Cameron J Quinn Interview

Here’s an Interview 🙂

#Minxes

Today we are featuring an interview with awesome Cameron J Quinn, author of THE STARSBORO CHRONICLES, as well as upcoming romance, sic-fi, and thrillers.

#Minxes: What brought you to write these books {THE STARSBORO CHRONICLES}?

Quinn: I started writing a book when I was a kid and through the process ended up creating Zurik. I couldn’t wait to share his and Trent, his brother’s, stories so I created this series.

#Minxes: Why spend years of your life writing these books?

Quinn: This one, while I started it in 2011, actually only took about two weeks to write the rough draft and then a few more to get it to where it is now. I guess it’s a labor of love though. Love of the characters as well as the world you have created.

#Minxes: What are you trying to achieve with this book?

Quinn: HOW TO GET ARRESTED…

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3 Reasons Indie Authors Should Continue Following Literary Agents

My Journey to Published (not there yet)

After looking over my options and deciding to move forward as an Indie Author, I stopped following agents on twitter and stopped paying attention to anything to do with query letters. This was a mistake. Here are three major reasons why Self-publishers and Indie Authors should still pay attention to agents and query how to’s.

1. Skill

Have you ever read the description of your favorite movie on Netflix? Chances are good it sounds terrible even though you know it’s the best movie ever. It takes tremendous skill to describe a good story in a few words is difficult. Incredibly difficult and guess what? If you can write a good query letter you stand a much better chance at writing a good book blurb for your back cover or description online. It’s all about practice.

2 Agent’s know what they are talking about

I know a lot of really famous…

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Adrenaline

Quick intro on this one. When my husband got out of the Marines he talked about working for a mercenary company, about how good the pay was. We were also looking to buy a house that was really too far from my family if he were to be gone six months out of the year. As a result this fear arose. I had been studying kung fu for over a year and was pregnant with our second child when this story came to me in the form of a lucid dream while we were viewing the house. I hope it scares you as much as it scared me. 

I woke with a start. My eyes wide, my heart pounding and my breathing labored. Adrenaline pulsed through my veins.

What was it? There had been a sound. I force myself to close my eyes and focus. The sounds of the house greet me. The ice maker, the steady drip of a leaky faucet my husband was supposed to fix before he left for his current mission. The slight pitter patter of rain on the window and a rumble of thunder. I almost breathe a sigh of relief thinking it was thunder when I realize one sound I did not hear. The steady breathing of the dog. She was old and tended to wheeze with every breath.

Silently I pull back the sheet that had been covering my legs and slip out of bed. I enter the hallway through the open door and take a moment to check on each of my children. The first, nearly three years old now, is snoring soundly. I then enter my youngest’s bedroom and take a moment to note the rise and fall of his tiny chest. I count my blessings before leaving the room and closing the door.

My nerves on edge I turn to the right and head slowly down the stairs. I skip the third step from the top knowing it squeaks. Before I descend any farther I see the dark outline of the dog. I almost laugh out loud at myself making note to be sure and tell my sister about it over coffee in the morning.

I take one last look as the dog and smile. A flash of lightning illuminates the room. My smile fades. The dog has a tranquilizer dart sticking out of her shoulder. A shadow moves. I return quickly and silently to my bedroom. I throw my body pillow down on the bed and throw the sheet over it. I was about to go to the closet to retrieve the .45 caliber hand gun we keep loaded for just such occasions when I hear the stair creek. Third form the top. No time. I sink back into the shadows. I am right next to the open door way flush against the wall. The cold seeps into my uncovered skin. The summer night, so hot, I was lucky I was wearing anything at all. Even if it was just a pair or shorts and a tank. The figure entered the room as if he were a shadow. He was large. Nearly two hundred pounds on a five foot ten inch frame. He paused before the bed. He cocked his head. And pointed a gun towards what he thought was my figure. That was until another flash of lightning revealed the truth of what I had done. He ripped the sheet back to be sure. He turned around and I knew I had been found. Now I needed him to come to me. Please god let him get close enough. A tear fell, though in part on purpose to lure him closer, it was also because at that moment I pictured my husband returning from defending his country to find his family massacred. I couldn’t let that happen. It would destroy him.

As the assailant approached, I saw him pointing the gun at my babies in my mind’s eye. I took a deep breath as he placed the silencer between my breasts. That’s right get close.

He leaned in close. “How did you know I was here?” He asked. The curiosity seemed too much for him.

“I heard the dog hit the floor,” I said realizing that was what had woken me and wanting him to be distracted. It worked. I threw my hands up my right hand grabbing the pistol right at the trigger and thrusting up above my head, as my left grabbed the top making it unable to fire. I pulled back down ripping the weapon from his hands. Unfortunately he was a professional and was not stunned long enough for me to get a shot off. He punched me hard in the chin. I heard my jaw crack but was too fired up to feel much pain. I moved to aim the gun at him only to have him grab me by my hair and throw me across the room. When I hit the floor my elbow collided with it and sent the gun flying. I rolled and was nearly on my feet when his foot collided with my ribs lifting me off the floor. I used the momentum to stand and he almost looked impressed. I grabbed the wrought iron table top from the floor and hit him with it. He managed to protect his head from the blow but the glass that had made up the top of the table cut him leaving a trail of blood down his face and neck. I ran to the closet grabbed the .45 and turned on him with a vengeance.

He saw the gun and turned from the entrance of the closet. I followed but apparently not fast enough. He was gone. With out thinking I ran to hallway afraid he entered one of the boys rooms. My stomach sank as I saw the door to Lucian’s room was open. I entered the door way with the gun down. He stood over the crib looking at my baby boy.

“Make no mistake,” I whispered through clenched teeth. My jaw aching. “I will kill you if you touch him.”

“I have no doubt.” He stated turning to face me. “That’s why I wanted to kill you first.”

His words made a new bout of adrenalin surge through me. I lifted the gun. And looked into his eyes. I was about to pull the trigger when he threw a knife into my shoulder. The force of it threw me back into the hall. He ran past me down the stairs. I couldn’t let him get away. I stood and blood poured down my arm. My ribs protested and I drew strength from my pain. I stumbled down the stairs only to find the front door open and no sign of the man. I shut the door and head cautiously to the kitchen. I grab the phone and listen. No dial tone. I need to make it up stairs to my cell phone. He cold still be in the house. He could come back.

When I reach the top step the adrenalin seems to be wearing off. The pain is almost too much and I’ve lost far too much blood. I can barely keep my eyes open as I try to crawl to my bedroom. When I get there I get a bit of a second wind as I reach my cell phone and dial 911. The operator answers, no matter how hard I try to concentrate I cannot understand her. It’s as if she is speaking another language. I give my location and ask for the police and an ambulance. She asks me something but I can’t understand it. I hang up the phone and dial my sister. She sounds groggy as she answers. I tell her to come get the boys and then the darkness creeps in. I can’t fight it anymore. I hear my sister’s voice as if I am under water. I don’t know what she is saying so I respond with. “Just come.” Before my eyes close and the darkness takes me. Please God don’t let him come back.

Me, Myself, and Cameron: Why I Chose To Use A Pen Name

When I was in high school I remember some other students finding out an author had used a pen name and they all freaked out. Other than their reactions, I can’t remember any details. I have no idea what book it was they loved so much or what the pen name was. I just remember that group of students who felt as though this person had betrayed them.

So in the interest of full disclosure, I thought I might let you guys in on the fact that Cameron Quinn is a pen name, right now. I am not trying to hide from anything I really like my name especially since I am the only one, but Frosch is hard to spell and say if you are not familiar with the German language. It’s just how it is. At the end of the day, I need people to be able to spell my name, at least for the search engines. That was my biggest reason for using a pen name. The other is that little voice in the back of my head that thinks I might fail and at least my name won’t be tarnished. I know it’s silly to think that way which is why it’s designated to sitting in the back where it can mostly be ignored. 😉

My real name is Marissa Frosch but Cameron and Quinn are mine as well. Cameron is my maternal grandmother’s Clan name, Go Cameron Clan! Quinn is paternal grandmother’s maiden name. There you have it! I have two blogs under my name, Stay at Home Mom and My Journey to Published

How do you feel about pen names?

A few Tips For Camp NaNoWriMo

For those of you who do not know NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. It typically takes place in November but we loved it so much that now people hold their own events in February and June and the good folks who started it all added two months of summer camp style NaNoWriMo where you get to choose or are assigned a random cabin and as a group you try to reach your writing goals. If you are a writer, want to be an author, or are an author I highly recommend it.  🙂

This year is my first camp. I am working on THE STARSBORO CHRONICLES. I was off to a rough start but I am back on track now. I am a full-time student at Southern New Hampshire University, and the stress from classes plus easter prep seriously cramped my creativity. Fortunately I got caught up in both school and NaNoWriMo.

Here are a few tips to get started right and stay on track with your writing.

1. Plot

Weather you are a pantser or a planner you can plot. The difference being a pantser might not actually write any of this plotting down. I take a bit of a hybrid approach. I write down small things. Key events and things like that but then I let the story go where it wants. If it seems that the story took a wrong turn and is heading nowhere fast I take a look at my notes and reel her back in. When I am in my planning process I literally plan all day. I think about the story write scenes in my head and come up with character sketches weather I have a pen and paper or not. The best stories have a tendency to look nothing like my original written plot points but they are a good thing to have just in case. I have been eighty thousand words in before and realized I had to scrap it all because I did not plan enough.

2. Set a Time to Write

This is more science than technique. Studies have shown that when you do any creative activity at the same time every day your brain notices and starts to get those creative juices flowing without you even having to try.

I know science has taken some flack lately for published papers that turned out to be more fiction than fact but I tried this one myself and completed ten thousand words in five days. A feat I thought was impossible.

3. Get in the Forums and on Twitter

Other people are key to this. Hearing about other people’s successes pushes me forward. If they can do it I can too! But that’s not all. You can inspire others with your success as well. You can cheer each other on in a way that no one else can because you are all in the same boat, fighting the same fight no matter your genre or level of expertise.

I feel so lucky right now. I have never in my life been this creative and this productive before when I was not waist deep in Art classes. I am writing a novel for Wattpad, ARTIFICIAL, I am working on THE STARBORO CHRONICLES and I am effectively outlining other stories and flushing out characters that I have been thinking about for years.

Adventures With Wattpad: 4 Easy Ways To Use Wattpad

I am a new Author, with my first series set to start being released in January of 2016. As a result I am constantly looking for ways to showcase my writing and get my name out there.

I heard about Wattpad on and off, but never thought it was something serious authors could use. I mean how could you sell your work if you were giving away for free all the time?

So… I was wrong…

Here a few f the ways I intend to use wattpad and how other author’s are using it to help build their platform.

1. Serializing Your Work

The first set of stories I am publishing, THE STARSBORO CHRONICLES, are already serialized. They are a group of ten short stories, all around ten thousand words, that will be released one at a time over the course of ten months. Then compiled into a Novel with never before released stories. I am doing this for two reasons. One, I want to write the main characters as if it were a TV show. And two, because these are Paranormal Urban Fantasy stories which gives me the ability to create a “Freak of the Week” kind of scenario. Which is both fun and never gets dull. If you get bored you can create a new creature or a throw a new character in the mix. The possibilities are ENDLESS!

Wattpad, provides authors with an opportunity to serialize their work in this manner and my first book on Wattpad, ARTIFICIAL, will be done this way. The shorter the better in a sense. But why would a new author do this? The answer is, because you only put up one chapter or half of a chapter if you want, then the reader has to wait a week or two, depending on how often you update your story. So at the bottom of each entry add an Author’s Note stating that you will be back next week to add another piece but if they just can’t wait they can buy it. Then post the link in the Author’s Note.

You can also ask for advice if you have a plot knot or other issue. Wattpad readers are amazingly supportive and helpful.

2. Samples

If you still don’t think it’s a good idea to put your entire book on Wattpad then you can always create a sample of say the first three chapters or so. Just make sure you tell your readers it’s only a sample.

If people like the sample, just like if they were in a brick and mortar book store, they will likely purchase the book.

3. Free Books

I know, I know. How are we supposed to make any money if we are giving the work away? If you are serious about being an Indie Author, or even a Traditionally Published author, you need to write more than one book.

Once you have a few book out there you can choose one to go on Wattpad, a chapter at a time. This shows readers that you have a quality product. Every time someone purchases a book they are hoping that it fulfills a need. Weather it’s informational or simply to be entertained, if they can read an entire book from start to finish and enjoy it on Wattpad, chances are extremely good they will go looking for your published works. So don’t forget to put that link in the author’s notes!

4. Get Discovered

Weather you want to take control of your career as an Indie Author or get a juicy publishing deal with one of the Top Five, Wattpad, can help. If your writing is good and you can gain a strong following which translates to sales or give you the proof that there is a market for your work.

There are a few CONS to Wattpad

Most of the users are ages 13 to 18 which means if you write R rated content, it will be difficult for people to find your work which won’t do much for your platform. I plan to keep the “naughty” bits out of my stories on Wattpad and then put in the notes that the full version is for sale. ARTIFICIAL is very light on sex and since its futuristic most of the swears are made up so there won’t be a huge difference between the two but I just can’t post anything I wouldn’t my thirteen year old nephew to read.

Ok so there is one con, lol.

Thanks for reading! I hope this was beneficial!

Find me on Wattpad!