Talking with Teens About Reading

***Originally posted on Aussie Owned and Read***

I know some great teenage girls who are smart, funny, bright, and generally pretty amazing. I contacted these teens, one who just completed her HSC last year, and the other who is in year eleven, and asked them to talk to their friends about books.

I brought them the below questions:

Why don't teens read very much, and what is preventing them from reading?

Miss 16: There's not enough time anymore to fit it in with homework, extracurricular activities etc. Books are expensive, they're big and they're bulky. It's difficult to find anything that is interesting, and everything feels the same and cliche.

I'm very rapidly getting sick of the good girl falls in love with the bad boy story, and all the modern dystopian love stories. I will always and forever love period dramas and fractured fairytales.

Miss 18: Senior school English. Enough said. Prescribed text. The groans of agony as every single beautiful detail is examined and analysed like a specimen in a jar. Year 11 and year 12 English taught me to dread reading- not because of reading itself, but the critical analysis and evaluation that I knew would come. I fell out of love with reading. My favourite books grew dusty, as I went through copious others that I'd never dare to pick up again. Reading lost its spark, it's beautiful release. It became a chore.

Then I finished the HSC. It didn't happen immediately, but when I saw a book from my favourite series on the shelves at the book shop, I knew I had to get it for my fellow Ruby Redfort lover and feaster, [my younger sister], for Christmas. It then dawned on me, that during the lapse in my love of reading, I'd missed the 4th book. What. How. Did. That. Happen? I picked it up, and read the 500+ page volume over two days. The flame was reignited. I tore through the entire series in 2 weeks (I didn't read for 5 days while at [a church] convention, so 9 days for 5 books). I re-established my relationships with my favourite characters. I fell in love with the way that details fitting in, no loose threads hanging at the end of the book. And I couldn't believe I'd let myself fall out of love with one of the most amazing joys in life!

But yes, agreed with [Miss 16] We don't need anymore chick flicks recycled. Nope. I love fantasy without too many dystopian aspects-it's just not original anymore. I hate that one gender has to triumph over the other, like weak girl vs. strong boy, or smart girl vs. dumb guy. Give me some equality, but don't make characters identical.

Seriously...is it that hard to take a cliché and turn it on its head? Bet the girl that she can't get the cool guy to go out with her. Make the pretty sweet best friend's favourite subjects art and chemistry, because she loves to watch things burn and explode. Why can't the "cool" guy teach ballet to little kids? Can we have normal characters who are just average at everything? Can we break away from the woe is me cancer story, where the main character dies and breaks our hearts? I wanna see people get to their feet and fight through their problems. I want to see characters that break the mold and are vulnerable, but aren't afraid to fight for what they want, what is right, and what they believe in. I want it to be complicated, for self doubt to creep in, for grey areas that leave us questioning. I need a book that keeps on the edge of my seat, that makes me think, that I can't predict the ending to (did not pick the end of Diverging Cadence at all. It was perfect). And I looooove fractured fairytales and historic fiction and time slip stories.

What can you suggest to overcome these obstacles?

Miss 16: For bulky books we suggested ebooks. Reading classics as opposed to newer things can help break cliches. And to find time, reading during car/train/bus trips to various places can be worked into busy schedules.

Miss 18: I think kids need to be taught to read and to love reading when they're young, and be free to read what they want as long as it's appropriate. English teachers should give kids a de-stress lesson every once in a while to just read for enjoyment. One of the things that I loved hearing at uni the other day is the idea that you always, always, ALWAYS read a book for the first time just for enjoyment. You don't force them to learn, or think, you just read it for fun. Fortunately, reading is also becoming a bit more of a "cool thing", so younger people are being encouraged to read more, which is fantastic. And to those kids that can't find the book they want to read, write it yourself! Readers are writers, and writers are readers, they go hand in hand.

We discussed the issue of expense and how that can be overcome. Many teens don't have ereaders, except on their phones, and even then that's limited according to data usage. Many teens, due to school and social expectations, don't have time for jobs, and when they do, their priority is paying for other things. An ebook that is $2 or $3 is more appealing that one that's $8 or $9, because that extra $5 can be used on that gear they need for that extracurricular activity, but they'd be happy to spend a couple of dollars for something enjoyable to read on that bus trip, because as Miss 18 said, reading is becoming "cool". It just needs to be affordable too.

What I gleaned from these teens is that they face the same issues I did as a teenager. I wanted to read, but I could never find anything that felt unique or interesting enough for me to spend my limited time or money reading, especially went I was forced to read and analyse the crap out of something I hated. Honestly, the only books I purchased as a teenager were the Harry Potter books. Even my scouring of the school or local library rarely came up with much. I also had to factor in the size of the book, because I had to carry the thing home along with textbooks and what-not. A hardback book was always set aside for a paperback, and nowadays, an ebook is even lighter.

I think, with our tech-savvy rising generation, access and affordability for ereaders will make a huge difference in how many teens spend their time reading.

So, although there are more and more books aimed at teens, the ratio of teen readers doesn't match up. The market and industry may have changed, but the lifestyles of teens, and their accessibility to books, hasn't. Even if it is becoming cool, other factors prevent reading, like time and cost. They've also lost interest in what's "trending" in the market. They want stories that are fun, fresh and exciting, not necessarily issue driven because issues are their daily lives, and with characters who are like them; just normal, everyday kids. If we want to encourage readers among teenagers, the gap needs to be closed.

Blog Tour: Claire Daly, Reluctant Soul Saver by Michele Brouder

Claire Daly: Reluctant Soul Saver by Michele Brouder

Publication Date:  September 2015

Genre:  YA, Paranormal Romance

When seventeen year-old librarian wannabe Claire Daly is dragged kicking, screaming and cursing from everything she loves—her mam, her cozy Irish village and the dreamy boy next door—to take up arms in the battle of good versus evil, she learns the hard way that sometimes you don’t get to choose your own destiny, destiny chooses you.

Claire’s life plan is simple: head off to university to get her degree in library studies, summon up the courage to tell her best friend Chas that she loves him and live happily ever after. She never once entertained the idea that she might possess divine powers, that she might be predestined to battle Hell’s demons, or, to complicate matters further, that another love of many lives past might turn up on her doorstep. But life doesn’t always go as planned, and when a co-worker is viciously attacked by a demon and her own family threatened, Claire must face the truth: she is called to a higher purpose and has no choice but to answer. Claire sets aside her dreams and begins learning how to deal with the Unholy once and for all. Armed with only a crash course in soul saving and her wits, she gears up for the ultimate show down in Hell. But will it be enough?

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26063111-claire-daly

Purchase Links:

BAM | Amazon | B&N | TBD Amazon UK

Author's Favorite Scene:

“Any plans for the weekend?” he asked.

            “Working,” I said. “You?”

            “I’m going out with Ava McMahon,” he said.

            My heart sank.            

Chas watched me intently.

            “When did this start?” I asked, trying to keep the quiver out of my voice. What I really wanted to do was jump up and down in front of him, wave my hand and yell, “Pick me, pick me!”

            “Just recently. She’s been coming into the store for the past few weeks. We started talking about the benefits of spirulina and wheatgrass and I guess it just took off from there.”

            Ava was just the type, too. She taught fitness down at the leisure club.

            I had to admit, I had long been jealous of Ava because she had something that I didn’t have: boobs. Ava was top-heavy: she was in Limerick but her boobs were in Kerry. Self-consciously, I looked down at my own chest. Now it seemed she had something else I wanted: Chas.

***

This is one of many scenes that I love for a lot of reasons. Claire has had a crush on Chas for a long time. She uses humor as a weapon to protect herself from disappointment and from being crushed. We all remember the crushes we had on fellas when we were in high school. Perhaps we were too shy to let them know yet wishing upon wishing that they would notice us and if they happened to talk to us, well— that was practically seen as proposal! Also that sinking feeling when you heard that they were going out with someone else or they liked someone else. And the worst— being told that they just wanted to be friends.

I was born in western New York, the oldest of 5. I've loved reading since I was very little. From the age of 9, I've wanted to be a writer. In high school, I wrote a lot of angst-ridden civil war dramas ala Gone With The Wind, knowing more about the Battle of the Bull Run than a normal teenager should know. I dabbled in writing after that but didn't get serious about it until 2006, when I decided that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

I've had many interesting jobs but my passion has always been writing.

I lived in Ireland from 2006-2013 with my husband and 2 boys. We moved back to the US and settled in Florida briefly (2 years) before returning back to Ireland in August 2015.

Connect with the Author:  Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest

a Rafflecopter giveaway

http://www.chapter-by-chapter.com/tour-schedule-claire-daly-reluctant-soul-saver-by-michele-brouder/ 

Dark Quest Editor: Meriah Crawford

Meriah Crawford is a writer, an assistant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, and a private investigator. She has also been a horseback riding instructor, library page, programmer, prepress tech, graphic designer, technical editor, software tester, systems analyst, program manager, and has even been paid to put M&Ms into little baggies for bingo.

Meriah’s published writing includes short stories, a variety of non-fiction work, and a poem about semi-colons. A few of her most recent publications include a story about a promise kept; a story about an artist, set in 17^th century Germany; and the real explanation for the Virginia Earthquake. For more information, visit www.mlcrawford.com.

1.      Tell us how you came to work with Dark Quest.

I’m not employed by DQ. My co-editor Day al Mohamed and I developed an anthology: Trust and Treachery: Tales of Power and Intrigue. Once the book was complete, we pitched it to DQ and they bought it. This process was great for us for a number of reasons. It was our first anthology project, so getting a publisher in advance wasn’t a practical option. And we’d met the publisher Neal Levin and several others from DQ at conventions, so we knew them and liked them, and we knew we could work together.

2.      What does your job entail? 

Day and I came up with a concept, found cover art by a fantastic Turkish artist, and I designed the cover. We put together a website and sent out a call for stories. And from there, it was “simply” a matter of reading 440+ stories and selecting the very best. Once we had our stories and signed contracts, I went through a detailed editing process with each author. Once that was done, we spoke with Neal and then sent him our manuscript. He made us an offer very quickly, and we had a deal. Day also wrote a foreword for the book, and I wrote an afterword, in the form of a comic. And of course, we’ve both been involved in the promotion process.

3.      What do you enjoy most about being an editor? 

I’m a slow editor, but I think I’m great at it. Helping the authors to refine their stories and make them better--usually in small ways, but sometimes in large ways--is quite gratifying. Often, it’s the details that really make a story great. Not every anthology editor does much editing, but I have a ton of experience at editing and working with people on their writing, and it’s a process I’m quite comfortable with. This approach also allowed us to accept some stories that had real issues, but that we knew would be fantastic with a bit of work.

4.      What have your experiences been like working with the authors?

Nearly all of them were so fantastic. They’ve been enthusiastic about the project, appreciative of our efforts, and quick to respond. Not all of them, of course—but what we ended up with is a book I’m enormously proud of!

5.      What is the hardest part of being an editor?

The editing. J Sometimes, authors are reluctant to change something that doesn’t make sense or just doesn’t work. I understand that, because I’ve been that person myself—though I usually don’t argue with editors. As a writer as well as an editor, I know how important it is to maintain a positive working relationship with the editor, and to take a step back from the story and really think about what’s being proposed in the way of changes. Editors aren’t always right, of course, but if you’re going to argue, it has to happen in a very calm, diplomatic way, with a carefully-thought-out and non-defensive explanation.

6.      And what is the best part?

The end result. In this case, we have a book I’m extremely proud of. It looks beautiful, and the stories inside are outstanding. And we’ve had enough positive reviews and recognition of the quality of the work that I know we built something really special.

7.      Last question; If you could bring any book/movie/TV show to life, what would it be and why?

I am such a big Star Trek fan—I would really love to have a new series on television. And none of that prequel or new timeline nonsense. They ought to base something on Starfleet Command and Starfleet Academy. I have a whole plan in mind—all they have to do is call me. My ideas are so brilliant, I can essentially guarantee its success. In the meantime, I’m pretty excited about Star Trek Axanar, which I backed on Kickstarter and follow on Facebook. Very cool project!

Dark Quest Author: Jody Lynn Nye

Jody Lynn Nye lists her main career activity as ‘spoiling cats.’ When not engaged upon this worthy occupation, she writes fantasy and science fiction books and short stories.

            Since 1987 she has published over 45 books and more than 120 short stories, including epic fantasies, contemporary humorous fantasy, humorous military science fiction, and edited three anthologies. She collaborated with Anne McCaffrey on a number of books, including the New York Times bestseller, Crisis on Doona. She also wrote eight books with Robert Asprin, and continues both of Asprin’s Myth-Adventures series and Dragons series. Her newest series is the Lord Thomas Kinago adventures, the most recent of which is Fortunes of the Imperium (Baen Books), a humorous military SF novel. She also runs the two-day intensive writers’ workshop at DragonCon.

            Her other recent books are Myth-Quoted (Ace Books), Wishing on a Star (Arc Manor Press); an e-collection of cat stories, Cats Triumphant (Event Horizon); Dragons Run (fourth in the Dragons series) and Launch Pad, an anthology of science fiction stories co-edited with Mike Brotherton (WordFire). She is also happy to announce the reissue of her Mythology series from WordFire Publishing. Jody runs the two-day intensive writers’ workshop at DragonCon, and she and her husband, Bill Fawcett are the book reviewers for Galaxy’s Edge Magazine.

Website: www.jodylynnnye.com

Twitter: @jodylynnnye

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/jodylynn.nye

1.      Tell us how you came to be an Author with Dark Quest.

I got into a conversation with Danielle Ackley McPhaill at a Broaduniverse Rapid-Fire Reading about the Badass Faeries. She mentioned that she was staffing the next one, It’s Elemental, and would I like to give it a try? Answer: yes, I would. It sounded like a bunch of fun.

2.      What do you enjoy most about being a DQ Author?

I enjoy having a chance to write in a themed anthology with a cool topic. Badass faeries. You can go anywhere with that. My ‘element’ was spirit, so I had a number of faerie-types from which to choose. I selected one that seemed to have attitude built in. My story, “Fifteen Percent,” was about a very dysfunctional co-dependent relationship between an artist, in this case an author, and his muse.

3.      What have your experiences been like working toward being published?

Every time I work with a new editor is a learning experience. Each comment teaches me something fresh about writing.

4.      What would you have done differently?

Nothing much. I like the way the story came out. If you mean on my career as a whole, I would have started sooner. I submitted a story toAnalog when I was 19. It was rejected, but with a personal letter from the editor (I would not find out for years how rare and wonderful that is) saying he liked my style and asking for something else. I would love to go back in time and tell my younger self to send another one.

5.      How has your book been marketed?

I’ve had numerous books and short stories published. (My website is www.jodylynnnye.com) I attend a number of conventions and participate on panels and workshops. I give online and newspaper articles when I can. I have done blog tours to put my name out there on the web pages of online magazines and those of other writers. I have done podcasts with SF/fantasy-oriented hosts. For my latest book, Fortunes of the Imperium (Baen Books; http://ow.ly/LsBEp), my publisher made me 2,500 cover cards, which I have distributed at conventions and in bookstores. I copy my covers onto my Facebook page, and mention new publications on Twitter. I have a website with a blog in the home page, which I admit I could update more often.

6.      Any advice on how to better market a book?

Get on social media. Promote yourself first, and your book or short story or Kickstarter sparingly. Let people get to know you as more than a salesperson. Get to know people more than as wallets that read. Encourage readers to write reviews for you, especially on Amazon.com. The more reviews you can garner (good ones!), the more likely your book is to be placed in automatic referrals when someone looks at a book in the same genre. Let people know what conventions you will be attending, and list your panels if you know them.

7.      Last question; If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go, when would it be, and what would you be wearing?

The Academy Awards, wearing a killer Marchesa gown, as they hand me the Oscar for Best Screenplay.

Blurb:

Dark Quest Books, Badass Faeries: It's Elemental, http://ow.ly/LCerm. This is the blurb on the Amazon page: 

The Bad-Ass Faeries are back and they are in their Elements!

 Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Spirit...It's time to get down to basics, for the fae answer to a natural order.

In L. Jagi Lamplighter's On Rocky Ground, Mab, Mephisto, and Erasmus go to the mountain to pay a debt, but can they pacify the earth before the mountain comes down around their ears?

 In James Chambers' The Flying Rock, Daniel seeks to give his son and daughter a taste of childhood magic before they grow too old to embrace such things, but the winds blow as they will and he soon wonders will his children even see another day.

 In James Daniel Ross's The Legend of Buck Cooper and the Child of Fire it only takes a spark to start a fire, but what will it take to stop one? Buck Cooper and the brigade must stave off the flames of a war most don't even realize is being waged.

 In N.R. Brown's Melia's Best Wave an oceanid decides she's ready for bigger things, like tackling the deadliest stretch of coastline anywhere. Will she conquer the Mavericks or wipe out for all time?

 In Jody Lynn Nye's Fifteen Percent Marcel Dorner learns it's best to get into the spirit of things when your literary agent is a filandiere, or more than just your career might not survive...

Joined by Kimberley Long-Ewing, Judi Fleming, Danny Birt, Peter Prellwitz, DL Thurston, James R. Stratton, Patrick Thomas, Bethany Herron, Keith R.A. DeCandido and Lee C. Hillman, these authors make it clear why one doesn't mess with Mother Nature...or Bad-Ass Faeries.

Dark Quest Author: Danny Birt

Award-winning author Danny Birt was born about three decades ago in Washington State to Irish and Californian parents, and has since lived in Idaho, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Hawaii, Virginia, and North Carolina. He studied music therapy and psychology at Loyola University New Orleans, and most recently graduated from Shenandoah University with his Master's Degree in Music Therapy.

Danny has been a contributing author to several sci-fi, fantasy, and professional magazines, anthologies, and journals, as well as a writer for an app. Formerly, he was an editor for Flashing Swords Magazine and Ancient Tomes Press, and is now a freelance editor. His fantasy series “The Laurian Pentology” is being published through Dark Quest Books, starting with "Ending an Ending."

Career hats Danny has worn other than author, editor, and composer include being a music therapist, a massage therapist, a college instructor and program director, a wedding photographer, an on-screen actor, a lifeguard, and a business consultant.

Currently Danny lives in Virginia where, in his spare time, he enjoys engaging in his hobby of finding new hobbies.

Find him at: www.DannyBirt.com 

1.      Tell us how you came to be an Author with Dark Quest.

Over the years of being a regular guest at conventions for my books and filk music, I got to know the good folk of Dark Quest, and I appreciated how they treated their authors, product, and brand.  When my previous publisher decided to cease operations, I submitted my three-books-published, two-books-unpublished fantasy series "The Laurian Pentology" to DQ, and they welcomed me under the DQ umbrella.

2.      What do you enjoy most about being a DQ Author?

I appreciate the personal support from DQ staff!

3.      What have your experiences been like working toward being published?

Wow, that's a broad question, worthy of a blog post all on its own!

4.      What would you have done differently?

Other than thoughts of big contracts which have more to do with others' choices than mine, I doubt I would have done much different.

5.      How has your book been marketed?

The Laurian Pentology has been sent out for reviews, list served, promoted on literary websites, has recently been made available as an e-book on Amazon's Kindle marketplace, and is promoted by word-of-mouth at every literary convention Dark Quest attends as a vendor.  It certainly shows in my royalty statements!

6.      Any advice on how to better market a book?

Step One: Write A Book.  Step Two:  _____.  Step Three: Profit!

7.      Last question; If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go, when would it be, and what would you be wearing?

The next place I would like to visit which I have not yet visited would be Germany.  I have some friends living over there I haven't seen in years, have a (very) basic understanding of the language, would enjoy sampling the foods and exploring the history in person.  As to what I would be wearing, I would probably start with clothes from home and then peruse what else was available when I got there to flesh out my wardrobe.

Dark Quest Editor: Jennifer Brozek

BIO:

Jennifer Brozek is a Hugo Award-nominated editor and an award-winning author.

Winner of the Australian Shadows Award for best edited publication, Jennifer has edited fourteen anthologies with more on the way, including Chicks Dig Gaming and Shattered Shields. Author of Apocalypse Girl Dreaming, Industry Talk, In a Gilded Light, and the Karen Wilson Chronicles, she has more than sixty published short stories, and is the Creative Director of Apocalypse Ink Productions.

Jennifer also is a freelance author for numerous RPG companies. Winner of both the Origins and the ENnie awards, her contributions to RPG sourcebooks include Dragonlance, Colonial Gothic, Shadowrun, Serenity, Savage Worlds, and White Wolf SAS. Jennifer is the author of the YA  Battletech novel, The Nellus Academy Incident. She has also written for the AAA MMO Aion and the award winning videogame, Shadowrun Returns.

When she is not writing her heart out, she is gallivanting around the Pacific Northwest in its wonderfully mercurial weather. Jennifer is an active member of SFWA, HWA, and IAMTW. Read more about her at www.jenniferbrozek.com or follow her on Twitter at @JenniferBrozek.

1.      Tell us how you came to work with Dark Quest.

Originally, Dark Quest Books published my fiction collection, IN A GILDED LIGHT. It was such a good experience that Neal and I talked about me doing anthologies for the company. I agreed. Thus, Beauty Has Her Way and Human Tales was born.

2.      What does your job entail? 

As an editor, my job is to: Make sure the story fits the theme. The stories fit with each other. That each story is the best it can be. And that the anthology as a whole is cohesive, entertaining, and technically correct.

3.      What do you enjoy most about being an editor? 

I love finding the exact right story for the project I’m working on and helping make it that much more awesome. I think my favorite part is when that story is acknowledged by my contemporaries.

4.      What have your experiences been like working with the authors?

I love my authors, but they are human. I have good experiences and bad ones. Fortunately, more good experiences. The more professional the author, the more they understand the change requests and understand the editor-author relationship is a dialogue.

5.      What is the hardest part of being an editor?

Rejections are the hardest. Especially when you want to take a story but you don’t have the word count and/or the budget for it.

6.      And what is the best part?

After finding the right story, I love sending out the acceptance letter. It’s that moment of pure joy before both the editor and author need to roll up their sleeves and get to work. Acceptance letters are fun.

7.      Last question; If you could bring any book/movie/TV show to life, what would it be and why?

I would love to see Seanan McGuire’s October Daye series come to life and to be able to experience it. Her world of a hidden fae and changeling society in the modern day fascinates me. To have it all be real with be a treat.

Dark Quest Author: Regina Glei

Bio:

"Nothing is as interesting as other people's problems."


That's the overall motto of Regina's speculative fiction.
Regina Glei was born in Germany but nourished a fascination for the Far East ever since she was a little girl. A graduate in Japanese Studies, she has resided and worked in Japan for more than ten years. 
Living far away from her home country has been a powerful influence on her fiction, which she describes as speculative and sometimes weird...

You can find news about Regina and links to her new novels, novellas, and various short stories on her website:

http://www.juka-productions.com/

Regina is also on Facebook and Twitter.

Links:

HP:  http://www.juka-productions.com/

Blog: http://www.juka-productions.com/newblog/

1.      Tell us how you came to be an Author with Dark Quest.

Oh, the traditional way, I submitted my novella “Lord of Water” some time in, I think it was 2009, and got accepted. By now I have two novellas published with Dark Quest, the second one being “That One Minute”. They are both contemporary fantasies, dealing with being able to command water in the first book and the second is what I like to call a fantasy-horror-comedy about a parallel world that is one minute “closer to death” than ours and filled with angels and demons. A third book, a full length high-fantasy novel, is also in the Dark Quest pipeline but I don’t know yet when it will come out.

2.      What do you enjoy most about being a DQ Author?

That DQ was so flexible to allow me to use “my” cover artist. ;-) Naoyuki Katoh is a renowned Japanese cover artist and he has so far done all the covers for my books.

3.      What have your experiences been like working toward being published?

To be honest I found and find the way to publication extremely hard and annoying. Too many people want to get published and there are too many people out there taking advantage of eager, hopeful and naïve authors. I’ve encountered (and paid for) fake awards, experienced the frustration of tons of empty and unfulfilled promises, and seen unbelievable arrogance and disrespect, to name but a few things. Sure, I’ve also found friends on the journey. “Survival chances” rise when good people stick together. You badly need a network of positive people to cope with the assholes out there.

4.      What would you have done differently?

Research more! Really checking whether anyone gives a damn about those awards advertized, for example. Deeply checking whether agent xyz is really worth submitting to. Subscribing to the “writer beware” newsletter right from the start.

5.      How has your book been marketed?

Marketing is a tough topic these days. There are so many books out there – it’s incredibly difficult to be heard. I have not yet found a recipe for success. I have a demanding (and interesting) full time day-job. I have no time to hang out on twitter for facebook 24/7. I’m doing “all those things” that people recommend like being on twitter and facebook (usually once a day), like writing a blog (once a week), like maintaining a homepage, like loading readings up on YouTube, like printing postcards, like going to conventions and yet success is limited, since there are a 100,000 people who are doing the same thing and we also have fewer and fewer readers. On top of that I am living in Japan (it’s a bit complicated, I’m German, live in Japan and write F and SF in English). I could do more if I lived in the UK or US, but I like living in Japan too much for giving up on that.

6.      Any advice on how to better market a book?

I’ll try something new now with a soon to be self-published piece, I’ll tweet sort of a consecutive side story once per day for four months (for the moment that’s the number of tweets I have composed already) and see whether that generates any additional interest and readership.

7.      Last question; If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go, when would it be, and what would you be wearing?

Traveling is one of my passions. I have already visited 26 countries and I am adding at least one country to the list every year. Last year I managed 4! (Turkey, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan). This year the plan is Spain and Portugal in August. (One of the categories in my blog is travels and you can find the more recent adventures there in case you are interested.)

So if I could go anywhere I would not choose the world but space! That involves wearing a space suit and other astronaut equipment  ;-)

Blurb for “Lord of Water”:

What would you do... If the sea spoke to your soul? If all water upon the earth answered to your call? If your heart...and a woman...betrayed you? Pray you never know. Eric Aquatus possesses an incredible gift: He commands water. Afraid of his ability and its consequences, he never explored it as a child. Only as he meets Meredith, the love of his life, who encourages him to experiment, does he begin to fathom all he can do with his gift. Anything from draining the oceans, raising Atlantis, or sinking Japan. Both tempted and tested by his amazing powers, Eric discovers that tough choices as to what to do with his gift and his life lie before him.

Blurb for “That One Minute”

All it Takes is That One Minute... You think you know what's wrong with the world...but which one? The one you're in? Or the one that mirrors ours, only one more minute closer to heaven or hell, where "angelics" and "demonics" constantly fight for dominance over our souls? Ask Chris Burns, struggling in a job he hates and dealing with his wife's betrayal when she chooses an Italian restaurant owner over a loser like him. What is there left to care about? But when Chris is offered a divine mission to cross that one minute and to save both worlds, he gets a shot at eternal glory. Can a down-on-his-luck loser prevent a "demonic" uprising? Will he make a difference when faced with battling demons and power-hungry Undersecretaries from the almighty "Ministry of Spirits," all with his know-it-all doppelganger in tow, constantly trying to undermine his efforts... ... at that shot at eternal glory.

Dark Quest Books:

http://www.darkquestbooks.com/store/product-list.php?pg1-cid123.html

DQ books in Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/That-One-Minute-Regina-Glei/dp/1937051781/

http://www.amazon.com/Lord-Water-Regina-Glei/dp/1937051358/