Interview with sci-fi novelist Gardner "G.M." Browning

Welcome, Readers. Today’s special guest is sci-fi novelist Gardner M. Browning. He’s chatting with me about Karma City.

During his virtual book tour, Gardner will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit his other tour stops, and enter there, too!

Karma City will be $0.99 during the tour.

Bio:

Gardner Michael Browning is an award-winning author and professional wrestler. In addition to receiving a New Hampshire Literary Award, two of his novels were part of an international English literacy program for middle grade readers. Gardner enjoys classic literature, fishing, playing guitar and spending time with his family.

Welcome, G.M. Please share a little bit about your current release.

A micro-predator has crippled humanity; but when Dr. Marcus Graves’ engineered cure evolves to a greater threat, it falls to mercenary, Luna Briggs, and the shotgun toting drifter she loves, Jameson Shoals, to stop this new killer-elite before it supplants mankind.

Excerpt from Karma City:
Though the degradation in society perpetuated by the Malady parasite crippled advancements in industry and commerce, coal mining prevailed in the mountains and parts beyond Karma City, producing abundant fuel for steam engines and thermal power plants. As a result, the railroad had become the people’s last lifeline. Two 4-8-4 steam locomotives, antiquated yet reliable engines, wheeled along cardinal tracks transporting people, medicine and goods back and forth from Karma, Rime, Lobos and many other unnamed stops in the endless Void Lands. The masters of these locomotives were the rifle-bearing men and women sworn to a life on the

tracks— the cold-hearted, Iron Tribe.

What exciting story are you working on next?
I am currently writing two science fiction stories: the sequel to Karma City and a near future thriller set on one of Saturn’s mysterious moons!

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I first considered myself a writer after I read a eulogy I wrote for my grandfather at the age of 20. I always enjoyed writing stories for fun throughout my childhood and teenage years, but on the day my hero was laid to rest, many attendees of the service approached me and expressed how deeply moved they were by words. One older man who I did not know met me in a hallway and asked, “are you a writer, young man?” I didn’t know how to answer and before I could, he said, “you ought to be, son.” After that, I thought about it long a hard and I came to the realization that a person can “be” something and also “become” something. I understood then that, yes, I was a writer. I was born a writer. But could I become a published author?

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I wish I was a full-time writer. Truth is, there isn’t much money in it unless you break out with a huge launch title by a major publisher or score a large advance for a project. Those instances are rare. Writing is a fantastic hobby and it can generate some spending cash. Some freelance writers can toil away and take on all kinds of writing assignments under contract, but even then, the writer is paid mere cents per word. It’s also been my experience that many companies or clients do not want to pay writers fairly for freelance work.

I find time to write on weekends and early mornings. (I start my days extremely early)

I am a seventeen-year veteran of the US Dept. of Homeland Security. I have working in counter terrorism and aviation security since the events of 9/11 dedicated to doing my part to prevent another such tragedy. It has been an absolute honor to serve and work beside so many wonderful people and do what I can as a civilian to protect our beautiful country and American families.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

My quirk is that I am big re-writer. I am constantly working over entire pages to tighten up prose, layer in better description or make scenes more cinematic. I also cut out any and all areas of my story that do not directly move the plot forward. I’ve pulled out entire characters and all traces of them to strengthen the story.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be the World Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Champion!

Links:
Facebook | Amazon Author Page | Amazon buy page During the tour the e-book is $0.99

Thank you for being a guest on my blog!

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Interview with dark fiction author Mark Kirkbride

Novelist Mark Kirkbride joins me today to chat about his post-apocalyptic horror novel, Game Changers of the Apocalypse.

Bio:

Mark Kirkbride lives in Shepperton, England. He is the author of two novels, Game Changers of the Apocalypse and Satan’s Fan Club, published by Omnium Gatherum. His short stories can be found in Under the Bed, Sci Phi Journal, Disclaimer Magazine and Flash Fiction Magazine. His poetry has appeared in the Big Issue, the Morning Star, the Mirror and Horror Writers Association chapbooks.

Welcome, Mark. Please tell us about your current release.

My latest novel, just out in Kindle and print, is Game Changers of the Apocalypse. It’s a post-apocalyptic horror novel. The main characters, Greg and Polly, have survived the apocalypse, yet shouldn’t have. So the universe is about to be reset to correct for the anomaly that they represent. But Greg and Polly gain access to a printer that prints drafts of the future and have a brief window to try and sidestep their fates before a new draft is completed.

What inspired you to write this book?

I had the idea one night at university – a while ago now. I wanted to write a last-man-alive novel but updated to last man and woman. It’s very much about the main characters’ relationship. The whole fate of the human race rests on them getting their relationship to work. Unfortunately, they split up the day before the world ended, and there’s an outside entity acting against them. No pressure then!

Excerpt from Game Changers of the Apocalypse:

Standing on paper, he leaned into the printer’s invisible heat-field. The world’s ended and I’m still coming to work... But his hunch paid off. Another manuscript filled the tray.

He snatched it up, Draft 3.

He flicked through its warm pages. Come on, come on, come on... Polly going off had rendered Draft 2 obsolete. Where is she? Radical action on their part could nudge fate in a different direction. Tell me. While unstable over time, short term the manuscripts’ predictions proved accurate. A clue. Something. Anything… With the right information, he could use Draft 3 against itself.

Yes. It worked. He found out where she’d gone.

Oh, God, not there.

Not now...

For a moment he could see himself from the outside, clasping the manuscript – the story of their lives, written.

Rearranging his grip, he noticed he’d smudged the cover page.

His thumb came away with a black mark on it. The ink’s still wet. He left the manuscript on the side. There’s still time to change things, if I hurry.

What exciting story are you working on next?

At the moment I’m working on a novella about a man who goes to confront God after the death of his wife. The Devil exploits his grief and he gets caught up in the eternal war between heaven and hell.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I think it creeps up on you gradually. A poem here, a short story there. Probably the big milestone was getting my first novel published. But I think I’ve always been a writer by temperament.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

Sadly I don’t write full-time. I also work as a Subtitle Editor in London and do other little bits of freelance/commissioned work that crops up such as narrative design for a video game developer or writing quiz questions for an app developer. Everything tends to take priority over writing fiction but a lot of the best ideas arrive AFK in any case and I think I’m always writing in my head.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I’m not sure how quirky this is but I can’t write anything unless I have a title to begin with – even if I end up changing it.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

For a long time I wanted to be a pilot. I did end up doing some flying and did enough to go solo but not enough to get a license. I sometimes think that writing is a little like flying. You take off at full throttle and try and land on the shortest runway possible.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

I haven’t mentioned this in public before but my grandmother died during the course of writing the book (she was 102) and, partly to stick two fingers up to death, I brought her back as a little girl at the end of it. Obviously I didn’t know her as a youngster but l like to think the character embodies a little of her spirt.

Thank you for listening.

Links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon ebook | Amazon print UK | Amazon print US

Thank you for being here today!

Interview with writer Sandra J. Jackson

Writer Sandra J. Jackson joins me today to chat a bit about her new sci-fi suspense, Playing in the Rain.

Bio:

Sandra J. Jackson was born in Montreal, Quebec but has lived in Ontario for close to 34 years. The last 31 in a rural setting in Eastern Ontario with her husband and children.

A graduate of a 3-year Graphic Design program, being creative has always been Sandra’s passion. Over the years she has enjoyed creating works of art for her family and friends. Her children, however, brought out the storyteller inside when Sandra told them bedtime stories. Her wild imagination lent itself to new and exciting ideas.

As her children grew and the storytelling faded, Sandra’s desire to write blossomed. Fed by her personal experiences, she began writing. As she wrote, her confidence grew and so did her courage. Sandra began sharing her ideas, even volunteering to write articles for her son’s hockey team for publication in the local paper.

An avid reader of many genres, Sandra’s writing does not fall into any specific category. However, her goal is to create stories that pull readers into the book and make them feel as though they are a part of the story.

With several stories in various stages of completion, Sandra made a decision. Armed with her experience of travelling to the east coast, her wholehearted belief in soulmates, and the draw she has always felt for the UK, she completed her first manuscript.

Sandra’s debut novel, Promised Soul, was originally released in 2015 by her former publisher. A short story, Not Worth Saving, was published in New Zenith Magazine’s 2016 fall issue. Her second novel, Playing in the Rain - Book 1 of the Escape Series, released in September 2017 also by the same former publisher. In October 2017, her short-story, China Doll, took second prize in a newspaper contest for Halloween stories. She holds a professional membership with the Canadian Author Association and is a member of Writers’ Ink.

Sandra is currently working on editing Book 2 and 3 of the Escape Series, her first trilogy.

Welcome, Sandra. Please tell us about your current release.

Playing in the Rain is the first book of The Escape Series – a trilogy. It is the story of a young woman who begins to wake from a drug induced hypnosis. She has no idea where she is or who she is. But as her memories slowly start to return, she realizes that she needs to escape.

Playing in the Rain won the 2018 Golden Quill Book Award for SciFi

Blurb:

When the effects of a hypnosis inducing drug fade, April slowly begins a conscious awakening. Memories of her past are unclear and she has no recollection of her identity or her whereabouts.

As the days slip by, April realizes there is more to life than existing when she is introduced to an occupant who does just that—her sister. The more she learns about her environment the more she wants to escape.

Will April remember her past, her sister? Will she have the courage to leave? And if she does, where will she go?

Experience through April’s eyes her struggle to remember and her determination to escape in this sci-fi, post-apocalyptic, suspense story.

What inspired you to write this book?

I don’t think I can pinpoint what inspired the book. It was an idea that came to me and I started writing. However, the very first draft of Playing in the Rain was a stand alone novel with a much darker plot line. I decided to change it and make it a post-apocalyptic sci-fi. To do this I added about twelve chapters ahead of the original beginning. Then I revised what I’d originally wrote to work with the new plot. My characters also aged a few years in the revised version.

Excerpt from Playing in the Rain:

Moments or hours later there was no telling which, my eyes sprung open to the darkened room. I stretched my arms above my head, but a sharp pinch in my shoulder caused me to pull them back down to my side. My hands absently plucked at the cushioned surface underneath me. I rolled the small bits of soft material between my fingers and dropped them on the floor. B2’s quiet and even breaths lulled me into a state of relaxation. My arms and legs grew heavy and sunk further into the cushion beneath me. I was about to cross into unconsciousness, but a low groan pulled me back. The sound of a rustling sheet and smacking lips disturbed the quiet dark surrounding me. “B2!” I whispered. “Are you awake?” I turned my head to the right and stared out to where I imagined her lying beside me.

She groaned again, a little louder than before.

“Is that a yes?”

“Hmmm!” she mumbled. “I w-was having a g-good –”

“Sh!” I placed my finger on my lips, even though I knew B2 couldn’t see my gesture. I turned my head away and stared up at the dark above me.

“What?” she whispered.

“Do you hear that?” My thoughts were fuzzy and unsure. I concentrated on the silence. Am I hearing things?

“I d-don’t hear anything. Let me g-go back to sleep.” B2 stammered with a somewhat cranky voice. I imagined her crossing her arms and stomping her foot. The corners of my lips pulled into a smile, but it was fleeting as my focus returned to the sound I was sure I’d heard. The crease in my brow deepened.

I rolled my eyes. “Listen!” My words were sharp. I closed my eyelids and inhaled, held it, and then allowed it to rush out through my pursed lips. “It sounded…” I searched my memory and tried to recall the sound I was sure my ears picked out in the dark, “like rain.” The blackness closed in around us, and we waited in silence for a sound we hadn’t heard in… How long had it been? Months – years?

“What’s –”

“Sh!” I silenced B2 once again. She shuffled beside me. Even in the dark, I understood she’d rolled away.

Finally, there was a delicate tapping overhead. At first, it was a few light beats, a random collection of taps. Within seconds, it settled into a rhythmic pattern. I was sure it was rain.

“I knew it. It is rain.” I smiled and sat up, my hands behind me for support. My delight did not last long. Where the hell are we? My eyebrows pulled together, and my smile turned into a frown.

“Rain?” B2’s voice whispered. She shuffled once again; her hand brushed the back of mine as she sat up beside me.

I searched my memory for the last time I’d seen rain. Visions from my strange dream of the dried grass came to mind. There was a bizarre feeling, almost an understanding, that it had been a long time. If I knew how long we’d been at C.E.C.I.L., then I’d have a bit of an idea, but my memories were still foggy.

At that moment there was nothing else I wanted more than to see the rain, to feel it wash over my head and down my face as it fell from the sky. My mind tried again to sort through the stored memories I managed to conjure. Unfortunately, they were not clear, and I could not gather any accurate details.

The dream interrupted my thoughts and brought with it visions of cool, soft, green grass. I reveled in the memory. Real grass under my bare feet, my toes curled at the thought. Almost in the same instant, the grass turned to brown, sharp blades. C.E.C.I.L.’s Astroturf flashed in my mind. Grass – that was another thing I longed for, even the brown, crunchy kind.

What exciting story are you working on next?

At the moment I a finishing the final revisions/editing of Book 2 of the Escape Series and then will send it to my publisher. Then I will begin editing Book 3.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I think I first considered myself a writer when I finished my first manuscript. But I think that consideration was more for me. I didn’t consider myself a true writer until my first book was published.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I would like to write full-time but unfortunately, I do not. I work full-time as a Finance Assistant for a large security guard company. I find time for writing in the evenings and on weekends and whenever I have time off. It’s kind of like having two full-time jobs.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I guess I would have to say my interesting writing quirk is that my stories always begin with the ending and the title of the book before I write the beginning. If I know how it’s going to end then I can work out the details on how to get the story to the ending.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be many things, a doctor, zoologist, artist, author, but I never imagined working in finance. I sucked at math.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

I would just like to say thank you to my readers for your support. It is truly appreciated.

Links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter |

Amazon book links: Promised Soul | Playing in the Rain

Thanks for joining me today, Sandra.

Interview with humorist Ben Mariner

Today’s special guest is Ben Mariner. He’s chatting with me about his post-apocalyptic humor book, Apocalypse Wow.

During his virtual book tour, Ben will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit his other tour stops and enter there, too!

Bio:

Ben Mariner is the author of Apocalypse Wow as well as The Many Lives of Zane Montgomery, which definitely sold some copies to some people. He currently lives in Denver with his wife and animals. He enjoys mozzarella sticks, dunk tanks at carnivals, and solving crime with his psychic powers and best friend/sidekick.

Welcome, Ben. Please share a little bit about your current release.
Apocalypse Wow is about a 30-something guy who’s life is going nowhere. One day he meets the girl of his dreams and falls completely bum over noggin almost immediately. The two go on the perfect date, and then he wakes up to find out that a week has passed since the date and the world has ended in the interim. Thinking pretty much only himself, Jack sets off on a cross country road trip with his friends to find the love of his life.

What inspired you to write this book?
I don’t really remember where the idea for this book came from. It happened sometime in high school which was, sadly, over a decade ago. The idea just kept coming back to me over and over again, so eventually I just sat down and got it all down on paper.

Excerpt from Apocalypse Wow:

A man who could best be described as homeless was standing in the middle of the merry-go-round as the metal saucer twirled slowly around. His clothes were filthy, and the hair that stuck out the bottom of his tin foil hat was matted and disgusting. In his hands he held a piece of cardboard that was about three feet by three feet with black writing that read: THE END IS NEAR. For some reason, I couldn’t help but stand and watch the man slowly rotate over and over again, reading the sign each time it came around. I found myself wondering three things. First, why was he standing in that abandoned park instead of on a street corner that people other than me frequented, so that he may spread his message? I would think that everyone would like to know that the end – whatever that entailed – was near. Second, why do all homeless doomsday prophets have to be so vague? Don’t they think we’d like a more exact date on when the end would occur? A time, a day…something? And third, just how in the hell does a homeless guy afford markers to make a sign anyway?

I decided to let the more important mysteries of the universe figure themselves out and continued on my way to work. After all, the only apocalypse I cared about was the PlayStation game of the same name starring none other than the incomparable Bruce Willis. Man, that guy rocked my world with his unrelenting machismo. By the way, I’m not gay. I just thought I’d clear that up. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

What exciting story are you working on next?
Up next is the follow up to Apocalypse Wow. It takes place a year after the events of the first book and everyone is hot on the search for Jack Winters. I’m really excited about it because I feel like it adds a lot of depth to the first book and, hopefully, readers will enjoy it even more.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

It all depends on what you consider a ‘writer’ to be. If it’s someone who has sold at least one copy of something they’ve written, then I’d say a few years ago. If it’s someone who has written stories on a regular basis that other people have read, then I’d say roughly high school.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
Sadly, I can’t afford to write full time right now. During the day I work in the IT department of a major satellite television provider. Nothing major. Nothing exciting.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I don’t know if I do anything that’s really all that interesting. I just like to sit down and zero in. No distractions. I put on some music just to keep other outside noise drowned out. Oh, and I also like to have sit in a bathtub full of rainbow Nerds. I think that’s pretty much par for the course with writers though.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Green Power Ranger. That dude was legit. Especially after he turned into the White Ranger. Though I never understood why his helmet looked like a tiger but his zord was a falcon.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I just want people to read and enjoy Apocalypse Wow. I don’t care about becoming some millionaire famous author who has every book turned into a movie. I just want people to pick up a book I’ve written and think it’s good enough to recommend to someone else. Hopefully I’ve accomplished that, and I wish everyone happy reading!

Links: 

Twitter | Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon

Thank you for being a guest on my blog, Ben!

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