Jared Sandman

My thanks to everyone who helped make the Blogbuster Tour 2011 a success.  More than two dozen stops in eight weeks, including book reviews, excerpts and interviews, plus guest posts about writing and publishing.

For the Amazon gift card giveaways, I put all the names into a hat and drew at random.  Anyone who commented either on my website or any of the host sites was elegible.  While I contacted the three winners who were chosen, I haven’t heard back from all of them.  In addition, I pulled a separate name for the Twitter drawing.  If you signed up to follow me (@JaredSandman) at any time during the tour, you were eligible.  And for the webmasters who graciously took part in the blog tour, I held another raffle and e-mailed the winner.

If I don’t hear from all the winners within the next few days, I’ll be forced to draw alternate names.  So if you receive a message from me with the subject line YOU’RE A WINNER, I promise it’s not spam. 

Now that the tour has concluded, my attention turns from promotion back to writing.  I know what my next book project will be and have done foundational research over the past month for it.  I’ll spend September plotting out the novel from start to finish, then I’ll commence work in earnest at the start of October.  I can’t tell you about the project quite yet (I’m a bit superstitious that way), but I’ll be sure to drop clues and teasers over the next several months.

And with this the Blogbuster Tour comes to an end.  I’ll have a full wrap-up of events on Friday, but today I have an interview for you.

Neal Hock has proofed three of my novels.  Not only is he good at his job, he’s very affordable.  When my first book came out a year ago, I couldn’t find any trustworthy proofreaders who weren’t out to gouge college students and who were easy on the wallet.  Since that time a few have cropped up, and I expect a cottage industry to blossom for indie writers in the near future.  I had a few questions for him, and Neal was kind enough to indulge me.

Tell us about Hock’s Editing Services.  What assistance do you provide authors?

Currently, Hock’s Editing Services provides freelance proofreading, copyediting, and concept editing for authors, websites, and businesses.  Hock’s Editing Services was created over a year ago to address what I saw as a need in the self-publishing market.  The biggest criticism of self-pubbed authors I would come across was that quality was missing, especially with regards to editing.  In my opinion, there is nothing worse than an author being slammed for technical issues, such as typos and punctuation, that can be addressed.  It’s important to have a second set of trained eyes to go over a manuscript in order to catch mistakes that the author may have missed.  I had a natural skill set and a passion for quality writing, so I stepped up to provide assistance in dispelling the notion that self-published authors lacked quality.

What in your background prepared you for such an undertaking?

I have bachelor of science in computer engineering.  My studies helped me hone my focus on details and technical issues.  I’ve had a voracious appetite for books my entire life, so I’ve spent a lot of time soaking in both good and bad writing.  It also helps that I’ve spent countless hours working with authors and studying grammar-related issues during the past couple of years.

Do you work in specific genres, or are you open to all works?  Which genres do you prefer and why?

I’m pretty much open to all genres.  I’ve worked with science fiction, horror, thriller, adventure, fantasy, and even romance.  If I had to pick a preference, I guess I’d choose horror or thriller, simply because that’s where my love as a reader lies.

Take us through your process from when you receive a manuscript to when you deliver the proofed version.  How long does that generally take?

I usually make three passes through a manuscript.  The first pass is a detailed reading.  During this reading, I scour the manuscript for typos, grammar, and punctuation issues.  The second pass is a much quicker pass to catch anything I may have missed the first time through.  The final pass is made using a checklist that I created to make sure I’ve checked for common mistakes.  After I return a manuscript to an author, I’ll gladly answer any questions, even if it’s months later.  The length of time for the entire process from receipt of manuscript to its return is typically around ten days, although it really varies from manuscript to manuscript.

Which writers have you worked with in the past, and how do you navigate each author’s individual style choices?

I’ve worked with a wide variety of authors and small publishers, including Scott Nicholson, Jenna Anderson, Christa Polkinhorn, Jeff Bennington, Crossroad Press, and R.E. McDermott.  Every author has his/her personal preferences, and identifying these preferences is my first order of business before I start proofreading or editing.  I’ll send the author a few questions to get a feel of his/her personal preferences about some common issues, and then as I read the manuscript I’ll query the author about any issues that raise questions.

How do authors contact you if they’re interested in having their books proofread?  How much do you charge?

Authors can stop by my website, http://www.hockseditingservices.com, or e-mail me at hockseditingservices(at)live(dot)com.  I respond to e-mail inquiries within twenty-four hours.  My current rate for proofreading is $3.00 per 1,000 words.

Thanks for your time, Neal.

Welcome to the final week of the Blogbuster Tour 2011.  Today I have an excerpt from my second novel, The Wild Hunt, up on Castle Macabre.

And come back Wednesday for the final day of the tour, when I’ll be featured over at Indie Books Blog.

Today’s special weekend installment is a short piece I wrote about writers and procrastination.  You can catch it over at Rainy of the Dark.

Next week the Blogbuster Tour concludes, so be sure to come back and catch the last couple things I have up my sleeve.

Read an excerpt from my second novel, The Wild Hunt, now on The True Book Addict.  Many thanks to Michelle for hosting me.  And check out her latest blog, Castle Macabre, which specializes in horror fiction.

Our next stop will be on Saturday instead of Friday.  Look for it at Rainy of the Dark.

Check out Buy Zombie for a short piece I wrote about different types of zombies.  Thanks to Stuart for hosting me on his site.

On Wednesday I’ll have an excerpt from The Wild Hunt up on The True Book Addict.  Be sure to stop by then.

After the publication of my first novel, Leviathan, readers kept asking me whether something like the book’s titular creature could actually exist today, living somewhere in the ocean.  Anything’s possible, I suppose.  While cryptozoology, the study of hidden animals, isn’t an accepted branch of science — one can’t major in it at university, for example — “monsters” undeniably lived in the past.  Dinosaurs ruled the planet over sixty-five million years ago, and throwbacks of that age are still with us, from lizards and turtles to crocodiles and sharks.

The most famous cryptids are probably the Loch Ness Monster and bigfoot.  I live in Florida, where there are tales of sasquatch figures called skunk apes.  Named after the heinous smell they supposedly exude, the beasts are rumored to live in the state’s interior, around Lake Okeechobee and the nearby Seminole reservations.

There are other obscure animals of lore, including the chupacabra (southwestern goat-sucker), the kraken (giant squid) and Mokèlé-mbèmbé (African sauropod).  At least one of these has been scientifically confirmed, colossal squid almost fifty feet long that dwell deep under the sea.

History is filled with accounts of explorers and adventurers coming in contact with new animal species.  Centuries ago sailors believed they could spy mermaids on their transatlantic voyages.  These “mere-people” are now recognized as manatees.  Having spent time up close with manatees, I have to assume only a sex-starved sailor could confuse the two.  Imagine how vexing it must have been when man first encountered elephants, tapirs and giraffes (or “cameleopards” as they were first known).

Up to seventy-five species go extinct every day, with modern zoology accounting for roughly one-fourth of the estimated species on the planet.  An untold number surely die off before scientists even have the opportunity to discover them, a loss for all of humanity. 

So are cryptids real?  I would say yes, absolutely.  Most are probably insects and invertebrates though.  In terms of anything as rare and exotic as flying mothmen or bigfoots (bigfeet?), I’d say it’s possible yet improbable.  Our world is very large, and there are many places left uninhabited by mankind.  As the human population booms and we search for more space, it’s feasible we’ll intrude in areas where all manner of new species will be found.

Today I have a book review of my third novel, Dreamland, courtesy of the website 2Read or Not 2Read.  And on Friday I’ll be guest posting over at Buy Zombie about (what else?) zombies — or the many permutations thereof.

Welcome to week seven of the Blogbuster Tour.  Today I have a short piece at Book Sanctuary about what I call “second-chance books”.  Be sure to drop by and take a look.

On Wednesday I’ll have another book review up for Dreamland, my sci-fi thriller.  As always, leave a comment either on my site or the blog hosts’ sites (and/or follow me on Twitter) for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card.

Another week down for the Blogbuster Tour.  David B. Silva has posted a guest essay from me about writing The Wild Hunt.  You can read it at Hellnotes.

And on Monday I’ll be over at Book Sanctuary.  Be sure to check back then.