Author Interview

Greetings oh my brothers, sisters, and only friends!

Recently I did an interview with Lucy Pireel for her Goodreads blogg. If you get a chance and if you're on Goodreads check out my interview with Lucy. She is totally awesome!  http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/4157525-featured-author-lawrence-boarerpitchford#comment_73742459

Also, I'd like to thanks her publicly for featuring me, and might I add her wonderful willingness to help out a fellow Indie author. Please do your part as well. Become involved, participate with your favorite or fellow Indie authors, Blog for them, Tweet for them, mention them as frequently as you can to friends, family and strangers. Remember that the big publishers have money to market their authors, we Indie authors rely on you our humble readers and friends to spread the word. In that way, we at least can try and make a living at what we love, and bring quality fiction to our fans.

Many regards,
~Lawrence BoarerPitchford

Relationships

From my Goodreads blog:

What are the relationships between indie writers out there? This is a very interesting subject. When I first came into the business, I was asked by a fellow indie author to review his work, but he was not willing to review mine. "Why?" I asked. He said that it looked bad to appear to provide reviews that seemed quid pro quo. He was right to think that, since those readers who post reviews can be savage about an authors credibility.

Over the last year I've read Stuart Jaffe's The Way of the Black Beast, Timothy Wood's Grant me Timely Grace, and Rebecca Scarberry's Messages from Henry. Each was a work of the heart by the particular author. But, I can't spend all my time reading - as you've guessed, I'm a writer. Having said that, I try and support my fellow authors as I can. One way I've done this is by putting their web site as a link on my web site. I've written a few reviews, and have gone to fellow author's pages at various sites to "like", comment, or put down some tags for them. Some of them have done the same for me. And, that is really the name of the game as an indie author, networking.

As an indie author, I spend most of my waking time at my day job, or writing. Time for promoting others, and myself is very limited for me.

On the subject of promotion, it is clear that there is little desire by some authors to promote their fellow author's works. Why? It's not clear. Most likely they are under the same stress that I am.
In the market there are few well developed and inexpensive advertising outlets for indie authors, and the personal cost in time and/or money to market one's works is prohibitive in many cases. Having said that, my readership continues to grow - slowly. Visibility is the crucial key to financial success for an indie author. How do we achieve that? There are some suggestions out there, a few books, but it all boils down to money and time; a luxury that most indie authors struggle with. I sure struggle with it.

If you like sword and sorcery fantasy, or historical fiction, check out my works here on Goodread, Amazon Books, Smashwords, or my web site www.boarerpitchford.com. I write action and adventure stories that drive the imagination and titillate the senses.


Regards,
Lawrence BoarerPitchford, Author
Thadius (historical fiction)
Sawbones (historical fiction)
In the World of Hyboria (barbarian sword and sorcery)
The Lantern of Dern Blackhammer (sword and sorcery)

Much Ado About Nothing -

Pardon dear friends and humble readers for my coopting of the Shakespeare title extraordinaire, but today I am at a loss for serious subject matter, yet feel chatty. So, this is going to be a collage of sorts. I'm starting out talking about my feelings, and closing with some masculine poetry.

Feelings: I am in the midst of several writing projects that are moving at a snail’s pace. I'm working on a Steampunk science fiction novel, cleaning up and editing the sequel to Mad Cows, writing the next (and most likely last) In the World of Hyboria story, and toying with a novella that will be my fan fiction to H.P. Lovecraft. So, in short I'm feeling rather busy at present. But, that is a copout isn't it. The feeling is scared - yes, I feel scared that I might not finish any of them and slip into obscurity. Although, I am pretty obscure as it is - and thus it might not be much of a change.

If you haven't visited my web site, take a moment to trip on over to www.boarerpitchford.com - it's like LSD, but different. You'll find information about me, my works, where to purchase them, see some examples/samples, and so on. You can also drop me a line if you like in the contact section.

Okay, as promised. Here is a sample of a poem that I did many years ago, and is part of a collection of poetry that I've amassed over the years, but is not published as of yet. If you like it let me know.

Longnor Hall

There upon lacquered table

Sits a smoking pipe of maple

A fire throwing yellow hues

Behind the chair that is my muse

Once within the thought

Brandy in snifter brought

I stare blankly away

Considering events of the day

And with shaken hand, raised as such

I linger with life in a deathly clutch

Cold winds blow outside my door

Like lofty days of lore

Whose only job it is so bold

To come in and share the cold

Laughing saints of years since lost

Dance like fairies in the frost

Outside my window closed this night

To protect this fragile firelight

Then the brandy, drained from glass

And smoking pipe held with class

Do present the smoky spirits look

With fractured moments from a book.

Copyright 1996 Lawrence BoarerPitchford