Ngaire Elder, Nicola Palmer and a bendy wand!!: Around the Cauldron

Ngaire Elder: Working by candlelit may conjure up quaint images from the Dickens era, but it isn’t much fun. Especially, when you have deadlines to meet and The Ed is breathing down your neck and waggling his bent wand at you!!!

Anyhow, by the grace of someone-who-cares-about-me, Senor ‘Leckie’ reappeared and brought a delightful glow to my lamps, and planted a huge, contented grin on my face. 

Living the dream has its downsides, of which there are many. But on a plus, where I live the sun fills the Spanish skies normally 300+ days of the year. 

Enough of my ramblings, today’s guest at the Wizard’s Cauldron is author, Nicola Palmer.

Oxford penmanship from Nicola Palmer

Nicola, is a marvellous writer. Her articulate and fresh writing style mixed with snippets of humour has created a popular series amongst the young and old alike (I’m a fan). 

Settle down Wizardwatchers and read what Nicola has to say about rotten reviews and hedgetrimming!

_____________________________

Hiya Nicola

Hiya Ngaire, how are you.

Not so bad. So, tell us a bit about yourself, Nicola?

Which bit hahahaha?  I studied Modern Languages at Exeter College, Oxford, with the intention of becoming a teacher.  I changed my mind!  I tried law and found it mind-numbingly boring.  I took another degree in Garden & Landscape Design and did a brickwork course.  We built gardens, we won awards, but after a few years my back and hips decided they’d had enough.  So here I am writing fantasy stories instead of building fantasy gardens!  (Of course, if anyone has questions about plants, or aspects of Medieval German, feel free to ask ...)

Nice place to study - Exeter College, Oxford

What genre do you write in? And what work are you doing at the minute?

I’m pretty sure I can only write for children - my brain doesn’t appreciate functioning in an adult manner.  The Alice Parker series is for ages 9-13, while my Christmas book was aimed at 7+.  I’m currently working on a book written from a boy’s perspective, which should be a refreshing change from Alice.  Assuming I can wriggle out of her head, and into his. (Book 4 in the Alice Parker Series – Alice Parker and the Sound of the Silent)

Book 4 of the Alice Parker Saga

What is your writing process? Do you follow a regular routine?

I’m afraid I don’t have a routine, and the story for any particular book does not appear in a logical fashion in a notebook.  Over a period of time, I accumulate ideas and attempt to make sense of them.  Sometimes what I think will be one book becomes two – in unrelated series, thankfully!  I also seem to work better late at night and into the early hours.

You have a number of titles published, did you suffer writers block with any on them?  If so, what did you do about it?

Book 2 in the Alice Parker series was difficult.  It’s a good idea to get away from your desk and see something different when the ideas just aren’t flowing.  Usually the inspiration comes when I least expect it – and if I don’t write it down there and then, it’s gone!

(Some beautiful covers here, Nicola. My compliments to the designer - ED)

What keeps you motivated to write?

The thought of going back to my previous career!  Who wants to work outside during the winter?

The fate of Oxford Borough Council gardening workers
this annus horribilis - especially since the tea shed was
one of the first victims of the cuts.

What do you do to relax, to get away from work and writing?

Go for a walk with the dog, do some gardening and eat chocolate.  I’d like to say that my cake-making hobby helps me relax, but it doesn’t really.  I usually lose my temper with the complicated ones!

Nicola demonstrates skilful stirring in some of her early handiwork. Allegedly.

Any advice for new writers starting out?

Broaden your shoulders.  Obtain the most brutal criticism possible and act on it!  Don’t be offended when you can’t please everyone.  Luckily, having worked as a designer, I know that anything creative is subjective, so you need to be prepared for the odd bit of negativity.  It’s the opinion of the majority that matters.  Just read a few slating reviews of famous authors to reassure yourself!

Has your self-publishing experience been what you expected it to be? Would you change anything?

It has been pretty much as I imagined.  I didn’t expect instant wealth, and that certainly hasn’t been the case!  The feedback has been a surprise, though.  I’m amazed (and delighted) that so many readers have enjoyed something that began as a bit of fun in my spare time. 

Who is the first person you would allow to read one of your completed novels?

My editor.  No one else can read it before it has had a thorough overhaul.

How would you react to a bad review of your book?

Or how do I?!  I make a mental note of the criticism and try to avoid it in the next book.  More often than not, the reviewer has only read the first book in the series and their queries would be resolved if they continued.  Occasionally people don’t notice the recommended age in the blurb, or even ‘for children’ in the title – there’s not a lot I can do about that! 

A delightful place to relax off the effects of a trollish
comment or two - Nicola's terrarium style garden retreat

How do you market your work? What routes have you found to work best for your genre?

As the months have passed, I'm afraid I do less and less to market my books.  I've come to the conclusion that my time is better spent writing than marketing.  If readers enjoy Book 1, they move on to the others.  I'm also conscious that too much advertising can irritate followers and potential readers. I think as writers of children's books we have a difficult job to reach our readership.  

Forums and Facebook don't reach young children, so I just do the occasional free day and a daily tweet if I remember!

 Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?

A little of it is based on real experiences, but I'm not going to tell you which bits!  Obviously, I don't have magical abilities and I've never met a unicorn.  Yet ...

Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in anyway either growing up or as an adult?

As a child my favourite author was Enid Blyton - I still have shelves full of her books!  As an adult, I still enjoy children's books, but I also love the work of Sartre, Camus and Hugo.  I have to blame that on studying French.  I suspect those authors influence my writing in my slightly cynical view of the world and an obsession with anything grotesque or extraordinary!

Okay, Nicola, you were imprisoned in the Windmill Restaurant by the Mind Magician, and to ease your boredom and distract you from munching your way through the cake counter, Hugh the Mind Magician allows you to choose 3 books, 2 dvds and 1 cd from his collection …. What would you select?

‘The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe’ by C.S. Lewis, 

L’Homme qui Rit’ by Victor Hugo 

Read Victor Hugo's classic HERE

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. 

Dvds would have to be:

The Shining

‘Dinner for One.

CD: U2 – ‘Achtung Baby’ – (showing my age now!)

If Hugh had all these in his collection, I’d be very impressed.  And a little disturbed – if we shared the same interests, would that make me a weirdo too?

Hahahahahahahah...it probably would, Nicola! And finally, where can fans of Nicola Palmer find out more.

Fans new and old can find out about me and my work here! I'll be happy to see them....

http://facebook.com/AliceParkersAdventures

http://facebook.com/NicolaPalmerWriter

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alice-Parkers-Metamorphosis-ebook/dp/B006NOC7PI

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Parker-Magician-adventure-children-ebook/dp/B007QGB9HY

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Arcanum-adventure-children-Adventures-ebook/dp/B008WF7R2O

Amazon Author Page -  http://www.amazon.com/Nicola-Palmer/e/B006NWW246/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1362909565&sr=8-2-ent

Nicola, thank you for that. It has been an absolute pleasure to talk to you and I wish you every success with your new books.

Thank you Ngaire. I've really enjoyed it!

Contact:

Full contact details can be found HERE:

http://greenwizard62.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/an-interview-with-ngaire-victoria-elder.html

Millais' - "Ophelia"

The Next Big Thing

The Green Wizard was invited to join in with 'My Next Big Thing' (started by Andy Duncan, author of The Badger-Boy Brouhaha)by his sorceror's apprentice and dear friend, Ngaire Victoria Elder, who writes cutting edge illustrated children's stories and is currently working on her third book somewhere in deepest Spain. Near a big mountain.

http://adventuresofceciliaspark.blogspot.co.uk/

Now, for me, the next big thing is er, not writing a book for about six months as I'm bolloxed. So bear that in mind when you read this.

___________________

What is the working title of your book?
Currently not writing a new book until I've sold a few of the six I've already written. You can find all six to your right as you look. Click on them if you fancy a further look on Amazon. 

Where did the idea come from for the book?
I wrote six books in just over three and a half years, including five in a year and I think the world has seen enough of my work so far. I need to recharge my batteries. I get my ideas mostly when running.

What genre does your book fall under
I write fiction novels. Pure and simple. They have no genre. Genres erect illusory and limiting boundaries between authors and provide a dumbed-down, one-dimensional landscape for the reader. If you just read romance, YA, or erotica, then it is likely that you and I have little to say to each other and I wish you all the best.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I wrote the first draft of my 60k football hooligan novel "Ultra Violence" in  18 days. I wrote the majority of "Carla", my best reviewed book, over a weekend in late April 2012. Professional writers should be able to do this. Literature is full of similar stories. The 2.5k per day grinders are okay, but I need inspiration and a free playing field. I need to fly.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Lots of different ones.

Who or What inspired you to write this book
The knowledge that I was rapidly becoming unemployable in the modern gel haired, crocodile skin loafer, hundred and thirty pound per tie minor professional labour market was a major influence in my decision to form Green Wizard and write the six books.

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?
If readers enjoy innovation, being challenged, old fashioned writing - with prologues, purple descriptions, necessary exposition and a complete  lack of trendy but boring Chucky P influenced skeleton writing - then they will like Green Wizard. My books are generally well reviewed. Readers in Nottingham and Southwell are well catered for.

And now, I'll pass the baton to 3 writers who kindly agreed to participate in the blog-chain ... stay tuned to read about their Next Big Thing.


Mary Ann Bernal -  www,maryannbernal.com

Brenda Perlin - http://www.homewreckerthebook.com/

Bathsheba Dailey - http://newbeginnings-bathsheba.blogspot.co.uk/

Mark Barry - http://greenwizardcarla.blogspot.co.uk/



Good luck everyone!

An Interview with Bathsheba Dailey

Bathsheba Dailey

By great fortune, I was introduced at the last minute to Bathsheba Dailey, poet and advertising guru, and with no preparation, and despite never having heard of Wizards and Cauldrons and such, she agreed to have a chat with me over the Wizphone, somewhere in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Your Wizard is a huge fan of poetry and his mien brightened when he found out that the resident of West Virginia was indeed an Odesmith. 

And extremely pleasant too. I caught up with her on a lake where she was fishing and here's what she had to say!

Hi Bathsheba.

Hi Wiz. Nice to meet you.

The feeling is mutual. Tell us a bit about yourself. Who are you? Where do you live? Do you write full time? How do you come to be here?

I am a 35 year old single mother of three girls and I am pursuing my degree in business. I am the author of  the "Hearts and Souls poetry book" and the upcoming poetry book "The Unhidden reflections of the heart".

http://www.facebook.com/bathshebadailey

I am also pursuing a venture which advertises other authors and businesses.

http://www.facebook.com/NewBeginningsAdvertising

I have walked a long road of failures and I have decided that I will chase many dreams at once to ensure that one comes true. Life is only what we make it, so make it the best that you can. 

My favorite hobby other than doing things with my girls is writing and fishing. 

Fishing:West Virginia Style!

Sounds of the water calm me when everything seems to be going in the wrong direction. I live in a small town in West Virginia where everyone knows everyone - and they are pretty sure they know those people better than they do themselves! Hahaha.

John Denver - West Virginia's Finest

  I try to write as much as I can but with three girls, school and all the household things that need doing, it is sometimes hard to find time to just be me and write.

I've been singing the John Denver song all morning, Bathsheba hahaha.

It's very catchy isn't it, haha.

It is, yes. Grew up with that song. How long have you been writing poetry?  

I have written since I was a young child. I had a very hard and abusive life until the age of fourteen when I  was finally placed with the greatest parents a girl could have. My foster dad who was to me my real father passed away last week and this has been the hardest and most unbearable time of my life even after a tormented childhood. 

I have always said in my case "water is indeed thicker than blood". I follow any writer or style that heart and soul can be reflected in. 

 Give us an example...

The Empty Quill

The ink in my quill has

started to dry with the

words I no longer want

to share with a world so

full of hate and self

loathing egotism.

I try to see the world

with a clear mind and

an opened heart but the

tales of life's bittersweet

anger is forever stepping

in my way of a worlds

deepest emotion being

that one of hate.

exquisiteness surrounds

us everyday with just the

opening of our eyes and

the air that we so enjoy

to intake.The flowers are

abloom with a beauty we

so deny,too worried are we

of our own sinful thoughts

that we no longer care

about human life unless it

is in the words that commit

their distraught.

That's a lovely poem, Bathsheba. Thank you for sharing. So, tell us about your current projects?

I am currently getting together my alter ego's poetry book "at at no names yet" I have kept her a secret for a year and a half and only very close friends know who she is. 

Latest work

You have an alter ego?

It's a secret, Wiz! Not telling you yet! I am also writing two novels. One about my alter ego, which will tell her fictional biography of why she turned to a world of darkness and a romance novel that is in the setting of times past when raising cattle was how you ate. I am writing my true story biography of who I really am and how I ended up as a state ward. I have also nearly finished with my third poetry book.

 The Baltimore Ravens, under pressure from the City, decide to emulate the Colts in 1983 and do a moonlight flit. You are taken hostage for a month to help the Mayor to see sense. A henchman is sent out to supply you with three books to pass the time. What would they be?

Magnificent Cover for ancient Mitchell
Bodice and Butler classic

Three books hmmmm. That would have to be "Gone With The Wind". The second would be the sequel to "Gone With The Wind" which is called "Scarlet", after whom I named my third daughter, and the third would be "The Killing Fields".

How does an author of Independently Published Fiction get known out there? It seems like a thankless and impossible task. Have you any tips for our readers?

A great way to improve awareness is to join as many groups as you can, even though it can get tiring at times and make sure you have looked into as many online outlets as possible. 

Some of the best would be Goodreads, Blogs, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook and tons more. I have to say this, though, it does not matter how many places you find to promote yourself; if you forget who you are you will fail. 

Thanks for that sound advice! What would be on the menu at a meal chez Bathsheba?

My favorite meal is of course a country meal; Fried chicken, homemade chicken gravy on mash potatoes, corn and fresh green beans and then for desert brownie cupcakes.

Country Meal - I'm off to the cafe!

I've been to West Virginia. Visited Charlestown Races!

One of the world's finest and cheapest
buffets at Charlestown Races.

Have you? It's beautiful, isn't it.

It certainly is! What do fans of Bathsheba Dailey have to look forward to in the coming year? 

The coming year I hope to have all my books done but we can never guarantee what life will throw our way so I just have to take one day at a time!  There are two quotes that I wrote and I try to live by them both;

"A new beginning is better than an old ending" and "Never forget who you are or where you have come from, while in the process of being found by others"  

If you forget who you are so will everyone else!

Bathsheba, it's been an absolute pleasure to talk to you and I wish you all the best in the future!

Thank you, Wiz! You too...

Contact:

http://beth-frommyheart.blogspot.com/

http://newbeginnings-bathsheba.blogspot.com/

https://twitter.com/Bathsheba15

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hearts-and-Souls-poetry-group-fan-page/264286140248737

An Interview with Bill Jones Jr

Bill Jones Jr

One of the great perks of being an Indie Wizard is the pleasure of both meeting new people and people you admire from afar. I hear great things about Bill Jones Jr's fantasy work on a regular basis and I was introduced to him by a mutual acquaintance and wasted no time in reaching got the Wizphone. 

Here's what Bill had to say from somewhere over the ocean.

Hi Bill.

Hi Wiz!

UK readers have heard about The Stream due to your membership at the Independent Paperback Gift Shop. Tell us a bit about Bill Jones Jr?

I grew up assuming I would be a professional photographer one day. However, like many kids, I was steered away from the arts and into a “normal” profession in the business world. I’ve had a rewarding career, but I think there’s something inborn in artists that can’t be quelled any other way but through art. I started writing poetry, and had quite a few published in obscure little journals here and there. Then, on a dare from a friend, I decided to try my hand at writing fiction in 2009. I became immediately addicted, and wrote my first two books back-to-back. Now, after having written four books and a short story collection, I’m finally allowing myself to call myself an artist.

Of course, that could just be because my mum finally read my first book, and liked it. If your mother doesn’t think you’re an artist, you aren’t.

Tell us about The Stream series

The Stream is a fantasy fiction series starring two brilliant adolescents, Charlie and Robin, who discover they share the ability to walk into and influence others’ dreams. Charlie’s vivid dreams are initially merely an escape from their shattered family lives. They jounce from one adventure to the next, amidst warm-blooded dragons, mythical creatures, and increasingly, a growing darkness. There is more to the land of dreams – the Stream – than sleepers, they learn. Something there has trapped Charlie’s best friend, his great grandfather, and he and Robin will stop at nothing to find him, and bring him home.

Always been a big fan of your covers, BIll. The former has something of the "Shrooms" and "Blair Witch" about it.

Thank you, Wiz. They're pretty sharp.

Who is your target audience? Are you a primarily a YA author?

 Although my main characters in The Stream are 12, the books are actually targeted at adults. There are dream adventures based on history, re-imagined mythologies, as well as some fairly adult themes. 

There is no language or sexuality that’s inappropriate for kids, but my “perfect reader” as I imagined her, was a parent who loved the Harry Potter and Narnia series, but pretended they did so for the sake of the children.

 I believe the books are appropriate for ages 12 and up. While I enjoy YA fiction, and have kept all 3 books of The Stream safe for younger readers, most of my other work is targeted directly at adult readers.

How do you write? Do you binge, or are you a strict 2,000 word a day man?

 Ah, binge writing – I love that concept. hahaha, 

Since I have a day job, I am a strict 2,000 word a day writer. I actually started writing novels during the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in the U.S., and found that format (write a bit each day) fit the fact that I had to drag myself out of bed early every morning and go to work. 

If I were stinking rich, and could write full time, I’m sure I’d turn into one of those book hermits whom you never see for three months at a time while he writes around the clock and forgets to bathe or eat. Hmm, maybe it’s good that I have a day job.

I binge in a way, in that I set aside months out of the year where I do nothing but write. This past June, for instance, I wrote about 100 pages of short stories.

I understand you are a photographer. Tell us a bit about that?

 I have always loved photography. My grandfather, with whom we lived, was one of those old gents who always had his camera with him. My fondest family memories were all of us grouped in the living room, looking at granddaddy’s slides projected onto the wall. I also had a great uncle who would come to visit, and never seemed to tire of taking Polaroid shots. So naturally, when I got my first camera at age 12, I was hooked.

I’m sure my photography has been influenced by both men, as I love candid and street photography, and rarely take posed or studio type shots. If you see me without a camera, I’m having a bad day. I do a bit of freelance work, but mainly, it’s for the love.

You have been kidnapped on the way to the Walgreens by strange furry purple aliens. You are locked in a spaceship brig. Your gaoler is a kindly alien and allows you three books, two cd's and a dvd. What would you choose?

I would choose Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy, because I have started, and been interrupted while trying to read those books for 10 years. I am determined to finish them or die trying. 

My CD’s would have to be Bob Marley’s “Legend” and probably some jazz, any jazz; otherwise I’d never be able to write. 

Legend - Bob Marley Full Album

Magnificent Mike Figgis Jazz score
for Leaving Las Vegas

John Coltrane, A Love Supreme

A dvd would be harder; the alien would probably shoot me before I could make up my mind. Perhaps “The Day the Earth Stood Still” would feel appropriate.

Original Poster

Casual Vacancy at Bill's table for JK

Which writer, and which photographer, would you be pleased to see knocking at your door with two bottles of Claret? And what would you cook?

I would honestly love to see J.K. Rowling show up, not because of the success of Harry Potter, but due to the incredible blend of imagination and detail her books showed. Even more interesting to me, is the determination she showed in going through rejection to reach success. I could learn a lot over dinner I think.

The photographer I’d pick would be Annie Liebovitz. I’ve never been satisfied with my portraits, and she is just the master at connecting with her subjects. Of course, if death were no obstacle, it would be Diane Arbus. Such a talented, tormented woman.

Annie Liebovitz portrait of America's First Family

Since clarets are earthy wines, and I don’t eat red meat, I think I would have to cook them my version of my grandmother’s Shrimp Creole. It’s about as earthy a food as you are going to get. Plus, if you want to get a genius talking, a bit of spice with their wine can’t hurt.

Magnificent Shrimp Creole

What do fans of Bill Jones Jr have to look forward to in the coming year?

In the coming year I will be releasing my first full-length science fiction adventure, Hard as Roxx. In Roxx, in a 22nd-century world that is a distorted hybrid of rigid control and absolute freedom, one woman broke a cardinal rule: she got pregnant, without permission. Worse yet, it was her second pregnancy, in a world where only one is tolerated. The penalty for breaking the One Child law is death. Roxx, however, is not the victim type.

In addition, I will be releasing the final book of The Stream trilogy – Emprise, as well as my first short story collection. It should be a fun year.

Bill, it's been an absolute pleasure to see you round the Cauldron. I wish you every success in the future.

Wiz, the pleasure was all mine!

Stalk the Writer

Contact Bill on his website:

bill@billjonesjr.com

Buy The Stream: Discovery:

On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Stream-Discovery-ebook/dp/B005NL83I2

On Lulu: http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-stream-discovery/18886133 

On Createspace: https://www.createspace.com/3778886

You can also buy Bill's beautiful books IN PAPERBACK - along with the work of a hundred other Indielit authors - at

http://www.facebook.com/TheIndependentPaperbackGiftShop

Read much more about Bill with the wonderful Mary Ann Bernal

http://maryannbernal.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/an-interview-with-author-bill-jones.html