Author Name: William Thatch
Title of your AJOW story: The Highway Post a brief synopsis of your AJOW story: An abused dog gets free from her owner and goes on an adventure to see and smell things she hasn't seen and smelled before. What inspired you to write this story? A couple of things. First and foremost would be my own dogs. They're full of personality, and the family often does voices for them for our own amusement which has led to a unique vocabulary for the dogs. For example, in the story the dog refers to cars as "Big Metal Beasts" and doesn't understand that it isn't an animal, similar to to the voices / characters that our dogs have grown to be. Secondly, a character in the story called 'The Good Man' is the protagonist of a novel I'm working on titled The Wayward Son. The novel begins with his having walked from Las Vegas, Nevada to Riverton, Wyoming. I'd been daydreaming about what all happened on his way there, but didn't feel there was a story from his perspective about the walk. But, there was plenty of story in the dog going for a walk and happening to meet him. How long have you been writing? Twenty-two years, give or take. I wrote my first story when I was five or six. What genre do you usually write in and why? Science fiction. Everything I'm writing is set in the same world somehow. Sometimes the science fiction would be obvious, like characters having some sort of supernatural powers. Other times it's background details, like more advanced robotics than what we have, but it isn't the focus of the story. I usually pair the sci-fi with something else, like noir or westerns. What else are you working on writing at the moment? I have three other stories in various stages of development. The Wayward Son, as mentioned above, but that'll be a while. I'm in the beginning stages of a short story for Scout Media's next anthology (A Haunting Of Words), which will be a paranormal detective story titled Hollywoodland, Baby. Before then, however, I'm hoping to debut an ongoing short story series set in a post-apocalyptic world titled The Extinction Event. What advice do you have to give to new writers? Write. You'll suck at first, but we all did. It takes time to learn how to do this properly. Just write, make mistakes, and learn from them. If you're honest with yourself, you'll spot when you did something wrong and figure out how to not make that mistake the next time. How can people discover more about you and your work? Website: http://williamthatch.wix.com/author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The0s1s/ Twitter: @The_0
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Author Name: Uni Brown
Title of AJOW Story: The Healers Synopsis of AJOW Story: A woman suffering loss finds the healing she needs, but at what cost? What inspired you to write this story? My husband was in the hospital having surgery and while waiting for him to get out I stopped at the chapel. How long have you been writing: I think I was 7. I wrote a story about how a paragraph was a pair of giraffes and a paradox was a pair of ducks. What genre do you usually write in and why? I dislike labels. I write stories in whichever genre best fits the overall theme or moral of a story I want to tell. I'd like to think my stories get people thinking. If pushed I'd have to say probably speculative fiction, or mystery with a touch of romance or paranormal. I write fiction and non-fiction, 99% guaranteed there's going to be an animal in it. What else are you working on writing at the moment? Slow progression in a paranormal fantasy series, a mystery, a few short story ideas and a coffee table book of my dog photography. I'm trialing a process of open writing online on a near daily basis using another name (basically first draft writing in public with immediate feedback.) Nothing like adding a little stress. What advice do you have to give to new writers? Don't sit on your ass all the time. You have to get out and live. How can people discover more about you and your work? https://twitter.com/ichawksfly https://www.facebook.com/ichawksfly/ Author Name: D.T. Sako
Title of your AJOW story: Baby-Blue Bug Post a brief synopsis of your AJOW story: A guy who is down on his luck buys a VW Beetle at a price he couldn't refuse. Of course, there's more than meets the eye…:) What inspired you to write this story? It started as the challenge of writing a "journey" story for AJOW. I brought in my own experiences with a baby-blue Bug (my first car), and the story sort of told itself from that point on. How long have you been writing? I know exactly! When I was nine years old, I decided I wanted to write a boy-detective story. I pulled my dad's Underwood typewriter out of the closet (weighed more than me – LOL), and typed out what I recall was a 2 1/2 page story. What genre do you usually write in and why? I love horror, so I've gravitated to that genre. From roller coasters to Jack the Ripper films, I've always relished the cold tendrils of fear wending up my spine, and wanted to subject others to the same. But as the answer to the next question shows, my interests stray… What else are you working on writing at the moment? I have four novels in various stages of completion. A completed draft of one I call "supernatural noir" because I'm not sure how well it dovetails into any particular genre. A second WIP is definitely "classic" horror. A third WIP is historical fiction (I absolutely LOVE history). And the fourth is fantasy (doesn't a bit of Tolkien flow through all of us?). What advice do you have to give to new writers? Write. Read. Write. Read. How can people discover more about you and your work? https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDTSako/ Author Name: Travis West
Title of your AJOW story: The Errandsman's Folly Synopsis: A king's errandsman leading a caravan to deliver supplies for the princess's wedding gets more than he bargained for when he's also tasked with harboring an urchin. What inspired you to write this story? I had an image in my head one day of a man leading a caravan of toad riders. Then I started thinking of how jarring it would be to ride a hopping toad all day, so I changed toads to salamanders. The thought of little people riding amphibians put me in mind of Monty Python for some reason, and I knew the story had to have obvious comic elements. How long have you been writing? I started writing in high school. Creative writing in English class was always my favorite. My sophomore English teacher even wrote my parents a letter, asking them to encourage me to continue writing. Which I did until graduation. We don't always make the best decisions in early adulthood, and writing was forgotten although I still read all the time. Two years ago I sat down one night and wrote the beginnings of a story and I'm still going. What genre do you usually write in and why? I don't write with genre in mind. I'm currently (and slowly) working on a novel about the beginnings of a rock band in the early eighties. However, I've found that most of my short stories are speculative in one form or another. So I definitely see myself writing novels in the literary fiction genre, and my short stories can be a bit more fantastical. What else are you working on? My novel, which is currently untitled. I think I tried to jump into novel writing too soon, and I've spent the last nine months or so concentrating solely on writing shorts. It's really helped me to improve my writing. A Haunting of Words may be the last ". . . of Words" collection I participate in for a while because the time feels right to finish the novel. Those characters are still very much with me and they need to speak their piece. What advice do you have to give new writers? Beyond the advice to keep writing, don't ever be afraid to let others read what you've written. Insight from other minds is tremendously underrated as far as I'm concerned. There's no rule saying you have to use anyone's advice, but just hearing other opinions can spark ideas in you that you might not have been able to reach on your own. How can people discover more about you and your work? My blog, which currently needs some attention: travisjackflash.blogspot.com And at: Facebook.com/traviswestwrites Author name: Laurie Gardiner
Title of AJOW story: Retribution Post a brief synopsis of your AJOW story: They say life can change in the blink of an eye. Ray Tremblay is living proof. In one horrific moment his world shatters. Now, the man who destroyed his family has nowhere to hide, and Ray has nothing to lose. What inspired you to write this story: Retribution was inspired by a news story I read about a family on a road trip. How long have you been writing? As long as I can remember. What genre do you usually write in? My first novel, Tranquility, is women’s fiction. The novel I’m working on now is contemporary young adult. I enjoy reading and writing in a wide variety of genres. What else are you working on at the moment? I am currently working on a second novel and a short story. What advice do you have to give to new writers? Never stop learning. The more you know about writing, and about yourself as a writer, the better you will become. How can people discover more about you and your work? https://www.facebook.com/www.lauriegardiner.me/ http://www.amazon.com/Laurie-Gardiner/e/B00RZPBBTC https://lauriegardiner.me |