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Q & A with Andrew Q. Gordon

Champion of the Gods series fantasy author Andrew Q. Gordon talks about writing in The Land of Make Believe. You won’t want to miss out on his wonderful world of fantasy – But first Andrew answers some very interesting questions! Visit Andrew’s website for his complete title list here.

  1. When did you write your first book and what inspired you to write it?

 Depending on how one defines book, I wrote my first one in college. I still have it in a drawer, on the yellow legal pad it was written on. It was for a creative writing class. Fast forward a couple of decades, my husband knew I enjoyed writing, so he encouraged me to start again once we’d gotten settled. That is when I co-wrote my first book (Un)Masked, with Anyta Sunday.

 

2. How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?

 I wish I could say it changed for the better, but I’m not sure I can go there. 😉 Working with an editor and a publisher changed my understanding of the process. Editing helped me become a better writer. Working with a publisher helped me understand the importance of word counts, tropes, cliff hangers or no cliffs, etc.  Overall publishing the first book taught me it was a lot more work than just sitting down and writing.

 

  1. Does writing energize or exhaust you?

 In general. writing energizes me. I like when the words flow and the pages get full. Editing and deadlines exhaust me. Those feel more like work than art. Necessary of course, but it is more business side of things.

 

  1. What is your writing Kryptonite?

Sex- scenes and all out-battle royals.  I don’t like reading or writing sex-scenes so I don’t do them well and I dread writing them. I suspect there is a correlation to be had. I struggle to find a balance between dragging it on too long and not enough details. For me some things are best left to the readers imagination.

The battle of large armies also flummoxes me, but for different reasons. I know what I want to happen and I think I know how it should go, but the ebb and flow of pitched battle is difficult for me to get down on paper in a way that is realistic and enjoyable to the reader.

  1. What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?

 Hiring the click farm to vault my book to the top of the charts. (JK).  There are a lot of good things to choose from, but I’d have to say it was taking Mark Dawson’s Advertising for Authors course. Not only did it help me rethink my marketing plan from the ground up, Mark and his team totally over deliver for what they charge. They are constantly updating and upgrading the content and never ask for you to pay for new add-ons to the course.  It’s not cheap, but it was worth the money.

 

  1. What’s the most difficult thing about creating others worlds?

 Back stories for people and places. The better an author knows their world, the better the reader can relate to it. Since the world and people don’t exist, I need to make it up from nothing.  I spent a considerable amount of time in the Champion of the Gods writing back stories for characters, world history, religion etc. I’m sure I could have done a lot more, but it certainly helped that I could refer back to something when needed.

 

  1. What draws you to writing fantasy?

Magic. I’ve always wanted to be a wizard (or a really cool super hero like the Silver Surfer or Green Lantern). Writing about wizards and magic is the next closest thing to being one myself. (and it is a lot less dangerous. J )

 

  1. What are you working on now?

I’m finishing up the last few pages of When Heroes Fall, the last book in the Champion of the Gods series. From there, it will depend. I’ve been talking to a friend to co-write a series and then I want to work on one of two different series that are more urban fantasy than high or epic fantasy.  We’ll see what shakes out once I finish book 5.

 

  1. What is the first book that made you cry?

 Old Yeller. Still makes me cry today.

 

  1. If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

 Write more, care less that it be perfect out of the block, and don’t wait so long to get started. Following your dream is hard when everyone around you is settling into traditional careers. Any old career won’t make you happy unless you have a passion for it. So find what you’re passionate about and do it.

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Discover Andrew Q. Gordon on Amazon

Killer Unleashed by Beth Prentice

25458317 killer unleashedA Review: Killer Unleashed: a Humorous Romantic Mystery

You know the stuff that runs through your mind that never sees the light of your voice? Well here you get to read the thoughts of a character that are just all too familiar.
Chloe’s life turns upside down when Theo (A cute dog) arrives around the same time as Brody AKA Mr Hottie. Strange things start to happen and things are not making as much sense as they used to – especially while trying to deal with the raging hormones that see Chloe melt whenever she sees Brody.

This is a cozy read that will spike your interest, make you laugh out loud and wonder which of the characters is the unleashed killer. With each turn of the page you will learn to love the characters more and more and the ending will leave you feeling all fuzzy and warm inside – and no, that’s not my hormones talking!

See more of Beth’s work here: http://www.bethprenticenovels.com/home