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GIVEAWAY! Book & a Bomb! SONG OF SUMMER.

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Welcome to the inaugural post of my monthly giveaway series.

A Book & a Bomb

No, not the exploding type of bomb. A Lush bath bomb that does amazing, magical things to your bathtub. Don’t have a tub? Do what I do, and use half in a big bucket for a lovely foot soak.

Bath bomb in action

These bombs are magical, I’m telling you. Lush is anti-animal testing, all-natural, and full of good products for your skin. Even if you don’t like scented body things, bath bombs, when tucked into a drawer of sheets, will make all your linens smell nice. They’re a simple way to add beauty and good smells to your life.

And what goes better with a relaxing soak than an enjoyable read?

Luxurious baths (or foot soaks) are perfect when paired with a lovely read. That’s why my giveaway will feature a copy of a book I love, and a bath bomb inspired by the book!

For this first giveaway, I’ll be pairing the Lush bath bomb “Blue Skies” with Laura Lee Anderson’s debut YA Contemporary Novel, SONG OF SUMMER.

Keep reading for your chance to win!

SONG OF SUMMER: The thirteen qualities of Robin’s Perfect Man range from the mildly important “Handsome” to the all-important “Great taste in music.” After all, Westfield’s best high school folk musician can’t go out with some shmuck who only listens to top 40 crap. When hot Carter Paulson walks in the door of Robin’s diner, it looks like the list may have come to life. It’s not until the end of the meal that she realizes he’s profoundly deaf.

Carter isn’t looking for a girlfriend. Especially not a hearing one. Not that he has anything against hearing girls, they just don’t speak the same language. But when the cute waitress at Grape Country Dairy makes an effort to talk with him, he takes her out on his yellow Ducati motorcycle.

Music, language, and culture sing back-up as love takes the melody, but just how long can a summer song last?4

 

 

Amazon info click here. 

 

Blue Skies (& Fluffy White Clouds)  bath bomb description.

A deep blue bath of bubbles and scents to induce deep relaxation
Calm your body and mind and slip into a peaceful trance in a tubful of bubbles with our largest bubble bar slice. Exotic frankincense oil has a woody, grounding aroma that blends well with earthy patchouli to relax and restore your state of mind. Lay back and feel yourself float through swirly blue skies and fluffy white clouds of bubbles and into a serene garden of a Far Eastern temple, leaving stress and worries far behind you. For an even greater peace of mind, break your bubble bar in half for two relaxing escapes from the every day. Vegan friendly.

From Lush’s website.

 

To win, enter the Rafflecopter below! This one is open internationally!
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Go Home, Self-Promo, You’re Drunk

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We’ve all seen that meme of something obviously wrong, and the caption, “Go home, BLANK, you’re drunk,” right? (If not, scroll to the end and witness some lovely examples.)

Well, I’ve got some bad news. Your self-promotional strategy may be drunk too. Pull up a chair, pour a drink of your choice, and listen a metaphor story. Or, scroll past to get to the handy tip sheet on Twitter self-promo without a storytime.

***

Jill is throwing a party. She’s invited friends, including Author Friend Amy, and Bookstore Owner Brandon. Amy has recently released a book. The party starts. As the guests arrive, Amy greets each one with a handshake, and the exact. same. message. “Hiya! Thanks for coming. Buy my book!”

No one listens to Amy. After all, they’ve just met her.

The party kicks off. Someone asks, “Hey, does anyone know anything about ballet? My daughter was–”
“THERE’S BALLET IN MY BOOK!” Amy shouts, sprinting across the room. She’s got the sharp hearing only a desperate, post-launch author could have. “ON PAGE 17! BUY IT!”

No one listens to Amy. The conversation was about ballet shoes. Not books.

Jill, trying one last time to help her author friend out, sets the table so that Amy sits next to Brandon. He’s enjoying his pasta, and hoping his sales clerk isn’t putting copies of Fifty Shades of Grey in the Children’s Coloring Book section again. In other words, Brandon has had a rough day.

“Hey Brandon!” Amy shouts. “HERE! Have ten copies of my book! Autographed! You can give them to anyone!” Amy drops the books onto Brandon’s plate, splattering pasta everywhere. Even if he had liked Amy’s book, he will now always remember it as the book that ruined the one peaceful meal he’s had this week. He had been planning to reach out to Amy, but not until after his dinner.

Brandon the bookseller does not listen to Amy.

The party melts into drinking and dancing. A lovely time is had by all. Except Amy. She’s shouting at no one, standing in the corner. “BUY MY BOOK!” “LIKE ROMANCE? SO DO I! BUY MY BOOK!” “AMAZON loves my book! Here’s a link!”

No one listens to Amy. She is babbling to thin air, about a book no one’s even had a chance to ask her about.

***

This situation may sound extreme, but it’s a mirror of a tactic many author use on Twitter. The insta-DMs as soon as someone follows them, the inserting a mention of their book into every conversation mildly related to them, and the never-ending promotional tweets. This won’t sell any more books than Amy’s attempt will. No one likes to be constantly pitched at, shouted at, or bulldozed over.

Plus, even when I do read a tweet of a book that sounds cool, I view the author’s Twitter page to learn more about her. If her whole page is all promo tweets, I’m less likely to connect to her, and far less likely to buy the book. Selling is about a personal connection. Volume of exposure can’t beat quality of engagement.

Here’s a handy guide to sober up your self-promo

  • NEVER auto direct message new followers.
  • Have at least five normal tweets or replies before sending out another promotional tweet.
  • Don’t jump in unrelated conversations or hashtags to pitch your book.
  • If someone reviews your book and you want to signal boost it, do so once, then keep it on a list of reviews links on your blog.

Promoting yourself on Twitter is a dance, not a boxing match.

If you ever feel like no one listening to your promotion, don’t be like Amy at the party and shout louder. Instead, work on making real, honest connections with other writers, booksellers and readers. Just think of how much more effective that party would have been if she waited until Brandon the Bookseller asked her how she was doing. Then, she could have said, “I’m doing great. I just released a book.” And Brandon, having consumed a yummy dinner, and not having heard thirty shouts about her book already, could say, “Excellent. Would you like to host a workshop and book signing at my store?”

Bam. Success. Well done, sober Amy.

And now, for those drunk memes as promised. (That’s the only reason you kept reading, right?)

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Recharging Days

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Writers write everyday is a common adage among the author crowd. I’m not so sure it’s true for the rest of the creative world. Surely, an actor is no less an actor if he doesn’t act in a movie every day of his life. Nature photographers can’t photograph beautiful flowers on days the weather is all thunderstorms and hail.

I think the true statement is this: when on deadlines, a writer writes every day.

Deadlines aside, it’s important, I think, to take a break from the project you’re working on sometimes. Even more important if you’ve been working on it for a long time, and you’re hitting a huge stumbling block.

Maybe you’ve sent out 280 queries and haven’t heard from a single agent.

Maybe you’ve been trying to fix a plot hole for six months and your betas are still getting lost in your story’s confusing narrative.

Maybe you’ve totally lost the idea of the story and every word seems like gobbleygook.

This need for space and time away from your art isn’t just a creative person problem. Many professionals tout the benefits of a mental heath day, like in this article from INC.com and this one, from the Huffington Post, provides clear examples of signs you need a break.

So, take a day to clean the house, or go for a run, or knit. At least, that’s how I spend my days off. You might have different hobbies. Clear your mind, and tackle some non-creative pesky tasks on your to-do list. I keep a tab of “worn-out day activities” on my to-do list app, (the incredible 2Do app if you’re curious) so that on mentally rainy days, I can still feel productive by completing little tasks.

But.

Here’s my warning. It’s very easy to let one recharging day become a recharging week. Or a month. And then, suddenly, you’ve lost your flow on your project, and you have no interest in ever putting your butt back in a chair. So, the minute you decide it’s a recharging day, grab your phone or computer, and add a couple timers scheduled for tomorrow and the next day. If you have the functionality, add little reminders about how much you love your creative endeavors. You can even add reminders of what you need to work on next.

Here’s a screenshot of my phone for tomorrow, since I took a break today.

Motivation!

Motivation!

So, that’s my plan to give my brain a break, without losing my place in my writing. What about you? When do you know it’s time for a break? How do you get back to work?

An Interview (+ Giveaway!) with Author Lindsay Randall

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I’m very excited to welcome author Lindsay Randall to my blog today. She was my very first writing mentor, and I still have the notes she gave me saved in my writing folder. I can’t say enough positive things about her. Her encouragement has bolstered my spirits many times. She’s a talented, award-wining author of over twelve novels. Today, we will be discussing her newest book,  Rescued by the Cowboy. I just finished the novel, and I highly recommend it! It’s a perfect read for a summery day, with a romance guaranteed to make you swoon.

Interested? Check out the Rafflecopter below  for a chance to win your very own copy and a Starbucks giftcard! Nothing says summer time like a romantic read and an iced latte! (giveaway open internationally, ebook and ecard delivered via email)

The book is also available for sale here! 

CLICK HERE FOR Rafflecopter giveaway

Randall, Lindsay - Texas Flyboys series - Book 1 - Rescued by the Cowboy...

Lindsay:  Thanks for inviting me to visit with you at Creatively Carrie. I’m glad to be here!

Carrie: Could you tell me a bit about your writing career?

Lindsay: Absolutely. I think of it more as a writing life, though. Writing is what I do—it’s what I’ve always done.

I have this vivid memory of me in second grade, struggling to put a story into words and onto a page. I wasn’t so much striving to get an assignment done as I was awakening to this deep-seated need in me to sculpt a scene with words. Zoom ahead decades later and here I am, responding still to an urge within that wants to write.

I am the author of historical and contemporary romance novels. I also enjoy writing nonfiction articles. By day, I create university fundraising materials. So I pretty much write all the time. I think it was Louis L’Amour who once said a person can be a writer from cradle to grave, or something similar. I like that—and yep, it’s my goal.

Carrie: What is the process like for you? Are you a “plotter” or a “pantser”?

Lindsay: A bit of both. When I begin, I have a plot in mind and know where I’m headed. But then, boom, I get writing and my characters never fail to surprise me. Happens every time.

With Rescued, though, I did stick to an outline of where the story needed to go and what events needed to happen. This book was written during a year’s worth of weekends. Every Saturday I’d get up early, sink into a scene, and stay there until I was finished. I absolutely loved telling this tale. It was pure joy to hit the weekend and spend it with Nick and Tess.

Carrie: What was your favorite thing about writing Rescued?

Lindsay: Diving into the setting! I just loved heading into the mountains of Mexico and imagining all the things Tess and Nick would encounter. The cave scene near the end remains my fave spot/scene for these two characters (well, other than the scene at the zocalo, that is!).

Carrie: I really enjoyed the way you describe settings! Reading Rescued felt like a vacation! Did you face any challenges in the process?

Lindsay: Yes and those challenges came from the same place they always do: juggling full-time work with my creative work, which is mostly a challenge but also a bit of a gift.

When I get bruised by one, the other is always there, inviting me to come soothe myself in a different space.

Carrie: That’s great advice, and something I know I struggle with too. On a lighter note, any fun facts to share about your characters?

Lindsay: Ah, here’s a fun fact about Nick. While Rosie, the miniature pig, took a shine to him, she’s not the first creature to follow at his feet. Animals love Nick. Horses, dogs, even cows—they all just sort of gravitate to him. His brothers found this hilarious, which led to lots of jokes through the years. But whenever there’s an ornery animal to wrangle, they call Nick. 🙂

Oh, and he plays the harmonica even better than he does the guitar. 🙂 🙂

Carrie: Oh, goodness. A musical man with a sensitivity to animals? I feel faint. Finally, what advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Lindsay:  Don’t let your writing keep you from reading. Make time every day for reading—and read widely. Step outside your comfort zone/zip code/present century and immerse yourself in diverse voices.

Other than that, keep writing. The more you write, the better you’ll write. And the more you read, the better you’ll know what to write and what not to write. (That sounds a bit like I’m saying you’ll encounter bad writing. That’s not what I mean. What I mean is this: The more you encounter the beliefs and ideas of others, the more you come to understand the human condition. Your writing will begin to reflect what it is to be human. And when you can write about that, I suspect you’ll be creating powerful pieces.)

Thank you so much for coming to the blog today, Lindsay! Can’t wait to read your next book!

 

COVER REVEAL: CHAMELEON, by K. T. Hanna

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Hi everyone! I am very excited to be part of the awesome K. T. Hanna’s cover reveal for CHAMELEON, her thrilling YA sci-fi novel. She is a talented writer and a great friend. Keep reading for a bit more about the book, the jaw-droppingly beautiful cover and a giveaway for Amazon Gift Cards!

Chameleon (The Domino Project #1) is a YA futuristic science fiction story. It’s set in the wasteland of earth after a meteor shower devastates landmasses, makes seas rise, introduces the psionic gene into the human race, damages the atmosphere, and gives the gift of an alien parasite to the world.

The goodreads blurb is as follows:

After Sai’s newly awoken psionic power accidentally destroys her apartment complex, she’s thrown into an intensive training program. The only grades are pass or die.

Surviving means proving her continued existence isn’t a mistake–a task her new mentor, Bastian, takes personally. Her abilities place her in the GNW Enforcer division, which partners her with Domino 12, who is eerily human for an alien-parasite and psionic hybrid. When her assassination duties are revealed, Sai understands the real reason for her training.

On a mission to dispatch a dangerous Exiled scientist, she uncovers truths she never thought possible. Sai is unsure who to trust as her next mission might be her last, and a double agent seems to be manipulating both sides.

Without further ado – here is the cover, by the amazingly talented S.P. McConnell.

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It’s finally here!!!

CHAMELEON Domino Project Front with Text 2

Isn’t it GORGEOUS!?!?!

Sit back and bask in this for a moment.

You good? Okay, now go  preorder for a special price of $2.99 from Amazon! (Click on the icon below)

Amazon Link

About the Author

Me

KT Hanna has a love for words so extreme, a single word can spark entire worlds.

Born in Australia, she met her husband in a computer game, moved to the U.S.A. and went into culture shock. Bonus? Not as many creatures specifically out to kill you.

When she’s not writing, she freelance edits for Chimera Editing, interns for a NYC Agency, and chases her daughter, husband, corgi, and cat. No, she doesn’t sleep. She is entirely powered by the number 2, caffeine, and beef jerky.

Note: Still searching for her Tardis

Celebration!

To celebrate, we’re giving away 2 x $10 Amazon e-gift cards (open to anyone who can receive and use an Amazon e-card) Just click on as many options as you like and enter!

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We are stronger than our insecurities.

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A long, long time ago, I promised a post on self-doubt, and how to overcome it. I asked you lovely readers to open up about your fears and worries in the creative world.

And you did. I learned so much from all you, everyone from writes who have never let another person read their story, to published authors working on multi-book deals. Everyone faced very similar fears. Don’t believe me? Check out the word cloud below. Those words showed up in the majority of fears, regardless of “success level.”

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No matter the specifics of the fears, (will anyone like it? will anyone buy it? will I ever make money from it? will I ever find friends?) all the fears came, like many do, from a place of…well, insecurity.

I say that, not out of spite at all. I’m one of you. I’m a ball of insecurity and fears, never sure if I’m enough, if my words are good enough, my jokes are funny enough, my friends like me enough. Every fear you’ve felt, so have I, and so has the rest of the community. Maybe that’s why we’re driven to be creative. We’re looking for “enough.” We’re trying to create something we’re lacking. Maybe that’s why we play gossip games on Twitter, or start cliques. Not because we’re mean, but we’re scared and alone, lashing out like a cornered cat. We’re so sure we will never be enough that we turn our fear on our own creative works, bashing them and calling them stupid.

Here’s the thing. You are enough.

Say it with me.

You are enough.

In your worse moments, when it seems like everyone’s doing better than you, or that you’ll never catch up, that you’ll never have a good day again, or learn the skill to take the work to the next level, say that little phrase. You are enough.

Our business can be a cruel one. It’s full of critiques and rejections.  Some can be helpful. Some can be hurtful. We’re surrounded by our creative idols, whose books fill our shelves, and successes our dreams, and some days it seems like we’ll never be half as talented as them.

Here’s the thing. Your art may always be incomplete, but you are not.

You are complete. You are enough. and WE (notice that word was missing from the word chart) are all in this together. WE can help each other. WE can drive away fears and insecurities together.

We are all enough. Our art is good art. We’ve got this.

❤

Welcome to Twitter, Please Surrender Your Sanity

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Despite the intense-sounding title, this is supposed to be a light-hearted post. As many of you know, Twitter is THE premier watercooler-esque hangout spot for procrastinating creative folks. However, Twitter can be an overwhelming, confusing place. It has an etiquette code all its’ own, and sometimes, stumbling around it can make you feel super old and out of the loop.

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Twitter Etiquette 101!

Don’t be an egg. Seriously. (I’m referring to the default Twitter user profile picture of an egg)  Even if it’s just a picture of your favorite anime character, your cat, or a can of soda, it’s better than being an egg. Many people refuse to follow “egg” accounts, because nine times out of ten, they’re a spam account. Twitter users will connect with you better if your profile picture shows some of your personality, even if it’s not a photo of you.

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Like a friend’s thought? A fav will do. Want to end a conversation, but not in a rude way? Just fave the last tweet the other person said. Fav-stars for everyone! However, if you want to signal-boost a friend’s blog post, article, or thought, a retweet will provide them much more exposure.

star

Well, maybe not THIS much exposure

 

Hashtags are great, right? We #should #hastag #EVERYTHING, #right?

Nope. That’s annoying. It also looks spammy, and it’s hard to read. Use hashtags like a seasoning. Put the hashtag at the end of the tweet. However, if you want to discuss a commonly hastagged item, then it’s totally fine. For example, there’s no sense writing “I’m so excited about Pitch Wars. #pitchwars”  Just use, “I’m so excited about #pitchwars.”

Try to avoid using too many hashtags in your bio, too. It’s harder to read, but a few targeted ones can make you more discoverable to new followers.

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Twitter is an amazing place because you can read the tweets of anyone; famous authors, celebrities, your sister-in-law’s cousin’s next-door-neighbor… but use some common sense. Don’t be that person answering every single tweet from a big-name author, or creep out an average person by favoriting every single tweet they post. Ask youself: Does this person follow me? Do they answer and favorite my tweets? Will this be the first or second time I’ve interacted with them today? If the answer is “No” to at least one of these, slow down. If the answer is no to all of them, then definitely don’t do it.

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Provide content on Twitter. It’s not just a place for emotional rants, sub-tweets(when you try to call someone out without actually calling them out) and retweeting all the time. Interact with people. Make friends. Share pictures of your city, gifs of your fav shows, funny thoughts.  Don’t share photos of other people, or kids though. Remember. Twitter isn’t like Facebook. It’s very, very not private.  Anything you share, rude, funny, embarrassing, whatever, may become viral.

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Twitter also isn’t a marketplace. Constantly tweeting links asking people to buy your books, your art, your collection of bannana peels won’t result in many sales, and in fact, a lot of people will mute or block you. Aim for one sales-based tweet a week or so, more if you’re gearing up for a launch, but never more than three times a day.

Don’t schedule the same sales tweet to show up multiple times. That might work for commercials, but it doesn’t work for Twitter. Likewise, don’t constantly retweet other people’s sales tweets. DO NOT ever auto-dm people. Most Twitter users will auto-unfollow someone who does this. It’s annoying, rude, and makes it seem like you’re only on Twitter to sell things.

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Not the right attitude for Twitter

Finally, be nice to people. There’s a real live person behind every twitter account (except for the spam accounts.) Try to treat them like real people. Don’t jump on a tweet and try and turn it into an argument. Don’t pester people begging for a retweet or to be noticed. Don’t send creepy DMs.

Be kind.

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And if you got through this whole lecture, and want to be my Twitter friend, find me at @writer_carrie (link here)

Idea searching

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Creating art is such an impossible thing to describe. How does one explain the genesis of the fantastic world she’s painting, or the witty characters she’s chronicling the adventures of?  Where do our ideas come from?

And, perhaps more importantly, where do we go to find them again when they’ve fluttered away?

For me, the first priority is always music. Although I’m distracted by coffee shop chatter, I’m never annoyed by music. In fact, sometimes a song hints at a new story for me and I’ll listen to it on repeat for an hour as the idea bubbles to the surface. I have playlists for all my characters.

But, some days, even music can’t shake my creativity awake. In that case, I’ll go for a run, exercising my physical muscles in the hopes that my mental muscles will soon respond.

If that fails, then I curl up with a mug of tea and some knitting, totally admitting defeat in the quest for words for the day. But that doesn’t happen too often. Plus, within an hour of some caffeine and some mindless knitting, my brain is almost always ready to go with new ideas.

Other writers I know have certain teas they always drink when they’re writing, or a candle they light before they sit down to type. Some swear by browsing Pinterest for a while, letting ideas percolate. The ancient Greeks used to summon a muse with words, incantations and rituals. A famous author I follow on Twitter once admitted to trying to tell the story to his dog, verbalizing the plot points as they happened.

I don’t think there’s a wrong way to find new ideas. Every new way might promote new ideas!

Fears and Self-doubting in the Creative World

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Hi all!

Short blog post is short, but will be leading into a longer one. If you read this blog, you’re probably a creative person. Or my mom. (hi, Mom!) and if you’re a creative person, you’ve probably felt doubts. Fears. The ever lurking shadows of failure.

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The rejections and bad feedback that makes you feel awful. The people who look at your art and say “I don’t get it.” The review of your band that calls it worse than drunks at karaoke. You know, the non-fun part of being creative.

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But those insidious whispers are WRONG. You are talented. You are amazing. You make good art and you make the world a better place. Everyone is cheering you on, and the world is waiting to meet you. There are so many good things ahead in your creative journey. Keep going. You can do it!

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Here’s the thing. We all get those feels. And I’d like to think, just maybe, if we talk through them, together but anonymously, maybe we can get some things off our minds, and go back to making beautiful art.

To me, Rumple is beautiful art. Disagree, fine.

To me, Rumple is beautiful art. Disagree, fine.

So, on my tumblr, http://writercarrieann.tumblr.com/ask I’ve opened up to anonymous asks. I’ll leave it that way for about a week, and in that time, share your fears, your doubts, your moments of “OMG, I’m a fraud,” your cat’s name, your belief that Rumple/Belle is the best thing ever… okay. Maybe not the last two. But please, share your fears-no matter where you are, published, just starting out, a dancer or a knitter. I bet someone else is feeling the same one. All the fears will be condensed into one post, so you will be totally, totally anonymous.

Unless your fear is that Belle will never forgive Rumple. Then everyone will know that one’s me.

You’re not alone, and in a follow up post, I’ll try and address these fears. We are stronger together, and even stronger when we talk.

Business of Art Interview: K. Kazul Wolf

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So, it’s time for another Business of Art interview, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to introduce K. Kazul Wolf, a writer as well as a professional chef! Her creativity amazes me and her story prompts are a great way to beat writer’s block. They are posted every week on her Tumblr.

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 Hi! Tell me a bit about yourself?

Hallo! My penname may be K. Kazul Wolf, but most people call me Bacon. My day job is a chef-who-turned-baker at a four diamond restaurant in the Finger Lakes of New York, and then I come home to my crazy house of two dogs, too many cats, and chickens who also think they’re cats. Otherwise, I’m a fantasy author that talks too much about dragons.

How long have you been writing? What do you love about writing?

I’ve only been writing for about five years, give or take. I was kind of a late bloomer with both reading and writing — I couldn’t care less about reading until I picked up either Harry Potter or The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (it’s the chicken and the egg, I have no idea which really came first) when I was ten, and couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do with my love of creating worlds until I was eighteen.
As to what I love about writing: I love creating. There’s nothing I love more than to weave any medium into something beautiful, or emotional — something that makes you feel. Writing is perfect for that.

I loved the Narnia books too! What other books are among your favorite?

Ohhhh, that’s such a hard question! My top to go-tos, though, are: Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, and The Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy by Laini Taylor. No one can ever beat Diana Wynne Jones’s world-building and plot complexity, and Laini Taylor is absolutely beautiful in her prose.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever heard?

This is going to sound lame, but simply: write. Yeah, we all have moments of doubt, but those insecurities you feel are felt by every single author out there. If you don’t push through them and get the stupid words out, you won’t have written, and you won’t be a writer. So, yeah. WRITE.

I couldn’t agree more! Doubt sneaks into every writer’s brain. Tell me a bit about the projects you’re working on now.

Well, I’m coming to an end to my year-long project, where I take prompts every week and write a short story involving all of them (more about this over here). And as for my WIP novel, I conveniently have a rough query:

Emma wakes up to a man with black eyes and razor-pointed teeth hovering over her, in a strange house, an even stranger land. She can’t even try to run; the town she’s in is surrounded by a ward that keeps out a seething darkness of eaters — formless remains of people who have lost their souls, and will do anything to get another. But even that doesn’t compare to the fact that she can’t even remember who she was before she woke up.

The monster-man, Bob, and the owner of the house, a Magician named Morgan, seem nice enough, though the sink like a bottomless pit, an oven that likes to shoot its racks at unsuspecting victims are a little hard to swallow. There’s no solace outside — the townsfolk blame her for the infestation of monsters, and it’s only Morgan and Bob keeping her safe. Emma can’t understand what motivates them to help her, what’s in it for them and what they want from her. The truth is a tricky thing when you can barely remember your own name.

That query sounds intense! Can’t wait to read the story! You mentioned you’re a professional chef, which is awesome! Do you find your culinary expertise influencing your writing?

Yes! You have no idea how much I annoy my friends with cooking metaphors. For awhile I stayed away from food in my own writing, but looking back, I don’t know why. Who doesn’t love food? On the level of similarities between the two, there’s actually a lot, especially with baking. It takes patience, precision and practice. You’re not going to start off icing wedding cakes like a pro, or cooking tenderloins to a perfect medium-rare, or  cutting perfect tourne (those are evil). And there’s always more to learn, and always different ways to perfect your style and taste.

One of the features of my blog is “the business of art” In your life, have you encountered any challenges or confusion relating to business matters and your art?

Oh gosh, yes. As a writer, I could complain about having to be a small business and brand onto myself until I’m blue in the face, but I that’s something other people can cover way better then me. As a chef, it’s a little different. Just like the literary industry, it’s very unique, and it can be hard to break into the fine dining side of things. Especially as a woman. I actually had training and classes on a very nice culinary resume before applying to culinary jobs. Even with all that, one of my first interviews the man kept asking me, “But you’re so pretty, don’t you want to be a waitress?” I wouldn’t have accepted the job, even if it was offered. And as a vast contrast to querying vs. job applications, this was personal. It wasn’t that I wasn’t a right match, it was that I was a girl.
That being said, I got my first fine dining job at a great restaurant on the second day of a stage (unpaid internship), when the head chef came up and asked if I wanted a be hired as a garde manger. Being the quiet introvert on top of being a girl, it’s a hard place to be taken seriously even if I have all the skills. It’s sad that there’s still so much sexism in the culinary field (oh the irony with all the kitchen jokes), but that doesn’t mean it should stop you from trying to do what you want to do.
Thank you so much for a great interview (and for making me hungry. Mmm cake.)

If you’d like to find out more about K. Kazul, here are her homes on the ‘net.