Author Natalie Berger

Ahoy! Happy December, par-tay people!
I hope the turkeys were tasty and the in laws were tolerable this lovely Thanksgiving. I know that I sure enjoyed an insane amount of pie and leftovers. Oh yah you betcha. And of course, lots and lots of noveling happening! I'm really excited to head in the last leg of what I'm working on to share with you guys soon!

Check out this fantabuloso article about muah talking a little bit about The Towers!
Again, if you haven't had a chance to snag a copy of it yet, you cant get it on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Also, as a fledgling indie author, it is no secret that it is a tough, tough world out there for us and every review you leave means the world to me and I really do read and appreciate every single one left on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Good Reads! Even if you don't have the means to buy the book and read it, every time you talk about it or share something on facebook, it really helps.
Thank you so, so much!

There are also a few new little things on my free reads webpage! OoOoOOOoooohhhh.....
http://natcrush360.wix.com/readberger

Another thing that I haven't shared on my facebook page yet (oh ho! lookey here, the fancy blog readers get to cash in on bragging rights now, hey?) is that I will be in the Detroit area from mid December until the end of the year and possibly thinking about doing a book signing event of some kind down there. Comment and let me know if you are interested!

okay, thats all. I'm done for now....i think.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

xoxoxo
~Natalie

Ahoy there! This week I had the amazing opportunity to sit down with the wonderful Ashlee McNicol, author of The Unforgiving Truths series on her blog tour to talk about her life and writing. Read the interview and be sure to check out her awesome book too!

This isn’t a game anymore.

The fall of the Safe Havens is close. A series of keys have been lost throughout the Four Worlds, causing our wildest dreams to come to life. As deceptions fuse with the truth, one girl is chosen to follow her people’s legacy and unlock the secrets that keep the worlds bound. These secrets are just the beginning, for she unravels a puzzle that she never could have imagined.

Led by a mysterious entity and a series of magical objects, she journeys to the unknown to meet the ones who started it all. However, defying magic comes with some consequences, as she risks exposing her secret. On this quest, failure is not an option, for once she starts, she can’t go back. There is nowhere to go. They are coming for her.

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Berger: Tell me a little about yourself. Where are you from? What do you do when you aren’t writing?

McNicol: I am from a small city in Eastern Washington and very recently moved to Portland, Oregon. I had been living in the Southwest United States for the past couple of years, so it is nice to be around snow and trees again. I absolutely love the Pacific Northwest and am a total winter fanatic. When I am not writing, I love trying new cooking recipes, making new cosmetic home remedies, and doing pilates. I love anything and everything relaxing. I even have a meditation station on my Pandora because the ocean waves put me to sleep!

Berger: What genre do you write in? Do you tend to stay in that genre or do you explore other genres? What do you like about this genre?

McNicol: When I first started writing as a second grade student, I was interested in mysteries and teen books that circulated around animals. I loved the Magic Tree House books because you could escape into a whole new world by opening the pages of a single book. Writing is about thriving on the depths of your imagination and watching it come to life on paper. I became interested in writing young adult books because I want to inspire kids. I have four younger siblings and have grown up around children my entire life. I have seen the potential of the future generations and I always strive to press the limits of what they understand about the dimensions. Fantasy is a whole new world to me. I love escaping into another world by whipping out my laptop and opening my mind. Sometimes, I even do it the old-fashioned way and script my imagination on paper. YA fantasy is a whole new reality.

Berger: What is your writing process like on a daily basis?

McNicol: No matter how busy I may be, I ALWAYS write. If I am absolutely swamped, my writing minimum is about 2,000 words. This almost never happens. I never set a maximum because I like to just write and write and write. I never want to stop once I get started. My usual word count is between 6,000 to 9,000 words. I have gotten as much as 12,000 done, but that takes a lot of work, and a lot of quietness. I love writing in the early mornings, but I am always far more inspired in the late evenings because I am such a night person. When I am not working, I try to write up to 16 hours a day. It isn’t a job for me. It is fun, and I like the challenge. I

Berger: What are some difficulties you run into while writing?

McNicol: Writing the middle of the story when there is no action. When I write, I often first complete the rough draft as more of a template because I hate adding pointless details in a story to fill a page count. I like quality stories. Therefore, I like everything to have a meaning. Filling in that page count is definitely not my number one goal because I want readers to remember what I write or what they read from others. I love knowing that what I read will have relevance later in a story. I am working on pulling the pieces together when not so much action takes place. Straying from the action is the hard part because you don’t care so much about that part all the time. It takes a different mindset.

Berger: Do you feel the need to outline and plan your story before writing?

McNicol: I had a rough idea and just went from there for the first couple of chapters in this book. I knew where I wanted the story to go, so I wrote it the way it was in my mind. As the story continued, though, I outlined it in terms of each chapter, noting three or so main points I wanted to get across in that specific chapter. I don’t process every detail them. I mildly outlined and then just wrote. I like having an outline in place, though. It is nice to refer back to if you forget something and are trying to figure out where you were going with it.

Berger: How did you go about the publishing process for your book?

McNicol: First, I decided that I wanted to be an Indie author after doing an extensive amount of research on the demand and feasibility in both publishing industries. I decided on the publisher, paid for a great cover artist, took advantage of some great editing, and organized some beta readers. I made sure to use a checklist! It can be quite time consuming.

Berger: Do you have any advice for creating believable characters?

McNicol: Put your characters in a unique setting that readers will remember. Let the setting be their home. Give them characteristics that we can relate to, and remember that no one is perfect. If perfection is their trait, that’s another thing, but not everything can be sunshine and rainbows. Give us a reason to remember them. I suggest writing down 10 facts that readers do not know about the characters. Let these facts and backstories bleed into your book. Remember: Show. Don’t tell.

Berger: Do you have any future plans to publish again soon?

McNicol: The Unforgiving Truths is the first book in the Secrets of Ghastillanda Series. After making some recent changes, there are now five total books in the series. I plan to wait to release those titles periodically due to my marketing strategy. I will more than likely release them all by the close of 2015. The sequel should be coming between January to February of 2015.

Berger: How important is marking for authors?

McNicol: I might be a little biased because I work in and hold a degree in marketing. However, it is absolutely crucial for writers to take advantage of marketing if they hope to make a name for themselves in the industry. Bottom line: if you want to get your book out there, you have to learn at least a few ways of the industry. I recommend researching your target audience and connecting with them in the best way that they like to be reached. Young adult books steered towards young girls, for instance, might have luck in social media. Learn social media if you haven’t already, but connecting with readers is most important.

Berger: Any advice for writers or writers looking to publish?

McNicol: Do your research. Figure out if you want to do the Indie or traditional route. Research the advantages and disadvantages of both. Also, realize the time investment. You need to treat marketing as a top priority. Get some promotional materials, take some classes and do whatever you need to in order to better understand the industry. Just remember that every writer is different so just because something works for one writer does not mean that it will work for another.

About Ashlee McNicol

Ashlee spent her childhood bringing imagination to life by writing short stories that she converted to books with the help of some glue, paper, and staples. By the time she was nine, she completed hundreds of short stories that soon lined the shelves in the local Washington state elementary library.

Those short stories shaped her writing career, which has now launched to include over fifty full-length young adult novels, waiting to be read. Ashlee holds a Bachelor’s Degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing from Eastern New Mexico University and serves as her own publicist. Currently, she is crafting the Secrets of Ghastillanda Series and hopes to have all five books released by the end of 2015. You can expect this to happen because if you know her personally, you know she never backs down from a challenge.

You can follow her on on twitter and like her facebook page!

links

Happy Writing Spots

Thanks, Mista Prez!

happy december!

Blog Tour Interview with Author of The Unforgiving Truth Series Ashlee McNicol

Happy Halloween! Here is a new story!

Blog Tour Interview with Ashlee McNicol

NMU North Wind Interview