Ello everybody! It's time for another author interview. Today I'm talking with Janeen Ippolito, the author of Nobody's Hero, the first in the Superhero Publicist series. This novel follows a Cassie, a publicist who works for superheroes and supervillains alike. When one of her villain clients switches sides, Cassie is swept into the drama that comes with working as a publicist for a (maybe?) reformed supervillain. I'll be posting a more official blurb and the cover at the end of this interview, so ya'll know where to buy it. And now... the interview! The InterviewC: Hi Mrs. Ippolito! It's so great to get to interview you on my blog! Let's dive in our first question: how did you get started writing? J: It all began a long, long time ago when I learned about the alphabet. Seriously, as soon as I learned about words, I was writing something. I was always fascinated by cultures and characters, in particular. I used to fill out those little "subscription" inserts in Readers Digest magazines with fake names and addresses. I also would write down pages of my favorite rhyming words. I was an odd child. ;-) Only got weirder as I got older. C: Oh thank goodness, I'm not the only one who's done that. XD You're pretty well known for your urban fantasy books (like the Arcane Market Adventures) and superhero fiction isn't that too far from urban fantasy. What inspired you to write in these two genres? J: For both of them, probably just blame Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh is the most unique combination of old warehouses and industry and all this random greenery in the oddest of places. I lived there off and on as a child, and I used to wonder about why where was that clash. It wasn't anything planned or official. It was wild and interesting. So that definitely inspired the urban fantasy elements with something Other in cities. And then I used to watch superhero shows and read comic books, and then play games with my cousins. Also in Pittsburgh. That was my first foray into superheroes (X-Men is my absolute favorite). C: Cool! *puts on list of places to visit one day* On your website, you mention being synesthetic (and you're the first person I know who has synesthesia, so that's cool) and that you are neurodivergent. Does being neurodivergent help or hurt your writing process? Have you learned to work around it or use it to your advantage? J: I'm not sure if it helps or hinders, because it's simply how my brain is built. I wouldn't know how to write with any other brain, haha! And it definitely is a help with characterization and with having so many different parts of me interested in so many different things. My character voices and personalities flow much more naturally out of my head. I don't have to work on them as hard as I've heard other authors need to - it's very intuitive for me. At the same time, I do have to work extra hard to keep everything organized, or I could be writing 11 different stories at the same time. Which would be frustrating because then I wouldn't finish anything. So I have to do a lot of internal communication with myself to focus on priority areas. Also, this "runaway brain" aspect means that sometimes I need to double back and do a lot more world building for my own benefit (this is where I am right now with my urban fantasy). Otherwise I can lose track of and get lost in my story world. But when things are organized and communication is flowing, all parts of a Janeen really do work well to make interesting stories. It helps to have a part that likes to create and then another that really enjoys just proofreading or editing or organizing. Just wish I had more hours in a day! C: That's so interesting! I also love characterization, but keeping everything *gasp* organized is just not my forte. XD Here's something I've been wondering, as someone that watches a lot of superhero-related TV: In a world where superhero books, movies, and TV shows are a dime a dozen, how do you create original stories? J: I only write stories when I know I have something interesting to say in a fresh, unique way. And I'm very aware of tropes and things, so there's that. But honestly, my brain just likes to be unique. I don't have to try--I just move in directions that make sense for me, and 95% of the time, those directions are completely different (and then I pull out familiar tropes during edits). So I basically just play around with things until I get to that place of "yes, this works. I can tell this story." Which means every single one of my books has this long behind-the-scenes process of work. However, since I write in so many series, there's always something ready to write RIGHT NOW while a few other stories are still on back burners. C: *takes notes* Good to know. As we (a little late, but oh well) celebrate the release of Nobody's Hero, I'd love to know how you got the idea for it, especially as this isn't the first time Cassie has graced the pages of our books/Kindles. J: In the original short story that inspired Nobody's Hero, I partly wrote it as a comedy sketch, a bit of commentary about what it would be like to deal with a villain trying to go hero and just all the marketing ramifications of that. In that one, I flat-out had the villain "find Jesus" but not connect with any particular political alignment or denomination, because I knew from a marketing perspective that would make Cassie's life harder (mwahahaha). But when I started writing the short story as a book, I knew I needed a lot more depth and nuance than a quick piece of 1,500 fiction (which was basically archetypes pushing against each other). What helped is that I love heroic tricksters and underdogs and people trying to do the right thing but caught up in their pasts. It's one of my favorite concepts to play around with. Especially because the line between hero and villain can sometimes be contextual. I've listened to a number of legal podcasts and watched enough videos which shattered my idealistic notion that "good always wins in legal battles" and "the law is here to protect the innocent." So I was very interested in playing with public perception and the law in this story to show that sometimes, the "good guys" are really just bad guys with excellent lawyers and a good PR team. Yes, research made me a bit cynical, haha. But that's where I love the character of Cassie, who is really just trying to do the right thing, and fights for it even when everything is against her and the baddies have giant bank accounts. It was refreshing and inspiring (and in a way, a very classic superhero trope). C: Yeah, watching shows like Arrow and The Flash taught me that the good guys don't always win legal battles... or even outside of a courtroom. And on that note, let's do some just for fun questions! DC or Marvel? J: I am 100% Marvel all the way. Actually, this was an important question I asked my husband before we were dating. You gotta get the vital things out of the way (he's also a Marvel fan). C: Cool! I grew up on DC, but I love Marvel (although lately I've been digging the CW superhero shows, especially The Flash). Who is your favorite superhero character? J: I like Rogue, Jean Grey, and Ms. Marvel. And also, Ant-Man is a lot of fun. Wolverine is also fun because he's just a butt. Oh, and Tony Stark as well. C: I also love Tony Stark. I've not watched any X-Men stuff yet (though I want to so badly!). Since Nobody's Hero is about villains, do you have a favorite supervillain? J: Magneto is fascinating, as is Mystique. Also, Emma Frost has a fun journey from villain to...hero? To...villain again? (Yes, you can see my X-Men fangirling coming out in the above picks!) C: Nice picks! Before we leave, I just have two more questions for you. You're well established in your career as an indie/nontraditional author. Do you have any advice for writers that are considering going down a similar route? J: Get very clear on your goals and what you want to get out of the process. Too many times authors just listen to advice without really knowing what they, personally, want out of the publishing process. That inner filter is so essential with so many experts out in the world. It's why I'm working on special tools to help authors get clarity. C: I've not heard this piece of advice before when considering indie publishing, so thanks for a new perspective. And lastly, do you have any specific tips for authors who want to write urban fantasy and/or superhero stories? Read the books. Watch the shows. Watch the movies. Know what you like and dislike and start developing a sense of the tropes and your own personal voice and taste. And figure out your comfort level with the world building and the alternate Earth settings. Superheroes and urban fantasy both need a strong sense of author voice and focus to do well. That internal focus helps so much with direction. Especially with superheroes, there just aren't as many tropes or easy frameworks to bounce off of, so you need to know and own your story and secondary subgenres--and why. C: All right then, that's it! Thank you so much for doing this interview with me! Nobody's Hero![]() She’ll change his image—if they can both stay alive. Cassie Robinson, junior representative of Power-Up Publicity, is just trying to keep her head down and her career moving. Not easy when she’s required to work with supervillains for the first year of her contract...or else. But when a new villain client, Mick, announces he’s switching sides, maybe things are looking up. Even if she has to leave her job a bit earlier than the contract and trust a thieving speedster. Then the heroes find Mick—including the relentless Snailman. And her bosses seem absurdly focused on getting Cassie back. Caught between the hovering heroes and her menacing company, Cassie must team up with the villain who literally swept her off her feet and whisked her away to his secret lair. Speaking of which, that lair could use some redecorating… And you can find out more about Nobody's Hero and Janeen Ippolito at https://jiauthor.com/.
That's all for now everyone! Until next week, ~Cate
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Hey everyone! Sorry I'm so late with my post. I don't have much happening this week in the book world, so per the encouragement of a reader of mine, I thought I would share a very easy recipe for Naan pizza with ya'll. I love making this for supper; it's easy, relatively inexpensive, and a time saver. Let's get to it! BBQ Roast PizzaTo make BBQ Roast Pizza, you're going to need some fully cooked roast beef (I used leftover roast from a previous meal), BBQ sauce, ketchup (optional, but adds more flavor, I think), peppers, a large piece of Naan bread, and shredded cheese of some kind (I used mozzarella). To make this, mix a 1/4 cup of BBQ sauce and about 1-2 tablespoons of ketchup with 8-10 ounces of roast beef. (I did not exactly measure this, so all measurements may need a little tweaking.) Spread a few tablespoons of BBQ sauce on a large piece of Naan bread. Then, spread the pepper-beef mixture onto the bread. Shake a few tablespoons of cheese (mozz is preferred, but you use whatever you want/have) over the top and then pop in a 350 degree oven for ten minutes or until the cheese is fully melted. Mac and Cheese PizzaTo make Mac and Cheese Pizza, you'll need just two ingredients: a large piece of Naan bread and a box of artisan Mac and cheese (Cracker Barrel, Walmart's Special Selection, etc.) Start by making the mac and cheese. I am a rebel in that I boil my water with the pasta in it; the process takes about 15-20 minutes and isn't any slower than if I boiled the water beforehand. Drain your noodles when they've been cooked al dente. (For some reason I pictured making the pasta but completely forgot to take pictures of the rest of the process (my bad XD).) Now, put the cheese packet into your pot and mix until everything is nice and creamy. Ladle out onto your Naan bread and now you're ready to bake! Because the mac and cheese has a higher tendency to dry out on the pizza, put this pizza in a 350 degree oven for no later than 7-8 minutes. Don't these look so delicious? You can serve this with a side salad and some breadsticks for dinner, or just eat as is for a fun after-school/crashing at home afternoon snack. That's all for now, folks!
Until next week, ~Cate Hello everyone! I am a day late (sorry XP), but I’m super excited because today, I’m officially introducing you guys to my latest WIP… Scarlet Studies! But first…. the rules.
And now, without further ado… the questions, and my answers! Has your WIP a working title? If so, tell us! If not, have you any idea of what it might be? The title for this WIP is based on the story I’m spinning off, which is A Study in Scarlet. Since my characters are in college, it felt appropriate to keep it similar. The title of my book is Scarlet Studies. Have you a synopsis for your WIP? If so, give it to us! If not, can you give us a blurb on what your WIP is about? Well, to avoid spoiling the whole book for you guys, I’ll just give you the rough blurb that I used in Shea Holmes’ character post a few weeks ago. To say that criminal studies major Joan Watson is a fish out of water might be an understatement. After eighteen years of putting up with her grief-stricken family, she moves from a small Detroit suburb to the bustling campus of San Diego State University. When she befriends Shea, a budding detective, and Toby, a cute but reserved theater nerd, she begins to feel like she has found her group of misfits. But when Toby’s precocious roommate is murdered and suspicion falls on his shoulders, Joan and Shea find themselves the next targets of a cold-blooded killer, with their mind bent on one thing: revenge. ![]() Have you a working/mock cover for your WIP? If so, show us! If not, have you an idea in mind? I’ve had some issues coming up with a mock cover for this WIP. The one I have right now is very rough and won’t be around for long, but it’s the best I could do in a 15-minute time frame. How did you get the idea for this story? It’s been so long since I started (we’re coming up on four years this summer). The gist of it is that I wanted to write a mystery story about two college girls. Because I don’t have the brainpower to come up with my own mystery, I decided to make it a spin-off of a Sherlock Holmes story. Scarlet Studies was originally meant to be a standalone novel based on Hound of the Baskervilles. But as I worked on the story, I kept coming up with side characters, subplots, and a whole other book idea, I decided to scrap my original idea and create a series. How long do you think it will be? Is it longer or shorter than you thought it would be? I’ve tried to write it several times (Shea and Joan were originally in high school in the first draft), but its current status is at a little over 2600 words. I’m aiming for a 60K novel, but we’ll see what happens. Who’s your favourite character so far? My favorite character right now is Joan, because with a few exceptions, I relate to her out of all my characters the most. At the time I invented Joan’s character, I was going through a season of depression and wanted to write about a character who felt the same way. And as I learned to heal and grow, so did Joan. What’s your favourite memory related to this WIP? One of my favorite memories is when I went to Ramona, CA, in 2022 for Christmas with my grandparents. Among many other reasons for going (Christmas being a huge one), I got to do some research on places where I wanted my characters to go when they weren’t doing school. My characters go to San Diego State, and Ramona is about a 20-minute drive from the San Diego metro, so I got to see some cool sights and brainstorm whenever we went to the city for something. Any special person(s) who helped create it? As always, my best friend and writing buddy AG was there to help me brainstorm some scenes. I also invited Katja Labonte (see above for her amazing blog!) to help me work on my series outline. Both of these ladies are amazing creatives and I am privileged to have both helping me on this project. What’s your favourite scene so far (if you can tell about it without spoilers!)? Ergh… Upcoming or already written? Since 95% of the book is unwritten at this point, we’ll have to go with upcoming. I have a date scene between Joan and her love interest (if you know you know) that I’m so excited to write, and I also have the epic showdown between Shea and the murderer much later on in the book. So excited for both! Can you give us a snippet? I’m sharing the entire first chapter of Scarlet Studies on Friday in my newsletter, so subscribe if you want to see the whole thing! In the meantime, here is the beginnings of Chapter 1: Make myself go to a counseling session. Now there’s something you don’t see n the average college sophomore’s to-do list. Luckily for me, I’m not your average sophomore Around me, the smell of books is faint, but there. Ms. Hathcock’s walls are lined with bookshelves. One could easily mistake her counseling office for a library room. Everything from fantasy to science fiction, self-improvement to cooking books are stuffed and piled on her bookcases. I chose wisely, I guess. The door opens, and Ms. Hathcock walks into the room. She’s wearing a simple green shirt with black khakis and black sandals to match. Her most distinguishing feature is her hair. It’s a vibrant red color, much brighter than my own auburn hair. It’s wavy and has tons of volume; it reminds me of early 90s hair, except not nearly as badly crimped. Ms. Hathcock appears to be in her early fifties; she can’t be older than sixty. She gives me a wide smile as she walks past my chair and to a bookcase. “Are you a bookworm?” she asks as she rearranges some books back to their proper place. I nod. “I’ve always loved to read.” Lizzie always tried to talk me out of my somewhat chaotic reading habits, but she never succeeded. “I can get away from my world and worry about someone else in their own.” I at least know their story will have a happy ending. Is the story still what you thought it would be or has it thrown you a couple curveballs? Oh.. I’ve had a ton of curveballs. When I started out in August of 2020, my characters were high school kids. Joan had a very different love interest, and Shea was just an ordinary girl with a penchant for solving mysteries. Since then, I’ve added several subplots, a completely different love interest for Joan, and a special cause I want to highlight later on in the series (more on that later). I’ve been able to retain the original story ideas, but everything around them has changed with the tide. XD Is there a Bible verse, poem, hymn, picture, or quote that helped shape this story? If ya’ll follow M.L. Milligan’s newsletter (and you totally should!), then you might recognize the quote for Scarlet Studies. I asked Mac if I could use it, and she said yes, so here it is! “Because, at least on a heart monitor, ups and downs mean you’re still alive.” I think this quote sums up the lives of Shea, Toby, and Joan so well, and I really like tying it to a book about a murder mystery (#ironyabounds). When and where have you done most of the writing so far? I mainly do all of my writing at my computer, either at my desk in the living room or at my desk in my bedroom. (Right now I’m in the bedroom.) If I’m writing and I have to leave somewhere, I may take my notebook and write the scene(s) and transcribe it back into its central doc. I usually write whenever I (push off school or) have time, which typically lands in the afternoons. Where do you get inspiration for this story? Everywhere… Pinterest, Facebook, random newsletters ;)... This book was also inspired by the BBC Sherlock series, which was a springboard for the murder itself in my book. And of course, the original and so much better written story, A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Are you a plotter or a pantser? When I started out writing, I used to be a plotter and ran out of writing energy when I was done outlining. I’m more of a plantser, which is a mix of both. When I get an idea, I will write out a rough synopsis that acts as my outline, and the major characters that I have to keep track of. (Some of them have a tendency to wander off. XD) I typically brainstorm scenes I want to feature (a kiss scene here, a fight scene there); I usually listen to music when I do this, in order to time my dialogue and action tags right. It’s kind of like directing parts of a movie. A neat trick I picked up from author Andrea Renee Cox is to outline what needs to be done with the story, depending on what I plan to do with it. For instance, for Scarlet Studies, my plans are: draft, self-edit, line edit (via a professional), send to beta readers, and then query the book to agents. Do you have a little ritual before you start writing? I barely have time to write, let alone ritualize the process. XD I do grab my water bottle, phone, and speaker before heading off to write though. All of these help the drafting process to some degree. Are you thinking of publishing this story? Oh, I want this story published so badly! I have no idea what traditional publisher would pick it up, though. (And I’m not currently in the independent publishing market, so…) What things have you learned while writing this story? Sometimes a story has to breathe. I started the idea in 2020 and wrote a few different drafts (AG can attest to this XD), but every time I started it, it never felt right. Sometimes the story needs to mellow before it’s ready to be written. Alrighty, everyone, that's it! I hope you enjoyed this introduction to my book! Just an FYI, I am still working on Heart of a Warrior and have not abandoned Nia, Daelin, and Fenorin to their own devices (they'd probably end up killing each other in a fight if I left them alone for too long, to be honest XD). Below are the people I hereby tag to do the "What's Your WIP?" tag, as well as a small mood board I created for the book. The Taggy Tags
So... are you working on a WIP? What's it about? Until next week! ~Cate Heyo everyone! I’m wrapping up what I did in February (and I would be looking forward to March, but it's already the fifth so... XD) February really threw me for a loop in so many ways, and I'm going to share some of them with you, so buckle up! February in a NutshellLife Events: Not much has happened in my personal life this month, other than the beach vacation that my family and I took around the third week of February. We had a lot of fun at Long Beach, Mississippi, where the weather was amazing and the birds were all over the place. It was amazing! School: School is what decided to kick me in the rear. I spent the better part of last week frantically writing two 1600-word (apiece) history essays and a 1000-word paper on our beach vacation (as a travel piece that will be on my school Substack at some point within the next two weeks). It was only with the encouragement of my family and the many writing sprints with a writing buddy, Victoria Carney, that I was able to finish everything in time. Writing: I have begun writing again! I got Heart of an Elf edits back from my amazing editor, I started writing Scarlet Studies (you can learn all about its main character, Shea Holmes, in last week's post, and I'm in the researching/outlining phase for a regency novella that I'm keeping (mostly) under wraps for now. Oh, and I also have a short story for my Fiction Writing class that ties in with one of my WIPs. Other Stats for February 2024 Books read: 20 for this month, which is 33 total, including several middle-grade books that were recommended to me by my siblings. Words Written: For February? About...0. I mean, I literally did NO extra-curricular writing last month. That has changed this month, however! How Did I Do on My February Goals?
March-ing Foward
All right, that's all for now! What are ya'll's goals for the month of March? Did you know that March is officially National Reading Month? I just found out today and am so excited to see how many books I can finish this month!
Until next week! ~Cate Hello everyone! This week is a little different, as I'm doing two blog posts this week. Today's blog post is an interview with Abigail Kay Harris! If her name sounds familiar, she recently founded Beyond the Bookery Publishing, which is an independent press for authors. My first story, "Bench Seat Buddy" was published by Beyond the Bookery in the anthology Seize the Moment (which you can read by subscribing to my newsletter!) and Abigail is a great friend of mine. Without further ado, here's the interview! C: Hi Abigail! It's so great to have you here on the blog today! Okay, so first question: have you always wanted to start a publishing business? A: Yes, and no. Well, in a way, it is mostly a yes. I started out blogging after I found out that I loved reading after years of hating it. (Thanks, Algebra! ;)) Once I started blogging, I found a love for writing which led to a stronger interest in graphic design and cover design followed by various other skills that I now use in everyday business for Beyond the Bookery or for the services I provide. C: That's so cool. Do you enjoy publishing solo books or anthologies better? A: What a hard question! I've found that I really enjoy both. There are things to like and dislike for both, but I would probably say that I prefer collaborative publishing. As much as I love writing, publishing others' stories is something that I love even more. C: Collaborative publishing is a lot of fun. Do you run the business all by yourself, or are there others who help you? A: Originally, I started out with the ideas myself, but it wasn't until M.L. Milligan and I curated the Seize the World anthologies that I really got into running an actual business. God amazingly led M.L. Milligan (she is now Beyond the Bookery's chief editor and edited Oh, The Lamented for me.) and I to work together in various ways as Beyond the Bookery launched. Katja H. Labonté has been a friend who I've beta read for, and she's proofread and provided edits for me before, (she edited Oh, The Fallen, in fact!), she's joined the team as a proofreader. I semi recently welcomed two new team members, Zoe Gilbert as a virtual assistant to help behind the scenes (I'd love to one day have a larger team behind the virtual side of things.) and Madisyn Carlin who is a huge help with the fantasy line which Beyond the Bookery is launching this autumn. More will be coming on that soon so make sure you're following Beyond the Bookery! So, no, I do not do it all myself. The team is growing and I hope that it will keep growing as time goes on. A special thing about Beyond the Bookery's team is that we don't receive payments for services or make a profit until the authors do, so it makes the work that the team does even more amazing. (Hey, if anyone wants to join the team, you're welcome to contact me! ;)) C: That's so neat! I'm glad you have such a great team helping you out! What's your favorite part of running Beyond the Bookery? A: Another hard question! I suppose it would be seeing others' publishing dreams come true. No matter if it is a cover, a new website, helping launch a book, accepting a story for an anthology, or even coaching a writer through the publishing process. C: That's a beautiful answer. If you were to give advice to someone who wanted to try out starting their own publishing business, what would you tell them? A: It's hard, so hard to start. But if God is leading you to start your own publishing house, He'll make a way. You may even get some amazing help along the way like I did with my team, especially M.L. Milligan and Madisyn Carlin. An important thing to do at the very beginning of your business is writing a sound contract and knowing how you will provide your authors with royalties (if you are paying royalties) and make sure to double check with someone who can legally advise you on the contract before you publish an anthology or any other works. Yes, it is a lot of time, blood, sweat, tears, and money even, but it is worth it. Thanks so much for having me, Cate, it was a pleasure to answer these questions! And thanks so much Abigail, for the opportunity to do this! This has been fantastic! Alright everyone, that's the interview! Read below to learn more about Abigail Harris and her work over at Beyond the Bookery. Until next week! ~Cate About Abigail Kay Harris![]() Abigail Kay Harris is a daughter of the King with a personal degree in book-nerdiness. A sister to seven, her passionate love of the written word and deeper meanings hidden in normal things leads her to spend her time reading, writing, using sarcasm, and defining obscure words. When she’s not chasing words, she enjoys watching shows, classic romance movies, tea, sunrises, and the outdoors, especially mountains, beaches, and forests. In February of 2023, Abigail founded Beyond the Bookery, her small press, book store, and online boutique. She has assisted more than twenty authors in reaching their publishing dreams under her publisher’s CDXC Aurora Lux Libri Publishing line, shared five anthologies, and looks forward to more releases in the near future. You can connect with Abigail and find her books here: https://linktr.ee/abigailkayharris. |
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