Where do you get your ideas? is a question every writer has been asked at one time or another.

For me, in many occasions, the idea for a story comes from a real place or person.

To illustrate this, I’m going to post every week, a picture of one of these places or people and explain why / how they made it into my books.

I’ll start with my first book: TWO MOON PRINCESS (http://goo.gl/VX0r1) and the place where this story began for me:

Arch at Playa de las Catedrales (Cathedral Beach) in Spain

Once upon a time, when I was a child, I saw a broken arch on a beach in northern Spain. In my mind, the arch was magical. It was a portal to another world, I called Xaren Ra. Later, I moved to California and Andrea, a sixteen year old princess from Xaren-Ra came with me.

In TWO MOON PRINCESS Andrea travels from her wold to California through an arch the full moon rising turns into a portal between Xaren-Ra and Earth.

After I wrote my story, I found out that, a couple of miles north of the town in California where I first lived when I moved to the States, there is an arch similar to the one in Spain.

Goat Rock, Sonoma Coast, CA

Coincidence? Perhaps.

Interview by Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban

Today, we have with us Emily Casey the author of the YA fantasy The Fairy Tale Trap, a delightful and imaginative retale of my favorite Fairy Tale, Beauty and the Beast I highly recommend.

Emily has generously agreed to give a free copy of The Fairy Tale Trap to one lucky commenter. So, don’t be shy and leave your comments below.

Hello, Carmen! Thanks for letting me visit your blog. And hello to all the book lovers out there! I’m really excited to announce the release of my book The Fairy Tale Trap

Hello Emily! You’re very welcome. And talking about your book, why don’t you tell us

Q. Why did you write this book?

A. I wrote it because… well… you’ll think I’m crazy, but the honest truth is that my main character (Ivy Thorn) made me do it. Ivy is a fictional character that I created to fill some creative space. I was between books and wasn’t ready to start my next one, so I created this character that hopped from fairy tale to fairy tale, wreaking havoc wherever she went. Ivy became such a strong character, that I felt like she needed at least a whole book, maybe even a series.

Q. Who is the expected audience? (List 3 books similar to yours)

A. She’s around fifteen years old and even though she’s running around with princesses and fairies, she has a voice similar to Rachel Hawkins’ character Sophie from the Hex Hall series (spunky and smart). Gail Carson Levine also comes to mind, since she likes to put strong heroines into fairy tales with a twist. And of course, anyone who ever enjoyed a fairy tale would be a match for The Fairy Tale Trap.

Q. In which formats is it available?

A. At the moment, The Fairy Tale Trap is only in ebook format. Since I’m self-published, all the costs come out of my own pocket, so a print version hasn’t been a possibility. I’m currently trying to make that happen, though.

Q. Why did you choose to self-publish?

A. I chose to self-publish for two reasons: 1) I couldn’t put Ivy in a drawer. I realize she’s a fictional character, but whenever I tried to move on and write something new, the stories always fell flat because I was thinking about Ivy’s next adventure. 2) I couldn’t stop reading about self-publishing. Eventually, I realized I was putting a lot of time into researching it, so I prayed about it. I felt strongly that I should at least move in this direction. I was never promised success if I self-published, but I feel that I’m meant to be on this path.

Q. One of the perks of self-publishing your book is that you get to choose your own cover. This is also a challenge for those of us not artistically oriented. How did it work for you? Did you design your own cover or hire somebody to do it.

A. The cover for The Fairy Tale Trap was a collaborative effort. A friend of mine (Ryan) is really good at Photoshop. He chose the photo of the girl running and put it into the woods and worked on blending and lighting. I added the text, extra color, and sparkles. I love the cover. I’ve already made the cover for the second book in the series, based on its design. I did this one all on my own, but I credit Ryan’s creative mind for laying the groundwork.

So you have already finished the second book in this series. Congratulations. I hope you publish it soon so we can have you again at Dare to Read to talk about it.

Q. Before we end this interview, is there any advice you want to share with our readers who are considering self-publishing?

A. Self-publishing is a hot topic and a lot of people are considering it. My advice is to take a step. Don’t sink a lot of money into it, but go ahead and act on it. You may find that the stress of marketing and coordinating release dates isn’t for you. If that’s the case, what have you lost? A little time. But if you turn back to traditional publishing, you’ll understand a lot more about the process and you may be a bigger asset to your future publisher.

Emily Casey is a writer from Tallahassee who chases two crazy kids around the house all day before collapsing in front of her computer. Her debut young adult fantasy, THE FAIRY TALE TRAP is on Amazon and Smashwords. If you want a taste of the book first, you can watch the book trailer.

You’ll find Emily on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Thank you so much Emily for being with us and best of luck with your book.

Interview by Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban

Today we have with us my friend and fellow author Chris Bauer.

I met Chris at the Bucks Country Writers Workshop when Chris was writing his wonderful and scary, and wonderfully scary novel SCARS ON THE FACE OF GOD: THE DEVIL’S BIBLE. So I was privileged to have a first peek into his story, while accessing his expertise as beta reader for both TWO MOON PRINCESS and its sequel THE KING IN THE STONE.

I confess I am no fan of horror stories (life is scary enough as is) but I loved his protagonist and was enthralled by his strong and distinctive voice.

I highly recommend you try this book, it’s above all a well written and compassionate look into a human soul

Why did you write this book?

SCARS ON THE FACE OF GOD: THE DEVIL’S BIBLE started as an attempt to exorcise some demons re an apparent cluster of mentally and physically impaired children in my old northeast Philadelphia neighborhood in the 1960s. It ended up with a more epic sweep when my research turned up a religious artifact known as the Devil’s Bible, a 13^th century manuscript with a demonic legend. The massive book became a spoil of more than one European war, and is currently on display in the Royal Library of Sweden.

What genre is it?

Urban fantasy/horror. Maybe horror fits its description best, considering it was an EPIC Awards finalist as best for that genre for 2010. Alas, it took home the silver as runner-up. It’s been blurbed by multiple Bram Stoker award winner and NYT bestselling author Jonathan Maberry and Scott Nicholson, a majorly independent horror/thriller writer who is currently breaking some records in self-pubbed offerings. (Wow. This sounds like boasting. Sorry.)

Who is the expected audience?

Folks who liked Rosemary’s Baby, The Exorcist and to some extent The Da Vinci Code might like this. I’ve been asked if it’s a religious book. Nah. There’s a religious bend to it but the subject matter dictated this bend, and it’s not preachy in the least. Anyone who enjoys a few twists, a forty-year love story and some apocalyptic mayhem would be the intended audience.

Who designed your cover?

Deena Fisher, publisher, Drollerie Press. Drollerie Press is kaput, sorry to say, because of Deena’s debilitating health issues. (Hi, Deena. Hope you’re feeling better.)

How does the cover reflect your story?

It depicts the misty, eerie quiet of an early morning in the small town of Three Bridges, PA, just before tragedy strikes. People have asked me about the black bird. He’s just hanging out, waiting for something bad to happen, and it does.

In which formats is your book available? Ebook, hardcover, paperback?

Ebook if you want me to earn anything on it. A small number of trade paperbacks are still available on Amazon from the original publisher but I doubt I’ll ever see those royalties. Plus the ebook has some revisions vs. the original. Here are the links: amzn.to/tV3K0g (Amazon); bit.ly/smashwords_scars (Smashwords).

Why did you choose to self-publish?

Aforementioned sudden closure of small press Drollerie Press, the original publisher. Closed its doors in October 2011 and returned all rights to me plus threw in the cover art. Yes, it was kind of ugly the way it went down (internet silence from the publisher as she mended from a devastating illness while the press tanked), but she tried to do more right than wrong for her authors. I could have either a) held off as I shopped my new book, hoping I could entice a prospective agent and/or publisher into re-launching SCARS as part of a two-book deal or b) re-launched it myself. Extremely unlikely a publisher will be interested in it as a second book, considering its only modest success when originally published. And let’s face it, Amazon and Smashwords now have some very attractive royalty programs. And don’t forget that much of a book’s success depends on the author’s own marketing, which I have to do anyway. So why not try to direct that chunk of income into my own pocket, you dig?

What is your marketing plan?

Hit up as many reviewers and bloggers as I can find. Giveaways, guest blog posts, reviews. Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, other social media. So far I’ve had a number of takers, all breadcrumbs for this new bend in the changing publishing environment. Here’s where the breadcrumbs lead, in case you missed the earlier links: amzn.to/tV3K0g (Amazon); bit.ly/smashwords_scars (Smashwords).

Any advice you want to share with our readers who are considering self-publishing?

It looks very attractive, but it’s deceiving. Authors who are doing well by self-publishing their work brought their platforms and readership with them. J.A. Konrath and Scott Nicholson are examples. Then, of course, there’s Amanda Hocking, whose success has been freakish. My advice: Have your work critiqued (a must): peers are good, professional is better. Read your work aloud! Attempt to take the normal road to publishing first. Find an agent who can sell your book/series to a traditional publisher and establish a readership before entertaining self-publication. I’m following my own advice, am currently pitching a new novel to agents. But going the traditional route is easier said than done. Rejection sucks. Do it anyway.

C.G. Bauer writes horror, crime, mystery, mainstream and anything he damn well pleases, most of it really good. In addition to his novel SCARS ON THE FACE OF GOD his short stories have appeared in Shroud Magazine (“Zombie Chimps From Mars,” Spring 2011 print edition) and Thuglit, and his “You’re A Moron” short was podcasted by Well Told Tales (tale #60) with more than 94,000 free audio downloads/plays to date. “Sink,” a short-short, will be released late January 2012 in the new anthology 100 HORRORS. He’ll be releasing a collection of short stories later this year.

by Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban

Writing the first chapter of a sequel is tricky.

You must give enough background information on your characters and their stories so that new readers can follow. Yet, you don’t want to over explain for you risk boring those who’d read the first book.

But because so many things have already happened before the sequel begins, (enough to fill a whole book, as a matter of fact) and these things define who your characters are and where they stand now, to hit the right balance is difficult, and the first chapters can drag a little.

That’s why it’s so tempting for the writer to add a teaser before Chapter One.

And by a teaser I mean an action scene from further on in the story, that will lure the reader to stay with you through those slower first chapters.

I don’t like teasers when I am the reader. Yet, I must confess I have written one for The King in the Stone. Whether I will include it or not in the final version I do not know.

In the meantime, here it is for your enjoyment.

Hope you like it.

The King in the Stone

Teaser

A flash of lightning shatters the sky and, almost immediately, the deafening explosion of close thunder shakes the ground. Startled out of her trance, Andrea looks up. Dark clouds, heavy with rain, have turned the day almost to night, dressing in shadows the valley below and hiding the peaks across the ledge from where she stands.

As if waking from a dream, Andrea takes in her surroundings, surprised to find herself  by the tomb of the unknown king, for she has no recollection of climbing the mountain. The last thing she remembers is Kelsey’s voice, so eerily clear through the phone even though she was six thousand miles away, telling her about Julián.

Andrea moans at the memory and, bent in two by the sudden pain twisting her stomach, leans forward. Images of the man she has tried so hard to forget flash through her mind. Julián bleeding in her arms, an arrow through his chest. Julián by the broken arch telling her how much he loves her. Julián rejecting her, stealing the ring from her finger . . . From the slab that covers the tomb, the lying figure of the king carved in the stone stares at her with unseeing eyes.

Another lightning flash streaks the sky and the earth trembles under her feet as thunder rolls once more over the mountains. Heavy drops fall on her face, washing away her tears.

Andrea forces her mind to reason. She has no claim over Julián. He broke their engagement and made it clear he didn’t want to be with her. That was the reason she left California these three weeks past. Whether he’s with Kelsey now or with somebody else should make no difference.

But it does. She can’t lie to herself. She’s hurting too much to pretend anymore. The truth is that moving to Spain has changed nothing. She has not forgotten Julián. His memory has haunted her dreams every night, stolen itself into every one of her waking thoughts.

Her hands clenched into fists, Andrea hits the stone, swearing at Kelsey for her betrayal. How could she? Kelsey is her cousin, her confidant. Kelsey knows how much she cares for Julián. How much she wants him back.
Not anymore. Knowing he doesn’t love her is one thing. Learning he is with Kelsey quite another. Now, at last, she will forget him.

She turns her back to the tomb, and starts toward the trail. But the rain has turned the soil to mud, and, losing her footing, she falls face down.

Spitting water and dirt, Andrea scrambles to her feet. By the light of the next lightning flash, she sees the gap on the mountainside, an open mouth calling to her, and dives through the sheets of water pouring from the angry sky toward the wall. The rope she remembers from the previous evening is still hanging down into the cave. She grabs it in her slippery hands and climbs down.

She has barely reached the ground­­—welcome, dry ground, firm under her feet—when the mountain shakes again. Andrea stumbles and, falling on her knees, raises her arms over her head, a weak protection against the gravel falling around her like solid rain.

When the noise finally stops and Andrea opens her eyes, the cave is in total darkness. Has she gone blind? she wonders as she fights back her fears. I’m not blind, she reassures herself. That’s absurd. But if she isn’t, why is it so dark?

She looks up, squinting her eyes. But it’s useless: no ray of light steals through the wall of rocks. The opening is gone. Of course, the thought breaks into her mind. The earthquake has provoked a slide and closed the entrance.

A wave of panic washes over her as she realizes she’s on her own. No one will ever come looking for her. Why should they? She told no one where she was going when she left. She’s buried alive, and this cave, up in the mountains of this world that is not hers, will be her grave.

Andrea screams, a name, a broken word, a feral cry for help that, as she feared, dies unheard against the cavern’s walls.

by Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban

This week-end the YA Lit Chat blog hosts an Agent Pitch Slam Week-end.

Starting Monday, two agents, Rachael Dugas from Talcott Notch Literary and Carlie Webber from Jane Rostrosen Literary Agency, and an editor, Leah Hultenschmidt from Sourcebooks Fire will leave comments on the pitches.

The pitches must be 4 or 5 lines long.

Here is my pitch for The King in the Stone:

A full moon, a silver key, and the forbidden passion of two young lovers will bring hope to a defeated kingdom and, through their sorrow, deliver a king who will change its fate.

Sent back in time to 717 A.D., Andrea and Julian are caught in opposite sides in the battle between the Spanish last unconquered settlements and the Arab army. A battle for survival that will challenge their love and demand of them the ultimate sacrifice.

If you have a manuscript ready, don’t forget to post your pitch before Sunday at midnight EST.

For more information go to http://goo.gl/8lySy.

Guest Blogger: Chrysa Smith

Today, as promised, an indie author, Chrysa Smith, talks about her Road to Publication.

Here is what she has to say:

As far back as I can remember, I’ve loved to write. And in my adult years, this love has translated into a variety of writing jobs that have included advertising copywriting, corporate communications, feature magazine writing and most recently, an author of a Juvenile Fiction series.

Through the early years, when writing meant factual accounting, I felt the desire for more freedom; more expression. And lifestyle magazine writing was the perfect fit. I loved the ability to describe in my own terms, what I was seeing, feeling, hearing, tasting. And, in-between writing assignments, I spent my time focusing on my family, my home and my poodles.

Watching the poodles not only surprised me, but gave me a strong desire to try my hand at fiction. I never intended to write a children’s book; never mind three of them. But there were tales I wanted to tell, and it seemed that they would be perfect to tickle the funny bones of young readers. So, after some children’s writing classes, encouragement from them and a few teachers and friends, the first installment of The Adventures of the Poodle Posse was born. But it wasn’t all that simple.

Lots of research went into how the book should be published. Traditional publishing meant wading through a stream of rejection letters, much time and disappointment. I didn’t think that was for me. So when I talked with traditionally published authors, and found out that all of the marketing was on the author’s shoulders, I decided that I had all of the experience needed to write, edit and hire illustrator and printer. So the journey began.

I teamed up with Pat Achilles, an illustrator I already knew. Her humorous style matched that of these humorous tales, so she put pencil to paper and came up with about 20 b/w illustrations to go with each book. And as the books have journeyed through the classrooms of young readers (grades 1-4), it became apparent that these books have filled a niche: transitional books for those headed into chapter books.

It’s not been easy, but has been rewarding—most days. I discovered my joy to help young children laugh as they read and enjoy as they write. And I do believe most of the success has come with the fact that this series has filled a niche market and that I spend about 80% of my waking hours in marketing and following the tracks to each lead I receive.

My advice to would-be authors? Research your audience and market thoroughly and give yourself to it—-almost completely.

Chrysa Smith is a freelance feature writer who lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania with her family and own posse of poodles.

Professionally, she has served as an editor for Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, and a communications manager/consultant for both Fortune 500 and smaller corporations. For the past two decades, she has written for both national and regional magazines, including Pool & Spa Living, Bucks County, Philly Style, Pennsylvania, The Cooperator, BUCKS, South Jersey. Most recently, she has ’gone to the dogs’, spending some fun hours observing, writing and speaking about some of her favorite four-legged companions, and teaching Juvenile Fiction and publishing camps throughout the Greater Philadelphia Area.

by Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban

I have good news and bad news.

Tanglewood Press, the publisher of my YA novel Two Moon Princess, has agreed to publish its sequel, The King in the Stone, in 2012. But (and this is the bad news) only as in e-book.

After waiting for so long to see my book in print, this has been a disappointment, and made me reconsider my decision of publishing with them.

The fact that I will not have a printed copy is not the only reason.

If I sign a contract with them, I will lose all my rights.

I will not be able to choose the cover

or write the blurb

or keep the title if my publisher decide to change it.

I chose the title, The King in the Stone, for reasons you’ll understand after reading the story. And I really, really want to keep it.

I wrote a blurb some weeks ago, (http://goo.gl/A6Ggm) and, although it’s still a work in progress, I want to be the one to write the final version.

And I hired an artist to design my cover combining three pictures of my choosing, and the cover she created fits my story so perfectly I don’t want to give it up.

Because I feel so strongly about these three things, I asked my publisher if she would agree, please, please, pretty please, to keep my cover, my blurb and my title.

And she said, “Um. Maybe. Let me think about it. I will get back to you.”

So, I wait.

As soon as my publisher tells me whether she agrees or not to my requests, I will let you know and reward your waiting with me by posting the cover I created, here, just for your eyes.

In the meantime, to be prepared to go solo, in case she says no, I asked my friends and fellow writers who have boldly gone this route already to share their experiences with me and my readers. Starting next Thursday, I will publish their guest posts.

Please come back and made them feel welcome.

And if you are an author who has published independently, please contact me and send me your story. I would love to hear it and share it with my readers.

by Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban

The Cover, the Title and the Blurb, the three things that determine whether we buy a book, are chosen by The Powers of Be, not by the author, in the traditional publishing business.

I discussed the cover of my YA fantasy, TWO MOON PRINCESS, in a previous post where I explained I had no saying on it.

I didn’t choose the title either. My original title was LEAVING THE CASTLE, because in the book my protagonist, Princess Andrea, tries again and again to break free from her father’s castle and this struggle is what motivates her throughout the story.

Which title fits the story better, which one is more catchy to prompt the readers to grab the book, I do not know. But the importance of the title is hard to ignore. It was reading about the title of the new released remake of the Swedish trilogy THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO that made me ponder about that elusive “je ne sais quoi” that makes a title unforgettable.

In Sweden, the trilogy had a quite different title. One that defined the spirit of the book exactly and expressed the point Stieg Larsson was trying to make with his story, that abuse against women exists even in Sweden, considered by many the most liberated country.

The title there, if you wonder, is THE MAN WHO HATED WOMEN.

Appropriate? Absolutely. Catchy? I’m not sure.

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO on the other hand catches your interest immediately. But does it match the book?

What do you think?

by Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban

Here is my latest blurb for The King in the Stone, a sequel to Two Moon Princess:

A full moon,

A silver key,

And the relentless passion of two young lovers

will bring hope to a defeated kingdom

and, through their sorrow,

deliver a king who will change its fate.

Vivid visions have haunted Andrea since her arrival in northern Spain. In her visions, the medieval village she is excavating with the Spanish team comes alive, and, around the fires burning in the no longer buried hearths, she sees people dressed in furs sharpening old fashioned swords.

Even more upsetting for her that the headaches her visions leave is the fact that Julián appears in them—Julián, the king from her world whose rejection she is trying hard to forget.

But when a slide bury Andrea under the mountain, Julian comes to help her. That evening, as the full moon rises a portal opens and sends them both over a thousand years into the past, to a time right after the Spanish king has been defeated by the Arabian invaders.

Separated by a bitter winter, Andrea and Julian are caught in opposite sides in the battle between the Spanish last unconquered settlements and the Arabian army. A battle for survival that will determine the fate of a kingdom and demand of them the ultimate sacrifice: As the Arabs close on the mountains, Julián makes a decision that will break Andrea’s heart and change them forever.

Would this blurb make you pick up the book?

by Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban

For several months now, writers in the Doylestown, PA area have been gathering to read their work at the Awesome Reading Fests organized by Lucas Mangum.

I met Lucas online, on Facebook to be more precise, and attended my first meeting last June, not sure if I would gather the courage to read in front of my peers. But the friendly atmosphere soon convinced me to do so.

That positive experience encouraged me to return this past Thursday to read my work and to listen to other talented writers read theirs.

It has been a great experience for me, one I highly recommend if you’re a writer, and even if you are not, for you don’t have to participate to attend the event. Everybody is welcome.

And in the meantime, check these pictures I took on Thursday December 8.

Thank you so much to Lucas for organizing the event and to the Doylestown BookShop for generously lending us the space.

You can also watch the previous readings at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sXYKoJVVTM&feature=related