With this post, I had to do something a little different. I want to highlight Hail Mary Publishing. I can’t remember how I came across this logo, but it instantly made me smile. This is the wittiest incorporation of the things that come to mind to make an image for a publishing company’s name that I’ve ever seen.
You can’t beat it: nun in a dress in her quarterback stance with football cocked back! Continue reading JoeyPinkney.com Highlight: Hail Mary Publishing
JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Starr Sanders, author of BloodLust: The Beginning
(Infinity Publishing)
Fifteen years ago, Iancu hung up his sword and turned his back on his own kind. A Native American slayer picks up where he left off, although she’s haunted by memories of the night her family was slain by evil incarnates. She has fought and killed every vampire that she has come across.
She’s never made an exception-until now, when she realizes that the man who saved her life fifteen years ago is a vampire. Vampires are growing restless. They want to wage war against humans, but first they must go through Iancu and Charlie.
Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea/inspiration for BloodLust: The Beginning?
Starr Sanders: I have been interested in vampire fiction since I was a teenager. What inspired me to write this particular story is the fact that there wasn’t enough vampire fiction around at the time. I enjoy a story with a fast-paced story, and not many novels fit the bill when it came to that criteria. More than anything, I wrote this story for myself, so I would have a vampire story to read.
JP: What sets BloodLust: The Beginning apart from other novels in the same genre?
SS: As mentioned before, this story has a faster pace than many other vampire fiction novels. This is, in part, because of the amount of action that was infused into the story. This novel is a lot more action-packed than most. I live for well-written action scenes and fight scenes. This novel definitely delivers.
Another factor that contributes to the fast pacing of the story is the interesting cast of characters that I have put together. It is my every intention to immerse the reader in the intricacies of this story. I want the readers to lose themselves in it.
JP:Â As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to BloodLust: The Beginning getting out to the public?
SS: One of the keys to my success has been the fact that I’m not afraid to try out new avenues of marketing. I make myself as accessible to the reader as possible. I like to get their input on the story. I like to hear their ideas on where the story should go from here… I am in constant contact with my readers.
Another key to my success has been persistence. In this business, persistence is key because not much comes easy in the literary world. There is a lot of competition out there. There are also those consumers who would rather go out and watch a movie than stay in for the night and get lost in a book. It has been and always will be my goal to persuade the non-reader to love reading.
There are many goals that I have for myself, and those goals – along with persistence and innovation – are two major elements of my success.
JP: As a Black author, how did you come to write in the horror paranormal genre?
SS: When it comes to reading, one of my pet peeves is when I am able to predict the ending of a book. When it comes to romance novels, there is a certain formula that many writers use to create a story. Hero and heroine meet; hero and heroine despise each other at first; event happens that bring hero and heroine closer together; an event or secret tears hero and heroine apart; hero and heroine overcome this event or secret and live happily ever after.
There are exceptions to this rule, of course, but for the most part that is a romance novel in a nutshell. Writing paranormal romance fiction, horror fiction, suspense/thrillers, and mystery novels are a way for me to break away from the formulated structure of the romance genre without losing the romantic element. These genres always keep the reader guessing.
JP: What’s next for Starr Sanders?
SS: In the Spring of 2009, I do have a new novel that will be released. The novel is called Open Book and will be released under the pseudonym Skye Sanders. The story follows a romance novelist named Paige Turner who accidentally submits her diary to be published instead of her latest book.
This is my first romance comedy novel, but many of the people who have had the opportunity to read it have loved it. I, myself, love it. In addition to the release of that project, BloodLust: Resurrection will be released in the Fall of 2009. I will be a busy, busy lady this year!
www.starrsanders.com
www.myspace.com/starrsanders
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P.S.S. If you want to be feature in a 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… series, email me at joey.pinkney@gmail.com or myspace.com/joeyreviews
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JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Donneil D. Jackson, author of Chante’s Song
(Pure Bliss Publishing)
Chante Chambers is a self-proclaimed princess. What mama wants her ex fiancé, Jason, makes sure she gets. The one task he failed at was being faithful, so Chante moved on. In a pursuit for love, happiness, and monogamy sometimes mistaken for sex, she encounters an array of men. If you took the best traits from them all and combined them, they still didn’t create the perfect man.
Just as Chante was ready to admit defeat in her quest for love in walks Keith, a caramel Adonis. Chante has plans of living happily ever after with Keith. That is, until Jason re-enters the picture. A lunch hour spent in between the sheets with Jason can complicate things, or can’t it?
What’s a girl to do when she’s torn between two lovers? Does she grab her panties off the floor and vow to never drop them again? Or does she go back for seconds?
Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Chante’s Song?
Donneil D. Jackson: Back in 2000, Chante Moore had a hit single got called Chante’s Got a Man. I was on the phone with a good friend of mine Shauntae, and she was singing the song. I liked how it sound. I took the concept and began writing. As time progressed, I took all of my feelings and poured it into my writing.
JP: What sets Chante’s Song apart from other novels in its genre?
DDJ: The way the story is told. I tried my best to be as descriptive, candid and realistic as possible. I think we all have read a “Chante’s Song” before, yet we have never read the story being told in the manner in which I tell it. That’s what sets my novel apart from other novels in genre and same subject matter.
JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Chante’s Song getting out to the public?
DDJ: The keys needed for me being a successful writer are determination, the ability to tell a great story and a strong support system. Determination is the Number 1 key to my success. I am determined to make this happen for me.
I believe you have to keep your readers entertained and coming back from more. This is achieved by being able to tell a great story. I pride my self in reeling the reader in as if they were a fly on the wall.
The next key is a great support system. My family is very supportive in getting the word out about Chante’s Song. My father stands outside of the bookstore and passes out bookmarks. My family is my street team. They are very good! Even, my daughter goes up to her friends’ parents like, “Do you enjoy reading?”, with a bookmark in her hand. She has watched me enough to know how to spread the word about “Chante’s Song.
I have recently enlisted the services of Dana Pittman of Nia Promotions to help take Change’s Song to the next level.
JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish Chante’s Song?
DDJ: In a perfect world, I set the atmosphere, slow music, the computer and me. Prior to my seven year old going to bed, it’s me, the computer and my munchkinneck asking me fifty million questions. It works. For the most part, I have something on paper. I can always go back and tweak it. I also get a lot of writing done at work (don’t tell my employer-LOL).
Chante’s Song was started in 2000. I finished it in 2004. I transitioned a lot since I first began writing Chante’s Song. I went from living with my mom, to living on my own, to becoming a mom and just being a full-fledge adult. During that transition, Chante’s Song sat on the shelf for a while. But once I picked her back up, there was no stopping me from seeing it to a finish product. And although it took 4 additional years to get it out, it’s out!
JP: What’s next for Donneil D. Jackson?
DDJ: Only greatness! I want my name to be a name that will be around for a while, if not forever. I want to be up there with the Terry McMillians and Lolita Files. I know I am not on their level yet, however, my goal is to one day be where they are.
Currently, I am working on my second novel, Happily Ever After. It’s a sequel to Chante’s Song. I am also getting my thoughts together for my third novel. I haven’t decided on a title yet. I have, but I don’t think I am going to go with Fairytale Bullsh*t. It’s a book about a scorned woman’s broken heart and her need for revenge.
www.pureblisspublishing.com
www.myspace.com/donneildjacksonthewriter
http://www.urban-reviews.com/insideout-donneildjackson.html
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/AAMBC/2008/10/11/Author-Exposure-w-Donniel-D-Jackson
P.S. Join the Joey Reviews Newsletter at joeypinkney.com/joey-reviews-newsletter.html
P.S.S. If you want to be feature in a 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… series, email me at joey.pinkney@gmail.com or myspace.com/joeyreviews
This Post is Sponsored by:
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