Do you feel stuck and unsure as a writer? Are you not getting acceptances, not making sales, not writing to your full potential? How can you break through the self-doubt and noise to start carving out your unique space in the world of fiction?
Ross Jeffery is joining us for a Live ZOOM chat this Thursday to talk about his experience.
Ross is the Executive Director of STORGY literary magazine and its Head of Books. He is also the Bram Stoker Award Nominated Author of Tome, Juniper, and Tethered.
It’s hard to believe that Ross had given up on writing for seven years. Yes, 7 years! Now he is exploding in the dark fiction scene, and he is going to join us on Zoom to talk about how to break through as a writer.
What You’ll Learn – How to Break Through as a Writer with Ross Jeffery
Why Ross gave up writing for so long and what made him start again
What drives his dark, disturbing stories
The breakthrough moment in his writing career that got his momentum going
How writers can approach other authors for blurbs
How writers can position themselves to be nominated for awards
Ross’ advice for all those writers who have given up, are thinking of given up, or haven’t even started
On Monday, I had the the pleasure of being on Boomers on Books with Vince Stevenson, a livestream show that features emerging and established authors. Vince is also known as The Fear Doctor and is a leading trainer and bestselling author on overcoming the fear of public speaking.
This was a most fortunate circumstance for me. Being my first livestream video, I was nervous. But you will see that Vince is a charming and skilled host, and we enjoyed a great conversation. We covered many fascinating topics other than my books—relationship dynamics, addiction and mental illness, self-doubt, and life in Panama. Not your same ol’ author interview!
Boomers on Books is a video channel for emerging and established authors. We welcome authors from all continents, ages, genders, colours and creeds. The video interview is live-streamed on YouTube and available on-demand and indefinitely for people’s viewing. The hosts are boomer Vince Stevenson and boomer Mark Shultz (although due to Mark’s wife’s medical issues, Mark has been unavailable to participate).
Vince Stevenson
Vince Stevenson is known as the ‘Fear Doctor’ and describes himself as a ‘recovering speaker’. He works in London and around the world encouraging people to speak their own truth. Vince has worked from Brazil to Bangladesh with top companies and NGOs, assisting their senior executives to become improved communicators. He runs regular classes in London and is a popular choice as a conference speaker. Vince has a devilish sense of humour and he loves talking about his fears, foibles and failures. Vince can be contacted at the College of Public Speaking London.
Every other Monday, we introduce you to a writer from the Writers’ Mastermind. Today we are excited to have Patty Lesser. She has backpacked the world, plays Texas hold ’em, and writes everything from murder mysteries to scifi to dark paranormal fantasy and beyond.
Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? Where are you now? What has your life been like?
Four years ago, I moved to Brantford, starting over. I knew no one here or anything. Everything was new, but I made a life for myself along with four volunteer positions and playing in a local poker league. I grew up in Hamilton, Ontario, but when I was 19, I left Canada to backpack around the world for 25 years.
When I came back to Canada, I settled in Toronto before moving back to Hamilton. I moved around a lot before settling here. I love my new life.
2. What kind of stories do you write?
I think of a plot, work it around in my head, thinking of ideas for a story. If it works out, I write it down and start the novel. Then I think about the genre, so I end up writing various genres like mystery, fantasy, sci fi, adventure, thriller, etc.
3. What sets you apart from other writers in your space?
I write from A directly to B. My writing is direct and somewhat simple, and my stories are completely my imagination, so I find it hard to compare my books with other authors.
4. What drives your writing? What do you mean to accomplish with your stories?
I’m a storyteller. I like to tell stories that I want others to read to escape from reality for a while and enjoy someone else’s saga and my imagination.
5. Who are your favourite writers and books? What are your other creative influences?
My favourite authors and their books are: Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, Alexandre Dumas’ Count of Monte Crisco, and Thomas Hardy’s The Mayor of Casterbridge. When I need inspiration, I go back and read stuff I’ve written.
6. Do you write in silence? Background noise? What kind?
I always write with a movie playing on the TV. It’s always a movie I’ve seen many times, so I don’t have to watch. I can look up from time to time and just listen when I need a break from the writing.
7. What is your favourite thing to do when you are not writing?
I play tournament Texas hold’em no limit poker. I play in a local league, but of course we’ve been closed down because of Covid. I have been playing online for money since 2005.
8. Who is your current celebrity crush?
John de Lancie otherwise known as Q on Star Trek: The Next Generation. He’s an Australian actor.
9. Why do you think it’s important to write fiction?
People have been writing fiction since the beginning of time. The Bible is made up of fictional stories that someone put together in an anthology. Fiction is important to take us away from reality.
10. Who would be the best writer, alive or dead, to tell the story of your life?
Samuel Clemens/Mark Twain. I love the way he wrote his autobiography. He’s a great storyteller.
11. What are you working on right now?
I’m working on a murder mystery that takes place in a community centre. The subplot is all about the importance of volunteering. The interesting thing is I don’t know who the murderer is, but I guess I’ll just find out when the readers do. I volunteered at a community centre for 4 years, and my story mirrors this one. I was also the Volunteer Reporter and I wrote all the volunteers’ profiles, so I’ve got lots to draw from. I want people to read my book and then say, I should volunteer somewhere.
Devouring Time: A Race Against the Clock to Expose Shocking Secrets, Shameless Greed, and Murder
Marcus Tate doesn’t understand the odd request: leave London to deliver a small, carefully-wrapped box to a family in Canada? But his mentor, mother figure, and friend, Cathy Edwards, insists that Marcus is precisely the right person to deliver the important package that she has held onto for many long years.
Little does Marcus realize that his world is about to be turned upside down. In less than one day, Marcus learns not only the shocking truth about his mother, but also the real reason Cathy forged such a strong bond with him. And despite Marcus’s attempt to make a quick delivery and leave, the eccentric Blackbourne family insists that he stay to learn more about the contents of the mysterious box.
The Blackbournes can’t wait for Lillian, the family matriarch, to peel the brown paper wrapping from the package. To each family member, the package represents the promise of an even richer life. More money. Financial independence. Power. Freedom to travel the world.
But to the family’s surprise, the package is only one small piece of a much larger labyrinth of lies and betrayal, leading to the discovery of family secrets . . . and murder.
Time ticks away as the family attempts to solve the mystery of Lillian’s murder, all while trying to make sense of their past. Through it all, the Blackbournes and Marcus can’t help but wonder if the murderer is still lurking among them.
Join Marcus and the entire Blackbourne family on a whirlwind twenty-four hour adventure, through a world of insatiable greed, family secrets, forbidden love, and murder!
Every other Monday, we introduce you to a writer from the Writers’ Mastermind. Today, we have S.M. Fedor, a dark fiction author to watch!
Meet S.M. Fedor
S.M. Fedor writes fiction that is soaked in neo-noir, the new-weird, cosmic & body horror—with no qualms about mixing genres. S.M. Fedor has previously appeared in Burning Love & Bleeding Hearts, Festival De La Bête Noire, and the forthcoming Fall 2021 anthology: Mickey Finn volume 2. His work has been described by readers as transgressive, hallucinatory, existential, strange, uncompromising, sinister, and visceral.
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? Where are you now? What has your life been like?
I am originally from Chicago, spent a few years in L.A. & Vancouver for work, and have been living off and on in Montreal for the last 6 years. Based on my twitter & FB feed, my life revolves around cats 90% of the time. 95% cat-life would be more accurate if you knew me in real-life.
What has life been like? It gets complicated, usually from a mixture of my own foolish shenanigans, health issues, and wild dreams 😀
2. What kind of stories do you write?
Neo-Noir/New Weird
3. What sets you apart from other writers in your space?
I think the pathos in my stories are driven inner complications/conflicts that are uniquely my own. The emotional turmoil can produce ideas that can resonate with readers, even if they don’t agree or fully relate to the source concepts.
4. What drives your writing? What do you mean to accomplish with your stories?
I tend to be reserved and am not one to voice my thoughts and concerns. Conversations beyond the generic social getting by are a challenge for me (and even those “how you doing?” coffee break chats at work are avoided if possible!) Writing gives me the outlet to release all those squashed and bottled thoughts in a positive manner.
5. Who are you favorite writers and books? What are your other creative influences?
Too many to list and many are long gone, but I’ll mention a few newer, still active folk: Gabino Iglesias, Peter Watts, Ed Brubaker, Matt Cardin.
6. Do you write in silence? Background noise? Or music? What kind?
I’m a music person, though many would call it noise 🙂 Lots of doom jazz & film scores for general reading and writing purposes, but I mix it up depending on what I’m writing.
7. What is your favorite thing to do when you are not writing?
The day job is working in visual effects for film & TV. I’m not sure it’s my favorite thing to do, but it’s often what’s happening.
8. Who is your current celebrity crush?
That’s not really my thing. I guess when I was a teen it was Fairuza Balk and Christina Ricci.
9. Why do you think it’s important to write fiction?
As mentioned earlier, it’s one of the few ways I can effectively(?) communicate feelings and thoughts, work through various concepts. Whether they are important is a whole ‘nother question that I don’t think is for me to answer 😀
10. Who would be the best writer, alive or dead, to tell the story of your life?
Hmm…I guess I’d like to see Haruki Murakami’s version of me. Things are often slightly surreal. There’s random chapters on how the cat’s day was and he’d probably enjoy exploring the doom jazz soundtrack.
11. What are you working on right now?
As of this moment, I’m shopping around a couple of shorts, working on about 4 more for various anthologies, and am taking much longer than I hoped to on my debut novel. Hopefully fall/winter 2021 and 2022 will have more opportunities to be read wider.
