Bah, humbug! Or something. What is this thing we call justice? Perhaps we should check in with today's guest to see what his idea of justice is. And hereeeeeee's Alan McDermott!
 
When I set out to write my debut novel I had the idea of a man looking to right an injustice.  I wanted it to be more than your typical tale of revenge, and tackling the judicial system rather than just the criminal seemed the right approach.  As it turned out, I had inadvertently woven a tale that gave many a reader food for thought.  It wasn’t my deliberate intention, but perhaps deep down I wanted people to consider the way criminals are perceived as being treated with a lot more compassion than their victims.

Here are just a sample of some of the reviews I have received for Gray Justice:

“In crafting this tale, Mr McDermott raises a number of important issues about our British 'justice' system. We are asked to consider the extent to which it's fair to the victims and the scenario are all ones which the ordinary reader will be able to relate to. Differences in treatment between terrorism and criminal acts are also highlighted; an issue which many seem to overlook.”

“The storyline made me think really hard about the justice system in today's society, and its failings and what should be done about it.”

“I found myself going through a whole host of emotions throughout the book. Having been a victim of crime myself I could really empathise with the main character's issues with the justice system and I found myself constantly torn between agreeing/disagreeing with him and applauding/opposing his methods throughout the book. It certainly left me with a lot to think about.”

“As an ex-pat who follows the British papers closely, I can relate completely to the intent of the novel. My own family have expressed frustration about the laxity of the justice laws, and how the laws seem to favour the criminal and not the victim. This book clearly demonstrates the shortfalls, with a very creative solution - that I think could really work if politicians took the time to really listen to the people who voted them in.”

It certainly seems to have struck a chord with many readers.  In fact, I have been asked in a couple of interviews whether the actions of the protagonist, Tom Gray, reflect my own view on criminal justice in the UK.  All I can say in response is that Gray Justice is a work of fiction, and that the protagonists ideals are his, and his alone.   

I often wonder if Stephen King was asked the same about Misery:  “So, Stephen, do you advocate the imprisonment and hobbling of injured authors?”

If readers get so engrossed in my story that it has them questioning their own stance on criminal justice, I will take that as a huge compliment.
As always, if you like what this author has to say in their guest spot, please patronize them by clicking on their book on the sidebar. I make absolutely nothing off your purchase through this site. I'm just glad to have them stop by and hope you get some pleasure from meeting another author.

Ever seen the movie, The Priest?

Well, whether you said yes or no, it doesn't matter, haha. This book isn't based from the movie, unless I'm living in the Twilight Zone or something. But, that doesn't mean the book or the movie are bad. Well, I thought the movie could've been better, but that's me. 

Anyway, I'm trying to give the thunder to Monica La Porta...though I believe I'm failing miserably. So, before I damage things any further, here's a word from our wonderful guest:

Hi, my name is Monica La Porta and I’m honored to be L.A. Tripp’s blog guest today.

I was reading L.A.’s posts and one in particular got my attention. He wrote about problems in life, passions, and the fact that unless you’ve reached the abyss you’d never know what you hold dear. Three years ago, one morning, I woke up and decided I wanted to write a novel. I had been sleep walking for a while, then a friend’s illness and the despair following her loss reminded me we are here for a short period of time. I know, it sounds cliché, but it was my cold shower. I had wanted to write for the longest time, but never sat down and start tapping on the keyboard. That morning, something clicked inside my rusted brain and I thought, “It’s going to happen.” Three years later, almost eight finished novels, one published, I can’t go a day without writing. I knew I liked it—I kept a journal and felt happy any time I conquered a difficult passage—but I didn’t know it would be my passion.

When I started writing my first novel, I knew I wanted people to read it. The language challenge immediately presented itself. Which one to use? My native Italian or the more international English? I went for English. The idea is to reach a larger number of potential readers after all. In order to write in a language I learned to speak when I was already in my thirties—not one’s prime when it comes to learn languages in general—I rebooted my brain and the way I lay out my thoughts. I’m pleased to say that the first story I wrote is still unpublished, but lucky number six has been released into the Amazon wild a few months ago. Three years and slightly more than seven hundred thousand words later, I’m still here, tapping on this battered keyboard, happy to be able to do so and knowing it is a privilege.

Recently, I was asked why, among all the stories I’ve written in those three years, I chose to embark in the publishing voyage with The Priest. To answer that question I have to confess I am an unrepentant thinker. It’s not something I developed with age, I was born with it. Some would say it’s a curse, I say it’s liberating. I like to think about how things are, why I like them or why I don’t. I like to think that if you let knowledge possess you, you’ll eventually become a better person. A more tolerant person. I think.

Two years ago, news frequently focused on acts of bullying against kids seen as different because of their sexual orientation or simply because not conforming to the norm. At the same time, the idea that women could procreate without men’s contribution was being discussed as a possibility. I started imagining a place like our Earth, but where society had gone a different way. What would happen to this alternate Earth? The flash of inspiration hit me and I gave birth to an idea, as L.A. said in another post. The Priest is the first in a trilogy, The Ginecean Chronicles, and is set in a dystopian world, Ginecea, where women are in power and men are enslaved. Heterosexual love is deemed a perversion. Why start my career as a writer with a title condemning any form of racism and sexism? Because life is transient and if I could have only one shot at publishing my words. I want them to count. I want them to be my legacy. Verba volant, scripta manent.*

Thank you, L.A. Tripp for having me.

If you would like to know more about me, click here. This is where I talk about my hobbies and sometimes also about my writing.

If you want to take a look at The Priest and read an excerpt, click here. Don’t you think my cover artist did an exceptional job with the cover?

*Oral words fly, written words stay forever.

Monica, the honor has been mine.

As always, if you like what this author has to say in their guest spot, please patronize them by clicking on their book on the sidebar. I make absolutely nothing off your purchase through this site. I'm just glad to have them stop by and hope you get some pleasure from meeting another author.

Does life really begin?

Well...that's a question for another day. For now though, do we all start somewhere? Or do some of us not start at all? Well, I guess even that opens up a whole new can of worms.

For now...let me introduce you to today's guest poster. Welcome, Patricia Neuman:

How We Got Our Start

Once upon a time, two (unbeknownst to each other) wannabe authors lived in Minnesota. Yep, their names were Roz and Patty. They met through mutual friend Lee, whom they both adored, in part because she was a real character, in the best sense of the word.

Not long after they met, Patty moved to South Dakota. Roz and Patty developed their friendship via letters (remember those things?) and occasional, all-too-expensive, long-distance phone calls (anyone in this day of unlimited long-distance remember THOSE?).

When Roz’s letters arrived, Patty read them aloud to her husband, and the couple chuckled frequently and even guffawed from time to time. When Roz read Patty’s letters to her husband, he said, “Point, point” – something Patty rarely got to. Not quickly, anyway.

Patty told Roz she should be a writer because of her keen Brit wit (Roz is a born-and-bred Londoner who now lives in Texas; but back to Minnesota and South Dakota for now). Roz told Patty that she had actually written short stories when she was a teen. Then Patty confessed that she, too, had written (unpublished) short stories and essays for Redbook Magazine and the like. So they each subscribed to Writer’s Digest and The Writer Magazine and began their writing careers in earnest. Separately.

They wrote and shared with each other their yet-to-be (soon-to-be?) published novels (watch for Trousseau and Tangled Webs – in the distant future, if not sooner). Then both came to a creeping if not screeching halt.

So one day Roz called Patty and said, “How about we start a writing exercise? I’ll go first and send you a segment, you can add a segment and send it back, and so forth. At least we’ll be writing.”

And write the friends did. After about 100 pages, one of the friends turned it into a murder mystery. After a few more pages, one of them said, “This is really good!” And thus the friends eventually finished their first co-authored novel. It wasn’t the first of the Val & Kit Mystery Series, but rather a stand-alone murder mystery. Aptly titled Segments, it also remains yet-to-be (soon-to-be?) published. The friends won’t define soon J but watch for it in the near or distant future, too.

For now, they’re busy trying to get the 2nd in the Val & Kit Mystery Series to their readers, who are clamoring for it. Seriously. And they’re busy pinching themselves.

As always, if you like what this author has to say in their guest spot, please patronize them by clicking on their book on the sidebar. I make absolutely nothing off your purchase through this site. I'm just glad to have them stop by and hope you get some pleasure from meeting another author.

We now have 28 different titles on this website and two of those come from two awesome authors' debut novels.

I believe they have both broke new ground with their stories...but then again, I'm bias, lol.

Claire Simons with Falling From Grace and Heather Whetstine with Twilight's Last Gleaming. In fact, I'll leave you with two reviews from Twilight's Last Gleaming:

Awesome, thought provoking, it could be tomorrow’s news. Twilight's Last Gleaming by Heather Whetstine, takes you on an emotional thrill-ride as Clare, an ordinary college teenager with a passion for truth in journalism is witness to the best America has to offer and the worst it had become. As I traveled alongside Clare, her compelling story caused me to think, and then I became angry, at what I knew to be the truth. Next I wanted to jump up, raise my right hand and scream, YES. 

This Book is a must-read for any person that loves their country. Although it takes place in America, it is a wakeup call for anyone who believes in freedom. I am reluctant to give five-star ratings because I am a realist, but I truly wish I had a sixth star at my disposal for Twilight’s Last Gleaming.

Enjoy this book, as I know you will.
Douglas Nelson (PopATop).
5 Stars *****


The corruption and remake of the structure of America is not a new idea, but the author, writing from the view of a naive youth is the catalyst needed to make one continue reading. Well written, quick pace, very good flow between past and present. It was also hard hitting, depressing and frightening with the knowledge all in the book is possible. Whether or not it could all happen in such a small amount of time is a matter worth thinking about. The only part I found a little hilarious is the belief Texas would be a 'safe' place in such a scenario. If you like diaspora this is definitely a book to read.

By Ey Wade

Disclaimer: I'm the publisher for both of the above books. So yes, I make a smidgen on each sale of these two books, however, I believe these books are awesome and should be picked up and read by everyone! So please patronize these authors and help them to build their writing career. They will be eternally grateful ;)

I asked this special author..."Where do you start?" Then she proceeds to pull her hair out. Just kidding. It's a question some authors are likely asked a lot. So I had to return the favor ;) Anyway, Ms Byrd gave us a fantastic response, so I wanted to share:

Katrina Renee Byrd

Where Do I Start?

I hear this question a lot. It is one question that packs a real punch. When people ask this one questions they are usually asking three things.

1. How do I get my ideas on paper?

2. Where do I find time to write?

3.. Where does the piece of work need to begin?

Where do I start? How do I get my ideas on paper?

“I can think of some great ideas but when I try to write them, there’s nothing there.”

“Honey, there’s something there,” I say as I fluff my boa. “You just have to know how to access it.”

One of the most common mistakes about getting ideas on paper is that we try to edit before we write. We hear the ideas in our head but we work diligently to erase them and we don’t even know it. Here let me show you. Take out a sheet of paper or open your word processor. Write the following:

“sorry” she said but that wasn’t good enough for the teacher. She still said that she’d call her mother That scared Ellen. She walked slowly from her bus stop thinking… When she reached the front steps her mother stood on the porch. “Get into this house right now,” her mother said.

Look at what you’ve just written. Is it punctuated properly? Is it coherent? Is it something you want to share with your English teacher? Of course not but you have gotten the idea on paper. Take a minute to do some editing. Then take a look at my edits.

“Sorry,” Ella said. She stared at Mrs. Johnson, her second grade teacher behind thick glasses. Ella said it again, but sorry wasn’t good enough for Old Lady Johnson.

“I’m calling your mother this afternoon, young lady,” Mrs. Johnson said shaking a finger at Ella then turning her back to Ella and addressing the rest of the class.

Where do I start? Where do I find time to write?

“I am too busy. I just don’t have time to write?

“Busy doing what, honey?” I ask.

That’s the real question. We are all busy but what are we busy doing? If you want to be a writer you must write. I was shocked when I realized this concept. So walking around town advertising myself as a writer is not the same as being a writer? Sadly it is not. Neither is cleaning your house, nursing your boa flouncing career or being at every writers’ group meeting. So when I really embraced this concept I found some fun ways to write small pieces AND get feedback!! Dare I say it out loud? FACEBOOK, blogging, twitter… All of these entities give you the opportunity to come up with creative, short pieces in a short period of time. Another way to jump start your writing life is to carve out small periods of time for your writing. At this point it’s not the number of minutes or hours that you write but rather that you honor the time that you’ve set for yourself. If you say you are going to write from 3:00 pm – 3:02 pm then have your butt in chair, keyboard in hand and sit there for two, uninterrupted minutes of writing.

Where do I start? Where does the piece of work begin?

This question is a bit difficult to answer because so many of us write differently. Some use an outline, some fly by the seat of their pants and some do both. For me, I have come to realize that where I begin writing the story is not necessarily where the reader begins reading it. So when I sit down to begin writing a story I may begin writing “…and they lived happily ever after.” Where as once the story reaches the hands of the reader the first line he sees may be “Once upon a time.”

Some writers write linear and some don’t. Even with an outline I may choose to write chapter five first then go back and write chapter two. I really think the import thing is to know yourself and feel brave enough and free enough to begin writing wherever you’d like.

 So to answer the question where do I start? I say, “WRITE!”

As always, if you like what this author has to say in their guest spot, please patronize them by clicking on their book on the sidebar. I make absolutely nothing off your purchase through this site. I'm just glad to have them stop by and hope you get some pleasure from meeting another author.

We all have them.

What are yours?

What do you dream about? What gets your heart racing in the morning? What lights your fire through out the day?

What are your demons? What do you fight and struggle with, within yourself? Things that most people don't know about that you struggle with daily. What makes life challenging for you?

Good writers channel both their dreams and their demons into their writing. Writing is an art, and artists channel their inner selves into their work. Those things we struggle with, we put into words and flesh them out into fictional or non-fictional characters to bring them to life on the page...or screen. We attribute our own characteristics and characteristics of people we know and people we meet into these two-dimensional beings to make them seem three-dimensional. We have to live in the character's world for a while, then add heart and soul to each two-dimensional figure head.

We do this so that...

As a reader, you become completely engulfed in this world that we've presented to you. The goal is that we've reached into you mind, into your heart, into your soul, and touched, fondled, even squeezed and yanked your personal dreams and demons and ripped them out of you and placed them on the page or screen in front of you. We've put them right in front of your eyes and make you stand up and take notice of them. We've brought them to life for you to the extent that you can't deny their existence...if even for a few hours.

And we do this....to please you, the reader.

Yes, we bring your demons and dreams to the forefront of your mind and our demons and dreams to them...to entertain you. To please you. To make you happy.

To give you a break from your own life. And to pull you into our life.

Just briefly.

Then we'll let the chain drop that we've yanked you out with and let you fall back to your comfort zone, putting all of your dreams and demons back in their safe place.

But just until you read our next book ;)

Are you top notch or are you egotistical?

As a writer and as a reader?

Are you the absolute best at what you do and no one, anywhere, anytime, in any manner is qualified to give you advice of any type?

Are you open to hearing advice because any little tidbit can help you grow and improve?

This sprung into my mind because I've been seeing a trend lately. A bad trend. We've always had a few writers in our community that have the elitist mentality. They believe they are better than everyone else, period. And, although there's a ton of trash in our community, which hurts our community overall, the elitist mentality does NOT help our cause, either.

Some countries actually very much discourage this type of thinking, and we can all learn a bit from that. There's nothing wrong with being humble. Nothing at all. Who knows, you may actually make another friend or two if you're a bit more humble. 

There's also nothing wrong with having pride in your work...but then there's pride and there's ego. Two different things. No matter what country you're in, from Australia to Japan to Russia to Europe to South America to Canada to the U.S.A., ego is the same everywhere. And ego is not a good thing.

I admit, this does not just affect indie writers. Some of the biggest branded big names have big egos as well. However, that affects them. That affects the major companies. Indie authors have enough going against them as it is. Why add an over-inflated ego to that equation?

So, are you top notch or are you egotistical?

Welcome to your daily therapy session with the Doctor. Wait...I'm not a doctor for therapy...only dating. Oh yes, I'm supposed to introduce you to today's guest speaker, er blogger, er writer. Well, you know what I mean. So, without further adieu....hereeeeee's Marcia!

Marcia Singer Byerly

I am an artist and author living in North Carolina. "Aquilla, Indian Captive" is a Young Adult historical fiction book that was actually written by my mother who was not able to have it published in her lifetime. I had typed and edited this inspiring story and so yearned for it to be read by many people, but had no idea how to go about that until self-publishing became a possibility. I was so excited and learned what I needed to have this story made into an eBook. I'm pleased that it has been selling well. Aquilla is a bright, spunky 15-year old girl living in the 1700's in Bath, NC who is captured by Indians. The story is based on true events and my mother did a lot of research in writing this novel.

After Aquilla was done, I had a dream and woke up with the vivid memory of it and thought, "This would make a great story!" and so I began to write about Jonny "Dimbo" Dimborowski and to date have a series of 5 books with him as the main character. I am currently working on Book 6.

I never thought of myself as a writer, but found that writing is a way to take my vivid imagination and creative talents into something that I enjoy making and others enjoy reading. It is, indeed, good therapy too!

Marcia Singer Byerly


As always, if you like what this author has to say in their guest spot, please patronize them by clicking on their book on the sidebar. I make absolutely nothing off your purchase through this site. I'm just glad to have them stop by and hope you get some pleasure from meeting another author.

Yes, you heard me. More free books. But I'm not giving them away, personally, just yet.

Actually, I've created a page on this site so that authors can submit their free promo books to be listed and readers can look on here to find something they may like.

You've heard of Pixel of Ink or Ereader News Today? Yep, same principle, but better. Eventually.

Hope you enjoy this new feature. Please, spread the word. Bring the customers/hits to this site and we'll be able to build it up much faster with free books!

And now, time to introduce Seumas...fully clothed:

Seumas Gallacher
IT”S AS MUCH FUN AS YOU CAN HAVE WITH YOUR CLOTHES ON

Now I’m on the tiger, I can’t get off..
  … and I really don’t want to get off. You know these crazy bucket lists, somewhere between ‘saving Africa from Justin Beiber’ and ‘getting everybody in France to speak English'? I’ve had tons of them. As a kid I wanted to be a drummer, then a football player, Scottish style (very elegant ball dribbler). That was superseded by a yearn to make tons of money as a gambling bookie. Next up came the Stones and Eric Clapton and Freddy Mercury…all change again, front man in a great band it had to be. Then along came that thing that John Lennon spoke about, ‘life happening when you’re busy doing other things..’ Oh, yeah, life. That thing. Well that thing triggered off with the standard Glasgow practice issue of punching my father out when I was fifteen, and off I went with a duffle bag and an old acoustic guitar, into that big wonderful world out there.

Now, over forty years on, the history I look back on astounds me. That surely wasn’t me becoming a bank employee, then a bank officer, then, Oh God help us, the man in charge running banks all over the planet. Sounds too proper, too correct, too boring. Well it would’ve been except… except along came a twenty year war with booze that I didn’t win. I hammered it in Europe and Asia, got my licks into it in London, Hong Kong, Singapore, but bugger me, it never gave up…by the time we got to round fifteen in Singapore, it had me beat on a points
count. I declared a truce. Round about then I was sent (a slum lad no less) to Harvard to re-tread the brain box. To get their money back, my employers made me corporate Mr Fixit, jumping on planes to this, that and the other mess that needed the surgery applied. Why I am I telling you all this? Because that’s where the boredom stopped and all the great experiences started to pile in. Hong Kong has its own magic for any foreigner. Asia gave a range of cultures…Bangkok, Seoul, Japan, China, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei,…and the characters that zone in and out of these places are just that…characters that you’d normally only see in books and the movies. I loved all of it.

I’ve been in Abu Dhabi since 2004 but the workout before that was a stricken ferry company in Manila in the Philippines. The first thing I did was fire 600 trade union dockside workers. That got me to the top of the Christmas Card list, and a present of an armoured car with half a dozen armed body guards. These lads were SAS-trained, and so were born the guts of the characters in my debut novel THE VIOLIN MAN”S LEGACY. There’s things which work within the law, but the stuff that goes on under the radar is always more fascinating.

So, back to the ride on the tiger…the writing. The book was finished three years ago and was promptly despatched to forty agents. Just as swiftly it attracted forty rejection slips. So, what to do? Give up there? No bloody way. This was my baby. There was too much of me in it not to let it see the light of day properly. I got it appraised professionally, then re-edited a couple of times. Now what? The 'now what?' was amazing. In the middle of last year, someone suggested Kindle. Now, understand this. As a 24 carat computer Jurassic, I’d never heard of
Kindle. It was explained to me single syllable words. On to Kindle it went. In the first three weeks it got 80 downloads and I thought “Karamba, I’m a published author!” I then started asking email pals, to get email pals, to pass it on. Within the next three months it exceeded 7,000 downloads, and at the last count it’s now tracking well over 16,000 paid hits. The writing‘s the easy part, getting the mother out there is the real work. As a businessman, the decision for me is easy. It calls for a proper campaign of blogs, review sites, Twitter, visibility, visibility, visibility, and oh, by the way, write a decent piece of work. 

The second novel, VENGEANCE WEARS BLACK, is well in progress with three other story concepts to follow, all in the same series, all about the ex-SAS guys taking on a host of various criminals, using their black operations skills. It’s a helluva blast, and I don’t see it being any less fun for the foreseeable future.


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