The Waid Books Blog November 15, 2013

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NOVEMBER 15, 2013
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This month we have 2 exciting author features!  Author of "Saint Monolith" Tom Reinhart and the author of "Honour" M. B. Feeney!  Enjoy a glimpse inside of the mind of both of these exciting authors!

Author Feature: Tom Reinhart

Tom is that dude!  Yes I'm biased!  I've read "Saint Monolith" and I LOVED EVERY PAGE!  Please enjoy this interview with the man himself.

1)  Tell us a bit about your writing history.  How long have you been writing and do you remember what your first piece was about?

Saint Monolith was actually my first full blown endeavor to write a complete book and publish it. Before that, there had been years of miscellaneous smaller things; some poems, some interesting letters and a lot of internet and blog type postings. I also wrote monthly newsletters for a friend of mine with a game development studio. Everything I ever wrote got me the advice from people saying "you should be a writer", so one day I figured maybe I should give it a shot. I've always had an interest in expressing myself that way since I was a little kid. My earliest piece was in the third grade when I was eight, when I wrote my version of a play for the class of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I still remember playing the part of Mr. Hyde. It seems pretty funny now.

2) How much of your personal experiences are reflected in your work?  Saint Monolith has some intense "internal dialogue", how much of your character "Mason" is you?

Wow. This actually becomes a deeply personal question. I have to confess, every one of the psych sessions with Sue, is actually my story. My mom died when I was young, and they did bury her across the street from my elementary school. The bullying, the jealousy issues, religion; that is all me. There's a lot of real life in this book, and maybe that helped it to turn out the way it did, and I'm sure that's what makes this first book so special to me. It's not easy to put yourself out on paper to the world, but it did make a good story. As for the rest of Mason, that's a lot of me too; I don't take much crap from anyone these days, and we'd all like to seek out justice where we feel it's denied or deserved. But, for legal purposes, I cannot speak to ever actually acting out on it. *wink*.

  

 3)  Where do you see yourself in the next year with your writing career?  What about 5 years?

Well, to be completely honest, I'd like to see myself being successful enough to quit my day job and just focus on writing. Saint Monolith is intended to be a trilogy, the next book in the series will be out in a few months. I'm also about to release my second book, a Robert E Howard inspired sword and sorcery fantasy, which will also be an ongoing series. So I will be very busy with those for the next year or two. Hopefully readers will enjoy them as much as I enjoy writing them. In five years from now, if I find myself still needing my current job to pay the bills, that's okay too; because while the thought of making a living just writing is very appealing, my primary love is the writing itself, not the sale of books. Entering the writing world has also made it possible to meet and make great new friends, like yourself; and that alone is priceless.

4) "Saint Monolith" reads like a movie script to me.  Who could you see playing Mason Stone and why?

Well, obviously Mason is a rough and tumble action hero type guy, so you immediately think of a Stallone or a Dwayne Johnson. Somebody who can kick a little ass, but still has a heart and deeper emotional side as well. Despite all the vigilante justice, Mason in a way is a victim of a difficult world, and that would have to not be lost by making just an action movie. In the book I tried hard to balance the personal struggles with the physical ones.

5)  Who are your major literary influences and why?

I would not be being honest if I said I've read a great many authors. I tend to find something I like and stick with it. Most of my influence came when I was younger. I was a huge fan of Robert E, Howard's Conan stories, and also Tolkien and his Lord of the Rings.  A lot of influence into what I do now may not even have been novels per say, but I was a big comic book fan, and movies. I know a lot of authors today say they read a ton of other writers' work and are influenced by it, but I have a slightly different outlook on that. I don't want to write like other people, I want to simply write like me. I think there is too much tendency these days to try to copy ideas or writing styles, when it seems to me that the greatest authors ever simply had their own unique styles and were true to themselves. So I simply write what I see and feel in my heart and mind. It is my own unique vision, and some will like it, and some will not. But I will be happy knowing I did my own thing and was true to myself. I don't want to write something specifically designed for commercial success, I want to write what's really inside me. 

6) Will there be a sequel to Saint Monolith?

Yep. The Mason inside me is screaming to get out and will not take no for an answer. At the moment I actually have the story laid out to be a trilogy, with two serious twists coming in the next books. I do plan for an epic ending to Mason's story in the third book. I know I'll be tempted to continue further with it if readers asked for it, but I guess we'll have to wait and see. 

7) What is the title and projected release date for your next work?  

I'm actually struggling with a final title for my second book, which I want to have out by this Thanksgiving. I had a working title for months now, but feel it was too common and similar to a lot of other titles in the genre. I have something in mind that is actually very unique and personal to me, which is the name "Hegemonian". People will wonder what that means, but they will understand quickly as they begin to read the story. It's easy to make a title with common words  and common meaning, and the book shelves are flooded with them. I think Saint Monolith was both a unique, and personal, title; and I think I will continue the idea of creating original and unique titles for all my books.

Waid Books would like to thank Tom for his candor in this interview.  There is something magical about hearing an author tell their story.

Here is a tad bit more from Tom and how you can follow him online:


"It's my hope that readers will enjoy reading my books as much as I have enjoyed writing them. We intend to release both as graphic novels with some fantastic artwork as well. Please visit my official website at www.TomReinhart.com or come hang out with me on Facebook!" ~ Tom Reinhart
The video promo for the book can be seen here... www.SaintMonolith.com

 I can be found at
www.TomReinhart.com
www.Facebook.com/TomReinhart.VerifiedAccount
www.Twitter.com/VisceralTales

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Blog Tour Feature Article:  M.B. Feeney

Waid Books:   
We are a small publishing company from Harrisburg, PA and would like you to discuss some of your triumphs and trials in being an author.

M.B. Feeney's Answer:

Firstly, please let me thank you for hosting me as part of the tour. Honour is quite a personal book and I am nervous and excited for people to read it.

Signing with a small independent publishing house has opened my eyes as to the reality of publishing. Unlike the big 6, they didn’t have teams of people to work on editing, graphics, sales and promo. The owners did it all themselves with a handful of outside people on contract to help with editing and, in some cases, graphics.

It worked quite well as the majority of the signed authors helped out with promoting, not only their own works, but also those of the other house authors through various channels and social media.

Unfortunately, there are many authors around who don’t help others out, yet expect to be helped. No one is ever warned of this when they finally get their foot on the publishing ladder.

For example, as I was quite ignorant of independents and self-publishing, I assumed I would write my book, submit, and get accepted. I knew editing would be tough going and that I would need to put the hours in, but after that I could sit back and watch the sales rack up. HA!

I never knew the amount of self promotion that authors have to do outside of the big 6. Be it maintaining a Facebook page, a Twitter account, and/or a blog/website. Then there’s enticing people to not only buy your books, but also getting them to review it so other people then go on to buy it. It honestly never ends, but done correctly it can be fun and works well for the author.

The triumphs come from these trials. It can be something small such as message from someone telling you how much they enjoyed the book and they can’t wait to read more to a wonderful and glowing 5 star review on Amazon or goodreads that can been seen by anyone.

It honestly doesn’t take a lot to give an author the warm and fuzzies, just as it doesn’t take much to burst their bubble. Readers can be wonderfully loving and generous with their comments, but on the flip-side, they can also be callous and downright mean. In these situations, all an author can do is rise above it, thank the reader for taking their time to read the book and move on. Nothing hurts an author’s reputation more is biting back at ‘haters’. Understanding that not everyone will like your books is hard lesson to learn, but once learned, it becomes so much easier to deal with the knock-backs.

A little about M.B.:

M.B. is an army brat who finally settled down in Birmingham, UK with her other half, two kids and a dog.  She is currently at university studying for her BA (Hons) in primary teaching.  she procrastinates on her assignments by listening to music of all genres.

Writing has been her one true love ever since she could spell, and publishing is the final culmination of her hard work and ambition.

Her publishing career began with two novellas and she currently has a novel underway.  "Honour", a compilation of her own military-based shorts, was released on November 1, 2013.


Please follow her blog:   http://mbfeeney.blogspot.co.uk/

Waid Books is just 1 outlet for M.B. Feeney's November blog tour!  Please check out her other various interviews and essays all over the web this month! Thank you MB for the chance to help promote your new work.

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We asked one of our feature authors, Tom Reinhart, what his favorite dish was.  We now present to you one of his faves: (courtesy of Taste of Home http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/cajun-chicken-pasta)

CAJUN CHICKEN PASTA

TOTAL TIME: Prep/Total Time: 25 min.

MAKES: 2 servings

INGREDIENTS 

• 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each), cut into thin strips
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 8 slices each green and sweet red pepper
• 4 large fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 green onion, sliced
• 1 to 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 4 ounces linguine, cooked and drained
• Grated Parmesan cheese, optional

DIRECTIONS

1. Place Cajun seasoning in a large resealable plastic bag; add the chicken. Seal bag and shake to coat.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute chicken in butter until no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes. Add the peppers, mushrooms and onion; cook and stir for 2-3 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Reduce heat. Add cream and seasonings; heat through. Add linguine and toss to coat; heat through. Sprinkle with cheese if desired. Yield: 2 servings.

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Waid Books and Promotions is HONORED to have been a part of the Culture & Main television show that broadcasts every week from York, PA/WWW.WRCT.TV.  The show's creator and host, Carla Christopher, was gracious enough to allow us the opportunity to have an entire show dedicated to our business and clients.

It is our goal to have this be the highest viewed Culture & Main episode because we know that our supporters can make that happen.  Please view, share, comment and SUBSCRIBE to Culture and Main's fab YouTube channel where all of their episodes are maintained and uploaded every month.

Thank you again to Carla and the great Culture & Main Staff!
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Happy Thanksgiving from Waid Books!  

We will see you again on December 15th!