Don't Be Cruel: An interview with Edward Lorn

Today's guest is Edward Lorn, author of Cruelty, an episodic horror novel, and other works.

What was your first published work?
A coming-of-age novel entitled BAY’S END. I caught a lot of flack over the language used by the kids in the book. I don’t regret a thing though. Growing up, I could have made sailors blush with the language I used. I wanted to capture that time. To this day, BAY’S END is still my favorite out of all my work.

What made you decide to go the self-publishing route for your most recent works?
This answer is easy and kind of boring. My publisher doesn’t take serial novels or novelettes. CRUELTY is an experiment I’m trying, and CRAWL just didn’t want to be any longer than it was. I refuse to lengthen a piece simply to catch a publisher. I also missed the fun of self-publishing. Being a cog in the wheel of a company isn’t half as much fun as running the show. It also gives you more freedom; freedom to succeed and call that success your own, or to fail without having to worry about letting someone else down.

What was the inspiration behind Crawl?
Strangely enough, a sad love song. “Say Something” by A Great Big World/feat. Christina Aguilera came on the radio one day and I absolutely fell in love with it. I wanted to delve into the broken relationship between two people on the verge of a collapsed marriage. I’d never tackled something like that before. Very quickly, the first half of CRAWL spooled out in front of me. When I got to the car accident I knew the story would be a keeper. I had no idea CRAWL was going to turn out so intense though. All I wanted to do was tell a tale about a couple whose relationship is crumbling. Sorry, Juliet.

What was the inspiration behind Cruelty?
Baby dolls have always terrified me. I have an eight-year-old daughter and I won’t allow her to keep them in the house. Luckily she makes due with her Monster High dolls. With my debut novel, I tackled a fictitious version of a dog bite incident I had when I was a preteen. It was cathartic. I figured I’d try that again with CRUELTY. I’ll just say that the magic did not work twice. I’m even more scared of dolls now than I was before. But at least now I get to share my nightmares.

What made you decide to do Cruelty as a serial novel?
Because the novel was 150,000 words of disjointed madness. It wasn’t until I finished the first draft of the novel that I sat back and said, “Who the hell is going to read this?” I jumped back into it with the intention of rewriting. While I was doing my first real read-through, I felt like I was watching a television show, the literary equivalent of a cable TV drama, only with slasher film overtones. I started doing some research and I found that Kindle serials weren’t all that uncommon. Scott Nicholson had announced his McFall serial, and the guys behind YESTERDAY’S GONE seemed to be doing pretty well, so I thought, “Why not?” So I self-pubbed it and rode the risk. It paid off in the end and the serial is becoming quite popular.

How many episodes are currently slated for Cruelty? 
Ten in all. Episode Five will be a mid-season finale. I’ll take a break for a month or two then come back for the final five episodes.

Biggest lesson you've learned with Cruelty?
That I should have had the entire book edited all at once instead of a chapter at a time. I’m having more and more problems finding quality editors with openings in their schedules. I think I found the answer though, so all’s good.

Any plans for non-horror works?
BAY’S END and HOPE FOR THE WICKED aren’t technically horror. One’s a coming-of-age tale with a single horrific incident that changes a group of friends’ lives forever, and the other is a thriller about a married couple who just so happen to be retried killers with a code of ethics, respectively. In the near future I have a collaboration with Linton Bowers, who’s new to the publishing scene. It’s a science fiction outing about a murder on a space station. The book is called PORT IN A STORM, and we’re halfway through with it.

Jason vs. Leatherface: Who comes out on top?
Machete beats chainsaw in my world. I never saw Leatherface as an unstoppable killer. In fact, Leatherface’s family scared me far more than he did. I’d hear that engine coming from a mile away. Blades and arrowheads and sleeping bags don’t make a sound. Extra points to anyone who knows why I included sleeping bags. One of my favorite kills of all time.

What are you reading now?
STEELHEART, by Brandon Sanderson. I’ve been branching out as of late and reaching beyond the horror genre. Any writer worth his salt is an avid reader. Need to keep your skill set honed.

What is your favorite book of all time?
Currently, NIGHT FILM, by Marissha Pessl. That book infected me, and I will be judging books based on that novel for a long time to come. Before that, Stephen King’s IT held the top spot for me for over twenty years.

What writer would you say is your biggest influence?
This is a tie between Stephen King and Richard Laymon. King is far more verbose than Laymon ever was, but King can make you care for a slice of cheese if he tried. Laymon was much quicker with his character development, if he developed character at all. What I loved about Laymon was how twisted that man was. He didn’t give a flying fornication for sensitive readers or censorship. He knew his audience and he wrote to please them. His content is the most intense I’ve seen outside of dark fantastic, gorehounds like Edward Lee and Brian Keene, who seem only to be doing what they do with the sole intent of making people sick to their stomachs. Characters be damned. Jack Ketchum is the present day Laymon, but he’s not really an influence of mine.

Is there a particular book that made you want to be a writer?
DOLORES CLAIBORNE, by Stephen King. Before that novel I thought horror was all about monsters: vampires, werewolves, and masked serial killers. I got to part where she throws her husband down the well and had to put the book down. I heard that man scratching at the walls of the well every night for a full month. I ended up finishing it, but I’ll never read it again, and I have reread almost everything King’s ever produced. I went away from that book with one goal. I wanted to do that to a reader. Scare the bejeebus out of them with nothing but my imagination and some well placed words.

What's next on your plate?
PENNIES FOR THE DAMNED, the sequel to HOPE FOR THE WICKED, will be out at some point. I’m in the thick of rewrites now, and not sure when I’ll be done. I have a collaboration other than PORT IN A STORM with Linton Bowers, too; a novel entitled CHUCKLERS that author Jeff Brackett and I are writing together. The book is based on a short story I wrote called “He Who Laughs Last.” Then I have two novellas, SICK LOVE and PRETZEL, that I’m currently writing, and a novel, OLD SCRATCH. I’m always busy, but 2014 will be my busiest year yet.

Any words of wisdom for aspiring writers?
Everything you write should be looked upon as expendable. Never write a story, novelette, novella, novel, epic, anything with the sole intention of getting it published or publishing it yourself. Write for you first then the reader. If you find yourself bored with a story, odds are your reader will be bored as well. Finish everything you write, no matter how much you hate it, and then tuck it away. This is about practice, and you should practice how you want to perform. If you’re constantly throwing away manuscripts, you’ll never learn how to complete one. This writing game is a game of averages. You’ll eventually come across the diamond in the rough. Or you won’t. Then I suggest taking up another hobby, like collecting your toenails or cat hoarding.

Oh, and for the love of Tom Cruise, read! Read, read, and read some more.

Giant Monster Renaissance Man: An interview with J.M. Martin

Today's guest is J.M. Martin, one of the head honchos at Ragnarok Publications as well as one of the masterminds behind Kaiju Rising, an anthology of giant monster tales.

You've had an interesting career. What was it like working with Caliber?
It was the most fun I’ve had working for someone. Publisher Gary Reed is a brilliant guy and about the coolest boss one could ask for. I don’t know how many times he bought dinner for me “just because.” And my co-workers were all incredibly cool people, too. We made comic books and toys for a living! It doesn’t get much better than that.

In the beginning we also shared space with Stabur Home Video, a well as McFarlane Toys’ satellite office in Michigan, so there were a couple dozen of us and our jobs crossed over with all three companies; in a typical day I’d sift through art submissions, make some calls, letter some comic pages, work on a video ad, design a logo, answer emails, do a Spawn® promotional piece of the McFarlane Collectors Club, and then at closing time we’d order pizza, Gary would make a beer run, and we’d fire up Age of Empires or Diablo over the network and go to war against one another until dark. We even had an annual softball team. There was great fun and great camaraderie.

It’s neat to see all the talent that started with Caliber and have gone on to even more exposure, folks like David Mack, Brian Michael Bendis, Mike Carey, Tom Sniegoski, Guy Davis, Vincent Locke, Michael Oeming, Philippe Xavier, Michael Gaydos, Joe Pruett, Tim Vigil, Kevin VanHook, Phil Hester, Mike Perkins...we just had a metric frickin’ ton of artists and writers cutting teeth while at Caliber.

Unfortunately, consolidation of the IADD (comic distribution market) put an end to those days, as Diamond bought out the competition and forced exclusivity contracts. Caliber got buried in the Previews catalog, then there was a printing fiasco with a collectible card game that resulted in the loss of huge P.O.’s from mass market retail chains, and basically a slow death ensued after that. Even winning a lawsuit against the printer did very little for us. Fortunately, in this new age of digital publishing and by farming out titles to other publishers, Gary’s been able to resurrect some of Caliber’s titles, so the company lives on in its own way.

What was it like working for Privateer during the d20 boom?
I met Matt Wilson at a comic con in Cincinnati in 1998. Back then he was wanting to get into comics and we agreed to have him do a cover for one of our fantasy titles called Legendlore that I wrote and Philippe Xavier drew. That never came about, but we stayed in touch sporadically over the next couple years. He called me one day around the winter of 2000 and made an offer to come aboard and be part of the Privateer inner circle. I eventually assumed the Managing Editor position and worked for Privateer for four years.

It started out great, lots of creative license and laughs and brainstorming and making cool stuff for gamers—I couldn’t tell you how many contributions I made to the company’s IP—but honestly Matt just went through a personality shift along the way and he became very unapproachable. He ended up driving everyone from the inner circle away—meaning Matt Staroscik, Mike McVey, Brian Snoddy, and myself—because we were the only ones who would still question his direction (I actually wanted to describe him as going “utterly bananas” but my wife said no). You could probably talk to Snoddy for a more interesting take. Anyhow, Privateer continues today thanks to the creations and labors of a lot of good folks who deserve credit and receive none. It’s unfortunate, but one must live and learn.

What's the story behind the formation of Ragnarok Publications?
After two very promising forays in publishing ended unhappily for me, I was pretty burned on publishing in general. I went back to school and became an Occupational Therapy Assistant and went to work in a skilled nursing facility for a while with disabled geriatric patients. That lasted about a year before I realized I needed to get back in publishing. It’s what I truly loved.

What's the story behind Kaiju Rising?
Nick Sharps has become a good friend via our interactions on Facebook, and one night after we had both seen Pacific Rim we started talking Kaiju and, basically, he mused how cool would a Kaiju-inspired anthology be? Nick’s mind works a mile a minute so he likely would have moved on to the next idea, but I told him— having just started up Ragnarok with Tim—that if he could get some actual authors on board, we’d do it. Nick took that as a challenge (don’t ever challenge him to do something unless you’re prepared to have it done) and he immediately went after Jeremy Robinson because he was such a fan of Project Nemesis. Jeremy was unable to fit a story into his schedule, but he did end up doing the foreword for us, plus he got his pal, author Kane Gilmour, aboard. The project snowballed from there as Nick hunted down every author he suspected was also a Kaiju fan and built a pretty impressive lineup.

Of course, we had zero budget for this thing, so Kickstarter became the logical choice. I built the campaign from the ground up, basically going with my gut and plying my Photoshop skills, and after it was over we’d achieved almost 186 percent of goal; some of the authors told us it was one of the best Kickstarter campaigns they’d seen. I laugh because I remember Gini Koch saying, “Gee, if you did that based on intuition alone, imagine what you could achieve if you actually knew what you were doing.”

What's your favorite giant monster story NOT in the book?
Does Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein count? Not giant enough? What about Frankenstein Conquers the World? Yeah, not a great one but as a kid I saw that and the concept stuck with me. I don’t think I’d watch it today. Might ruin my childhood.

As a teen I remember going to a friend’s house and we’d watch all kinds of Godzilla and other Kaiju movies while we played D&D. To be honest, I was always more drawn to the heroic giants like Frankenstein and the the large mechs like Ultraman and Jet Jaguar. That must be why I really dug Pacific Rim.

What else does Ragnarok Publications have in the pipeline?
Kaiju Rising fans will be pleased to know we have another anthology planned for late in the year tentatively called Mech: Age of Steel. It’s a follow up, or companion volume, to Kaiju Rising. We have some excellent commitments to it already, and that’s one where Nick has again handled the bulk of the acquisitions.

We also have a fantasy antho planned for this summer called Rogue: Assassins, Mercenaries, Thieves, with our lineup pretty much set for that. We’ll be announcing more details soon, but I can tell you that Mark Lawrence has already turned in a story that ties into his Broken Empire trilogy. We’re also doing this one as a co-publishing venture with Roger Bellini’s company, Neverland Books.

What author would you most like to work with for a future Ragnarok publication?
That’s a toughie because we already have so many great authors lined up, like Mercedes Yardley, who is amazing, and Kenny Soward, who is Master of Gnomes and writes epic fantasy, Seth Skorkowsky’s “Valducan” series is exciting, and recently we picked up Timothy Baker’s “Hungry Ghosts.” Ragnarok’s reputation is also growing and the word’s getting out about how author-friendly we are, so we’ve been able to attract traditionally-published authors like Django Wexler, too (and we’re speaking to another).

So, getting back to your question, I say ALL THE AUTHORS! Hah. For me, personally, I’d like to time travel a few years back and work with David Gemmell. He’s the author who has probably influenced me the most, other than my childhood idols of Tolkien, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Lloyd Alexander, and Stan “The Man” Lee.

As an editor, what advice would you give to fledgling writers?
Make your manuscripts lean and mean. Analyze every adverb. Don’t info dump. Show, don’t tell. Read lots. And remember to vary your sentence lengths. Good writing should flow and have a pleasing melody. Read your work aloud. And bear in mind, especially self-publishers, that a good editor is crucial. I think self-publishing is getting much better these days, though. The good stuff’s rising to the top.

Also, stay on target. If you’re going after a traditional publisher and/or agent, rejection is part and parcel. Don’t let it discourage you. Keep at it, and use social media to your advantage (without being a pest or a total weirdo stalker creeper).

When Kaiju Rising ushers in a giant monster renaissance and you are crowned emperor of the world, what city will bear your wrath first and with which giant monster?
As emperor, my first order of business would be to unleash the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man on Mogadishu in Somalia. That place is a real mess and could use a nice slathering of confectionary retribution. Perhaps a massive blast of sugary corn syrup will defuse all the hardcore militants. I just want peace...and lots of candy. And I’m betting, deep down, that’s all they really want, too.

So Sayeth the Crowman: An Interview with Joseph D'Lacey

Today's guest is Joseph D'Lacey, author of The Black Dawn Duology.

How long was the Black Dawn in your head before you put pen to paper? I understand the road to publication was a long one.
Some of the earliest triggers were from my adolescence; studying crows for an art project, in fact. But many other people and experiences contributed to the germination over the years. I began writing in Oct ’09 and finished a year later – both novels were originally written as a single work, incidentally. It then took me a further two years to sell the project. Compared to some of my novels, though, that’s actually not bad!

How did you hook up with Angry Robot?
The novel had been doing the rounds and had received genuine interest from editors at some big publishing houses. Unfortunately, despite being ‘chosen’ the book didn’t make it through subsequent acquisition meetings – you discover all these things much later, of course. Anyway, one evening, very late, I found myself talking to an Angry Robot editor in a bar at a convention and pitched the idea to him. He said he wanted to see it. The rest is history.

What are the big inspirations behind The Black Dawn?
I wanted to write the story of a messiah from birth to martyrdom and I wanted to do that in a ‘contemporary’ setting. I also wanted this particular apocalypse to be an ultimately positive event. I love the idea of ‘light out of darkness’ and tried hard to bring that theme to the work.

Was it hard to shift gears from the horror of your earlier works like Meat when writing Black Feathers and The Book of the Crowman?
I tend to write the-idea-that-won’t-leave-me-alone before all the others. That sometimes means I end up working in a genre that I’m not ‘associated’ with.

When I wrote MEAT, I was utterly consumed by the horrors of slaughter and was hell bent on exploring that, to the maximum, in a fictional setting. But it wasn’t the genre that drove me, it was the theme. The same was true for The Black Dawn books, which are perceived as Fantasy rather than Horror.

What ties many of my individual works together is not genre so much as ecological and environmental themes. I expect that will continue to be the case for some time.

Have you ever played Dungeons and Dragons? The Keepers remind me of D&D Druids.
I’ve never tried any role-playing games, however, the Keepers certainly are druidic by nature. They are the healers and shamans of The Bright Day, communing with spirit and nature with every breath.

That said, if anyone ever used any of my characters in RPGs, I’d be nothing but flattered!

What are you reading now?
‘Path of Needles’ by Alison Littlewood – a murder thriller with an edge of the supernatural…

What is your favorite book of all time?
I must have a dozen or more favourite books of all time!

Among them: Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, The Great and Secret Show by Clive Barker and Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker series.

What writer would you say is your biggest influence?
Probably Stephen King.

I love his work – particularly his early novellas and short fiction – but I think he also helped me to believe that I could write. By the time On Writing came out, I’d been pursuing ‘the craft’ for a few years but it remains the only book about writing that I’ve read three times and would read again.

Is there a particular book that made you want to be a writer?
Every book I’ve ever read, I think! I loved books and bookshops and libraries from an early age. So when I was reading something – anything – I always aspired to be as good as the great writers and do better than the dreadful ones.

What's next on your plate?
Right now, I’m working on a story for Jurassic London’s A Town Called Pandemonium #2. A bit tricky because it’s set in 1923 and means I’m doing a lot of research.

After that, the next novel is giving me those come-hither looks – more Fantasy, perhaps…

Any words of wisdom for aspiring writers?

• Write as much as you can, in every possible way and style.
• Experiment. All the time.
• Write 1000 uncensored, free-flow words every day – before writing.
• Read books, do courses, attend lessons, join writing groups, use editors. Leave no ‘educational’ door untried.
• Discard what doesn’t feel right and live by your hard-won personal writing truths.
• Allow yourself to make a tankerload of mistakes – you have to fuck up before you can learn anything.
• Write what you love in order to find your authentic voice.
• Enjoy the process – it’s an awful process sometimes – because beating yourself up doesn’t help.
• Persevere. If you quit, you’ll never find out what happens at the end!

More than seven questions with James Moore

Today's guest is James Moore, author of the upcoming Seven Forges.

How long was Seven Forges in your head before you put pen to paper?
I was batting the idea around for a little over six months before I finally broke down and started writing anything. That’s not really unusual for me. If I think of something I usually wait a while to see if the idea sticks. I have ideas all the time. It’s a matter of seeing which ones are worth revisiting.

How did you hook up with Angry Robot?
I had a friend of mine who sometimes works as my first reader suggest them to me as a good fit for SEVEN FORGES. So I picked up a few of their books to see what sort of stuff they were doing and then decided he was right.

What are the big inspirations behind Seven Forges?
Honestly, I just wanted to do something different. Something that was a change of pace for me. And I love the idea of a serious culture clash. I started toying with the differences between a large and complacent world power and a smaller but very, very hungry nation and my mind sort of ran off in its own direction.

How many books in the series do you have planned?
I’m currently contracted for two novels, but honestly I have at least a dozen stories bouncing in the back of my head. I am already in love with Fellein and with the Blasted Lands.

Who would you cast in a Seven Forges movie?
Heh heh heh. Let’s see. Vin Diesel, James Purefoy, Jason Momoa, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansen, Tom Hiddelston, Taylor Kitsch, Daniel Craig, Emma Stone, Emma Watson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Julianne Moore, Andrew Garfield, Hugh Jackman….I can think of any number of possibilities.

What are you reading now? 
Westlake Soul, by Rio Youers. I just finished The Language of the Dying by Sarah Pinborough. Before that it was Joyland by Stephen King. All three are excellent.

What is your favorite book of all time?
One book? GAH! Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury.

What writer would you say is your biggest influence?
Over all? Stephen King.

Is there a particular book that made you want to be a writer?
Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach made me believe I could be a writer. The World According to Garp by John Irving made me fall in love with the written word.

Any non-series books in the works? 
A couple planned. I’m currently working on the sequel to Seven Forges, tentatively called The Chosen. I’m also working on a novel called Boom Town, a novel called Fresh Kill and a collaborative novel tentatively called The Suburbs of Hell. I also plan on working on about three more novels in the immediate future. I like to stay busy.

Any words of wisdom for aspiring writers?
Read every day. Read different types of books. Expand your horizons. Write for yourself. Always write for yourself. No exceptions. If YOU do not like your book you readers most likely won’t like it either. Write every day. Every day. Finish the book and THEN edit. Do not edit while writing the first draft or you risk never finishing the book.

Automatons and Aerostats - An Interview with David Barnett

Today's guest is David Barnett, author of Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl.

How long was Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl in your head before you put pen to paper?
Gideon was one of those weird books that kind of burst forth fully formed; well, not really, obviously, but as soon as I started thinking about what I wanted to do I almost immediately had the bones of the story mapped out. It was only when I started putting flesh on the bones that it emerged I was sort of writing about the nature of heroism and heroes.

How did you hook up with Tor?
When I’d finished the first book, or at least the first full draft of it, I sent it to my amazing agent John Jarrold who started to put it out. Claire Eddy at Tor came back very quickly and expressed interest, and we decided to work with them, which was an excellent decision. Claire is an excellent editor and Tor are right behind the Gideon books.  The book will be published simultaneously in the UK by Snowbooks, and Emma Barnes there has done a great job on a completely different cover design.

What are the big inspirations behind Gideon Smith?
Not so much current steampunk fiction but more Victorian adventure literature in general and specifically the pulps and penny dreadful – Boy’s Own adventure stories, the derring-do of square-jawed, flag-waving defenders of the Empire, which I wanted to get under the skin of.

Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl isn't your first trip to the rodeo. What made you want to write a steampunk book?
I never sat down and said, “Right, going to do steampunk next”. I wanted to write a full-blooded, head-down, charging at 100mph adventure story, but with modern literary sensibilities. The Victorian era fit the bill nicely as the world was still a new, exciting and in some cases undiscovered place, but society and people are recognizable to us today. The steampunk gloss came from necessity – I wanted to shift characters across the world pretty quickly, and the old steampunk trope of airships came in handy for that. Then I started messing about with alternate history, and Gideon’s world kind of emerged from that.

How many books in the series do you have planned?
Tor have bought three Gideon novels. The second one is Gideon Smith and the Brass Dragon, out in June 2014, and the third is as yet untitled but out, I think, in February 2015. They’re all standalone novels but they do form part of a longer story arc. I reckon six books in total should tell the first story arc, but whether that happens largely depends, I suppose, on sales of the first three.

Who would you cast in a Gideon Smith movie?
I answered this question recently on a blog post (with pictures!)

What are you reading now? 
Just been re-reading a load of Kerouac novels for a piece I did for the Guardian newspaper; currently reading Charles Stross’s The Bloodline Feud (first two books of his Family Trade series). Think I’ll be looking at Ben Aaronovitch’s Broken Homes next.

What is your favorite book of all time?
God, impossible to say. Changes on a daily basis. I do always have a soft spot for Kerouac’s On The Road, and I re-read Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes every Halloween. I also love RA Lafferty’s Fourth Mansions, which is bonkers.

What writer would you say is your biggest influence?
I don’t think I am inspired by actual books or writing, but very often by writers and what they say, if that makes sense? In other words, I don’t look at other books and think, Hmm, I’d like to write something like that. I recently interviewed Neil Gaiman and found him hugely inspiring – he started off in newspapers and I work as a journalist by day, and pretty much every thing he says about writing and creativity chimes with me.

Is there a particular book that made you want to be a writer?
Probably John Irving’s The World According To Garp. Beautiful, weird and human.

Any non-series books in the works? 
Yeah, I’ve got a few that I wrote pre-Gideon which weren’t published which I still think are great, though they probably need a fresh look at them. I’ve got stacks of ideas and half-started works, but it kind of depends on how Gideon does, whether Tor want any more books out of me, and what they’d like to see. Everything I write has some kind of fantastical elements, but I can’t see at the moment that I’d write non-Gideon steampunk.

Any words of wisdom for aspiring writers?
Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl was the seventh book that I submitted to my agent John Jarrold, and the first one to get a major publishing deal. Some writers are overnight successes and earn six-figure sums based on one chapter of a book. I’m not one of those writers, and probably no-one reading this is either. An obvious piece of advice: If you want to be a writer, you’ve got to write. A perhaps less-obvious piece of advice: If you want to be a writer, you’ve got to keep writing, even when you’ve papered your spare room with rejection slips and it feels like the whole world is telling you it isn't worth the effort.

Three (plus nine) Questions with Jay Posey

Today's guest is Jay Posey, author of Three.

How long was Three in your head before you put pen to paper?
I had the seed of the story for a good couple of years, but I’d never been able to find quite the right home for it in terms of setting.  I ended up writing a short story that I thought was going to be completely unrelated but a few months after I finished it, I discovered it inspired some of the missing pieces for Three, and it all finally fell into place for me.

How did you hook up with Angry Robot?
I had the support of two great writers, Richard Dansky and Matt Forbeck.  They were both kind enough to point me in Angry Robot’s direction and provide the necessary introductions.  And then of course the Robot Overlords were kind enough to extend their Assimilation Forceps and everything is a little hazy after that, but from what I recall they’re the greatest publisher ever and we should be thankful for their soon and coming benevolent reign.

What are the big inspirations behind Legends of the Duskwalker?
In terms of themes and setting, the Classic Western I think is a pretty obvious one, with a splash of anime and cyberpunk mixed in.  I think the heart of the story, though, really comes from a personal desire to explore some ideas about sacrificial love and surrogate fatherhood.

How many books in the series do you have planned?
I’m finishing up the second now, and have the framework for a third.   I think after that I’ll probably take some time to see how my brain is doing creatively and whether or not people actually want more books in the series.  There are a lot of stories still to be told in that world, but I’m hesitant to get too far ahead of myself.

Who would you cast in a Three movie?
This is one I’d rather leave up to the readers’ imaginations.  I’m actually very curious to see how other people imagine the characters from the book.  Several of the people who read the early manuscript had wildly different ideas of what Three looked like, which I thought was awesome.

What are you reading now? 
Well, I was supposed to save it as my reward for finishing The Sequel to Three, but I decided to sneak a peek at Wesley Chu’s The Lives of Tao.  I’m on Chapter 26 now.

What is your favorite book of all time?
Good grief, you’re not one for softball questions are you?  There are so many great books out there and so many I still have yet to read.  If I don’t overthink it though, I guess my reflexive answer is The Hobbit.  It has such a great mix of humor, adventure, danger, and wonder, and it manages a great balance between light and heavy things.  It’s probably the book I’ve read the most times in my life.

What writer would you say is your biggest influence?
Probably unsurprisingly, I would guess J.R.R. Tolkien, though I think I’m more influenced by how he thought and talked about writing than I am by his actual (legendary) works.  When I get stuck, I don’t really ask myself “What would Tolkien do?” or anything (because if I did I’m pretty sure the answer would be “He’d do something you are incapable of because he’s a genius and you’re a hack!”), but I’ve read some of his essays and lesser known works, and just found a lot of what he had to say about Story to be compelling and personally significant.  His essay On Fairy Stories in particular meant a lot to me.  Also, in the foreword  to one of the editions of The Lord of the Rings that I have, he recounts the difficulty he had in completing it (over a 13 year period) and his honesty throughout that piece helped me realize that a lot of the doubts I’ve faced as a writer weren’t mine alone.

Is there a particular book that made you want to be a writer?
I can’t think of a single, particular book that made me want to be a writer, and I really can’t even identify a specific time where I felt like I suddenly decided “I want to be a writer!”.  I’ve pretty much always enjoyed making up stories, and I think it was more of a gradual discovery for me to think that maybe I could take writing more seriously and do it professionally.  I grew up reading a lot of Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman’s work, and I remember using my assigned journal time in middle school to write short stories in a similar vein.  It wasn’t really until I was in my twenties though that I decided to give it a shot as a profession.

What is your favorite post-apocalyptic book, movie, and video game?
The Road by Cormac McCarthy (book), The Road Warrior (movie), and The Last of Us (video game).  I really appreciated how The Road handled making such small things significant.  And of course watching The Road Warrior is pretty much a rite of passage.  I actually haven’t gotten to spend very much time playing The Last of Us yet, but already from the little bit I’ve played, I just feel like Naughty Dog did an amazing job of capturing the feeling of a post-apocalyptic world while keeping it accessible.

Any non-Duskwalker books in the works? 
I have several projects on various back- and side-burners.  The Duskwalker series is definitely my focus for now and the immediate future, but I have a more military sci-fi thing that I’d like to put more time in eventually.  I also have more of a fantasy-type thing that’s been lying dormant for a number of years that I would like to get back to one day.

Any words of wisdom for aspiring writers?
Get in the habit of writing every day (or five days a week), even when you don’t feel like it.  Maybe especially when you don’t feel like it.  Writing is a lot like exercise, and if you can stick with it and make it a habit, you’ll eventually find that you feel weird if you go a day without writing.  And of course, the most important thing to remember: no one can actually keep you from being a writer but you.

Special Bonus Feature:
Angry Robot is giving away two signed copies of Three.  Each stop on this Blog Tour of Three by Jay Posey has a unique question.  Be sure to enter your answers into the giveaway by dropping by My Shelf Confessions and enter your answers in the rafflecopter widget! You can answer as many or as few as you like as each answered question gets you an extra entry!

Here's the questions for my stop: Question #3  "What genre does Three get filed under?"

Ask the Reviewers - Benoit Lelievre

Today's guest is Benoit Lelievre.  Benoit also posts at Dead End Follies.

How did you discover Goodreads?
At the first and last writing conference I've ever been to. Authors Catherine McKenzie and Claude Lalumière mentioned being on it, so I checked it out and been a members ever since. I'm still following the two authors' careers from their Goodreads account also. Catherine is very active, she does a lot of contests and whatnot.

What have been your most memorable Goodreads experiences?
Reading "Most Read Authors" sections that blow me away. Most recently, Charles Gramlich's. If someone I share interests with has read 70 novels by an author and 100 by another, maybe he's on to something I should check out for myself. That's the beauty of literature. Just when you thought you've seen it all, you get hooked into a whole new world. A whole new current.

Name one reviewer not in the Forbes 25 that people should be aware of.
Caleb J. Ross. He mainly does video reviews, but sometimes he graces Goodreads with his tremendous, accurate insight. He's both pertinent and not intimidating, which I think is a rare gift.

What was your initial reaction to Amazon buying Goodreads?
Long story short, not much. I don't think Amazon is that supreme evil people make it out to be. At least not publishing-wise. They are not great by any means either, but they shuffled the board of an industry that abused writers and published crap for money since before them and I think they're making things interesting because other publishers will have to adapt.

Ultimately, the purchase of Goodreads is another step in their takeover of the publishing industry and that could become an issue given a multiple number of what-ifs. But right now, nothing really changed. If status quo remains, it won't change anything except that the business revenue will go in Amazon's pocket instead of whoever owner Goodreads before and that doesn't really affect me.

How many books do you own?
About 600-700. I have two and a half bookshelves filled, two with fiction only. Given the lack of storage in my home, I'll consider doubling up on my shelves' rows. They're big enough for me to do it.

Who is your favorite author?
Dennis Lehane. Many made my heart race, but not quite the way Lehane did. Honorable mention to Chuck Palahniuk, Haruki Murakami and Francis Scott Fitzgerald.

What is your favorite book of all time?
That's hard. I'd say it's a tie between Fight Club and Mystic River. The first turned me full-time reading and the second turned me to writing.

What are your thoughts on ebooks?
They're fine. I own a Kindle. Most of them are a lot cheaper than paperbacks.

What are your thoughts on self-publishing?
It's a complicated question. I'm all for it, because as a book reviewer, I was lead to dive head first into the self-publishign revolution. Lots of people don't really understand what it is. Basically, it's powered by Amazon's Kindle Store, which is kind of a thunderdome for writers. Whoever has been unjustly rejected by publishing, feels unjustly rejected by publishing or has written something that was called great, but unpublishable has a fighter's chance there.

For now, it's like a parallel universe to print publishing. You will find a lot of writers who you've never heard about, who make a good name for themselves. People like Vincent Zandri and Dani Amore. The most beautiful part of that is that it's all part of Amazon's marketing plan. They're cherry picking the best selling authors and offering them contracts with their publishing company Thomas & Mercer. It's brilliant and they end up with the best new writers doing that. Self-Publishing and mostly the Kindle Store made the publishing democratic again with prose quality and online buzz being the only two variables that matter.

Any literary aspirations?
Yes. I think it's a normal reaction when you read viscerally and lots of people do that. I have about ten, fifteen short stories published. Crime fiction, mostly. Some published in places like Crime Factory, Needle Magazine and Beat to a Pulp, which I'm pretty proud of. I'm still figuring out how to write something decent that's over 10 000 words, but that's another story.

Meet the Shelf Inflicted Staff - Stephanie

Today's guest is the Artist Currently Known as Stephanie.

How did you discover Goodreads?I was was working at a veterinary office with Heidi Henry and Carey. One day Heidi said to me "there's a new online social site called Goodreads, I know you're a reader so I thought you might like to check it out." And so I did. I only used it to keep track of my books and I even remarked to the girls "you know, some of the people on this site get down right serious about reviewing books." And now I'm one them.

What have been your most memorable Goodreads experiences?When I discovered the caliber of people you can find here and make good friends of, and when I first got on the top reviewer list

Name one reviewer not in the Forbes 25 that people should be aware of.Steve Kendall.....his reviews are beautiful, and he's a really nice person.

What was your initial reaction to Amazon buying Goodreads?Negative. But there is nothing I can do about it so there is no reason to stress over it.

How many books do you own?not many. I tend to give them away if I own them in print, I see no reason to leave them sitting around unloved when someone else could be enjoying them. And since I moved all over creation I have donated trunk fulls to local libraries when I moved (and those helping me move would bitch about lugging the boxes of books.) I do have quite a few on Kindle and audio.

Who is your favorite author?Margaret Atwood, Kurt Vonnegut and Stephen King.....like I could pick just one.

What is your favorite book of all time?The Handmaids Tale, The Dark Tower if you count a series as one.

What are your thoughts on ebooks?I love ebooks.....

What are your thoughts on self-publishing?It can be a good thing and a bad thing. Editing is sorely overlooked when one self publishes but I do admire people for taking the chance and going for what they want.

Any literary aspirations? No. None really, but I would be very proud of myself if I could write a book. Never say never.

Meet the Shelf Inflicted Staff - Terry

Today's guest is Shelf Inflicted's superintelligent infant Terry.


How did you discover Goodreads?

Wow it seems so long ago I'm not sure I remember. Sometime around 2008 I think I was practicing my Google-fu and came across a website that purported to be a great social site for readers, sort of Bookface, combined with a library catalogue system. I joined, and tentatively posted some reviews, but seeing as I had no friends or followers at the time not much happened as a result. I came back in 2011 and learned the ropes a bit better...read reviews, threw around some likes, made some friends, posted reviews of my own and got the ball rolling until it became the number one web addiction in my life that it is today!


What have been your most memorable Goodreads experiences?

I think the first few reviews that got likes (and comments) and motivated me to keep on reviewing, as well as my occasional cracking of the top 10 reviewers from Canada have been the most memorable to me. You'd probably have to add to that invitations from others to join groups, contribute to blogs and the like...it's nice to feel loved and the social element of GR is what keeps me coming back. I haven't really posted any controversial reviews so I don't get troll-wars or long-standing comment thread discussions that might add a bit more spice, but I do have fewer burn marks and battle scars than some as a result which I guess is a plus.


Name one reviewer not in the Forbes 25 that people should be aware of.

Only one? I guess I'd give a shout-out to ex-pat Canuck Ben Babcock who's got some great reviews out there.


What was your initial reaction to Amazon buying Goodreads?

Trepidation. Was I going to be censored (though I guess given my lack of controversial reviews as noted above that wasn't likely to be too much of a concern), or lose ownership of my reviews? Also, given that Amazon is a megacorporation that only cares about the bottom line I was worried. As far as I'm concerned they don't have a good track record: after all they are the ones who bought out Lexcycle (the makers of Stanza, the best ereader app out there) just so they could kill it, and given that they seem to think that an example of a good review is one produced by the Harriet Klausner-bot I was not happy.

How many books do you own?

Probably somewhere around 1200-1300


Who is your favorite author?

Are you really asking this? Do you expect a real answer? My heart says Tolkien...I have a long and storied history with old JRRT and while I would have to admit that he may not be the absolute best author on my list (though I think he is a great writer...far better than his detractors will often give him credit for), he will probably always be my favourite. I will cheat by saying that I must also include Sean Stewart, David Mitchell, and Alexandre Dumas, père in this answer!


What is your favorite book of all time?

*sigh* Ok, make it tough why don't you?! The Silmarillion (and by extension the LotR), The Count of Monte Cristo, Watership Down, and a new one: Islandia (thanks for the push Richard!) are all books I could not live without.

Oh, um, can I also add Dune, The Name of the Rose, and Riddley Walker to that list? And maybe Engine Summer, Moby Dick and....(you get the picture.)


What are your thoughts on ebooks?

Love 'em. Keep 'em coming! How great is it to be able to port a 1200+ library in your pocket? I can safely say that I have done more reading in the last few years with my ereader than I ever did in any single period before. I still love the look, feel and esp. smell of dead-tree books, but my go-to version these days is of the e-variety.


What are your thoughts on self-publishing?

I think it's great that this exists as a viable option in our day and age given the technology to produce them and ubiquity of the web to promote and distribute them that we have. I don't read much (if any) self-published stuff, but I am not averse to it in theory...just make sure some kind of editor was involved and avoid rookie mistakes like spelling errors, punctuation and the like.


Any literary aspirations?

Don't we all? But I'm afraid my laziness and lack of self-confidence have had a strangle-hold on my throat (and writing arm) for most of my life. Now that I have two kids I have another excuse for why it's too hard to write. I think reviewing is filling some of that void, but I still mean to write a 'real book' one of these days! I will, damn it!

What is your ideal super villain lair?

Wow, so many choices? How does one choose? The classic panache of the abandoned castle on the moors? The accessibility and subterfuge of the volcano/hollowed out mountain? The mobility of the submarine? I think I will cheat and claim all three: an abandoned castle built on the edge of a hollowed out volcano located on a tropical island and accessible only via secret submarine!

Meet the Shelf Inflicted Staff - Anthony Vacca

Today's guest is Anthony Vacca, the result of C.W. Sughrue and Nick Stefanos mating successfully.


How did you discover Goodreads?
A friend of mine told me about it back in 2009. I joined the site as mainly a way just to catalogue what I read so I could impress myself with how many books I read. My plan didn’t work out though and I am still hoping we can work things out.

But then about a year ago I had a lot more time to stare at a computer screen while at work and realized that there was actually whole communities of people who actually read the different kinds of books I like. And the rest is your typical story of a downward spiral into addiction.

What have been your most memorable Goodreads experiences?
Realizing how many poor suckers—I mean, wonderful people on this site actually think I am pretty good at reviewing books. It’s a very rewarding experience and one of the few forms of vanity I allow myself.

But really, one of the coolest experiences was realizing that there is such a thriving community of people discussing books on here. It's kind of a funny story. Dan and Kemper were two of the first real friends I made on this site. At the time I kept seeing their reviews pop up on a lot of the crime and mystery novels I was reading, and was like, oh cool here’s some people I can finally talk to about crime novels.(I know like one person in the real world who actually reads these kinds of books. The rest are snobs about the genre.) So I started harassing their reviews trying to talk to them. It was like another month before I even realized that there was apparently a whole ranking system for reviewers and, within that, a hierarchy. And thus I was so totally like, "Oh, I am only trying to make friends with people who have like a thousand followers and are some kind of royalty on here. Way to shoot for a humble start, Anthony."

But they have been great friends on here, along with so many others whose kindness and passion about books is what makes this place special for me.

Name one reviewer not in the Forbes 25 that people should be aware of.
I’ll name you two. Aubrey and Stephen M. Both are fellow Generation Y-er’s on the site and both write the kind of reviews I wish I could. And both tenaciously tackle such long and difficult works and their excitement about them make me want to be a better reader. Whatever the hell that means in my head.

What was your initial reaction to Amazon buying Goodreads?
Does this mean I can make some money? If so, how do I make more than others?

How many books do you own?
Somewhere in the upper triple digits. The real question is how much money would I have if I hadn’t bought all those books? I work at a library for chrissakes! Why do I keep buying books?

Who is your favorite author?
Nice try. I don’t do one favorite author. Since I love different kinds of literature for the different kinds of things they can do, I will give you two separate and appropriately pretentious lists:

Crime fiction: James Crumley, James Lee Burke, Elmore Leonard, George Pelecanos

Super-I-am-so-cool-for-reading-them literary authors: Ernest Hemingway, Denis Johnson, Martin Amis, Thomas Pynchon, T C Boyle, David Foster Wallace, Virginia Woolf.

Plays: William Shakespeare, David Mamet, Samuel Beckett

Poetry: Sylvia Plath, T S Eliot, William Blake, Walt Whitman

Graphic novels: Garth Ennis, Alan Moore, and Jason

Both these lists I am sure will change. I have a hard time not falling in love too quickly.

What is your favorite book of all time?
You poor bastard. This was a mistake to ask me. I’ll try to limit it to a top ten.

The Last Good Kiss, Infinite Jest, For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Boys, Mrs. Dalloway, The Great Gatsby, 1984, The Information, A Winter’s Tale, Endgame.

What are your thoughts on ebooks?
As far as I am concerned a book is something you hold in your hands that has a cover and a back and inside there are sheets of paper held together with glue to this thing that resembles the spine of an animal in function. Ever heard of something like that?

What are your thoughts on self-publishing?
I think it is certainly a thing that booksellers are going to have to reckon with, and I have seen a few quality works released this way; having said that, I think a gatekeeping process is important. There is a reason why books like Fifty Shades of Mommy Porn are not picked up by a publisher. But clearly, what do I know. I am  already a dinosaur of a snob.

Any literary aspirations?
Yes, but as much as I can blather on (as you have clearly seen if you actually read this far into my answers), I operate more on a “put my money where my mouth is” type-deal when it comes to writing. When I have something to show for it, then we can talk literary aspirations.

Meet The Shelf Inflicted Staff - Brandon

Today's guest is the bearded beast from the east.. of Canada, Brandon!

How did you discover Goodreads?

I was looking around online for a website that I could use as a database for my books.  I stumbled across Library Thing and toyed around with that for a few weeks before finding my way over to Goodreads.

What have been your most memorable Goodreads experience?

I can't really think of anything specific but I can say that if not for Goodreads, I wouldn't have been able to discover a lot of the books and authors that I've had the pleasure of reading.  It also gave me the confidence to start my own book blog after I've been voted into the Top 20 "best" book reviewers in the great nation of Canada.

Name one reviewer not in the Forbes 25 that people should be aware of.

The first name that comes to mind is Aerin.  She wrote a review for Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves that totally blew me away.  I've been following her for a while and she's a fantastic writer!

What was your initial reaction to Amazon buying Goodreads?

I was worried at first.  There wasn't a specific change that I was fearing but just the fact that the overall vibe of the site could drastically change worried me.  Goodreads has become an online home of mine and I've grown to love it.  I hope they institute a hands-off approach to the site and allow it to operate in it's own fashion.

How many books do you own?

Surprisingly, not that many.  I've got one book shelf filled with what I consider my absolute favorites.  Most of what I read now seems to be an e-book or something I grab from the library.  Considering that there's so much out there to read, I want to be more selective on what I buy judging by whether or not I can imagine reading it again.

Who is your favorite author?

This honestly changes a lot.  However, I have no reservations in naming John Connolly.  His Charlie Parker series opened a lot of doors for me in terms of crime fiction.  If not for him, I wouldn't have searched out authors like Lawrence Block or Raymond Chandler.  There's also Stephen King.  He's easily the author I've read the most and I've still got lots of his work to consume.

What is your favorite book of all time?

In the past 3 years, nothing has been able to knock The Stand off of its perch - though many have come close.  It was a book that I was intimidated by in its size but when I turned the last page, I wanted more.  Luckily for me, there's a Marvel series and some further mentions/visits in the King universe.

What are your thoughts on ebooks?

I love ebooks!  I was resistant at first because I was a big fan of holding an actual book.  When I received my first e-reader 3 years ago, I took to it pretty quickly.  However, over time, I've split my reading between the two formats.  Since starting my blog, a lot of authors/publishers have been able to send me their book through email rather than mailing me a physical copy.

What are your thoughts on self-publishing?

I think there's a stigma associated with it just for the fact that many seem to avoid the editing process.  I can't say for certain if I have an opinion on it but I did read a self-published book a few weeks ago and rather enjoyed it.  On the other hand, I'm a blogger - would I expect people to avoid reading my thoughts because it's not appearing in a magazine or major website?  I can certainly see the reasons behind it.

Any literary aspirations?

I'm actually working on something at the moment.  Who knows if it will ever become anything but I'm certainly enjoying myself.  It's something that I've wanted to do for a few years so taking the plunge and giving it an honest shot is something that I need to do for myself.

Meet the Shelf Inflicted Staff - Carol

Today's guest is Carol, the alien terror that sleeps dead and dreaming at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.  She also posts at Book Reviews Forevermore.

How did you discover Goodreads?
My parole agent suggested it as part of the restraining order obtained by certain brick-and-mortar booksellers.

What have been your most memorable Goodreads experiences?
The time I stayed up all night instant messaging one of the top 25 reviewers, we fell in love, met up in Vegas to be married by fake-Elvis, but lost our money for the license at a poker game.

Name one reviewer not in the Forbes 25 that people should be aware of.
Me, clearly. And she'll probably be shocked, but Carly's reviews are amazingly analytical and often lend me insight on my reading. She's one of my checkpoints.

What was your initial reaction to Amazon buying Goodreads?
Blasé, blasé. Soon everything will be owned by seven different multinational corporations. It had absolutely nothing to do with my buying a Kindle Paperwhite. Really.

How many books do you own? 
More than can fit in a breadbox. I know you are only asking to case my fantasy collection. Forget it--I have a large Rottweiler.

Who is your favorite author? 
From A to Z: Ben Aaronovich, Ilona Andrews, Peter Beagle, Steven Brust, Guy Gavriel Kay, Catherynne Valente, Roger Zelazny. Non-fiction: David Quammen.

What is your favorite book of all time?
If I say Connie Willis’ To Say Nothing of the Dog, will you delete my interview? Seriously, it’s one of my favorite comfort reads. Adrienne Rich’s Dream of a Common Language. I also re-read Kate Daniels series. Sara Gran’s Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead.

What are your thoughts on ebooks? 
Ambivalent. They are my new late-night addiction and I’m thankful they have no calories. I find myself perusing on-line sources looking for deals. I do love being able to go anywhere with a library in my purse. However, I am now even worse at human interaction.
I also enjoy the feel of a book in my hands, and the way each book can individuate itself physically-the texture of the paper, the shape of the font, the heaviness of the book, stiffness of the binding. E-readers lose that part of the reading experience.

What are your thoughts on self-publishing?
Again, I'm ambivalent. One one hand, not enough self-publishers take time to thoroughly examine their material. I don't enjoy reading books that read like something I wrote in high school, and its annoying to have to sort through a lot of chaff to find the value--rarely will I read a self-published work. On the other hand, I like that there is an avenue available that circumvents the big publishers.

Any literary aspirations?
Only after I get fired from my current job.

The Forbes 25 Reviewers - #1 Karen

Today's guest is Karen.  Karen has been the reigning queen of Goodreads for the last few years.

How did you discover Goodreads?
my friend dana sent me an invitation waaaaay back in 2007, because she thought it was something i would be into, since i love the books so much. the rest is history...

What have been your most memorable Goodreads experiences?
ooh. well, you always remember the trolls, the meltdowns, the rivalries, the goodreads-memes, the gossip in the secret groups, the really controversial reviews; and it's all small-potatoes-cliqueishness, but honestly, most of my social life occurs here on goodreads, as sad as that is. i have met some amazing people on here, and been exposed to so many books and reviewers, and i think that is my most memorable realization: that this site could be more than a place to catalog books; it could be a place where a real community could form. i never thought it would be anything more than a place to chat about books with people i already knew,so it's pretty amazing how it has opened up for me.

Name one reviewer not in the Forbes 25 that people should be aware of.
i love blair's reviews. she is always one step ahead of me - finding and reading books before i have even heard of them. there have been so many times i have heard a whisper about a book and come on here to check it out only to find her with her flag already in the soil - BOOM! she's great, and we have very similar tastes, and a shared love of secret history, so she is invaluable to me.

What was your initial reaction to Amazon buying Goodreads?
honestly, it was "oh, fuck." i work for bn, so i was concerned i would have to leave the site which would be devastating for me. i was also concerned about how the reviews/reviewers would be treated because amazon has certain...priorities when it comes to their reviewer guidelines that, if implemented here, would seriously ruin everything that makes this site special, and i abhor the way the steamroll small publishers.i mean, so far, so good, but i am still a little wary. i liked that this place was "just" a place for booknerds to talk about books, and now there is this corporate shadow over it, but we'll see how it goes.

How many books do you own?
that number has not yet been invented. which is glib, but i honestly don't know. it's kind of a problem, actually. well over 5,000, which was where it was at the last time i counted, years and years ago.

Who is your favorite author?
ugh. the dreaded question. i will say donald harington, because i love him like candy and kittens smooshed together, and he could really use the exposure.

What is your favorite book of all time?
another dreaded question! i'll say jude the obscure. today.

What are your thoughts on ebooks?
heh. okay, well, i used to be so opposed to them. like, up-in-arms-frothing-at-the-mouth opposed.i even wrote a review wherein i bemoaned their existence. but then i started realizing that a lot of authors were publishing little novellas and things within the universe of their print novels only as e-books, and it really started to make sense as an alternative to publishers allowing backlist titles to go out of print (for example, child across the sky, one of my favorite books ever, is available on nook, but not in a print edition),and i discovered netgalley and edelweiss, and now i actually work for bn.com, making booklists for nook. so, it's kind of a complete 180 for me.

What are your thoughts on self-publishing?
i think it is extraordinarily difficult sometimes for authors to get their foot in the door with major publishers, and i applaud anyone with the balls to forge their own path and take the initiative and make their dreams come true. i mean,i have read a l ot of really crappy self-published books, but also some real gems. but that's true of all publishers.i think it is a wonderful option, particularly since the e-book option makes it so much easier and cheaper.

Any literary aspirations?
nope. i am a reader. reviews are all i have in me.

How does it feel to be queen?



oh, it's good to be queen.

Meet the Shelf Inflicted Staff - Amanda

Today's guest is the notorious book pimp, Amanda.  She also posts at This Insignificant Cinder


How did you discover Goodreads?
Oddly enough, through My Space. I was trying to find something that would display what I was reading on my profile and stumbled upon Goodreads. The rest (including My Space) is history.

What have been your most memorable Goodreads experiences?
The positives have been e-mails from authors thanking me for my reviews, as well as bantering and biblio-bonding with the ragtag band of misfits who eventually became the Shelf Inflicted staff. The negatives have been the trolls, who are apparently legion and skulking in the dark reaches of cyberspace, just waiting for someone to take a poke at Orson Scott Card. On the plus side, it’s fun to verbally swat at them.

Name one reviewer not in the Forbes 25 that people should be aware of.
If you’re looking for insightful and honest reviews about science fiction and urban fantasy, Carol’s your gal. I love how she breaks a story down and thoughtfully evaluates the positives and the negatives. She calls them as she sees them, with no apologies. I’ve dodged many a bad book because of her and discovered many a treasure.

What was your initial reaction to Amazon buying Goodreads?
I believe my initial reaction was, “Holy shit snacks!!!" . . . and then I went back to reading my book. I’m not as anti-Amazon as a lot of people, but I do have concerns with how my data is used and censorship/creative control of my reviews. However, so far, so good.

How many books do you own?
Roughly 1,000, give or take a few tucked away into nooks and crannies I've forgotten about. Fortunately, I'm married to a man of many talents--among them being the ability to build sturdy, kick ass bookshelves to my specifications.

Who is your favorite author?
For fantasy, Neil Gaiman. For modern literature, Tim O'Brien. For all time, Ernest Hemingway (with apologies to Stephanie).

What is your favorite book of all time?

I know that for most readers this is the equivalent of asking, “Who is your favorite child?” But I can say without hesitation: The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. It was the first time I read a book that took me into the heart of an experience so utterly outside of the tiny little life I lead. Before that, literature was just escapism or dealt with issues that I at least had a touchstone for understanding. However, O’Brien’s exploration of the fear, the courage, the brotherhood, the awe, and the horror of the war in Vietnam was the first time I read something and thought, "This. This matters." It's not just a story--it's a visceral experience.

What are your thoughts on ebooks?
To paraphrase Community’s Jeff Winger: To me, e-readers are like Paul Rudd. I see the appeal, and I would never take it away from anyone. But I would also never stand in line for it.

What are your thoughts on self-publishing?
I like the freedom it gives writers to put themselves out there without waiting to be discovered, but my experience with reading self-published hasn’t exactly been pleasant. It’s probably given me a better appreciation for what a good editor can do for a writer.

Any literary aspirations? 
Zip. Zero. Zilch.

What is your ideal super villain lair?

It’s not a super villain lair, but I remember that, even as a small child, I thought, “If I ever rule the world, it shall be from Castle Grayskull.” I completely understand Skeletor’s desire for it—that place oozes sinister.

The Forbes 25 Reviewers - #3 Katrina Passick Lumsden

Today's guest is Katrina Passick Lumsden.  She also posts at http://shutterbird13.tumblr.com/.

How did you discover Goodreads?

I'm pretty sure it was a Google search. I can't remember the exact circumstances as I joined over four years ago, but I do believe I just sort of stumbled upon it.

What have been your most memorable Goodreads experiences?

When my review of Fifty Shades of Grey blew up. It sounds egotistical, but I'm not meaning to be self-centered. It was just completely unexpected and flattering, and I'm still trying to adjust to it.

Name one reviewer not in the Forbes 25 that people should be aware of.

Alicia.

What was your initial reaction to Amazon buying Goodreads?

Well, since this is news to me, my initial reaction was, "Amazon bought Goodreads?!" 

How many books do you own?

Hundreds. Perhaps thousands if you count digital books. My printed book collection is difficult to count, as some are in storage. 

Who is your favorite author?

This is a really tough question to answer. I want to say someone classic like Charlotte Bronte (I do love her work) or George Orwell (another favorite)...but I think I have to go with something more contemporary. Female: Susanna Kearsley. Male: Jonathan Carroll. But that will change in another day or two. Probably.

What is your favorite book of all time?

Jane Eyre. How typical and cliche and feminine, right? So I'll give it a companion; 1984.

What are your thoughts on ebooks?

I love them. I do worry sometimes that the versions I purchase will one day cease to be relevant and I will have wasted money on them, but you can't really beat ebooks for convenience. I can carry hundreds of books with me anywhere (not real feasible with printed books), and I don't have to make any special trips to pick up a new book and begin reading. That being said, there will always be a place in my heart for printed books. The feel of a nice leatherbound, the smell of old books, the sound of pages turning. These are things that can't be replaced by ebooks. Plus I enjoy collecting old books, and that's not something you can do on an ereader.

What are your thoughts on self-publishing?

It's both a blessing and a curse. I shudder to think of the money I've wasted on self-published works from people who don't even appear to understand English, much less know how to tell a story. But one can't discount the positive aspects of self-publishing. I've read some truly well-written books that never would have seen the light of day if not for self-publishing. For every 10-15 bad self-published books, there is one good one. Is that ratio worth it? I think so.

Any literary aspirations? 

I'd like to write a book, but a propensity for manic, obsessive periods of interest tends to keep me from accomplishing it. Plus, I'm never happy with how anything turns out. I suppose it doesn't help that I'm also lazy.

The Forbes 25 Reviewers - #4 Wendy Darling

Today's guest is Wendy Darling.  Wendy also posts at The Midnight Garden.

How did you discover Goodreads?
A friend of mine prodded me to join for ages, and I finally opened an account in late 2009. I didn't start using the site until 2011, however--but now I can't imagine being without it. I use it for cataloging, sorting, as a quick temperature checks at bookstores if I'm considering a book, and of course, it's an invaluable resource for reviews that are relatively free of influence from outside factors.

What have been your most memorable Goodreads experiences?
That's a loaded question. I've met so many passionate fellow readers on GoodReads, and I've learned about many books I never would have heard about otherwise--and how sad my life would have been without those books in it! Even though I'm a former reviewer for Publishers Weekly, I weigh the opinion of people I've gotten to know much more than I do reviews by mainstream publications.

On the flip side, reviewing books on this site has also shown me incredibly ugly, self-centered behavior that's affected me both personally and on principle. I wish authors and readers alike respected review space that belongs to someone else. I welcome polite discussion, but I will never understand how people can be so vicious and demeaning over a mere difference in opinion. And I wish GoodReads took a stronger, if not more active, stance on abusive behavior.

Name one reviewer not in the Forbes 25 that people should be aware of.
I almost never consent to interviews, but this is the question that made me want to respond this one. Seeing the top 25 profiles in Forbes was fun, but there are countless reviewers who will never make that list who write extraordinary reviews. Here are just some of the people whose reviews I always pay special attention to when they pop up in my feed:

I adore Thomas. He writes thoughtful, quietly lovely reviews, mostly for YA, classics, and literary fiction. He's just graduated from high school so I'm hoping we don't lose him completely to his studies (I know, so selfish!), and I like that he also talks about issues he thinks are important on his blog The Quiet Voice.

I am also very fond of both Matthew Hunter and Mark Letcher. I can always count on them for interesting perspectives on quality young adult literature, and we've had some fun discussions over our favorite books, including The Golden Compass.

My cobloggers K and Tonya are my absolute favorite reviewers, however. I've read some of their beautiful reviews literally half a dozen times because I love the way they write and I respect their opinions so much. Kindred spirits, those two.

What was your initial reaction to Amazon buying Goodreads?
I don't think this move came as a surprise to anyone who was been paying attention, so my reaction was resignation. I understand it from a business perspective, but as the site has developed into such a huge marketing tool for authors and publishers, I've become less and less convinced that its members' rights are protected. As a result, I'm less and less invested in the site as well.

Still, I hope that GoodReads is true to its position that there will be no major site changes as far as the way reviews are displayed, voting systems configured, etc. I admit to cynicism about that in the long term, however, since there's already been interesting opacity in the ways reviews are hidden (and who knows what else) anyway.

How many books do you own?
Is this a real question?! Thousands.

Who is your favorite author?
This probably comes as a surprise since I'm known for mostly reviewing YA, but my favorite living author is Sarah Waters. She writes literary fiction with strong feminine themes, many of which are set during the Victorian era. I've been saving one of her books for years, because it's only one I haven't read yet and it'll be awhile before her next one is even announced.

What is your favorite book of all time?
*disapproving stare*

I refuse to answer that question. But I will refer you to my "favorites of all time" shelf if you really need an idea. I also keep shelves of yearly favorites.

What are your thoughts on ebooks?
They're fantastic. I think they are marvelous for urgent post-midnight purchases, for travel, and for pleasure reading. But I will never give up physical copies, and if I really love a book I've read electronically, I still need a hard copy for my shelves.

What are your thoughts on self-publishing?
I think it's amazing that we're living in an age when it's so easy for readers to easily access new work without waiting the typical years between acquisition and traditional publication. The problem is, part of that time is usually spent on polishing manuscripts with the input of professionals, and to be honest the majority of the self-published work I've read feels like the raw material for a good book rather than a finished piece. (We won't even talk about the vanity work that should have stayed locked away on would-be writers' hard drives.)

That being said, I've read some really great books that were originally self-published, including And All the Stars, Angelfall, and The Sea of Tranquility. Katja Millay shared her extraordinary publishing story with us recently, by the way--her self-pubbed book was picked up by Simon & Schuster after being live for just three weeks. It's interesting to see how publishing landscape continues to evolve, as a result, the way we readers evolve as consumers, too.

The Forbes 25 Reviewers - #5 Kat Kennedy

Today's guest is Kat Kennedy.  She also posts at Cuddlebuggery.


How did you discover Goodreads?
Through a hole in the time space continuum that landed me on the internet. Trapped on Earth with nothing better to do, I thought I'd look up Gerbils. That got boring fast so books were a close second in my search history. This led me to Goodreads. I've been trapped here ever since. Help.

What have been your most memorable Goodreads experiences?
The time I received an email from you, Dan Schwent. What took you so long?! I had my people contact your people and everything.

Actually, it was the time Manny Rayner wrote a book of his Goodreads reviews and had me review it on Goodreads. It was so meta, my mind exploded.

Name one reviewer not in the Forbes 25 that people should be aware of.
I'm not entirely sure who the Forbes 25 are. Is this a cult? Was I invited? I do love a good cult. But one reviewer I think is great and doesn't get enough credit is Sarah from Saz101.com.

What was your initial reaction to Amazon buying Goodreads?
Shock. Horror. A brief stint of hunger followed by some vague stomach twinges. Then I just stood silently for an entire day making this face:
http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_majcfsw7pe1r191qj.gif

How many books do you own?
At last count 350. I don't know. Books are very transient creatures in my house.

Who is your favorite author?
This is an evil question. How do I answer such a thing?

Veronica Rossi.

Wow. That was surprisingly easy...

What is your favorite book of all time?
Ask me to pick my favourite child, why don't you? (My daughter)

On The Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta is the closest that I come. But I'll have you know that this could have easily devolved into a list of my favourite 100 books, broken into genre and listed in alphabetical order based on the author's name.

What are your thoughts on ebooks?
They are much more compatible with my ereader than physical books are.

What are your thoughts on self-publishing?
That I'm grateful it has brought me some of my favourite books. Actually, so has traditional publishing! I guess I'm forced to love them both. Unlike my children.

Any literary aspirations? 
I aspire to read great literature.

Meet the Shelf Inflicted Staff - Trudi

Today's guest is one of Canada's most dangerous reviewers, Trudi. Trudi also posts at Busty Book Bimbo.

How did you discover Goodreads?
One of my librarian friends joined in 2008 and sent me an invite. I accepted and it was love at first sight.

What have been your most memorable Goodreads experiences?
Reading the reviews has become a valued part of my reading life -- some have made me laugh so hard it felt like I might've broken something, and a few have made me cry (but I'm not telling which ones). This site has also brought some seriously funny, seriously smart people to my attention and it's been a real delight getting to know them better through the books they love (and hate).

Name one reviewer not in the Forbes 25 that people should be aware of.
My pal Carol and fellow zombie enthusiast.

What was your initial reaction to Amazon buying Goodreads?
Remember Nancy Kerrigan after the knee-capping incident? Yeah, like that (only more dramatic). I'm getting over it gradually. The more I drink, the better Amazon looks. I'm just going to stay drunk from now on.

How many books do you own?
I've moved around lots and was a student in one form or another until I was 32, so a lot of my books got purged over the years. My physical "owned" library has been whittled down to about 70 of my most precious darlings, including a few first editions by Stephen King that I'll be buried with just in case it's BYOB (bring your own book) on the other side.

Who is your favorite author?
Stephen King. My mom loved him and I started reading him when I was 10. I've been a Constant Reader ever since. His books are the soundtrack to my life and when I need a comfort read, it's his books I inevitably turn to.

What is your favorite book of all time?
Oh jesus, really? I can't pick one. I have about 30 that are constantly jockeying for position. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak holds a special place in my reader heart though.

What are your thoughts on ebooks?
Love them. I'm much more of a story junkie than a book junkie, if that makes sense. I'll take a good story any way I can get it -- big screen, little screen, around a campfire, in a song, I don't care just tell me a story and make it a good one. Ebooks have made it even easier to get to the stories that I want to be reading, and to even discover some authors that would have withered away in obscurity without the ebook revolution. Physical books can be a beautiful, precious commodity and I don't see them going extinct ever, but ebooks have their place too. They're not the enemy.

What are your thoughts on self-publishing?
Let's face it. There's a river of crap out there and some huge, dickish egos behind it. But if you're really courageous, and willing to take a paddle and head upstream, diamonds in the rough are waiting to be disovered. Never before have the barriers between author and reader been so few, the access so direct. No longer are authors strictly dependent on big publishing houses to deem their work "worthy" to go to market accompanied by a sexy publicity campaign. Authors and readers are doing it for themselves these days, and I for one think it's a beautiful thing. However, this should be writ law and punishable by death: No author should self-publish until he or she has read King's On Writing. And use the goddamn spell check! It was invented for a reason.

Any literary aspirations?
I think I make a much better reader than I would a writer. Inventing stories is so much work and takes so much time, time that could be spent reading. I'm the junkie in this relationship, not the dealer. I'm satisfied with my reader high, just keep the cooks in the kitchen and the meth on the streets, yeah? Heisenberg blue.

What is your ideal super villain lair?
The recently revealed Men of Letters bunker on the CW's Supernatural. It's underground, it's a library, it has a firing range and a kitchen. It's the perfect place really to launch a campaign for world domination.