Book Review: Alice in No-Man's-Land by James Knapp

Pros: lots of action, variety of action, interesting world-building some tense & gritty scenes

Cons: black book information sometimes comes at convenient times, soldiers at the end of the book make some questionable decisions

Yuric Walshe is on an airship to visit the footprint his branch of Cerulean Holdings has in Ypsilanti Bloc as prelude to an urban renewal project.  Decades ago a food borne plague wiped out large areas of the US.  Most of the country recovered, but some areas slow to recover were walled off instead, and allowed to fester in a post-apocalyptic state.  Mr. Walshe is looking at an illegal black book with data from one of his competitors and talking to his kids when the ship is attacked.  Alice, his 20 year old daughter and protege, and Cody, his 11 year old son, make it to drop ships before its too late.  When Alice comes to, she’s alone in an extremely hostile environment.  Through the black book she learns that the rival branch is not only responsible for the crash, they’re using the event as an excuse to speed up the renewal, a process she’s discovering is more violent and destructive than she believed.

The book focuses on Alice’s journey through Ypsilanti Bloc with the two people who find her drop ship as she tries to leave, contact the outside world and/or find her brother.  You really get a feel for her as a character, both her resilience and her surprising naivete.  Despite the evidence in front of her and the constant testimony of those around her, Alice holds on to her beliefs about Ypsilanti Bloc and what the urban renewal project will do for the people in it.  Only towards the end of the book does she accept that things aren’t what she’s always believed.

Basilio and Maya, the people who help Alice out, are very interesting characters.  I didn’t like Maya at first, as she fit the jealous angry woman stereotype, but the more you get to know her the more fleshed out her character becomes and the more understandable her actions - and reactions - are.  I’m surprised at the lengths they end up going to to help Alice, but their relationship does develop as time goes by, making their actions realistic.

I was impressed at the variety of dangers Alice faced as she moved through the Bloc.  It’s an interesting post-apocalyptic setting within a modernized world.  The Bloc itself has all the traditional dangers: cannibals, gangs, etc. and some of the scenes get pretty tense.  There’s a good balance between action and down town, keeping the novel fast paced and entertaining.  

The world-building was well done, with a good set-up and chapter openings containing quotes from the outside world.  This allows you to understand how the people from Alice’s community feel about the Bloc, even as you see the Bloc itself first hand. 

The black book was occasionally the source of much needed intelligence at the right time, which felt a bit contrived.

The ending was satisfying, though I felt that the soldiers were a little more inept than they should have been.  More on this in the spoiler section.

If you like post-apocalyptic fiction and a fast read, it’s a great book.

*** Spoilers ***

I couldn’t understand why the soldiers rescuing Alice would take off their camouflage while still in the middle of a dangerous situation.  Even less so removing the camouflage from their ship, allowing the Sons of Freedom soldiers to shoot at it.  And why didn’t they have bullet proof armour on?  Sure, the guys shot in the face were goners, but the guy shot in the back should have been protected.  

As for the Sons of Freedom, I can understand why there wasn’t a guard in the hall outside Alice’s room (the building was in the middle of their own compound) but why weren’t Alice and Cody’s rooms locked?  Even if the soldiers didn’t think they could escape the compound, they probably wanted them to stay put and not roam around the compound itself.  And how did they miss Basilio breaking in when they were already on a higher alert from Alice’s break-in?

Recommended Reading by Professionals With... James Knapp

In this series, I ask various publishing professionals (including authors, bloggers, editors, agents etc.) to recommend 2-3 authors or books they feel haven't received the recognition they deserve.

Today's recommendations are by James Knapp. James Knapp's first novel, State of Decay was a Philip K. Dick award nominee, and won the 2010 Compton Crook Award. He's since completed the Revivors trilogy and written the first novel of a new series, Burn Zone, under the pseudonym James K. Decker.

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1. First up is T.C. McCarthy, author of the Subterrene War trilogy which includes Germline, Exogene, and Chimera (Germline won the 2012 Compton Crook Award).  He weaves stories of very broken people in very dangerous environments, and he does it all with a poetic flair that really stuck with me.  It’s much more than just futuristic war.   A struggle over rare earth elements has come to a head under the mountains of Kazakhstan, where soldiers sealed in suits of armor fight in tunnels under tons of rock.  In Germline, an embedded reporter quickly is forced to turn soldier, and the way it changes him so completely makes for compelling reading.  McCarthy explores the human psyche, what we're willing to do in order to survive, and the effects that the horrors of war can inflict on us.  He introduces genetically engineered soldiers, but explores the ethics of that (or lack thereof), and the mindset such soldiers might have, or be forced to have.  He wraps it all in a great series of novels, and he does it all believably and memorably.  His short story "Somewhere it Snows" proves that he's equally good at exploring other worlds, too, and I sincerely hope that he does.  Writers like him are the type that we want to stick around, and so I'm recommending him to anyone who likes hard science fiction - even if military fiction isn't usually your thing, give him a try.
2. Next is Alex Hughes, author of the Mindspace series, which so far includes Clean, and Sharp.  I'm a big fan of science fiction and also noir, and her work has strong elements of both.  I likened Clean to a fun blend of Blade Runner and Chinatown, but that doesn't truly do it justice.  Her vision of a future Atlanta feels real, a hot, steamy place where a talented but damaged telepath named Adam uses his abilities to help track down criminals.  The handling of 'mindspace', the sort of psychic residue left behind by people, is something I'd like to see a lot more of.  Telepaths are able to perceive it, almost like an additional sense, and can use it to sort of look into the past.  Adam struggles with an addiction that Hughes handles perfectly, a fight that occurs day to day, minute to minute.  I'm really hoping this series turns into a long running thing.
3. Lastly, although I don't read a lot of fantasy, I want to give a shout out to fantasy author Myke Cole whose work I was introduced to at Balticon (his debut novel Control Point won the 2013 Compton Crook Award, and the second novel in the series, Fortress Frontier, is out now) - he writes Military Fantasy so it’s a mixture of bullets and spell slinging.  His real-life military experience brings a lot to the table, and really pushes his work from just guns and explosions into a much broader examination of what it means to be in the armed forces.  You'll learn a lot of military jargon, and my fantasy-loving friends assure me that his magic system is top notch.

I realize that two of the authors on this list have won awards for their work.  Have they been recognized?  Yes.  Have they gotten the recognition they deserve?  Not in my book - not yet.  I'd like to see all three on the best sellers list, so give them all a read.  You won't be sorry.

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Stay tuned for the next post where we learn who literary agent Joshua Bilmes thinks we should be reading more of!

Book Review: The Burn Zone by James Decker

Pros: interesting story, fast pacing, unique aliens, complex plot

Cons: too many big revelations at the end made it hard to comprehend them all

Sam Shao's apartment is attacked and her adopted military father accused of treason and taken away by four military personel.  Aside from the fact that Sam knows her dad's innocent, she's also stunned that one of their attackers is a disguised haan.  As a surrogate for haan young, Sam is able to pick up on the aliens' emotions through her brain-band and can't understand how one of the fragile beings could survive the violence of the attack and its aftermath.  Running from the authorities, Sam tries to figure out what her father discovered that's worth killing for.   

This is a fast paced SF thriller, jumping from place to place as Sam tries to find a twistkey her father acquired and hid.  Along the way she gets help from a hacker friend, a rogue haan and friends from her, and her father's, pasts.

The story takes place in an overcrowded future, where street meat and scrapcake (made from human flesh) are illegal substitutes for feeding humans when over 80% of the food produced goes to feed the alien haan in return for haan technology.  Some of the descriptions in the book are brutal, as humans are pushed to the brink of reason.

The plot is complex and it's interesting watching Sam try to avoid the various groups hunting her.  Information about what's really going on is doled out in bits and pieces, making it hard to put the book down.  I did find the ending a bit rushed in that you learn a LOT, too much to process so quickly.  I'm sure I missed a lot of the nuances of Sam's discoveries because there were so many all at once.

The aliens were really cool.  The more you learn about them the stranger they become.

In the end I really liked the book, though I'm hoping if there's a sequel some of the end of book revelations will get more discussion.

Guest Post: CONJURING ALIENS

Today I welcome James K. Decker, author of The Burn Zone, and pseudonym of James Knapp, to my blog.  I've read his previous books, State of Decay, The Silent Army, and Element Zero and highly recommend all three.

The Burn Zone hits stores February 5th. 

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Making stuff up is fun, but it’s hard.

Although I've written a lot of Science Fiction, The Burn Zone marks the first time since college that I've ever written about an alien species. They are central to the story, in fact one of the first ideas that sparked the series was imagining one of what I came to call the Haan watching a human from the shadows of an alleyway, but their creation was one of the most difficult parts. At the time, I had a sense of how I wanted them to be - intelligent, and helpful, but secretive. I had no idea how involved coming up with my fictitious species, the Haan, would become.

There have been hundreds of alien species concocted by writers over the years - just go to tvtropes.com and follow any alien thread and you'll see (just finish this post first...once tvtropes sucks you in you will never emerge). Coming up with something that hasn't been done is no simple task, as almost anywhere you step will press your shoe squarely into a used trope. How the haan look physically is something that went through a few iterations, but though I'm sure parts of them may have been done before, I like where they landed. I knew that I needed them to be somewhat humanoid in appearance, but that I didn't want them to be 'prosthetic forehead' aliens (not a dig - some of my favorite television sci-fi like Star Trek and Farscape put them to very good use). Their physiology is very different from ours as you will see, but their spindly figures, translucent skin and glass-like bones are arranged in a two legs, two arms, one head configuration, and for a good reason. I put everything on display with the haan, and their hearts, beehive ribcages and other organs are visible, if cloudy. The ambient light from their eyes illuminates the inside of their faces and skulls, to reveal shapes like feeding tubes, their two brains, and other nodules of less-clear purpose. Alien, but not without a certain degree of elegance, and with an innate level of exposure that makes them vulnerable.

Still, while appearances matter (as the haan well know), the key to any alien race (or fantasy race, if you lean that way) isn't as much about how they look as it is about who they are. Unless you're dealing with, say, the xenomorphs from Alien where the point of them is to be dangerous and little else, then the race has to have depth to it. They have to have societal norms, and deviations from those norms. They have to have purpose, at both the group and individual level. I knew going in that I didn't want a single trait race who came from a planet of merchants, or a planet of warriors. I wanted them to be cohesive as a group, because they have to be out of necessity if nothing else, but vary in attitude as individuals. Nix, the haan we get the closest look at in The Burn Zone, ultimately goes against the grain because he doesn't agree with a lot of his kind's attitudes about their situation.

The haan are essentially stranded in the middle of a huge city, their ship surrounded by a force field. After years of turtle-ing, they slowly began to emerge. We meet them fifty years in, when relations are still tense but they've begun to be granted extra space in the form of colony districts which are surrounded by security walls. Because of the situation they're in, the haan are, understandably, cautious, and secretive. No human has ever been inside their ship, or even behind the force field that surrounds it. They reveal themselves slowly, and what is seen in the first installment of the series is just the tip of a very large iceberg.

What drew me to the idea of using aliens at all, though, and what interested me most of all, was the idea of a much more advanced culture, even a small sample of one, stumbling into an already entrenched society of less advanced people. There may not be many haan compared to humans in the city of Hangfei, but Cortez didn't have that many people with him relatively speaking when he found the Aztecs, either. That's not to say the haan are conquerors - they're not - but they have a huge impact on the world around them nonetheless. The world they find themselves in is extremely overcrowded, and space is at a premium. If the haan want to grow, and to survive, then they'll need a share of that space, and getting it won't be easy. How far they're willing to go, both at a group and individual level, to ensure their race can survive is something the book studies.

I can say no more without risking spoilers. I hope you'll see how their situation plays out in The Burn Zone, and I hope you enjoy the world, and the aliens, I've created.

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James K. Decker was born in New Hampshire in 1970, and has lived in the New England area since that time. He developed a love of reading and writing early on, participating in young author competitions as early as grade school, but the later discovery of works by Frank Herbert and Issac Asimov turned that love to an obsession.

He wrote continuously through high school, college and beyond, eventually breaking into the field under the name James Knapp, with the publication of the Revivors trilogy (State of Decay, The Silent Army, and Element Zero). State of Decay was a Philip K. Dick award nominee, and won the 2010 Compton Crook Award. The Burn Zone is his debut novel under the name James K. Decker.

He now lives in MA with his wife Kim.

Book Review: Element Zero by James Knapp

Pros: top notch action, tense, understandable motivations on all sides

Cons: denouement wasn't offset from climax, have to pay VERY close attention

Things quickly come to a head in the third and final revivor's novel.  Fawkes flips the switch that turns unsuspecting humans into revivors using the HUMA virus.  But he's also made some adjustments to the virus' code, which FBI agent Nico Wachalowski slowly realizes are as much of a threat as the other weapons Fawkes turns on the city.

Meanwhile, Motoko Ai's war room is abuzz and Zoe Ott has some visions of what happens after the coming event.  Visions that make her question whether Fawkes is really element zero after all.

Once again the writing is tight and the motivations realistic.  It's often hard to tell which side is worse: Fawkes, willing to destroy the city and perhaps humankind or Ai and her people, who use their powers of mind manipulation indiscriminately.  The book is action packed but never loses sight of the humanity of its protagonists - forcing difficult decisions on them and watching them deal with the consequences.  And each new revelation causes you to switch sides, first hoping something happens, then hoping it doesn't. 

My only complaints were that the denouement at the end wasn't offset from the climax, so it took a moment to reorient myself to the protagonists change of location.  I also found issues of dating problematic (whether this book took place 2 or 3 years after the previous one) - though that's more likely caused by my own lack of attention.  You have to keep your wits about you reading these books.  Let your mind wander and you've just missed something crucial.

Tense plotting, great characters and a satisfying conclusion make this series worth reading.

James Knapp Giveaway on SF Signal

If you weren't one of the three winners of the James Knapp giveaway I did last month you get another chance.  SF Signal is hosting their own giveaway.  This time it's one prize for all three of Mr. Knapp's books (State of Decay, The Silent Army and Element Zero).  Open to the world.  With nifty pictures in the front flap:

What do you need to do for your chance to win?

1. Send an email to contest at sfsignal dot com. (That's us).
   
2. In the subject line, enter: Revivors.
   
3. Please include your snail mail address so we can pass it along to the powers that be should you win.
   
4. Only one entry per person allowed.
   
5. This contest is open to everyone, including non U.S. readers! Thank you Mr. Knapp!
   
6. The contest will end Sat., May 21st 2011 (11:00 PM U.S Eastern time). One winner will be selected at random, notified, and announced shortly thereafter.

James Knapp will also be lurking around the comments section of the giveaway post, so go on over and 'talk' to him.

James Knapp Giveaway Winners!

Thanks to all who signed up for my giveaway.  I included the people who commented on my blog - despite not getting their contact information - because it would have been unfair otherwise.

The winners are:

Desmond W. (Silent Army)
Joe (State of Decay)
Shaun D. (State of Decay)

Congratulations, you'll be receiving emails shortly.

Joe, I hope you're checking out my blog to find out if you've won as I don't have your email address.  Send me an email reconfirming your book choice and including your mailing address to: jstrider@confuseacat.org.  If I don't hear back in 2 days, your prize will be given to one of my runners up.

Next time I do a giveaway I'll know to start by asking for emails rather than comments on the blog post.  :)

Reminder: James Knapp Giveaway Ends Apirl 19th

Remember, I'll be drawing 3 winners for a copy each of one of James Knapps' books (State of Decay, Silent Army or Element Zero) tomorrow (April 19th) at 11 am EDT.  For your chance to win, email me at jstrider@confuseacat.org.  If you've left a comment without emailing, you'll still be entered in the contest, but be sure to check back and see if you've won as I won't be able to contact you.  The contest is open to everyone, everywhere.

Full contest details can be found here.

My First Book Giveaway! James Knapp's Revivors Series

I've been running this blog for several years and have never done a book giveaway.  That changes today.  In order to celebrate the release of his third book, James Knapp, author of the fantastic Revivors series, is giving away three copies of... the book of your choice.  That's right.  If you've never read his stuff, here's your chance to get book one: State of Decay.  If you have started, you can continue with book two, The Silent Army or get the newest, Element Zero.  Each book will be autographed by him and the contest is open to everyone, everywhere.

The cover copy for State of Decay:

Would you allow the military to reanimate your corpse, knowing it would commit atrocities, if it meant avoiding service in a brutal war during your lifetime?

What if your level of citizenship depended on your answer? To gain a chance at a better life, or feed your family, which would you choose then? Or would you choose neither, and accept a life of hardship and poverty?

What if you came face to face with your own death, and realized too late you had made the wrong decision?

Nico Wachalowski is a war veteran. That makes him a first-tier citizen. Formerly a police detective, he has reintegrated into civilian life as an agent in the FBI. During his time in the war, he encountered the reanimated soldiers known as ‘revivors’ many times. When they begin to turn up inside the city, he is tapped for his expertise in a field he’d rather leave behind.

Faye Dasalia is a police detective. She and Nico worked together long ago, but while he decided to serve, she opted to be wired for reanimation. That makes her a second-tier citizen. In the course of investigating a string of murders, she stumbles on a situation that brings her face to face with the revivors she will one day become herself.

Calliope Flax refused to serve. She also refused to be wired for reanimation. That makes her a third-tier citizen. As a result, she ekes a living in a housing project which has been mostly abandoned. Highly taxed, and with few rights, she seems to be on a path of self-destruction until circumstance drops her in the middle of the biggest terrorist plot the country has ever known.

Zoe Ott is a third-tier citizen as well, but unlike Calliope, she was born with a gift. Zoe can manipulate the thoughts of others. This ability allows her to live above the poverty line, but just barely. The gift also comes at a price; she is constantly assaulted with visions from both the past and future, with no way of knowing which is which. In the depths of late-stage alcoholism, she has long since stopped trying to make sense of it all when a particularly persistent vision prompts her to contact Nico just as events begin to unfold.

The four are drawn together by circumstances which at first seem unrelated. By the time they realize their fates are connected to a fifth, unseen enemy, that enemy has nearly gathered the power to strike a blow that has the potential to change everything, forever.

All you need to do for your chance to win is *** leave a comment on this post saying which of Mr. Knapp's book you'd be interested in (by title or number).

*** Email me at: jstrider@confuseacat.org with the name or number of the book you're interested in. 

It has occurred to me that differentiating between commentors of the same name and identifying the winners may not be as easy as I supposed via comments, hence my shift to email.  (If you have already left a comment, please email me as well so I can be sure to have your contact information.)

The author will be haunting the comments section, so if you have any questions about the books or the writing life leave him a message.

Tuesday April 19th, around 11 AM (Eastern Daylight Time), I'll draw three names from the emails, at which point I'll ask the winners to email me their addresses so Mr. Knapp can send them their autographed books.

Book Review: The Silent Army by James Knapp

Pros: complex plot, characters face difficult ethical decisions

Cons:

I've seen the question of what to do when faced with two equally unpleasant choices dealt with in several books lately (Mockingjay & Monsters of Men come immediately to mind).  There are only two choices, pick the lesser of two evils or try to find a third, more acceptable option.

Agent Nico Wachalowski is asked to join forces with the revivors (reanimated dead) against those who can manipulate minds and memories - and kill their leader, Ai.  He's asked by Ai to fight with her people against the revivors, who are in possession of 9 nuclear devices and are planning to use them to destroy the city.

Both sides make convincing arguments as to the dangers posed by their enemies.  And like most decisions of this nature, when Nico finally makes his choice, he's not satisfied with it.

Meanwhile Zoe Ott is seduced by Ai's agent Penny into joining their side, and Calliope Flax, back from a two year tour of duty, does some dangerous detective work in hopes of impressing Nico and perhaps landing a job with the FBI.

The problem with reading a debut as good as State of Decay is the fear that the sequel won't live up to expectations.  The Silent Army does everything right.  This is not a filler book for a trilogy.  The plot is tight and complex and the characters are forced to deal with difficult situations and make tough choices.

If you haven't started this series, you're really missing out on something great.  The third book, Element Zero, is out April 5th.

New Author Spotlight: James Knapp

I've been so busy lately I keep forgetting to post these. I've started a new series at SF Signal called New Author Spotlight. It's designed to introduce authors with 3 books or less in the different SF/F subgenres.

Here's the first one I did, posted a few weeks back. In future I'll try to post them the week after they show up on SF Signal.

Today's spotlight shines on James Knapp.

James Knapp's books include:

• State of Decay by James Knapp (Roc)
• The Silent Army by James Knapp (Roc)

Here's the cover copy for State of Decay:

Just because you're dead doesn't mean you're useless...
A thrilling debut novel of a dystopian future populated by a new breed of zombie.
They call them revivors - technologically reanimated corpses - and away from the public eye they do humanity's dirtiest work. But FBI agent Nico Wachalowski has stumbled upon a conspiracy involving revivors being custom made to kill-and a startling truth about the existence of these undead slaves.

If you like these titles, you might also like:

• KOP by Warren Hammond (Tor Books)
• Those Who Walk in Darkness by John Ridley (Aspect)
• Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick (Del Rey)

State of Decay, Book Review

by James Knapp
ISBN: 9780451463104

Pros: well imagined world with a 3 tier citizenship system, interesting characters, extremely complex plot, lots of plot twists, keeps you on your toes and guessing about what will happen next

Pro/Con (depending on your point of view): everything that happens is important, so pay close attention when you read

Cons: redundant repetition

If you don't like the think when you read, you won't like State of Decay. So much happens all at once, and all of it is important. It took me about a hundred pages or so to really get into the story. There are 4 character POVs, and each one requires figuring out their place in society, their current actions and trying to understand how they'll fit into the main story. Around the hundred page mark the stories start to converge, and you're well into an awesome science fiction ride.

The main story focuses on Nico Wachalowski. When we meet him, the FBI agent is busting a revivor smuggling ring. Revivors are people reanimated after their deaths to serve in the military in return for second class citizenship while alive. Wachalowski quickly realizes that smuggling is only the most visible aspect of a deeper conspiracy.

Faye Dasalia is a detective investigating the murders of first class citizens who somehow managed to reach that status without serving in the military, the condition for that level of citizenship.

Zoe Ott is a clairvoyant. She has trouble distinguishing reality from her visions. While being an alcoholic doesn't bring the relief she's looking for, she keeps trying. She also has a peculiar way of getting people to do what she asks.

Calliope Flax is a boxer. She's brutal in the ring with a foul mouth and no expectations of a better life. She's third class, meaning she hasn't served in the military during her life and doesn't intend to dead.

Of the storylines, Cal's was the least interesting to me. Her story barely intersects the others, while theirs carry the plot forward. She does, however, mature the most, becoming, not a stronger person - she begins pretty strong - but one who can see a future for herself that didn't exist before the events of the book.

Knapp manages to keep the tension high throughout the story, with occasional down time. He made one 'newbie' writing mistake (which I probably only noticed because I read several books on writing recently and so am looking for this in my own work). He has the tendency to mention things twice. In some cases this is necessary (as when Dasalia talks to herself and then asks something out loud - which becomes an important plot point). Other times he's just belaboring the obvious. It's an 'error' that experience will fix.

He introduces some pretty cool technological advances, most notably the implant wired into Wachalowski's skull that allows him to record video feed of what he sees as well as communicate via thought patterns with his superiors.

The plot has twists you won't see coming, with an ending to match. I can't wait to see what happens next.

James Knapp - Author Interview

Novel: STATE OF DECAY

website: www.james-knapp.com/


1. Pitch your novel.

STATE OF DECAY is what I would call a science fiction thriller with a dash of zombie thrown in. It takes place in a future where biotechnology allows for the reanimation of dead bodies into organic machines called 'revivors'. Revivors are primarily used for military purposes, making full body donation an alternative to actually serving, but what exactly a revivor is and how much of the original donor survives the transition is something which is largely kept quiet. Since their inception they've begun to move into the labor and sex trade, becoming more pervasive in civilian life. It's while breaking up one of these rings that it's discovered there may be more to revivors than anyone knew, and the secrets they hold will bring a dark conspiracy to light.

2. What are your favourite three books?

- HELLSTROM'S HIVE by Frank Herbert
- MIND OF MY MIND by Octavia Butler
- GATEWAY by Frederik Pohl

3. What made you want to be a writer?

It may sound cliché but I've just always loved to write. When I was a small boy our class used to write stories and our teacher had us bind them in cardboard covered with wallpaper; it was my favorite part of school hands down. It was all I wanted to do.

4. Who is you favourite character and why?

I have a weakness for the character Calliope Flax in STATE OF DECAY. I like the rawness of her, and I like how she grows throughout the series. She is also fun to write.

5. If you could, would you change places with any of your characters?

Given the trials they face I'm not so sure I would want to change places with any of them but I wouldn't mind knowing some of them.

6. When and where do you write?

I write at home on a laptop, and I always write my first draft in notepad (not sure why, just do). I tend to write late at night, and early in the morning...between say 11pm and 3am. I have a full time job, though, so that is partly out of necessity…even if I didn't though I'd still keep late hours. If I had my way, I'd keep a mostly nocturnal schedule.

7. What’s the best/worst thing about writing?

The best thing for me, hands down, is when a reader really gets me. I write knowing that not everything I flavor the story with is going to find its mark, and some might not even get noticed, but when all those little details really resonate with a reader, to me that's the best thing.

The worst thing for me is rereading that first draft. It's just painful.

8. What is something you didn’t know about the publishing industry before you had your first book published?

How slowly it moves. The time between my agent selling my first novel, to that novel actually seeing print was a little over a year. There are many rounds of editing to do, cover art to consider, etc. Everything about writing and publishing takes a lot of time. I don't think you could survive in this business without patience.

9. Do you have any advice for hopeful authors?

Three things:

- Be patient: Everything about writing takes patience. You will write many drafts, you will get a lot of rejection, and even once you get published you will still have a lot of work ahead of you. Develop a ‘long haul’ attitude.

- Make peace with your ego: If you're doing it right, people will criticize you. Sometimes they’re just being snarky but sometimes those people are right. When people cut apart something so close to you it stings, but learn to see your faults as a writer and adjust. Try and find a brutally honest source you trust, and listen to what they tell you even if it’s hard to hear.

- Do it for the love: If you don't love it, and I mean really love it, then you may as well save yourself the pain and do something you *do* love. Writing is a lot of work, it takes a lot of time, and there's no promise of fame, riches, or even recognition at the other end. I can't imagine spending this amount of time (well, voluntarily) doing something I didn't love.

10. How do you discipline yourself to write?

When I'm writing a first draft I set a word count to hit, usually around 2,000 words. When I'm editing I set a page count, usually twenty to forty pages, depending on the draft. I think play is good for the soul and everyone should work in a little every day if they can, but I try not to start until my writing is done.

How I Interview Reprise

I did a post a few weeks ago explaining why I interview the way I do, namely with form questions. After thinking about it I can see how authors would find 'questions any author can answer' annoying if enough people ask them. I will still ask them. Why? Because that's the kind of interview that works in store. An interview that's too specific turns off readers who don't understand what you're talking about. I personally don't like interviews that require me to have read everything the author's written in order to understand it or, conversely, which gives spoilers to the point that reading their book is no longer of interest. My interviews are designed to get customers in store to pick up the physical book and buy it. I want the interviews to tease and I want them to be accessible to every single person who walks down that aisle.

On the other hand, since I'm posting the interviews to the internet I can see the advantage of having some questions on my list that pertain to the interviewee specifically. So I'll be changing my questionnaire. I'll be adding a few new questions that focus on the interviewee. I'm not sure how successful I'll be. This type of interview is harder to do well, so don't expect too many changes at once while I get used to it and phase in a few more specific questions at a time. And the questionnaires that have come back to be posted in the next month or so will still be form style.

Also, for anyone who thinks that the questions don't go deep enough, that leave things open ended to the point that you - as a reader here - would like to know more, I'm sure all the authors I've interviewed would be overjoyed if you messaged/emailed them saying you'd read their interview here and would they please elaborate on...

Later this week I'll be posting my interview with James Knapp (debut author of State of Decay - and if you like the zombie idea, he's got a unique take on it). I also have the interview back from N. K. Jemisin (Hundred Thousand Kingdoms) and am working on a few others.