Gemini Rising Blog Tour: Interview w/ Jessica O'Gorek

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing author Jessica O'Gorek. She's just recently released her novel "Ethereal Fury," the first book in the Gemini Rising series.

Hello, Jessica. Please tell us a bit about yourself and what you’re currently working on or promoting.

 I am an extremely creative person who always has to be working on a project of sorts. This is my longest one. I started my book series two and a half years ago and I’m half way through book four. I have just gotten the first one, Ethereal Fury, published. I have spent, and will spend, another six months promoting it before I can even think about writing again. 

What genre is your book? Do you write in other genres as well?

 YA paranormal romance. I have written adult fiction, in fact that’s how this book started out but my thirteen year old girl wanted to be able to read it so I had to go back and edit out everything I wouldn’t want her to read. Your own children are a great guide when it comes to deciding what is age appropriate and what isn’t. 

Do you see yourself in any of your characters?

 Absolutely! I am much more like Onyx than anyone else though. Later in the series, as Violette grows out of her naivety and starts to wise up, I am similar to her as well. I think I am like all of my characters rolled into one, there is a little of each of them in me. It’s kind of scary if you think about it.

Do you have any writing rituals or interesting writing quirks?

 I like to be around nature when I write: out on the porch, in the sun, maybe by a breezy window. I feel much more creative when I’m alone too. It’s hard for me to tune everyone out and focus on the voices in my head with stuff going on around me.

What do you do to stay sane as a writer?

 I think for me I have to find ways to stay sane when I can’t write. When I write, I am at peace and feel content in my own skin. When I’m not writing, and I’m in the real world, that’s when the insanity hits.

Thanks for indulging us in a little information about you. Best of luck with your book, and the rest of the series!

About the Book: 

Title: Ethereal Fury (bk 1 Gemini Rising) by Jessica O'Gorek

Release Date:  June 4, 2013

Genre: Fantasy / Futuristic / Teen

BEWARE! THE PLANET IS WOUNDED... THE GEMINI ARE RISING AND OUR TIME ON EARTH IS LIMITED

Mother Earth, wounded by the human race and its disregard for her resources, will recruit human souls to serve Her and turn against humanity. A rising force festers; Gemini, a clan of paranormal beings will systematically possess and destroy towns, cities, and states. Amidst the chaos, a forbidden relationship between Onyx, a lead Gemini, and Violette, a human, begins. They will both find themselves in the middle of a revolutionary war that will either save, or destroy our world.

 Book Links: 

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D7I6BGY?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00D7I6BGY&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2

 Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17738490-ethereal-fury?ac=1

 What others are saying about Gemini Rising:

"Overall, Ethereal Fury (Gemini Rising #1) is an interesting read that will leave readers wanting more (in a good way). It certainly left me wanting more. I will definitely be reading the next book in the series." -- Heather Cranmer (Goodreads)

 "There is romance, there is danger, there is lots of suspense, and I can't wait for Book 2. Read it! Then you'll be hooked like me!" -- Nina (Goodreads)

  

"This was a very thoughtful and thought provoking read and I enjoyed it immensely.” -- Beth Cutwright (Amazon)

 "The pace of the book was good and kept you wondering what was going to happen next. When I reached the last page, I wished for it to keep going." -- William Perkinson (Amazon)

"Intriguing and engaging, an all-around good story." -- Sylvia Koontz

About Jessica O'Gorek:

I was born in Chesapeake, Virginia on April 19th, 1979. I was raised within the American Indian religion and was taught great respect for the earth and all its living beings. Powwows, sweat lodges, vision quests, you name it, I’ve done it. I was the weird kid who would confront kids on the playground in elementary school when they squished a bug. I would very sincerely tell them what they were doing was morally wrong and then I would pray for the bug to come back as a butterfly in its next life.

I grew up admiring my father, Barry Weinstock, as an author. When I was twelve I started hand writing novels. My first one was two thousand pages. My daughter, who is thirteen, is currently working on her first novel. I hope to continue the legacy.

author links: 

Website:  http://1geminirising.wix.com/geminirising 

Blog: http://geminirising1.blogspot.com/ 

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Jessica-OGorek/e/B00CT8A5TM/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GeminiRising1 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessica-OGorek/306913389429972

Drabble- red shirt

Just a little flash fiction from a group I'm in. Here's what came to me, in 100 words, from this picture:

Perfection. Exhausted, she’d collapsed into the welcoming arms of the verdant grass. I observed her silently, knowing that I would go undetected even when she awoke. The vixen didn’t know it, and her human mien would make her forget about it, but my vigil kept her safe. It was all she’d ever wanted, to be able to walk among them as a gorgeous beauty that inspired the bards to tears. My consciousness always transferred, and I had taught her how to become the very thing she sought. But in so doing, her memory disappeared. As a fox, I guarded her.

I could see this going somewhere...

Paranormal Romance Kindle Cheapies!

July 20-21, all of the authors listed on this image will have their books set to 99 cents! Be sure to mark it on your calendar, and visit this link for any additional authors who may be participating!

http://timflanaganauthor.wordpress.com/paranormal-romance-promo-event/

Festival of First Lines Teaser

Want to get a little preview of the beginning of "Sanguinarium", book #2 of The Ragnarok Legacy? Head over to the Wild Words facebook page and find the comment by R.A. Sears, read it over, and click the LIKE button for it! Whoever ends up with the most likes by July 4th wins! 

Like4Like

Social media. It's something that a lot of independent authors, both self published and those working with houses, tend to use for marketing nowadays. I certainly understand the appeal, especially with a free way to reach potentially millions of customers. But the way some things within social media marketing are quantified simply baffles me.

For instance: like for like events. Do I participate in these? Yes, I do. For those not in the know, these events are usually huge, having at least several hundred participants, on average. Authors tend to throw them under the guise of ultimately helping other indies promote their work. The real goal, however... The quantity of your fans. Not having more active fans who are genuinely interested and enjoy interacting with your page, but to have that # of likes simply be as high as possible. In theory, more fans means more exposure, and greater chance of someone purchasing your book.

In practice, however, the number of fans doesn't much matter. I just hit 1000 fans on my page, and I haven't even sold 10 copies of my most recent release yet. I also advertise on Twitter. I have a fairly active, engaging fanpage, but the quality of fans seems to be more important than quantity alone. So while networking with other authors is indeed fantastic, you've got to have more to it than that. I'm doing a review only blog tour soon through Nevermore PR, and if that goes well, then I might branch out into a bigger tour with interviews and whatnot.

On Independent Publishing

I know I don't write here nearly as often as I should, but having an infant around is more hand-less time than I was initially expecting. I'm about to rant about something that bothers me greatly, and that thing is why self-publishing isn't the fantastic tool it was meant to be. So prepare yourselves...

Just wanted to say that I'm glad to see that some honest reviewers are starting to hit indies on Amazon. I'm tired of seeing slapdash work that gets rave reviews from friends and family, and then more people buy it and continue to sing praises when the work isn't ready to be published. 

Even paid editors miss a spot or two in the novels of their clients. Just to prove they're still human, I make a point of hunting for the one or two typos in each Laurell K Hamilton book once it releases. Having a FEW small mistakes is acceptable, but to have the first page so full of chaff and syntax errors that it can't even be read without downing a fifth of vodka... It's not ok. Just because publishing is accessible to the masses, that doesn't mean everyone SHOULD click that "publish" button right away. So you can't afford an editor? Big deal, neither can I. But I'd like to think that my works are fairly close to typo free, and I've re-read them to the point that I expect my eyeballs to start bleeding. I comb over every piece I put up on a printed out copy with a pen. Usually at least 3 times. 

I also run a small press. While we don't have a lot of pieces yet, I know that I spend many hours poring over each and every page, because it's not just my reputation I'm protecting, but that of my authors. I want us all to look professional, and like we know our heads from our asses. I don't like that the market has become so over saturated that it seems like two things are the most important: marketing and quantity.

Don't get me wrong, I know that marketing is important. I know that the greater amount of pieces a publishing house has, the more likely they are to get noticed. But I don't think that those two things should take precedence over having a good quality manuscript in the first place. Flashy covers won't disguise the fact that your writing style is that of a 13 year old who just shot-gunned a case of Red Bull. Having 90 friends and family members write you a sappy review that gives zero critique will only get you so far. You'll say "O grammer nazis. lawl at you being jeluss." ...God, that pained me to write. Anyhow... eventually, someone of import who has the potential to raise you up out of the Indie Pool (which has become a kiddie pool full of slime and other unmentionable substances) will look at your work based on the amount of praise you've received. And when they do, I hope that they shake their heads and don't even finish the sample of your work available on Amazon, because it's garbage. Plain and simple.

Maybe I'm being a snob, but seriously... Indie authors, get your crap together and DEMAND that your publishing house edit your work. That's part of the reason they take a portion of your profits. To pay for a cover, editing, ISBNs, and marketing. Don't just give them your money and get nothing in return for it! You can do it yourself on Amazon and keep more of the money, if that's your only worry. Being attached to the name of a publishing house. And if they refuse, ditch them. Find yourself some good beta readers willing to work for free to cheap.

I guess for me, it comes down to this: I'd rather put out 3-5 amazing QUALITY pieces per year at a slightly higher price point, knowing that they're on par with what you can grab off the shelves at Barnes & Noble, than put out 30-50 titles at 99 cents a piece that you know aren't worth the dollar.

That being said, you can check out the indie press I'm running on Facebook, to see what we have going on. Darq Deviant Press We're looking for full length submissions, novellas, and will be announcing another anthology soon. Our last anthology hit #17 overall for collections on Amazon. =] We're also willing to look at collections from single authors, and poetry collections. For more info on this, check out our website: Darqdeviantpress.com

That is all. Thank you.