Welcome to this week’s Blog Ring of Power guest, Anne E. Johnson. Don’t miss the rest of her interview at:
Part 1 @ Sandra – Monday, July 15
Part 2 @ Vicki – Tuesday, July 16
Part 3 @ Terri – Wednesday, July 17
Part 5 @ Emily – Friday, July 19
PART 4: ABOUT YOUR CURRENT WORK
Tell us about your new book and when it is out? Where can people purchase it? Blue Diamond Delivery is a humorous science fiction novel. It takes place in an alternative solar system (with no humans, but myriad other species) called the Raralt Planetary Circle. The main character is Webrid, who delivers things for clients in a metal pushcart. When massive quakes threaten to crack all the Raralt planets apart, Webrid gets singled out to make a very unusual delivery that is supposed to stablize everything. He calls in some very brainy friends to help, but nothing is ever as simple as it seems where Webrid is concerned.
Blue Diamond Delivery is avail able directly from the publisher http://www.candlemarkandgleam.com/, on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Anne-E.-Johnson/e/B001KME3L4 , Barnes & Noble, and elsewhere.
Is there anything new, unusual, or interesting about your book? How is it different from other books on the same subject? Readers seem to enjoy the imaginative characters in the Webrid books. I try very hard to be entertaining as well as providing a good story, and I think all the bizarre species and their distinctive, comical personalities help the entertainment value.
What was the hardest part of writing this book? As with any book, the hardest pa rt to write was the middle. I’m typical of novelists in that way: just before the halfway point in the drafting of any novel, I get this drumbeat in my head and an evil, monotonic voice says, “We have to work on THIS again? Can’t we do something new? Something fun?” It’s always a major haul to get to the two-thirds point in a novel, but then I’m usually fine.
What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why? I think my favorite chapter was a pitched battle in the middle of a desert: Webrid and his two best friends vs. the Slof-Borogin, a race of skeletal creatures who kill by injecting poisonous liquid bone marrow into their victims. I’d introduced these characters briefly in Green Light Delivery, the first Webrid book, but I was looking forward to devoting a whole chapter to them in Blue Diamond Delivery.
Did you learn anything from writing this book and what was it? The biggest lesson I learned was the power of revision. My first few drafts were lacking something, and I couldn’t quite tell what. Thankfully, when I sent it to my publisher, they responded with very specific suggestions (complaints!) as to why the story didn’t work for them. I spent about ten weeks disassembling the novel, rearranging, adding in a major character, etc. What I ended up with pleased me, pleased the publisher, and I’m sure will please the reader.
Tell us about your book’s cover – where did the design come from and what was the design process like? For both of the Webrid books, Green Light Delivery and Blue Diamond Delivery, my publisher hired graphic artist Chris Sobolowski. We wanted a retro-looking cover that harkened back to old science fiction and pulp novels. Chris did a fantastic job of coming up with the basic design in terms of color scheme, type face, and placement of the image. I was very pleased to be asked for my input on both Webrid covers, on ce there was a mock-up ready. The biggest discussion we had, for both covers, was about the expression on Webrid’s face. The shape of the eyes and the angle of the eyebrows were tweaked in many subtle ways before the correct look of consternation emerged.
Is your book in print, ebook or both? BOTH
Please let us know where can your readers stalk you:
Website: http://anneejohnson.com/
Blog: http://anneejohnson.blogspot.com/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anne-E-Johnson-Author/249053641780972
Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/890108.Anne_E_Johnson
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/AnneEJohnson
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Anne-E.-Johnson/e/B001KME3L4
Google+ https://plus.google.com/u/0/117903036647421462406/posts
And here’s a link to the blog tour list on my website home page: http://anneejohnson.com/
BLUE DIAMOND DELIVERY: Webrid is a carter. He’s also the savior of the world. Is it so much to ask that he get a break, and get to enjoy the simple things in life – like booze and babes – without being asked to drop everything and save the day? Again.
But all the planets of the Raralt Circle will crack to pieces unless Webrid can complete one simple carting job. How hard could it be to save the world? After all, he’s done it before.
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BLUE DIAMOND DELIVERY is the sequel to GREEN LIGHT DELIVERY, and gives us another look into the wisecracking, noir-tinged worlds of the Raralt Planetary Circle and the lives of Webrid, Stravin, Zatell, and an interplanetary cast of weirdoes you can’t help but love.
Candlemark & Gleam: http://www.candlemarkandgleam.com/shop/product-category/science-fiction/
BN: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blue-diamond-delivery-anne-e-johnson/1115788876?ean=9781936460489
