Uncategorized

Gideon’s Dilemma

/ Robert Krenzel / Leave a comment

I have been writing about Gideon Hawke for some years now. When I last wrote I left him hanging–huddled against a river bank in December, 1776, fending off the Hessians so Washington’s Army could continue its retreat to the Delaware.

Aside from the fact that people are trying to shoot him, Gideon has a problem; he is deathly afraid of losing anyone else close to him. His desire to protect those he loves is in direct conflict with the need to fight a war. To win in combat, one must often dare greatly, and daring can come at a heavy price. That is a lot of weight to rest on the shoulders of a seventeen-year-old!

I have felt this kind of conflict myself, both as a soldier and as a husband and father; frankly I have felt it most pointedly as a Dad. I can not protect my kids from everything, but I have to let them try to fly. It’s terrifying! But as heartbreaking as it is to see them fail, more often than not they SOAR, and that’s a glorious sight!

I sure hope Gideon learns that lesson!

The Battle of Brooklyn

/ Robert Krenzel / Leave a comment
Colonel John Haslet's Delaware Regiment covering the American withdrawal to the Fortifications at Brooklyn.

Colonel John Haslet’s Delaware Regiment covering the American withdrawal to the Fortifications at Brooklyn.

As I work through a career transition my progress on “Times That Try Men’s Souls” slowed to a crawl. By happy coincidence, in the last few days I have reengaged and have refined a few of the pivotal chapters: those dealing with the fighting on Long Island, specifically the Battle of Brooklyn. As I put the finishing touches on that section, I realized that tonight marks the 239th Anniversary of the opening shots of the Battle of Brooklyn! Truly an auspicious sign!

God willing this time next year my readers will be able to mark the 240th Anniversary by reading about the battle from Gideon Hawke’s perspective.

Author Interview with Isabell Lawless

/ Robert Krenzel / Leave a comment

Isabell Lawless: in her own words, “She owns CornerliveMusic Production Company, holds a Masters Degree in Ethnology, and enjoys life being a vodka drinking, meatball eating Swede living in the US.” 

Author Isabell Lawless

Author Isabell Lawless

You are a Swede living in the United States; what is your backstory?

I grew up in Sweden and at age twenty-one I left a dysfunctional relationship behind me, which also happened to become the inspiration to my first novel ‘Beast of Venery’, I met my future husband on an online dating site. As most Swede’s live or study abroad for some time in their life I sold my belongings, took a five weeks vacation to the US and fell in love. Not only with my husband-to-be, but the country itself.

I saw in one of your recent Facebook posts that you had a character in your head, and you felt compelled to write a paragraph about him, perhaps as part of a future novel. Please describe how your characters drive your novels.

So far each and every character in my books show up in my dreams: walking out from behind a building, showcasing their physical features by staring at me, sometimes telling me a few words, and then leave. If the dream happens to wake me up I scurry to the living room writing down the persona or any of their spoken words before heading back to bed. At times a person’s action compels me to investigate who he/she is and what their backstory might be. As throwing a bloody axe down in a field of grass before running away, throwing an object of importance toward me, or simple tell me what’s on their mind.

I rarely see people in my waken state and draw inspiration from them, more so potential characters hide behind a curtain of sleepiness and in my dream state of mind before entering.

You described ‘Beast of Venery’ as semiautobiographical; how close is it to real life?

There are two major violent scenes in this novel that are fictional, the sinister antagonist’s personality, spinning twists and turns with mind games, is my way of writing him out of my life. The book was partly written as therapy and partly a way of spreading a voice to those who has yet to leave that type of quiet tyranny behind.

What inspired your Gass County Novel Series?

For quite some time these four different male characters lived in my head, their lives interlace with one another, and from my love of reading books taking place in small towns, I decided to let them live in the same rural city but gave the four of them their own novel. They seemed alright with that idea.

How would you describe your writing process?

A main plot is always in place when I start writing a new book. I have certain major events that I know will take place before hand, but after that I let my pen to the work to see where it might guide me.

Do you have a favorite beverage to drink while writing?

In the morning coffee is my dearest friend, but when the day has been long and the mind is in need of relaxation a glass of wine doesn’t hurt my creativity, if any it makes the writing darker, more violent, and sometimes very erotic.

If you could share a meal and conversation with the fictional character of your choice, which character would you choose, where would you dine, and why?

I’m a romance/erotica/suspense reader at heart and fell head over heels in love with author Candis Terry’s character Reno Wilder, the sulky, hard working, but oh so hot cowboy in her novel, Anything but Sweet (Sweet Series – Wilder Brothers). Not only does his persona resemble my husband’s but what woman could decline a cold glass of wine in the backyard then being pushed up against the side of a dirty truck next to a barn at sunset just to devour one another? I know I wouldn’t.

Thanks for having me!

AMAZON:

Beast of Venery:

http://www.amazon.com/Beast-Venery-Isabell-Lawless-ebook/dp/B00N1DVD2C/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1438229134&sr=1-1&keywords=isabell+lawless

 

Burned Gasoline:

http://www.amazon.com/Burned-Gasoline-Gass-County-Novel-ebook/dp/B00SAGVLR2/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1438229134&sr=1-4&keywords=isabell+lawless

 

Once Upon A Killing: ambulance back

http://www.amazon.com/Once-Upon-Killing-County-Novel-ebook/dp/B0114X3FXK/ref=pd_sim_sbs_351_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=009TT9X69VJWVBQ1TTH2

Barnes&Nobles:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/isabell+lawless?fs=0&_requestid=879859

KOBO:

https://store.kobobooks.com/search?Query=isabell+lawless

 

Social media links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/IHLawless

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8483635.Isabell_Lawless

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Isabell-Lawless/851203198237905

Instagram: https://instagram.com/ihlawless/

Blog: http://www.isabelllawless.weebly.com/

Author Interview with Cynthia Vespia

/ Robert Krenzel / Leave a comment
Author Cynthia Vespia

Author Cynthia Vespia

Cynthia Vespia, “The Original Cyn,” is an author, screenwriter, and freelancer. She was nominated for a “Best in Series” award for her trilogy DEMON HUNTER.  I recently had the opportunity to ask her a few questions:

Darkness and death are common themes in your novels. To what do you attribute that dark influence?
In all honesty I had alot of tragedy plague my family at a young age, so alot of it is deep rooted in my past. Other than that I like to read darker tales like horror and dark fantasy.


You are a prolific writer; how do you manage to get so much writing done?
I think it’s probably because I started when I was a teenager. And at that time I wasn’t going out and partying like most high schoolers. I stayed home and wrote and that’s how the majority of my early work came about. Then as I grew into a better writer I went back and reworked a few of my first books, such as The Crescent, and repackaged them for publishing.

Where do you get the inspiration for your characters?
Real life. You run into alot of characters throughout the majority of your lifetime. Bits and pieces of these people inevitably latch onto your subconscious and then they wind up on the page. Where there are holes, or the character has to be or do something specific, obviously that’s where creativity comes in handy. Honestly creating characters is my absolute favorite part of writing. It’s like inventing a new friend.

Do you have a favorite character you have created? Which one and why?
I have a few. In my Las Vegas thriller Lucky Sevens my lead character Lucky Luchazi was an absolute joy to write. I think part of the reason was that I gave him some quirks that may come off as unlikable (for example he’s an alcoholic) but that gave him a depth of realism to work with. Also, alot of his mannerisms and dialogue were based on my own father so how could I not love him. Another character who stands out for me is the female gladiator Nadja in The Crescent. She’s compelling because she was ripped from her home and forced into slavery to fight as a gladiator but all the while she never gives up her strength. I like writing strong women. I like creating realism in my characters. I like creating characters!

Have you considered writing books in any other genres?

I learned a new term the other day, it’s hybrid-author. Simply stated it means that genres are mixing to give readers the best possible story. I do alot of mixed genre writing myself. But these days I am leaning more towards suspense with a touch of supernatural.

What has been the high point of your writing career thus far?

When you’re an independent writing it is difficult to know whether or not your writing is actually in circulation. Even with all the marketing, etc. it is hard to see if it is even making a dent sometimes. So I like to do conventions because it puts me face-to-face with readers. This past year I had a few really nice encounters with folks. A couple of different times I had some folks buy a book or two and then the next day of the convention they came back to tell me they already started the book and that they loved it! That was cause to smile right there. But, my absolute favorite moment this year was when a young couple came up to my table. The boyfriend stood in front and his girlfriend seemed to be shying away behind him too nervous to talk. He proceeded to tell me that I was this girl’s favorite author. I did a double take and then welcomed her over. She was the kind of nervous I get when I meet one of my favorite actors, etc. But she told me how much she loved my books and how excited she was to meet me in person. We posed for a few pictures and some autographs and she got a few more of my books. I cannot tell you how that made me feel. Words fail this writer except to say that I was humbled. Those moments are why I write.

If you could visit one place you have never been, where would it be and why?huntresfront

I have always wanted to go to New Zealand. It stems from watching Xena: Warrior Princess and Lord of the Rings. That is the most epic and beautiful countryside I have ever seen. Also on my bucket list is Disneyworld. I’ve been meaning to go there for years now and everytime I try to plan it something comes up. But life is short and I intend to make that happen this year!
 
Thank you for having me! Check me out online at www.cynthiavespia.com or Facebook and Twitter!

Cynthia Vespia| Original Cynwww.CynthiaVespia.com

Details and Distractions

/ Robert Krenzel / Leave a comment

Detail: an occupational hazard of writing historical fiction.

A few days ago I was able to block out an hour to write.  I had outlined the scene, and knew exactly what I wanted to get out of the session.  I started hammering away at the keyboard and was making excellent progress; then I stalled.  The culprit?  A greatcoat.  Or the lack thereof.

I was describing a man outdoors in British Army uniform in late 1776.  I was about to put a greatcoat on him, but then I wondered, “Did the British troops have greatcoats in 1776?”  I think they were issued them by the Peninsular Campaign, but that’s several decades later.  I’ve been in the Army for 24 years and am on my THIRD camouflage pattern!  Surely greatcoats could have been introduced!

At any rate, the greatcoat conundrum robbed me of about 30 minutes of writing time.  Sad, but details like that add to the authenticity of the work, so I suppose it was time well spent.

And no, the British infantry were NOT issued individual greatcoats.  Poor buggers!

Inspiration!

/ Robert Krenzel / Leave a comment

For the past several days I have been traveling with my family.  I got about half a chapter written on our flight out of KC.  I used the methodology from “2k to 10k,” which I reviewed recently, first outlining the chapter, then writing with focus and vigor!

I have not gotten much written during the trip, but I have gotten a lot of inspiration.  I have a new character I am going to try out, one who will help explore the complexities of the American Revolution.  More importantly, a great Independence Day Weekend, spent with my family, reminded my why I love this country, and why I love writing.

I’m really looking forward to the flight back, because I am going to get some serious writing done!

Azimuth Check

/ Robert Krenzel / Leave a comment

Balancing “Just Write” against “Write Smart.”

In my eagerness to get a first draft done for “Times That Try Mens’ Souls” I think I erred on the side of “Just Write.  I have not been making much progress of late, but reading “2k to 10k” really got me thinking. I needed more focus.

In the past two days I have mapped out chapters and scenes, fleshed out character info, and refined my timeline  I am almost ready to dive back into writing, and I am fired up to start banging keys again!

My GoodReads Review of “2k to 10k: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love”

/ Robert Krenzel / Leave a comment

2k to 10k: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love2k to 10k: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love by Rachel Aaron
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There is nothing really new in this book, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t with a read.

2k to 10k gives the reader common sense tips to make the process of writing and editing more efficient and fun.

When I wrote my first novel I dove into the woods. Sure, I had sort of made an outline, and I eventually built a timeline, but I spent literally months wandering around.

After getting halfway through 2k to 10k I stopped work on my current novel and started scene mapping it. I immediately changed the order of two of the chapters, linked scenes far more effectively, and found ways to squeeze more “juice” out of many scenes. Now, when I actually write those scenes, I will know where I am going and how I will get there.

2k to 10k is not the last word on writing fiction, but I wish I’d read it before I started wandering through the woods. It is a short, easy read, written by an author who earns a living by her writing. I strongly recommend it to anyone who writes fiction, or is thinking about doing so.

View all my reviews