Interview with author of "Black Hole Heartbeat" Andrew Henley

On Writing was pleased to be able to interview Andrew Henley, author of "Black Hole Heartbeat"

Black Hole Heartbeat is Star Wars if the stormtroopers didn't miss all the time. Like Cowboy Bebop meets Butch and Sundance, or Guardians of the Galaxy in the style of Pulp Fiction.

​

Self confessed thief of ill repute, Elizabeth Ranger, runs head first into tragedy when she tries to recover a lost treasure in The Barely Charted. She wakes up three years later, flesh burned off and grafted back on, surrounded by strangers and suddenly part of a much larger mission. 

​

Together with Anastasia Yukishnov, the doctor who healed her, Elizabeth and her ensemble cast of lovable and loathable rogues uncover things much more sinister, much more compelling, than the mere trinkets she has spent her life hunting.

​

Love, loss, loneliness and ray guns all feature against the beautiful, bloodstained backdrop of space.

Do you take criticism hard or do you have a thick skin? Have you ever received criticisms that you felt were unjustified or too harsh? Are you your worst critic?

Writers need to be their own worst critic, but also their own biggest fan. You need to be a cheerleader in a first draft, to allow yourself to get excited about a witty one-liner, a fun action sequence or whimsical flourish. But when you read it back, you also need to be brutal enough to chuck it in the trash.

In general though, I think it depends on who the criticism is from on how hard I take it. Whether a stranger on the street tells me the book is better than Jesus or worse than Hitler, I just smile and nod. I’ve never met this person before, so good or bad I can’t take their opinion to heart. I have a pretty thick skin but it’s often easier to read the harsh ones. Someone tells you it stinks then it just isn’t for them. Someone tells you they like it but…, then you’ve done something wrong. I think that helps build a thick skin because you listen to that person, decide if you agree, and if you do, change it. If you don’t, don’t.

What does your writing process look like? Did it take you a while to develop?

I don’t like to over plan before I start, and I’m a big believer in letting your writing lead you down its own path. Once I hit a brick wall, I sit down and plan out the next few chapters then go back to the more free-writing style.

I always set small goals for each writing session, usually to write 500 words (give or take), but occasionally it’ll be 750 or 1000. Very rarely it’s 250, but it happens. I prefer this style because it’s a motivator, and it allows you to write freely. I find myself sometimes adding in passages that I expect to cut later, and usually they do indeed get cut. Occasionally though, the writing surprises you. A lot of my writing features small moments or non-plot conversations where the characters’ personality shines through. I think my writing style has helped developed this. I teach creative writing, and I can always tell which of my students set themselves goals of ‘I’m gonna write this chapter today’, because the writing is rushed and too focussed on the plot. Writing in chunks might have taken them longer, might have made them cut more, but it would have fixed their pacing.

What does you editing process look like? Do you allow others to read your writing?

Editing can be monotonous and it can feel like you’re not making much progress, so I think you have to create a system of ‘easy wins’. I print the whole novel out, stable every ten or so pages together then go through each little booklet with a biro pen. First couple of times I just look to take out, but if I know something needs to be added, retconned or developed, I just throw in some asterisks. Then I type up my notes, mainly deleting for the first few, and go again. Once everything is out that needs to leave, I do the same, but this time I’m looking to add in the gaps where the asterisks are. This type of edit usually takes a lot longer. After I do this a couple of times, I let a few trusted people read it. While they’re doing that, I do a punctuation edit. Once I get their notes back, it comes back to what I said on the thick skin question. If I agree, I change it. If I don’t, I don’t.

Have you ever felt like quitting writing? If so how did you overcome those feelings?

I think I actually overcame them with Black Hole Heartbeat, and I’m not just saying that to promote the book! I did my degree in Creative Writing, but when the course finished I felt a bit aimless. I never wrote a screenplay at university, but a month after I left, I sat and wrote three in a week. They were mostly garbage, with maybe a few bits here and there to salvage. Anyway, it was pretty unhealthy and I kept putting pressure on myself to just keep writing, because I didn’t know what to do when I wasn’t writing. I wanted to write but without the stress of projects, so I started playing around with Mass Effect fan fiction. About 10 chapters in, I was getting a lot of compliments from people for my writing style, with a lot of criticism for not sticking to canon and killing off characters. But I was feeling better about writing in general, so I used the fan fiction ideas to inform the first draft of Black Hole Heartbeat.

What would be your advice for aspiring authors?

Write for yourself, don’t edit until you’re done and go for a walk. The first one should be pretty self explanatory; writing can be damn hard and if it doesn’t make you smile, why are you doing it? Don’t worry about whether anyone else will buy it, like it or even read it. The second one taps into the whole brutal cheerleader thing. Editing requires you to admit that most of your first draft isn’t good enough yet, and that can be soul destroying when you’re still finishing it. Once the last word is written, it’s so much easier to go back and tweak, because you don’t need to motivate yourself to keep going. Your mindset is fixed on editing, so you’re happy to change. The third one is a bit of a metaphor. I walk everywhere, and because it’s such a solitary activity, I find it great for getting ideas. You get to overhear conversations, meet weird and wonderful people and make up little headcanon stories for them. Combined with my style of letting the writing lead me, a lot of this overheard dialogue and mini headcanon episodes end up making it into my writing in one way or another. But not everyone will literally go for ‘a walk’. I think it’s more about finding an activity that you enjoy that can give you ideas for writing, but isn’t something you deliberately do to get ideas.

For more information about the author, click here. 

To download the book and donate to the author click here. 

Book Review: When the Real Thing Comes Along by Faith Simone

It's been a long time since I've read a novel that kept me so engaged throughout its entirety. This is that one. I learned a lot about myself reading Jacelynn's struggles. One of which is how each of us reads with a bias, whether it's conscious or not. Even after seeing the cover and reading the descriptions of the characters, I still imagined them as white. I got over that very quickly. But it's amazing how you don't really realize that you're doing it. With that being said, I was so glad to be able to read a novel with a black heroine, and on top of that, it's a Christian novel.

That's where the challenge was for me. This is going to be a mix of personal tidbits and a review, because I want to share what this novel made me think and how it challenged my life. I've only recently started going back to church after almost a year. I felt so far away from God, but I knew I needed to change and work on my relationship with Him. So now, reading a novel where a character has such trust in God but still struggles when it comes to the daily things, it really spoke to me. I think it would speak to a lot of other readers, as well. Since my reading list was so long, it took me a few years to actually start this novel. But God's timing...man oh man did I need to read this novel when I did.

Jacelynn at the beginning of the novel feels secure in her relationship with Jason, a man of God. But when her ex comes back into her life, Jacelynn begins to questions everything, including her walk with God and God Himself. Why hasn't He been giving me guidance? Why is it that every time I feel as though I'm doing His Will things go horribly wrong? Christians have all been there. We all fall short, and we all make mistakes. Jacelynn doesn't always handle it with grace, but has His grace to push through. She's a good example of a real Christian, and I'm glad topics such as sex and pregnancy are brought up in this novel. In most Christian novels we read about these perfect people who never do anything wrong because they walk with the Lord. But that's not real. Jacelynn, and her struggles, that's real.

'When the Real Thing Comes Along' shows us that God is with us through it all. It's not easy, not ever, but He will never leave us. He is our example of love, and if we're patient and quiet enough, we can hear His voice. Simone has done an amazing job capturing and detailing God's character and the strength His gives. She's created characters so real I feel like I know them. This is an endearing novel Christians will love, and I feel non-believers will also enjoy if they're open to learning more about God.

Book Review: A Humble Heart (The Dark World #1) by Tim VanderMeulen

A Humble Heart tells the Tolkien-esque tale of an evil and dark race which threatens the existence of elves, dwarves, and humans. Clese and Henty are the last two surviving humans, from the Land of Gemdal, and bring news to the leader of the Elves. Thus begins their quest to the north to take back their land. 

I have to admit that this novel took me quite a while to get through. It read very similar to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and it's clear VanderMeulen has created a deep and developed world with its own lore and history. Much of it seemed to drag on, and felt a bit cluttered. Some scenes didn't add anything to the plot itself, but were there more for story telling purposes, which is is appropriate for this style of writing. Not quite my taste, but still quite rich.

The ending left a little to be desired after such a grand scape of a novel, but when all finished the three volumes I can see coming together well. It was a bit "oh, really? It's finished? Hm."

For the most part, the characters are interesting and familiar in a fantasy novel. I enjoyed how everything already seemed to be built, rather than having it all build up in the narrative. The cultures were already there and we just happened to stumble in at a specific point in their history. I really appreciate that in books, making me feel like the characters and races are part of our own world and make me think "well, yeah, doesn't everyone know this about Elveran?" I would have loved to see a map of the world, but I know it's not always possible. With something on this scale, it's always nice to see exactly where the party is travelling and it helps give a sense of how long things will take.

Fans of Tolkien and epic fantasy will quickly fall in love with VanderMeulen's writing style, and most will find the concept familiar and relatable. Overall, the book was well done and is a wonderful start to the Dark World series.

Review for "Al & Rollu: Battle for The Astral" by Vaidu Klis

Al & Rollu: Battle for the Astral by Vaidu Klis

Al & Rollu: Battle for the Astral by Vaidu Klis is a young adult modern fantasy about a young woman names Rollu who can leave her body at will and travel to a parallel dimension, known as the Astral. She travels to St. Petersburg in the hopes of winning a motorcycle meet, and the heart of her intended husband. Only catch is she doesn’t know who that is, all she has to go on are specs of details from an old prophesy. Her Granny always told her St. Petersburg was a place where wonderful things would happen for her, the question now is, was she right?

Well this was an interesting one. Number one thing I have to address first is the length of the book; its short. Actually, I can’t really call it a book, more like the introduction of a short story, a very short story. The books I review, that are marketed to be as novels, as usually about 200 or 300 pages (once converted into PDF format) This one was a whopping 40; I read it in two days (during my commute to work). The reader barely gets a chance to understand the world Klis has created before the story ends, promising to pick up again in the next book. The lack of immersion into the characters left me unable to relate to them, to care about them really, which happens to be a good thing because the book is so short that not a lot happens either. Al, or Albert, is barely present, and we only get a taste for his character. Then we come to the main course; Rollu. Instead of a well-rounded, strong female character, we get one who is preoccupied with finding a relationship. Klis created an interesting world, but maybe a pretty bland main character to inhabit it. The authors focus on her looks is at best boring, and at worst predatory. I understand the intent, Rollu is meant to be a beautiful young woman, with extraordinary talents, but most ordinary people, especially men, just see her physical beauty, and she clearly has had to deal with that kind of unwanted attention for a long time. I just think Klis could have c=gone about it in a different way. The short length of this first book also makes it problematic to try and show Rollu as more than just a pretty face too.

That said it was certainly not all doom and gloom here. Klis showed real promise with the world they created here. The concept of The Astral seems great, and the rest of this saga I think has amazing potential to develop for the reader a unique and interesting world. As I mentioned earlier this first book was very short, only giving us a taste for what is to come, and I am optimistic Klis will do great things.

To learn more about the author, click here. 

To buy the book, click here.  

Happy Reading Folks!

~ Lilaina

Review for "Between Octobers" by A. R. Rivera

Between Octobers by A. R. Rivera

Between Octobers by A. R. Rivera is a modern romance thriller packed with everything you expect to see from both genres, and a little more you might not. It tells the story of an ordinary woman, Grace, who meets and falls in love with an extraordinary man, famous actor Rhys Matthews. The book details their intense love, the passion which unfolds and how it consumes them and all around them. Their relationship is not without its struggles, and they eventually take its toll. Interwoven with this tale, Grace struggles with a more real and intense danger, and as her love story unfolds, and she struggles to find a way to save herself, the bittersweet facets of love are revealed.

Rivera has done a superb job with blending a thriller with some small touches of action and mystery. The story moves along a just the right pace, giving the reader enough background on the characters, and letting them grow, without crawling along at a snail’s pace or cutting back in other areas. The novel grips you from start to finish, with a kind of mature drama, one that I think anyone who has been in a long-term relationship can understand, and those who have enjoyed passionate flings. It is so very real, portraying love in such a raw manner that at first it takes you aback with its authenticity, then just when you think this is talking about every relationship you have ever had Rivera cuts to the fantastical bits that season the story.

A romance novel is still a romance novel though, and this book does sometimes delve into the pitfalls of romance books. The language Rivera uses when Grace speaks sounds like every airport bookstore love story you might pick up. It always struck me as very nineties, the way a character would describe their outfit, or how they would narrate their actions; all so formulaic and aged. What struck me most especially was the way Grace spoke. I did the math, and based on the clues Rivera gives Grace is at most 31 years old for most of the novel, but she sounds like she is 45. It’s not that it detracted from the book, but is more so a source of distaste, as most romance novels read this way. There was a smattering of Christianity throughout, mainly on the part of the main character, but not enough that someone non-religious would be turned off, and just enough to potentially please those who aren’t.

I have to say, as far as romance goes, this book actually impressed me. I liked the pace of it, the length, and so often I found so many parallels between Grace and Rhys’ relationship to my own that I really got hooked. But the biggest bonus for me was the ending. As I try desperately not to reveal much, I do need to gush a bit about the bold choice in ending Rivera went with, definitely not your typical take on a romance novel, and quite refreshing. If you want the romance without too much longing looks, pouting lips and furtive glances, then this is for you. If you want something of a mystery, a touch of authenticity with a few embellishments, then this is the book for you.

If you want to learn more about the author and their work, click here. 

If you want to buy the book, click here. 

Happy Reading

~ Lilaina

Review for "The Adventures of Isabelle Book 1: The Embryo Goddess and the Morpho" by Nicole Cutts

The Adventures of Isabelle Book 1: The Embryo Goddess and the Morpho by Nicole Cutts

The Adventures of Isabelle Book 1: The Embryo Goddess and the Morpho by Nicole Cutts is a delightful and energetic romp through a quasi-fantasy world. The heroine of the story is the only daughter of a great king, taking on the monumental task of defending the colonies of the kingdom and restoring order after the void her father leaves. From a personal perspective Isabelle sees this as an opportunity to prove her worth and test he skills she has learnt, as well as mend a broken heart.

This book was fun; it was fun to read, fun to immerse myself in, and left me on a satisfying cliffhanger. The Princess, Isabelle, was very relatable and I enjoyed her development. Cutts purposefully created a multi-dimensional character here, something that eschews the traditional tale of a damsel in distress or a complete tomboy. Here we see Isabelle enjoy riding horses, learning how to fight, but also enjoying her studies and indulging in fine dresses. She doesn’t fit into any sort of mould, which is refreshing and something sorely needed in the fantasy genre.

While I did love the book, I must say it was a little juvenile. Cutts does explain in the prologue how she wanted to write the kind of story she wished she could read when she was a little girl, and while I think she succeeded here, if you are an older woman or teen this book may not satisfy your reading needs. This would not make it onto my must have book shelf, but it would certainly be my first pick for a present to a young kid in the hopes it would inspire them to build an egalitarian world that Isabelle strives for. Women do not need a knight in shining armour to rescue them, and this book embodies that concept. 

To learn more about the author, go to their professional website here. 

To read the authors blog, see here. 

If you want to buy the book, go to Amazon.ca 

Cover Reveal for Melhara by Jocelyn Tollefson

Witches. Demons. Angels. Ancient prophecies and eternal wars.Kyra Parker seems to have it all: a successful career woman, wife, and mother; she's living the life she always wanted. But appearances are deceiving. In reality, she's a witch who has forbidden herself from using magic—at least the powers she has control over. Only two of her closest friends know her secret—one they share.

Kyra can no longer ignore her destiny when she is exposed as the key to the end of the world. She transforms into a dark witch after reluctantly surrendering her soul to the demon, Alastor, to save her loved ones. 

With her friends, Alexis and Axel, chasing her across the country in an attempt to free her from the demon's influence, Kyra ventures ever closer to the point of no return. Her family and friends need to work together before it’s too late to save her—and the rest of the world—from the demon apocalypse. 

There's just one problem—she doesn’t want to be saved.

If you want to buy Melhara, check out Amazon.ca

For more abut the author check out Jocelyn Tollefson