R.Kyle Hannah, Sci-Fi writer of "Assassin's Gambit" - around the Cauldron

R.Kyle Hannah, ex-Army turned science fiction writer, was the second interviewee to visit the Cauldron in 2012.

Promoting his well received novel "Time Assassins", he and his many friends and fans helped establish the Cauldron in those early days when few people had heard of us. It was only in the last three months that Kyle's interview dropped out of the top ten, such was its popularity amongst readers of the Cauldron.

I was delighted to be able to interview Kyle once more. A gentleman and an optimist, I picked up the Wizphone and caught up with Kyle as he was battling his way through Level 19 of The Division somewhere south of the Mason Dixon line.



Original Chat With Kyle Hannah - Only The Second Ever. Click Here!

For those of Wizardwatchers who weren’t about two years ago, who is Kyle Hannah?
First, thanks for giving me your platform, again.  I do appreciate your support!  Who am I?  I am a soldier, writer, husband and father with a love of reading, writing and computer games.

In what genre do you write?   
Science fiction…although I do have one or two fantasy stories bouncing around in my head.

Classic SCI-Fi from 1927

Whereabouts in the US are you from?  
Southern by the Grace of God! LOL    Alabama

Alabama is regarded as the only state having all the major natural resources required for making steel and iron. In fact, it is considered as the largest supplier of steel and cast iron pipe products. - See more at: http://alabama.facts.co/interestingalabamafacts/aboutalabamafunfacts.php#sthash.hdhRpZzg.dpuf

Classic Alabama girl Kate Jackson moments. 

(Was she actually Charlie? 

I have heard it argued - Ed!)

Charlie's Angel Kate Jackson, Nat King Cole, Carl Lewis, Joe Louis, Hank Williams and Emmylou Harris are some of the famous people to come from the state, which was accepted into the Union in 1819

Alabama State Bird
The Yellowhammer

Tell us about your latest work.  
After the success of TIME ASSASSINS in 2010, I had many people ask for more of the alternate history timelines.  

So I sat down and penned ASSASSIN’S GAMBIT.  

"Pulled forward in time by the Guild of a distant future, Assassin 101 is tasked with tracking down a rogue agent before he can return to his time. What he finds is a web of espionage bent on destruction and domination, and a family secret makes the Assassin doubt his own future. Sebastian Caine, a top level Apprentice, has duped the Guild into complacency. Sentenced to death for his crimes, he escapes into the past. Plans for a new life hinge on drastically changing the timeline. Rick Brewer has been a guinea pig for Guild scientists since his capture. Along with Assassin 97, he is sent to retrieve Caine, but his growing affection towards her becomes more pronounced as they bounce through the Renaissance in search of Caine. When Assassin 97 is captured and tortured, Brewer must make the ultimate sacrifice. To rescue Assassin 97, Brewer and Assassin 101 must violate Guild law and, with it, accept possible execution. Can Assassin 101 save his wife and his future, or will the Guild leave her to history?"

Buy Assassin's Gambit HERE!

You served in the Armed Forces in Afghanistan. How did your work go down amongst your colleagues? Did you get much support?   
I found a great deal of support among my peers…as well as some strange looks (you write books?).   I was deployed to Kuwait last year, and that gave me plenty of time at night to work on ASSASSIN’S GAMBIT…as well as two other stories that are in the works.

Kyle and his typing assistant, Tex, are interrupted by a Bedouin in need of
a cup of sugar

Did your time in the Armed Forces inspire your work?  
My first book, TO AID AND PROTECT, was greatly inspired by military tactics.   

The TIME ASSASSINS series has a little military inspiration (the training scenarios), but most of it is centered around historical events.

What do you think of the state of contemporary science fiction? Is it a dead genre? Is there something else to say?  
The self-publishing and Indie explosion in the last few years has opened up a great market for science fiction, so it’s definitely not dead.  There is a lot of great writing from unknown authors out there…and some that really, truly sucks.  :D

Brilliant cover - Ed

The Worst Sci-Fi Novel Ever Written? A New Statesman Review  (reading this book has become a "geek challenge" - Ed!)

What are your impressions of the Indie landscape?  How have you found marketing and promoting your work? Any tips for debut novelists?  
The Indie route is a fantastic way to get your name out there while striving for the “big contract”.   Marketing and promoting are non-stop and much more difficult than actually writing…and very time consuming when you have a full time job on top of everything else.  Interviews and blogs are a big part of that marketing campaign…they open up your work to a much broader audience.  

"Join us on #MondayBlogs with your blog every Monday. The fastest growing Blogshare service on Twitter".

Tips?  Write, write and write some more.  Write every idea down, no matter how small or seemingly obscure…the opportunity will arise where that idea/scene will fit in perfectly!

In writing your series, you inadvertently summon up the spirit of the Time Bandits, the quasi-Monty Python vehicle from the eighties. You are whisked away and clapped in irons in the brig of a giant flying galleon. Just in reach is a sack, which contains two books, a CD, and a DVD boxed set of a TV show from the last five years. What would you like them to be?  

All from 5 years…way to narrow that down, thanks!  Books? 

Old Man’s War and Ghost Brigades from John Scalzi…some of the most original and fantastic storylines I’ve read in a while.  

Somewhere in California by Night Ranger.  

DVD Boxed set?  Well, I’m going outside your 5 years for that one…Babylon 5 .  I’d be happy with either.

You are a big fan of the Crimson Tide. Should I be placing a massive bet on them this year?  
Actually, I an Auburn Tiger (War Eagle!), but I do pull for the tide when they aren’t playing Auburn.  I don’t know if I’d bet on the Tide this year, but I would put some money on the Tigers…they are going to continue their streak from last year!!

War Eagle - an offering for our pee-poor research - Ed!
Sack Igor, Wiz!

And finally – congratulations on the sequel, btw – what are your plans for 2014 and beyond? 

 Thank you.   I have a tentative story for the 3rd and final instalment in the TIME ASSASSINS series; a rough draft of a TV adaptation of TIME ASSASSINS;  a new story involving rival tribes; and a 2-3 book space saga.   Lots of ideas, all written down, just waiting for right time.  The next few years will be fantastic!

Classic Space Saga -never equalled in
sci-fi lit

Kyle, its been a trip down memory lane for me and I hope you've enjoyed it as well. I wish you the very best of luck on behalf of all the Wizardwatchers...

Thank you for the opportunity, Wiz. And you have definitely helped me because Assassin's reached the top 100 bestsellers!

You can follow me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RKyleHannahWriter  

0n twitter at @rkhannah   

My blog at www.blogspot.rkylehannah.com  

and my website at www.rkylehannah.com.

Lynyrd Skynyrd make a second appearance

in six weeks with...oh come on, you know...

The Division

Suzanne Van Rooyen talks about Obscura Burning

From South Africa to Finland, via Australia, Suzanne Van Rooyen has certainly travelled and this infuses her novels with a latent maturity.

Her second novel, ahd her first YA novel, Obscura Burning, has just been published. Featuring a bixexual protagonist, a cast of sexually confused teenagers and a planet on a collision course with earth, the novel plays on apocalyptic fears, both intra-social and extra-terrestrial, and examines the hopes and fears of a world under pressure. 

Suzanne expects flak - this is a thoughtful piece of work which she expects to generate a certain controversy but whatever the reader's preferences, they are guaranteed  strategic plots, taut sentence construction, internal coherence, great characters, profuse, elegant dialogue (her current speciality) and a sense of topical importance which is essential for all fiction to emphasise credibility. 

I also noticed a sneaky, almost cunning, amorality in the prose - a clear allegory for the inevitable apocalypse Suzanne wryly hints at throughout the book. At times, you can almost hear the neighing of the horsemen's steeds as they hover in the clouds. 

Whatever. You are guaranteed an excellently written read whenever you see the name Suzanne Van Rooyen anywhere near a book cover. I got on the Wizphone, managed to catch up with her in a snowy, windswept park just south of Helsinki and tethering her wonderful pup, Lego, she spoke to me about writing and writers. 

Original Interview with Wiz Green. 

http://greenwizard62.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/interview-with-suzanne-van-rooyen.html

Suzanne's acclaimed debut
novel

Hi Suzanne. Tell us about your publication history? What have you published so far?

Well, in a nutshell: I've had one adult cyberpunk novel published by Divertir Publishing - that would be Dragon's Teeth. I've also had a bunch of short stories ranging from children's to erotica published by various print and online magazines including Storm Moon Press, Earthbound Fiction, and Niteblade. 

"Niteblade recently nominated my short story Where Dreams are Grown for the Pushcart Prize which is a fairly big deal, I hear.  

Congratulations on that, Suzanne. Deserved too, if I may say so. So tell us about Obscura Burning, your latest published work.

This story really came out of nowhere one day while I was listening to the whimsical music by the band Explosions in the Sky. The music conjured the image of a boy walking in the desert and so Obscura Burning was born. There was definitely some extraneous force working through me in the writing of this novel. This is Kyle's story, I just helped shore up his sentences and deleted a few expletives. This book is about a boy caught up in a quantum event, which threatens the very fabric of his reality and the future of the planet. 

As the tagline says: The world's going to end in fire…and it's all Kyle's fault. 

To what extent does Obscura Burning represent an evolution in your writing career?

It's my first published novel-length young adult work and represents a definite shift in my focus from adult to YA. 

"I much prefer writing teenagers with all their excesses and insecurities, their narcissistic tendencies and rash decision making because it allows for complex characters, disastrous situations and plenty of room for these characters to grow. "

I'll definitely write for adults again but right now, I love writing teenage characters for the YA bracket.

Who is your target audience? How do you know that you are connecting with your readership?

Older teenagers - 16 and up - given the content of my book (some bad language and sexual content) and of course all the adults who love reading YA. 

Since Obscura Burning has a bisexual boy MC, I'm hoping teen and adult readers from the LGBT community will be enjoying my book. I think you know you are connecting with your readership when you see who comments on blog posts and who's posting reviews on Goodreads. I'm predicting a lot of 20-something women :)

In "Non Fiction," Chuck Palahniuk lionises Amy Hempel for her strained, skeletal style.  I don't agree with him, but his views are incredibly influential. Your books are increasingly sparse and dialogue based. Is this deliberate? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this for a writer?

No, it's not deliberate. It really depends on the character and their unique voice. The style of the prose reflects the narrator's personality so Obscura Burning is less purple and more dialogue based because that's Kyle - he loves comic books so that's kind of how he sees the world, in thought bubbles and clipped dialogue. 

I'm not sure there is an advantage to any writer to conform to an apparent trend in fiction since trends change so quickly. 

"Most of the books I love do not conform to any kind of formula or trend. I think it's more important to be genuine in your craft and story telling than to try to write the 'correct' style."

How would you answer the argument that dialogue-rich novel writing "abrogates the writer from the arduous responsibility of painting pictures in the reader's head".

That's ridiculous! Dialogue paints it's own picture. Syntax and delivery of dialogue speaks volumes about a character, about how they see the world and the people in it. I think dialogue does a far better job of showing a character's personality and perspective on life than paragraphs of description do. 

Dialogue can be used with very subtle but profound effect, helping the reader paint comprehensive pictures in their head. I don't know who said this 'abrogates arduous responsibility' nonsense but I think they've missed the point of dialogue completely. 

Does that mean you should write dialogue only and get rid of exposition - of course not but it largely depends on the genre and who you're writing for. 

Teen readers are all about communication - text messaging, IMs, emails, Facebook, 140 character tweets - so Tolkien-esque paragraphs aren't going to go down well with them.

That's a terrific answer, Suzanne. I can remove the spotlight now! haha. So who influences you as a writer nowadays? Who are the YA writers the discerning reader should look out for?

Cath Crowley and Maggie Stiefvater are my favourite YA writers. 

They both have a very definitive style and aren't afraid to daub on the purple every now and then. I also enjoy Barry Lyga's writing because he doesn't shy away from controversial subject matter. 

I think YA readers should look beyond JK Rowling, John Green and Suzanne Collins, and can go in search of the less well known writers like Lisa Burstein, Janice Hardy,  Cath Crowley, Laini Taylor and Lissa Price. 

They should also look outside of America for writers in the UK and Australia (like Cath Crowley who is just awesome and everyone should read Graffiti Moon by her!)

I've shared with you that I think you are an Old School writer in a YA writer's body. Do you agree with that? Do you think there will ever be a time when you start using exposition as a tool, and/or creative, allegorical and descriptive paragraphing to embellish your skeletal style?

Hahaha. I do have a soft spot for the classics and I love the description rich works by Carlos Ruiz Zafón and David Mitchell. Maybe I am a bit more old school in my approach because I don't really like the minimalist novel. I don't consider my style skeletal at all. In fact, it's been criticised for being too purple. 

I try to strike a balance and make description count as more than just a word painting, but to reflect some deeper theme or to reveal some new aspect of the character doing the describing. I don't mind exposition but it's the section I tend to skip when reading books, looking for action and dialogue, so I tend to write what I enjoy reading. 

I do use allegory, a lot, and my works usually have little Easter Eggs (the hidden message kind) for those with a keen eye. Obscura Burning has a few and Dragon's Teeth has many. 

 I have seen some savage reviews of writers lately. Can you take criticism? How do you respond?

Oh yeah. Criticism doesn't bug me because opinion of books is so subjective. Not everyone will love my book. Some are going to hate it, especially Obscura Burning. 

If the review is scathing vitriol, I can laugh it off. That sort of review serves no purpose to me. 

"On reviews: A review that deals out constructive criticism, I take far more seriously and mull over what they've said. If I find myself agreeing with the review or understanding why the reviewer felt the way they did, that's fantastic because I've learned something and can apply it in my next project. If I disagree, well then different strokes for different folks and there's no point getting upset over it. "

I never respond to bad reviews and rarely respond to good reviews with more than just a 'like' on Goodreads because everyone's entitled to their opinion.

What's your next project?

My next project involves robots and violins. Although the manuscript is technically finished, there's a lot of work to be done with it still. I've sent a few chapters to my agent and I'm also waiting for feedback from a few critique partners. I'm sure I've got some rewriting in my future with that one. 

Suzanne, thank you very much for coming back to cast a few more spells, and I wish you all the best in the future! 

You're welcome, Wiz and thank you for inviting me.

Buy Obscura Burning here:

http://www.amazon.com/Obscura-Burning-ebook/dp/B00AJP6RIU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354871438&sr=8-1&keywords=obscura+burning

Read more Suzanne Van Rooyen here:

http://suzannevanrooyen.com/

http://greenwizard62.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/interview-with-suzanne-van-rooyen.html

An Interview with Ruth Watson-Morris

• Like some bearded, wizardly Captain Ahab at the wave battered prow of my own personal literary Pecod, I have spent the last three months hunting down my personal Moby Dick - the elusive and modest - shy, even  - figure of Ruth Watson-Morris.  
  
  
  Horrorist, fantasy scribbler, trilogist, creator of the  vast and complex world of the Voxians, metalhead, lasagna cook and  softly-softly networker and marketeer, I finally buttonholed Ruth at the launch of the  Indielit Scrapbook.  
  
  
  Ruth lives in the pastoral and inspiring shadow of the  Malvern Hills, one of the quintessential panoramas of the English countryside, and it was a simple matter for Wiz to pick up the Wizphone and chat to Ruth, as she fed the gorgeous German Shepherd you see below. 
  Here's what she had to say.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Tell us a bit about yourself, Ruth?
  
  
        What can I tell you! I am a mother of 3 grown up children, grandmother to 4 beautiful grandchildren, have an amazing talented husband who writes children’s books and a very large very black German Shepherd dog who lives with a very old collie cross (rescue). I have a degree in Psychology, with some History and education studies. ..
  
  
  
  
  So do  I, Ruth!
  
  
  What's that, Wiz?
  
  
  I have a degree  in psychology!
  
  
  Do you?
  
  
  I do, yes. AND I like history.
  
  
  Oh. That's good.  
  
  
  So we've got something in common
  
  
  Yes we have! I studied law as well and am quite disabled, hence my work as a writer.
  
  
  
  
  That is a beautiful Shepherd!
  
  
  Thank you for saying so.
  
  
  Here's one of my favourite dogs. This is Ted. Ted Bear. You can friend him on Facebook. I think your dog and my friend Kelly's dog would get on a treat! 
  
  
  I think they would, Wiz! hahaha.
  
  

  

  Ted Bear attempts to beat the Canine Cross-Channel record set
  by Captain Webb's dog, Walter.

  
  
  If you both lived in the same County, they could both go swimming together! Anyway, enough of matters canine. When did you write your first book?
  
  
  I first wrote Fantacia about 3 years ago, (maybe longer, I have been saying three years ago for quite a long time now!!) I did nothing with it for a long time, I wrote it to get my son reading before he hit University.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  You're one of the most consistent 
  marketeers and networkers on the circuit - 
  what tips have you for new authors?
  
  
  
  
  Just keep going, there are a lot of talented people out there all who deserve to make it, I will keep showing people my support especially great talents that deserve it. 
  
  
  Be passionate about your work and love what you do, because it's a guarantee that if you like it so will others!
  
  
  Excellent advice! So,what's your latest project?
  
  
  
  
  Sky is the book I am writing now, the end of the trilogy and I have some of the prequel set up. I have just had my first go at writing a children's version of the Voxian books, Bellazard The Reptilian series which has just come out and goes 
  
  
  
  
  FREE for 3 days 27th -29th of this month
  
  
  Download this Free Reptilian book here!!!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  A UFO, similar to the one which descended upon Aberdeen this week, hovers above your house and tractor beams you into a gravity cell. Iglu the alien, your gaoler, is a kindly soul and allows you three books, two CDs and a DVD for your Infinite stay in space. What would they be?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  This took me ages to work out!!!
  
  
  My three books would be:
  
  
  Lord of the Rings trilogy - Tolkien
  
  

  

  A Ring

  
  
  Industrial magic - Kelley Armstrong
  
  

  

  Kelley Armstrong Fantasy Epic

  
  
  The Deathly Hallows - JK Rowling
  
  
  Wizards and Wands in Deathly Hallows here...
  
  
  CD's 
  War is the Answer - Five finger death punch
  
  
  No one Gets Left Behind FFDP!  
  
  
  and
  Rammstein  
  
  

  

  Liebe ist fur alle da - German Industrial Metal bashers

  Rammstein 

  Weird cannibal/BDSM cover

  (and they banned "Smell The Glove?!")

  
  
  DVD: Day After Tomorrow
  
  

  

  The Statue of Liberty surfing in the Apocalypse

  
  
  
  
  
  

  How do you relax away from the word processor? Do you get much free time?
  
  
  I tend to read other peoples work in my spare time, I love reading and enjoy reviewing books that are great no matter if they are Published by indies or big publishers, they can be good or bad no matter where they come from. Also spend time with my Kids and grandkids which is fabulous
  
  
  I hear on the Indie grapevine that you were once featured in the  Redditch Evening Standard! Congratulations!
  
  
  I was interviewed when the first novel went live. I was quite proud. Here it is!
  
  
  http://www.redditchstandard.co.uk/2011/10/07/story-New-horror-novel-has-a-happy-ending-for-Ruth-19645.html
  
  
  
  
  That's impressive, Ruth! So, which two authors would you most like to cook dinner for? And what is the house special, chez Ruth?
  
  
  
  
  Got to be Terry Pratchett he's fabulous, love DISCWORLD
  and 
  Kelley Armstrong just to beg her to carry on with the women of the other world 
  
  
  books. 
  
  
  She's finished writing them for now which is very sad.
   I have an Italian family (inlaws) who brought me up for a while, so I can make a mean lasagne, I also cook good shortbread

  

  All round Ruth's for a wonderful Redditch Lasagne!

   
  
  
  And what do fans of Ruth Watson Morris have to look forward to in the coming year?
  
  
  
  
  The coming year should bring the Voxian trilogy to a finish with Sky and give the fans Kathos the prequel, they wil discover the origins of Kathos and his people and how he journeyed to Vox, about the multiverse they all slip in and out of including the Hell dimensions, which will take them right to the beginning where Fantacia and Orion are leaving Earth.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Ruth, thanks for talking to us 
  here round the Cauldron. We wish you all the best in the coming year with everything you do?
  
  
  Thanks, Wiz. It's been great fun!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Find out more about Ruth here
  
  
  http://authorvoxiansseriesbooks.wordpress.com/
  
  
  
  
  http://www.facebook.com/TheVoxianSeriesOfHorrorScienceFictionFantasy
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Buy  Ruth's books here!
  
  
  Ruth Author Page and Sales
  
  
  www.lulu.com
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  Badly treated blood drinking labrador-cross seeks non-vampire
  owner to love and to cherish. And a big sofa.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Indie Writer Lands An Agent

Suzanne Van Rooyen - talented Finnish based wordsmith and
Speculative Sci-Fi horror technician

About a month ago, I interviewed an up and coming writer from Finland, via South Africa, Her name is Suzanne Van Rooyen.

Original Suzanne Van Royen Wizard Interview

It was a fun interview to do and since then, Suzanne has become a friend of the Cauldron.

Two nights ago, she revealed to her fans that she has managed to meet and to attract a Literary Agent who is tasked to take her work to a traditional publisher.

Not missing a trick, I got on the Wizphone and asked if she wanted to talk to Wizardwatchers about it,  She kindly agreed. Many of us her in Wizardland have tipped her for big things and this is no surprise.

Suzanne is one of those classically trained writers for whom formal sentence construction, narrative, character, voice, syntax, grammar and the visual appeal of the written word is of paramount importance in the literary context and in an environment where such rigour no longer seems to matter, Suzanne deserves her success for her staunch defence of the craft.

Here's what she had to say to yours truly.

So, Suzanne. I understand you have some good news? 

I most certainly do! After a pretty intense journey, I'm thrilled to announce that I have signed with Jordy Albert of the New York Corvisiero Literary Agency. This certainly isn't the end of the journey by far, but it's a big step towards seeing my book on the shelves.

How did you get in contact? Did you hunt the agent down? How? What resource did you use? Did she find you? Were you recommended?

I used Querytracker and Agentquery - both fantastic websites that give you a list of agents by what they represent. I searched for an agent that not only represented my genre but one with whom I thought I would also have some common interests.

I also wanted to find a newer agent not too jaded by the industry nor entrenched in convention, someone who was growing their client list and who would possibly take a risk on a book that didn't quite conform to the norm. Queue Jordy Albert. I'd had my eye on Marisa Corvisiero for a while through various blogospheres and social networks, but when I checked out the other agents in that agency, there was just something about Jordy that appealed to me. I queried her directly as per her website submission guidelines as a member of the slushpile. She was one of about ten or twenty agents I queried back in April. Guess I did something right because I made it out of the slush :)

What work is your agent promoting? 

Daughter of the Nether, the manuscript I entered into the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest earlier this year. 

My book ended up being a semi-finalist, in the top 50 for my category out of 5000 possible entrants. 

Whereabouts is she going to be hawking the manuscript? Europe? America? 

Right now we're still building a list of publishers and editors. I assume Jordy will tackle the American markets first but that certainly won't exclude European or even Australian publishers.

In the literary world, everything Scandinavian is hot right now. Do you think you've benefited from this? Riding the crime boom, is there a new wave of Scandinavian horror and Sci Fi? 

Indie Book currently on sale - potential
collectors item!

Haha, I really don't think so considering this particular story has nothing Scandinavian about it and is actually set in a post-apocalyptic America.

My work in progress however, is set in Finland and draws from Norse mythology so perhaps I'll benefit from this apparent boom with my next book.

What is this going to mean to you as a writer? 

Finding someone in the industry who is as passionate about my story and characters as I am is huge validation for me as a writer. I can be rather self-deprecating so having an agent really boosts my levels of self-confidence, and confidence in my writing. As far as a writing career goes, this is really just the first step (and one of the hardest for many writers) towards that dream of being published and seeing my book in my local store. For me personally, this also means being able to justify dedicating so much of my time to writing fiction ;)

Is this the end of Suzanne Van Rooyen as an Indie for the time being? How do you feel about that? Has it changed the way you view yourself? 

This certainly isn't the end of me as an indie. I may write books in the future that aren't a good match for traditional Big Six type publishers, which would be better placed with an indie.

There are pros and cons of both indie and traditional publishing but I want to at least try my hand at both while still figuring out my career trajectory. There's also something super special about being able to see your book, your name, on a bookshelf which sadly, most indies just can't offer.

So far as how I view myself: I'm a writer regardless of who publishes me. While my self-confidence got a major boost by signing, I'm totally realistic about the market and what it's going to take to sell my manuscript in the current publishing climate, and just look at all those amazing books my manuscript is going to be in competition with! While I certainly feel less guilty now about not working full time and spending so much time 'away with the faeries' in my fictional worlds, nothing much else has changed. I'm still new to this, still learning, and have a long, hard haul ahead of me.

A relaxed and frosty Suzanne

For budding writers and Indies out there, what advice would you give about tracking down an agent? 

Network. Join Twitter, read blogs, follow Querytracker, get involved with online conferences like WriteOnCon (happening right now) and keep a look out for the type of agent you want (personality counts more than what genre they represent and what their recent sales have been).

When querying, follow the guidelines of the agency exactly. Be polite and understand that agents are people too, and that rejection is part of life, not just part of writing. 

Also, persevere and don't give up, but also be realistic about whether or not your book will sell. There's often a difference between a good book, and a book that will sell.

That's great advice, Suzanne. I'm sure people will take notice. Thanks for talking to us and I wish you all the best.

Thanks, Wiz!

(Suzanne can be contacted on links in her original interview with Green Wizard.)