This week, my special guest is the prolific novelist and screenwriter, Ryne Douglas Pearson. The film ‘Knowing’, based on his original script, was a worldwide #1 hit, earning over $180 million at the box office. He’s published eight novels and a collection of short stories to date, and will release several new books this year. Ryne lives in California with his family.

Ryne, it is an absolute pleasure to have you as my guest this week. You have quite an impressive bio. Let me start with your novels. I, for one, am looking forward to reading your new novel, Confessions, which is a departure from your usual thriller. Please, tell us about it.

Yes, Confessions is quite a departure. My thrillers have mostly been very plot driven and focused on big events with worldwide implications. Things blowing up, bad guys getting chased by good guys. All good fun and exciting reading. Confessions, though, came at me differently in idea form. I knew it would be a more personal story for a main character with this central premise: would a person of faith offer forgiveness, or seek vengeance, if given the opportunity to find the killer of a loved one?

This allowed me to stay fully with the main character throughout the story as he faces this struggle and makes some very shocking discoveries.

I love novels of intrigue and suspense. It helps me escape my crazy life at times. Can you tell us about some of your past titles?

My first five novels were all what would be called police procedurals slash military thrillers. Reviewers called several of them technothrillers ala Clancy, which I guess is close. These are the big, action-packed stories that I’ve always loved to read.

I also have a suspense novel, The Donzerly Light, with a very deep supernatural element. This began with a simple question: what if a stockbroker was given psychic abilities? Life would be pretty sweet, right? Of course (there’s always an “of course”) this gift that allows him to pick winning stocks might also lay before him things he doesn’t want to see. Dark things. Deadly things.

Also, I wrote a novel called All For One. This was probably my favorite novel to write—meaning I loved the process of this one. It has a group of kids as central characters, and I love writing kids. My favorite novel is IT, by Stephen King, which, despite its dark themes, is a beautiful tale of children facing an adult evil. In All For One, which I always tell people is a dark mystery, a group of sixth-graders close ranks to cover up the murder of the school’s sadistic bully. This is not a light book, but I drew a lot on kids I knew in my own youth to craft the characters here, which made it a bit of a trip down memory lane.

You are a screenwriter, novelist, and short story writer. Does the creative process change depending on what you are writing? If so, how?

Each is really about telling the best story possible. Screenwriting is a more mechanical process, with pieces that have to be arranged properly, but still it comes down to story.

One major difference that I’ve had to learn to deal with is this: writing prose (novels, shorts) is a solitary endeavor. Screenwriting is collaborative. At some point you WILL work with others on your script if it is to reach its potential and make it to screen. I’m a cave dweller when it comes to writing, so scripts require I expose myself to the sun at times. It’s an adjustment.

You’ve not only had your novel, Simple Simon, turned into a film (Mercury Rising, starring Bruce Willis), but also the film Knowing was based on your original script. So, just how exciting is it to see your work on the big screen?

It’s nice. Interesting to note changes that happened along the way.

You’re known as quite a humorous guy. Your novels and screenplays are known for their dark nature. Does your penchant for comedy have a place in your work?

Not really. My writing tends to be on the serious or dark side. I’m just not that funny when I try to be in writing.

It’s almost impossible to know anything about you and not know about your love affair with bacon. Tell us more. How many days a week do you indulge? How frequently does bacon get a mention in your work? Do you like your bacon super crispy?

First, no super crispy. I enjoy a bit of flop to my strips of cured swine flesh. I try to indulge at least three times a week, which I think is a Surgeon General recommendation or something. And, you know, I can only recall bacon being specifically used in my first few novels, where the main character, Art Jefferson, is addicted to bacon chili cheese dogs from Pinks in L.A.

Before becoming a full-time writer, you worked as a bus driver, camp counselor, and plumber. School bus or public bus? Day camp or overnight camp? Any stories to share with us?

I drove buses to and from Los Angeles International Airport, through Hollywood, Orange County, and I also drove charters. As for camp, both day and overnight. Stories? What stories? There are no stories.

Now, about your work as a plumber. I know plumbers see some not-so-pretty things on a daily basis. You must have some stories for us. For example, what are some of the strangest and grossest things you’ve pulled out of a pipe?

Oh, that story. Okay, brace yourself. Sometimes when a drain gets clogged you have to send this cable in with a big blade on the end to chop through whatever is obstructing the drainage. Well…are you sure you want to hear this? Yes? Okay, I warned you.

Once, when I retrieved the cable (or snake), wrapped around the blade was…a cat. Or pieces of what was a cat. It was not pretty. It had obviously crawled into an open 4-inch cleanout outside and gotten stuck, died, and blocked the drain.

I warned you!

The world of publishing is changing so rapidly. It’s hard to keep up. Any thoughts about the ever-evolving landscape? Predictions?

Paper books will be a niche market in seven years. Maybe 20% of the book market, if that. eBooks simply make economic sense.

I’m not sure what agents/publishers become. They will have to change. Some are trying mightily, and others are resisting. I would ask them one question about their resistance: how many record stores do you see? How many that sell vinyl? CDs? Joe Konrath got it absolutely right, I believe, when he said publishers are selling paper right now. Have been for a long time. If they can’t see that change is inevitable, that paper is on its way out, they will fail.

There are a lot of smart people in publishing. But the landscape is shifting toward authors being in control. Publishers that realize that and become partners, rather than masters, may be able to navigate these new waters.

Social media is terrific, but it can be a great big time vampire, too. What advice would you give to people trying to use social media effectively?

Be genuine. Engage. Don’t just spew links to your books. I’ve met some really great people through Twitter. We joke, swap tips, etc… Honestly, I’d rather build a group of people who occasionally enjoy some random thing I tweet than 50,000 automatic followbacks promising me tips on SEO and Great Online Deals!

People, even on social media, have a pretty good BS meter. It’s not about how many followers you have—it’s about how many followers actually read what you tweet in their stream. Try to be interesting. Have fun. Life is too short to be a marketing robot.

If you could have a dinner party and invite your favorite fictional characters, who might we see seated around the table?

Atticus Finch, Jack Ryan, Guy Montag, Muriel Pritchett, Ben Hanscom, Sarah Connor, and Hannibal Lecter.

Can you tell us what you’re working on now, or is it a secret?

Secret. Shhh.

I’ve been forever called picky, but I maintain that we’re all picky creatures. What are you picky about?

I don’t like stuff touching my rice. Rice is rice. Don’t put stuff on it.

Where can people find you in cyberspace?

My website!

Twitter

Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

Apple iBooks

Any parting words for the masses? Any shameless plugs?

Try my books and let me know if you like them 🙂

 

Tags: All For One, bacon lover, Bruce Willis, Confessions, Knowing, Mercury Rising, police procedurals, publishing predictions, Ryne Douglas Pearson, screeenwriting vs. novel writing, Simple Simon, social media advice, technothrillers, The Donzerly Light

This week, I’m super excited to have Concert/Recording Artist and Singer/Songwriter Joy Katzen-Guthrie as my guest. Joy is a multi-faceted woman with quite a diverse background.

Welcome, Joy. It’s a pleasure to meet you. You are indeed a woman of many talents and eclectic endeavors. Let me start with your music. How would you describe it to someone you just met, like me?

Thank you so much, Molly, for your gracious invitation to this interview. They say artists should describe their work in one sentence. HA! That’s the greatest challenge for an artist! I would tell you I create music to empower, transform, and inspire insight into self worth. I see that music as beyond genre, with an intention to soothe, heal, uplift — kind of like emotionally massaging the listener’s mind with a feeling of well being. This week, someone called me after receiving a gift of one of my CDs. She mentioned she is chronically high strung — but since listening, she’s never been so relaxed. This is a comment I hear often. My lyrics are about becoming, discovering, sharing common life experiences, connection to a higher power within.

Please, tell us about the evolution of music in your life, how you have evolved as an artist, and where you want to go?

I began creating melodies at the piano at age four. When I heard music then, I could see the progression of pitches in my head and know where they were in relation to one another. At five, I began lessons, continuing that study through college. The challenge of my life then was stage fright. I would become terror-stricken in front of an audience. It took much perseverance to overcome it. From Stephens College, I went on to receive a B.F.A. in Piano Performance and a B.A. in Broadcast Communications, the latter of which I expected would earn my living, as I loved and excelled at speaking. But within two years of working in radio, I switched career paths to music. My husband, a retired broadcast engineer, and I have operated Tune-of-the-Century Music® with professional recording studios, entertainment, broadcast integration & sound reinforcement services since 1983.

How different is your life now from where a ten-year-old Joy thought she’d be or wanted to be today?

The ten-year-old never could have imagined all the ways in which I would express. As a child, I envisioned a classical concert career, but my life came to merge speaking, writing, and performing into a unique concert experience that encompasses many genres of music. The ten-year-old never imagined the healing, positive genres within which I write, which were inspired through working as a cantorial vocalist and then within Unity congregations. The ten-year-old never imagined teaching, which I have done for a decade for Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) courses in musical theatre, cinema scores, comedy and satire, American popular songbook, sound healing, Eastern faiths, Jewish interest, and much more. These courses combine my interests as writer, speaker, researcher, historian, performer, teacher, composer, and observer of life.

(Joy and her grandmother)

How have you dealt with the frustrations and seeming setbacks of working in the entertainment business/music industry?

Rejection is frequent and sometimes the attacks are barbed. It feels personal; after all, I am the product. I devoted some ten years to the pursuit of a contract with a major label or publisher. The rejection was murderous. On one occasion, I walked down Music Row asking myself why I was still going through this pain, why I didn’t just quit writing songs and take a job behind a desk in some music office somewhere instead? As I asked the question, I felt like someone punched me in the gut. I remember almost doubling over from the force of it. I thought to myself: Oh I get it: I have no idea what pain is until I give up music because there could be no pain greater than that.

What are the challenges of operating/building your own business?

I had to learn where my music fit and what I wanted to do with it. I became the record label, the distributor, the promoter. The greatest compliment I am given is those who purchase my recordings who love them so much they share them with others. My “I Bless My Body” healing card/CD is often purchased in multiple copies. One individual purchased 80 copies to gift. Others have purchased 10, 20, 30 copies each, many purchase several the first time they see or hear it. What an amazing acknowledgement that is.

I watched the Tony Awards, and am continually amazed at the number of entities who come together to create one project. All are connected within a common intention, each equally passionate about the success and remarkability of that project. This is the difference between a business that thinks small and one that thinks monumentally. I would like to be creating recordings, stage productions, and performances of that scale of monumental vision.

From a physical and logistical standpoint, running one’s own business leaves one with little time off. It is magnificent to both take the blame and stake the claim. If there are improvements to be made, one has the power to act, and if there are accomplishments, one is able to acknowledge oneself for them. But there is a feeling that letting go, even for short periods, places the business in peril. Physically and emotionally it is wearing, but the benefits far outweigh the downside.

People I meet have such a different take on what it’s like to work in the entertainment business. Some push their kids head first into it, while others say “No way.” Any thoughts you’d like to share? Advice?

In the early ‘80s as I began my music career, I was informed by someone in the business that “Nobody gets out without becoming a drug addict or losing all his money, and NO marriage can survive the business!” The assumption is that people in the entertainment business are drug addicts, corrupt, greedy, unreliable — yet I have enjoyed a healthy, abundant 30-year career, a fulfilling 28-year marriage … and plenty of rejection and heartache. Today, I feel increasingly connected to scores of fans and to warmhearted, creative music visionaries I admire. Frankly, I HAVE known corrupt and unreliable people and addicts — in every line of work. The profession is neither good nor bad. One’s attitude creates one’s experience of it.

(Joy and Mark’s honeymoon in 1983)

(Joy and Mark celebrating 28 years of marriage)

If it is someone’s gift to bring creative expression to the world, it is a travesty to discourage that individual from expressing it. That said, turning one’s art into a business often means never again being able to experience it without analyzing it. Creating for fun and innocence is a thing of the past. I would further warn that to successfully conduct a business in the arts, one must have the ability to ascertain financial needs and constraints of one’s artistry and audience. The artist often tries to be all things to all people. There are billions of people speaking to specific segments of the population. Let those who understand their segment best speak to them. Focus on your own experience and wisdom, ascertain the audience that will connect with your message and your outlook, create for them and be authentic to your own beliefs. If you can do this, you are guaranteed a profound, beneficial artistic career.

(Joy in 1982 as a talk radio executive producer)

In the past several years, you have led Heritage tours, leading groups of people to remote areas of the globe to discover their unique Jewish heritage, in places where one would never expect Jews to have thrived. This sounds fascinating. How did this begin?

Indeed it IS fascinating, one of those out-of-the-blue opportunities. I was recommended to Regent China Tours as a potential scholar-in-residence and Jewish Heritage tour creator, which led me to the astonishing discovery of ancient Jewish travelers, refugees, and adventurers of the Silk Road who were welcomed and invited to create thriving communities in China, never experiencing intolerance or persecution from their hosts. Modern Shanghai, likewise, welcomed some 30,000 Jewish refugees from pogroms of Eastern Europe, the Russian Revolution, and the Holocaust.

(Great Wall, Beijing: first group tour)

(On a tea plantation in Guilin, July 2001 group)

(Alaska tour)

I created and led six tours to differing regions of China from 2000-2008 and created Jewish heritage tours to Alaska, Australia/New Zealand, Argentina. I developed a web presence of these communities, with links to thousands of sources and hundreds of my own photographs. I have become a frequent lecturer on Jewish China and remote Jewish communities and have gone on to study of Taoism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism. My life has been enriched immeasurably through experiences in and study of the East.

(Near the summit of Mt. Tai (Tai-Shan) in July 2002)

You recently portrayed novelist Edna Ferber in an original dramatic work that you co-wrote with former St. Petersburg playwright Jan Taylor. What inspired this project? Have you ever done anything like this before?

Actually, Molly, I had never done anything like this. Playwright Jan Taylor asked me to portray Edna Ferber … Magic or Madness?, a one-woman dramatization she wrote. Jan’s script melded remarks from Edna’s two autobiographies as well as her letters and other writings. I was fascinated by the breadth of her work — from her short stories of the early 20th century that portrayed career women dedicated to their work and independence, to brilliant novels like So Big, Cimarron, and Giant, to theatrical comedies created with George S. Kaufman, such as Dinner At Eight, Stage Door, and The Royal Family. And there was Show Boat, arguably the most hailed work of her career. Though only 5’3”, Edna was a BIG woman.

(Edna Ferber)

We presented a number of shows for OLLI and were delighted with the accolades. Jan asked me to take over the project entirely, and for production earlier this year, I expanded it from one to two hours to further capture the character and life of this amazing woman. Ferber was fiercely strong, courageous, brilliant — an individual of the highest standard of professionalism and artistic honesty. Her writing was among America’s finest in the 20th century. I cannot tell you where this production will next arise, but I feel certain that more will come of it. I desire to take it to a far more visible level, to honor Edna’s life through it, and to experience many more times the joy of presenting it.

(Joy as Edna Ferber)

What projects are you working on now?

“I Bless My Body” is the first of a line of inspirational card/CD’s, each with songs, lyrics, photographs, guided meditation of a specific theme of gratitude, forgiveness, grief/loss, family love, holidays. Also in progress now are new collections of original positive music, Hebrew music, lectures on The Jews of China, historical American songs and songs of the popular American songbook.

You have one of the most amazing websites I’ve seen. You are certainly a can-do, have-done, will-be-doing woman. Live musical concerts from the piano, music-related lectures and classes, Heritage Tours, Tune-of-the-Century Music, Voice Over Artist, — wow. How did you come to diversify on such a grand scale?

I chuckle over the contrast of what I thought I would create and where life led me. Even as a kid I was interested in many things historical, cultural, musical, artistic, theatrical, literary, even scientific. I find much of almost everything fascinating. Life gave me the opportunities for discovery and the ability to put all that together. We have a specific vision of what we can and should do that limits us. Be open. Each experience creates a ripple effect, and how far it goes we do not know. From even the most far-flung possibilities are opportunities for unimaginable joy.

(Joy and her mom)

What kind of music do you listen to when you are not working on your own?

I love early jazz, Dixieland, swing, also the work of independent singer/songwriters and instrumentalists. A favorite that comes to mind is the amazing composer/pianist Paul Sullivan, whose recordings make me feel I can fly. Reflective, meditative, positive music is a favorite. Lately I’ve been on an oldies kick of obscure tunes from the ‘50’s, ‘60’s, ‘70’s. Classic rock from The Who, Yes, Led Zeppelin, ELP, Queen. Classical solo instruments, baroque, music of the impressionists. Pretty eclectic stuff, like the music I create.

What do you know now that you wish you knew five years ago?

Don’t take it seriously.
Don’t take it personally.

Select an intention — not a goal. A goal is what you feel you need to DO. An intention is what you want to BE and to CREATE.

What do you hope to know in five years that you don’t know now?

The thrill of performing with full orchestra, seeing my videos go viral, enjoying a world tour, hearing concert audiences joyously singing the lyrics of my songs.

I’ve been forever called picky, but I maintain that we’re all picky creatures. What are you picky about?

Over the years, I have refused to create or release something because I picked at it, felt it was not quite ready. In cases, I reluctantly released something because I felt I had no choice but to let it go. I am aware now that if I’m going to hold off doing or sharing something until there are no flaws, I’ll never do or share anything. Sometimes the best recordings and performances come out of the process of just letting go.

Any parting words for the masses? Where can the peeps connect with you?

I love meeting people online. Check out my website, hear the music on CD Baby, Amazon, iTunes. And connect with me on Facebook. Thanks again, Molly … it’s been fun! I can be reached via email at joyfulnoise@earthlink.net.

(Joy, 1984)

 

 

 

Tags: Buddhism, China tours, Edna Ferber, entertainment industry, Heritage Tours, I Bless My Body, Jan Taylor Playwright, Jewish Heritage Tours, Joy Katzen-Guthrie, Tune of the Century Music, Voice Over Artist

This week, my guest is Al Boudreau, author of In Memory of Greed, a riveting page turner.

Thanks for being my guest this week, Al. Please, tell us a bit about yourself.

My pleasure, Molly. I first started writing about two years ago, and discovered that it was a real passion for me. Since then, I’ve self-published my debut novel, a mystery/thriller called In Memory of Greed, which is available in ebook format. My goal is to slowly transition from my current career in architectural design/construction to writing, full-time, hopefully within five years.

I’ve been hearing great things about your novel, In Memory of Greed. Can you tell the cool peeps all about it?

In Memory of Greed is a modern day morality tale that addresses what can happen when lust for power and greed take over man’s ability to reason. The message I hope people will take away after reading my work is “open your eyes to what is going on around you then become proactive in bringing about positive change.” My hope is that stories like mine will contribute to an increased awareness of abuses by big business, and government, as my fiction deals with real-world issues.

I know that lots of novelists love to imagine their work being turned into a film. How cool would that be? Tell me, Al, do you have a dream cast for IMOG?

If it were up to me, I would likely cast Bradley Cooper in the role of Murhkin Mocado, and Maggie Gyllenhaal in the role of Joelle Barstow. I feel this pair would do my protagonists justice. Stuart Roth would be played by Robert Davi, Patrick Keegan by Kenneth Branagh, and William Graves by Albert Finney. Seeing In Memory of Greed made into a movie would certainly be a dream come true.

When we first spoke, you mentioned to me that you have a mind’s eye that works overtime, due to your training in architecture. I’m intrigued. Can you elaborate?

When I’m writing a scene, I can see it play out inside of my head as if it were a memory, or a movie recently watched. I believe it comes from my years in college, studying architecture. I can look at a two-dimensional drawing then envision it in three dimensions, and in color, in my mind’s eye. This ability easily translates to writing fiction. If a scene isn’t working from a movie perspective, in my mind’s eye, then it would likely end up being weak on the written page. I often use this ability to gauge whether or not the scene I’m working out is powerful enough.

I know that you are a huge proponent of pay-it-forward, something I think many peeps appreciate and admire. Can you talk some more about this?

I constantly marvel at what a giving group of people writers tend to be. I entered into this scene with so many questions, and was completely blown away by the grace and generosity of the online community that I was fortunate enough to discover. Many individuals virtually held my hand through the processes of developing a blog, getting started with Twitter, and creating a Facebook fan page. There were also many key conversations that took place, and words of wisdom offered, concerning writing itself.

Independent and self-published authors have their work cut out for them. Writing is the fun part. Getting an author platform developed, and a reader base built, is hard work. I’m very appreciative of all the assistance I’ve received, and therefore feel compelled to give other aspiring authors a helping hand, whenever I see the opportunity. And I believe there are many other writers out there who feel the same way. I’m proud to be a part of this wonderful community, and will continue to do all I can to help it thrive.

I’m always fascinated by the way people use (and misuse) social media. Sometimes, I think people just don’t understand what it’s all about. What have been your observations on the social media beast?

I really enjoy Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads. The reason being, is I’ve made some fantastic friends online and communicate with many on a daily basis. In my opinion, social media should be just that—social. It’s a wonderful tool for promoting, but can easily be abused, if not handled properly. In regard to Twitter, I don’t feel that anyone minds when an individual mentions their work once or twice a day, so long as that person has developed relationships, and gets involved in conversations, assistance, and the like. The trouble starts when an individual simply tweets their work constantly without making any effort to develop personal relationships. Like most things in life, I believe there must be a balance.

Can you share with us your feelings about the ever-evolving publishing landscape. What are the pros and cons? Any predictions?

I’m a huge fan, and supporter, of indie and small press authors. I’ve been my own boss for decades, so I’ve grown accustomed to a high level of control in my work. My name is associated with every project I take on, so I strive to deliver quality. I maintain the same philosophy with my written work. I am willing to do whatever it takes to provide my readers with the best novels I can possibly deliver. My goal is to inform, and entertain, simultaneously. Having complete control over all that goes into my books allows me to achieve this end.

Word has it you have traveled to many exciting places in the world. How has travel enriched your life and your writing? Can you tell us about some of your favorite places?

In Memory of Greed takes the reader on a journey through a large swath of the Emerald Isle, as well as some exotic spots inside Kenya. I have traveled to, and spent time within, every location that my characters encounter in the novel. The journals I’ve written while touring abroad have allowed me to capture the true essence of these areas, and share them with my readers. By incorporating my personal experiences in my work, I believe the stories take on a more vivid aspect, due to the firsthand accounts of what an individual may experience in these breathtaking locations. The best part—it gives me a great reason to travel to many other areas of the globe, in search of fodder for future works.

If you could have a dinner party and invite your favorite fictional characters, who might we see seated around the table?

I think it would be great fun to have some spies over for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Jason Bourne, James Bond, and a few other heavy hitters of the espionage world would undoubtedly provide many hours of entertainment.

I’ve been forever called picky, but I maintain that we’re all picky creatures. What are you picky about?

I’m picky about clutter. I don’t do well within surroundings that have objects scattered everywhere, or junk piled up so high that you can’t pass without creating an avalanche. When my surroundings are neat and tidy, my brain functions much better, Cluttered surroundings, cluttered mind.

What do you know now that you wish you knew five years ago?

I’m happy to report that there is nothing that comes to mind.

What do you hope to know in five years that you don’t know now?

I hope to know that the decisions made, concerning my career choice to become a writer, were wise.

Can you tell us what you are working on now, or is it a secret?

My current WIP is a full-length mystery/thriller with a political slant, untitled as of yet. The story line deals with the breakdown of society in the US, and our government’s technological solution to deal with the unruly masses. Things go awry very quickly, and this one should be another page-turner.

I have a blog, and a Facebook page. I can also be found on Twitter (@threecifer) and I welcome people to chat me up. I can also be found on Goodreads.com.

Any parting words for the masses? Any shameless plugs?

In Memory of Greed can be purchased in ebook format for $2.99 on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

On a final note, Molly, here is a quote that I often use as inspiration when it seems that things are at a standstill. “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out,” spoken by Robert Collier.

Tags: abuse by big business, Al Boudreau, developing author platforms, In Memory of Greed, man's ability to reason, mystery/thriller, self-publishing, social media advice

Greetings, Cool Peeps:

I’m very excited about my guest this week, Peter Pollock. At my invitation, Peter has kindly agreed to talk to us today about blogs: hosted blogs vs. free blogs, how to start a blog, and on and on. The blogosophere can always use a great guy like Peter to educate and enlighten us.

Hi Peter: So happy to have you as my guest today. Blogging is a way of life in cyberspace, but there are so many of us still trying to learn the ropes. First, can you explain to the cool peeps what the difference between have a hosted blog and a free blog is?

Hi Molly, Thank you so much for having me here.

Probably the easiest way to describe the difference between a free blog and a hosted one is to compare the differences between a free version of a game and a version that you pay for.

In a free version of the game, you get something which feels like it’s the whole version and works well, does what you expect etc. but it has limitations. Sometimes it’s a maximum number of levels, sometimes it’s only a limited choice of characters to be, but whatever it is, it’s limited.

If you then pay for the full version of the game, all of the limitations are taken away and you suddenly discover that what you thought was the full game was only a pale reflection of what it was really designed to be.

The same is true for hosting. You can get a free blog and it will seem fine, but when you start paying for a self-hosted blog, suddenly restrictions that you didn’t even realize were there are stripped away and the experience changes completely.

Starting up a new blog can be overwhelming. What would you say to the frazzled, would-be, I’ll-never-be-able-to-do-this peeps?

Blogging is a lot easier than you might think. There’s no harm in getting a free blog and trying it out for a while first to see how you like it. The initial setup is as easy or hard as you want to make it and then there’s nothing to do to it except write posts whenever you want.

There are many, many people out there who will help and encourage you. You’d be amazed how strong the community of bloggers is!

What are some of the most common mistakes you see people making with their blogs? What would you advise peeps NOT to do?

Don’t try to be something you’re not. If you’re not authentic online, people will see through you pretty quickly.

Don’t put too much on your page. It’s easy to clutter up your page with widgets and images and stuff. Don’t do it. Keep it as clean and simple as possible.

Don’t try to blog more often than you can reasonable manage. If you can only write one post a week, then that’s fine. Try to do it on the same day every week so there’s some consistency but don’t sweat it. People burn out because they try to blog at a rate which is unobtainable to any but the most hardened of writers.

Do try to keep to a few topics. Unless your blog is set up to be completely random, then try to keep some consistency for people.

Many bloggers don’t have big bucks, but want to design a site that is professional, way cool, and unique to said blogger. What are the costs involved on the design side?

You can do a lot without a professional designer, if they use WordPress there are thousands of free themes (design templates) available, which they can then personalize. If they want a cool pictorial header like yours though, they should probably expect to pay at least $100 for it. You can hire someone to match the rest of the site to the colors of your header for $50-$150 depending on how much you need them to do.

Promotion. There’s a thorn in our collective side. With so much competition out there, how can people promote their blogs effectively? Anything people should not do?

Wow, you ask the difficult questions, don’t you Molly?

I think the biggest things are:

1) Don’t beg people to promote you. You can ask, but people don’t want to be guilted into it.

2) Don’t be too pushy. You don’t want to come across like a new car salesman or a life insurance salesman. People won’t put up with pushy sales tactics to promote your site.

3) There’s a reason that this is called social media… and that is that you need to be SOCIAL. Don’t expect people to link to you and retweet your tweets if you’re not willing to interact with them.

Some peeps I’ve talked to are super nervous about all of the technical stuff. Can you explain Akismet, Google Analytics, and any other must-have blog components? Why do we need them? Are they difficult to install? Should we run screaming to the hills?

In a few lines… no I can’t. I’m going to be cheeky and say that if you subscribe to my newsletter at newbloghosting.com, I’m going to be explaining all that stuff.

The easy answer though is they’re not hard to install and some hosts will set those things up for you for free, if you need the help.

They all do different things to help:
1) You understand who is reading your blog and when the are reading.
2) Search Engines like Google know how to include your site in their index correctly.
3) Your readers navigate your site and join in with the conversations there more easily.

If a blogger were to go with your company, New Blog Hosting, what kind of service should she/he expect?

Expect the worst and I’ll try to beat your expectations ☺

No, seriously, my role, my aim is to help you succeed. I’ll walk you through everything step-by-step and make sure that you get your site running the way you want it to run.

I’m in business to help the little guy (or gal) compete with the big dogs. I want to help level the playing field so that you can have an awesome blog, too.

Please, tell us a little about yourself, your family, and your various endeavors, and interests.

Wow… how do I sum that all up? I’m English, born and raised. I married a beautiful American lady in 1997 and she came to live with me in England. Eight years and two children later, we moved to California, where we have been living ever since. I’ve run my own business since 2008. We’ve done everything from selling and repairing computers to selling TV’s and accessories to trying to open an internet café, running an ISP and now web hosting and web design.

How different is life in Northern California from life in the UK?

It’s interesting. There are so many things that are the same and yet so many that are different at the same time. I think the biggest thing is that EVERYTHING is bigger here. I went back for a quick visit to the UK a couple of years ago and found everything to be so small and pokey!

Social media, that ever-evolving beast, has changed the way we do everything. What are your favorite and least-favorite parts of it?

I love the ability to keep in contact with people more easily. Through social media, I have reconnected with people I hadn’t seen for twenty years. The downside though is that it’s always on. Always. I miss so much because I don’t have Facebook and Twitter open 24/7 and there’s often important news about family and friends that they assume I know because they put it on Facebook… but I missed it and have no idea.

What do you know now that you wish you knew five years ago?

I wish that five years ago I would have known that the house my wife wanted to buy was a huge money pit… so I could have run for the hills!

I also wish that five years ago I had known just how much bloggers need help. I have been in the hosting business for eight years now, but only realized the breadth of need in the blog arena in the last couple of years. So many people have turned heel and run because they couldn’t find the help they needed with their blogs.

What do you hope to know in five years that you don’t know now?

In five years time, I hope to know how to manage my time better. Which was also my goal five years ago… and I’m still terrible at it!

What are the top-five items on your To-Do list?

1) Give my wife more attention.
2) Spend more quality time with my kids.
3) Build websites for the four people who are waiting for me to help them.
4) Write tutorials for my free newsletter to help people use their hosting accounts and WordPress better.
5) Redevelop three of my own websites: Day3.co.uk, Stoneagehosting.com and renewingromance.co.uk

Oh, then there’s the to-do list that I’m more likely to get to immediately:
1) Eat some chocolate
2) Eat more chocolate
3) Eat even more chocolate
4) Take a break from chocolate and eat some cookie dough (chocolate chip cookie dough, of course)
5) Get back to eating chocolate

I’ve been forever called picky, but I maintain that we’re all picky creatures. What are you picky about?

I would never dare to call you picky! I’m picky about food though. There’s a lot of stuff I don’t like but I’m most picky about my chocolate. I pretty much don’t like any chocolate that’s actually manufactured here in the USA. My chocolate has to be GOOD!

Any parting words for the masses? And please, before you leave, let the cool peeps know where to contact you.

Parting words… don’t be afraid to try blogging and don’t be afraid to take the jump to self-hosted. There are plenty of us who will help! Our blog hosting is just $35 per year, which is less than $3 per month!

I can be contacted through the contact form on Newbloghosting.com or PeterPollock.com or through Twitter at @newbloghosting or @peterpollock.

I’m happy to answer questions anyone has and can even give you a place where you can take self-hosted WordPress on a test drive.

Thank you so much for taking the time to interview me, Molly. I know you’re always busy.

(Special thanks to Peter’s mum & sister for supplying the photos of England. Much appreciated.)

Tags: blogging advice, cost of setting up a blog, England, free blogs, free blogs vs. paid blogs, newbloghosting.com, Peter Pollock, social media advice