Get to Know the Authors of Phoenix Comic Fest Booth #696

Hey everyone!  This Memorial Day weekend I'll be hanging out with some of my favorite people at Phoenix Comic Fest - fellow authors Jacob Devlin and Katie Salidas!  Before the event, I thought you might like to learn a little bit about these amazing authors, so I asked them five questions to help us all get to know them a little better ;) ...

DON'T FORGET TO VISIT US AT BOOTH #696 AT PHOENIX COMIC FEST!

MEET JACOB DEVLIN

When Jacob Devlin was four years old, he would lounge around in Batman pajamas and make semi-autobiographical picture books about an adventurous python named Jake the Snake. He is the author of THE CARVER and its two sequels, THE UNSEEN and THE HUMMINGBIRD. When not reading or writing, Jacob loves geeking out at comic book conventions, spoiling his niece, and blasting Italian rock music in his car. He does most of these things in southern Arizona.

1) Where are you from?

I've lived in Southern Arizona most of my life, but spent a few wonderful years in Virginia and consider it like a second home as well.

2) What do you write?

Most of my work (and everything I've published thus far) is MG/YA adventure fantasy. Usually my writing bends a fairy tale or legend somehow, and there's always a strong emphasis on familial love.

3) What are you working on right now?

I'm revising a middle grade adventure fantasy about two siblings who have to hunt down a dragon to rescue their uncle, a famous survivalist who knows everything about bears and nothing about leathery winged beasts.

4) Why do you write?

My mom used to read to me when I was in the hospital with Lymphoma as a

6-year-old, and every book was an escape. It still is for me. Reading, writing, creating opens up spaces for people of any age and any background to grow, heal, or dream.

5) Tell us some of your favorite things ...

Food. Especially brinner. I swear I eat breakfast for dinner more than I eat breakfast for breakfast.

Going to the movies! Especially if it's a new MCU movie.

Traveling and seeing new things.

Music.

FOLLOW JACOB ONLINE

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/jacob_devlin/

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/jacob_devlin

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/authorjakedevlin/?ref=bookmarks

Website:​
https://authorjakedevlin.com/

MEET KATIE SALIDAS

Katie Salidas is a best-selling author known for her unique genre-blending style that led the award-winning Paranormal Dystopian Thriller: Dissension.

Host of the Indie YouTube Talk show, Spilling Ink, nerd, Doctor Who fangirl, Las Vegas Native, and SuperMom to three awesome kids, Katie gives new meaning to the term sleep-deprived.

Since 2010 she’s penned four bestselling book series: the Immortalis, Olde Town Pack, Little Werewolf, and the RONE award-winning Chronicles of the Uprising. And as her not-so-secret alter ego, Rozlyn Sparks, she is a USA Today bestselling author of romance with a naughty side.

1.) Where are you from?

Las Vegas

2.) What do you write?

Paranormal & Urban Fantasy

3.) What are you working on right now?

Super Secret project that will be revealed at Phoenix Comic Fest….

4.) Why do you write?

Because I have to tell a story.

5.) Tell us some of your favorite things ...

Raindrops on roses

And whiskers on kittens

Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens

Brown paper packages tied up with strings

These are a few of my favorite things…..

FOLLOW KATIE ONLINE

Website:

http://www.katiesalidas.com 

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Katie-Salidas-Author/214780936916

Twitter:

http://twitter.com/QuixoticKatie

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Katie-Salidas/e/B003APXXWO

LIVING LIFE AUTHORLY

No. 2

Hello Readers!  Here is the second edition of my Living Life Authorly reflection.  In this piece, I talk a little bit about being a fledgling author and my own process when it comes to writing my books and novels.  I hope you can find something encouraging (and useful) from my words below, whether you are new to this whole writing thing or just looking for a fresh take on something familiar.  As always, happy reading and writing!

- J.E. Johnson

The First Novel is the Hardest . . . 

In late summer, early fall of 2005 I officially embarked upon my writing career.  I was eager, passionate and determined to get my story out and to make it the best I could.  I also had no idea what I was getting into.  For four years, I worked diligently on The Legend of Oescienne.  I made revisions, I changed out words, I built up the world and I sent out query letters.  At some point in time someone informed me the book was too long, so I cut off a large chunk at the end (that would later become the first chapters of The Beginning - Book Two), and kept on revising and revising and revising . . .

What is the point of telling you all of this?  Am I trying to discourage you (Honestly, who am I to discourage anyone from following their dreams)?  Boast about my unfaltering dedication (Ha!  If only you knew how many times I just wanted to throw it all aside and save myself the heartache)?  Inform you that writing a book takes a massive amount of time and effort (Which would be silly because you all know that already anyway ;))?

No.  The point of this edition of Living Life Authorly is to encourage you and let those of you who are beginning authors know that there is no perfect formula to writing your novel.  Sure, there are formulaic ways to pen a novel that will be absorbed by your audience, but that's not what I'm trying to do here, either.  I simply want to point out that if you are working on your first novel, and you find yourself struggling or taking FOREVER to finish it, do not despair - we all go through that first novel workout.

So, here is some advice to help you wake up the next morning, or week, or year after beginning your new writing regiment without a sore brain . . .

1.)  There are no rules to writing a book.  No, seriously, there aren't.  There are rules of grammar and the English language you learn in school (and that knowledge base is really important and comes in handy), but the beauty of novel writing is that it is CREATIVE writing.  You don't have to pen a perfect sentence and you can even bend those grammar rules I mentioned above.  Write what feels right to you and take the criticism with a grain of salt.

2.) There is no hurry.  Yes, we all want to get that book done and into the hands of our readers and oftentimes by the time we are close to the end, we are sick of it and just want to be done.  That's normal for many writers, but don't let it loose into the world before it's ready.  Set it aside and work on something else.  Take a break and go on a reading binge.  I can usually tell when a story is ready.  I can't really describe it, but it is just my author's intuition letting me know that yes, this book is ready for the world.  Sometimes, when I think a book is ready, that same sixth sense digs at me like a splinter, refusing to leave me alone.  Then the next day, or the next week, a plot twist or some missing information I didn't realize was missing will work its way into the story and make it better than it was.  Listen to your intuition and trust your gut.

3.) You don't have to write your story in chronological order.  I don't, and that is not how the story comes to me.  My Muse often sends me scenes of a story that are out of order.  What I do and what I have done from the beginning is write down each scene or plot twist or setting description as it comes to me, then I fill in the gaps later on.  Think of it like putting together a jigsaw puzzle - piece by piece, sometimes filling out the edges and then finishing up the middle - a sporadic process but effective nonetheless.  If I try to write a book in chronological order, I get stuck trying to get past a plot gap and waste time doing so.  I find it more time efficient if I write the parts of my story as they come to me.  However, if you work better writing your story from beginning to end, then go for it.  My point is, everyone has their own style and method.  Don't be overwhelmed or feel like a fraud if you find other well-established authors swearing by a method that doesn't match your own.

And here we are, at the end of this edition of Living Life Authorly.  I have tried to give you sound and helpful advice this time around, but I want you all to remember it is just that - advice.  Perhaps you find what I have shared helpful, perhaps you don't.  My purpose in writing about the first novel being the most difficult to finish is to remind you that learning the art of writing through the process of writing is both challenging and important.  It would be far easier to sit down with a pro and have them walk you through the entire writing process, but if you relied 100% on a mentor, what will happen when you are ready to write your next novel?  I spent a great deal of time checking out forums and asking questions of those who were far more experienced than me, and I wouldn't discourage any of you from doing so.  What I do want to encourage you to do, however, is to embrace this first struggle and to learn from it.  When you take the time to hone your craft, it becomes something special and it will help you find your own unique voice as a writer.  Never give up on that end goal: a complete novel, and don't rely too much on the experts.  Follow your instincts, take advice with a grain of salt, and most importantly, sit down and get that story out!

- Jenna