It’s that time of the month again…er…um. No. Not that. I mean it’s that time of the month where I take over my favorite Canadian’s blog and spout my incoherent ramblings about the joys of being a somewhat author hell bent on world domination. Jeez.

So as I sat here tonight trying to think of something to talk about, I had a realization. Okay, it was actually halfway through writing the blog post that I just deleted. You see a lot of people know me from Twitter and Facebook and go ahead and ask them. They’ll tell you. “He’s effin crazy.” Yeah. I am. ON THERE. You see, social media lets me ANONYMOUSLY share my random thoughts and I’ll admit it. SoMe OF tHeM are a little nutty. But that’s just it. I get to hide behind a wall of somewhat anonymity. I don’t have to deal with repercussions. Which is nice. People think shaydenfl is a friggin whack job. Hmmmmm. He might be. I think I just had another realization. I might have multiple personality disorder. I’ll have to discuss that at length with myself later.

Anyway, to the point of this blog. I’m going to share things about me that I don’t really talk about on the internet. I’ll share my darkest confessions. I’ll share my deepest dreams and aspirations. I’ll even share personal details my therapist doesn’t know about. Consider this a factoid sheet for future reference. Now I’m sure some of you don’t give a crap, but I thought it would be a nice change.

Now most of you know from my BIO I was born in the suburbs of Chicago. Arlington Heights to be exact. My dad was fire chief there until he retired at the age of 50 in 1984.

If you just did the math, my dad would be 78 now. He passed away ten years ago from lung cancer. Yes I still smoke. My dad quit when he was 39.

My parents are a LOT older than me. In fact, so are my brothers. I have four of them, well actually 3 now. My next oldest brother, John, passed away in May. He was in a horrible motorcycle accident 5 years exactly before the day he died. He suffered massive head trauma and the injuries to his brain were so extensive that it eventually shut down his organ functions. It truly sucks because he was normal for the 5 years he lived.

I just turned 38. My brothers are John who would be 50 this May, Jim who will be turning 52 in July, Bill is 54, and Mike is 56. See? A LOT older. I once said to my Mom, “Mom, did you know I was born 9 months to the day after Viet Nam was declared over?” She replied with “No, but I know you were born 9 months to the day after your dad made fire chief.”

I went to public school up in Chicago. When we moved to Florida the public schools were somewhat lacking back in the 80s. My parents made the decision to send me to Catholic School from 6th grade to 12th grade. I did time in St Anastasia and John Carroll High School in beautiful downtown Ft Pierce, Fl (sarcasm). I loved Catholic School soooooo much, I haven’t stepped foot in a church since I graduated High School in 1991 (yes, I just had my 20 year reunion, suck it).

Once I got out of High School, I tried the whole “Go to College and get you some edumacation” thing. My college was exactly 2. 8 miles from the beach and 1.4 miles from the Mall. That didn’t work out so well. Might as well mention the fact that I have the attention span of a gnat right now. What were we talking about? Oh yeah, me.

So I did what every other red blooded american boy my age did who didn’t go to college. I got a job. I got a bunch of jobs. I ended up bar tending at Red Lobster (That’s a whole other tale for another day. WOW)

Then I had a revelation. I should join the military.

I should probably take the time to mention, that sometimes I’m not that bright. My friend actually talked me into talking to a “Recruiter”. That’s what they call them. “Lying assholes” also applies. They fed me a load of horse crap a mile long and got my to sign my cajones over to Uncle Sam for four years. They lied about my job and pissed me off. They got me to join their “Nuclear Program” as an ELECTRONICS TECHNICIAN. After I graduated boot camp I got, “Huh, that should have read MACHINISTS MATE.” So basically they wanted me to be a glow in the dark plumber. I said no and flunked out of Nuke school on purpose. The told me I could pick any job in the Navy

I picked Sonar tech

Dee Dee DEEEEEEEEE

After about nine months of schooling in San Diego I was a full fledged sonar technician. They scheduled to put me on a boat. I panicked. I did NOT want to spend the next three years of my life listening to whales hump only to have to find a COMPLETELY different job when I got out of the Navy. Not a huge demand for Sonar Techs out in the real world

So I did what any other red blooded american who didn’t want to do something he didn’t want to do would do.

I found a loophole

Won’t bore you with details, but lets just say me and 5 other guys used this loophole to get out. They changed the rules right after we left and we all ended up with honorable discharges.

So I went back to florida

and my jobs.

and my friends.

and partied like a rock star for a few years

I met a girl from New York and decided to settle down. We dated for a month before I proposed. We were married nine months later (no she wasn’t pregnant). We got along like Nitrogen and Glycerin. Managed to keep it together and have two wonderful, amazing, beautiful, everything I could ever hope for, perfect children. My father passed and her mother passed. The nitrogen and glycerin days were over. Trust me, those were the good old days. We managed to stay together for a total of 14 years. We are currently separated and working on a divorce agreement. 38 is a hell of an age to totally rebuild your life.

I have a really decent job. I work as a telecommunications and fiber optic engineer for the local cable company. They trained me from day one and I’ve been with them for quite a while.

Two years ago I met the best friend anyone could ever have. Six months ago, I separated and moved in with my mom (yeah, I’m THAT guy).

After I left, I met my best friend in real life for the first time at Printer’s Row Lit Fest in Chicago. Sparks flew and we weren’t just best friends anymore. I’ll leave the rest to your imaginations. Needless to say, I know who I’m spending the rest of my life with. Without a doubt.

I’m sure the next chapters in my life will be interesting.

That’s the high lights of my life. The rest is pretty mundane.

I love animals. Currently I have a hamster, a snake, two bunnies, two fish, and an australian sugar glider as pets.

I see my kiddos as much as humanly possible.

I’ve co authored a series of short stories with my son, Connor who is now 12. My daughter, Caelyn,  is currently writing a book on her own

I’m 6’2″ and weigh about 235 now. I have brown hair and eyes and am a mixture of mostly Irish, some German, and a smidgen of English, Scots, and French Canadian.

I only blush when I talk about myself or my books. I am currently sitting at the computer chanting, “I can’t believe I’m writing this, I can’t believe I’m writing this…”

The only things I won’t eat are Liver and Lima Beans.

The rest changes on a regular basis.

Well I hope you enjoyed my little extended biography. Feel free to ask questions

Adios Amoebas

Gifts from the Past

Following Expectations and What Money Can’t Buy, the third novel in the Taylor Twins series, Gifts from the Past, finds the twins, Chris and Matt Taylor, immersed in the greatest challenges of their lives—parenthood.  Chris and Aiden are raising their adopted daughter and their special needs son, who struggles with physical and emotional challenges daily. Matt, on the other hand, has a beautiful and happy baby girl. However, his fiancée, Carley, has gone from overemotional to abusive and Matt needs to decide his best course of action. When Ally, Chris’s college girlfriend, comes back into the twins’ lives, everything becomes complicated. Especially for Matt.

Gifts from the Past is a novel redefining love, family, loyalty, and ultimately survival.

Coming soon! Check out Liz Borino’s amazon author page for current works available and watch for Gifts from the Past!

 Super big welcomes to Echelon Author Yvonne Eve Walus! Please enjoy learning more about her and check out her work!

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Hello and thank you for having me on this blog. My name is Yvonne Walus, and I write murder mysteries set in South Africa. I’m a set of contradictions, really. Originally Polish, I write in English. I’m a mathematician and I write books. I live in New Zealand, yet my heart is in South Africa.

Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?

I was lucky to find Echelon Press when they were still taking new authors and I was equally lucky that the editor wanted to take a chance on my quirky books.

What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?

The criticism is actually a compliment: that the characters in my books are not South African enough. This means, of course, that readers all over the world can relate to them.

Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?

Ask yourself why you write: to please yourself, to please the reader, or to make money.

Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans?

I write my South African murder mysteries to please myself. Hope you like them as much as I do!

What’s coming soon?

I’ve just spent two days in an absolutely amazing hotel in Cape Town, South Africa – the Mount Nelson Hotel. Soaked in history and dating back to the 1800s, the hotel is colonial in architecture and modern in conveniences such as aircon and wifi. It is just the absolutely perfect background for a James Bond type of a thriller, and my next book will definitely be set there.

FUN QUESTIONS!

Do you have deep dark secret?

Yes.

How about a shallow grey one?

Yes.

What sort of coffee would you order? Simple coffee, complicated soy-non-fat-extra-espresso-half-caff-nightmare?

No milk or sugar. Loose-leaf, preferably earl grey.

Is there any food you refuse to eat? (Other than brussel sprouts because NO ONE likes them)

I’ll eat brussel sprouts. Not my favourite food on earth, but I’ll cope. I’ve eaten bird soup, shark fins and a durian. . Once I even ate mopane worms (http://lodges.safari.co.za/African_Travel_Articles-travel/mopane-worms.html) – after all, I do write about Africa. Won’t eat squirrel or pigeon, though.

If you could live off of chocolate would you? What kind?

My favourite is Lindt chocolate, the light brown kind. I can easily eat 200g or more of it a day… provided that’s not the only thing I eat. I was once touring Europe on a shoestring budget, with only chocolate in my backpack. After 6 days of the exclusive chocolate diet, I lost 3kg. On Day 7, I chose to eat nothing rather than another slab of chocolate.

Have you every done anything really crazy?

Does skydiving count?

Do you regret it?

No. Won’t do it again in a hurry, though.

Do you like making up strange new words? (ie awesomesauce, techtarded) Please share if so!

Floopy. Droopy + floppy = floopy. If you’d like to hear more about the origin of this word, that’s another interview…

About the Author

Yvonne Walus has lived on three continents and her work reflects the wealth of her cultural background. Her crime fiction is published in USA and in Britain. Please visit South Africa in Yvonne’s “Murder @ Work” and discover what life is like when you are prohibited by the law to own a house or enter a bar for white people. Yvonne’s books are available on Amazon and Fictionwise.

Fine Yvonne online at:

Web links (website, blog etc):

Web: http://yewalus.kiwiwebhost.net.nz/

Blog: http://yewalus.blogspot.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Yvonne-Walus-author/206745219335573

Buy links:

“Murder @ Play”: http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Christine-Chamberlain-Mystery-ebook/dp/B003CT30GC/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1326661498&sr=8-5

“Murder @ Work”: http://www.amazon.com/Murder-work-Yvonne-Eve-Walus/dp/1590803256/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326661498&sr=8-1

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I was born, reared and educated in Alabama. When I graduated from college, I was also commissioned in the U.S. Army. I went on active duty eight days later—I had a son who was nine months old—graduate school wasn’t an option. I spent almost two years in Ft. Monmouth, NJ and was bored. When the opportunity to volunteer for the Special Forces (commonly called “Green Berets”) came, I eagerly grasped it. Fortunately, I was selected and after about a year of intense training, I wore the Beret. I left active duty after about fifteen years and went into the reserves. I found my way into teaching/writing for the exam preparation business. Much of what I wrote is still in use. I left that business in 2010 and became a full-time writer (and sometime freelance editor).

What do you do when you are not writing? Do you have a day job as well?

Other than writing, I have no specific job. I do cook pretty well, my wife says.

When did you first start writing and when did you finish your first book?

I started writing while in grade school. I wrote stories and poetry. I once wrote an essay on citizenship that evolved into a speech. When I presented it in a contest, I won the county’s medal for first place.

How did you choose the genre you write in?

I’ve published a thriller/mystery; a story of combat and love in Vietnam; a soldier/vampire story and a chapbook of Vietnam poetry. A thriller/mystery is in editing; an action/adventure book about tracking down terrorists is nearly complete and there’s a space opera to be finished. I guess I’ve been eclectic in my writing choices

Where do you get your ideas?

Anywhere. My first book came from being bombarded, on my frequent trips to New Orleans, by TV evangelist programs. I thought one of those organizations would be a perfect cover for all sorts of nefarious activities.

Do you ever experience writer’s block? Do you work with an outline, or just write?

Writer’s block is not normally a problem. If I can’t work out a scene in a book it’s simple to go to another work-in-progress. That usually works. I tried to work from an outline but almost immediately deviated. One of my writing mentors, the late Anne George, told me to let the characters tell their stories. If a writer has created characters strong enough to tell the story, they may take the author in unexpected directions, but the book will be better.

Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?

I mentioned Anne George. Helen Norris, who wrote The Christmas Wife was also helpful in both poetry and prose. I learned, as an adult writer, from three major authors: John D. McDonald, Robert B. Parker and James Lee Burke.

How do you market your work? What avenues have you found to work best for your genre?

So far, the social media and word-of-mouth have been best.

Have you written a book you love that you have not been able to get published?

Not in today’s publishing world.

Can you tell us about your upcoming book?

The next book will be the second in the vampire warrior novellas. V Trooper – First Mission starts the series. The exact title for the second book has not yet been set. The full-fledged book now in editing, is Devil’s Blade. A New York detective has tracked down a particularly vicious serial killer. The murderer is jailed but escapes and disappears. Two year later, he is killing again, in the southern hometown of the detective.

Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?

The only book based on personal experience is Where There Were No Innocents. Places and organizations were drawn from real life but used in a fictional manner.

What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?

Oh, for sure, the combat/confrontation scenes. My blood gets a big adrenaline infusion while writing.

How did you come up with the title?

The first title, Piety and Murder refers to killers and drug dealers using a TV evangelist as cover.

Are there certain characters you would like to go back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with?

I’m having a lot of fun with my vampire/warrior series right now.

What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?

I guess the toughest criticism was when an agent said that my prologue was filled with, “…too many pretty words.” I wondered if she would have liked James Lee Burke’s writing. The highest praise has been from some who have compared my writing to authors I admire. Having one’s work compared to LeCarre, Brown, Clancy and Rice is enough to create dizziness. It’s wonderful to have readers tell me that the characters in all my books make them want more. When someone tells me that they stayed awake until three A.M. to finish one of my books, I’m honored and humbled.

Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?

Create strong characters. Ask them to show you where the story should go. Don’t quit.

Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans?

The next book in the V Trooper series is coming soon! Devil’s Blade will follow.
FUN QUESTIONS!
If you were a superhero (or villain!) what would your power be? Would you wear a cape?

Mind control. No cape.

The light side or the dark side?

I wish I could invent funny, smartass characters like Parker’s Spenser. Just not my gift.

Is there any food you refuse to eat? (Other than brussel sprouts because NO ONE likes them)

I don’t like Indian curry.

What do you think the coolest pet to have would be?

A tiger.

If you could visit any world (real or imagined) where would you go?

Australia/New Zealand.

Have you every done anything really crazy? Do you regret it?

Does jumping out of perfectly good airplanes count?

When you rip out a page from a spiral notebook, do you leave the strip with the tabby pieces in? Or do you have to remove them? 

Gotta pull out the debris. Bugs me.

Have you ever gone out in public with your shirt on backwards, or your slippers on, and when realizing it, just said screw it?

No, but I have discovered—at midday—that I was wearing one dark blue sock and one black one. This, after standing in front of a class for four hours.

Do you get road rage? What pisses you off the most about other drivers?

My wife says that I “talk” to other drivers too much. Dangerous stupidity from other drivers makes me angry.

Series Blurb:

Welcome to Ever.

Ever, a deadly realm where feared, powerful and dangerous magical beings are banished. Though very large, it is not a world but a magically created prison. You can’t break through its circular boundary. Who, or what, made Ever? I’ve no idea. They were powerful, and cruel. That is all I can tell you.

Ever is like and unlike every other world. Nothing is safe. Safety is a dream. Ever is a nightmare. Few survive their first day. Nothing is what it seems. If something appears safe, it isn’t. If something appears dangerous, well it is, but probably more so than you think.

Ever has no sun, no moon, no stars at night. Time is told by the ever changing color of the sky where portals open, dropping new inhabitants, or new terrors. Time does pass. Don’t worry, you won’t get old. You won’t live that long.

The landscape changes without reason form dessert to jungles. The flora isn’t safe at any time. There is food, if you can find it without getting eaten yourself. Most plants and animals are poisonous. So is the water.

Are you afraid? You should be. This is the end. It gets worse of course. Remember the portals? Do think angels come through? Rarely the innocent do. Mostly, it is people of evil, people too powerful to kill. Their magic works here. The creature’s are worse.

Do you understand? Well you will eventually, or you’ll die. There is no escaping Ever. Ever.

My quest continues to find my dad. At least I now have proof he was actually banished to Ever too. I have so many questions still unanswered. Mainly, is he still alive and where is he? I hope I can find him.

My latest clue is a place called the Hidden City. Hopefully, he’s there. Hopefully, my friends and I can find it. Ever and its crazy landscapes keep throwing obstacles in our path. Monsters are something I’m used to fighting now. I think we’ll be okay.

Our main concern is the dragons. They’ve risen…which I’m told isn’t too strange, but they are acting peculiar. Something is wrong and none of us know what. I’m afraid Ever is about to get a lot more dangerous.

Tales of Ever #5 Dragon Rising 0.99 eBook available at [Smashwords][OmniLit][Amazon]  BN coming soon!

1) Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I’ve mainly been a tie-in writer, having done Dr Who, Trek, Space 1999, Final Destination, and lots of other stuff. I also do nonfiction about movies and TV. Away from work I love Forteana, model-building, videogames and martial arts….

2) What do you do when you are not writing? Do you have a day job as well?

Essentially tie-in stuff and magazine pieces are what you might call the day job, to fund the original novels I’d love to sell someday.

3) Where do you get your ideas?

Everywhere and nowhere. I don’t go looking for things to spark plot bunnies, but I’m always open to anything that will strike a mental spark – in the news, in conversations, in nature, in other books/films/etc, in music…
Ideas come from an open mind – or come *to* an open mind. Nature abhors a vacuum, so start sucking and let it fill up. Well, you know what I mean.

4) Do you ever experience writer’s block? Do you work with an outline, or just write?

Ah, those are two questions.
Writer’s Block, really, doesn’t exist, IMO. There’s manic or severe depression, and if a writer finds him or herself totally terrified to even try writing because there’s no point… that’s more depression, and anyone with any job can get that, and be unable to do whatever it is they do. Only writers have the excuse to call it something else, as if that’ll change it’s nature.
What most writers get is writer’s distraction – too many books to read/movies to watch/games to play… and suddenly it’s too late to make the deadline, and then you get terrified and wonder whether it’s worth doing anything…

As for outlines- yep, love them. No, seriously, I know a lot of writers hate storylining and outlining, but I love it. If you have a bullet-pointed road map when you start, half the job’s done.

5) Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?

Oh, it’s probably all Terrance Dicks’s fault – I grew up on his Dr Who novelisations, which seemed to come out almost weekly! And, later, I found that Dean Koontz’s works proved that a male writer could do good female leads, which I like to do if I can – or if it’s possible in the franchise I’m working in at the time!

6) If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your novel or getting it published that you would change?

I wouldn’t have wasted a number of years getting an agent who didn’t represent me, and in fact damn near killed my career. Said career being fine before him, and recovering after him.

7) Have you written a book you love that you have not been able to get published?

Not written, but outlined, pitched… contracted work always takes precedence, and for me that’s basically tie-ins or media nonfiction.

8) How did you come up with the title?

I’m notoriously terrible with titles- one of my Dr Who books (I forget which) was actually commissioned under the title “I’ll think of a title when it’s finished, honest!”

9) What project are you working on now? Will you have a new book coming out soon?

Which one? I’ve got six under contract right now!. But the one due first is an entry in Crossroads Press’s OCLT series – it’s a sort of SF/horror action epic. Then there’s a nonfiction book about the TV show Blake’s 7…

I’ve also a fair bit of writing for Bluewater Comics, and the latest there is an adaptation of John Saul’s novel The God Project, and #1 comes out in February. That’s a four-issue series. I also wrote an adaptation of William Shatner’s Quest For Tomorrow, which is another four-issue mini.

10) Are there certain characters you would like to go back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with?

I love to do action adventures set in period settings. Love that.

11) Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?

Stop reading this rambling and go and read some fucking books! Then switch the games console off and write something – it won’t write itself!

FUN QUESTIONS!

1) What sort of coffee would you order? Simple coffee, complicated soy-non-fat-extra-espresso-half-caff-nightmare?

An Einspanner, a specialty of Otto’s Café in the Hietzing district of Vienna.

2) Is there any food you refuse to eat? (Other than brussel sprouts because NO ONE likes them)

Liver or kidneys – the smell alone makes me want to puke. Snails, prawns, that kind of thing, though my wife loves them. Spinach cos I’m dangerously allergic…

3) Have you every done anything really crazy? Do you regret it?

Does fighting the occasional duel with live steel count? Just to the touch, not to death or injury… and hell no, the more the merrier!

4) Do you prefer fuzzy or tub socks?

Neither, I prefer to be barefoot or wearing sandals. (And obviously socks with sandals are a no-go.) It’s healthier, nicer, more comfy.

5) Do you go out of your way to kill bugs? Are there any that make you screech and hide?

Depends on the bug – I hate craneflies and will kill them on sight. OTOH, I have a complex relationship with spiders, as I’ve conducting a long-term eugenics campaign with them. To wit: I like to have orb-webs around (acaria diamantes in particular), while I dislike tegenarias. In fact I run a size limit in the house for teggies – below a certain size they’re allowed to live, bigger than that size, they either get ejected or killed. I hate harvestmen, though – those fuckers have got a kill-on-sight order on them…

Here are the books I’m reading now, or at the top of my To Read List…

The Hum and the Shiver by Alex Bledsoe – I won this one through a blog contest. I’m lucky enough to have a personalized signed paperback. Yes, you may all be jealous. Alex is an amazing author, if you haven’t checked out any of his work get off your butt and do so!

Product Description

No one knows where the Tufa came from, or how they ended up in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee, yet when the first Europeans arrived, they were already there. Dark-haired, enigmatic, and suspicious of outsiders, the Tufa live quiet lives in the hills and valleys of Cloud County. While their origins may be lost to history, there are clues in their music—hints of their true nature buried in the songs they have passed down for generations.

Private Bronwyn Hyatt returns from Iraq wounded in body and in spirit, only to face the very things that drove her away in the first place: her family, her obligations to the Tufa, and her dangerous ex-boyfriend. But more trouble lurks in the mountains and hollows of her childhood home. Cryptic omens warn of impending tragedy, and a restless “haint” lurks nearby, waiting to reveal Bronwyn’s darkest secrets. Worst of all, Bronwyn has lost touch with the music that was once a vital part of her identity.

With death stalking her family, Bronwyn will need to summon the strength to take her place among the true Tufa and once again fly on the night winds. . . .

This Montana Man by Angela K. Roe – I’m a horrible person. This book was sent to me by my wonderful and talented friend Angela in the summer I think. I’ve just not had the time to read yet. I shall be rectifying that shortly!

Product Description

Caroline Edwards takes a year’s lease on a run-down farmhouse in the middle of Montana. She needs the solitude to complete her newest novel. Jamie Overton isn’t pleased that his mother rented out the old house and thinks it should be torn down. When he meets Caroline, he’s convinced this city girl is out of her element. Will those sparks grow stronger when Caroline’s ex puts in an appearance?

Last but not least… Zombies Don’t Cry (A Living Dead Love Story) by Rusty Fischer. Rusty is one of my favorite authors, and another friend! I had the pleasure of reading one of his books not yet published- Detention of the Living Dead. Total awesomesauce! Keep your eye out for it! I think Rusty is part zombie himself- other than clones it’s the only way I can think of that he can have the time to write so many wonderful stories Another author you MUST go and check out! I lucked out again with this book. I got a personalized signed paperback at christmas (sneaky people!) Again, you may all be jealous! (Isn’t the cover gorgeous?)

Product Description

I’m super excited to have author Lou Antonelli on my blog today! Enjoy this interview with him, and be sure to check out his writing too!

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

My background is atypical of Americans in general. Both my parents were born overseas and emigrated to the U.S. from Italy after World War II. My maternal grandfather also immigrated because he feared reprisals after the war – he was an active Fascist supporter. My mother witnessed the exhibition of Mussolini’s corpse.

I went to public schools in Massachusetts. I’ve always supposed I developed an affinity for the English language because it was my parents’ second language. I started working for community newspapers when I was in high school and I have always supported myself as a journalist. I attended Columbia University in New York and moved to Texas in 1985, where I have lived and worked ever since. I married a Dallas native, and we now live in Mount Pleasant in East Texas where I am the managing editor of the local daily newspaper.

What do you do when you are not writing? Do you have a day job as well?

With my day job being in journalism, I write every day – I write fiction probably two or three days a week. I like my newspaper job, and the fiction allows me to exercise my creativity.

When did you first start writing and when did you finish your first book?

I actually started writing fiction for publication when I was 45 in 2002, kind of a kind of mid-life musing. I always enjoyed reading s-f, then one day it hit me that I had never tried my hand at writing it. I sold my first pro story to Gardner Dozois as Asimov’s Science Fiction in 2004. I wrote my first book two years ago, but it was clumsy and clunky and went nowhere. I seem to work much better in the short story length.

Where do you get your ideas?

Flashes of inspiration provided by overhead phrases, songs, or visual cues. They will work their way into my head and later I’ll think of some story idea. For example, I wrote a story about a female golem after hearing an old ‘50s song, “Hearts Made of Stone” sung by a girl group.

Do you ever experience writer’s block? Do you work with an outline, or just write?

Being a journalist by trade, I seem to be immune to writers block. My problem seems to be the opposite – all too often I take off frantically writing a story like an out-of-control drag racer, when I need to look at my story idea objectively and slow down. Because I often have no idea where I am going when I start, I never use an outline – I just take off.

Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?

The best advice I ever heard was: Write crap, edit brilliantly. Don’t tangle yourself all up in self-doubt. Inspiration is for amateurs; pros just set their butts in the chair and start typing. If you have self-doubt, you are already probably better than the average person out there trying to write, because there’s a lot of oblivious idiots out there cluttering up the slush piles with poorly written drivel that they think is worthy of the next Pulitzer.

Unfortunately, because of those enormous slush piles, editors have a hard job and can only look at all stories briefly. You need to hook them on the first page. Stanley Schmidt of Analog said “I read very fast. Your job is to get me to slow down, and turn your first page.”

Proofread mercilessly; it shows the editor you care. Follow guidelines for the same reason. Reading stories aloud really does help you catch typos and brain farts. Beta readers are also very helpful. Only use a critique group or workshop if it is supportive. There are groups out there that exhibit the “crab bucket” effect – you know, you don’t have to cover a bucket of live crabs because if one starts to climb out, the flailing of the others will drag it back down. No critique group is better than a bad one.

Don’t self-reject yourself; that the editor’s job. Unless the editor is a rank amateur at a tiny ezine, take all feedback to heart. Nine times out of ten, when an editor finds a flaw it is something that crossed your mind, too. Take that as a confirmation.

Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans?

I tend to write traditional stories with a lot of heart; they’ve been called old-fashioned and conventional. If you like that kind of stuff, let the magazines know, because these days they get a lot of dark, dystopian, material. I got some nice feedback recently from one of the major magazines where the editor said “It’s nice to see an upbeat story – seems like everything coming across my desk these days is depressing.” He still didn’t buy it, because from what he can tell, his readers probably wouldn’t like it. Let the magazines know you like stories that entertain and make you think, but don’t necessarily make you dial the Suicide Hotline. If you like these “The Present (or Future) Sucks and You Do ,Too” stories, you probably won’t read me, anyway.

If you were a superhero (or villain!) what would your power be? Would you wear a cape?

I actually have a super-power; apparently because of my professional background I have the ability to make you believe the craziest or screwy statements if I say it with a straight face and make eye contact. Problem is, as soon as I break eye contact you realize what I said is absolute bullshit. But it’s a great gag!

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Chocolate, Strawberry or Vanilla?

Strawberry.

The light side or the dark side?

The far side.

Is there any food you refuse to eat?

Being diabetic, there’s a lot.

Author Bio

A life-long science fiction reader, Lou Antonelli turned his hand to writing fiction in middle age; his first story was published in 2003 when he was 46. Since then he has had 58 short stories published in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia, in venues such as Asimov’s Science Fiction, Jim Baen’s Universe, Dark Recesses, Andromeda Spaceways In-Flight Magazine, and Greatest Uncommon Denominator (GUD), among many others. He has received eleven honorable mentions in The Year’s Best Science Fiction published by St. Martin’s Press for 2010, 2008, 2006, 2005 and 2004.

His steampunk short story, “A Rocket for the Republic”, was the last story accepted by Gardner Dozois before he retired as editor of Asimov’s Science Fiction after 19 years. It was published in Asimov’s in September 2005 and placed third in the annual Readers’ Poll.

His collections include “Fantastic Texas” published in 2009 and “Texas & Other Planets” published in 2010.  A collection of collaborative short stories co-authored with Oregon-based author Edward Morris, “Music for Four Hands”, was published in 2011.

He is a professional journalist and the managing editor of The Daily Tribune in Mount Pleasant, Texas. A Massachusetts native, he moved to Texas in 1985 and is married to Dallas native Patricia (Randolph) Antonelli. They have two adopted Canine-American children, Millie and Sugar Antonelli.

Don’t forget to stop by Lou’s Blog!

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I know my blog has been very quiet lately. December was a crazy month with kids and work and Christmas and holidays. Overall I still had a fantastic holiday season! I hope all of you did as well.

Christmas was wonderful with my kids, parents, sister and her fiancée. The tree was nearly hidden by all of the presents. Us adults had great nights staying up playing poker and something called mexican train dominos (or something like that). Boxing Day shopping was loads of fun as well.

When the boys went off to their dads I wandered down to sunny Florida to refill my sunbeams. Strangely there was a cold spell and nearly froze my butt off. There was still one lovely day, and a visit to the beach was awesome. I was like a 6 year old running around picking up shells and playing in the sand. The ocean was cold, but I still went in for a few minutes, just because! I found loads of pretty shells, some coral and a bunch of broken sand dollars.

Overall I had loads of fun, and even had my first taste of fried pickles. Though leery at first, they were awesome and I can’t wait to have them again the next time I go down. Maybe they are available up here.. but I’ve never seen them!

I know you’re wondering…yes I did go to Disney one day! I haven’t been there since I was 10 years old. A lot was different, or I’ve forgetten, but I remembered some things and that was really neat. Again, I was like a 6 year old (but I could go on all the rides!) I have to say the Princess Castle is still awesome, and I loved how they lit it up at night with lights. The Electric Parade was fantastic, and so was later when they projected images on the castle changing into everything from a gingerbread house to flames! The best part was the fireworks. I’ve never seen any so fantastic! I wish pictures would have turned out.

So after returning home I’ve been spending the time tryin to get caught up on blogs and fb and twitter and emails. 0_o I’m still working on it, next comes dealing with a messy house. The xmas tree is still up!

I’ve loads planned for 2012, with Broken Aro coming out in October, as well as a number of shorts and who knows what else. My butt is getting into gear… time to continue my quest for world domination

Wishing you all a super wonderful 2012!!

I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend. Enjoy your friends and family. Tolerate the loudness of the littles. Have extra chocolate. Be safe.

Hugs, sunbeams and rainbows!!