job anyone could do, but let me tell you, it's a lot tougher than it looks. You have to have nerves of steel."
CS: "So there is some truth in what you write about the experience of models?"
JWL: "What surprised me is how many models have the same stories. How many are asked by almost every photographer, male or female, to get naked. How many agents just wanted their registration money, and then forgot about them. A lot of models are bought and sold between agencies like slaves. It blew my mind. All those cliche's are not really cliche's, they're quite real. It's really tough being a model, you get taken advantage of at every turn. These are things normal models don't talk about to regular guys, I think because it's embarrassing, but when you're in the industry they open up."
CS: "Your character, Amanda, is a shorter model. Is it that hard for shorter models to become successful models?"
JWL: "I made an effort to work with shorter models, to find out if it was harder for them. And, oh yes, I mean for runway shows the clothes are made months in advance, so you can understand it there. But for photoshoots, who cares how tall the models are? There is a type of racism in the modelling industry against shorter, or rather, normal sized people. It's more than just practical size."
CS:"What would you tell your lead character if you met her, knowing what you know now?"
"JWL: "Good question. I'd tell her sometimes you have to shovel shit for a living, and that's okay. And don't let people change you. If you become something else, well, then you're living a dream, not a life."
CS: "Will you be method-writing again for your next book?"
JWL: "To a degree. The next one, Blood Games, is pretty much a horror story. I want to find out why people are fascinated with horror, without becoming that myself."
CS: "Do you recommend method-writing to other writers? Has it helped you write better?"
JWL: "It has helped me understand people better, and to bring things into my writing that are more interesting than me, us writers are pretty boring and solitary creatures. Acting classes and doing something like method-writing is a real rich source to draw from. All of us writers need help with structure and language and so on, but what we really need are those insights into minds we don't understand."

It was an absolute joy chatting with John Walker Lee about method-writing. Look out for his Novel, Supermodel, published by Swann Books, in December.