Author interview: M.R. Ward and his "A Journey of Words" storyAugust 29, 2016  /  Brian Paone
Today author M.R. Ward takes over my page with a discussion about his short story, "The Open Road," appearing in the anthology A Journey of Words (which also includes my brand new short story, "The Whaler's Dues"):
Today, my friend M.R. Ward will be taking over my blog. Michael's story, "The Open Road" appears in "A Journey of Words" from Scout Media along with my story "The Flying Tiger".

M.R. Ward - ""The Open Road"|
Synopsis: A weekend trip turns into a nightmare as four friends find themselves on a collision course with the supernatural.

What inspired you to write this story? I wanted to tell a scary story, one that would stick with the reader long after the last line. 

How long have you been writing? A year, or twenty-five, depending on your view. At thirteen, I spent a year writing stories, but lacked life experience and technical knowledge. Twenty years later I began writing a novel, but quit after a few months due to self-doubt. I never stopped creating stories in my head, though, so in 2015 I decided it was "now or never" and have remained consistent. 

What genre do you usually write in and why? Horror. I find it entertaining.

What else are you working on writing at the moment? I’m working on a short story that’s more along the lines of a paranormal love story. I’m also continuing the novel I started five years ago.
What advice do you have to give to new writers? You have to take a chance and really give your best effort, but that means putting in the time and doing the work. No one can write your story for you. 

How can people discover more about you and your work?
www.facebook.com/mrwardauthor/ 
Instragram: www.instagram.com/m.r.ward_author/

Today author Brian Paone takes over my page with a discussion about his short story, "The Whaler's Dues", appearing in the anthology A Journey of Words (which also includes my brand new short story, "The Flying Tiger"):

Author Name:  Brian Paone
Title of your AJOW story:  The Whaler’s Dues 

Post a brief synopsis of your AJOW story: An unquenchable love for an unobtainable stripper. A stolen mandolin. The rattlesnake trail. A journey on a whaleboat. Heavy water. A secret infinite world of cursed islands. An ancient legend. A changing of the guard. Strange avenues … the whaler’s dues. 
What inspired you to write this story?  Jethro Tull’s “Rock Island” album
How long have you been writing?  I wrote my first short story in 7th grade in 1988. My first published work was a novel in 2007.
What genre do you usually write in and why?  I write exclusively in a genre called rock fiction, which is a sub-genre of musical fiction, when a single song, an entire album, or the span of a band/artists complete work is turned into fiction, using the literal lyrics to directly create the plotline and story arc, and usually the title of the book/story is taken directly from the song/album that the work is an adaptation of.
What else are you working on writing at the moment?  A short story for the 2017 anthology, “A Haunting of Words,” which will be an adaptation of Porcupine Tree’s album, “Fear of a Blank Planet.” And my next novel that I am currently writing is about the eight months my wife was deployed to Djibouti, Africa, and left me home alone with two toddlers. Every night I would send her an email, usually quoting song lyrics from our favorite bands at the end. I am compiling all those songs, and will use those specific lyrics to drive the story forward.
What advice do you have to give to new writers?  Beware the procrastination demons.
How can people discover more about you and your work? (Link to your blog/facebook/etc)
www.BrianPaone.com
www.Facebook.com/BrianPaonesNovels
The anthology is available on Amazon Kindle and the paperback version can be pre-ordered through Scout Media. The general release is still scheduled for September 1. For those of you who would like signed copies, Cover price is $19.99. If you'd like a copy, please message me on either my website, www.dennisdotywebsite.com, or on my author page at www.facebook.com/authordennisdoty1. I will get them out to you as soon as they arrive and there is no charge for mailing in the continental U.S.

Author Name: Jacklynn M Desmond
Title: Six Miles to Suring

Synopsis: A young woman fleeing an abusive relationship with her baby runs into some supernatural troubles.
What inspired you to write this story? A sudden, paranoia inducing episode of Deja vu while driving home from my parent's cabin "Up North". For about thirty seconds I was absolutely convinced I was going in circles. 'What if?' took over from there.
How long have you been writing? Fourth grade. Mrs. Law's class. I got bored.
What genre do you write in? I have no idea. All over the board, really. I seem to like dead people.
What else are you writing at the moment? I'm working on the next "of Words" submission, an erotica piece for an anthology, a sequel to my novella "Sixteen" and have some back burner projects. Because ADD is real.
How can people discover more of your work? https://www.facebook.com/Jacklynn-M-Desmond-248333411971713/?fref=ts

The anthology is available on Amazon Kindle and the paperback version can be pre-ordered through Scout Media. The general release is still scheduled for September 1. For those of you who would like signed copies, I will be placing an order this week for the paperback version so I can get them out to you. I have two requests so far. If you'd like a copy, please message me on either my website, www.dennisdotywebsite.com, or on my author page at www.facebook.com/authordennisdoty1. I will get them out to you as soon as they arrive and there is no charge for mailing in the continental U.S.

So exciting. The anthology is available on Amazon Kindle and the paperback version can be pre-ordered through Scout Media. The general release is still scheduled for September 1. For those of you who would like signed copies, I will be placing an order this week for the paperback version so I can get them out to you. I have two requests so far. If you'd like a copy, please message me on either my website, www.dennisdotywebsite.com, or on my author page at www.facebook.com/authordennisdoty1. I will get them out to you as soon as they arrive and there is no charge for mailing in the continental U.S.


More exciting news, tomorrow I start a blog tour with 19 other authors from A Journey of Words. Over the next ten weeks, you will get to meet all 19 and learn more about their stories and their background. I hope that you will follow us on my blog at www.dennnisdotywebsite.com/blog.

I'm so excited. My short story, The Flying Tiger, is about to appear in the anthology, A Journey of Words, being released by Scout Media Books and Music. It is the story of one man's journey back in time to his childhood. Appearing with The Flying Tiger are thirty-four other great stories by talented writers from around the world. You don't want to miss them.      The pre-order link is up and working at http://www.scoutmediabooksmusic.com/a-journey-of-words or you can leave a message on my author page at www.facebook.com/authordennisdoty1 or my website at www.dennisdotywebsite.com and I will send you an inscribed copy as soon as they are available to me. Don't forget to leave your mailing address. Feel free to PM me if you are not comfortable leaving your address on my page.
     And still more exciting news. Fellow Journey of Words author Amy Hunter made this awesome page for me to advertise my story with. I love it. Hope you do too.