fiction

Interview with Author Mark Miller

November 2, 2012 by Carey Jane Clark

Friday Fiction Fix Mark Miller is an author with Trestle Press. I asked him if he would be willing to be interviewed when I learned he was writing a serial novel in collaboration with his daughter. I thought this was such an inspiring and wonderful idea. Here is his story:

Tell us about the project you’re working on with your daughter.

Fallen Idols cover ver 02

Olivia and I call it a Christian Sci-Fantasy, a combination of science fiction and fantasy. It is the story of three brothers who lose their father under mysterious circumstances and then are forced to go separate ways for five years. They grow and change during that time in order to return and discover the truth of what happened to their father. While the story takes place on another planet, their beliefs are not too different from our own. The message is about what can be accomplished through God and that we do not always know or understand God’s plans for us.

How long have you been writing?

Basically, all of my life. Mostly I did it as a hobby and for fun. I took classes in high school and college. In 2008, I became a professional author when The Fourth Queen was published.

How old is your daughter?

Olivia is 9, almost 10. We started this project when she was 8 and we will finish the story this month with Volume 8.

Tell us a little bit about her.

She is a beautiful young lady, witty and intelligent. She gets most of that from her mother. She can be a little shy, but normally she is a class leader (an ability I did not have at her age). I tell people she is named after me. I was named after Mark Twain and his wife was named Olivia. Maybe it’s a stretch, but she likes it.

Do you think she will grow up to be a writer?

I can hope. But as I said above, we don’t know what God has in store for us. My wife and I encourage all of our children (4 of them) to pursue their interests and build on their strengths. Olivia already has an excellent foundation to be whatever she chooses. She will be way smarter than me as an adult.

How did you and your daughter originally begin to collaborate? Was it her idea or yours?

Olivia had done a few writing projects in school. I really liked her voice, what she put into her writing. She has a fantastic vocabulary and a good sense of humor. The story came from some notes in my “idea file”. We developed the outline together and I relied on her for creating the world of Kaskaya.

How does your collaboration work? Do you brainstorm ideas together or actively work on word choice and writing the story together?

All of the character and place names are hers. She is the creative one on this and I do all the “heavy lifting”. That means that I do all of the typing. The majority of actual writing is me. However, I task her with writing specific scenes or events and then I flesh it out. I definitely do not sit over her shoulder. I let her find her own way and then we review what she has before it goes into the final edit.

When do you find the time to write together?

We have to make time. Usually on the weekends, we will sit down together. Weekdays are filled with homework, chores and video games.

What (if anything) has it done for your relationship with your daughter?

It has given me the opportunity to be amazed at her talents. I get a sneak peek at the adult she will soon be. Our family is very close, so it allowed me to see her in a different light.

Tell us about your other books.

My full-length novels are The Empyrical Tales, a fantasy adventure of 8 planned books. To date, The Fourth Queen, The Lost Queen and The Secret Queen are available in paperback and eBook. I have an educational children’s series called Small World Global Protection Agency and a spiritual anthology for the grown-ups called One, featuring true stories from many award-winning and best-selling authors.

Where can readers find out more about you?

My main website is www.MillerWords.com, but I like to connectwith readers on Facebook at www.fb.com/MarkMillerAuthor. If anybody has their Kindle handy, they can find all of my stories at http://goo.gl/IglPH.

Thanks, Mark, for stopping by and sharing your story.

Thank you for having me! I look forward to feedback from your readers.

Cover Unveil

October 12, 2012 by Carey Jane Clark

It’s Friday, and often the day I post something fiction-related. Today is no exception, but you won’t find an author interview or even a book review today.

Today is a very special day for me. My novel, After the Snow Falls was published in ebook format last December. I’m proud and very excited to announce it will be in print very, very soon.

There are a few steps necessary before print-readiness, and one of them was giving the cover design a bit more polish. After all, instead of simply being viewed on a small ereader screen, it will be physically in the hands of readers. And, of course, it needed more than just a front cover!

While I did the original cover design myself (using a photo taken of snow in our neighborhood park by none other than JavaMan himself), I felt I needed some help with the print cover, so Webber Printing of Brandon, Manitoba stepped in to help. Here’s the very first sneak peek. There is a small amount of tweaking remaining to be done, but I’m extremely happy with how it looks. I’d love to hear what you think too.

[Before you ask, the white space at the bottom isn’t a mistake–it’s the space for the barcode.]

And if you want to be among the first to know when After the Snow Falls is in print, please
sign up to receive a publication update.

You may also be interested in checking out reviews. A new one posted today. Others are linked here. Or see reviews at Amazon.
- Carey Clark

Stand by Me by Neta Jackson

August 24, 2012 by Carey Jane Clark

I found it difficult to get into Stand by Me. The first chapter intrigued me, and I turned the page to chapter two, settling in for an interesting read. But I felt betrayed. The first chapter featured Kathryn Davies, “Kat,” who surprised even herself by taking a dramatic turn in her life, dropping out of med school to pursue an unknown future at a Christian liberal arts school.

But in the subsequent chapters, Kat seems to be a radically different character than is promised in the first chapter, and we are introduced to Avis, a member of the SouledOut Community Church, the church Kat has adopted in her quest to live a radical Christian life.

Avis is immediately turned off by Kat, and as a character, I found Avis equally difficult to warm up to.

Eventually, however, I came to like both characters, was moved by both Avis’s secret heartache and Kat’s quirky charm, and pulled for both of them. Although Avis was a character previously introduced in another series of books (of which this series is a spin-off), I felt the author gave enough background information for this book/series to stand on its own. The author did a beautiful job of weaving all the story threads into a touching and satisfying ending.

Note: I was provided an electronic copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. No other compensation was given.

- Carey Clark

Friday Fiction Fix: The Corruptible

June 15, 2012 by Carey Jane Clark

I am very particular about what I read. So much so that sometimes I spend more time figuring out what to read next than actually reading. I might be considered a reading snob, I suppose. I’m okay with that. And my tastes are very narrow. I typically don’t like romance, I don’t often read thrillers.

I’m less picky about the movies I watch. When I’m in the mood for a movie, I’m often tired or lazy and I simply want to be entertained. Don’t make me think. Just let me eat popcorn and laugh or cry or whatever emotion the movie stirs up. I love a good movie, but I’m just as happy at the end of it if I can say, “That was cute,” as “That was good.” Or “profound” or “interesting.” In fact, a “good movie” often has me thinking too much. Just ask my husband. After the screen fades, I’ll bug him for a minimum of an hour with my commentary on the movie. Just when he thinks I’ve fallen asleep (and he already has), out comes another insight into why the movie was sad or wonderful or disturbing.

And when it comes to on-screen entertainment, I’ll watch a crime drama (nothing gory–I long ago swore off CSI or Criminal Minds for their graphic and disturbing elements). I’m much less likely, however to read a story like that. I love to delight in a beautifully written story and that is what I look for above all else.

Recently, however, I began to choose books for review from various publishers, and I can’t always find the genres I’m looking for. A lot of what’s available is romance, and while I’ve enjoyed some good romances in my time, it’s not my first choice. But I thought I’d branch out a bit, so this time, I chose a book called The Corruptible by Mike Mynheir.

The story is the second in a series, which I didn’t realize when I selected it, but the story stood on its own well enough, and actually made me curious about the first book in the series. The author’s experience in law enforcement certainly made the story come alive with realism.

This novel continues the story of private investigator Ray Quinn, who is hired by a wealthy businessman to track down a man suspected of information theft. He soon finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation when he discovers the man he is looking for stabbed in the chest.

I will be honest that it took me some time to get into the story. I found Quinn annoyingly arrogant at times. One or two times felt the story might have been better written from multiple points of view so someone other than Quinn himself could tell us what a good cop he had been before the accident which forced him to forge another career as a private investigator. After a while, however, I really cared about the character and what happened to him. His inner struggle as he compared himself to the fallen cop, Logan, drew me in. (I cared less about the subplot–Quinn’s hunt for the criminal behind a fraud scheme.)

All in all, the story surprised me. I enjoyed it–not for the same reasons I have enjoyed other books that I have read–but certainly the storytelling was good and the character evolved throughout the story. The ending, though not quite “neat and tidy” was satisfying.

I might just have to pick up The Night Watchman, the first book in the series.

Note: I received a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review. No other compensation was received.

- Carey Clark