Graham Whittaker ~Above the Cut

 

Graham Whittaker asked for friendship on Facebook and the decision to grant him entrance was the Hippy Flowered Van that just happens to be on the book I am in the midst of reading. Once a Hippie always a Hippie – atleast in attitude of an overwhelming joy of life.  His answers reflect what I  expected 1.When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? Answer: I was nine years old when I submitted a story to Enid Blyton. Every year I got one of her annuals for Christmas. She wrote a lovely letter back telling me that writing was a ‘noble art’. Hooked from that day on! 2.How long does it take you to write a book? Answer: Oh! Heavens! I have books in my “trunk” as Stephen King puts it, that have been languishing there for twenty years! One of the great joys in life is to empty a tea-chest out, look at all the bits and pieces, jottings and beginnings, and think ‘Maybe it’s time for this one”. Research though, is everlasting! I travel and take photographs. The photographs often become the catalyst for the story. It might be a colourful lady in Cuba, or a child who has dropped their ice-cream. My methods can be a bit odd. I put photographs into a ‘story board’ and jot notes below them. Though the ‘plot’ may be in my head from the beginning, the photographs give me depth, and place. Setting can be so important for me. Then, given a tiny bit of peace, and ALWAYS pencil and paper, I usually write the guts of a book in about six weeks. Then it goes away in a box for several months to ripen, and be read at a later date. Books for me just happen. 3.What is your work schedule like when you’re writing? Answer. I usually get up at about 7am, and write until about 3pm every day. Sundays are just writing days as usual. A day will end up with a 64 page hard-covered notebook filled with unintelligable scrawl, which I throw aside and follow on with another notebook. It is an undisciplined method, and my writing can be impossible to read even for me! There are more and more times these days when I have entire chapters in my head at 2am and there is no reason NOT to get up and write them. 4.What would you say is your interesting writing quirk? Answer: Quirk? Oh! Lord! I’m told that I have many! One in particular is trying out dialogue out loud, often involving several characters. So I might be rabbiting away (often in dialect). Probably the most commented on is sentence structure. As a young man I read just about every Mickey Spillane book available. I loved his way of writing so much that I wrote a fan letter, (as one does). I loved the way he wrote. “The curtains moved. My gun was on the table. Too far. That’s when someone turned out the lights.” Short, tight, writing in a similar manner to the simplicity of Hemmingway. But then there is the ‘romance’ which seems to require longer, flowing sentences, with peaks and troughs as is the case with lovemaking. Yes, I suppose that must be quirky. 5.How do books get published? Answer: In the USA alone there are between 600,000 and 1,000,000 books published each year. Half of those are self-published, and they sell on average, about 250 copies each. From 2009 to 2018 the number of books published has tripled. Traditional publishers are now becoming more demanding of their writers. They expect much more from the author in terms of marketing, getting out to talk and entertain, visiting libraries, and getting interviewed on radio and TV. This is a bit of a problem for many because writing is solitary. Nowadays unless you are dead lucky as E.L. James was, (and perhaps Joanne Rowling too,) it is rare to be offered a half-way decent deal from a big trad publisher. Even less chance if you are not prepared to self-promote. I have seen writers with gofundme pages. I do strongly disagree with this, but it is a valid methodology I suppose. Just not for me. My books now are published by Th’Ink Tank Publishing in Australia. Th’Ink Tank began as The Ink Tank some twenty or so years ago, and has published most of my work since then. As with most small imprints, they struggle, but at least I get to write and even get paid now and again. 6.Where do you get your information or ideas for your books? Answer: As Douglas Adams might have put it: Life, The Universe, and Everything! 7.When did you write your first book and how old were you? Answer: My first book was not a published work. It was a home-made book created from a Christmas present. It was a hardback ‘book” with blank pages. I carefully wrote until it was full of ‘bits’. Poetry, paragraphs, ideas, stories, and photographs that I described in detail for my career. I was convinced I would have a career of course! It was for my mum, and when she died at the grand age of 96 five years ago, it was still in her box of treasures. My most successful work! Writing though became a career when I was 22 having served seven years in the RN. (Left school at the earliest opportunity). At the age of 13 I began work in our local newsagency in a small town in Yorkshire, The owner was also the local newspaper publisher and he sent me out on ‘hatch, match, and dispatch’ stories. From then on I wanted to be a journalist. 8.What do you like to do when you’re not writing? Answer: Bliss out! I take my camera out with me and photograph anything that looks like it has a story to it. Including macro pictures of insects, children playing in water fountains, and old couples helping one another to traverse the warm soft grass in the park. I travel a lot. Masses! Travel is everything, and it always makes for wonderful stories. Last year I spent some time in Cuba at Hemmingway’s house, in a state of pleasurable wonder at the work of the great man and how he wrote. I am an author’s fan! Whether it be Emile Zola or Tolstoy, or James Joyce, I study and read their work voraciously. (As with Dean Koontz and Stephen King, and Kathy Reichs, and …. oh! You get the picture!.) 9.What does your family think of your writing? Answer: My son wants nothing of an inheritance except my tea chests! My partner of 20+ years now is a wonderful editor and inspiration, who brings me endless cups of tea, and sandwiches. 10.What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books? Answer: Editing is a difficult job and should be exeptionally well-paid. Sadly it is not, and books even by trad publishers are littered with spelling and grammatical errors, and even continuity errors. Because my partner is an editor, I can discuss freely my thoughts and intentions. Sadly that is not the case for many people. It surprises me that good proofreaders and good editors garner so little respect. They are who make our books readable! 11.How many books have you written? Which is your favorite? Answer: Probably about fourteen of my own, but ghostwriting and advertising promotional books and pamphlets would take it into the hundreds. To be perfectly honest my most favourite piece was a 48 page advertising book about how bees make honey. It was called “None of Your Beeswax!” It paid very well. My second favourite book went into over 40 reprints and was little more than a book on how to purchase and leverage Real Estate. It was called “Real Facts” and was created for a Real Estate Agency called L.J. Hooker. 12.Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so, what are they? Answer: I don’t have one. All I could ever say to anyone is Be a Storyteller! Forget about grammar, spelling, and all that other stuff people say you should do. Just tell the story and get a GREAT editor. If you want to publish with a small press, then talk to them personally about the work and write a decent synopsis. I don’t always go with the adage that one should only write what you know. My method is often to use photographs that spike my interest. It might be a period piece. If so, what is s/he wearing? Is she married or stepping out with the person with her or him? Are the children theirs or are they simply carers? Why has that Pelican got a fish hook through it’s beak? Oh look! There is a one-legged seagull! These are all ‘snippets’ and I would say keep a small dictaphone or notebook handy. Or even a smartphone. When something happens to grab your attention, make a record of it. You will probably need it sometime. 13.Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say? Answer: Before the internet, which many will not remember not ever having, yes. Letters, handwritten or carefully typed. Most were chatty, friendly and inquisitive. Now, I do hear from people on a PM or on Facebook (I don’t tweet.) Communication is now somewhat short and not always sweet. A couple of days ago an old acquaintance messaged me. His name is Brian Trenchard-Smith, a movie maker of some note. He simply said that he is reading my new book and that it is beautifully written. Coming from Brian, the Ozploitation King of movies, and friend of Quentin Tarantino, that indeed is the kind of thing I love to hear, and it makes an author feel good when people involved in the arts like your work. Others, I simply don’t understand. My last novel went to 445 pages so I got sharp messages saying. “It’s too long. I don’t read long books!” That is the state of play these days. Praise is nice. Constructive criticism is nice. Bad-mouthing is common though and for no apparent reason. 14. Do you like to create books for adults? Answer: Yes! 15.What do you think makes a good story? Answer: For most people a story seems to require to be linear these days. There are quite a lot of exceptions though. The Time Traveler’s Wife is one such. It takes a bit of work to begin to enjoy, but once in, you have to go all the way. Personally a good story for me is one that has the simplicity of Hemmingway to read, but the complexity of humanity. A good story always begins well. Dickens wrote in A Tale of Two Cities “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.” How can you NOT love that? I think that there are so many stories of so many kinds that it must be impossible to say what is a GOOD story. I read Jodi Picoult a lot, and her work is so finely researched but so effortless in its exectution. I honestly think that a good story is often quite personal. Some read Dr. Zhivago and think it a good story. Some read it and find it ineffably boring. Actually, you can always tell if someone has read a book or seen a movie of a book by asking some questions about it. Reading is not a great pastime for many these days. For example I once wrote about Joseph Conrad and “Heart of Darkness”. It was quite easy to tell which students had instead watched “Apocolypse Now” rather than read the book. Same with books like “Sense and Sensibility” “Pride and Prejudice” et al. it is so common now to watch a film of a book, (and end up with a totally wrong conclusion) rather than read the book. A good case in point is the book “Pretty Woman” which had a very dark ending, and the film, a feel-good one. It is easy to discover who read and who watched! Most people enjoyed the film. Those who read the book later were saddened by the fact that what they wanted was a real ROM-COM and it did not happen. But still a good story! 16.As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up? Answer: An adventurer first. A journalist second. I have both and now that I am “old” I do think we of our generation, the Baby Boomers had the very best of it. We got paid for letters to the editor, we got paid for small paragraphs, we got paid for writing one-liners for comedians on radio and TV. We got paid for writing advertising blurbs and promotional books. We got paid for being poets!. Other than the hobby of playing with electronics and making “stuff”, now, at the age of 70 it’s been great! I had the life I wanted, and then some! Graham Whittaker Facebook page Graham Whittaker Amazon Author page Eats and Treats on Amazon Author’s Den Graham Whittaker ~ Above the Cut ~ Chat Review of Eats and Treats by Paula Louise Shene

 

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BLACKWING/Stephen Drake~Above the Cut~

Over the many years I have been reading, I’ve done what I call glut reading.  I find a story by an author intriguing enough to try a second book and then move into reading all of their works, get caught on their planned series and then put them on a hit list to read as soon as a new book  is released.

With the classics, they wrote, but not everything was published and finding some obscure manuscript was a boon. Some authors were fairly prolific such as Agatha Christie, a famous and lauded author.

Authors have formulas and some do not deviate by even a cat’s whisker,  I enjoyed Christie’s mysteries until I was solving her mysteries by the third chapter.  The first book was a disappointment that she had not outwitted me. The following one, I also figured out who, how, and why; my disappointment now was acute because she had quite a few I had not yet read.  The next one, and a few more, so my ability on solving her stories was not a fluke, I plowed on.  And then I could not.

There were some that had their formula but the story was unique enough to carry it even with the formula, but those were few and had only a few stories.

In today’s world, if an author takes off  the trads will come after them and they will find fame and fortune for however long the trend lasts, and if they are not a ‘flash in the pan’ and have more stories to share, their following will continue.  I may or may not be in that category- it depends on their formula.

Stephen Drake has written several short stories, you can find those on his site Planet of the Oomah

I have read both of his Displaced series books, awaiting book three and read his only other offering as of this writing.  This story is considerably shorter than his Displaced series but as impressive.

The one major factor in my declaring I will follow his writing is that his formula seems to be no formula at all.  Each story is unique.  I pray he sticks with his formula.

Review of BLACKWING

I was blessed with a copy of BLACKWING and was ecstatic in getting my hands on this before my allowance would permit to purchase next month.

This is another book by Drake, I was unable to put aside until finished. Knowing his style from his other series, this read would be a bumpy but enjoyable ride. There is tragedy, a lot of love if one discerns it, but a walk on the faewyld is not easy for the Dark Enforcers – the storm bringers.

The belief there are seven known planes of Fae reality and the forbidden plane of the humans who are considered as cattle for the fae, instantly stirs up problems as Blackwing has been sent to hunt on the forbidden plane.

I Sincerely hope Drake will be giving us more adventures into the faewyld. This adventure left me wanting more of Blackwing and his human ‘minions’.

Blackwing on Amazon

Stephen Drake Planet of the Oomah

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Check out my links on right side bar for connection of all Above the Cut with Stephen Drake

CIVILIZATION/Stephen Drake ~ Above the Cut ~

 

I am back quicker with the review for book 2 of the Displaced series because I needed to have more of the story and now that I’ve read book one and two I am chomping at the bit for book 3, Resolution.  For the completion of that I must exert patience.

Civilization (Displaced, book 2) has enlarged its population exponentially when two hundred exits a larger pod than our reluctant hero, Kevin Murdock did five years previously.  Murdock did bring with him survival skills upon arrival on this planet which even with its dangers has become a Utopia for him and his family.

With the new arrivals, again clueless, demanding, belligerent, some stupidly evil, and others totally depraved, life and survival is always at risk.

This is all book one and more.  Now I understand why some can pick up an 800-page book and ‘stick with it.’

I will say there are several heartbreaking and or grisly moments.  Just be aware, tissues should be kept within reach.

I read these books back to back and the 275, 222 words just made me thirsty for Drake’s upcoming book Resolution.

 

Stephen Drake Author Amazon

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Stephen Drake  Interview

Displaced review 

Civilization on Amazon

DISPLACED/Stephen Drake ~Above the Cut ~

I have not read anything since Raphael Sabatini in the tenor of adventure until happenstance brought Stephen Drake onto my fan page and I quickly became a fan of his.

I was almost finished with Stephen Drake’s first book – Displaced and I liked it so much, I immediately went and purchased book number two in the series and that one is Civilization. 

Displaced is the first in a series of, to me, a dystopian but apparently not yet crowded prison world peopled with the anti-establishment free thinker, the clueless, mixed in with the dangerous rapacious dregs and the ones not willing to blindly follow the dictates of the newly established earth’s world government.

One man carves out his utopia while most of the remaining rise to the level of corruption only power can satisfy.  A powerful book, powerful message.

Stephen Drake ~ Above the Cut interview

 

Stephen Drake Author Facebook

DISPLACED ON AMAZON

Stephen Drake Amazon Author Page

Short Stories/Stephen Drake

via Short Stories

Stephen Drake ~ Above the Cut

I do not know when I became friends with Stephen Drake or if he asked for the friendship or I did.  However the connection occurred on Facebook, I was blessed to find another author I can say I will be reading all of his output.  

I am at the 84 percent marker on my Kindle reader as I pause to share his interview.  When I finished his first book written, the one I am reading, you will have met another five-star review with an Above the Cut writer.

Displaced

1. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

When I became disabled and was bored out of my mind.

 

2.  How long does it take you to write a book?

It depends on the book and what I have to say in it. My longer ones took me a while. My first one was started in 1974. My second in that series took me a little over a year.

 

3. What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?

I write when I can. Since I’m the chauffeur, sometimes I don’t get much time.

 

4.  What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I can’t write with music playing. The tempo of the writing tends to follow the tempo of the music, which can get kinda screwy sometimes.

 

5. How do books get published?

Self-published

 

6. Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

A lot of experience and research on the internet and I’ve read a lot of the older writers of Sci-fi (I’m a big John Scalzi fan, R.A.Heinlein, Frank and Brian Herbert, Asimov). Sometimes, I’ve written something just to see if I could do it.

 

7. When did you write your first book and how old were you?

I started it in 1974 when I was 22. I published it in 2016.

 

8. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

When I’m not writing, I read, play chauffer for the wife, and do martial arts 4 days a week. Watch tv and movies (I have a nice collection of movies and old tv series).

 

9.  What does your family think of your writing?

They were surprised I had that much to say about anything.

 

10. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

It isn’t easy to create something that is entertaining and says what I want it to, the way I want to say it.

 

11. How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

I’m currently working on my 4th book, which is 3rd in the series, a couple of short stories. My favorite is Blackwing.

 

12. Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so, what are they?

Just do it and let others read it. If anyone is willing to read your work, ask them what they thought of it. Constructive criticism is your friend. But you have to write it your own way. Don’t be thin-skinned. I write the kinds of stories I like to read. I figure there are plenty of other quirky individuals that may like it, too.

 

13. Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?

All the time (I do have some friends who read). Some post reviews, others just tell me. They all seem to like my work.

 

14. Do you like to create books for adults?

I only create books for adults.

 

15. What do you think makes a good story?

It’s difficult to have a good story without good characters and repartee. Interesting situations helps a lot.

 

16. As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

After Star Trek came out, the original series, I wanted to be a computer programmer.

 

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Stephen Drake Above the Cut continued

Trailer Trash/Rick Johnson/Above the Cut

 

After initially reading the preview chapters of Trailer Trash I was hooked, lock, stock, and barrel. I was slightly unnerved when I realized the book was almost 400 pages. Since I try to read for pleasure as well as review and having the attention span of a child, I opt for shorter books.

But, hey, I already read fifty pages without a break and paid my money for the book, it was time to suck it up and read.  Now that is easier said than done.  My second kindle died an early death, and Trailer Trash was being read on my desktop.  You know, the desktop with sixteen tabs but I do know where the music is coming from, it’s the red one.

In a day of diversions, I am fortunate to read twenty pages, but, no, TT kept calling me back and I soon found I was approaching the end of the book.  I slowed down. Do you ever get into a book where you’ve been a while and decide to move in? Yeah, that’s where I was.  So I slowed down.

But in came four more authors that returned their interviews promptly – never had that happen before.  And with those interviews were books to read… so back to Trailer Trash and wrapped it up.  Fortunately, there is a number two on the horizon, but that’s another story for another day.  The review of Trailer Trash start’s below.

Amazon buying link

 

Trailer Trash is a delicious down-home Gumbo. When I started reading this story, I was laughing aloud, not something I’ve done since I’ve read an Evanovich book. The catch with this laid-back, Southern stroll through a typical smaller than a small town is that one gets fully introduced to each character and their flaws, weaknesses, and strengths. This connection to the characters moves the reader into the ebb and flow and is seen through the eyes of the reader as either a hick or a homie town with a welcome sign on every door except for those they judge unfit.

One cannot help but fall in love with TT aka Trailer Trash whom has a given name revealed in the latter part of the story. TT is always in the wrong place at the right time to be blamed for murders a seemingly serial killer is committing in this hotbed of quaintness and the ordinary. TT is a mixture of astute and clueless, strong and soft-hearted who has more comparisons on everything than you can shake a stick…. more, Trailer Trash/Rick Johnson?Above the Cut