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I wrote WHEN NIGHT COMES, A Christmas Carol Revisited while living in San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas, Mexico.  I was running my bookstore with my husband and had no thought to writing another novel.  I had already written LION TAMER, my first sci-fi novel and was exhausted and just wanted to run the store and read!  Nevertheless, one day, while breakfasting at my favorite restaurant, I got into a conversation with the owner who claimed that I should keep writing, and that my new book should be about all the dead authors of the best books in the bookstore. He grew very excited with his idea and went on to say that the authors' ghosts should gather at night and trade stories about writing and their books and their ideas about the world, past and present!  I told him he was crazy and that was the end of it.  Or so I thought.

Several nights later I woke up in the wee hours with a new book in my head, damn it!  No rest, no blissful, relaxed reading lifestyle for me!  Another novel.  It appeared fully formed like Athena, and fully armed.  I was not allowed to resist.   I was captured, captivated and already writing the first lines in my head.  It included my friend's dead authors but not in the way he thought.  I would insert them into a sci-fi version of Dickens' A CHRISTMAS CAROL; they would be the spirits of Christmas past, present and future.  The authors would try to save the soul, not of an old miser, but an old bookstore owner who just wasn't making ends meet in a time when people were reading less and less.  I would change Ebenezer to Esmeralda, but I would keep the social justice issues Dickens was so famous for.  This time with the issues of the homeless and high tech addiction and isolation.  Sooo...Tiny Tim became street children who love stories about...themselves!  Orphans.  And then...how to connect them to the main story...?  They must, I finally figured out, like so many homeless, hang out in the warm bookstore...and read!  And fall in love, not only with stories about orphans like themselves, but also the lovable bookstore owner herself.  So, of course,  they try to save her when she gets too depressed by the modern nonreading world and considers suicide, something with which they are all too familiar.  

So I started going on my breaks to the nearest, quietest cafe I could find and pounded out the story in a few months.  Edited it for more than a year.  Searched for a publisher for another year.  And, finding Breaking Rules Publishing, finally found this last orphan a home.

The link to Kit's book has been placed below. 

​https://www.breakingrulespublishing.com/store/p349/When_Night_Comes_-_A_Christmas_Carol_Revisited_by_Kit_West.html

A whistle far off. Shadows in your peripheral disturbing your concentration, making the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. The rush of adrenaline after a brutal five minute bout of fisticuffs. The metallic saline taste of your own blood; someone else’s—the smell. The cat and mouse game between a wily woman and a confident man. Primal desires mashing into the civility of one’s practiced sophistication erupts with intrigue at the sight of danger and observance of power. The cold black hole at the end of the barrel of the gun. A kiss from a familiar stranger. Taboo into acceptance. The transformation of dimwit to clever con. 

For me writing is everything I’ve mentioned and the countless aspects I have yet to conceive. I’ve heard people say that writers often speak the way they write. If that’s the case I must be a blonde haired blue-eyed mafioso from Puerto Rico with sore lactating nipples a degree in psychology suffering from a recent stroke teaching history at Oxford running guns by night in Los Angeles before taking my kids to Catholic school in Chicago and sleeping with the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders after a private flight to St.Croix. In other words; I’m not Puerto Rican and I don’t have blue eyes. I enjoy a good story; thus, I enjoy writing one. 

I have published a few short stories, a novella, and a novel. I like to think that I’m genre blind, but truth is I love a good caper. Writer’s like Elmore Leonard and Walter Mosley do it for me. Elmore Leonard brings a lot of comedy and real-life foolishness to many of his criminals and Mosley is a wordsmith from another planet. His sentences are put together like a symphony orchestra, bringing you up, and then down intensifying at the right moments. Koontz can do that with atmosphere. 
Horror is a genre that I can really walk into my focus and dwell. When I went about writing, When Cranes Feast I tried to think of something that was authentically frightening to me. I’ve written about a succubus, demons, creatures, psychotic delusions, but I couldn’t think of anything more horrible than the inner darkness of man. Clarence Bodine is the average guy. He doesn’t draw attention to himself. He isn’t loud and obnoxious. He had a family, and he happened to be a rapist and kidnapper and murderer. In the story Bodine dresses up like a Jehova Witness with the white shirt and black neck tie passing out flyers in a parking lot and snatches Natalie Guzman, and the cruelty he bestows goes from there. 

I always thought grown men on ten speeds with short sleeve white shirts and black slacks with a backpack, while trying to convince you about God’s word were creepy to me as a kid, and just a bit less as an adult. So, I ran with it. I find horror allows me to deal with tedium differently. The subtleties in horror or any genre really can seem tedious to a reader who isn’t used to reading suspense, or mysteries, and horror to me encapsulates those to aspects. The trick is trigger the readers curiosity without them realizing. The character, Andy Barber in William Landy’s Defending Jacob was blinded by the love of his son when it was obvious his son was a murderer, but the reader becomes blinded, because of the compassion we have for Andy Barber. A good book is like a literary Russian Dollhouse. The way a story is told will determine what activates the story we imagine. This is the majesty of horror. The illumination. We witness it every day and don’t realize until we are told what we are witnessing.     

You can find Jovan's book on the BRP website as well as Amazon and Kindle - the link is below. 

​https://www.breakingrulespublishing.com/store/p291/When_Cranes_Feast_by_Jovan_Jones.html

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Alatishe is proactive about promoting the courses of a just society. The author represents the lives of the poor "those who live on less than a dollar a day" and he represents the woman who lost her child because she couldn't afford ten dollar medicine".  He speaks for those whose stories do not make the news. 

With Alatishe's, hands fall upon hands and our the center begins to wax even stronger and communities across the world begins to propel the values of human dignity. 

"Its obvious he is set to change the world or try to change it, using the secret powers of poetry" 

He is ready to join the architects and builders who are on a mission to improve the state of our world by building the roads and bridges that connects us all.

He 'Alatishe' wishes to embody integrity and he is aware of how delicate the balances of civilization are. 

In the verses of Alatishe's, we rediscover the heritage of knowledge and progress. Alatishe's Road tells us to get out of the babel of selfishness, violence, discrimination, fear, it is necessary to be touched and brought together by the smile that Alatishe spreads across the face of his people. 

Alatishe's love and compassion births the book of history 'We Need a Road on this Broken Heart'. The book touches the depth of all of us human beings in the form of poetry in its undiluted form, the best work written by the Poet. 

Alatishe's work is an Oracle that strikes the weak foundations of our societies. It wakes us up to the unpleasant realities of our time and it presents the template on which it is possible to interpret the lines of the future.

Writing Your Book

Apart from the basics: grammar rules, punctuation, spelling and sentence construction, there are no rules for writing a book. If someone tells you there are, ignore them. Perhaps you’ve heard of the author voice. This is unique to each individual author. Don’t worry if you make mistakes, your editor (me, for example – cue best professional smile) will help you sort them out. The most important thing from your point of view as an author is that nothing stifles your voice. Allow your writing to flow.
The following list will give you a few hints, especially if you’re writing fiction, but I want to stress they are guidelines, not rules. Some are things I’ve learnt from writing my own novel, others come from my experiences as a copy-editor.

1. Try to avoid irrelevant storylines, although if a few sneak in a good editor will highlight them.
2. In real life you get to know the people you meet gradually, so think of introducing your characters in the same way. A mistake some make is naming too many characters in the opening pages of my book. A lot of these characters turned out to be quite minor, and my poor readers wasted time trying to remember them all. No character, not even the lead character, benefits from a huge introduction on page one. It will leave your readers’ heads whirling, and they’ll forget most of the details. If your protagonist is in her twenties, pretty and called Jane, that’s all you need to say to begin with. Her outgoing personality, horse riding expertise and dedication to Chelsea Football Club (or whatever) will become apparent as the story progresses.
3. Only you can discover whether your natural writing style is to plot each stage of the story carefully or see how it pans out. Like many I'm a pantser, but I certainly understand the need for some writers to work by plotters method. Whichever style suits you is the correct style, and don’t let anyone tell you it’s not!
4. Prologue – do you really need one? Many debut novel’s prologue have regularly been slated as the weakest part of the book; some critics even said they didn’t think they were going to enjoy the book until they got to chapter one. Everything introduced in the prologue became apparent as the story progressed anyway. With lesson learned, most second books will be prologue free.
5. Epilogue – you almost certainly don’t need one.   Like prologues, many writers include an epilogue in their books because, despite the story coming to its natural conclusion in the final chapter, finding it very difficult to let go. Luckily we have a friends who read the epilogues we post and true to form, most hate it, and you'll probably end up scrapping it before sending the manuscript to prospective publishers. If you've ever read an epilogue that adds anything to a story, we would love to hear from you.
6. Try not to be too wordy. Question every adverb and adjective – do they enhance the sentence? Are you using complicated words when simple ones will do? Do you have a favorite word or phrase you repeat over and over again? Your editor should point these out if so, but do try to limit them. One of my favorite phrases was ‘incandescent with rage’. Be careful that your story doesn't end up being a place to release all of your frustrations in life.
7. In dialogue, it soon becomes evident which character is speaking at any one time. The words spoken often show who is speaking and what mood they’re in so there’s no need to tell the reader, and if you haven’t yet been told it’s better to show rather than tell, you will be!
8. Try not to overuse certain words. ‘Just’, ‘only’, ‘again’, ‘back’ and ‘also’ are favorites. Your editor will help point these out.
9. Only use ‘started to’ or ‘began to’ if the action which follows is not going to reach its natural conclusion.
10. Are you going to write in UK or American English? Decide on one and be consistent.
11. Are you going to write in past or present tense? Ditto previous point.
12. If you’re writing in the first person, beware of suddenly switching to the second person. For example: ‘I was working in my shop, and it was really busy. You couldn’t stop for a second or the customers would complain you were going too slow’ is a tad confusing.

​Your editor will point out and/or correct all of the above, but the tidier your manuscript is when you send it off for editing the quicker and cheaper the process will be. Hey, talking ourselves out of work here! Moving swiftly on… Good luck with your writing, and we wish you every success.

​What are the most important marketing priorities for authors right now?

As an author living in the environment of COVID-19, there are plenty of marketing activities that are getting put on hold. But there are many things you can focus on to promote your books, yourself, and your author platform.

Digital platforms.
I mean this in the most inclusive use of the word “digital.” Authors need to take the time to learn and understand the world of new media. (Social Media) Yes, it’s going to take some time but you’ll be thankful later.

And to be blunt - eBooks are on the rise again. Any new manuscripts should always be converted to digital formats. Take a look at your backlist and make sure you turn all of your printed books into eBooks.

2021 Marketing Tasks –

 Build or update your blog or website. These remain some of the most powerful tools for an author to anchor their platform and brand. The goal of building your author platform is to gain visibility and build relationships with your audience. Prioritize being as helpful as you possibly can while providing value to your readers and potential customers.

Learn and understand the different social media networks. Don’t just dabble in Twitter or Instagram. Learn how seasoned book professional are using these platforms to find new readers and follow their lead. There are loads of articles, tutorials, and videos around the Internet to get you started.

Explore alternative worlds. Have you ever visited Wattpad? How about Reddit? Both are breeding grounds for millions of would-be and already-published authors. These sites and others are great places to begin sharing in conversations and excerpting your book to gather more of this reader audience.

Expand your current content. It’s not a stretch to say that content is what makes the world go round today. Put another way, content is nothing more than an information product in our modern society. This product can achieve an untold number of goals, from providing consumers with the information they need and desire to solving problems and offering expert advice. Whether you have a book or a blog, you are the proud owner of a treasure trove of content. Now is the time for you to think of ways you can repurpose this valuable content.

Here are just a few examples:
• Webinars
• Home-study courses
• Special reports or videos
• Coaching and consulting services

Next Up!

Create new content. It might be next month or not until next year, but I’m sure of one thing: This crisis will end. Normalcy—or some facsimile—will return. People will again be looking for that new favorite author to read on their beach vacation.

While we wait for happier days, here’s what I encourage every author to do: use your down-time to be productive. The more books you have to sell, the more money you can make.

Consider how excited you’ll feel in 2021 if you have multiple books to offer readers. If you can’t sell books now, position yourself to sell books as soon as the crisis is over. That means getting to work on your next manuscript.

Build your email list. I’ve said it over and over again: The best marketing tool available to any author is a growing email list. A large email list enables you to control your book sales, generate more pre-orders, create wider word of mouth, and secure more Amazon reviews.

Is your email list more important than a social media following? Heck, yes! It’s been said that 25 “fans” or “favorites” aren’t worth as much as one bona fide email name. Use this downtime to make sure you have the fundamentals of a solid email program.

• Set up an account with a reliable email marketing service. I’ve heard authors recommend Constant Contact, MailChimp, MailerLite, and ConvertKit. Each one offers affordable programs for authors. They also have extensive tutorials and videos to teach you the basics of email marketing.

• Put prominent “sign up” links to join your list on anything and everything, from your author website or blog to your social media accounts, all the way down to your email signature.

• Create a dedicated landing page on your website with an opt-in form and compelling reasons to join your community. As interested readers sign up, your work is just beginning. Now, you’ll need to:

• Create “auto-response” emails that deploy to new sign-ups and “Welcome” emails to new clients.

• Mail often. Once a week is about right at the start.

• Consider how each of your weekly emails is going to add value to your recipients’ day. That means mixing a blend of promotional or launch information along with community-building content that can reveal mutual interests, build trust, grow your influence, and answer your readers’ questions. Growing your list is a never-ending exercise. One of the best ways to add names is to offer incentives on your author website that readers can’t resist. For example, if you’re a novelist, write a prequel, novella, or short story that you can give away as free content to entice more email subscribers. If you write nonfiction, offer an exclusive eBook, special report, video tutorial, or audio post.

Focus on your craft. Maybe this is a perfect time to put down the salesperson hat altogether and devote yourself to becoming a better writer. While book promotion and marketing is a critical task for all published authors, it’s not more important than writing great books.

And you thought that this was going to be easy. It's not - you have to work on it and continue to improve and grow. I wish you all the best.

Now – go – do your thing and make it work for you!