Noahan Author Issue #2

Welcome to the second issue of Noahan Author! All three of last week’s interviewees were apparently very happy with their interviews, and I hear that at least two of them have seen spikes in sales in the days since! That’s very exciting. As an author, I would be very pleased to imagine that I am helping novelists and their audiences to find each other.

We have three more authors to introduce to you to today. I have read at least the free preview of each of the books before writing their questions. Of course, everyone coming to this site will be here because they already have an interest in one of our guests, but please do stay and read all three interviews. I ask open questions intended to allow the writers to talk for a while. Hopefully you’ll get a chance to sample their voices and begin to decide if they might be storytellers you would enjoy reading a full-length work by.

At the end of every interview I invite each author to ask ME one question, which I then do my best to answer. It can be about my work, their work, or anything under the sun. As I say, I am also a new author and my hope is that my audience can start to find me as well!

(I’m sure they’re quite cold and lonely, so they will need my help sooner than later!)

Noahan Author interview – Jason Letts:

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: Jason, I’ve read the free preview of Powerless – The Synthesis on Amazon.com. I think the first thing that any reader will notice is that you have a nice, gentle storytelling style.  Can you tell us a little bit about what elements you think make for good storytelling?

Jason Letts: When writing about things that could never actually happen, I find the best technique is to just say it as simply and clearly as possible.  Getting overly fancy with details or sentence structure is a dead giveaway that the author doesn’t believe in what he or she is writing.  For me, it’s all about allowing readers to see through the writing so they can imagine what is happening with the story.

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: What is Powerless – The Synthesis about?

Jason Letts: The Powerless series is about a startling discovery that changes the entire world for one fifteen-year-old named Mira. Her parents have kept her hidden because she’s different from everyone else. She lacks a magical special ability, and that limitation defines her experience as she steps out into a strange new world she never knew was always around her.

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: Reading the preview, I was struck by the visual image of the smoke surrounding the home that your protagonist had lived in all of her life. How important do you believe moments like that are in a good story?

Jason Letts: Mira’s father’s power is to control the water in the air, and he sealed their home within an impenetrable cloud. One day Mira sees a face in the surface of the wafting mist that looks a little like hers but different. This event is the impetus for the entire series. In a good story, those magically significant moments must take on a wide range of qualities and emotions. It doesn’t take violence to cut to the core of a character or a reader.

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: You begin the story with Mira and her two parents living in isolation. Are we to understand that she hasn’t had any other human contact at all at this point in her life?

Jason Letts: We are, though she is well aware that there are other people in the world. Her impression is that she is trapped and can’t get to them. She has her parents, who keep her in the dark about most things; her science textbooks, which give her a window into the workings of the world; and her wishes to find someone out there she can connect with.

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: Can you talk a little about your publishing experience? What path led you to publish it independently?

Jason Letts: I wrote short stories for a long time, placing one with Entelechy and even garnering a finalist nod for one from Glimmer Train.  I set my sights on something bigger though, something I was more passionate about, and that’s what led me to start writing fantasy. I loved the process, and I loved having control. I found a great editor to work with. This story was something I truly cared about, and I couldn’t bear to see it shelved for years when it could be out there trying its luck with a reader right now!

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: What lessons have you learned from your publishing and promotional experience?

Jason Letts: More than about pushing a book, it all boils down to the connections we make with each other. I’m always searching for great new stories to further my understanding of the world, and Powerless is my contribution to those stories. So dialogue with other readers and writers is the most important part for me. Sharing ideas, that’s my perception of the marketing experience.

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: I see that the book is available digitally. Are there plans to make it available in softcover or hardcover? Why or why not?

Jason Letts: We should be just a few weeks away from a print version. I’ve got a friend who has done all the designing from the website to the file formatting, and he’s getting it ready right now. Everything I’ve released is as much his art as it is mine.

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: Powerless - The Synthesis has a striking cover. Who is the artist, and what can you tell us about the creation process?

Jason Letts: I found the graphic design firm I use for my covers on elance.com. They are actually based in Argentina, and so it was funny to work with them there, my editor in Canada, and my friends in New York while I was in Japan. It’s amazing what an inter-connected world we live in!

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: What motivates you as an author? Why do you write?

Jason Letts: I write because of how much stories mean to me. These complex arrangements of words become so intricate and beautiful. If you just keep putting one after the other, it’s amazing what you can build. I write because it becomes real and permanent in a way my other pursuits don’t. I run, but I can fall out of shape quickly if I stop. Art lasts.

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: What are you working on now that you can talk about?

Jason Letts: Having just finished writing the final book in the series, I think I'm going to try writing something a little more contemporary. I have a few ideas, but nothing all that concrete. I'd better come up with something quick though because I'm already itching to start writing again.

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: If you could leave your body and travel astrally, would you? Where would you go?

Jason Letts: Absolutely! The best move might be a “Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” situation. Going back and having that kind of advantage would be amazing. But even now, I’ve got the travel bug big-time, and there are so many places around the world I’d love to visit. South America, Europe, so many beautiful places out there. I’d probably have a darn good seat at the U.S. Open too!

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: What is your deepest, darkest secret?

Jason Letts: I killed a man when I was fourteen. No, I was born during a hostage situation at a bank. Actually, I’m stockpiling ammo for WWIII in my basement. I guess my secret is I frequently uncork my imagination and let the first thing that comes to mind spill out. Hopefully a few people have caught on by now that I like to make things up!

Jason Letts: And a question for you:

If you could have any superpower, what would you pick? Why?

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: After giving it some thought, I have decided that I would like to have the power to make the world change to suit me! If I were to walk through a door, the door’s height would have to adjust to accommodate me. If I were to put on a shoe, its size would change according to the size of my foot. If I were to answer a question, that question would change to validate my answer.

I remember being asked by the head of my college senior project board if I considered myself a rebel.

I answered; “No. I am the authority which the world rebels against!”

Seems better than X-Ray vision anyhow!

Noahan Author Interview – Paul J Coleman

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: Paul, thank you for your time. Can you tell us about your background?

Paul J Coleman:  I began my online life as a ghostwriter for well established marketers.  Then I realized that the Indie Revolution was beginning, and I felt a real kinship with Indie Authors as they go up against the giants. 

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: You’ve recently released a free PDF to help new authors promote their work on Amazon.com and Facebook: Amazon and Facebook Double Whammy. Can you talk about that a little bit?

Paul J Coleman: I think the combination of Indie Authors and internet marketing techniques is a marriage made in heaven.  I want Indies to dominate.

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: Why did you decide to make the eBook available for free?

Paul J Coleman: Kindleboards inspired me to give a boost to the Indie Authors.  And I have a new project in the works where I want to promote the Indies worldwide.  Stay tuned. 

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: Amazon and Facebook Double Whammy seems prmarily aimed at authors of non-fiction, how different would the techniques be for an author of fiction?

Paul J Coleman: No different.  Web promotion principles are the same.

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: What are the most important three things a new author should do to promote their book?

Paul J Coleman: Get reviews on Amazon.  Search for the top book blogs, contact those sites for an interview.  Post in the official Amazon discussion groups.  But do it in a smart and low key way.  If your thread gets a good response, then add your book link in your signature to the first post.

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: You mention in Amazon and Facebook Double Whammy that the secret to making money on Amazon is to pick a popular niche and release ten or more books in that niche. My initial concern hearing this was quality. Isn’t that more important than quantity? Don’t we risk becoming hacks?

Paul J Coleman: The books don't have to be long.  They can be tiny, but they must be good content.  You want to hook people in to your way of thinking, your personality, your books.

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: I’ve also had a chance to read the free preview for Boss Core. Can you tell us that book?

Paul J Coleman: BOSS CORE started it all for me.  It's a mind method where you kill all doubt and put all your energy into completing your project.  You learn how to plow over every NO and complete your goals no matter what the conditions. 

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: In the early pages of Boss Core you talk about people who buy product after product, not because they feel like they are successful, but because they feel incomplete. This reminded me of the Clash song Lost in the Supermarket. Can you talk a little about this trait in human beings?

Paul J Coleman: We all have been trained as passive consumers from birth.  You can break that cycle if you want to. 

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: Why do you think humanity is so unhappy at this point in history?

Paul J Coleman: Confusion and uncertainty.  We are between two ages, and transitions are always difficult.

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: What motivates you as an author?

Paul J Coleman: I don't know.  Great question.  Knocked me for a loop. :-)

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: If you could leave your body and travel astrally, would you? Where would you go?

Paul J Coleman: Bought your book and am fascinated by it.  I've been thinking this over, and I don't think I'd want to leave my body.  The soul plus body seems to be a good combination.  In fact, I'm thinking a more synchronized relationship between soul and body would be ideal. 

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: What is your deepest, darkest secret?

Paul J Coleman: I am not human.  I am just a machine.  Not kidding.

Paul J Coleman:  Ok: What, to you, is "heaven"?

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: I think there’s something hedonistic about our society’s concept of Heaven. Whether it contains 99 virgins, or 76 trombones, or simply one bearded man who graciously allows us to sit on his shoulder and bask in the glory of that swell Platonic essence of perfect shoulder-ness, the promise seems to be eternal pleasure.

Which is strange considering it is usually promised to those who can best resist immediate gratification!

I think the traditional model of Heaven we are offered is sophomoric. I think it is designed to be explained to children and people who aren’t motivated to give these matters a lot of thought.

If there is a being that we can call the creator of the universe, and this being has gone to all of the trouble to make a world that will test and teach us, is that creator really likely to leave us lying around on fluffy cloudy mattresses for the next million years? Oh, what a waste! And oh what a FOOL that creator would be!

And if there is such a being, it would be ridiculous to suggest they would be anything less than wise.

So, instead I suggest that the best available afterlife would be one which allows and encourages us to grow even further. If death is not the end, it won’t be the end of the story either. I cannot conceive, with a straight face, of a creator who intends for us to be nothing but fat lazy greedy winged children in white dresses for eternity.

I don’t know any details, but logic seems to suggest that the father of the universe would want nothing less than for us all to grow up one day, just like he did….. - Noah K. Mullette-Gillman

Noahan Author Interview – Robert J Duperre:

- As an editorial note I’d like to say that while I have only read the preview and not the whole book, Robert J Duperre’s The Fall is quite possibly the best written free preview I’ve read since I started reading the independent authors on Amazon. I strongly suggest you check it out - but make no promises as to the quality of the later pages! ;)

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: Robert, thank you for your time. Tell us about The Fall.

Robert J Duperre: Hello Noah, and thank you for the interview.  The Fall is the first book in a four-part series titled “The Rift”.  It deals with the beginning of a deadly outbreak that causes those infected to devolve into murderous fiends.  The disease, and the violence it brings about, ravages the globe, causing society to break down and leaving any survivors alone in a violent and dangerous world.  It is a work of horror, and isn’t shy about being so. 

This started out as a zombie novel, but then I changed directions halfway through the original manuscript because, while zombies may be useful tools when dealing with social commentary, they didn’t quite give the story the guttural anger that would juxtapose the human vulnerability I wanted to portray.  So although there are still zombies present in the storyline, it deals more with rage and the violence that rage causes than the staggering undead.

My main goal in writing this series was to focus on real people with real problems, to throw them into as many horrible circumstances as possible.  I wanted to bring a strong sense of loss and isolation.  All of the characters are terribly flawed, much like every person I’ve ever met in my lifetime.  I want anyone who reads it to relate to the apprehension, confusion, and doubt they feel.   This way, no matter how flawed they may be, we can sympathize and root for them, even the unsavory ones.

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: Tell us about Josh.

Robert J Duperre: Joshua Benoit, the main character of the story, is an illustration on how much we, as people, can waste our talents.  He’s a more-than-capable young man in his mid-twenties who’s kept himself tied down to a place he detests because he’s too scared and lazy to do anything about it.  He might be the main character (at least in the first book), but he’s no superhero.  He is filled with as much doubt and regret as any other character.  In fact, the only thing that makes him “special” is an accident of genealogy, which is something we find out in later volumes.  This first book is the story of his beginning path toward redemption.  He’s isolated himself from the world around him, even himself.  So I thought it might be ironic to have him start to find his purpose when everything around him seems, for all intents, purposeless.

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: Your book features 20 stunning illustrations by Jesse David Young. Can you talk about them? How did the two of you collaborate?

Robert J Duperre: Jesse is an old friend and colleague of my wife, Jessica Torrant.  We’d often chatted in the past about he and I working together, but it never amounted to much of anything.  Then, this past September, we both reached a place in our creative careers that screamed, “DO SOMETHING, DAMMIT!”  We got together and talked over a few possible projects.  At the time, I was releasing The Fall as a serial chapbook.  Through our discussions, we decided it would be in both of our best interests to work on this series of books together.  So here we are, one novel in and working on number two.  Our collaboration has meant so much to me.  In many ways, it’s a confirmation of my own abilities.  If someone with as much talent as he wanted to work with me, I must be doing something right.

The illustrations themselves are something I’m quite proud of.  Jesse took his time with them, and the results are gorgeous and horrifying at the same time.  Also, there is a bit of our families in each picture.  He, myself, our respective wives, and our children were the models for the shots he used as references.  In fact, there are a couple in there that are virtually exact replicas of our faces.  So look out for it.  You might see an author acting quite frightened and an illustrator screaming as his head is tossed through the air.  It was in interesting experience, making the act of creating that much more personal.

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: When I think of Horror and Archeology, the first name that comes into my head is H.P. Lovecraft. Has he been an influence of yours? Who else?

Robert J Duperre: Oh yes, Lovecraft has been an influence, though not the greatest one in my life.  The Cthulu Mythos has always held a special place in my heart, though.  From my teen years, when my friends and I pretended we attended Miskatonic University, to trying to force a way to squeeze the word Yog Sothoth into every short story I write, he’s never left me.

However, the biggest influence in my work is undoubtedly Clive Barker.  I grew obsessed with his visions of worlds within worlds; places that lay just beyond the realm of human perception that are just as viable as our own.  Weaveworld is, to this day, the book I call the greatest I’ve ever read.  And if you read closely, you’ll see his sway in parts of The Fall, as well.

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: Have you been interested in South American myth and culture for a long time, or did you just do the research for the books? Have you read the Popul Vuh?

Robert J Duperre: Yes, it has interested me for a while.  I actually started wondering about them after reading Phantoms by Dean Koontz.  In fact, that book was what inspired me to begin this adventure the way I did.  So I dove into a bunch of online research at the beginning and dumped a good deal of it into the novel’s backstory.  However, once I went back and read it, I realized there was far too much information.  The crux of the tale isn’t how the ancient Mayans disappeared; it’s the after effects of what happens when that scene is discovered.  So I scrapped a good deal of the text and kept the basics.

As for the Popul Vuh, no, I’ve never seen it.  I’ve read a good deal about it, and the stories of the gods within, but, much like Ken, the archeologist who stumbles upon this burial site, the actual text remains a bit of a mystery to me.  I know a translation was released for all to read by Touchstone in 1986, but I’ve never lain eyes it.

Editor - For those interested, the text of the Popul Vuh can be read free online HERE:

http://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/pvuheng.htm

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: What one element do you think is most important for a successful horror story?

Robert J Duperre: I’ll break the rules here and say there are two things – tension and compassion.  In truth, a good horror story is no different than a good literary, speculative, science fiction, fantasy, or romance story.  The same basic elements drive them all – people and how they act and respond to the obstacles in front of them.  The only difference is in the details.  The situations.  But if any of these tales build no tension, or give you unsympathetic characters we, as readers, can’t relate to, then the writing has failed.

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: What have you done and are you doing to promote The Fall?

Robert J Duperre: I started out by opening an author’s blog, journalofalways.blogspot.com (also accessible through robertduperre.com).  Then, Jesse and I started a website we titled theriftonline.com.  After the print book came out, I attempted Facebook advertising, which worked for me as well as a can opener helps a buffalo pry open a can of beans.  Then, later on, I discovered the Kindle and how accessible it was.  I created a version for it and released it in June.  Since then, I’ve been trying to make a name for myself on various message boards and communities.  In truth, the Kindle Boards have been my lifeline.  I started a project of purchasing and reviewing the works of independent authors, and that seems to have helped.  Other than that, Jesse and myself are flying out to Las Vegas on August 26th to attend KillerCon, the annual convention held there.  Hopefully, we can put our name out there a little more through that exposure.

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: The Fall is book one of The Rift. When will we see a follow up? Can you talk about how the sequel will be different from the original chapter?

Robert J Duperre: As of right now our tentative release date for book two is December first.  It is titled “Dead of Winter”.  The final round of edits is virtually complete, and it still has to go out to the editor.  Jesse also has the illustrations to work on, which he has been doing quite well.  He’s taking a bit of an alternative direction with this book than he took with the first, as the tones are quite different.  Whereas book one is ostensibly an action novel, this one is much more subdued and introspective.  It deals with isolation and loneliness and the effect that both have on folks who are just trying to survive a long, cold winter.  Also, it is the one book that keeps the feel of the original zombie-heavy manuscript.  It is my favorite of the four volumes, so obviously I’m quite excited to get it out there.

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: I have personal memories of visiting Chichen Itza. The space inside was tight and humid. The walls were covered with a green wet fungus. I left with an eye infection that took weeks to go away. It’s been some years and I seem to be okay. Should I still be concerned?

Robert J Duperre: Keep an eye on your body temperature.  If it suddenly rises above 104 degrees, and you start developing violent tendencies, you might be in trouble.  In that case, keep plenty of raw meat around.  You’ll need it.

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: If you could leave your body and travel astrally, would you? Where would you go?

Robert J Duperre: Oh, interesting question, Noah.  Most likely, I’d travel to the farthest reaches of our physical world.  As I said, I’ve always been interested in alternate dimensions, and I believe that traveling on the astral plane, being a different dimension in and of itself, might be able to allow me to explore those boundaries and see how close string theory actually gets to the truth.

Noah K Mullette-Gillman: What is your deepest, darkest secret?

Robert J Duperre: Probably the fact that I cry like a baby while watching or reading anything melodramatic.  Yeah, that’s it.

Well, probably not, but that’s all you’ll get from me, brother!

Robert J Duperre: Okay, Noah, here's my question for you:

What do you feel should be the role of religion in modern society when placed against the framework of government, education, and the building of moral principle?

Noah K Mullette-Gillman:

I was thinking recently about how divided the United States has become. There is very little sense of a “common good” anymore. The mindset is: I can prosper, you can prosper, but these are separate things and probably at odds.

I think it can be a little bit different in Europe and in smaller, older countries. There can be more of a sense of an “us,” a sense that all of (or most of) the people in the country are A people. They have a common history, a common culture, and yes, common ancestors.

In America we have the aspiration that we will become a common people, not because of history or race, but because of philosophy. To be American, in theory, is to believe a series of statements about the rights of men and women.

“We” believe in freedom of religion, freedom of speech, the rights to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness….

But have we ever managed to become a single people? Are we the people of the United States, or the peopleS of the United States? Something maybe isn’t connecting.

Historically, religion may have been an even tighter chain than even race to bring different groups together, but I think we have reached a point in human history when the great religions are losing their power over our imaginations. My first instinct is that this is probably a good thing. Often religion has lead men to commit horrible atrocities. It has prevented independent thought. It has stood in the way of true self-understanding and psychic progress. Worst of all, by playing the spiritual tax-man – the holy  gate-keeper – the divine bodyguard; the religious authorities of the last couple of thousand years have put up barriers keeping us apart from whatever metaphysical truth might really be there.

“You don’t talk to God. You talk to me and I talk to God. I’ll tell you what he says!”

And so, one might expect that a new and more liberal environment where we are able to think for ourselves, to communicate more freely with whatever divinity there may really be would be a good thing. In many ways it is, but at the same time we have lost the bond to each other that came with being part of a larger group. If you and I are both Christian, or both Jewish, or Zoroastrians, that doesn’t mean a lot anymore. That doesn’t put us on the same side. As religion has lost its ability to guide our actions, it has also lost the ability to bind us together.

In my interview with Paul J Colemen he commented that we are in a time between ages now. I think that’s true. And I don’t think it’s clear yet what form the new age will take. I wonder: will we find something new to make us feel like a united society or will we plunge further into individualism? Oh, I’m a big fan of individualism, but I like the idea of “good individuals” people who may believe wildly divergent things but still treat each other kindly and generously in accordance with a set of rules that they don’t just obey - but sincerely believe in.

All hail the divine logic of the Philosopher Kings!

Is that where society is headed? No, not currently. We’re not as enlightened as that yet. We’re lazy. Most of us don’t read, and a very very very very very very very small percentage of even those readers really think!

Still, this in-between era is a time of unique opportunity.

My novel, The White Hairs, begins with something like a religious ceremony. It is a ritual, at any rate. Our protagonist, Farshoul, is learning how to leave his body and travel astrally. He does so, and explores the wind and the sky. When he returns to his body he is told that he imagined that whole thing. That he actually failed to leave his body.

He then goes on to attempt the experience again, alone and without the approval or help of his authority figures. The things he experiences then are very different from what he has been told he will experience. They’re much more difficult and fantastic!

Your question actually gets at one of the issues central to my novel. What happens when we attempt to interact with the immeasurable without the blessing and assistance of the authorities? The story really begins with him failing to work within the spiritual structure of his society and having to find his own path. - Noah K Mullette-Gillman

Thank you again to all three of our authors, both for your excellent answers, and for giving me such great questions to reply to! We’ll be back next week with three more interviews.

In the meantime, I invite you all to catch up by reading the three interviews from last week and/or go ahead and read a short free preview of my novel The White Hairs.

P.S. Happy birthday Alexandra!