Posted in Creekside Cafe, interview

Kaitlyn Kalor Visits Creekside Cafe

Kaitlyn Kalor is a 9-year Navy Vet, having spent most of the first decade of the century on active duty. She grew up in the Pacific Northwest, giving her a love of the mountains that she enjoys daily viewing as she now lives in Colorado. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Security and a Master of Business Administration that she earned after the Navy. She has the weaknesses of Vampires, having porphyria. Vampiric myths about their sun weakness were based upon this illness. She is also a Transgender author.

https://www.amazon.com/author/kkalor

Welcome Kaitlyn Kalor to Creekside Café. I am so excited to be hosting my first author from Tea with Coffee Media https://twitter.com/TeaWCoffeeMedia. Thank you for stopping by my virtual café.

Kaitlyn: Thank you for letting me come by.

Sherri: You spent nine years in the Navy? I have a son who has been in for almost two years. He has just finished his rescue swimmer certification. What was your job in the Navy? Do you use it now that you are a civilian again? Does your time in the Navy influence any of your writing?

Kaitlyn: I was a computer repair for the first 6 years of my time in the Navy. My last 3 was spent as one of their white hat hackers. As a repair person, I managed to half fill a passport in 2 years traveling all over the world to include catching a flight to a carrier from Japan and flying out from Hong Kong. When I left the military, I worked for a Software company that developed software for the Government but after I left that job, the only aspect I still use is the technical writing I did for the Government.

I have a point in the book where one of the characters visit a native city whose design was directly influenced by the time I spent 3 months in Naples and the cities I visited while doing a network install there.

Sherri: You grew up in the Pacific Northwest, I have not been that far west. I’ve only been as far as Wyoming and New Mexico. My niece is out in Washington, and I hope to visit her and her wife one day. My sister-in-law has been out there a couple of times. Do you set any of your stories in Pacific Northwest? Where are your stories set?

Kaitlyn: I currently have no plans to use the Pac NW in the series due to the cultures I am involving. While I have several books planned for the Americas, the time frame puts most of the north under 2 km of ice. The books start 400,000 years in the past, but with Earth looking a little different. The image below is what Earth looks like at the start.

Book one starts between Africa and Asia, in a location that eventually becomes the Middle East. I have a plan that is very very loosely based upon a few scientific theories that will bring the planet inline with how we know the planet to look like.

Sherri: You hold a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Security and a Master’s in Business Administration. No offense but they hardly seem like creative pursuits. How did you go from computer security and business to being an author?

Kaitlyn: At the time I picked up my degrees, I was heavily involved with both in my company. I started writing when I was 17, in the days of Dial up internet with a Star Trek Play By e-Mail Roleplay group. I started a book with a friend in 2003, but that was never finished due to life for both of us.

In 2015, my company let me go. My health at the time started to slide so I started to stream on Twitch until my pain was too much to focus. I will say this, writing good research papers did help my technical performance in writing.

Sherri: What does Pride Month mean for you?

Kaitlyn: I have no option for it. It’s taken decades for me to accept who I am and to figure it out that I am transgendered. This apathy is a side effect from growing up in a Super-Christian household who preached separation, so I disassociated a lot of things, from birthdays to all holidays as I just didn’t grow up with them.

Sherri: Do you know where your inspiration came from for your novel Dawn of Humanity or the series Generations of Humanity? Did you first get started with a character or scene?

Kaitlyn: The story idea came to me one day in early 2018 when I fell into that part of YouTube. The video suggested that Atlantis might have been in Western Africa, the Eye of the Sahara, or its other name, Richart Structure. By the time I had finished watching, I had a basic outline in my head, covering at least 25 books. It has undergone several revisions since then, but the primary story arc has remained the same.

Sherri: Are you a plotter or a pantser? How do you write? Is this your first novel? How long have you been writing?

Kaitlyn: This is my first completed novel that was started in 2018, but I’ve been writing since 1997, mostly Fanfiction.  I am a planster right now. Draft 1 was written by the seat of my pants, then I started using the snowflake method to plan out the rest of the series. Draft 1 was a dual timeline novel, with a group from today discovering the past and re-living memories of the Aliens. I ended up scrapping most of my first draft because the second half of the series didn’t work due to power creep, and I couldn’t find an interesting way to keep the current timeline involved with the past. When I went to do draft 2, I ripped out the modern timeline and everything slid into place.

Sherri: How many books will be in this series? What is the overall theme? What do you hope readers will think or feel when they finish your book?

Kaitlyn: The series is currently planned for 22 books plus an apocalyptic trilogy to wrap up everything at the end.

I am hopeful that my books have my readers looking into our history, learning about civilizations that helped create our current world. I have a plan to write worldwide cultures to include African and American Gods. Morimi is the Yoruba Goddess of Fire for example, and she will have a strong role in the series. 

Sherri: Tell me about some of your characters. How would you describe them? What is their theme song?

Kaitlyn: The series uses the concepts of the Yuga’s from Hinduism and Reincarnation. While my ages are shorter than the ones in Hinduism, the concept of the Earth going through Cycles is a key plot point. Right now, I plan on having 6 major ages.

With this in mind, we learn that Enki is a new soul, learning about the world for the first time, while his biological father, Enlil, has been reincarnated several times. Chronos as well. The Anunnaki and Annunaki Titans are Reptilian aliens. Think of the smaller creatures from 1993’s Jurassic Park (Their fake Raptors for example Dilophosaurus) but upright like Humans. They come in all kinds of shapes and sizes.

This is Papsukkal, Gaia’s bodyguard. He is dedicated to protecting her, as he protected her father and grandfather. He very much is like “Another One Bites the Dust” when defending his charges from attack.

Gaia, Khione, and Morimi are Humanaki, they can shift their body sizes from 3 meters plus to human size. They have powers of Earth, Water (Ice), and Fire respectively.

Enki’s Theme song is Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin

F**kin’ Perfect by Pink is Gaia’s theme

Legendary is Chrono’s theme song.

Bad Blood by Taylor Swift is the theme when the two Sky Lords get ready to face off at the end.

Sherri: Kaitlyn, this has been fun. Give us 10 quick, fun facts about you.

Kaitlyn: I am one of the first Navy CTN ratting that was created in 2005. I am a Twitch streamer (when my health allows it), and a Twitch Moderator for a Twitch Partner.

I remember WebTV as my father was one of the few adopters of it. I was the kid who played Oregon Trail in computer labs on the old Apple IIe computers before I was homeschooled. I’ve used NetZero and Juno for dial up internet. My first home computer was a Commodore 64 where I’d end up playing games like F-14 Tomcat. I’d swipe the AOL floppy disc’s from the store entrance whenever I needed floppies.

Being homeschooled, I read a LOT of books. I’d ride my bike 10 miles to the local bookstore and spend the day reading, on most days back when Pagers were all the rage. I’d finish a paperback most days. That’s when I started my writing, via e-mail role play, but I never thought I would be good enough to become an actual author but here we are with my first book coming out 25 years later.

I love Tabletop RPGs, but I tend to be given the role of Game Master. I currently run a game based upon the book with a few from Tea With Coffee Media, for purely selfish reasons. They are helping me flush out the rest of the world.

As I live in Colorado, I grow my own cannabis in hydroponics for my pain management, but I’ve started branching out to grow things like Potatoes and other food in my grow tents.

Sherri: Congratulations on your debut novel. Good luck with your series. I look forward to hearing from you again.

If you all enjoyed this interview, check out Kaitlyn’s book “The Dawn of Humanity” available for pre-order, the links are below, follow her on social media and don’t forget to leave a review. Thanks again for stopping by.

Releases June 21st, 2022!

Book Blurb:

Thousands of years after their planet’s ruin, the Anunnaki and Titans led by Sky Lord An find their way to planet Earth. When this reptilian species lands on Earth, they discover a connection to their powers only described from the days of Olympus.

Sa-Tan Enki led a team of Anunnaki on a mission and set out to create a race of beings that mixed humanity with immortality. However, some of the Titans led by Chronos are unhappy with the creations. What happens when Chronos seeks revenge upon his brother Enlil? To cleanse the new planet of the bastard race, the Titans revolt against the newfound Olympians. Find out what happens in the first book of Generations of Humanity: Dawn of Humanity

My Social Media links are:

http://twitter.com/theciroth

https://www.amazon.com/author/kkalor

https://www.goodreads.com/kkalor

BookBub coming soon

Book Links Available for Pre-order! Releases June 21st!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09W4F2LX2?tag=publishdriv01-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1
https://itunes.apple.com/book/id1616162427
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dawn-of-humanity-k-kalor/1141251614?ean=9781957893006
https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=z0FlEAAAQBAJ
https://www.kobo.com/ww/en/search?query=9781957893006
https://bookmate.com/books/fk6YtDTb
https://www.24symbols.com/book/english/k-kalor/dawn-of-humanity?id=4018970
https://www.gardners.com/Search/KeywordAnonymous/eBook?Keyword=9781957893006&fq=14123

If you are an author looking for a virtual coffee shop to hang out, stop by Creekside Cafe. We’ll treat you so many ways you’re bound to like one of them.

Posted in interview, promo

Tyler Wittkofsky Returns to Creekside Café

Welcome back to Creekside Café, Tyler Wittkofsky. Tyler is a fellow North Carolina writer, but we actually met through our Twitter group, Shameless Self Promo. Tyler it is so good to have you back at my virtual café.

Tyler: I’m happy to be back Sherri, it is always good to connect with fellow writers, especially ones who have a connection to my hometown.

Sherri: I’m so excited that you could take the time out of your busy schedule to come for a visit. You have a lot on your plate. Tell us what you’ve been up to.

Tyler: Up until recently I was working on the Darkened Veil Universe set of blogs, Legends of the Veil and Myths of the Darkness, both which recently came to an end. My friend and fellow author Rebecca Ridge and I are in the process of rebranding our podcast, so that’s been a lot of fun and work. What I’m most excited for, however, is that I have my third book release coming up. Sunflower Kisses Book 1: The Seeds of Love is my first stab at a romance book and is hopefully the first of a five-book series.

Sherri: Your new book is available for pre-order but goes live June 1st, what was the inspiration for this book?

Tyler: I have always been a hopeless romantic. In fact, my now wife and I lived three hours apart when we first met, so I had to be creative with how I showed her my love. There are parts of The Seeds of Love that are loosely based on my life and my relationship with my wife. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of romance books that tackle long distance relationships, but with the way our world is becoming more connected digitally, those types of relationships are becoming more and more frequent. Those stories need to be told.

Sherri: Tell us about the characters. Your blurb is intriguing. Clay seems to have it all and so does Bailey, so what shakes up their world?

Blurb

Fresh out of college, Clay Dabrowski is finally in a good spot in his life. Backed by his support systems, he has his sights on a new job and loving friends and family by his side. The future looks bright. 

Then he meets fiery-red haired Bailey Childe, a college soccer player from a loving family. Dealing with a rocky relationship, she changes Clay’s world, and quickly shakes up all of his plans. Together they forge a path neither believed was possible. But it leaves Clay wondering, is everything as perfect as it seems?

Tyler: Without giving too much away, nothing is as it seems. I tried to throw in curve balls just when the reader thinks things are getting better. They go through a lot together. It is truly a trying relationship towards the end of the book.

Sherri: In your bio you credit your grandmother as one of the influencers of your writing. Are there any other influences you credit for your writing growth and journey?

Tyler: I would say one of my elementary school teachers, Mrs. Sandra Shuford, was one of my biggest inspirations. She took a special interest in me and helped me grow throughout elementary school. We still stay in contact to this day. I would also say my wife is important for my journey. She loves hearing me read my stories to her and gives me feedback from a reader’s perspective. I have to say, I have been lucky with the support my family has shown me.

Sherri: I noticed from your cover that your new novel takes place at the beach and since I’m familiar with your hometown of Leland, I was curious how much of your hometown influenced this novel?

Tyler: This story actually takes place in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, which is about an hour from Leland. I visit Myrtle Beach a lot since we are so close, especially when I was younger, and I have friends who live there. Much of the inspiration is drawn from real places in Myrtle Beach.

Sherri: You are a mental health advocate. I believe that is an important job especially in the past two years. Do you feel your advocacy for mental health has any effect on your writing?

Tyler: Oh absolutely. Mental health is something I am passionate about and something I believe in being vocal about. My characters typically have some sort of mental illness that they are battling through. While some steer away from mental illness, I embrace it. I want to make my characters relatable, and mental illness is something that needs to be talked about more and made less taboo.

Sherri: What are you working on now?

Tyler: I have a few works in progress. I have started on the sequel to The Seeds of Love, Love and Growth. I also have a fantasy story I started based on one of the stories I wrote for Legends of the Veil, based on the descendants of Ariadne from Greek Mythology and their hunt for the Minotaur of Crete. I’m writing a story for my grandmother as well that I plan to publish. I have a ton of short stories that I write when I’m inspired that I will probably publish one day.

Sherri: Well, Tyler, I know you’re busy, so I won’t keep you. I wish you a lot of success with your new book. Tell everyone how they can find your book.

Tyler: I am exclusively on Amazon right now. You can preorder The Seeds of Love here: https://www.amazon.com/Seeds-Love-Sunflower-Kisses-Book-ebook/dp/B093K877TH/

Posted in quarterly goals, Thoughts

My Pep Talk to Myself

The emotional ups and downs of being an author don’t always follow the pattern of our books’ success and failure. Too often, it is the low that comes after a super high, only to plummet back to reality.

As I look back at the month of August and what I’ve accomplished and haven’t accomplished, I find myself fighting melancholy. Why? A two-star review on Goodreads for Janie’s Secrets, not making the finals in Kindle Book Review Awards for Red Steel, feeling like I don’t have the time to do everything I need to do or want to do. I worked very hard to write a novella for the Heart of Carolina’s upcoming anthology only to realize I didn’t have time to finish it. Failure is crushing even when it is self-inflicted failure.

But I should be doing somersaults after all I have accomplished this month. Chrome Pink made it into the Amazon Top 100 Kindle Free Books. It finished #34 on Sunday, August 30th after a Free Booksy Ad. It also reached #3 in Romantic Suspense and #4 in Suspense. Over 2000 books were down loaded on Sunday and that doesn’t even count the books I sold or the ones down loaded on other sites. I should be sailing in the clouds but I allowed a bad review, not even a really bad review but a 2-star rating, crush me. Why? Because I’m human. I can tell you I’m tired, I put my heart into my stories, they’re like my children, I want people to like me/them. The truth is not everyone is going to like my stories. Not everyone is going to like me.

I’m not alone in my emotional roller coaster, many authors, especially indie authors feel the same way I do. Author Sarra Cannon, whom I follow on YouTube with her Heart Breathing Channel and whose courses, Publish and Thrive and her HB90 changed my life, speaks of mental health and well-being in her videos. We often put too much on our plates and expect to be able to perform well, but like the juggler with his chainsaws that last addition can be catastrophic.

In Sarra’s HB90 course she talks of planning quarterly, 90-day increments and even breaking those down into monthly expectations. Sitting down with a planner, thinking of what I have to do, want to do and need to do. How much time things will take and how much time I will actually have to devote to the tasks amid life, work and family. Allowing time to sleep, eat and maybe even cuddle with my husband.

I really have no reason to feel down. I know much of what I’m feeling stems from fear, exhaustion and coming off the high of other successes. For those of you who fear this might be a whining session and wish to tune out, it’s not, this is my pep talk to myself and to anyone else who is happy when they see one sale a day or are thrilled when their free book gets 100 downloads. I keep telling myself I’ve only been published three years. I have six books, seven if you count my trilogy of the first three books I just released, plus I have novellas in several anthologies. I’ve come a long way in a short time. Even though I’ve been writing for over forty years, I’ve only started writing to publish in the past fifteen years with a couple of years off after losing our house and my father. We had a couple of really rough years.

So, what do I have to whine about? Nothing. I should be celebrating. I have had over 300 new subscribers to my newsletter, that is both exciting and terrifying. I thought, how can I keep these people interested? What hoops will I have to jump through to keep them? But then I thought of the ones who have been with me all along the way. My steadfast friends who read everything I write good and bad, who offer opinions and assistance, and I realized, I just need to be real. I just need to be me. Yes, I’ll lose some people but that’s okay. Some will come for the free book, some will stay a while and go, others will be here for the duration. I just need to be the best me I can be for that is all I can be. That’s all any of us can be.

I know putting my books out into the world for other people to read means some won’t like it, but some will. Channeling Sarra Cannon again, I’m going to write from my place of joy. I’m going to write the books that I feel compelled to write and hope they will appeal to readers. It is time to get back to work on Roxy’s Secret.

For those of you who received my newsletter, I sent the first few pages of the novella I was writing for the Heart of Carolina anthology. I didn’t get to finish it and I’m starting to think it might be a full-length novel. I think I might try a stand-alone novel once Roxy is wrapped up. Maybe I can tie it into my other stories. I’ll have to think about it.

My goals for August: Promote Janie’s Secrets, I’m still working on it. Start Roxy’s Betrayal, I’ve started but I’ve not made the progress I’d hoped. Increase Newsletter subscriptions, okay this has tripled thanks to Bookfunnel. Janie is free in a Bookfunnel promo this month, https://books.bookfunnel.com/weloveromancegiveaway/ao2jdazxop.

Janie’s Secret is also in a Cover of the Month contest on All Author, https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/9385/  I’d appreciate your vote.

Janie’s Secrets is also in a Book Tour on Instagram and Facebook, through September 6th. I’d appreciate your support.

I still need to learn more about Publisher’s Rocket but I’m tackling it in small bites.

One other thing I accomplished this month I’ve been wanting to do for a while was to combine the first three books of the Leeward Files into one book. It’s only on sale for a little while longer.

I haven’t even planned what I’m going to try to accomplish in September but we’re going to do some great things: #1 write Roxy’s Betrayal. I’ll figure out the rest but that’s the most important.

I hope my whine, rant, pep talk has helped someone else. The truth is some days this is my dream job and other days it’s a nightmare. Sometimes it’s all on the same day.

Posted in Creekside Cafe, interview

Cafe Chat with Neostriker, J.D. Nyle

J D Nyle

Welcome JD Nyle to my virtual café. If I ever win the lottery I’ll build a real café on the river and invite my writer friends to drop in and talk about books, writing and the business of being a writer, but until then, I’m here on my blog, dreaming.

It’s good to have you here JD or should I call you Neostriker?

JD: Thank you for having me. JD is good. Neostriker is the name of my series. I had thought about separating the brand from the author profile, but when I asked my followers, I got more votes to keep them together. And keeping the profile name as Neostriker helps with SEO traffic.

Sherri: JD/Neostriker and I met through our connection with the Twitter group, Shameless Self-Promo. We’ve become a bit of a family online, supporting each other and promoting each other’s work. How long have you been a member of the group? I’m one of the newbies.

JD: I don’t exactly know since I don’t think new members have access to the old messages, though I would assume from the start. It’s been a great group that has more become a community to chat and get feedback. They’ve been very supportive. I even found my cover artist for The Vixen through that group and a new fan of the stories. I really appreciate C. S. Ratliff for organizing it.

Sherri: You have done something a little different with your Neostriker series, you published a book “Neostiker: Shining” but you also have it online on your website, is that correct? Why did you choose to publish this way?

JD: So, for the novel, which I’m beginning to think might be a misnomer, I did not originally plan to publish as a paperback. It started as a fun project to explore writing and catalog some adventures. The result was I had a series of 24 episodes. I did not know about Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) at the time, so I decided to publish on the blog.

When I learned about Amazon’s paperback service (now merged with KDP), I decided to give the story another few rounds of edits and publish after that. There’s an exclusivity clause in KDP’s higher royalty program so most of the blog version has been pulled down in order to accommodate.

Sherri: Would you classify the Neostriker series as dystopian? What genre does it fall under? I know it’s often difficult to know what label to give our work, but it helps when we are promoting it to know what category it fits into.

JD: I wouldn’t think it’s dystopian, though I have contemplated trying it before. However, I like to write hopeful or inspiring things as I cannot maintain a negative perspective for long periods of time.

As for the genre, that is a good question I constantly struggle with. 😀

If we can say Power Rangers is fantasy, then so is Neostriker. The magic system is never referred to as magic. I approached it more as a video game system where I try have things make sense. For instance, if a normal teen gets a sword, he’s not going to be an expert, so he’ll take a few hits, which would be fatal in real combat. However, video game logic allows for multiple hits.

Sherri: What are you working on now? Are there more stories in the Neostriker series coming out soon?

JD: I have six stories drafted currently with a seventh brainstorming. Two which follow up The Vixen are about ready, but I’m trying to figure the best approach for release. It’s tricky since the first one is more romance focused and contains no fantasy elements. Then there is the cover art ordeal. I hope to release them soon, but I need to figure those two parts first.

Sherri: What other genres would you like to explore? What goals do you have for the future?

JD: So, part of my problem is that I don’t limit by genre. Neostriker Shining was consistently action-adventure, but for SABRE, I’m allowing for it to be character and theme driven. As a result, the genre is free to change with the story.

For example, Intent to Join is more serious and focused on family with some fantasy that plays in the background to facilitate the theme. The Vixen is a fun character-focused story with an action climax. The first follow-up is a quiet second date, so it feels like a romance. So, I would say I’m open to genres that aid a particular story. Considering that’s how life is, I figured it would be good to reflect it.

Sherri: What or who has been some of your greatest influences and how?

JD: For the world and mechanics, Digimon and Mega Man were the main ones I focused on to make my own. It took many years, but with Shining, I felt like I had finally succeeded, free to pay tribute but claim that it was mine. For storytelling, I mostly come up with them myself based upon what sounds fun or interesting.

In terms of mechanics, I take inspiration from many places and try to analyze why I liked them and if I can do something similar. For example, one thing I want to dabble with is not having dialogue tags. This is probably because when I grew up, I mostly listened to audio dramas where all action is mostly conveyed through dialogue and sound effects. Though I must say that I sometimes wish I wrote in Japanese since they have way more onomatopoeias.

Sherri: You mentioned that you have lived in Japan, that is somewhere I’d love to visit. How long did you live there? Did your life there influence your writing?

JD: A few years now. I would admit it was a dream to live here that I worked towards. However, fun fact is that when I first came, I could not think about why I wanted to make the trip anymore, in part because I did not like many anime tropes, but I decided to go through with it. I do not regret that decision. Japan is a beautiful country and there are many features and people I love.

In terms of influence, I would say yes, but in an indirect way. The experience I have had has helped me develop my philosophy which then influences the stories I tell and how I develop my characters.

Sherri: What has been the most difficult to learn as a writer? For me it has been punctuation and marketing. I’m still learning both.

JD: Grammar and marketing are definitely my weak areas. Though maybe depression too as I would see friends get much support for their writings, but I would get none from the same group. That’s one reason why I avoid Facebook since it hurts so much more to not see support from “friends”, which my wife thinks is more due to the algorithm and that most people left the platform. Switching to Twitter and interacting with the supportive writing community, especially the self promo group has been great for dealing with that.

Sherri: Who is the perfect client/reader for your books?

JD: I guess myself is the only one I can guarantee. It varies for each story so I guess those who like the variety could be a good one. As well as people who want clean fun that doesn’t write down to the audience.

For the novel, probably teens who want a fun adventure and like having mechanics worked out. I often hear it said it reads like a game. Though my approach was to more emulate an action Saturday morning program for that one.

For the short stories, people who like character-driven stories that follow the lives of the cast with fantasy to play up the themes. Also, people who don’t have much time to read as each story so far is less than 30 minutes.

Personally, I would like to get some YouTubers I follow to give me their thoughts on the stories like Hello Future Me, Captain Midnight, OSP, and Daniel Greene.

Sherri: What are some of the fun and interesting things about you, your characters, and your books that you’d like us to know?

JD: For two of my characters, Helene and Danny, the fight scene was written first, and it was their fighting styles that led me to figure their personality. It works nicely with Neostriker, because the basis of the armor is that it’s a reflection of the character’s spirit.

Another thing is I like to hide Easter eggs or allusions in my works. In Intent to Join, there are references to the song that inspired the story. In The Vixen, there are a few Japanese cultural references. However, some things are pure coincidence. For example, Danny evokes a martial artist when fighting. In one of my drafts, I referred to him as karate kid as a taunt from his opponent. I only recently remembered that the Karate Kid’s name was Daniel.

Sherri: If you have enjoyed our interview you can follow JD on his social media sites through the links below and find his books on Amazon. The links for his books are also below. Thank you for dropping by.

Social

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JDNyle/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NeostrikerUniverse
Blogs:
http://neostrikershining.blogspot.com/
https://nylecorner.blogspot.com/

Books:
Neostriker: Shining
https://www.amazon.com/Neostriker-Shining-J-D-Nyle/dp/1530392748

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07KDD1NBN/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07KDD1NBN/

Intent to Join https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07ML1FG23

The Vixen
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SSFHZF5

Photos

Posted in Creekside Cafe, interview

Creekside Cafe Chat with Rebecca Ridge

Becky

Welcome to my virtual café romance and erotica author, Rebecca Ridge. It is so good to have you here.

Becky: Hi, Sherri. It’s great to be here. Thank you for inviting me.

Sherri: I’ve dreamed of visiting England. Have you ever traveled to the United States?

Becky: No, unfortunately not yet. It is the first place on my travel plans. I have a lot of great friends who live there.

Sherri: How long have you been a published author? I published my first book in December of 2017, and it seems I’ve been on a roller coaster of writing, publishing and marketing ever since. Do you feel as if you spend more time doing the business of writing than actually writing?

Becky: I published my first book which was a festive novella called A Sprinkle of Love. I didn’t spend much time on marketing at that time as I had some personal issues. I intend to republish it this year, with a new cover and added scenes. I plan to promote it this year. Since releasing the pre order for my new book , I have done nothing but market and feel you may be right. This looks to be the future.

Sherri: What do you find the most difficult part of being a published author?

Becky: Definitely marketing yourself.

Finding the right advertising is difficult. It’s okay being published, but if no one knows your published your not going to get sales. Also I’m a resident author for an erotica publisher called Berlinable. I need to produce atleast one story a month and have found it challenging at times to write to order as I usually write through pure inspiration alone.

Sherri: You publish a variety of genres and manuscript lengths, tell us about your markets for your work and how you came to write for them.

Becky: As I mentioned I write erotica short stories for Berlinable.com

They publish through many platforms in many countrys which is exciting. I won a competition on valentine’s day. Which is what led them to invite me to be a resident.

I also write for the legends of the Veil blog which is a fantasy blog. I voice the character of Lilith @TheDemonQueen00 on twitter.

Its a lot of fun. I’ve met some great people and the stories are fun to bring to life.

Sherri: What was your favorite story or character to write? What made them special?

Becky: My favourite character was called Jay, he was the leader singer in rock band Punk Nights out of my unpublished novel Broken.

When he started talking to me he came across like an arrogant get. But the more I got to know him, the more I unraveled his complex personality. The more I fell in love with him. Also he was the first character to ever show up in my head, that alone makes him special.

Sherri: What are you working on now?

Becky: Right now, I’m working on publishing my new book. Its book one in The Submission of Maizey Randall series. Its called Captivated it’s out for pre order now. I’m very excited for this book!

I’m also working on part 2 of The Submissive Diaries which is a Berlinable story.

Sherri: What writing or publishing advice would you give a newbie author? What do you wish someone had told you before you started this career path?

Becky: First and foremost, You can do it! It might feel like a never ending climb but the view from the top is amazing. Never compare yourself to others

I fell into this trap half way through my first book.

I realised that I am me! And my style is mine. I’m not better or worse than anyone else we are all ourselves. Being inspired by people is okay

But never compare yourself to them

Be original.

Family

Sherri: “A Sprinkle of Love” sounds like a Hallmark Story. I can’t wait to read it.

Becky: Oh, wow, thank you so much. That has been said before and it makes me so happy. I wanted to create something warm and pure. Something my children could read haha. My daughter loved the story.

I’m a massive Christmas addict so writing festive is my happy place.

I plan on publishing one festive book every year.

Sherri: You have a new book coming out soon, tell us about it.

Becky: Yes! It’s the first in a trilogy that follows the lives of Theo a serious Dominant and Maize a very vanilla girl

She comes back home after a few years away in the Hope’s ro rekindle her childhood love and regain her life

But a lot has changed. Can she get her sweetheart back  Or will his brother Theo be a temptation she can not  resist. You can find the pre order on amazon

Sherri: Thanks Becky for joining me at Creekside Café. If you enjoyed our chat check out Becky’s books and follow her on social media, her links are listed below.

I have new release coming soon 

I should have a link for preorder in the next week. 

I’m a resident author for a publisher called Berlinable, where I write Erotic short stories. berlinable.com

I’m also on Goodreads

 https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19791012.Rebecca_Ridge

My website is https://rebecca-ridge.com/

My other social media sites

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorRidge?s=09

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebeccaridgeauthor/

My books are available on Amazon:

http://mybook.to/RedHazeashortstory

http://mybook.to/BreakingReevashort

http://mybook.to/BratsHeartShort

http://mybook.to/ASprinkleOfLove

I look forward to hearing from you 

Kind regards Rebecca

Posted in Creekside Cafe, interview

Creekside Cafe Chat with Natalie Bartley

Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/Natalie-Bartley/e/B085B66PJ9

Welcome Natalie, it is so good to have you at my virtual café.

Natalie: Thank you Sherri, it’s a pleasure to be here.

Sherri: Natalie and I met through our Twitter group Shameless Self-Promo. I am so glad I got involved with this group. I have met some wonderful people.

Natalie: It has been a very supportive community, and I’m glad I found it.

Sherri: You are an author, poet, and priestess. Do these three connect?

Natalie: In my mind they do. I am a sea priestess by training and with that came a dedication to verse and poetry. But because of my novels, I’ve had to put the poetry on the back burner. I have been able to work some poems into my stories, generally by weaving into the tale by way of a spell, all my stories have magic in them some how.

Sherri: When did you first discover your love of writing?

Natalie: I first started writing poetry in high school, the stories were a bit later. Even though I enjoyed writing stories, I could never finish them A poem was quick (for me anyway), and it was done. I found I liked that, the immediate release from getting that which was in my head, out. When I got into college, the first time around, I started having recurring dreams, very specific, very repetitive dreams. I was forced to start writing them down. Most of the ones from that period (2005-2008) are lost, but a couple from my time in university (2008-2015) survived and I am working on finishing them. That in and of itself is exhilarating. Coming back to a project, realizing what I was trying to convey, and then having the voices return to get me to finish the project.

Sherri: When did you first become a published author?

Natalie: My first book, Love and Pain in Zion, was published on December 13, 2019 on Amazon.

Sherri: Are you indie published or traditionally published? What obstacles did you face when you first began your career as a published author?

Natalie: I’m independently published, through Amazon KDP. My main obstacle is marketing, honestly, I’m not very good at putting myself out there. Just publishing has been a nerve-wracking experience for me. But I’m trying, and I’m getting a few sales here and there. Having a couple more books up certainly helps.

Sherri: What are some of the things you’ve learned along the journey that you wish to tell others who are hoping to become published?

Natalie: Don’t stop. Don’t think you can’t do it. Because you can. Keep pushing forward, because the only person who is truly stopping you from doing what you want, is you.

Sherri: How do you juggle real life with your writing, publishing, and promoting?

Natalie: I haven’t, really. I wrote while I was in class, or working. Not so much that it distracted me from finishing my work or school work, but I wrote whenever I could. And now, with three books up on Amazon, I’m really working on the promotion and marketing aspects. I’ve been a little lucky. My job contract ended while we are in quarantine/lockdown, so I’ve been able to devote more time to my writing and promotion. But it has still affected my family life, I haven’t been as engaged in helping my stepson with his schoolwork, and it’s straining our relationship.

Sherri: Do you have any writing/business tips or tricks that have helped you that you’d be willing to share?

Natalie: Keep a book or a journal with you to scribble down ideas, because I’ve been out someplace and had an amazing idea for how to connect two plot points, and nothing to scribble on. And yes, I know that all phones have a notepad, I never seem to remember that. Then I lose the connection and must struggle later to recall it. Also, no idea is too silly. It may not fit with one story, but it may start off a separate one.

Sherri: Share with us one of your favorite moments as a writer/author.

Natalie: When my first book was officially published, I cried a little. Also, when I received the first author copy of “Love and Pain in Zion!”

My second favourite memory, was when my friend told me that he bought the eBook of Apotheosis, but then stopped reading it when he found out there was a paperback, and ordered the paperback. He put reading it on hold until the physical book came in.

Sherri: If you could turn back time, what would you do differently?

Natalie: I’d focus on finishing my stories earlier, get them published sooner, and focus more heavily on promotion and marketing. I think that if I had devoted more active time to my writing, I’d have more finished, and may be a little more along than I am.

Sherri: What do you have in the works now?

Natalie: The next one to finish, hopefully, is The Domed City (working title), is currently up on Wattpad, along with my other works in progress. I don’t see the end to it though, but I am enjoying the ride that Jillian is taking me on. Also, I would very much like to work on my poetry some more.

If you enjoyed our chat, follow Natalie on social media and check out her books. Her links are below:

Facebook/Instagram/Twitter: @NatalieBAuthor

Website: www.nataliebartley.ca

Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/Natalie-Bartley/e/B085B66PJ9

Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/ElysiaWaterchild

Thank you for having me!

Posted in News, promo

Audio Book Addict

I have mentioned before my addiction to audio-books. I thought discovering Amazon’s Audible was the best thing ever but there’s a new app in town, Chirp by BookBub. https://www.chirpbooks.com/

Chirp has no membership fee and the books available are very reasonable, though older. Don’t get me wrong, I still love Audible, but I’m enjoying the availability of inexpensive audio options.

If you are an audio book addict too, stay tuned, I will be posting book reviews on my latest finds on Chirp as well as what I listen to on Audible.

It doesn’t have to be an either or situation, you can keep your Audible and have your Chirp, too.

https://www.bookbub.com/blog/what-is-chirp-books-audiobooks

Follow me on BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/sherri-lupton-hollister?list=reviews

Posted in event, promo

June Promo

Before I became a writer, I was a reader. I love books. I read them on my phone, listen to them on my phone and buy them from authors, book stores and Amazon. Do you love books? Do you need an Amazon Gift Card? You don’t have to spend the money on books, but why wouldn’t you?

74 authors, 6 chances to win
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/5678ceb01/

Follow me and my friends on Instagram, Facebook, Bookbub and Amazon.

Sherri Lupton Hollister – BookBub

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/sherri-lupton-hollister

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suspenseshewrites

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/shollister