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Reflection and anticipation

publisher/editor Seventh Window

It’s December, a time to reflect on the past year, look forward to the new year and bust your butt getting ready for holiday cheer. Most new and aspiring authors are too busy with the other job while trying to prepare for the upcoming festivities, so I’m not going to bother talking about the craft of writing. Like I said, this is a time to reflect and look forward to upcoming projects.

I have to say that 2011 was a banner year for Seventh Window, with new titles from Xavier Axelson, Bebe Burnside, Christopher Trevor, Evan Gilbert and Zachary Wild. It was exciting introducing three new authors to the M/M community while working with an author who had already been published by Silver Publishing and looking for another press to showcase his talents and Christopher Trevor, who was looking to move his highly erotic stories in a new direction. It was both an honor and a pleasure to work with these people and I look forward to being a part of their publishing careers in the coming years.

So what does Seventh Window have in store for you all in 2012? I’m working on new projects with Bebe Burnside, whose latest manuscript landed on my desk last week; Xavier Axelson has a new novella that goes off in a new direction; and Michele L. Montgomery has a new novel titled Dammit! coming out with Seventh Window in both eBook and print late March 2012! I’m very excited to add Michele to our growing list of authors.

Sure, that’s what’s coming up, but what’s going on now? I’m presently working with a new author on a novella that is hard edged, sexy and sweet. The book is called Scar Tissue by GL Roberts. Scar Tissue is sure to get your hearts thumping and set your sex drive racing. Get ready for some sexy fun set in the mid 1970s. Men, guns and romance, what more can you ask for?

This coming year is going to be fun! So break out the Menorah and mistletoe and get ready for a sexy year ahead from Seventh Window.

The Talented Zachary Wild

Introducing The Amazing Zachary Wild:

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions, Zachary. We are very excited and can’t wait to learn more about you.

Can you tell us a little bit about your background? 

I’m an author who got sick of being an author but didn’t want to leave publishing. This is how and why I started Seventh Window Publications. I thought it was time to start a small press that helped authors promote their work, which is something few publishing houses do.

I started writing again recently, as Zachary Wild, because story ideas started coming back to me. Let it be known that Zachary Wild is my cat’s name.

What was your first book and how long did it take to get it published? 

My very first book was published under my own name by Leyland Publications. It was a collection of short stories and took a year or so to find a home.

How many books have you written thus far?

2 as Zachary Wild.

When did you start writing paranormal romance? What about this genre interested you the most?

 I really enjoy a good vampire story, but the problem is that I like vampires that stay true to the Bram Stoker novel. I also like a good ghost story.

Do you write full time? 

I write when I can. These days finding time to write has been a challenge. I bought a house back in December and have been doing work on it myself, which has its own rewards.

Looking back was there something in particular that helped you to decide to become a writer? Did you choose it or did the profession choose you? 

I believe it was Anaïs Nin who equated writing to a disease. There’s a part of me that agrees with that odd description and a part that doesn’t. I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember, but that doesn’t mean I always want to write or be an author.  At the same time I can’t imagine myself doing anything outside of publishing.

I don’t come from a reading family, so I was kind of the odd duck. My father was an actor who did a lot of community theater, commercials and an episode of Divorce Court (the original, back in the late sixties). For as long as I knew him, acting was something he always did, even if it was just on the side.  Writing has been like that for me.

On a typical writing day, how would you spend your time? 

Here’s the breakdown:

05:30 wake up, coffee, feed Zachary and go to the other job (I’m a pharmacy technician for a local hospital)

16:00 coffee, feed Zachary, read submissions, respond to e-mail and anything that needs my immediate attention.

16:30/17:00 continue working on any current book projects.

19:00 I try to eat dinner at this point of the day.  This usually entails eating in front of the computer or in the dining room while scribbling notes in the margins of a manuscript.

21:00 I try to get to bed at this time. It doesn’t always happen.

When it comes to plotting, do you write freely or plan everything in advance? 

I always tell myself that I’ll plot out the next one, but I never do. It comes as it comes and all gets changed in the edits.

What kind of research do you do before and during a new book?   

It depends on the book. I try to go to the places where my stories are set and take pictures. If someone has a specific job, I try to get the job right. In other words, I give my characters jobs that I know. It’s good to keep it as real as possible, even in fiction.

How much of yourself and the people you know manifest into your characters? How do you approach development of your characters? Where do you draw the line? 

Years ago, back in the ‘80s, I took a dream interpretation class. One way to look at dreams is to see every person in your dream as a part of yourself. My writing is a bit like that. Every person in any of my stories has a portion of myself in him or her. A lot of my stories – especially the Pushing Through Midnight series – deal with issues that I’ve been going through, am going through or have already been through.

Of all the characters I’ve created over the years, I feel very close to Victor. It’s not that I’m cold or calculating the way he is, but it’s his feeling of loss and longing that we have in common. There were times when I was writing Eternal and Sanguine that I felt as if Victor was beside me, watching, making sure I got it right. It was like sitting with an old friend.

How long does it take for you to complete a book you would allow someone to read? 

It depends on the book. There is no time limit.

If you weren’t sitting there right this very moment answering our book of questions, what else would you be doing? 

There is this delightful BD/SM story that an author sent me on my desk. I would be working on that. (Yum…I can’t wait!!)

Do you write straight through, or do you revise as you go along? 

I right it all out then edit.

Writers often go on about writer’s block. Do you ever suffer from it, and what measures do you take to get past it? 

The only way to get past writer’s block is to force yourself to write. Look at the clock and tell yourself for the next twenty minutes I will write what comes to mind. If nothing comes to mind, then write something. Look at a picture and write anything about it. If it’s a picture of a shell on a beach, start off with: It was a shell on the beach….

When someone reads one of your books for the first time, what do you hope they gain, feel, or experience? 

I simply hope they enjoy it.

Does the title of a book you’re writing come to you as you’re writing it, or does it come before you even begin the first sentence?

Both. The title comes when it comes.

How would you describe your sense of humor? Who and what makes you laugh?

Odd. I never know what will make me laugh.

What is the most frequently asked Zach. question?

There haven’t been any that I can think of. I do know that the most frequent question I ask my Zachary Wild is: How did you become so cute? This is usually followed with hugs and a kiss on his noggin.

What are you working on now?

The third installment in Pushing Through Midnight, Ankh , and a short called The Wild Boys and a BD/SM novella that I might sign on.

What was the best piece of advice you’ve received with respect to the art of writing? How did you implement it into your work?

Show, don’t tell. I simply do it.

When it comes to promotion, what lengths have you gone to in order to increase reader-awareness of your work?

Back when I was writing dirty stories for Leyland Publications I would go on book signings. It was fun.

Writing is obviously not just how you make your living, but your life-style as well. What do you do to keep the creative “spark” alive – both in your work and out of it?

I have this crazy imagination that does its own thing.

What kind of books do you like to read? 

I will read just about anything. A good story is just that, a good story. I’ll read horror, romance, westerns, young adult…anything.  I did a two year jag of sci-fi in junior high, then read Carrie by Steven King and did nothing but horror until I graduated from high school. From there it was literary fiction, especially women’s fiction. My all time favs for women’s fiction are Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood, Possessing the Secret of Joy by Alice Walker, Two Girls, Fat and Thin by Mary Gaitskill and Fear of Flying by Erica Jong.  

The most under appreciated book that I love is Dr. Haggard’s Disease by Patrick McGrath.  Read it.

What is your favorite TV show? 

I don’t own a television.

What is your favorite fast food restaurant? Just thought we’d throw that in for fun… 

I try not to eat that stuff, but I do. Back when Burger King had The Angry Whopper, I would eat one once a week. It was awful and I loved every nasty bite. McDonald’s has those angus burgers. I love the one with the bacon. Taco Bell has the grilled stuffed burrito, which I think is yummy.  

Without getting up, can you tell us what’s under your bed? (yep, another sneaky question.) 

Nothing. I had company over Friday night and again on Saturday, so I cleaned it.  It’s usually dust and a stray sock.

If you weren’t a writer what would you be? 

Miserable.

When it comes to the covers of your books, what do you like or dislike about them?

Since I’ve been designing my own covers, I would have to say nothing.

Aside from writing, what else do you enjoy doing? 

Zachary Wild flying his kite

 

Kite flying. I have a stunt kite that I take out when I make the time. I got one of my niece’s into it, so she sometimes comes along to fly.

Any special projects coming out soon we should watch for?

Ankh and possibly this BD/SM project by another author. Since the author hasn’t yet signed on, I don’t want to talk too much about it. But I am very hopeful.

New writers are always trying to glean advice from those with more experience. What suggestions do you have for new writers? 

Show, don’t tell. Also know what to condense into story time and what to play out in real time.

Can you please tell us where we can find you and your books on the Internet?

Zacahry Wild and Seventh Window titles are just about everywhere. Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, http://www.allromanceebooks.com/, http://1placeforromance.com/, http://www.rainbowebooks.com/store/, http://www.mobipocket.com and http://www.seventhwindow.com/.   I know Mobipocket also sells through other eBookstores, but I can’t list all of them.

We have reviews of Zachary Wild’s books here:

Eternal:

Sanguine

Sanguine by Zachary Wild

Sanguine
(Book 2 in Pushing Through the Midnight series)
Author: Zachary Wild
Publisher: Seventh Window Publications
Pages: 40
Characters: Victor & Dylan
POV: 3rd
Book Cover Rating: 4

5 KISSES

Buy Here

Blurb:

For those of you who enjoyed Eternal by Zachary Wild but feel as if it left too many questions unanswered, get ready to have those questions answered in Sanguine.

Is Dylan the man Victor thinks he is? How long can Victor keep the truth about himself a secret? And what about Ivy who was left on the brink of death? Find out the answers to those questions and more in Sanguine. The story of Victor and Dylan continues

Review:

Let me start this off with saying that I am relieved that Zachary Wild decided to revisit Victor and Dylan in this sequel to his first book, Eternal. At the end of that story I was left with several questions and a bit on the: what was that side of things. I had no idea Mr. Wild had plans to continue on with this story and due to that, I was a tad bit lost and not sure of the plot. You can see my review of Eternal here: Eternal. My biggest issue was that I didn’t feel closure but what I didn’t know was that I wasn’t supposed to just then. I was supposed to wait and see.

When I heard Zachary released this follow up, I couldn’t wait to read it. I had to see what happened to Ivy who was left on the edge of death at the end of Eternal. I had to know what was up with Dylan and Victor, and I wanted more of Carlos.

Zach answered my unanswered questions in Sanguine and he did so mostly through the thoughts of Victor who is still that cold hearted killer. But you know what I discovered? He’s hurting. He’s a vamp in love, but under that? He’s a man in love and the love of his life was taken from him long ago so of course he has a reason to be that cold…vamp that he is. He is also very smart and when All Hallows Eve comes around he is offered a taste of what could be between him and Carlo’s and he will stop at nothing to have that love back. Dylan wasn’t on scene much in this short but his part is huge and extremely important to the future of them both.

Mr. Wild takes us deeper into Victor’s dark mind; he uses angst and love and spins them as one until you’re trapped. And he also left me wondering what in the hell happened to Ivy? Zach?

Zachary Wild likes to tease his readers, he builds a character and gives you small tastes until you’re practically begging him to open up and let them all out! Stay tuned for his next piece: Ankh, the next installment in the Pushing Through Midnight series.

Reviewer: Michele

Review of Eternal, Book One

Eternal by Zachary Wild

Eternal

Author: Zachary Wild
Publisher: Seventh Window Publications
Pages: 46
POV: 3rd
Scene Setting: Modern Day
Sub Genre: Paranormal
Book Cover Rating: 4

3 KISSES

Buy Here

Blurb:

Victor Diaz has been walking the Earth for centuries, alone and empty. The loss of his lover to an angry mob is his last human memory. And now, on a dark city street Victor finds the one man who could be the reincarnation of his dead lover. Could this be a second chance? If it is, Victor will not let anything get in the way of rekindling their love.

Caution: The vampires in Eternal are the old fashioned type vampires and not the more modern vampires depicted in most romances published today. This story contains blood.

Review:

As the blurb explains the vampire in this story is indeed old fashioned. He will burn up in the sun, he does sleep in a coffin, and there is indeed blood in this story. This particular vampire actually rips the throats out of his victims and drinks until he’s full. Right at the start of this short story, I met Victor in an alley eating some young boy in an alley and when he heard footsteps he drug his find out of the lights in the alley and hid from the unseen person walking his way. That reminded me of those animals in the wild that drag off their fresh kills to eat in peace. I can just picture that vamp crouched over, his face full of blood, snarling with those pointy teeth protruding from his gums looking at an innocent passerby. Oh the image.

Victor reminds me of a vamp I met in another series. He has the same attitude, the same thought process, and the same looks too. He’s a lonely one as well. Apparently he lost the only man he loved centuries ago to an angry witch hunting mob who burned him at the stake in a foreign country. I think Victor was from Spain as his lover, Carlos was and they relocated to another part of Spain so they could live with one another however, they weren’t out and still hid their love from the public to avoid the scandal that was sure to follow. After a few locals came up half eaten, the mob decided Carlos did it and did away with him. Poor Victor tried to save him, but the was next on the menu for the vampire. It was that night he was turned and Victor takes us to his past while he watches a young man approach him in that dark alley. It just so happens that the young boy, whose name is Dylan, reminds Victor of his ex-lover, Carlos. Carlos has been dead over 300 years and not once in all that time does Victor find another to love…Until Dylan.

Theirs is a rushed romance, and it just so happens that Dylan has a best friend named Ivy who meets Victor and instantly he raises the hairs on her neck. Smart girl! She puts doubt in Dylan’s innocent mind and guess who picks up on it? Yes, Victor. What does he do? He kidnaps her, bites her to turn her to a vamp but is stopped in the process…Why does he want to turn her, why doesn’t he just kill her and be done with it…Because Ivy is Dylan’s friend. What a nice guy. So, he’s stopped in the midst of turning her because Dylan shows up at the house and the vampire leaves her barely alive on the floor to go tend to his lover. While I kept wondering if she was alive at the end of the story, Victor was planning his future. With Dylan none the wiser as to what Victor really was or what he’d done to Ivy. I still have no idea if she ever made it. Last I heard she was dying I think in Victors coffin.

This is this authors first book out and it’s a promising start. Zachary sure knows how to put the story together, the sex is hot, and he did a good job of bringing Victor to the forefront. I would have liked to spend more time with Dylan and would have loved to know what in the world became of Ivy. And I would like to know if Victor turns Dylan too or?

If you need a short vamp read to fill in an hour or so, give this a try. I’m glad I was able to read a new author!

Keep them coming Zachary.

Reviewer: Michele