I decided to start a questionnaire video blog about Allix Booth. If you have any questions for him about writing, books, video games, or just personal, drop your questions here or on his author page at: http://www.facebook.com/AllixBooth.
Novels
Thoughts
I was currently sitting here working on a teaser trailer for another author today, and I could not help but think about some of the things in my past. I’m not talking about like what I ate last week, or the events that happened last year. I am talking about the distant past about 10-11 years ago. In high school when I thought that was the make it or break it point of my life. Which college was I going to attend? How imperative it was to make straight A’s? Or these friends I currently have, will they be around in the next ten years?
The funny thing is none of these things really pulled through in my life so far. Friends… gone. College… dropped out. Now, I look at all of the photos and people I knew from high school on facebook and think, Wow! How simple it would be just to say Hey,how’s things been? Haven’t heard from you in years? Want to go have a beer?
Yeah, those kind of thoughts run through my mind, and I can only think how busy we all have become in out twenties to the point we forget. Our memories from when we were 17 or 18 kind of just dissipate into the air, and no longer have any significance in the back of our minds. Until we see pictures from the past. It’s funny how someone who lives thousands or even millions of miles away can have a great impact on a person’s life than the one that is simply a few blocks away. Are we becoming more reliant on the internet to meet our social needs? Or are we simply too shy to dive back into the waters that we were treading through a decade ago.
Honestly, I have lost a lot of friends over the last two-three years. It wasn’t because of them really. We had goals that we wanted to reach NOW! But we forgot about the ones we grew up with. We kind of just see them as tiny grains of sand in a pile. Is it just me or do we sometimes just turn to our past just to see how we are doing? I mean seriously, there are times when I actually research people just to see what they are doing now so I can make sure I am keeping up with my own life.
I know I felt like throughout middle school and high school… Even college I felt like I was sprinting. I didn’t think about anyone around me, much less care what they were doing at the time. Is it when we fall into a deep depression and want to take our own life that we finally realize this life is not just about ME! Honestly, it was for me. It took me almost ten years to realize the “I” and “Me” syndrome would be my ultimate downfall. Yes, I was a selfish person. Yes, I didn’t give people the amount of attention they should’ve received, and yes, it was all about ME.
When I sit here typing about this, the thoughts of who I was keep creeping in. I was consumed by my own pride for a long time. Then, I hit a speed bump and asked for Christ’s help. I didn’t go to my friends from the past, my mentors, or my own family. I went to the one person that I had abandoned for a decade, and you know what that did for me. It healed me from the mental and physical anguish I was going through. It brought me to a place of peace.
I sit here a year later from when I was in the darkest places of my life,and I’ve realized that community is the only way to pull yourself out of your ruts. Yes, life has been a struggle. There have been rough patches where the fear consumed me. At one time, I remained locked away in the dungeons of my own mind, but some how the key was revealed to me. I’m thankful I am still here to write books and show readers the world of my imagination, but I can’t accept all the credit. It was all the people who are currently impacting my life they have given the motivation to keep pressing on. For that I thank all of you.
Author FB Page
https://www.facebook.com/willlloyd25
Here’s the link to my author facebook page. This is where you will find more interesting details about my novel, “Awaken Within the Darkness”, the first installment to The Temperament Scepter Series.
I will also keep you guys updated on any upcoming events/ book releases. Also, if you have any questions for me, or any of the amazing artists, editors, or readers, please feel free to ask. We welcome all and anything that you guys are curious about. Thanks again for your support and love.
And did I mention a possible Book trailer for Horizon soon?
McSpammers
Alright, here is my rant post. I’m pulling my hair out, and I’m about ready to toss my computer through the window because this frustrates me to a core. I’m calling these kind of people “McSpammers,” because they’re like the commercials you want skip during an epic episode of Game of Thrones, or something. Let me explain these people for you.
You’re sitting on facebook talking to a friend. Your news feed explodes with like 20 new stories. Kind of weird because life is not usually that exciting on your facebook unless someone dies, or there’s a tragedy in the news. (Which oddly is happening more often than usual) Anyways, you’re talking to some friends and these stories pop up. You scroll to the top to see what’s new and it’s just 20 posts of someone’s book. Your eyes widen, then you roll them with disgust as you click the arrow in the top right corner to ignore these stories.
A few minutes later, your twitter explodes and its the same person. Then, your email is going nuts at the same time. It’s like a apocalyptic disaster of spams from one person because they are excited about the book they are putting out there. For them, yes, it’s exciting, but for you it’s two more posts away from wanting to destroy everything on your desktop. You proceed to message the person to slow down or stop, but it’s like an atomic bomb goes off in that person’s head and you receive a hundred more posts.
You scream in the computer, “Really?! Are you doing this to me out of spite?!”
It’s not like the world is coming to an end, but in your eyes it seems that someone is playing a prank on you. You finally decide to block the person, but the scary thing is, their promotions show up on the right hand corner of your screen, reading “Trending Now”
So if you’re excited about publishing your book, that’s great. Congratulations! You have done something not many people have the discipline pr determination to do. Just help everyone keep their sanity by not posting just about your novel, service, or blog 24/7 without a single muse, poem, or story to back it. If we’re interested in it, we’ll like it and read it. As soon as we start seeing hundreds of spam messages though, your name gets tossed into the spam folder. Then, how do you get those readers you lost back? Maybe write something else that doesn’t just promote your book or self? Maybe even take interest in other’s work.
Rant over…
A Villain’s Tale
I was writing the first installment of my series The Temperament Scepter a few weeks ago when I realized one of my characters was time jumping way too much in the first ten chapters. I have been extremely interested in knowing more about this character only because I was viewing the story as a reader. Now that I’m working on this characters story, I’ve come to realize that this book is about him, his family, his upbringings, and his downfall to become the villain he is in the second installment of the series.
Now, I’ve always been intrigued by the villain’s background because every villain has a reason for falling into the darkness. Whether it is because they were abused as a child, bullied by their peers, or they simply just want to change something about the world. It all boils down to why is this person acting like this?
Always remember to create a lovable villain. If their is a reason for their madness, then some readers will relate to them and want to know who will fare at the end of the novel.
T-Shirts and Hat Designs for Horizon
T-shirt Design. I’ll be running a special this summer for all Hardback and Paperback orders. Readers will receive a free t-shirt in promotion of my novel Horizon.
Rant About Writer and Editor
This goes both ways, finding a good writer and editor are like trying to nail Jello to a tree. You’re going to have writers that believe their work is the next J.R.R Tolkien or J.K Rowling. Then, you’re going to have editors that believe they can turn your work to gold of you take their advice. Okay, here’s my experience with editors, they know they have more experience and knowledge of writing. My experience with writers as an editor, they know they are more creative. Now that we’ve laid that out what to expect when working together.
I know for sure that if I need an editor I don’t expect the sugar coated, over exaggerated, and pleasing critique of “oh this is fantastic. You are professional and your words speak to me ” If I hire you as an editor, you better turn that paper into a mess of red, blue, green, or yellow scribbles. That’s what I expect. I hear enough praise from my mother and father just because I actually wrote a book.
On the editors side, if you hire me to help you, listen to my critique. Lower cases at the beginning of the sentence, jumping from past to present tense, and losing me before chapter one even begins, is unacceptable. I will tell you what to fix and turn your manuscript into a maze of rainbows. I do this to help you and teach you. If you decide to whine and not take my suggestions into consideration, don’t be surprised and blame me for your low sales.
Now that I’ve made that clear, writers and editors work together to create a story. We both try to bring life to the story so or readers don’t struggle and work to hard to understand what the story is about. Please hire trust editors. Don’t tell your mom to look at it and fix the simple errors and then publish. Have a professional look at it because family and friends sugar coat everything.
Editors remember to not get frustrated by a writers lack of knowledge when it comes to grammar. That’s why they need you. Both have to be on the same page for the success of a novel.
Self Publishing vs Traditional
I’ve played with the idea of going to traditional publishing for awhile. My book Horizon was self published and for me, I felt like I took the easy way. Inside me, I feel incomplete like I did not meet this harrowing feat of completing a novel. It’s that moment
I asked myself did write for the love of writing, or did my pockets get the better of me?
I use to write stories for fun but thinking of the authors that have reached millions of sales and have become famous for their work, poisoned my thoughts. It craved for that same life where I could help people with wealth, and never live with financial insecurities again. I was very naive to think anyone could do it.
Last year, I learned a lot of lessons and one is querying to agents/publishers. I never sent anything to a publisher but I did try to give it to five different agents. All the same responses with the lovely rejections that they try so hard to keep civil. I understand they need to represent an author with great skills with story telling and words, but it is hard to realize sometimes that my book was not what they were looking for.
What’s even harder to realize is when I turned to self publishing and at the beginning my sales were booming, but six months down the road I am scraping by with two part time jobs that do not complete me. Don’t get me wrong I am extremely happy and blessed right now. I’m just not complete.
So for this next story I’m going to shoot for traditional see how it goes. Maybe I can reach a medium with my writing and my pocket. This last week, I have put my wallet aside and produced 30,000 words of an epic fantasy that I truly enjoy. I could feel myself standing at the peaks of Argonia, smell the aroma of chicken roasting on the fire pit, and hear the clatter of dishes across the floor of the local pub. Hell the hymn my character sings rings in my head quite often now. Without the thoughts of money has brought me back to what I love and enjoy. So this time it will be different. This time I’m shooting for traditional, hoping for the best, and thank all my readers that remain loyal to my work for reaching out to me and being by my side. You guys are the true winners in all of this.
Aspiring Writers
I am currently looking to work with authors that are looking for any kind of proof reading/editing help with their novels. I am also currently trying to review books to build on my portfolio. If you are interested in any of my services, please contact me at my email.
lloyd.jr@aol.com
I will give you a list of services I can help with you, as well as, my reviewing guidelines. Thank you for reading, and I hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas!
Will
Horizon- Paperback, Hardback, and Digital
Since I have a few more followers this month, I wanted to post my book for anyone who may be interested:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/williamlloydjr
This is where you can purchase the hardback and paperback.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MD4U3YE
Here’s the link for the digital format on the Kindle.
Here’s a brief description of Horizon in case you are interested in reading:
Our world is in danger of extinction due to the multiple world wars that have progressed the last century. The government aggressively strikes a new specimen into the general population, which was discovered on a world called Mariknia. This new specimen has created a catastrophic event that could lead to an apocalyptic end to our home, Earth.
Aaron Lambright is the son of a navy hero, an alcoholic, and a struggling citizen of Australia that can’t hold a stable job or relationship. In this chaotic end to earth, Aaron will be our only hope for survival.
William Lloyd (Author) 