Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Nora Weston Interview and Drawing

Please welcome Nora Weston to Immortyl Revolution!




Bio: Nora Weston’s fiction and poetry slips in-between and all around science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Her publishing credits include the anthologies Mind Mutations, Cyber Pulp’s Halloween 3.0, and Dark Pleasures. Other venues in print and online include; The Hacker’s Source, The Dream People, Hoboeye, Abandoned Towers, Lost in the Dark, Sputnik 57, Soul Engravings, and Decompositions. Recently, Dark Gothic Resurrected Magazine, Worlds Within–Worlds Beyond, Trapeze Magazine, and Four and Twenty published her work. Melange Books has accepted The Twelfth Paladin for a May 2011 release. Nora has had the pleasure of reaching people through the airwaves on radio stations throughout the US, and episodes can be downloaded from Blog Talk Radio’s show Not Picture Perfect.


Nora is sponsoring a contest!

CONTEST: Simply leave a comment, ask a question, or introduce yourself...and you’ll be entered to win a poster (11x17) of Guardian 2632’s cover, plus a PDF of Guardian 2632. The winner will be chosen randomly. Good Luck!



Interview


1. To what age group is your work geared?



My work is geared toward an adult audience who enjoys science fiction adventure and romance, plus I hope anyone who reads my work has an appreciation for protagonists who like living on the edge. My main characters are intense people looking to live life to the fullest. My themes concentrate on mankind’s insatiable need to push the boundaries of right and wrong, the consequences of one’s actions, and I enjoy letting my characters run wild with their dreams and desires, although that doesn’t go smoothly for them! Frequently, the dark side invades my character’s minds, resulting in mind-blowing nightmares that slip into their day time realities.





2. Into which genre would you say your work falls and why?



I’m a speculative author, which means my work falls into the science fiction, fantasy, and horror realms. My fiction is speculative because it always takes place in the “other worlds.” You know them, we all do; the realms living in the mists of imagination where ghosts terrorize, time travel allows Zane Grayson to jump backwards from 2632 to 1998, and mighty sorcerers hold their victims spellbound for all eternity. Abandoning reality to create dreamlike worlds that feel as though they could be real, are the settings I like using to explore mankind’s mysterious nature.



3. Tell us a little about your book.



Guardian 2632 is a science fiction adventure/romance that begins in the year 2632 at Guardian TMF, which is a time monitoring facility. Zane Grayson, Guardian TMF’s most accomplished executive director to date, breaks the law...his law against time surfing. Legally, Zane is allowed to search the past in order to find paradoxes that need fixed, but time surfing means scanning in unauthorized time zones. No matter, because Zane feels something is tragically a miss in the past, so he tosses logic into another galaxy and dives into danger. Zane discovers he fell into a timehole...in 1998, and that he met the bewitching Julia Emerson whose life is in jeopardy. Forbidden desire, Elite Guardians, blood-thirsty Mercs, and a magnificent time chamber are all there and accounted for as Zane plans to betray everyone at Guardian TMF. Now, the only questions left are...can he escape, save Julia, and live to tell about it?



4. Who is your favorite character in your book and why?



Zane Grayson is my favorite character. He’s a highly skilled, muscular soldier, and his linage is a mix of Japanese and European, plus Zane’s eyes are so dark that, at times, they have an indigo sheen to them. He gets himself into an atrocious situation, but all the while...he has a sense of humor. I also appreciate that even though it appears he is doing the wrong thing, he’s actually following his heart and Guardian TMF’s belief, borrowed from Albert Einstein, that “Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.”



5. What other writers would you say have influenced your work and why? What are some of your favorite books in the genre?



Two of my favorite authors are Alexandre Dumas and Edgar Allan Poe. The Count of Monte Cristo is my favorite book by Dumas. Exploring the human condition...revenge, love, forgiveness, and living a full life, rather than simply existing are the themes I most enjoy reading, and Dumas has them all in The Count of Monte Cristo. My favorite poems by Poe are Lenore and A Dream Within a Dream. Poe effortlessly paints a nightmare with his words, and that has always attracted me to his work. Wilfred Owen, a WWI poet, who wrote brutally honest accounts of how war affected the mind, heart, and soul, is a poet who definitely left a lasting impression on me. Another book that captivated me was The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. A mighty long book...yes it is, but I loved it.



6. What is your writing process like? Do you do a lot of background research? Do you plot every detail or do you prefer the characters to move the story in new directions, or a combination of both? Do you belong to a critique group and do you find this helpful?



My writing process does involve research. I like the names of my characters to mean something, or have a particular sound to them. I’ve looked at hundreds upon hundreds of names for a new novel I’m working on. In Guardian 2632, I absolutely had to do research since it involved science and technology. (Yes, I now regret running my mouth too much in physics class!) As far as the plot goes, I write for a long time, and then take a look at what’s there. I do allow my characters to have a lot of control, but the entire story is always lingering in the forefront of my mind...so my rather rebellious characters cannot lead me astray. When I leave my writer’s hat behind and place that editor hat on...I’ll kill entire chapters if need be. I don’t belong to a critique group, but that is a great idea. A critique group would certainly catch things I miss, and they’d have valuable suggestions to improve my stories. I’d really enjoy reading new fiction and poetry from other authors as well.



7. Do you have any advice for young or beginning writers?



Beginning writers should use the Internet to their advantage by scoping out publishers, short story and poetry markets, writing tips, and submission guidelines. Following those guidelines is an extremely important part of a submission, so read them carefully! I suggest reading what you love paying close mind to the big three; action, dialogue, and narrative. When I read, I want a combination of them all...and never too much of one of them. So, pick up a good book, and then keep a journal of what you find most beneficial to the plot, character development, dialogue, etc. Also keep track of what you were not crazy about. Do you like details in every paragraph? Do too many details slow the action down? Have you become aware of the protagonist’s past, present and future goals? Does that matter to the story? These types of questions help new writers to organize their creative energy.

8. Who is your publisher and where are your books available? Are there e-books and hard copies available?
 Formats: E-book/PDF, HTML, and Print

Publisher: Melange Books: http://www.melange-books.com/
All Romance E-books: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-guardian2632-511666-141.html
LuLu: http://www.lulu.com/browse/search.php?fListingClass=0&fSearch=Guardian+2632

Soon, Guardian 2632 will be available at more vendors, like Diggs Café, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

9. What is your website and/or blog where readers can learn more? Can they friend you on Facebook or other sites?

On Facebook, I’m simply Nora Weston, so please look me up! On Twitter, I’m almostsanelady.

Website: http://www.2noraweston.com/

Blog: http://noraweston.wordpress.com/

Website: http://www.2noraweston.com/

Noracast:  http://noraweston.wordpress.com/

Purchase Links:  http://www.melange-books.com/

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-guardian2632-511666-141.html

Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcCg1wY60YQ


10. Are there any upcoming signings or appearances you'd like to mention?


The next few spots on the virtual book tour are:

March 3 Guest Blog: A Moment with Mystee

http://www.amomentwithmystee.com/

March 7 Guest Blog: Authors by Authors

http://authorsbyauthors.blogspot.com/?zx=4f85c2ed47c93ee5




Here is a blurb for Nora's book Guardian 2632:

Zane Grayson, the most accomplished executive director Guardian TMF has ever seen, is breaking the law…his law against time surfing. Zane has the supreme power, in 2632, to decide which paradoxes in time need altered, or deleted, but he’s frustrated. Something, or someone, is missing from his life.

Time surfing in illegal time zones is the rush Zane can’t live without. As addictive as the Martian dust called kilred, time surfing becomes Zane’s obsession. And knowing full well if caught by the Elite Guardians, he’ll suffer an unwelcome death by Time Mercs, Zane still dives deep into trouble. Soon, he discovers a mission in 2035 left him trapped in a timehole. This timehole places him in Pittsburgh, PA in 1998, instead of home. In Pittsburgh, Zane strolls into a coffee shop to see the bewitching Julia Emerson. From that point on, his life spirals out of control as he fights to protect what he loves most.
It’s possible Zane’s future is no longer in 2632...but actually in 1998. Slip through time with Zane Grayson as Guardian 2632 reveals what he will sacrifice to save a life.

Nora, thank you for visiting with me today! 

Readers, if you'd like to learn more about the world of Immortyl revolution spend a moment at my website: http://www.deniseverricoauthor.webs.com/












2 comments:

Denise Verrico said...

Thanks for joining me! I loved Marion Zimmer Bradley's. Mists of Avalon.

Nora Weston said...

Denise:

Yes! The Mists of Avalon is an exceptional book. Thank you for hosting my guest blog. :)