Here is my interview on APOOO.

Check it out please.

Thanks.

First up, Rhonda MckNight. Rhonda writes inspirational fiction, and she has dabbled in the ebook world. Check out my interview below, and then click the links to check out her work- they are posted at the end of the interview. And don’t hesitate to leave a comment.

1. How long have you been writing?

I have been writing since I was six. It started with a family of mice under the boardwalk in New Jersey where I grew up and continued until college when I became way too busy for fiction. I became serious about publication in the mid 90’s, studied writing on and off for about eight years and finished my first novel in early 2007. I sold it the same year.

2. What genre do you write in?

My novels, titled: Secrets & Lies and An Inconvenient Friend, are inspirational women’s fiction. I have a novella length ebook, A Piece of Revenge, that’s an inspirational romance. I’m also pecking away at a contemporary mystery, so I write what I want.

3. What’s your take on ebooks? Why?

Ebooks. I love them. I think there’s absolutely no downside for the writer. I see people who want to be published putting their stories on the market for the world to read. I also see established authors re-releasing their older out-of-print titles again and offering their readers more new content, typically through short fiction like I did with A Piece of Revenge. It’s great.

I will say I hate what the pricing wars and rights management issues are doing to the publishing industry. Digital media is clearly the future, but ebooks entry into the market has caused so much upheaval. Publishing is very traditional in so many ways. Houses should have been better prepared for this shift, but they weren’t and still aren’t. I can’t help but think authors and independent bookstores are paying for it, but I’m excited about the future of ebooks.

4. What device do you read ebooks on?

I have a Kindle, but I also read on my Android phone. I actually love reading on my phone. I could have saved the money on the Kindle. J

5. Ebook pricing- what say you?

Do lower prices devalue the work? Yes, I think they do, particularly when you get as low as ninety-nine cents. Books are intellectual property, whether it’s a paper book or an ebook. No one except another writer understands the blood, sweat, and brain power that a writer pours into a story. For that reason the artist should be compensated fairly. But, even though I believe that, I can think of a half a dozen reasons for an author/publisher to discount prices; number one being to attract new readers. For example: I snubbed McDonald’s Frappe until it went on sale for a dollar. Now I pay $2.56 for one at least once a week. Hoarders aside, I think a teaser can work if you have a good product.

6. Can authors publish quality work without a traditional publisher?

Absolutely, they just have to make the necessary investments in a cover and editing. When I say editing, I mean developmental editing for content and then of course proofreading. I don’t think traditional publishers do much more than that, so…

7. Do you see yourself publishing more ebooks in the future?

Yes, I just have to find time to write them, because I still work full-time. I write half a year, promote hard for four months and veg on the couch for the last two. That doesn’t leave a lot of time for more writing. I’m struggling with balancing it all. I really haven’t learned to promote and write at the same time. Those processes come from two different sides of the brain, but more ebooks are in the plan.

8. What do you read when you aren’t writing?

Books and blogs about writing. I love inspirational fiction, so I read some of my peer’s work. I also enjoy suspense and thrillers and mysteries. I like romance, because I’m a romantic at heart. Some of what I like can be pretty formulistic, but I’m not embarrassed by that. I’m not a renaissance woman. I have a pretty technical job. I have to concentrate on minuscule details all day at work. I want a book that makes me laugh or cry or swoon or scares the stew out me. I like to have fun with my reading.

9. Shameless Self-Promotion: What do you have going on that you’d like readers to know about?

My third novel, What Kind of Fool, will hit the shelves on January 31, 2012. In the story, secrets and lies from the past intricately tie two couples together, but threaten to tear their relationships apart. It’s a pretty hip book – in addition to all the relationship drama, I give readers a peek inside the hip hop music industry. What Kind of Fool is available for pre-order at online retailers. It’ll be the first of my novels to be available in ebook format. I’m really excited about that. More readers!

10. Which of your creations (character or book) is your favorite? Why?

Hmmm, that’s a good question. I mostly like my men because well, most of them are yummy. They come right out of this gal’s imagination. But if I had to narrow it down to one, I’d say I really have enjoyed writing about Samaria Jacobs. She’s been in all three of my novels. Samaria is a trouble making, man-stealing, diva that has a lot to learn, but by book three she’s learning it. That’s the beauty of writing inspirational fiction – I get to redeem the lost. Samaria’s not there yet. She’s highly motivated to not give up her messy ways, but she’s making progress. My readers absolutely love to hate this chick, so I know I’m doing my job as a writer.

www.rhondamcknight.net

www.facebook.com/booksbyrhonda

www.urbandchristianfictiontoday.com

www.3sistersbooks.com

UPDATE September 2011:

I finally finished this book. I started over and read it from cover to cover in a week. It’s not for the timid. Adam is a bad mutha- shut yo’ mouth. This vampire world is dangerous and scary, and they play for keeps. Taylor keeps the reader engaged and on the edge of her seat, and he delivers without taking the easy way out. As a matter of fact, I was actually surprised by several threads in the story line. And that’s a great thing. By the end, I was pretty much pleased with the resolution. And a little fearful. I will be reading book 2 later this fall, entitled Blood Pressure. Just hoping that it doesn’t raise mine too much.

Check out Bite Marks for the upcoming Halloween season. I guarantee you won’t be letting any little vamps near your house for candy.

Original post February 25, 2010:

This freakin’ book scared the crap out of me.

So much so that I haven’t finished reading it yet.

But you’ll have to check out my review at UrbanBeatzInc to find out why.

And yes, I wrote a review on a book I haven’t finished yet.

Original UrbanBeatzInc Review:

I have never written a review about a book that I have yet to finish, but as the saying goes, there is a first time for everything. I enjoy a vampire read as much as the next mom of a teenage girl. Shoot, I consider myself a vampire series connoisseur, always anxiously anticipating the next book. Until now. I have finally read a vampire book that I have been unable to finish. Mainly because I can’t read it during the day because of my schedule. Reading it before bed gives me these weird, crazy, dreams that have these weird, crazy, vampires in them. And I really need my sleep.

In a nutshell, Bite Marks by Terence Taylor starts out with a horrific murder (and I do mean horrific in the truest sense of the word) of a teenage hooker by a vampire, shortly after her infant son is turned into a vampire. It is on and popping from there. Blood, gore, the history of vampires in New York, and so much more. Taylor has taken the vampire tale and reminded the reader of the monsters they were originally written to be. Adam Caine is slick, sexy, and your worst nightmare. His bite is one that you wish to avoid at all costs.

I got about halfway through the book before I just realized that I couldn’t finish it right now. Normally, not finishing a book is the kiss of death for me as a reader. If I decide to put a book down, it’s because I’m bored senseless, and once the covers are closed, I won’t give that book a second thought- EVER. Except, with Bite Marks, all I can think about is when and how I can finish the book- during daylight hours. I need to read it sitting in the sun with hours to go before I sleep.

Warning: this book is graphic and violent at times. And yet, I still want to finish it.

Oh yeah, and Mr. Taylor used to write children’s programming for television. Um- wow! Talk about making a clean break from your previous writing life.

At first I felt anxious because it wasn’t where I wanted to go and I couldn’t figure out where Robert (one of my characters) was leading me. But once I began to write the words as they popped into my head, I was able to relax and let my fingers fly. No staring off into space searching for the next word, phrase, or action to get the story jump started again.

Reminds me of my life. The more I try to MAKE things happen, the less anything happens. When I release the need to control, things head in a new and better direction than what I intended.

The control freak in me doesn’t much care for that.

What’s the connection between that and writing? Nothing.

‘Xept, I finally got my rump off the bench (gratuitous sports reference) and put my work on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. And the Earth did not stop spinning on it’s axis. As a matter of fact, nothing changed.

But I have actually sold copies of my ebooks (and yes, the number exceeds double digits, but has not yet hit triple digits). I’m no Konrath at this point, but there’s plenty of time.

Sidenote-  if you have ever considered e-publishing, you have should definitely check out his blog. He’s not trying to get you to sign up for his tele-class for 900.00 bucks and then giving you a 10 page ebook as supplemental material. He’s just talking about the publishing industry as he sees it and how he’s chosen to manage his writing career on his own. I’ve been reading him for a couple of years now and a lot of what he has predicted has happened. Judge for yourself, and then we can discuss.

But back to me.

Consensual is coming out later this month. It will have you rethinking how well you know someone.

I’m releasing a manifesto on co-parenting. Fun, irreverent, but some kernels of truth about sharing parenting duties with an ex. It’s non-fiction, but I’ve been tossing this idea around for over a year.

And of course you guys will finally get to meet my witch. She is what I would have been like if I had a supernatural gift at the age of 23 and wasn’t married at the time. Um, anyway,  I’m sure you’ll like her, cause I love writing her.

That should get us through 2011. Then it’s on and popping for the big 2012.

You can check me out here:

Facebook

Twitter

Barnes and Noble

Amazon

Long story short, I am actually taking the plunge and putting my fiction up for public consumption in a much larger way- I’ve uploaded to amazon. That means that you’ll be able to get my stuff on your Kindle (or iPhone, iTouch, iPad, Android, or Blackberry).

Short fiction on the go!

Yay!

So here’s the deal:  if you review The Date and Late Night Caller on amazon before June 10th, you will get advanced readers copies of anything that I release between now and December 31, 2011.

That means you’ll finally know how A Complicated Matter ends.

And where the hell I was going with Riding The Wave.

And there’s stuff y’all have no idea about, like my paranormal novella The Gifted about a 20Something witch with skills. She ain’t no Sabrina, for sure.

There’s more, but I’ll preview those later in the summer.

And in case you didn’t know, The Date and Late Night Caller are in the website archives and you can re-read them until June 5th. They will be removed from DFB after that.

You can review The Date here.

And Late Night Caller here.

So what are you waiting for? Get to reviewing.

All ARCs will be delivered by email in PDF format.

Most people would find it boring, but I enjoy my time alone in the car. I’ve never been a morning person, and I have to be up and rolling for a couple of hours before I start to get into the swing of things. By the time I get to work, I’m ready for whatever the day brings. It’s kind of refreshing. In the past, I used to feel blindsided by the craziness as soon as I walked into the building. Now, if something pops off at the start of the day, I’m up for the challenge.

The long ride home can be just as beneficial. I get to shake off the shit from the day and not bring it home to my family. By the time I get home, the tension has been released and I’m moving into the Chill Zone.

But I don’t do these drives in silence.

And I’m not listening to a lot of talk radio.

No. I have simply become the Queen of Audiobooks.

I know right?! And I’m not even a senior citizen.

I’ve always been somewhat snobby about audiobooks. I’m a reader. And that means reading words on a page (or in my case in the last six months, on my Nook screen). I always thought listening to books was a cop out.

Except, now, I do it every day. For like three hours a day.

My dilemma is this: can I count listening to an audiobook as having read the book?

I’m having real issues with keeping my reading journal because I don’t believe I’ve really read the book.

Help.

Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

In the meantime, I’m just happy to be writing and reading/listening.

Happy New Year!