Today I want to introduce you to an "indie" author I met through some of the social websites, by the name of Colin Griffiths. Like me, Colin came to "serious" writing rather late in life, so I thought it might be quite interesting to do an interview with him and see if his experiences of the "indie" world have been on a par with mine.

Colin is true, blue working class; a Welshman who spent twenty-two years as a steelworker, before becoming involved in Trade Union affairs and working his way up through the system.

Now living in Yorkshire, England, full-time, Colin juggles working part-time as a CCTV operator, with his passion for writing and his darling wife.  

I have read all three of Colin's novels to date and have thoroughly enjoyed his unique and special style. Some might say Colin's writing is a little rough around the edges, but for me he is the consummate story-teller. His paranormal books are full of twists and turns that I suspects not even he can predict at times. What makes a great book? For me, it is the ability to hold the reader's attention constantly - if you like, "the can't put it down" factor. Colin Griffiths has this in bucket loads. I find I just keep reading because I'm desperate to know what happens next.
  
Enough of my prattle - on with the interview! 

1/ When and how did you first realise you wanted to be an author? 

I’m not sure there was a specific time. When I was a teenager in the 70’s I used to write a lot of poetry. They were a bit dark. I wrote a novel when I was seventeen, about a songwriter seeking fame. I'm not sure what happened to it. It was something I always wanted to do for 40 years and at the age of 56 I done it. But to be honest I always thought there was one in me. When I finished it I was elated. I never thought for one minute there was more to come.

All my life I’ve put pen to paper in one way or another, just never as a novel. My biggest regret is not having done this earlier. Who knows I may have written a best-seller. When you think of it, once you’ve written a book you will always be an author.

My own self esteem will not allow me to be called an author. I don’t think I’m there yet. I still regard myself as the youngest of nine who grew up in a caravan and upgraded to a council house. I feel I haven’t earnt the right to be anyone else. Just yet.

2/ What authors have influenced you the most and who are your favourite authors? 

I have never been an avid reader but if I was to have a favorite it would probably be Stephen King closely followed by the sadly departed James Herbert. Someone once referred to one of my books as like reading a Stephen King. So I guess he is the one person who has influenced me most.

3/ What excites you most about writing? 

Let me tell you Grant, sometimes I’m sat there and I’m not at all excited and feel like giving up as I
wonder where the next sentence comes from, never mind the next chapter. Then all of a sudden
something flashes through your mind and the pen starts flowing again, that makes me excited getting over that block. But I think what excites me most is when I’ve written the last sentence of the last chapter. It’s more than a feeling of satisfaction. It makes me want to punch the air. When I think of it. It’s all exciting! 

4/ What is the best book you’ve read in 2015? 

I’ve probably read more books in 2015 than in the previous 10 years. It was 2015 I really discovered the "indie" author market having become a part of it myself.

Michael Kelly’s Damsels was disgustingly funny and quirky. Mr. Mercedes by King comes close. I also liked Girl on a Train a lot. But I’m going to go for Four to Dawn by May Panayi. I’m on my fourth book of hers. It’s about four girls trapped in an office block who start telling their stories, but it’s a lot more than that. It’s dark and deep with an extremely good twist. Its graphic in parts but any book that makes you think about it long after you have read it has got to be good. The best book I have ever read is “The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist”. It should be on our curriculum.
​

5/ How do you come up with your ideas? 

I don’t know, really I don’t. When I started writing "Never Say Goodbye", I had no idea where it was going to take me, I think ideas come to me as I write, I just think “ooh I'll add this” or “that will be good” I also think quotes give me ideas, I read a post on Facebook recently that said “When you can’t sleep at night it means you're awake in someone else’s dream” I just thought “I'VE GOT TO WRITE THAT”  “Someone Else’s Dream” just has to be written. It’s on my list to do for 2016.

If I’m not writing I’m always thinking about it, I think an idea can come up anywhere, any place, any time. I can be sat there watching football then all of a sudden ill grab my notebook and write something down, I’ve no idea how it’s got in my head. Does that make sense? It can drive my wife nuts at time. I wish when I dream at night I could print them out the next morning. I would have some awesome stories. 

9/ Tell us one oddball thing about yourself and one mundane thing

Oddball: I think everyone talks to themselves, but I just have full blown conversations. There is always another “me” close by.

Mundane: There’s so many, wouldn’t know which one to choose.

10/ Who edits your books and how do you handle quality control? 

I am in danger of sounding a total idiot, I have teaching skills which allows me to teach adults, I was an education officer for a Trade Union. I have counseling qualifications and I used to run five-day training courses which were considered to be the best. Quality Control, that’s management speak to me. I have no idea what quality control is, never mind how to handle it. Editing I do understand. Alas the life of an "indie" author is not a rich one. To professionally edit a book is not cheap.

My first editions were awful, I admit that, but I am learning and hopefully my work is improving. I would love to have my books professionally edited or even beta read. Who knows, one day? I self edit the best I can.

11/ How do you handle criticism of your work? 

​I can’t answer this directly so I’ll try to explain. If I have a bad review it does tug at my heart strings
because we all want everyone to like our books. In life that isn’t going to happen. Constructive criticism I handle fine, particularly when it comes to editing. I’ve taken great advice from constructive criticism. If it’s to criticize me personally I don’t care.

But what really pisses me off is when people feel the need to give warnings that my books are written in “Third Omni Style”. For God's sake, most readers wouldn’t even know what that is. I bloody didn’t, and to be quite frank still don’t. Would someone put a warning “this is written in First Person?” probably not! I think those that do that are authors who think they are clever.

So Grant, I don’t handle that very well. I think my best answer now could be “So was J K Rowling and Tolkien”. My style is not everyone’s taste and I fully get that. I just read a book that was written in “first person”, not my favorite style to read. I gave it five stars because the story was so good. 

12/ What advice would you have for aspiring authors? 

Write what you love, and love what you write. Take advice from the people that matter to you. Every author in the world is going to get knocked; the "indie" world does it in heaps, but mostly it praises and encourages. Never give up because it’s your book, no one else’s.
​
13/ What is your favourite and least favourite thing about being a writer?
 
Everything about being a writer is good, even the criticism and the knocks are good, because it means you are getting noticed.

Meeting new people like yourself is awesome, finding new friends and just generally nice people.

Would I be answering your questions if I hadn’t written a book? NO! How good is
this?

Looking at your reviews and finding out you got a new 5 star from somebody you’ve never met is
awesome. I love everything about it Grant. The only negative I can think of is “work”. It gets in the way.

The feeling that someone, in some part of the world, has read your book and loved it, is second only to my children being born. Nothing else beats it!

14/ What makes you laugh? 

Sarcasm: I’m very sarcastic, well I call it wit, but others call it sarcasm. Jokes like “Just found out
 my wife is allergic to the dog so we have to give her away. She’s 52 and a very good cook!” That’s my humor.

​15/ If you could have six people (living or dead) around for dinner, who would they be and why? 

Stephen Fry – The conversation would never stop.
Nelson Mandela – Just to shake his hand.
Bob Dylan – I have got everything he’s ever done, I would just stare at him.
My Father – So I could ask what I did wrong.
Margaret Thatcher – So I could ask - Why?
My Wife - So she could stop me making a fool of myself and stop me staring at Bob Dylan.

16/ Final question – Why should our readers buy a Colin Griffiths?
  
I have got to tell you this. When I first wrote "Never Say Goodbye", I posted on Facebook that if people bought it and read it I will give them the money through PayPal. One person took me up on it so I paid him £2 and he never bought the book. I will remember you! Ha Ha Ha!

All I can say is I try to put the reader inside the book; make them feel part of the story, because the most important character is the one that’s reading it. 

 Well, that was a lot of fun. Thank you so very much Colin, I enjoyed that.

Hopefully we all have a better idea now what makes "indie" author Colin Griffiths, tick. 

Be sure to visit Colin's Amazon page and pick up a copy of his works. They're always incredibly reasonably priced. You can visit Colin's page here: http://tinyurl.com/nehzce7 

You can also connect with Colin on Twitter and Facebook here: https://twitter.com/Colin131158 and https://www.facebook.com/colin.griffiths.357?fref=ts

Till next week! Have a wonderful peace-filled day! 

Today will be my final blog introducing some of the wonderful "indie" authors I've come across over the past year. There are many, many more exceptional authors that I could have included in these three blogs, but space constraints just don't make that possible.

Obviously these choices have only come from authors whose books I've actually read. This year to date I have managed to read and review forty three books and still counting.

All my reviews can be accessed here: http://www.grantleishman.com/book-reviews1.html and I would certainly encourage you to check them out.

Okay, on with the show:

1/ K. French:

Keely French, a British author debuted with her first novel, Muse, in 2014 and has just followed up with the sequel to Muse, in June of this year; Desire. 

I made the "mistake" of reading the second book Desire first, but was so taken with the story, the characters and the concept, that I decided I needed to read Muse as well.

French's genre I  guess, is "chick lit", although I'm not sure if that is even an official genre. Although it may not normally be my usual choice of reading style, I was very glad to discover this new talent.

Reading the two books in reverse order certainly made no difference to my enjoyment of this series. I found her characters interesting and easy to identify with. Her writing style is smooth and flowing. Both of her books to date are the type of novel you start in the morning, and finish that afternoon. You simply just don't want to put them down.

Reading Muse after Desire was an enjoyable experience in that characters I had already identified with and enjoyed were like old friends to me as I explored how they arrived at where they did. It was a wonderful experience and I have put this author at the top of the "to watch" list.

I look forward to more literary gems from this extremely talented "indie" author.

Absolutely check her out:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/K-French/e/B00U65RKO8/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1444433750&sr=8-1         ​

2/ C.N Lesley

C.N. Lesley is actually the pen-name of an extremely talented and wonderful author Elizabeth Hull, who writes in the fantasy/paranormal genre. Like French, I have already read two of Lesley's books; Sword of Shadows and Darkspire Reaches.

In Darkspire Reaches and Sword of Shadows, Lesley was able to transport you to wonderful, new worlds populated by a variety of fantastic creatures; some almost human and some not so much, but all fascinating.

In Sword of Shadows she recreated an old, much loved tale of King Arthur in a new, fantastically and vividly sculpted setting. We saw Arthur as we've never seen him before and it worked! It takes real skill, imagination and more than a touch of bravery to take a classic and turn it into your own. Lesley succeeded.

Darkspire Reaches was just another example of this writer's ability to create something fantastic and wonderfully different and yet still retain so many of those human characteristics that allow us, as readers, to truly identify with her characters.  

I am truly inspired by this author and her vision. I look forward to many more tales of strange creatures and warped worlds in the future. Lesley is an extremely talented "indie" author who has already made her mark and will hopefully continue to do so.

Check her out here:
​http://www.amazon.com/C.N-Lesley/e/B00HTV3GV8/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1 

3/ T E Hodden:

So far I've only read one of Tom Hodden's books; What Once Went Wrong, but I can absolutely assure you I will be reading more.

A quick glance at his Author page on Amazon will assure you that Hodden is a prolific author, with many titles to choose from. 

What Once Went Wrong, was a fairly short story (220 pages on Kindle) but it was an absolute gem and without doubt one of the best books I've read this year. It takes a lot to make this hard-bitten, old, man tear up, but Hodden made that so in this wonderful piece of writing.

The premise of the story was simple enough: A young man is told he has six months left to live. What doe he do with that time? What would you do? Hodden's idea for his character's final six months was unusual and inspired. I totally fell in love with the characters and with Hodden's writing style. 

If like me, you like to find an author that you like and who has a large collection of stories to choose from - this can sometimes be difficult with "indie" authors who are just starting out in the literary world. With Hodden you know you have a lot of choice and can spend some time cherry-picking his work. I'm ultra impressed with this man's talent and writing ability. 

Check him out here:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_ebooks_1?ie=UTF8&text=T.E.+Hodden&search-alias=digital-text&field-author=T.E.+Hodden&sort=relevancerank 
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4/ Bodhi Alvarez: 

I've included as my final choice for this list, a new writer Bodhi Alvarez. Alvarez is a Californian who likes to cock a snoot at society and its expectations. As far as I'm aware his one only literary effort to date is a book with the captivating (if rather weird) title, of Masturbating With Strangers.

This book was one of the first "indie" authored books I actually read and although I greatly enjoyed the story, which was gritty, hard-hitting and very, very, compelling, I was disturbed by the poor quality of the editing. There were many mistakes, misplaced and mis-spelled words. I thought, wow, if this is what "indie" books are like, I'm not so sure I can read too many of them.

To Alvarez's credit, when I raised this issue with him and suggested it would hurt his credibility as a serious writer in this literary miasma, unless he corrected it, he did exactly what any good author should do. He removed the book, had it re-edited and put it back on sale. Well done that man! 

The editing aside, Masturbating With Strangers truly is a gripping and compelling story of disillusionment and the search for "the American Dream". It's written in a punchy, hard-hitting style and trust me Alvarez thinks swear words are commas, so if you have an aversion to foul language - stay away.

I sincerely hope he will follow up this excellent work with more gems. 
 
You can check him out here:
ttp://www.amazon.com/Bodhi-Alvarez/e/B00RD068XS/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1  

So there we have it; my list of twelve of the very best "indie" writers I've come across in my journey through "indie" literature this year.

The list is far from complete and there are many, many more wonderful authors out there just waiting for you to discover them. This is an incredibly crowded and difficult market place to be a successful author in - even more so for us "indie" authors, but for readers it is an absolute bonanza.

You have never had so much choice - and that my friends is a very good thing.

We all want to succeed - we all want to write that best-seller - we all want to be famous, but at the end of the day, most of all - WE ALL WANT TO WRITE! The new technology and marketplaces available today allow us to do just that and you, the readers, are the winners.

For me, just to be counted as a peer amongst these wonderfully, talented and genuinely generous people is a real joy and incredibly humbling.

HUG AN "INDIE" AUTHOR TODAY! Buy their book, read their book, review their book.

Till next week! Have a wonderful, happy, peace-filled day!  

This week I want to continue the theme of highlighting and celebrating some of the fantastic "indie" authors out there in the marketplace. As an author, I know that reading other people's work is critical to both my own peace of mind and happiness, but it has also played a massive part in my own growth as an author.

I will again highlight four authors who I have read recently and whose work has impressed me greatly. I am rapidly forming the opinion that the "indie" authors I am now reading are every bit as talented, creative and skilled at their craft as any of the "legacy" published authors - hence the title of this blog; "Indie Authors Rule". I say this not out of jealousy or envy for the "legacy" authors but out of deep respect for the new breed of "indie" authors.

Remember all of my reviews of these author's books and many more can be accessed here: /book-reviews.html

So, without further ado, my number one author this week, probably because hers was the last book I actually read is Estela Vazquez Perez 

1/ Estela Vazquez Perez: 

Now, I'll put my hand up right now and admit something incredibly sinful - I am a die-hard, soppy, romantic. I secretly love romantic novels - not your "Mills & Boon" stuff, but romantic novels with some real guts and grit. This is the stuff Perez writes about and I have absolutely fallen for her towering, powerful, love stories.

Her writing style and her beautifully composed phrasing just had me in raptures and wanting more. She has an uncanny ability to draw you into her novels and to identify and empathise with the main characters. The language she uses is rich and striking. I commented on the review of one of her books that her language is "lustrous" and that is still the best word I can find to describe her style. 

So far she has written two exceptional novels. The first I read was called Montenegro Book 1: Cemetery Candles and the last one Light and Shadows. You can check out Perez's novels here: 
http://www.amazon.com/Estela-Vazquez-Perez/e/B00B5FO05A/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1443832864&sr=8-1 

Both her first two novels were romances, but both also totally different. Cemetery Candles was an historical romance with a touch of vampirism thrown in for good measure, whilst Light and Shadows was set in modern day New York in the Theatre District.

​I can not speak highly enough of this talented author and I absolutely look forward to her next offering, with anticipation. Montenegro was clearly the start of a saga and I sincerely hope to get to read more of the characters I fell in love with, soon.

Check this rising "Indie" star out very soon!    

2/ Jana Petken: 

I have only read one of Petken's books to date; The Errant Flock, but I was impressed enough by this book to put her and her other titles at the top of my "to read list". 

The Errant Flock was an historical novel set in Spain during the time of the Second Inquisition. Her attention to historical detail and her powerful descriptions of the people and the practices of the time, were what made this book stand out so much for me. The Inquisition was such a terrible, unjust and evil time for so many cultures all over Europe and around the rest of the world, that it played an enormous part in our history. Petken captures this time magnificently through the eyes of a simple soldier. The opportunity existed to go into horrific detail, but the author managed to keep the story readable and enjoyable, whilst still conveying the absolute insanity of the Inquisition. I loved this book.

Petken's first novel is a towering (717 pages on Kindle) award-winning effort titled Guardian of Secrets; another historical piece, this time set in the Spain of 1912. This is high up on my "must read list".  In addition to this she has a series, titled The Mercy Carver Series (Books 1 & 2); Dark Shadows and Blood Moon. These two books follow the adventures, life and loves of Mercy Carver, a recent immigrant to the New World. Set in the American South of the nineteenth century, if the reviews are anything to go by, they are both a continuation of her stunning historical romances.

​Jana Petken is one awesome author and someone to follow and read faithfully.

You can check out her work here:
http://www.amazon.com/Jana-Petken/e/B00I2WAUVC/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1      

3/ Johanna Craven: 

Music From Standing Waves is Johanna Craven's debut novel and what an outstanding debut it is. Although I can be described, at the best of times, as "musically challenged" the subject of this novel, a young lady who dreamed of becoming a concert violinist, didn't detract from my enjoyment of it at all. The author was diligent in not falling into the trap of using technical, musical jargon and even for the most tone-deaf of us, it was a fantastic read.  

Craven's knowledge and understanding of the classical musical industry and artistic temperament were clearly evident throughout this work. It came as no surprise to read, at the end of the book, that indeed Craven had attended the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music herself. They say you should write about what you know, and obviously this is what she has done for her first novel. One could feel a real sense of empathy with the main character, who grew up in a tiny, seaside village in the far north of Australia and her dreams of escaping one day to make a life for herself on the concert stage. It was a wonderful portrayal.  

I found this book so enjoyable, that I am waiting, with bated breath, to see what she follows up her first effort with. Craven joins the growing list of extremely talented and exciting new authors. 

Check out her debut novel here: http://www.amazon.com/Music-Standing-Waves-Johanna-Craven-ebook/dp/B013IF2ABU/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

4/ Carissa Ann Lynch:

Lynch has authored three books to date; This is Not About Love, Grayson's Ridge and Flocksdale Files: have you seen THIS GIRL? I have thus far read only the last one and was absolutely impressed with her writing, her style and her character development, that I will plan to go back and read her earlier books.

Flocksdale Files was the first in a series. I note on her Amazon author page that the sequel to THIS GIRL; House of the Lost Girls is almost complete with a release date of November 2015 targeted. Excellent - something to absolutely look forward to.

I can't yet comment on her earlier books, but I suspect much of what she writes is either supernatural or in the case of Flocksdale Files, crime driven.

have you seen THIS GIRL? was an incredibly powerful, yet sensitive portrayal of sex slavery in the 21st Century in the US. To read about the terrible crimes perpetrated on a young, innocent thirteen-year old was indeed harrowing, but Lynch handled it extremely well.

I am absolutely looking forward to more from this author. You can check her out here:
http://www.amazon.com/Carissa-Lynch/e/B00REPXXW6/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1      

It may not have escaped your attention that all of today's authors are women and indeed two of the four authors I highlighted last week are also woman. Are there more woman than men "indie" authors out there? I have no figures on this, but anecdotally I suspect that it is the case. It might also reflect on my particular genre bent as well, but I can't help wondering if it is easier for male writers to get "legacy" publishing contracts than it is for women. I have read some articles on this particular topic and although times are changing, one suspects not too quickly amongst the "big 5" publishers.

I will leave you today with one final thought. The "indie" author world is alive and kicking and in my humble opinion, RULES! I would rather read an exciting new debut novel from a new "indie" author, than some tired, old, hack churning out formulaic stories and living on his/her legacy publishing reputation.

Read, review and comment on all of the fabulous "indie" writers out there.

Till next week, when I'll have four new, and exciting authors to follow: