#WEP Debut Author Déjà vu

This WEP challenge seemed like a great reason for a
Debut Author Déjà vu post.

Here are a few blasts from our past.

---

Kristin Bartley Lenz

1- Would you please, in 160 characters or less, give a #WriteTip ?

If writing a novel feels overwhelming, tell yourself to write a short story. Maybe you’ll actually end up with a short story, but good chance it’ll grow into more. #WriteTip

When trying to Show Not Tell, have your character look around her – what does she notice? What does she see, hear, smell, touch? #WriteTip

2- Who is your favorite book review blogger?

Forever Young Adult (http://foreveryoungadult.com/ ) is one of my favorite book bloggers because they have an interesting format (http://foreveryoungadult.com/book-report-grading), and I almost always agree with their reviews. They even have a special series of reviews on Kirkus.

3- What's the best book marketing strategy you've come across?

Show up to support others – in whatever form that takes: sharing good news, going to events, reviewing/recommending other books, encouraging and sharing resources with writers at all stages.

4- What is one question you would like the readers of this to answer in the comments?

What books are on your night-stand at the moment?

5- Have you, or one of your characters, ever experienced déjà vu?

I ‘ve experienced déjà vu several times, but of course I can’t think of the specific situations right now! But just as fascinating to me is the idea of premonitions, ie. sometimes I will get a feeling or a thought about something before it happens.

A couple years ago, I entered a writing contest and the winner was being announced at a large conference. I was in the audience, did not think I had a chance of winning, was totally calm and relaxed and curious as the contest coordinator was speaking on stage, when all of the sudden my heart started racing wildly – and then they called my name as the winner!

Another time, I was driving on my way to speak at a book club out of town and one of my old high school teachers popped into my head. We’d had an altercation my senior year, but I hadn’t seen or hardly thought of her in 30 years. When I arrived at the book club, she was there! She was new to the group, her first time attending, an aspiring author, and she didn’t even remember me. It was so weird.

And then there are a lot of stories of people having a “bad feeling” about something. I really believe in this intuitive energy. Thanks for asking this question – it sent me off to read more about it. Here’s a Psychology Today article about déjà vu that was interesting: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/emotional-freedom/201004/the-meaning-deja-vu

Thanks for having me back on your blog, Operation Awesome team!

---

Angela Kay

1- Would you please, in 160 characters or less, give a #WriteTip ?

Whenever you have a dream, never give up because you’ll never know where it’ll take you. I never imagined in my wildest dreams I’d be publishing my books, let along publishing for others.

2- You've put out two books since your last interview. Is there another in the works?

I’ve finished the first draft of a cold case thriller, I’m in the middle of a psychological thriller with human trafficking being the center subject, and I just started the second book in my FBI thrillers (“I Can Kill” being the first, which was named awards finalist by American Book Fest.)

3- What is one question you would like the readers of this to answer in the comments?

What’s your favorite holiday and why?

4- Have you, or one of your characters, ever experienced déjà vu?

I’ve experienced Deja vu quite often.

---

Cath Schaff-Stump

1- Would you please, in 160 characters or less, give a #WriteTip ?

Writing words is more important than anything else you need to do as an author.

2- Given your Tweet thread, what's your opinion on the Nike Kaepernick ad?

I applaud Nike for the Kaepernick ad. A real hero is one who stands up for their principles. It is sad that this is such a controversial stance. A United States so flagrantly in disregard for the human rights of all peoples, regardless of their origins, should not censure protest against its government. As a white person, I know we are a privileged group who take a lot for granted. Okay, everything. One of the best ways we can ally and make change is to support such efforts, and try to speak about them with other, especially to those who don't see the privilege. So, go Nike. You're doing your job. And go, Mr. Kaepernick. Way to get out there and hope for a time when we are all on the same enlightened page you are on.

3- What is one question you would like the readers of this to answer in the comments?

Can you tell me all about your favorite character from a book or movie? I'd love to hear about them.

4- Have you, or one of your characters, ever experienced déjà vu?

I experience deja vu all the time. I used to think I'd dream things in advance, and then experience them. So, it's a real thing, even though I don't think it has a prophetic cause.

---

Jason Disley

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jason-Disley/e/B0034PRF9M/

1- How do you like your coffee? Have you ever had a Pumpkin Spice Latte, and did you like it?

I like a flat white these days. Haven't had a Pumpkin Spice Latte, might wait for Halloween before I do.

2- Who is your favorite book review blogger?

The New Yorker I like the broad spectrum of books covered by this site

3- What have you been up to since your interview?

Where do I start?

Well after my novel Seven Day Fool, I have been writing its sequel Take It Or Leave It. Which sees my private detective Jake Brody drawn into a case spread through Manchester, London and Paris. It sees some character development and his immersion into a much more espionage filled tale as he becomes a person of interest to MI5 - the British Secret Service. The tale is set a mere few months after Seven Day Fool and is set in 1966. England is getting ready to host The World Cup. The Jules Rimet trophy has been stolen, and a mysterious "Pole" is implicated as being involved in what looks like an opportunistic theft. Jake Brody believes that this individual has something to do with Kinga's father who was deported back to Poland at the end of Seven Day Fool. He is offered the task to investigate by the one man in England that he dare not refuse. It is a job offer. Does he "Take It Or Leave It?" I should hopefully have this book finished by the end of 2018.

I still write a lot of poetry and have been performing at spoken word events. I have recorded an album of spoken word called Speakeasy, which is going to be released by Heavy Soul Records. There will be a seven inch vinyl record of two of my poems released in December. One is called Words of Wisdom, and is performed by myself with original music by Rick Blackman. The other side is called Breathless and is recorded in French by Gabriela Giacoman, the lead singer of French Boutik. The music again is original music by Rick Blackman. After this release the album will be released also on vinyl.

I now co-host a regular spoken word /Comedy night called Speaky Blinders which has a great variety of performers sharing their poetry and comedy.

I also published a book of poetry called Songs of Benevolence & Rage this year, and hopefully in December will have an experimental collection titled Beat To A Pulp published. This collection is a complete traditional Pulp style story written in verse form. I have some amazing artwork that will be complementing the collection provided by an artist friend. Who is known as Mr H. It is going to be very different, and is a work I am very proud of. So, as you can see I am busier than ever!

4- What is one question you would like the readers of this to answer in the comments?

What's next?

5- Have you, or one of your characters, ever experienced déjà vu?

Many times personally. Jake Brody certainly has a moment in Take It Or Leave It. It's centered around the female interest and the sense of déjà vu is palpable for him as he is still getting over what happened to Martina Godlewski.

---

Matt Harry

1- Would you please, in 160 characters or less, give a #WriteTip ?

The theme of your story (what it’s really “about”) is crucial. Once you know the theme, it will tell you which characters to keep, what scenes are necessary, and what the ending should be. Stories without a theme may be enjoyable, but they are disposable.

Teaser pic of the next book in the series, which is out May 14, 2019!

2- Who is your favorite book review blogger?

I really enjoy the reviews at @TheAVClub. They’re intelligent, insightful, and often very funny. I base my to-read list on their “Best Of” picks every year.

3- How would Euphemia Whitmore feel about voodoo magic?

I’ll let her answer this one. The following is a quote from her unpublished volume Alternate Methods of Sorcery for Beginners:
"Voodoo magic, while certainly effective, lacks the elan and work ethic required for traditional sorcery. As such it is quite a tempting field for the young sorcerer to pursue. However, a grounding in traditional spell casting fundamentals is recommended before learning easier, alternate methods."

4- What is one question you would like the readers of this to answer in the comments?

Is there anything you’d love to see explored in a novel about teenage sorcerers? The second book in this series, Cryptozoology for Beginners, has been completed, but I’m in the planning stages for the third novel and would love to hear any wish lists!

5- Have you, or one of your characters, ever experienced déjà vu?

I feel like I experience it quite a bit. I’ve even had dreams that I later think actually happened. Naturally this makes me want to write a story about it, but I haven’t figured out a unique way to do it yet.

---

The answers ended up at 1400 words. Who knew these blasts from the past would have so much to say?!
We're not competing to win. There's no need for feedback. But it'd be great to keep the conversation going!
So if you feel like responding to some of the questions asked by our authors, that'd be awesome!

Meet Matt Harry in this Debut Author Spotlight

Sorcery for Beginners: A Simple Help Guide to a Challenging & Arcane Art

1- What is your favorite snack or drink that's only available in autumn?

I know most people would go with the Pumpkin Spice Ice Blended on this one, but there’s an amazing pumpkin cake my family makes every Thanksgiving — pumpkin pie mix, yellow cake with streusel and pecan topping — that I look forward to every year. Now I’m hungry!

2- What five words represent your most notable characteristic or values? #In5Words

Liberty, Equality, Fraternity — and Cake

3- What ignited your passion for writing?

I was interested in writing from a very young age. As early as third grade, I was writing neighborhood newspapers, short stories, and plays. In seventh grade, I wrote my first novel (which was 120 pages of terrible). Somehow I convinced my eighth grade English teacher, Mr. Werner, to meet with me after school once a week to discuss my writing. One day he sat me down and showed me a letter — he’d secretly sent one of my short stories to a local literary magazine, and it had been accepted for publication! I had never before considered that writing was something I could do professionally, and I’ve been pursuing it as a career ever since. Sadly, Mr. Werner passed away last year, and though he knew Sorcery for Beginners was being published, he never knew I dedicated my first book to him.

4- Which time period do you believe had it easier -- pre or post 20th century?

Definitely post 20th century. For starters, until the last 100 years, 50% of all children died before age 10. Most people never went beyond 20 miles from their own house. The food was terrible and repetitive, unless you were royalty. In the last 50 years, our advances in science and technology have made the average person smarter than the most educated genius of years past. There’s definitely growing pains and push back to all our advancements, but I feel lucky to be living in such an amazing, progressive time. That said, it would have been incredible to see the great herds of buffalo in the pre-settled American West.

5- What are some of your short and long term writing goals?

One of my recurring fantasies is that I could stop time so I can finish all my projects. Short term, I’d like to complete my latest book, which has been going slowly but takes place in awesome, unique fantasy world. I’m also developing Sorcery for Beginners as a TV show, which I’ve been pitching as “Stranger Things with magic.”

Long term, I have at least three more ideas for sequels to Sorcery for Beginners, as well as a couple of other novels in various stages of completeness. I just need to stop time so I can write them.

6- Have you read many (nonfiction) "for Beginners," "for Dummies," "Idiot's guide to," or other simplified instruction books? Do you have a favorite?

Several! In fact, I got the idea for Sorcery for Beginners while reading The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Einstein. I thought, if these guys can make incredibly complex ideas like the theory of relativity look easy, what if they could do that with other difficult, supernatural topics? Magic immediately popped into my head as an option, and the book wrote itself in a week. (Just kidding, it actually took me five years and 11 drafts to finish. So much for making things easy!)

7- Who is currently your biggest fan? What does that person love most (or "ship") about your debut novel?

Sorcery for Beginners hasn’t been seen by that many people yet, so currently our biggest fan is our seven year-old son. He was very excited to learn “real” sorcery and keeps trying to cast the Spell of Suggestion on me so I’ll give him extra dessert. Luckily, I know the counter-spell.

8- What emotions do you hope your book will evoke for the reader, and is there a particular scene you hope will resonate with readers?

I hope readers will be excited and encouraged by the way my characters stand up to bullies in the story. I was bullied when I was a teenager, and I know how hard it can be to find the courage to say the right words or do the right thing in those situations. The key is knowing that they’re just as unsure and fearful as you are. It also helps to have a few magic spells at your disposal.

9- Twitter tells me you scored #HamiltonLA tickets. What most excites you about seeing the show?

I have a background in theater, so I know that every performance is unique. I can’t wait to be in the room where it happens, sing along with all the songs, and hopefully not upset my neighbors with my constant cheering.

10- What most helped you to improve your writing craft?

I had a lot of help from writing mentors throughout the years —teachers, friends, and family who took the time to read my work and offer notes and encouragement. But I think what most improved my craft was just writing. Writing as much as I could, then rewriting and rewriting. If you keep at it, you can’t help but get better.

11- What is the most memorable trait or visual oddity of one of your characters?

My favorite character in Sorcery for Beginners is Perry Spring, a diminutive but very moral and intelligent eighth grader. However, she has the bad habit of frequently saying “Think about it” when talking to others. She doesn’t understand that it can be annoying, but I kind of love that about her —she’s too excited about learning new stuff to realize other people might be ticked off.

12- #DiversityBingo2017 Which squares does your book cover on the card?

Of the three main characters in Sorcery for Beginners, Perry is an African-American MC, and Trish is a Korean-American MC (who also happens to be gay, though it’s never mentioned in this book).

13- Which character has your favorite Personality Contradiction?

I love Hermione in the Harry Potter books. She’s incredibly smart and good-hearted, but she can also be egotistical and superficial. Like when she uses magic to fix her teeth, then gets all embarrassed about it. She knew it was a cheat, but couldn’t help herself.

You're the first debut author, other than myself, to answer with characters someone else wrote. High five! ;)

14- Can you think of any small change in the world you could make to potentially benefit hundreds of other authors or readers?

Four words: AI beta readers. I struggle sometimes with finding enough friends to read (and re-read) the books I write, so I propose inventing artificially intelligent readers than can digest your novel in moments and provide literate, cross-referenced feedback, in varying degrees of toughness. (The settings could go from “Mom” to “Feared Professor.”) And you wouldn’t have to worry about putting your friends out. Get on it, Silicon Valley!

15- As a reader, what most motivates you to buy a new book to read?

There are authors whose books I buy as soon they come out, but my biggest purchasing motivator is story. Does the idea intrigue or excite me? I’ll spend twenty bucks on anything if I think the idea is cool.

16- How will you measure your publishing performance?

Honestly, I’m not sure yet, since this is my first published book.

17- What was the deciding factor in your publication route?

I had an offer from a traditional literary agent for this book, but she was “a little nervous” about the unusual formatting. I went with Inkshares because the CEO Adam Gomolin was incredibly excited about the project from the first moment we spoke. He was also one of the only people to immediately embrace the “help guide” format, which was time-consuming and finicky to execute. But he never wavered, and I think the finished book looks amazing. Thanks Adam!

18- What is one question or discussion topic which you would like the readers of this interview to answer or remark on in the comments?

I’d love to hear what motivates other people to spend money on books these days.

19- Anything else you would care to share about your book and yourself?

ABOUT SORCERY FOR BEGINNERS:

A Booklist Notable YA Novel for Fall 2017

What if you found an easy-to-read help guide … for magic?

Thirteen-year-old Owen Macready doesn’t think he’s particularly special. But when he finds a how-to guide for sorcery, he unwittingly becomes the target of a ruthless millionaire and secret society of anti-magic mercenaries, all of whom wish to steal the book for themselves.

A fresh take on the modern fantasy genre, Sorcery for Beginners features illustrations, timing charts, and actual spells to draw the reader into the world of magic. This is the first book in a proposed series that presents ancient topics such as spell casting, alchemy, and cryptozoology to the modern young person in a fun and exciting way.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Matt Harry has been writing since he was a middle grader. He learned to make movies at the University of Southern California, which was the closest he could get to attending Hogwarts in the real world. He has worked as an editor, screenwriter, director, producer, and college professor. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two sons, all of whom (thankfully) like to read. SORCERY FOR BEGINNERS is his first novel.

Instagram: mattharrymh
Twitter: @mattharrymh

Facebook: @mattharrywriter
Website: www.mattharrywork.com





Sorcery for Beginners: A Simple Help Guide to a Challenging & Arcane Art