Richard Schiver

Tag: books

  • Fridays 5 with Kat Yares

    Fridays 5 with Kat Yares

    Continuing Fridays 5 with another author we lost too soon.

    1.) When did you first consider yourself a writer?

    A.)  I think I’ve always considered myself a writer – or at least since I could write a legible sentence. Have always written stuff, even poetry, and have earned a living from my words at times. But I didn’t consider myself an author until I had a short story accepted into a magazine and actually got paid for it.

    2.) What is the hardest part of writing?

    A.)  Putting butt in chair and just doing it. Next to that, is the absolute necessary rewriting/revision process.

    3.) How did you feel upon publication of your first completed project?

    A.)  You could have heard me whooping and hollering all the way to the next town, I think. I still have that first dollar made taped to my desktop.

    4.) In addition to writing, what else are you passionate about?

    A.)  Movie making. Can’t call it film making because no film is involved. But I love the creativeness that you can achieve looking through the lens of a camera and then putting the scenes and segments together to tell a story.

    5.) If you could ask any author, living or dead, one question, what would it be?

    A.)  I would love to converse with John Steinbeck. And if I could only ask him one question it would be, Can I borrow the characters from Grapes of Wrath to interact briefly with my characters in the story I’m working on now?

    Kat Yares has been writing fiction her entire adult life. She is an author, screenwriter and indie movie maker. Her short fiction has appeared in numerous print publications and online. She passed due to heart failure in 2015.

    Her fiction is primarily in the horror/thriller genres. Unlike many, she writes horror not to gross out or startle her readers, but to make them think. Most of her stories are mind games and deal with mans (or woman’s) inhumanity to man (or woman). She is currently working on a two book series – set 2000 years apart. Part fantasy, part thriller – the two stories that comprise The Descendants are reminiscent of both Marian Zimmer Bradley’s Mists of Avalon series and Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code.

    Her work is available on Amazon

    http://www.amazon.com/Kat-Yares/e/B002O6QCGE

    If you’re a writer working in the horror, sci-fi, or fantasy genres and would like to participate. Answer the questions above and send them to rschiver@gmail.com along with a brief bio and an author photo 200px by 200px in size Thanks.

  • Fridays 5 with Rick Hautala

    1. When did you first consider yourself a writer?

    A.  That’s a tough one because while I always had what I’d call an “artistic sensibility” (i.e. I didn’t fit very well into normal life). At first, I wanted to be a painter–an artist–an illustrator. Then I realized I could do with words what I struggled to do with paints. I think by the time my tenth novel was published, I figured I was a real writer and it wasn’t a fluke.

    2. What is the hardest part of writing?

    A.  Ideas are easy for me. And writing is a struggle, but a fun one. Revision is always fun. And editing is tedious but necessary. But the absolute hardest part of writing for me is developing the ideas once I get them. That’s where you have to fill in the blanks and piece the story together to get an outline or, at least, a clear idea of where you’re going. That is the worst and hardest. After that, it’s easier … but never easy.

    3. How did you feel upon publication of your first completed project?

    A.  I was thrilled, of course, but I was also nervous. I felt like I was an imposter. It was like standing in the middle of a shopping mall with no clothes on. I was insecure enough about my work (and still am) to not allow myself to enjoy … to savor the moment.

    4. In addition to writing, what else are you passionate about?

    A.  Reading, of course. You can’t be a writer and not read–good books, bad books, indifferent books … every kind of book to see and learn what the craft is all about. Other than reading and writing–my family and politics. My friend Tom Monteleone calls me a “leftie, liberal, tree-hugging, granola-crunching, long-haired hippie.” That works for me … and my politics reflect that.

    5. If you could ask any author, living or dead, one question, what would it be?

    A.  I’d ask Shakespeare not where he got his ideas, but how he developed them … or I’d ask Hawthorne why he seemed to be depressed all the time.

    About the author.

    Rick arrived on the horror scene in 1980 with many of his early novels published by Zebra books. He wrote and published over 90 novels and short stories from the early 1980s on. In 2011 the Horror Writers Association awarded Rick and Joe R. Lansdale the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement. Sadly, on March 21 of 2013 we lost Rick to a heart attack. For me personally he was a writer who was always willing to help those of us starting out, and though I never met him personally I counted him among my friends.

    Rick’s work is still available at Amazon, stop by and check it out by clicking on Rick’s photo on the right.

    If you write in any of the speculative fiction genres and would like to participate, answer the five questions above and send them, along with a brief author bio and an author photo no larger than 200px by 200px to rschiver@gmail.com.

  • Pre Order Shattered Peace by Megan Russ

    A Miss-Fortunate Adventures Saga (Balance of Fates Book 1)

    Coming November 1, 2025.

    Pre Order Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F7VXJDMT

    Synopsis

    Secretly nestled in the heart of the ancient forest, there is a tree that towers over all others. Within its embrace, the future generation of warriors trains for the day their nation calls upon them.

    An elven outcast with a secret to keep. A rare free human with something to prove. These two young monks have just graduated from training within the Monastery of the Leaf. With their training days behind them, it is time for them to find their place in the world.

    Have you ever wondered how the heroes began their journey? Let’s go back to the beginning. This coming of age, found-family, action-driven adventure will introduce you to these young heroes before their call to destiny. What dark horrors will they face along their journey? Find out within the pages of this Homebrew 5e-inspired story.

    About the author: I have been writing stories since I was eight years old. I won an elementary school writing competition for a story about a Horse and a Rabbit. After that I thought I could make it. Dreaming of writing a story that would one day reach the hearts of millions. I wanted to be one of the great fantasy writers like J.K. Rowling, or Christopher Paolini. I wanted to see my stories out there. Ironic since coming back to writing I have started writing in a completely different genre.

    About the Author

    I have been writing stories since I was eight years old. I won an elementary school writing competition for a story about a Horse and a Rabbit. After that I thought I could make it. Dreaming of writing a story that would one day reach the hearts of millions. I wanted to be one of the great fantasy writers like J.K. Rowling, or Christopher Paolini. I wanted to see my stories out there. Ironic since coming back to writing I have started writing in a completely different genre.

    Years of writing produced nothing worth people’s money. Rejection letter after rejection letter. The heart-break of rejection and learning that my alpha reader at the time was not even looking at my work caused me to give up writing for a few years. Dropping dead weight from my life allowed me to find my inspiration again.

    New life situation and a new hope for the future has given me back my love for story telling. Living in the haunted Nevada desert has inspired this collection of short stories. Growing up in the Mojave of southern California to settle in the Great Basin of northern Nevada, has given me a unique perspective on desert life and the amazing collection of life that surrounds me. This inspired my first short story collection focusing on more obscure desert history and features. You can read about these desert themed horror stories in Shadows of the Great Basin.

    You can find me on most social media platforms @meganrussauthor

    I am a huge supporter of other Indie Authors and would like to give a shout out to all the authors who helped me and inspired me on my fresh start. Check out their work and help support Indie Writing by reading and reviewing books.

    Zack Graham, Daniel Georgieve, Tiffany Ann, T.R. Sharrow, Heather Renee, Z. Martin, B. Williams, Andy Holberry, Kris Leigh, Meera Masen, Debbie Hyde, Licia Dawn, Ashley Bundy, Thomas Stewart

    Do you have a preorder or new releese you;d like to share. Drop me a line to rschiver@gmail.com

  • Weekly Writing Challenge

    I’ve added another 669 words to the continuing story God’s Chosen. I hope you enjoy my work as much as I enjoy writing it. I wrote this Tuesday morning, and you’re getting it raw and unedited.

    God’s Chosen (contd.)

    Derrick fell back with a cry of terror, the sudden movement coupled with Mrs. Franklin’s added weigh threw Reverend Wickes off balance. She felt like a sack of concrete and was just as graceful. They both went down in a jumbled heap and Reverend Wickes struggled to escape Mrs. Franklin’s grasp as they rolled across the ground. She scratched him across his left cheek, a jagged fingernail tearing open a flap of skin that sent a shock of pain through his body as he untangled himself and rolled away.

    He jumped back to his feet, one hand pressed over his injured cheek as blood flowed down his face. He felt the flap of skin beneath his palm and was struck by a sudden sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. Mrs. Franklin rolled back and forth on the ground, struggling to get up, yet unable to do so.

    “What’s wrong with her?” Derrick said, his question followed by the wail of an approaching siren. With squealing brakes, the ambulance arrived, and two paramedics emerged. One crossed to Mrs. Franklin still thrashing around on the ground, while the other approached Reverend Wickes.

    Reverend Wickes recognized the paramedic attending to him as the daughter of Joshua Billings who served on the board for the town of Whispering Pines. He couldn’t recall her name, of course she rarely attended church, unlike her father who was always present.

    “How’s your father?” Reverend Wickes asked her as she tended to his wound.

    She smiled in a way that tried to warn him off the subject, but he had already opened that can of worms. “He’d my dad, and that about sums it up, you’ve got a nasty wound, how did it happen?” There was genuine concern in her voice and Reverend Wickes readily opened up, explaining what brought them to this point.

    “That’s odd,” she said as he finished telling his story. “Wouldn’t they have embalmed her after her death?”

    Reverend Wickes had never considered this, and he found his gaze drifting over to where Mrs. Franklin struggled against the other paramedic. If she hadn’t been buried alive, what else could have happened? His train of thought was interrupted when the other paramedic, a young man he did not know, joined them. Jenny, the name struck him out of the blue, he’d been distracted enough to recall the name of the paramedic caring for him.

    “I don’t understand what’s going on,” he said in a near whisper. “Her respiration is elevated, but there is no pulse, nor is there a heartbeat.”

    “Can we transport her?” Jenny asked.

    “We’ll have to strap her down.”

    “Get the gurney then,” Jenny replied as she finished taping a bandage to his cheek. “I’d have your doctor look at that as soon as possible. I cleaned it up, and used a couple of butterflies to close the wound, but it might need stitches.”

    “I will, thank you, Jenny, tell your father I said hi,” Reverend Wickes said.

    “I don’t see my father that much anymore. You’re welcome and remember to have that looked at.”

    Reverend Wickes watched as Jenny and her partner strapped Mrs. Franklin to the gurney and loaded it in the back of the ambulance. After they were gone he turned to his church where most of the parishioners were gathered on the front lawn, watching the events unfold. There was no sense continuing the sermon he had hoped would end the bullying he knew was taking place in their small corner of the world. Maybe next week he’d have a better chance of instilling some respect for others. As it stood he was tired from his ordeal and only wanted to go home lie down to rest.

    “Everybody go home,” he told the parishioners, noting the happiness on some of their faces at escaping another of his boring sermons. After they left he returned to his own modest home behind the church and wearily climbed the steps to his bedroom where he promptly fell asleep.

    to be continued

    Free Book

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    Jimmy and his friends have come to the roof of their apartment building to watch the passage of the comet Omega9. Little do they know the dust from the comet contains ancient organisms that are about to turn their world upside down.

    They’re already dealing with tough times, but things get even crazier when Robert’s mom is attacked by his dad and turns into a zombie. This is only the first act in a chain of events that plunges the world into the zombie apocalypse. Forcing the boys to figure out how to survive in this new, terrifying reality.

    Trapped between the undead, and the evil living in the building, their future becomes more perilous until Robert makes a startling discovery in the basement. In the end it’s all about survival, friendship, and facing their fears as they fight to protect each other and their home.

    Sign me up!

  • Fridays 5 with William F. Nolan

    When I decided to bring back Fridays 5, I knew for the first few weeks I would share responses I received in the past from those who are no longer with us. First up is William F. Nolan, who we lost in 2021.

    1.) When did you first consider yourself a writer?

    A.)  When I sold my first story to Playboy. At that point, I knew I was a professional. That was in 1956.

    2.) What is the hardest part of writing?

    A.)  Sitting down in front of a sheet of blank paper (or a blank screen nowadays) and filling it with good words is the hardest part.

    3.) How did you feel upon publication of your first completed project?

    A.)  Seeing my name in professional print gave me a tremendous lift, and seeing my name in print still gives me much of the same feeling today.

    4.) In addition to writing, what else are you passionate about?

    A.)  I love cartooning and sports car racing, and the work of Max Brand.

    5.) If you could ask any author, living or dead, one question, what would it be?

    A.)  Bradbury said that he wanted to be buried on Mars in a Campbell soup can in the “Bradbury Abyss”. I’d ask Ray Bradbury if he found his way home to Mars.

    Website: https://williamfnolan.com/

    Wlliam F. Nolan (1928-2021) wrote mostly in the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres. Though best known for co-authoring the classic dystopian science fiction novel Logan’s Run with George Clayton Johnson, Nolan authored more than 2000 pieces (fiction, nonfiction, articles and books), and edited 26 anthologies in his 60+ year career.

    An artist, Nolan was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and worked at Hallmark Cards, Inc. and in comic books before becoming an author. In the 1950s, Nolan was an integral part of the writing ensemble known as “The Group,” which included many well-known genre writers, such as Ray Bradbury, Charles Beaumont, John Tomerlin, Richard Matheson, Johnson and others, many of whom wrote for Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone. Nolan is considered a leading expert on Dashiell Hammett, pulps such as Black Mask and Western Story, and was the world authority on the works of prolific scribe Max Brand.

    Among his many awards, he was voted a Living Legend in Dark Fantasy by the International Horror Guild in 2002. During 2006, he was bestowed the honorary title of Author Emeritus by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. In 2010, he received the Lifetime Achievement award from the Horror Writers Association.

    On a personal note I knew William only as the person on the other end of the emails he and I exchanged when I was starting to get serious about writing. Sadly I never got the chance to meet him in person. He never hesitated to respond and always had time for my sometimes stupid questions. His book How To Write Horror Fiction will always sit on my desk, within easy reach.

    If you write in the genres of horror, sci-fi, or fantasy, and would like to participate in Fridays 5 drop me a line at rschiver@gmail.com