 1) Tell us about your book Werewolves of Eden: Wild Things is actually the first book I released and I recently had the cover updated. I plan on putting out the second book early next year. It follows Cheyenne, the daughter of a werewolf hunter who wants to follow in his footsteps. When a classmate is attacked and turned, she discovers a plot by the wolves to make an army of werewolves. 2) What themes does your book explore? The main character is trying to stand on her own two feet, to prove herself as a hunter, but her father looks at her differently from her brother. For her classmate, there are some very literal changes happening for him and he has to decide which side he is on. 3) Tell us something unusual about your main character? I'm not sure if it's unusual, but as the book progresses, she realizes that things are not as black and white as she has been told. There is more to it. She has sympathy for her classmate and because of that, she tries to do things differently from her father. 4) Is this a standalone book or a series? It is a series. I have about half of book 2 written, and I have for a while. I got caught up with another series and it fell by the wayside, but I will be working to get it completed. 5) What is next for you? I am working on a set called Magic Discovered and finishing the final book in my Tempest Knox series. I can't write very quickly, but I'm getting there!  Kat Gracey writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance novels featuring her two favorite supernatural beings - witches and werewolves.
She currently resides in the UK, where she enjoys yoga and catching up on her favorite shows. You can learn more about her books via her website:
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 After dicussing the SAG-AFTRA issue previously, I wanted to take the time to discuss the myths around income and earnings when it comes to authors and service providers such as cover designers and editors.
Let's start with authors. It is very easy to think that anyone who has books up for sale is making a lot of money. There are many famous writers out there such as Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, she who I refuse to name after her abhorrent behaviour and others who have made a name for themselves and had their books made into movies and TV shows. Unfortunately, that kind of fame is not easy to come by. Most indie authors are not making enough money to pay their bills. That is a simple truth. Those that are, would probably make more working a coventional job, or they need to keep their job in order to survive. Writing is not an easy job, there are no guarantees and you are self employed. On top of that, you have to pay for editors, cover designers, advertising, which leaves a lot of authors in the red when they start out and it can take years to climb out of that hole. Are there indie authors out there making six figures a year? Absolutely. But again, most authors don't see a penny of profit for a very long time. We write because we love it. Even traditional writers who get deals with top publishers are not making all that much. I believe the average amount a typical traditionally published author can hope to make during their book's run is around $5000. That's it. Hardly fame and fortune. Yes, they might get lucky and it could get optioned for a movie, but again, this is rare. When an author releases a book, they depend on sales to pay for future books and covers. That means that if they release book 1 in a series and a reader decides to wait until the full series is out to read it, then there is a possibility it will never be released in full because the sales aren't there. We live in a society where we get everything instantly now. You can download a book in seconds, you can stream an entire season of a TV show in one day, but they are relatively new things. We did once live in a world where you had to wait a year or more for the next book, or week to week for a TV show. Is there anything wrong with waiting? It builds tension, excitement and it is something to look forward to. Perhaps you disagree, I was one of those people who had no trouble waiting until Christmas Day to open presents, purely because that's when it was the most special. So if you like an author or think a book sounds interesting but it is the beginning of a series, please buy the book. It will be just as enjoyable to read even if you have to wait a little while for it. Cover designers have been suffering too lately, especially with the introduction of AI. It is now easy for people to create images using AI that they go on to add to their books. The problem is they are using stolen, copyrighted art and if and when the law changes, they could get in a lot of trouble for using them, possibly even sued by the original creators. Cover designers spend years perfecting their craft and many hours on creating designs to sell. You may think they are expensive and yes, it can be difficult to source a few hundred dollars for a cover with everything going on right now, but you are paying for the skill, the training and the time spent on it. The image you choose could increase your sales and work toward improving your author brand. Many cover designers rely solely on the income from selling covers. If you consider how many hours goes into making a cover and then how many sell, you will soon see that they are barely making a living. If for example they sell premade covers at $200 and they are able to make three covers a week given the time that goes into it. That's twelve covers for the month. If they sold them all, that is $2400. According to Google the average monthly salary in the US is over $6000. Still think they are making a lot of money? Of course that is only if they sell every cover, which rarely happens. They are relying on customers needing that particular type of cover at that time. They might sell half of the covers for the month. A mere $1200. Add to that the number of people who are turning to AI and you can see why they are scared of losing their livelihood. Likewise with editors. They spend hours and hours going through every line of a book and they are dependent on authors needing an editor at that time. An good editor is invaluable. They can't be replaced by programs that make frequent mistakes because they don't understand things like slang or dialogue. We are all struggling with the cost of living crisis, but it is important to remember that small business owners are not our enemies. Greedy corporations are. They would happily replace as many people on the planet with AI as possible, if it meant paying less money. Hoarding that wealth. For what? If there are no jobs, there's no money, no one is buying anything, the entire system collapses and they are sitting on a pile of worthless cash. At least that's how I look at it. So please consider using small businesses, local vendors and buying books from authors that you think you would enjoy when you can. We should all be supporting each other. At the very least, we should not be tearing each other down and making assumptions about income that can be damaging to those businesses.  1) Tell us about your book It’s Dragon Wrath, book 1 in the Other Series. I know I should not say this, but come on. This book is one of the favorites that I wrote. There’s just something about the people in it, so much passion and feelings and hardship, I can’t help but loving them. And of course, I have a major crush on every male in there. 2)What themes does your book explore? Mainly justice. Shifters are kept as second-class citizens, are forbitten to go to school after 12 grade, marry a Pure (non-shifter), can’t own property. They can’t be imprisoned for only existing, but they can’t achieve much either. So, it’s about them, starting to fight to access that, and being able to build the life they want, not only the crumbles of what they allow them to get. 3) Tell us something unusual about your main character? Ronan is a dragon, so there’s that for unusual. He’s also a very high-end civil right lawyer. He couldn’t have gone to college, let alone passing the bar. He managed to get where he is by hiding, which means a steely self-control, a good dose of paranoia, and more than a dash of denying his needs as an Other. Of course his carefully built world crushes down, but you have to read the story to know the details. 4) Is this a standalone book or a series? It’s a series. The prequel of it, Swan Fury, is about the couple that started this revolution and it’s available only if you sign up to my newsletter. 5) What is next for you? I just started the first book of a contemporary suspense Series, Heartstrings and Shadow, that follows the lives and tribulations of a country band. Then I have the Angels novella that will start another series of Archangels or angels (I haven’t decided yet) but I want MC, leather, and tattoos, and I’m absolutely excited for that. I’ll stop here because I have plans all the way to 2026 and I feel like it would be too much.  About The Author
Viv writes contemporary suspense as MacKade, and paranormal and fantasy romance as V.V. Strange. She was born in the Italian countryside in the Langhe region, where the wine is good and Nutella flows, carried by her family's hazelnut farm. She got out of Law School alive and with an MD in comparative law. Never a lawyer, she will always be a scholar of the law. She and her husband moved to Norwich, UK, after University. She would spend 6 amazing years there, and it’s where she started dreaming of writing stories for a living. Florida is when things started getting serious. Kids, a house, and books started to add, and she made it to Amazon's 100 paid books list twice. In her words, “I write contemporary suspense because I love the adventure, the danger, the mystery of it, and I love to see the leading couple getting out of trouble (that I put them into. Sorry, not sorry). And I write paranormal/fantasy because I love the possibilities. Also, writing new worlds is a fantastic thing to do. Besides all that, I write because I need it.” So, why would you read whatever she writes? Because her female leads are never stupid. Might be confused or scared, but never stupid, never needy. And her male leads are good guys. Might be broken and lost, maybe even rude, but they are good.  Unless you have been living under a rock, you have no doubt heard about the SAG-AFTRA strike, but what is it all about?
Currently members of the Writer's Guild of America are on strike for being underpaid by major production companies that are pulling in millions every year thanks to their hard work. They attempted to negotiate for better pay but when a deal couldn't be met, they went on strike. They were later joined by the Screen Actors Guild in a show of support and to try and negotiate for residual payments from streaming sites. During this time, actors and writers will not work or cross the picket lines to promote any current movies as a show of solidarity. Another major issue they are fighting against is the use of AI in both writing and when it comes to background actors. The people in charge of the production companies want to replace writers with AI and use AI software to capture the image of an actor that they can then use forever, while the actor only recieves a one off payment of just a few hundred dollars. Many actors get their start in the industry as background actors, so this will push them out of the industry. Despite public opinion, most writers and a lot of actors do not receive millions for their work. While there are A listers who may get paid more, that is not consistent with every movie, and their co-stars are paid much less. For example, in 1994, Jim Carrey was an A list actor and he received $7 million dollars for his role in Dumb & Dumber. His co-star Jeff Daniels received only $50,000. They are both the stars of the film and it would be impossible to make the film without both of them, yet the studios clearly view things differently. Admittedly, $50,000 might be more than some of us see in a year, but when you consider that they are relying on a movie being popular to get more work, which they can't know in advance, and the time between filming and the movie coming out, which can be years at times, then that $50,000 probably won't last very long. Regardless if you think actors are overpaid or not, they have done the work and they deserve to be compensated. How many of them have starred in your favorite shows or movies? Writers recieve much less for their work and are seriously undervalued. Many are not hitting the threshold to receive health insurance. So until an agreement is reached, they will continue to strike and shows and movies will be delayed. When you consider that the money they are asking for is less than 1% of the studio's profit, you can see how greed is driving the studio execs' decision. Hopefully, a fair agreement can be made and they can return to work soon.  1) Tell us about your book My book, Elfhame Academy, is about an elf slayer named Cassie who attends the supernatural university and she’s trying to figure out who is behind a string of recent murders on the Academy’s island. As well as figuring out her forbidden relationship with her magus (who is like a watcher). Think Buffy but with elves. 2) What themes does your book explore? My book explores the themes of forbidden romance and trying to find your place in the world. 3) Tell us something unusual about your main character? She has a baby dragon as a sidekick who likes stealing steaks and diamonds. 4) Is this a standalone book or a series? She has a baby dragon as a sidekick who likes stealing steaks and diamonds. 5) What is next for you? I’m going to be writing book 3 of the Elfhame Academy trilogy and then wove got a couple of epic fantasy series that I want to finish and one that I want to start writing.  Tiffany Shand is a writing mentor, professionally trained copy editor and copy writer who has been writing stories for as long as she can remember. Born in East Anglia, Tiffany still lives in the area, constantly guarding her work space from the two cats which she shares her home with.
She began using her pets as a writing inspiration when she was a child, before moving on to write her first novel after successful completion of a creative writing course. Nowadays, Tiffany writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance, as well as nonfiction books for other writers, all available through Amazon and on her own website. Tiffany’s favourite quote is ‘writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go’ and it is armed with this that she hopes to be able to help, inspire and mentor many more aspiring authors. When she has time to unwind, Tiffany enjoys photography, reading and watching endless box sets. She also loves to get out and visit the vast number of castles and historic houses that England has to offer. You can contact Tiffany Shand, or just see what she is writing about at:  I have always been a reader even at a young age. My first love has always been horror, as I devoured the Goosebumps and Point Horror books. When I finished those I moved on to Stephen King. King has a way of sucking you into his books and I was hooked. I love characters who are real, warts and all. They make mistakes, they choose the wrong path, but they are relatable. While I may have read King much too young, it made me a lifelong fan. I love the scope of his books and the fact that he has created his own shared world.
Horror may be my first love, but I do read many different genres. I am a huge fan of Meg Cabot. I love her dialogue and the way it flows. In the early 2000s, I discovered Kelley Armstrong and fell in love with urban fantasy. It felt like I had finally found my genre, a world that blended horror and the real world together. The idea that supernatural beings could exist and live alongside humans without them knowing is a fun idea that can be written in so many different ways. These authors will always be an inspiration to me and while I will never be as good as they are, I think we have a lot to learn from the experts. Read extensively in your genre and you will soon see trends, ideas, and tropes that flow through all of them. You don't need to reinvent the wheel, simply make the work your own, while appealing to an audience eager for more. Happy writing!    As a writer, I tend to plan a year ahead at a time but I have enough covers available to write books up to 2028 and beyond! So I thought I would share with you a few of the stories I have planned. You can see the amazing covers above.
Under His Spell - This will be my first monster romance book. I bought this cover for a set, but it did not run so I decided to release it on its own at a later date. Under His Spell will feature a woman who lives with her boring fiance. She yearns for excitement and she gets it when a strange creature appears in her living room one night. But not everything is as it seems... Eternally Bound - This will be the first book in a Sleepy Hollow retelling. It will follow both characters from the past and their current-day descendants as they try to figure out the legend of the Headless Horseman and what he wants with their town. Falling Into Madness - This will be my Alice in Wonderland modern-day retelling. The main character finds herself with amnesia and as she pieces together the clues, she discovers that she spent time in a strange casino run by a woman in red. I am excited to bring these stories to you and I hope to get them started in 2024. Until then you can check out my current books via my website.  If you are a subscriber to our newsletter, you are entitled to a 10% discount on all editing. Our way of thanking you for supporting us. Our newsletter is sent out on the 1st of the month and you can unsubscribe at any time. We include offers, promotions, author opportunities and book recommendations. Plus the chance to win a gift card each month. What are you waiting for?
 1) Tell us about your book
I’d love to tell you more about my book, DEVIANTS AND DECADENTS, which is releasing in October of this year. This is a private collection of my short stories with a high focus on fantastical creatures and some psychological thriller peppered in. It will also feature some of my poetry and short stories from authors Jae Mazer, Dicey Grenor, and Megan Stockton. I always love to feature authors whose writing I love, and celebrate their works whenever I can. It has been awhile since my last release, THE UNFLESHED: TALE OF THE AUTOPSIC BRIDE due to my workload with the pub house and magazine (retired) and one day I realised, what I missed most besides helping other people was creating my own worlds and characters. I’m excited to be back in the groove, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it. 2) Tell us something unusual about your main character The main character in each story is a facet of my own personal demons. I won’t say what they are because it’s more fun to let people assume and interpret it their own way. It could be psychological, emotional, physical, or all of the above. The goal is to create characters my readers can make a connection with and therefore with me. 3) What’s next for you? In March, I will be releasing an anthology I curated called VIXENS OF HORROR: VINTAGE EDITION which pays tribute to women, and those who identify as women, who have had their voices stolen but find vindication through whatever means necessary. These are strong feminine characters who take care of things in their own way. This anthology will be announcing added authors as we go. For next year, I will also have two more works releasing: THE UNHOWLING, and JARS. One is a story about werewolves, and the latter is a coming-of-age story about strange worms turning up everywhere in a small town. I’ve been working on them both for some time. Getting them published will be a huge accomplishment for me. 4) What genres do you write in and why? I stick to dark fiction and bounce around between dark sci-fi, supernatural horror, and grimdark. I love diving into the human condition, exploring why people act the way they do under different scenarios, how those scenarios alter our everyday norm, and the juxtaposition of terror vs. beauty. 5) Describe your writing style I write in 3rd person. I know some people hate it. It’s interesting because readers who aren’t used to it call it “head hopping” but to be honest it’s almost impossible to head hop in that point of view. Most of that occurs in 1st person. Sorry! Publisher hat came on. I enjoy 3rd person because it allows me to give the reader a panoramic view of the experience I’m pulling them into. I want them to see, hear, taste, and smell all the details. In doing so, the stories stick with them long after they finish reading. I tend to lean very dark, preferring to torment my characters and forgo happy endings because most of the time in life, we don’t get those. Finding hope against all odds is harder to do and gives my characters a more relatable depth. 6) What inspires you to write? I have so many personalities in my head. They talk all the time, tell me details of their lives and what they have been through. My mind is a literal support group for different characters and creatures of all kinds. I may have a female assassin sitting next to a misogynist were-octopus (I just made that up) across from a starving vampire, and all of them are wanting to be heard. They’ve woken me up from a sound sleep to jot down notes and details of stories they demand to be told. So yeah, if I don’t write? I will go insane. 7) Tell us something unusual about you Have you not been listening (reading)? ;D  As an urban fantasy writer, magic is of course a big part of my books. I love writing stories about witches in particular and it is always fun to think of cool powers to give them. I have found though that when writing urban fantasy, magic needs to be believable. What do I mean by that? You need to be aware of the scope of that power and how it works. If the protagonist has a power that can wipe out an entire army with a wave of her hand, then it's not going to be believable if she can't take down a handful of bad guys because it suits the story.
Every power must have limitations. Whether that is what can be achieved with the power or the effect it has on the user. It could drain them or make them weak when they use it too much. It must be consistent. Magic cannot be a get-out-of-jail-free card one minute and fail to work the next, not without good reason. How many times have you watched a TV show and thought why didn't the character just use their power to stop the bad guy? Take Charmed as an example - there are plenty of times when Piper could have frozen time to help the situation. Or Prue could have moved an object away before the bad guy grabbed it. You could simply say it was hesitation or they didn't react quickly enough, but often times it seems to be done to give the bad guy the edge, only for them to return later to be vanquished. There is a danger in making your character too powerful. It may be fun to make them the most powerful witch/being/magic user of all time, but what happens when they go up against the bad guy? The stakes aren't exactly high when you know the protagonist can defeat them with ease. Many storytellers resort to taking the protagonists' powers away temporarily. Or they are forced to create more powerful villains in each book for them to go up against. You can see in shows like Supernatural how this gets more and more crazy with time and they didn't even have magic on their side! Plan your books out in advance, consider the magic used and how it will work against your villains. Some of the best ways of using magic is to have the MC come into their powers at the beginning of the story, which means they are not entirely in control of them until later in the series. You could make their magic unpredictable, where it doesn't work the way they want it to. Or you could make it so their power grows the more they use it. Magic is a great addition to a story. Make it fun, make it believable, and always know your limits. |
 
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About the Author:S. K. Gregory is an author, editor and blogger. She currently resides in Northern Ireland. “Description begins in the writer’s imagination, but should finish in the reader’s.” 
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