Me and the G-Man

I have known Giovanni Gelati for quite some time. He's interviewed me more than once on The G-Zone BlogTalkRadio Show. We've written together (A Prince in Trenton, Seriously?). Our latest collaboration is The Defective Amish Detective - Volume 1 - The Whoopie Pie Affair. It is a humorous story, that one might call a cozy mystery. Both of us had the goal of telling a fun story, while holding the Amish with utmost respect. With the "defects" of our main character, it ended up being a story with a lot of heart.

Now for the first time, it is my turn to interview Giovanni. Some of the questions pertain to the story, so if you haven't read it, you can get it here: http://goo.gl/UuI5v

If you haven't, don't worry, there's no spoilers.

MM: How many Hawaiian shirts do you own?

GG: I have yet to buy one, I get them as gifts. As a for instance, we were cleaning up prior to the arrival of Hurricane Sandy, I found 6 bags of unopened socks. In layman terms that is 60 pairs of unused socks. One may take pause now and consider that. Basically I reach in the closet, grab one and put it on. I am not sure if I have 60 of them, but I have more than I think.

MM: You have an affinity for the Amish, do you think you may join them sometime in the future? 

GG: I will reference Hurricane Sandy again. We didn’t get the devastating flooding, but we got the wind and rain, our town lost power. We were dark from Monday night to Saturday. I am not going out on a limb here when I say that I enjoy electricity. Ice cream does not taste good without it. I marveled at drinking a cold beverage again, and having the use of light when I went to use the bathroom. It is hard to read in the dark. So for now, me being Amish is not in the cards. Besides that when ones Hawaiian shirt is the brightest thing in the room, it kind of stinks.

MM: What is your favorite flavor of whoopie pie? 

GG: They have me hooked on the chocolate chip outer cookie with the chocolate cream filling. Throw in a sausage log and some deep fried or rotisserie chicken and I am set.

MM: What is your best experience with a farm animal? 

GG: None really, they smell and leave large deposits behind. I am not into the smell, feel or look of muck. I would much prefer a muckless Farm, but I doubt that is in the cards. I much more enjoy them from a distance in the SUV going the speed limit pointing them out to the kids. It is much safer that way all around.

MM: What is in store for the Defective Amish Detective in the upcoming volumes? 

GG: Volume two will be out the week of November 14th , the title is “The Intercourse Boondogle”, and it will involve grifters. Intercourse is a quaint little town in Lancaster with plenty of neat shops. The other 8 stories in the series will involve a series of mysteries that G and Eli try to solve together in various locations in and around Lancaster. 

Giovanni and I will be at the mercy of best-selling Canadian Amish author Murray Pura as he interviews both of us live on November 17th at Noon Eastern - http://www.facebook.com/events/376125555805108/

Also, to stay up-to-date, please visit and like my Author Page - http://www.facebook.com/MarkMillerAuthor

TP Authors: Crystal Linn & Roger Rheinheimer

Today I have here with me two very special people; Roger Rheinheimer and Crystal Linn who are Amazon top-ten selling Kindle authors, including their joint Amish romance series, AmishForever (http://goo.gl/JLWTY).

 

Welcome Roger and Crystal and thank you for joining us today. Tell me, how does it feel to be a successful author?

Roger: I’m still blinking! All I can say is thank you to our dedicated readers and the tireless promotional efforts of our amazing publisher, Trestle Press.

Crystal: Thank you for having us, and thanks to our wonderful readers. To be honest, the reality of it all has not sunk in yet because my life has not changed. I still do normal things like cook dinner and walk my dog. I must stop and remind myself that I am indeed a successful author.

What made you decide to become a writer? I understand it is hard work with little pay, unless you get lucky.

Roger: Lucky is right! I feel we were just at the right place at the right time. Trestle Press has been a tireless advocate of the authors they represent. I’ve been writing all my life, and this is the most fun so far.

Crystal: There are important writers on both sides of my family. I grew up writing but thought nothing of it. Then, in the year 2000 we decided I would try to get my deceased mother’s stories published. In the process I became published and was stunned by the raving reviews.

Whose idea was it to write AmishForever?

Roger: Apparently Giovanni Gelati of Trestle Press had read my first novel, AmishSnow. He contacted me and asked if I would write an Amish romance novel.

Interesting, tell me Crystal how did you become involved?

Crystal: Roger felt to do a good job he needed a female co-author and he placed an ad looking for a co-author for an Amish romance series. I replied to that ad and, as they say, “The rest is history.”

            What is it like to co-author a book?

Roger: First of all, I had never co-authored before and one of the reasons I chose Crystal is because she was an experienced co-author. It’s great. We complement each other well and even with the pressure of deadlines and outside demands on our respective time commitments, have not had any significant disagreements. It’s really been awesome.

Crystal: While AmishForever is my first novel, it is my fourth book to date. All four were either co-authored or collaborative efforts. It is like joint venturing where the key people sit down and discuss goals and game plans. Then they go to work, do what needs done, and communicate clearly.

            Speaking of doing what needs done, who writes what and how do you get your writing voices to blend together so well?

Roger: LOL, good question! We actually sat down recently and had what we irreverently called a “board meeting,” and wrote out a pretty detailed outline of who takes the lead on what. I’ve always heard that there two things cause a partnership to fall apart: failure OR success. Thankfully we have completely avoided that and I think are more in tune than ever. I love the roaring engine, smoking tire scenes and Crystal conveys beautifully the teardrops falling on the vanity panel scenes.

Crystal: Before we start writing the next chapter, or volume, we email each other notes and ideas. I write the first draft and email it to Roger. He adds to what I wrote and writes more scenes then emails it back to me for editing. I edit and email it back to him. He then edits more and either sends it back to me for editing, if needed, or sends it to early readers.  After that we give it a final edit and format it. When we are satisfied Roger emails it to Giovanni, our publisher.

Obviously you two are very organized? Tell me what it is you want your readers to take away from the story?

Roger: Ok, so here is where the guy chromosomes kick in. I want readers to feel like they got their money’s worth, that the characters came alive for them and, as the saying goes, the story carried them away to another time and place. I want readers to recognize the effort we have put into our craft and say to themselves, “That was a good story.”

Crystal: All of my books are about overcoming, in one way or another. The perfect example is my book: God’sCounterpoint, published in the ONE anthology by Mark Miller and published by Trestle Press. I want the readers of AmishForever to come away feeling good about the story and feeling encouraged that they, like Ava, can overcome the obstacles in their own lives.

What in your opinion, is the fascination that American readers have with these Amish books?

Roger: The Amish, I believe, appeal to that fundamental human desire for simplicity and goodness. I think a lot of us envy their unswerving belief in a higher good.

Crystal: I agree with Roger. I also believe that the reader can live the Amish life vicariously, to borrow one of Roger’s words, through the lives of the characters.

The two of you are obviously committed to your writing. What are your future plans? Will there be more books? Will we learn more about Ava and Zeke?

Roger: Early on when we realized how popular this series was going to be I commented to Crystal that if we don’t write more together we need to admit we’re not really serious about writing fiction. We already have several story spinoffs. I especially like the ones involving Abe and Bliss.

Crystal: I look forward to writing more with Roger and, in addition, I have my own writing career. Recently I sent two books to publishers.  One is a short story that Giovanni, of Trestle Press, will publish as soon as I make it longer. The other is a non-fiction grandparent’s guide I sent to a publisher I know personally in the Seattle area.

Our time is up, unfortunately but again, thank you Roger Rheinheimer and Crystal Linn for joining us today – and again, congratulations on your success with the best-selling AmishForever. I look forward to reading more of your books.

Roger: Thank you for having us.

Crystal: Thank you for inviting us, and for the good wishes.

Visit Roger’s Blog here (http://rogerrheinheimer.com) and Crystal’s blog here (http://crystallinn.weebly.com).

How Can You Say No?

Look at this face. Do you think she has me wrapped around her precious little finger?

You bet she does!

And the result was this:

Sons of the King - Chapter One: Fallen Idols

So, she came to me with all of these ideas about a story. She wanted adventure in mystical lands. She wanted heroes and monsters. Most of all, I think she wanted to spend some time with her Pop.

I am fortunate enough to be a part of a special and talented group of people known as Trestle Press. Where else could a writer present a story co-written by his 8 year old daughter and have it published? I can not express my gratitude enough to Giovanni and all of Trestle Press for this opportunity.

The story, you ask? The story is high fantasy and it takes place on the world of Kaskaya. The planet bears a strong resemblance to our own medieval past. Except they developed technology with electricity and not gunpowder. Their warriors use swords and computers.

I am not at a loss for ideas. Still, to see what springs out of her head amazes me. She is primarily responsible for the creative content. No name, no place is put on paper without Olivia's approval. Mostly, I think I am there to work the keyboard and turn a phrase. For a third grader, though, she has a way with words herself.

For ONLY 99 Cents, you can't say "NO" to a beautiful little girl? Get the story HERE or click on the picture above.

Don't forget, I have four children. I want everyone to know how proud I am of Zak. He is amazing with computers and helped me with the fantastic cover design. Ashlin is my math whiz and Liam is a junior paleontologist. It is for all four of them that I keep writing. They are my inspiration. It makes it that much sweeter that I can share a by-line with Olivia.

Happy Birthday Olivia!

Watchout! Zombies!

Okay, you know my books, The Fourth Queen and The Lost Queen. You know my short stories from One and Small World Global Protection Agency. You know my writing is safe, clean and fun for the whole family.


Maybe you don't know I have a guilty pleasure: Zombies!


I watch the movies. I read the books. I play the video games. So when my fellow Trestle Press authors Darren Sant and Sam Lang started a new zombie series called Severed, I was hooked. The debut story, In the Beginning, was strong on characters and had such a huge scope. So, I got with them and dazzled them with my hard-hitting journalism.


Without further ado, I would like to welcome Darren and Sam to the Land of Empyrean.


ME: What made you want to write about zombies? What is their appeal to you?


SL: It seems that many of the horror greats have tackled the subject. I've wanted to do a zombie story for some time. When I heard Darren on Giovanni Gelati's G-Zone talking about it, the opportunity presented itself. I wanted to do a different take on what's been done and working with Darren, I think we are going to accomplish that. My appeal to zombies is the sheer hopeless, faceless horror. With a vamp or a werewolf, you can give it a name then kill it. Zombies keep coming and they come in droves. They are mindless, but with a singular purpose. Kind of like trying to stop the ocean from hitting the beach with a five gallon bucket.


DS: For me the appeal is not so much the zombies as the scenario. I’ve always enjoyed post apocalyptic end of the world stories. How do people cope? How do they survive? What do they do?  I like the thought that we could all start again afresh from the ashes of the Old World that has so much wrong with it.


ME: Wow. Hopeless and apocalyptic. You two must be barrels of fun when you get together. Of course, I'm aware that Sam is in the US and Darren is in the UK. Now, writing is a typically solitary endeavor. How is it collaborating? How do you divide the work/ideas? Any unusual challenges?


DS: The challenge is keeping up with Sam. The man is a turbo charged Energizer Bunny of ideas. We’re looking at sections and chatting about how they might pan out. My flair as a writer of short and flash fiction primarily is for creating short scenes. Sam, he may disagree with me, has a better idea of the big picture.


SL: I typically prefer to be alone, writing or not. Darren is a fantastic writer and so easy going. We get along famously! Luckily, we are basically on the same page all the time. We email back and forth only to find out we have each had the same idea. As to dividing the work, it's been organic so far. We both contribute equally to the end result and I think you will see that flourish more in the second installment. The only challenge I've encountered is the difference in our time zones and that is not really a factor.


ME: It seems that you compliment each other very well. I'm excited to see where you take this series. Can you give any hints to what we can expect? Is there an end goal?


SL: Oh, I don't like to give away the surprise. We'll see what Darren has to offer, but all I will say is that it is shaping up to be quite huge.


DS: Nope. Because then we’d have to kill you.  Let’s just say you’re in for a wild ride that will feature more super natural creatures and action from around the globe.


ME: I definitely don't want to be zombie food! To be safe, I'll change the subject. What else are you working on at the moment?


SL: I've turned over my contribution to the Drunk on the Moon series to Paul D. Brazill. Beyond that, we should see the next chapter of Reprisal very soon. I've got some more convicts to parade out before we get to the really gruesome stuff.


DS: My third Longcroft story, which I can exclusively reveal, will be called Temple and the Cross is nearly finished. I’m working on a collaboration with Cody Toye, another Trestle author.  I have a hard boiled story for Trestle in November and various other projects that I shouldn't have taken on because I want a social life! 


ME: Very nice. You both seem to be extremely busy. Darren, thanks for giving me the exclusive on the title to your new Longcroft story. I did read the first two stories and thoroughly enjoyed them. Back to the zombies, what are your influences?


DS: Night of the Living Dead as a film.  The excellent new series Walking Dead.  Fiction wise there was an excellent zombie anthology I read this year by Wild Wolf publishing called Holiday of the Dead.  That was a huge anthology and it has inspired me a lot.


SL: The first and last movie to ever truly scare me was the original Night of the Living Dead. George Romero keeps doing it right, Land of the Dead was excellent as well. Bookwise, I've got my eye on Death Troopers. What could be a better combination than Star Wars and zombies?


ME: Star Wars undead? Sounds fun. It seems that you both must have been warped by the Night of the Living Dead. One of you being from Florida and the other from Hull, do you find your nationality playing a factor or bringing something unique to the stories?


SL: Other than some familiarity with some of the settings, I can't think of anything specific. Horror is one of those genres that speaks to the heart in any language.


DS: Hmmm. A good question.  I think my Britishness is more a state of mind. I have a certain humour that is very British. I also do melancholy very well, perhaps because we are a cold miserable rained on lot over here in Blighty.


ME: England does seem to be quite dreary. Just kidding. Darren, I suspected you were a bit of a comedian. Does anyone ever mistake you for the actor Matt Lucas? I saw him in Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire. Funny guy.


DS: Annoyingly that comparison has been made. It makes me want to swear. I wouldn’t mind the little man’s cash that’s for sure.  Joking aside he’s a rare comic talent and I could have been compared to worse.


ME: Well said. Sam, my last question is for you. I'm on Facebook too much and I've noticed a lack of photos of you.


SL: Some of the skulls on my covers are more attractive. But seriously, I enjoy my privacy and solitude.


ME: That's understandable. Social media can easily become pretty invasive. I want to thank you both for taking the time to answer my questions. I'm sure our audience will enjoy reading what you have to say. By the way, as of  this writing, I saw Severed made it to #78 on Amazon UK. Congratulations and I hope it keeps going!


Severed: In the Beginning is available from Trestle Press on Kindle for ONLY 99 Cents.

Rewards for Readers

Trestle Press is doing it again and this time you, the readers, win!

Trestle is celebrating an anniversary, of sorts. Much like a budding young romance, every milestone is a good one. This celebration comes for the 6 Month Anniversary of The Author's Lab Collaboration series.

About six months ago, during an airing of The G-Zone, Giovanni Gelati took a call from Katherine LaHart. He never expected what she wanted to ask. Ms. LaHart suggested that Giovanni write a collaboration. From there, a new eBook series was born that has since spawned 22 installments. The stories cover almost all genres and most are ONLY 99 Cents. You can click HERE to see the list of authors from around the world.

So for this special occasion, Trestle Press wants to give you a present. That's right, you get something for FREE. Completely free. Trestle is giving away one Author's Lab story for each month of the series. (click on the title for a description, click on the author to see their other works)

Hotel Beaumont by B.R.Stateham

Bring Us Your Living...Now! by H.R. Toye

Dueling Microphones by Rose A. Valenta

A Prince in Trenton, Seriously by Mark Miller

Who Whacked the Blogger by Benjamin Sobieck

G.S.I. – Gelati Scoop Investigations, Psychotic Detectives by Thomas White

There you go! Six great stories and you can get one for free simply by contacting Giovanni at Gelati's Scoop or go directly to the author of the story that you want.

Email me at: Mark@MillerWords.com 

For an added bonus, if you purchase any of the other Author's Lab stories (see the list HERE), you can get another one free. That's 3 great stories for the price of one! When you buy your story, send the proof of purchase to Giovanni or the author to get the additional free one. These specials only last until the end of September.

Why are we doing this? Easy. We (the Trestle Authors) want our stories to be read. 

I want to share my words and build a fan base. I want feedback from you. I want to see comments and reviews on sites like Facebook, Amazon or Goodreads. Let me know what you think. I have a blast doing this and I want you to enjoy reading my work as much as I do writing it.

As always, Thank You!

Do you want something for FREE?

This is your chance! Trestle Press is hosting a little giveaway. I'm going to let Mr. Gelati give you the details. Before that, I'd like to say that I hope one of my readers wins. It's fairly simple: make some noise! Do something to get my attention (it has to be online though).

Anyway, read the details and I will have a bit to add at the end.....


Six Author’s, Six Incredible Stories, One Intense Giveaway!!!

Hi, me again, Giovanni Gelati! 

Trestle Press and some of their authors have put together what I think is one intense giveaway. Each author covers a different genre and has a different style, but they all share one common goal: they love to satisfy readers, and they want to hear from you in one way or another. 

What do I mean by that? Well you can follow their blogs, email them, and become their friend on any of the social websites you can find them (Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Google +, Reverb, Edgy Christian Fiction…).

The idea is to get their attention in some way, shape or form, because we are giving away 6 stories in a nice convenient e-package for you to spend some quality time with, full length novels as well as digital short stories. 

Who are the authors you ask? You did, didn’t you? Yes, I thought so.

Here is the lineup:

Darren Sant is Amazon UK’s wunderkind having rocketed up the sales charts within 12 hours of his debut release “A Good Day”, the first installment in “The Longcroft Estates” Series. His second installment in the series, “Community Spirit”, will be released this week.

Wenona Hulsey has written “Burden of Blood”. This debut novel has been making waves on Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Nobles Nookbook for Paranormal/YA.

Mark Miller is the author of a few different things: The new “One” series (a visit into ourselves, our spiritual selves, no matter what form, shape or size), Daniel’s Lot (an adaptation of the movie of the same name), and the all ages series “The Empyrical Tales” from Comfort Publishing.

Paul D. Brazill has penned a ton of material carving out a name for himself in the noir/suspense/ horror genre. A few pieces of his work include the “Drunk on The Moon” digital short story series, and “Brit Grit”. He has charted in sales both on Amazon Kindle and Amazon Kindle UK.

Big Daddy Abel is your basic renaissance man: musician, composer, author, performer, band mate. BDA helps front a very successful group The Amish Outlaws. He also has musical material of his own, you can grab that on www.ReverbNation.com. He has the highly successful “Open Mic” series of digital short stories and they have been at one time the number 1, 2, 7, 8 in his Amazon Kindle category for sales. He also has a variety of stories with The Author’s Lab/Collaboration series that have hit the Amazon Kindle sales charts including: “The Jersey Shore Has Eyes”, “The Edge of Cataclysmic” and a novella “Bar–A”.

Giovanni Gelati. Yes, me. I have been fortunate to have had the privilege and opportunity to work with some amazing authors on a variety of projects in just about every genre. To say that I am fortunate to be able to work with these authors is an understatement.

That is the lineup, what is the giveaway?

We are giving away one title from each author, so that is a package that has six stories, some full length, some digital short stories, some are novella’s, and all you need to do is find these authors and gain their attention. Let them know you’re interested in this giveaway, (follow their blogs, be their friend on Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, Google+… you get the picture), and we will announce the winners on Sept. 15^th.

Have nice time. We look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks, Giovanni. You heard him folks, do something fun, and maybe a little crazy!

Here's some ideas: comment on one of my blog posts (empyricaltales.blogspot.com), send me an email (Mark@MillerWords.com), send me a friend request from one of the social networks listed on my blog or the Links at my website (www.MillerWords.com), or use Facebook. Get my attention and that will get Trestle Press's attention.

I want you to win one of my Trestle Press e-books!         

FREE Personalized Autograph

By now, you've spent the 99 cents for "A Prince in Trenton, Seriously?" by Mark Miller and Giovanni Gelati.

You loved it and laughed hard. While you're waiting for the next Author's Lab release, you want something more.

You want something unique to Kindle, something special.

Now you can get a FREE personalized autograph directly from the author!

Follow this LINK to submit your request and in no time, it will show up on your Kindle!

If for some reason, you haven't read the story yet, CLICK HERE.