Blaze Feature End and Submission Details

Thanks to those who dropped by to support the Blaze feature this week.Below I've included details for subbing to Blaze. I love supporting indie publishers because they bring out rich, unique, and a wide range of books that break from the mainstream and dare to be different.

Don't forget to swing by for the big announcement next week!

Publisher Feature Week: Meet Blaze Founder Krystal Wade

Tell us how you came to create Blaze, and what kind of vision do you have for the company?

Creating Blaze came with a realization, a personal revelation of sorts, one that smacked me in the head and said, "Krystal, you don't need anyone's approval. You have the knack for business, and you WANT to run a publishing house. Never mind people always tell you to start one, so what are you waiting for?" Yeah, that was the realization, that I was holding myself back because I wanted approval of some fancy agent, or a posh NY publishing house. But any time I sought those things, my career suffered. The months passed by without more books published, each rejection letter made me crawl backward, into myself, and think I wasn't worthy, and then when the fulls were passed on with little explanation? I thought it was all over. And it was all over, my need for that pat on the back anyway. So I dug out plans I've been putting together since 2012 and launched Blaze. My vision is to have a happy house of authors, readers, and reviewers. Period. I want everyone to know if we say we're putting out a book, that we follow through. And I want that book to be loved.

2.     What does your job entail? 

Everything! I'm an accountant, web designer, graphics designer, video producer and actress, editor, and answerer of questions. Since we have such a small group, and a small publication schedule, we're all partnering up on our duties. When an offer is made, everyone is involved. When a video is posted, we're all aware. We are open, visible, and always in communication with each other. And I love it, but my primary focus is on finding the books, editing them, and building our business brand.

3.     What do you enjoy most about working with everyone at Blaze? 

We have fun. Even though publishing is a lot of hard work, we all love what we do, and we do it well.

4.     What have your experiences been like throughout the journey from the dream to founding to now?

Rewarding. I'm the type of person to look at every situation as a learning situation. As I've encountered setbacks in my career, I've asked myself what I can take away from them. So, while I'm not rich and living in the mountains with my husband, wearing slippers as I write books and drink coffee all day long--yet--I can't imagine not being where I am right now, publishing others. That doesn't mean the road for me hasn't been bumpy, sometimes washed out, but I've forged new paths for myself, as everyone should. There's no such thing as an impossible dream--unless we're talking teleportation, and even then....

5.     What is the hardest part of running a small press?

I don't know that I've encountered anything hard, exactly, but the concern that I do right by my team and the authors we publish weighs heavily on me. Always. Which is why we've crafted lengthy, well-thought out plans for the books we publish.

6.     And what is the best part?

Being there to tell an author YES! Yes, I love your book. Yes, I will publish your book. And the ability to share in that excitement with my team. Which is amazing.

7.     Last question; If you could meet anyone in history, who would it be and why?

Does it have to be in history? Can't I just state that I'd like to meet Jensen Ackles, even if we don't exchange words, just so I can drool for a bit? Yeah, enough said!

Publisher Feature Week: Meet Blaze Designer Eliza Tilton

1.      Tell us how you came to work with Blaze.

I’ve always been a techy type of girl. I went to college for graphic design and marketing, but based on the job market at that time, I never went into the field. I used my skills for the job I currently worked at to create logos and t-shirt designs. When Krystal approached me about doing the formatting for Blaze, a buzz zipped through me. This is what I went to school for. This is what I’ve always wanted to do. I couldn’t have said yes fast enough.

2.     What does your job entail? 

I’m a bit of a mixed bag. My main job is to do all the formatting for our books, but I also help out with swag design, social media, videos, and anything else Krystal wants to throw my way.

3.     What do you enjoy most about design? 

Whenever I do a class visit, I always show the interior artwork in books. While a beautiful cover makes you open the book, flawless formatting can enhance the reading journey. Most readers don’t think of how the words flow on the page, but there is a silent rhythm that can you pull deeper into the story. My job is to find it.

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

 There’s nothing more exciting than having an author see your ideas and go, WOW!

5.     What is the hardest part in creating a design for a book?

 Technology…anytime Photoshop or Indesign decide not to work, I yell and eat more chocolate. Not good for my waist line!

6.     And what is the best part?

 Creating.

7.     Last question; If you could meet anyone in history, who would it be and why?

I’ve always loved the story of Esther. She was a woman who was prepared to sacrifice her life in order to save her people. That’s the type of role model we need, someone courageous. If we met, I’d ask how she found that courage and what advice she could give our youth when facing extremely difficult situations.

Publisher Feature week: Meet Blaze Project Manager Kristen

1.       Tell us how you came to work with Blaze.

Krystal and I have been talking about opening a publishing company since 2012. For the longest time, it was just a pipe dream. However earlier this year, Krystal came and told me she was going to do it. She wanted to take things into her own hands, and I decided I would do everything I could to help.

2.       What does your job entail? 

My job is separated into two parts. First and foremost, I am in charge of Author Relations. One thing that we noticed in some other publishing houses is that sometimes you go over a week without hearing from someone after you have asked a question. We definitely did not want that for Blaze. So I act as the liaison from Blaze to the Authors, a personal contact they can reach out to. The second part is Project Management. I have worked extensively in project management for over ten years, and keeping a project on schedule is vital to the success of any business. I work with both the authors and the other blaze members to make sure our production schedule runs smoothly, and completes on time!

3.       What do you enjoy most about being project manager and author relations? 

My favorite part is working with the Authors, and seeing their book come to life. I get front row tickets to watching someone’s dream come true, and you really can’t beat that.

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

It has been great! I work with three fantastic authors, and we just signed on two wonderful women! I can’t say it won’t be hard at times, as any partnership always has its ups and downs, but I am glad to be doing what I am doing.

5.       What is the hardest part of your job?

Waiting. Waiting for submissions. Waiting for the Author to accept our offer. Waiting for the final cover art. Waiting to hold the published book in my hands. Patience was never one of my strengths, and this job is all about patience!

6.       And what is the best part?

That’s a tough one. A part of me believes it is working with three fabulous women who truly want to make a difference in the industry. They want to help Authors publish their books. They want to help readers connect with high quality and meaningful stories. Another part of me would say it is helping authors achieve their dream of publication. It is magical to see how excited they are when we offer the acceptance, and with how much excitement they tackle their tasks. Its inspiring. However, if I were being honest with myself, I would have to be selfish and say that the best part is getting to read all the submissions and books. Maybe it will save me some money on my Amazon bill!

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

Harry Potter. Definitely Harry Potter. Why? Because I want to ride a magic broom, and jinx my nosey next door neighbor.

Publisher Feature Week: Meet Blaze's Marketing Director Mara Valderran

Earlier in the year, I brought you publisher feature months. This week I'm doing a compressed version of that for a brand new up and coming publisher: Blaze.

This is preceding a special announcement next week. So get the low down on the Blaze staff, and stay tuned.

Meet Mara!

1.     Tell us how you came to work with Blaze.

Krystal asked, and I said heck yea! Marketing has always been such a fun experience for me as an author. Before I published, I was highly involved in blog tours and pimping books in general. Then I started organizing my own blog tours for my books, group promotional tours like Fall into Fantasy, and Facebook parties for myself and other authors. I've gone from being terrified of marketing to loving it. I love coming up with new ideas to market books and helping those books find their way into new readers' hands. So when Krystal asked if I'd be willing to do that for her new publishing company, I jumped at the chance.

2.     What does your job entail? 

 As the Marketing Director, I'm responsible for organizing and launching all of our marketing campaigns and reaching new readers through social media. We're very hands on with our marketing for Blaze books, so I'm working right there with the author to get their name and their book out there and help them to build or grow their author brand.

3.     What do you enjoy most about working in marketing? 

I get to let my inner fangirl out! Marketing is exciting and thrilling, so I get to stay in this constant state of giddiness when I'm working on marketing for Blaze. There's no need to contain my enthusiasm and no shyness or uncertainty about it since these aren't my books. We get a book, I get excited about it, and then I find new ways to tell the world about that book.

4.     What have your experiences been like organizing promotion for Blaze?

 The amount of support we've garnered in such a short time frame has been overwhelming, so organizing our events has been a blast. I love that I can send out an email to our promotional network about an event and they jump on board. It's been incredibly rewarding and inspiring.

5.     What is the hardest part of running the marketing?

Probably the same thing that most authors struggle with--finding a balance between promoting your books on social media without spamming and connecting with readers in new and unique ways. You don't want to have the same boring posts all the time, but at the same time, you also don't want to go too long without posting. Since that's a daily thing, I'd say that's probably the hardest thing. I'm an organizational nut and a planner, so I love those aspects of marketing. 

  

6.     And what is the best part?

Connecting with new people in our promotional network! We're like one big family, and seeing so many people join up (which you can do here) has been awesome. I love meeting new people and seeing how they fit into the book world and what we all have in common. Writing can be such a solitary career, and this allows me the opportunity to connect with new people almost on a daily basis.  

7.     Last question; If you could meet anyone in history, who would it be and why?

Oh, that's a tough one. I was always inspired by Audrey Hepburn from a young age. Her grace, her talent, but most of all her giving heart. She lived such a fascinating life from childhood on, and put her abilities to good use with her activism. But, as a writer myself, I'd also throw Jane Austen's hat into that ring. Not only was she immensely talented with a knack for creating compelling, character-driven stories, but she was also very brave. In a time where women writing, or doing anything besides getting married and having kids, was unheard of, she defied the social standards and decided to live by her pen. Her bravery and perseverance drive me to keep going on my writerly path. 

Dark Quest Feature End of Month Wrap Up

Thank you to all the authors and staff who joined in with the Dark Quest Feature Month! It's so great to hear from all of them!

As you can see, there's no giveaway this month, sorry! 

I'll be giving the feature months a rest for the summer. They're a lot to coordinate, and with baby coming soon, and three upcoming releases, I don't have the time or energy to manage them. But I'd love to get them going again come the fall. If you have a publisher you'd like to see featured, leave it in the comments and I'll contact them, or if you're a publisher, I'd love to feature you!

The feature months have been widely successful. I've received outstanding hits from them, and such positive feedback. I'm glad I could introduce people to new authors, books, and publishers. There's so much variety out there, it just has to be celebrated!

For now, keep following along. I'll post for Teaser Tuesdays, reviews, tidbits on my books, and whatever else I come up with. I'll be quieter, but still here!

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.