An interview with Ulprec from the amazing children’s book The Anteater King!

 An interview with Ulprec from the amazing children’s book The Anteater King! 

Join Ulprec, a mouse, and Sombra, a fierce feline, as they embark on an epic journey. They flee from their home in South America to escape 'The Burning', a malevolent force determined to destroy everything in its path. 

These two brave companions must navigate the treacherous jungle and overcome countless obstacles to save their world from certain doom.

anteater king

You want to take advantage of this thrilling adventure of courage, determination, and friendship. Join them on their harrowing quest as they fight for their survival and the future of their beloved home.

 This exciting story is recommended for readers aged 10 and above.

Welcome to the protagonist interview for Book Buddies!

What is your full name? 

Ulprec.

What is your background? What makes Ulprec you? 

I’m… not sure what makes me me; perhaps my tail, my ears? Hmmm… I live with my friend Sombra, a large female tuxedo cat, with her human caretaker Celia, an only child like me, and her parents. I am VERY talkative, as you’ll probably notice. Sombra does not talk at all, and I never mind having a lengthy, one-sided conversation.

It sounds like you could be a talkative mouse. Do you talk yourself into or out of danger?

I like to think I have a nose for staying out of unnecessary trouble. I may not be much, but I would do anything for the ones who show me love and compassion.

Where do you live? 

A small village in South America, which is being destroyed by an unknown, malevolent force called La Quema.

What is La Quema? It sounds really scary. Should I be scared?

It is hard to explain. It is a big fire that has a mind. The fires start from nowhere, and out of these fires come men, or creatures that imitate the forms of men, that are made out of total darkness.

I was right. I should be scared! If you looked in a mirror, would you like what you saw? 

I’m not sure what a mirror is, sorry. I guess it would depend on what was in it. If this ‘mirror’ were full of cheese and berries, I would like seeing that. Celia gives me these little berries that turn my little fingers purple. This is sort of making me hungry.

What are your likes/dislikes?

LIKES: I was going to say something else, but now I’m thinking about cheese and berries, so we’ll just begin with that. Other than that, passing the days aimlessly with six-year-old Celia and the elegant Sombra. 

DISLIKES: Snakes and birds are bad news. Being alone is no fun. But most of all, I don’t like to see others in pain.

What would be your biggest wish/desire? 

For things to return to the way they were in a time before La Quema’s fiery, unforgiving wrath. Life was perfect.

Who are your parents? Are they still alive?

There are no other of my kind in my life. I don’t remember my parents, nor if I had any siblings. I have no mate and no offspring of my own. I don’t know how I came to live with the human Celia and her parents in their modest home. The feelings of aloneness are what make me cling so devotedly to the few creatures I am lucky enough to have in my life, and those I am destined to meet along the way. 

What would you change about yourself if you could wave a magic wand? 

I wish I was brave, beautiful, and able to handle myself in a fight like my dearest friend Sombra. She is literally perfect; so soft and pretty, so sure of herself, so fast and strong, she fears nothing.

What do you think about the current news in your area? 

It is beyond horrible. Large fires are burning the jungle and entire villages. I’m afraid my village will be next. Everyone and everything is suffering. No one knows why all of this is happening, and it is terrifying.

How honest are you about your thoughts and feelings? 

Overly honest, and totally unafraid to let others know what I am feeling and thinking. If talking was a superpower, I would be the mightiest hero in the whole world!

Who is the person you despise the most? 

I don’t hate anyone. I only know one person, and that’s Celia. She is wonderful to me.

Not even her parents?

I am familiar with the sight of her parents, and I don't think they'd be too happy if they saw me scurrying around their house, but I don’t hate them. As I said, I don’t hate anyone.

Can you save Celia from La Quema?

I wish I could save her, but I am so very small.

If you knew you were going to die in 24 hours, name three things you would do in the time you had left. 

First, I’d let the ones I care about know how much I love them. Second, snuggle in Sombra’s soft, black fur one last time. Third, eat my last meal out of little Celia’s hand. 

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An excerpt from The Anteater King

Ulprec was familiarly accustomed to the one-sidedness of his relationship with his large feline friend, which made those ‘once in a blue moon’ morsels of her attention so welcome and captivating.

 As Ulprec lay upon his back, drawing and releasing exhausted breaths, his tiny eyes retracted from the pains in his delicate limbs, Sombra calmly approached and began licking the mouse’s injuries.

After a few dozen lathers of warm feline saliva, Ulprec felt the dull ache in his feet melt away somehow: like a mother’s kiss upon the injury of her distressed child. Pain departed and comfort ensued in the mouse as he lay there upon the jungle floor.

 ‘What ever would I do without you around, dearest Sombra?’ Ulprec thought to himself.

Sombra stood tall again, circled a few steps around to the opposite side of her companion and proceeded to curl her soft body around him. There had never been a hole in the wall, nor a nook close to the roof of his old home whose warmth could compare to that of the dark fur and flesh over the oversized tuxedo cat. Its coziness and security were that of a mother’s womb.

As helpless and exhausted as he was, Ulprec felt as though nothing could hurt him as he rested. Not the jungle, nor its inhabitants, not the fires of La Quema itself… nothing.

 

Like #steampunk? Fancy a bit of #scifi? Then check out this author interview with .@RichardDockett1 #syfy #fiction .@rararesources

Richard Dee is a sci-fi and streampunk writer, and WWBB has been lucky enough to pin him down for an interview about himself and his book:  Andorra Pett and the Oort Cloud Café.

So, without further ado, grab a coffee, relax and read on…

Writers always have unfinished files, handwritten or typescripts hidden somewhere (usually under beds!) How many unpublished books do you have tucked away?

Last time I looked under my bed, there were three completed novels, about five halfway written and a bunch of short stories. There were also some socks, a lot of dust and fluff and a suitcase with a broken handle.

What’s your least favourite part of the writing process?
The bit in the middle, when the story is still developing as you write it. At this point, I’m never sure if it will just fizzle out and become a short story or go on to be the start of a series.

I think most writers can relate to that! So, how long does take you to write a novel?
It took me thirty years to write the first one! I wrote the short story that became Freefall in 1979 and completed it in 2012. I guess you could say that life got in the way. I have speeded up a little since then. Now, I write 2 or 3,000 words a day, so a first draft will take…, hang on while I get my socks off. Longer probably, because I’m always jumping around from project to project.

Seriously, about four months. Andorra Pett was my fifth novel of seven so far and a bit of a departure, the others are Space Opera (Freefall, Myra, Ribbonworld and Jungle Green) and Steampunk (The Rocks of Aserol and A New Life in Ventis).

Andorra Pett and the Oort Cloud Café is the start of what I hope will be a series, Andorra has grown on me as a character and I can see her having lots of adventures.

How do you juggle a writing schedule?

I’ve retired from my ‘proper’ job, but I had to get up early for it and it became a habit. I still get up early and write for an hour or so, then my wife and I have the rest of the day to do what we want. I might do a bit more in the evening. I carry a notebook so if I see or hear an interesting situation during the day I can jot it down for future reference. But you must be careful, being spotted can be embarrassing!

Who do you aspire to be like as an author?

I grew up reading Isaac Asimov, Rad Bradbury and Phillip K. Dick. They had a gift, a way of describing a universe in three sentences. I’m not a big fan of pages and pages of flowery description; I’d rather get straight to the action and keep it coming. I try and give the reader a reason to turn over on every page.

Do you set yourself goals when you sit down to write such as word count?

I just want to know what happens next, my writing process is like watching a film in my head and typing what I see. I can rewind, pause and slow it down but I can’t fast forward. Every time I start I must keep going until I get to a good bit. Sometimes that can be after 1,000 words, sometimes 5,000.

When did you first call yourself a writer? 

When I used my first royalties to buy myself a celebratory drink. I think that once you’ve sold a book to someone you don’t know and spent the money you can call yourself a writer.

Abso-bloody-lutely When people ask, ‘what do you do for a living’ do you tell them you’re a writer or do you buckle and say something else?

Now that I’ve retired from my real job, I introduce myself as a writer at every opportunity. After all, it’s how I pass my time, I might not make a fortune, but I do have an income from it.

Do you have a critique/editor partner?

I have a team of wonderful beta readers scattered around the globe. They get a first look at all my work and I really value the fact that they are prepared to tell me if they think that its rubbish. And they do sometimes! Which also saves me from bad reviews.

What’s your talent for writing this book?

I can write female characters thanks to my wife and three daughters, who taught me so much about the way that the female mind works. I like to think that there’s a little of each of them in my books, strong, loyal women who are resourceful and clever, as well as being beautiful.

Why did you write Andorra Pett and the Oort Cloud Café? 

My wife was reading a book about someone who moved to the country and opened a café on a beach and the story involved lost love and new beginnings.

She challenged me to write something similar but in a sci-fi setting, and never one for refusing a challenge, I got stuck it. I wrote it as a short story first, but then my editor encouraged me to develop it, and the rest is history.

Tell us about Andorra Pett, what’s her story?

It features a reluctant amateur detective called Andorra Pett.

Written through her eyes, it’s a story of new beginnings in strange surroundings. She just wants a quiet life, but events conspire against her, as they so often do. As well as dealing with her new life, running a café on a space station and all that entails, there’s a mystery for her to solve. In the process, she discovers a lot about herself and the people around her. Mostly she finds that she’s quite clever, which is a surprise to her.

There’s a lot of friendship, some new romance and a murderer to catch.

But basically, Andorra is a fish out of water, a stranger in a strange land. It’s all about how she learns to thrive.

 I’ve done my best to make the characters familiar, I’ve just placed them in a different setting. I now have ideas for another three sequels to Andorra Pett and the Oort Cloud Café. The first of them, Andorra Pett on Mars, will be published in April 2018.

It has a mixture of themes, doesn’t it?

Well, I gave the tale a crime element as I thought that a space station would be the perfect place for a mystery—especially as it was all a mystery to Andorra! It could also be called a comedy, although there is plenty of drama in it, nothing too heavy or explicit.

Mainly, I want it to be perceived as light-hearted entertainment hence the cartoon cover. I’ve tried to make it a story that’s suitable for all ages, from teen upwards.

Give me the first, middle and end line in Andorra Pett and the Oort Cloud Café

1. “Is that it?”
2. I opened the book, expecting chapter and verse on one man’s rampage through the female inhabitants of the station.
3. Cy smiled, he had that look of contentment. “Mind your own!”

Does Andorra change or learn by the end of the book?

As the story opens, Andorra is running from a bad relationship. She thinks that it was all her fault and that what she needs is to get away. So far so normal. Then I added the sci-fi twist by setting the tale in the future and letting her run to the edge of the solar system. She arrives on the space station intending to have a quiet life, events conspire to make sure that it’s anything but.

As the story unfolds she learns a lot about herself and changes her opinion. Her friend Cy, who has stuck with her, always knew that she was so much more than she realised. Wisely, he lets her find out for herself. 

As I said before, I don’t plot my novels in advance. I had to write the book to find out who the villain was. Right up to the end, it could have been one of several. When I found out, it was as much of a shock to me as I hope it will be to the reader. And the way they were unmasked proved to Andorra that she was as clever as other’s thought she was.

Who would be your dream cast if Andorra Pett and the Oort Cloud Café was made into a movie?

Someone like Miranda Hart’s sidekick Stevie (a character in the BBC TV show Miranda) would be a perfect Andorra. In case you’re not sure who I mean, Stevie is played to perfection by the excellent Sarah Hadland (if you’re reading this Sarah, tell your agent immediately!).

Sounds like Miranda Hart could play Andorra!

A sexier and younger version of her maybe!

You mentioned Andorra’s wingman, Cy. Who’d play him?

Ah, the late Alan Rickman would have been the perfect foil for her as Cy, with his dry wit and superb comic timing.

What about the villains in the book? All books need a baddie!

Indeed they do! I need a villain who isn’t on the face of it, but has a sort of undercurrent. The person who’d play them needs to be outwardly normal but with a mysterious side, which could be good or bad. Helena Bonham Carter or Matthew Macfadyen would be a possible fit. Would they audition, do you think?

If Andorra was one of your friends, what advice would you give her?

You can do whatever you want, as long as you try hard you will never fail

Good advice, and would she make the cut as a bestie?

Definitely, she’s loyal, amusing and actually very smart. She also has a talent for putting herself down and breaking things in an embarrassing way. I’d have to check with the wife first though.

Hit me with the most shocking one-liner from Andorra Pett and the Oort Cloud Café?

Possibly… ‘My God, he was hoping to shag his way out of this!’

Introducing...

Andorra Pett and the Oort Cloud Café

Meet Andorra Pett; with her trusty sidekick, she’s taken over a derelict café. On a mining station. It just happens to be orbiting Saturn!

She’s hoping for a fresh start, away from all the drama of her old life. It’s a chance to relax and start again in a place where nobody knows anything about her or her past.

Buy NOW!

But the café holds a secret, and secrets have a habit of coming out; whether you want them to or not. And being accident prone doesn’t help. The more you try to pretend that you know what’s going on, the worse it gets.

Andorra’s plans for peace and quiet get lost amid the revelations and skulduggery and she soon realises that the fate of the whole station lies in her hapless hands.
In space, you can still trip over your feet; the question is, will you land upright?

For more from Richard check out:

Amazon | Website | Facebook | Twitter

About Richard Dee:
A native of Brixham in Devon, Richard Dee's family left Devon when he was in his teens and settled in Kent. Leaving school at 16 he briefly worked in a supermarket, then went to sea and travelled the world in the Merchant Navy, qualifying as a Master Mariner in 1986. Coming ashore to be with his growing family, he used his sea-going knowledge in several jobs, including Marine Insurance Surveyor and Dockmaster at Tilbury, before becoming a Port Control Officer in Sheerness and then at the Thames Barrier in Woolwich.

In 1994 he was head-hunted and offered a job as a Thames Estuary Pilot. In 1999 he transferred to the Thames River Pilots, where he regularly took vessels of all sizes through the Thames Barrier and upriver as far as H.M.S. Belfast and through Tower Bridge.

In all, he piloted over 3,500 vessels in a 22-year career with the Port of London Authority. Richard was offered part time working in 2010, which allowed him to return to live in Brixham, where he took up writing and blogging.

He retired in 2015, when he set up and ran a successful Organic bakery, supplying local shops and cafés. The urge to write eventually overtook the urge to bake but Richard still makes bread for friends and family. Richard is married with three adult children and two grandchildren.

Click for an excerpt below:

An interview with Steve Holak author of a new fantasy trilogy - The Winds of Heaven and Earth

Steve Holak's The Winds of Heaven and Earth launches a new fantasy trilogy, blending epic and contemporary genres, and WWBB wants to get down and personal.

Hi Steve, let's start easy. How many unpublished books/stories do you have lurking under your bed?

I have a “trunk book” that will see the light of day after I finish the Keystone, Lodestone, Clarion series (I say series instead of trilogy because I have this horrible feeling that, as I write book two, ideas are emerging and the third book story is mutating and I’ll have to commit a Robert Jordan and expand the scope. We’ll see.)

How long has it been lurking?

It’s been banging around under there for 15 years.  It needs a complete re-write. The core story idea’s good, but I was too immature as a writer to pull it off: it suffers from the lack of a direct and strong antagonist, and the protagonist doesn’t have the “transformative journey arc” through the tale, things like that. That’s the book I want to be my Magnum Opus; I’m a stronger writer now, and understand the plumbing of fiction much better—and I’ll be even better by the time I’m ready to write it.  Probably 2015.

Anything else?

I have an outline for a space opera, and I’m researching the Roswell saucer-crash myth on the side: I want to give that a kick-ass literary treatment and bring all the Roswell mythology together the way Justine Cronin did for vampires in The Passage. I have enough to keep me busy for the next half-dozen years, at least.

You sound really busy. How do your juggle a writing schedule?

Like a chainsaw juggler. I have a (bill-paying) job that requires 24/7 availability. I’m away from home 13 hours each day—I leave at 5:30 am to drive to the train station, and get home at 6:30 pm. Fortunately, I get about 90 minutes of train time every day, and that’s where I do a good chunk of my work. We have an arrangement at home: I get Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings to write after dinner—so I usually manage an hour or two before I get tired--and a half-day on the weekends. During the summer, I teach scuba a few times a month, which eats up most of that weekend. Let me get up on a soapbox for a minute: Despite my schedule, I still manage 500 to 2,000 words a day, so I have no sympathy for aspiring writers who say they don’t have the time—make the time if writing’s important to you.

Well said! So, what's the best and worst part of being a writer?

It’s the coolest experience watching characters take over the keyboard from you and type their own behaviour and dialog. I spend time detailing and developing my characters on the side so that they each have a unique and recognizable voice. (I think that shows very clearly in WHE.) A side effect of this is that they’re on automatic when I start writing and it’s fun to watch. The worst part? Do I even have to say it? The marketing. The continual, shameless marketing. I’d love to just write and have a machine do that work for me. (Yeah, you know who you are.)

Amazon.UK
Amazon.com
Print Edition

Do you start your projects writing with paper and pen or is it all on the computer?

I’m a digital guy. I do a “Snowflake“ process—write down the one-sentence blurb, expand that to three sentences describing the three-act structure with gating scenes, expand those to paragraphs, write a detailed outline of each, then break down to scene level in Scrivener. Describe each scene: POV, goal, conflict, purpose, outcome. Then write scene by scene. Once that draft is done I shuffle the scenes to their final order then finish up the final drafts in Word.

Do you set yourself goals when you sit down to write such as word count?

Absolutely. Usually 1000-2000 words a day, and about 10,000 words per week. I don’t always hit it, but the important thing is to set the bar and keep reaching for it until the story’s finished.

Thanks to Jacqueline Howett...

for interviewing me on her blog. Crikey, I shall be having "luncheon" next instead of spam sarnies and swapping cider for Champagne!


Yeah, right!

Jacqueline Howett interviews guest author Louise Wise

Q. Where do you come from? I come from Northampton in England, the same place where the late Princess Diana lived.

Q. What made you write this book? I love reading chick lit. Funny things naturally happen in life, and I wanted to enforce that. Life is funny, and I enjoy writing about people rather than the actual romance.

Q. Which authors have had a significant influence on your writing? Melissa Nathan. She was the first chick lit author I read and I absolutely fell in love with the style. I have read all of her books, sadly she died in 2006 with cancer (she was only 36!!). Through her writing she has shown me that life is funny and delightful as well as scary and heart-breaking.

Please click here to read the rest of the interview, and while there why not have a look at the rest of Jacqueline Howett's amazing blog - so much to see and read!

Meet thriller writer Jennifer Chase with:

SILENT PARTNER

One Cop, One Serial Killer, One Witness

Who Will Survive?

Northern California’s elite Police K9 Units arrive at an abandoned warehouse after a high-speed chase and apprehend two killers after they have fled a grisly murder scene.  This barely scratches the surface of a bloody trail from a prolific serial killer that leads to unlocking the insidious secrets of one family’s history, while tearing a police department apart.

Jack Davis, a top K9 cop with an unprecedented integrity, finds himself falling for a beautiful murder suspect and struggling with departmental codes. 

Megan O’Connell, suffering from agoraphobia, is the prime murder suspect in her sister’s brutal murder. Darrell Brooks, a psychopath who loves to kill, is on a quest to drive Megan insane for profit. 

Everyone is a suspect.  Everyone has a secret.  Someone else must die to keep the truth buried forever.  Silent Partner is a suspense ride along that will keep you guessing until the bitter end.

Jennifer Chase
Award Winning Author and Criminologist

Jennifer Chase holds a bachelor degree in police forensics and a master's degree in criminology.  In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling.  She is also a member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists.  She has authored three thriller novels with her newest thriller release, Silent Partner.  In addition, she currently assists clients in publishing, ghostwriting, book reviews, blogs, articles, screenwriting, copywriting, editing, and research.  For more information:  http://authorjenniferchase.com/

Interview with Jennifer Chase:

Your first books, Compulsion and Dead Game where Emily Stone takes it on herself to track down paedophiles and killers, has received fantastic reviews. Will there be any more from Emily Stone?

Thank you.  I’m thrilled that so many people have enjoyed these books because I love writing them.  Yes, I’m currently working on the third book in the Emily Stone series, Dark Mind.  It’s scheduled to be released in the fall of this year. 

 

Is she carrying out your secret fantasy (something you’d like to do)?

In some ways yes, I began developing this character after I had a personal experience with a person who stalked and harassed me (death threats) for more than two years.  To make matters worse, he lived next door until I was forced to move.  Everything worked out in the end, but I began to put together a profile for a character I wanted to write.  I wanted a heroine who would track killers and pedophiles anonymously and help the cops behind the scene.  It’s true what they say, good things can come out of a bad situation. 

Let's have a quickie...

interview

Bio: My name is Louise and I am a writer of chick lit and Eden (which isn't a chick lit, but that was my first book and I wasn't sure which genre I preferred. Now I do!). I also work as a pharmacist technician for a well-known British superstore. I am married and have four children (all boys). Books I have out now are A Proper Charlie and Eden. 

Sentences to describe your novels: Eden - A tale of romance and survival as three people travel from 2236 to the beginning of time. A Proper Charlie - A sometimes passionate, an always funny story of mistaken identities, misunderstandings and class divide.

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