Center One Books Author Interviews

A reminder about our author interviews coming this Saturday, June 29th from 1-9:30 Eastern Standard Time. Hashtag is  #c1books We will be interviewing S.P Cervantes (Secrets of Shadow Hill: Always and Forever) Ashley Chappell (Alice Will) Ronda Paige (Patience's Love) Benjamin Epstein (Captive of the Orcs) Rebekah McClew (Family Secrets series and Mortal) and Eric Buffington's book soon to be released (The Exile)

We look forward to everyone joining us! If you are looking for a application to use to follow the chat we like using twubs.com http://twubs.com/c1books

Vampires vs. Stephanie Meyers.

I was watching twilight tonight and starting thinking about this. I’ve watched movies like Nosferatu, the lost boys, Buffy the vampire slayer, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Blade, Underworld, interview with a vampire and Salem’s Lot. I’ve liked each of these for different reasons. The television series Buffy because it was different, he had more of a natural human side. The vampire world wasn’t as organized as it is in Underworld and Blade.

I agree that bloody terrifying vampires have their place except it’s nice to read something different otherwise it becomes too common, besides I will admit I like change. Stephanie Meyers made her own version of the vampires and their sparkly-ness accomplishes that. They are still human while having the powers most vampires acquire. Usually I prefer the book over the movie except this time it’s a toss-up. There were parts that the movie did better however parts I liked in the book itself.

Yes she does get overly descriptive, especially over areas she’s already described or points she’s made. One example that sticks in most people’s minds is how the vampire’s bodies sparkle and how cold they were. But then look at her target audience, its young adult which likes description, they like certain things, especially when it’s important to be pointed out again. How often have you talked to a friend and found them telling you the same thing again? It’s just something that happens. Yes she could have cut her book down a lot and not lost the sense of the story. Again, it was meant for a younger audience and simply accepted by a wider audience. Personally I didn’t find it that amazing however no one was forced at gun point to see the movie or buy her book. She sold enough of each to earn its title.

If you were disappointed there wasn’t gore or the old fashioned style vampirism then you were expecting something from this series that never was there to begin with. This series was never about gore or the complexities of being a vampire. It was a teenage romance with a vampire who is permanently in a teenage body and obviously hasn’t grown past that.

It was worth the try and I did enjoy the twilight series books. Obviously there were many parts that I would have personally changed or explored certain areas that the author had not. She did do a great job at creating characters and their behavior, keeping them consistent for their age group. I would read her books again however I would also still read Anne Rice or several other authors for their versions of vampires. I personally have my own style, not completely original but they are characters who speak to me and that’s more important than anything else. If others like it then it’s a bonus. Stephanie Meyers accomplished that.

Ghostwriting, Author and Co-Author

I’ve been asked about this several times about ghostwriters. Why would a person want to work hard on a project only to give all of the rights and creativity to another person? I have several friends who ghost write for a living.

A ghost writer can make a pretty good income and they handle work from either very small articles ranging 50 to 3 thousand words. Projects ranging from magazine articles, scripts, blogs, speeches and Novels. When you hire someone to ghostwrite for you, yes you are paying for the copyright to the written word, the entire product that they produced for you. You can do anything you want with it, even make changes to it and copyright it through copyright.gov 

I’ve seen ghostwriters charge anywhere from $5/hour or a flat fee from $40-$20,000. It all depends on what is involved with the work being commissioned. Being a ghost writer can be rather lucrative depending on how many contracts you’re able to commission. Many well-known authors will have someone unknown write a novel or other piece for them. 

Some authors do not like the idea of taking the credit for another’s work so they will have either a credit/ mention of the writer’s name. Some will go as far to put the other person’s name as a co-author. 

Currently I’m working on my first co-authored novel which has been very interesting and fun. I love the chance to collaborate with another creative writer.

Vampires, werewolves and other creatures in books

There is always certain genre’s that become popular at different times. It was vampires with interview with a vampire and buffy, witches and wizards when Harry Potter was out and vampires again when Twilight was around. Personally I’ve never avoided watching shows or movies in case it influenced my writing. I figure life itself influences me. I already have my own ideas and characters I’ve attached to. When I see others characters I tend to get obsessed over I think about why, what was it about their character that made me obsess about it and if I actually can improve my own characters. I’ve yet to actually change my characters because of it. One of the things I had done that would change the way I wrote about my characters.  When they used magic or ‘wicca’ I wanted to make sure I wasn’t making claims about it when it didn’t exist. I was fascinated by it so I studied several different varieties of it that I could. I always write about what I’m fascinated with and it happens to be vampires and other specially gifted creatures or people.

I do admit I wrote one chapter with one of my favorite characters and one from my favorite book, when I was finished with it I deleted it. The character I picked was from the DR. Who series. I’ve always loved watching this show except one thing that needs to be fixed, their player on the BBC so that the player will be playable here in the USA and not just in England.

I’ve always been fascinated with anything unusual or supernatural. Although the human body can be pretty amazing and human determination unlimited, the physical aspect is limited. I liked to see what special creatures or your average person would be like if they had special gifts. 

Most have played the game lost island. If you were stuck on an island and could not get off, what 3 items would you have with you? Most of my friends would say Swiss army knife, bed, fireplace, tent or even a pet or friend. I usually went along with their answers. The first time I had said what I really wanted I was told it was unrealistic and was told to choose again, realistically the chances of my being stuck on an island that I couldn’t get off of was less probable then having an entire house on the island. Later my choices became even larger like having the largest library in the world, after all if you’re going to be stuck there a while, why not have something to read? You really do find out how creative your friends are when they give you their answers to this game. It’s one of the reasons I knew I wanted to be a writer.

Morality has also changed through culture. It’s hard to know how the reader will accept or dislike characters they attach to having sex without marriage. Some this doesn’t matter and others find it more romantic if they are capable of waiting being old fashioned. It’s why I debated about my first novel and how exactly I wanted the characters to act with each other. My first novel I had written the second half first and when I made up my mind I wrote the first part. The first half affects the rest of the series. I wanted their choices to impact the relationship due to the period of time they were living in and later how they related to each other. I wanted more than just the fact he’s hidden his secret of being a vampire and his family, how they changed. I wanted a real family that had this massive change forced on them and how they manage to live their lives. 

I always have a hard time talking about my books without giving to much away, it’s why I love writing and not writing the description on the back book jacket. I find myself writing more of a story rather than explain. I love it when people let me know what they thought about my books. What they did not like also helps. It helps from someone else’s perspective why they might not like something written in a certain way, it doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll change it but it does affect the way I might approach a subject, possibly giving more information into the character and why they would or wouldn’t choose something.

Fun meals based on your favorite book

Have you ever tried to recreate a meal or drink served by your favorite book? I've done this a couple of times, especially if I'm about to sit down and watch the movie. Personally I do this because it makes the movie a little more memorable, some when watching sports they keep count who they are hoping will win by writing down stats. Some watch shows to do various drinking games. My personal thing to do is make either a meal, snack, drink or aroma for the room. When I had watched practical magic I had Nag Champa Incense burning and had cactus shaped pancakes and syrup. It's usually something simple and fun to do. If you have kids they really get into it. My kids find it fun to do. Down below I included just a couple recipes for fun.

Movie: Harry Potter/ Drink: Butterbeer
Ingredients:
1C light or dark brown sugar
6 tbs water
6 tbs butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cider vinegar
3/4 c heavy cream, divided
1/2 tsp rum extract
4-12oz bottles cream soda

Directions:

In a small saucepan over medium, combine the brown sugar and water. Bring to a gentle boil and cook, stirring often, until the mixture reads 240 F on a candy thermometer.

Stir in the butter, salt, vinegar and 1/4 of the heavy cream. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Once the mixture has cooled, stir in the rum extract.

In a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar mixture and the remaining 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Use an electric mixer to beat until just thickened, but not completely whipped, about 2 to 3 minutes.

To serve, divide the brown sugar mixture between 4 tall glasses (about 1/4 cup for each glass). Add 1/4 cup of cream soda to each glass, then stir to combine. Fill each glass nearly to the top with additional cream soda, then spoon the whipped topping over each.

Movie: Fried Green Tomatoes/ Food: Fried Green Tomatoes
Ingredients:
1 C cornmeal
5 medium green tomatoes, in 1/4-3/8″ slices
1/2 vegetable oil or bacon fat
Salt and freshly ground pepper
6 sprigs cilantro or Chinese parsley (optional)
Directions:
Sprinkle cornmeal on a piece of wax paper or a large flat plate.
Dip each tomato slice into cornmeal and pat gently until cornmeal covers the surface;
turn slice over and coat the other side.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add tomato slices and fry in one layer, without crowding, for 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve hot, garnished with sprigs of cilantro

Movie: Stand by me/ Food: Any pie
I usually buy an already made pie and either drizzle caramel sauce over the top with a little bit of whip cream. My favorite pie is apple pie.
Apple Pie

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

 1/4 cup white sugar

 1/2 cup brown sugar

 1 pinch salt

 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 1/4 cup water

 1 (15 ounce) package double crust ready-to-use pie crust

Directions

    Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

    Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Stir in white sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and water. Bring the syrup to a boil, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar, then remove from heat.

    Unroll pie crusts, press one into a 9-inch pie dish, and place the apples into the crust. Unroll the second crust on a work surface, and cut into about 8 1-inch wide strips. Cris-cross the strips over the apples, or weave into a lattice crust. Crimp the bottom crust over the lattice strips with your fingers. Spoon caramel sauce over pie, covering lattice portion of top crust; let remaining sauce drizzle through the crust.

    Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and bake until the crust is golden brown, the caramel on the top crust is set, and the apple filling is bubbling, 35 to 40 more minutes. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

Movie: Oliver/ Food: Oatmeal Pudding

Chilling Time: 8 hr

What you’ll need:

    1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (NOT quick cooking)      

    1/2 cup milk

    1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt          

    2 tablespoons light brown sugar    

    Pinch cinnamon      

    Pinch salt    

    1/2 cup assorted fresh fruit

Directions:

    In a medium bowl, mix together all ingredients except the fruit. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

    When ready to serve, stir the oatmeal, and then top with fruit.