Versatile Blogger Award

Seeing as I did not know this award existed, I am surprised and pleased to have been nominated.

To be honest, I wasn’t going to post about this, but the desire to name random facts about myself won over my desire to not promote my own blog for an award. I hope you all have enjoyed the couple months I have been working on this book blog. I know I have! I also wanted to thank “Day I Started Reading” (I will admit, I cannot find her name anywhere!) for nominating me.

There are three simple rules to the Versatile Blogger Award. They are as follows:
1. Thank the person(s) who shared the award with you by linking back to them in your post.
2. Pass this award to 15 recently discovered blogs and let them know that you included them in your blog post.
3. List 7 things about yourself.

So here we go…

I will pass this award on to the following blogs:

• Reviews and Ramblings
• mylivereads
• A Campaign of Shock and Awe
• The Unknowledge Tree
• Adopt an Indie
• Bewitching Book Tours
• Em’s Place
• Peas and Cougars
• Nose in a Book
• Sketch Book
• The Readership
• Everything You Know About English Is Wrong
• PR, Films and Fantasies
• Nerd Redefined
• Werewolves Should Be Hairy!

7 things about myself:

1. I love anime. I only started getting into it last year, but I have grown to love everything about it. It brings out what I love from books — the fantasy element — and brings it to life in a way that is fun and quirky.
2. I started off as a political science and English double major, hoping to go to law school. One day I realized how hard I was working to keep up on politics, and how little I cared for them. I then decided to move onto English education (second choice: music education), which didn’t turn out to be my cup of tea either. I finally landed on English and writing and I hope to turn that into a career of editing or publishing.
3. When it comes to food, I am completely sheltered. I grew up in a family where it was totally acceptable to not eat your greens, probably because my mom wasn’t their biggest fan either. Although it was great as a kid, I’ve always wished I was more open to different kinds of foods. Perhaps this stems from my strange obsession with the Food Network, even though I would never have the gumption to cook and eat the food they do.
4. I have always had the desire to pause life. I think this comes from the first computer game I really got into, Total Annihilation: Kingdoms. If I could stop a game to leave and do something else, why can’t I stop a conversation? A class? A night, so I can be up for hours and yet time would not pass? It still feels strange to me that I do not have this power. I feel entitled to it.
5. There is no straight answer I can give when asked, “What is your favorite…” of almost anything. What is my favorite movie? Weird ones. If you think it’s weird, I’ll probably love it. What is my favorite book? I like series, not single books — I need to get to know the characters before I can learn to love them, and I have so many series I’ve enjoyed, I can’t pick a favorite. What’s my favorite band? It truly depends on my mood. Wistful or nostalgic: Coheed and Cambria. That feeling when you have a hole in your heart: Blue October. When you want to dance around in your underwear: Panic! at the Disco. I would enjoy their music at any time, but when I’m feeling a certain mood, I have certain music I like to hear.
6. I do not wish to live my life out in the U.S. However, I realize the improbability of moving to a place where my life would be better and I would fit in more than I do here. If I did ever get the chance to leave, my  top three choices of where to move would be Germany, England, and Norway.
7. The only sport I have ever participated in (in a league) is bowling. I was on a league for 13 years, and went to state bowling every year I was able to. Although it destroyed my shoulder, I would not swap bowling with any other sport. It is highly regarded in my family and we all have a blast, even when we do poorly (which, of course, we never do).

Interview with Austin Briggs, author of Five Dances with Death

Austin Briggs, whose book I recently reviewed (Five Dances with Death: Dance One), has granted me an interview with a look into the research and future of his work. I received his book through Adopt and Indie and have really enjoyed communicating with him. I hope to get involved in this program again in February. To learn more:

http://hannahrose42.wordpress.com/2011/11/04/adopt-an-indie-has-authors-left-to-adopt/

http://hannahrose42.wordpress.com/2011/11/15/five-dances-with-death-dance-one/

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1. What gave you the idea for such a unique and complex setting?

I’ve been attracted to the Native American cultures as long as I can remember myself. In my childhood, I was mostly obsessed with the Incas and Mohicans, Hurons and Cherokees. The Aztecs caught my interest relatively late.

Mexico is an incredibly compact location with all sorts of climates and conditions crammed into a narrow, relatively small space. This has enabled many diverse and rich cultures to develop, making the place endlessly interesting.

I’m also intrigued by the idea of a society that is about to lose itself entirely, because I’ve lived through such collapse.

2. What kind of travel or research did you do for Dance One?

Before I dared publish the first book, I spent 10 years researching.

I have, of course, read every single tome I could find about the Aztecs, starting from the first letters sent home by the Conquistadors, to the latest research papers. I studied both the European and Native documents. I learned some Spanish and Nahuatl to understand them better.

Most importantly, I travelled across Mexico and visited the places where my characters lived, fought their battles, and struggled with their choices.

Mexico taught me some hard lessons. For example, I had two books worth of text by the time I first visited the country, written based on what I imagined the Aztec culture would be after reading many historical sources. After two weeks of travelling around Mexico, I understood that I had written complete rubbish. So I deleted my books and wrote everything again, this time, hopefully, bringing real life into my texts.

Some readers ask me why did I add elements of magic into the story. I did that after visiting Mexico. If you slow down, step out of the cities and listen, you may see magic in many places. I’m not talking pretty flowers. I’m talking sorcery, old beliefs, persistent ideas that may seem either beautiful or superstitious, depending on your mindset.

3. Will your next book (in this series) be in a similar setting?

Yes, absolutely. The setting will naturally expand to include more details of the Spanish conquest, but the action will continue along the route of Cortés from the Caribbean coast to what now is Mexico City.

4. Tell me about your current work — are you working on any side projects or just focusing on Five Dances with Death? Do you have the other four books planned out, and if so, when can we look forward to reading them?

No side projects for me. Between a full time job in corporate business, a family with three kids, and much travel, I have time to focus on one writing project at a time.

The rest of the series is fully planned and developed. In a week I’m returning to Mexico to start writing the second book.

It takes a few months to finish writing and prepare the book for launch, so will be adding books reasonably soon.

5. Do you have any fun/weird habits that you do while you write?

Yes, I do.

Here’s one. I try to feel my protagonist’s mood. If he’s scared, I try to find the scariest place in my house to write – for example, at night with my back to the dark forest outside. If he’s drunk, I get drunk. If he’s angry, you can bet that so am I at the time.

Another habit of mine is to put either a piece of black obsidian from Mexico, or a silver statuette of a dancing Aztec warrior on my desk as I write. These things get me in the mood. The obsidian mystifies me, and the warrior doesn’t let me relax.

6. What are you currently reading: book or series, what do you like about it? Would you recommend it?

Right now, I’m enjoying the Lyonesse series by Jack Vance. I literally can’t put that book down. Just before that, I read Vanessa Wu’s stories. I passionately recommend both. Although dramatically different, they share true love for good language and a good story.

7. Tell me a little about your involvement with Adopt an Indie. Are there any myths or stigmas surrounding small publishing that you would like to abolish?

I heard about Adopt an Indie by chance, and decided to apply. Happy that you’ve found me, I’ve enjoyed our interaction.

As for the myths and stigmas… I remember feeling puzzled when one reviewer mentioned twice or thrice that my book was self-published. My first reaction was “Who cares?”

Then I realized that some folks indeed care. I don’t.

A book is a book. When I read, I judge the book, not the publisher. I never notice who publishes what. I love books, not the brand of the paper they’re printed on.

I self-publish by choice; I don’t feel stigmatized for choosing freedom.

8. Do you have any advice for authors who are looking to either self-publish or publish with a small company?

I’d suggest taking your time. Don’t rush to publish. Edit, then edit again, and edit yet again. Respect your readers, and spare them your rushed scenes and typos. You’re an entrepreneur, not an amateur; behave like one!

Here’s an example: I gave my book four professional edits and seven proofreads. Both commercially successful authors and Ph.D.’s in literature worked on perfecting my text. Still, at least one typo made it through. A friendly reader pointed it out to me, and I’ll fix it soon.

And another thing… don’t spend too much time with the fellow authors. Quit checking your sales numbers every hour. Get off the Kindle Boards or whatever forum you frequent.

Instead, connect with your readers, listen to them, and write quality stuff.

9. If you could pick one question that I didn’t ask that you wanted me to, what would it be, and how would you answer?

Is your book coming out in any other languages?

Yes! The Spanish translation will soon be ready. After that, I may translate my books into German, French and Russian.

10. Any last thoughts?

Thanks for your nice questions

Five Dances with Death: Dance One by Austin Briggs

Through the program Adopt an Indie, I was able to receive a book from an author that published his novel through Helvetic House. I was very excited to get involved in this, and I’m sure it was fun for the authors, as well. If you wish to know more about this program, visit my post:

http://hannahrose42.wordpress.com/2011/11/04/adopt-an-indie-has-authors-left-to-adopt/

Adopt an Indie month is occurring again in February of 2012, so if you are interested in being involved as a writer, a reader, or a blogger, feel free to sign up! It was a fun experience.

I received Austin Briggs’s novel, Five Dances with Death: Dance One. I was almost immediately struck with the unique feel he gives to the book. It’s centered around an Aztec village, Tlaxcala, where a man, Angry Wasp, has lost his daughter to a warring tribe and is trying to get her back by any means possible.

Adopt an Indie book

I loved the idea that death was present throughout the novel. It wasn’t depressing or dark, but simply a fact. I also really enjoyed the setting and the realistic feel of it. You can tell that Briggs has the knowledge necessary to write a story about the Mexica people — it never felt like a gimmick, or like that was the focus of the story. It was merely a richly interesting setting in which he told the story of Angry Wasp. The game of bean-throwing (the actual name eludes me at the moment) was especially intense. Briggs expertly creates tension and release between the characters.

Although the story was compelling, some of the dialogue felt a little trite. I enjoyed most of the Moonwalk People’s language, some of it felt a little haughty. I found this odd seeing as they were supposed to be the savages — perhaps that was the intention, that they were trying to appear better than they were. There were also a few misused words, where an editor with a sharp eye and a heavy hand could have fixed. Although, for a self-published book, it was well done.

The setup to this story was brilliant, and I was drawn in immediately. It’s ending was satisfying enough to interest me in reading the next book. The only problem I had with this novel was the middle — at times I desired to put it down or to skip ahead to see what happened in the end. It seemed like the plot shied away from what I really desired to know, and focused on the politics of the many tribes. I’m sure this will interest some, but it wasn’t my cup of tea.

Overall, this book was well detailed and interesting because of it’s uniqueness and sincerity of setting and character development.

Stay tuned for an interview with Austin Briggs about the Adopt and Indie program and about his book, Five Dances with Death: Dance One.

Adopt an Indie has authors left to adopt

About one or two months ago, I got involved in Adopt an Indie, a program designed to get rid of the stigma surrounding self-published authors (or those who publish through small companies). I picked a few books that I would like to read, and eventually I got an email back congratulating me on receiving Five Dances with Death: Dance One by Austin Briggs. I have been in contact with him while reading the book, and I can’t wait to finish and review it for your reading pleasure.

The program still has some authors left that would like to be adopted. If you are interested in receiving a book to read and review, sign up as a reader and pick your top choices! If you want to learn more about it, go to the “About” page and it should answer all of your questions. It is a fantastic program, and a great way to help get rid of the stigma surrounding self-published authors.

http://adoptanindie.bookbagsandcatnaps.com/

You can add a pin to your picture by going to their facebook page! You can add it to any site profile picture.

Other places to check out adoptanindie:

http://www.facebook.com/adoptanindie

https://twitter.com/#!/AdoptAnIndie

Once I finish Five Dances with Death: Dance One and review it, I plan to post it here on my blog, on Amazon.com, on Goodreads.com, and many other places. I also plan to interview the author about the book. So be looking forward to that in the next couple of weeks! If you would like to learn more about Austin Briggs’s book, you can check it out on Amazon.com.