“A well-written and interesting blurb hopefully means the inside is the same.” ~~Andrew Benzie
Andrew Benzie Books Founder Shares His Thoughts
Andrew Benzie Books founder Andrew Benzie has spent over thirty years in the design/print industry. Andrew grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and graduated from the University of California with a fine arts degree. He has worked as a freelance designer as well as for large corporations including Transamerica, Deloitte & Touche, WR Hambrecht+Co and Sybex Books. Andrew formed Andrew Benzie Creative Design in 1991 and launched his book publishing business Andrew Benzie Books in 2010. Andrew is a board member and online administrator for the Mount Diablo Branch of the California Writers Club.
I met Andrew Benzie through the California Writers Club. At my last presentation there, I would have been in serious trouble without his charger cords and technical expertise. Here he talks about what appeals when writers ask for help with his company.
BLG: What entices you when you read a query or synopsis?
AB: A well-written and interesting blurb hopefully means the inside is the same. If I can be taken on a mini-story by reading the (short!) blurb, that’s a good sign.
BLG: What makes you stop reading a query or synopsis?
AB: Blandness in the writing style… lack of creativity… poor visual design.
BLG: What are some of your favorite books?
AB: Kind of all over the map, from Tolkien to Grisham. I prefer tales that take me on a journey, stories that make me stop and think… but if a book is well-written I will read just about anything.
BLG: What are you most interested in seeing from unknown writers?
AB: Good cover and interior design! I see time and time again authors who spend so much time on writing and polishing their work and then settle for an amateur cover design.
BLG: How can interested readers learn more about you?
AB: I can be reached via my website at:
BLG: What else would you like readers to know?
AB: In addition to my design and book publishing business, I have also written three books on die-cast collectables.
www.modelfireengines.com/books.html
BLG: Here’s the contact information:
Andrew Benzie Creative Design: www.andrewbenzie.com
Andrew Benzie Books: www.andrewbenziebooks.com
If you need design and publishing help Andrew Benzie might be the person to contact.
“Follow your passions, write your book, and keep moving forward!” ~~Stephanie Larkin
What Are Small Publishers Looking For?
I’ve started interviewing some small publishers about what they look for when people submit. Their answers should give you some insights. Have questions? Go to the website and click on the e-mail address or contact button.
Can’t find either? Ask me to forward it for you.
Our first responder is Stephanie Larkin of Red Penguin Books. I did a podcast with her a while back and found her to be quite engaging. Red Penguin Books regularly puts out calls for submissions to their anthologies and they’re also open to your submissions for publication. I hope you’ll take the time to check them out. If you’re interested in the smaller publishers, read what she’s looking for below.
BLG: What entices you when you read a query or synopsis?
SL: I love to see something new – whether it is a new twist on things, a new angle, a unique perspective, or something that makes me feel I haven’t read this before.
BLG: What makes you stop reading a query or synopsis?
SL: Poor grammar and spelling certainly make me stop, as does incomplete information.
BLG: What are some of your favorite books?
SL: So many! Along with our own publications – for which I have a strong affinity for our women’s fiction including “Becoming herself” by Maureen Reed and “Blue Woman Burning” by Lâle Davidson, I read a wide variety of books – ranging from business development books to travel guides. I love to read!
BLG: What are you most interested in seeing from unknown writers?
SL: Passion and confidence. I want writers who have a passion for their subject matter, and are confident that the world is waiting for their next book. I am also interested in prolific writers, since as a publisher I want to be able to build a relationship and an audience with more than one book by an author.
BLG: How can interested readers learn more about you?
SL: Please visit RedPenguinBooks.com. In addition to publishing books, we have many submission opportunities for our anthology series, travel books, poetry volumes, and more. We also have online classes to develop your writing and a wonderful community of authors.
BLG: What else would you like readers to know?
SL: Follow your passions, write your book, and keep moving forward!
Learn more at:
Join us for our shows at:
To schedule an appointment:
https://doodle.com/bp/stephanielarkin/lets-meet
Interviews: A Source of Inspiration
My latest interview is with Diane Danvers Simmons, the author of My Mother Next Door. The relationship 
between mothers and daughters provides lots of material for memoirs. I was particularly interested in how Ms. Simmons turned her story into an audio book. You’ll learn about that and about selling your story in her Q & A below.
BLG: Reading your bio I realize you’ve had a very full career. Tell us how writing fit into it and advanced it.
DDS:
I believe my career in brand building /marketing /advertising was the perfect foundation for my life as a writer, as I was already familiar with the world of story telling – it’s how you sell a brand by crafting a story which reaches and touches peoples hearts and minds.
Writing, My Mother Next Door, challenged me to think as both the storyteller and the end consumer. Why would women be drawn to my story? I was able to hone my love of writing, dig deeper, and expand beyond an ad, article or a key note speech.
BLG: What made you decide to share this story?
DDS:
I’ve been involved in female activism for years and each time I shared my story women’s mouths would drop. They’d giggle and ask, “How come you seemingly have it together and have a successful, happy life?” This would be followed by “You have to write the book or movie?” The more I shared and the more I worked with young girls the more the struggle and complexity of the mother /daughter relationship became one that I had to pursue.
Personally, I was going through a transformations and felt something inside of me was missing, and I knew I had to find a way back to reclaim my true self, explore my next chapter and spread my wings without throwing my children out the nest in the process as my mother had.
It wasn’t until I was on an adventure in Morocco, attempting to heal the turmoil that burned within my daughter from my own marital fallout and her first year at college, that I was taken aback by some disagreeably wise words from the most unexpected of channelers. A German lady and her Turkish husband told me “You need to forgive your mother, and you need to break the pattern for your daughter and future generations.” After a diatribe of fervent denials, insisting that I’d forgiven her years ago, and let go of those memories … I realized, maybe they had a point, maybe I needed to write the story everyone wanted to hear.
BLG: How did you decide which moments to include and what would be best left for another book?
DDS:
I focused on the title, MY MOTHER NEXT DOOR: When she moved next door and the immediate years that followed. I examined why, what and how we survived on a daily basis with her living next door with three hot collage guys! Any time the story line became a distraction from the two of us, her story, my story, our story, I deleted it.
I approached the way I had in my former career, like a movie or brand presentation, breaking it down into sections and determined what the mission, vision and the purpose of the story was. What were the messages I wanted to weave in and how could my story help other women acquire a new perspective on their own relationships.
My vision was to simply share: I structured the story into three parts weaving in mum’s back story so readers wouldn’t hate her, but came to appreciate her life experiences and how she became my mother next door –
- Part one; the introduction to my world, giving the reader a brief insight into my family dynamics and mum before she moved to #49.
- Part two: the heart of the story, those unforgettable ,sometimes comical, sometimes brutal moments. The conversations between us, my tipping points and milestones.
- Part three : The immediate years after school, Dad’s death and fast track to mother and my final words , all concluding in my experiences and teachings writing the book.
BLG: Was writing this memoir a healing process for you? For your family?
DDS: Absolutely, I wanted to know more, to understand my mother’s invincible but highly complicated, volatile personality, and the reasoning behind her choices. I can honestly say this has been one of the most cathartic experiences to date, enabling me find new appreciation, respect, and forgiveness for my mother and a greater capacity for empathy and love.
What I know for sure ( Oprah’s favorite line ) life is not perfect and linear and neither are our families, but they are the foundation and training ground for life. My father was the affectionate parent, my rock and my sage. My mother was the one who toughened me up for life, while encouraging to spread my wings and sprinkle a little fairy dust in the world. Honestly, I wouldn’t change a thing.
BLG: You obviously listened to a lot of Diana Ross as you wrote. How did her music help you tell your story?
DDS:
Ms. Ross’s music was not only my inspiration, but also my salvation growing up, so it made perfect sense to immerse myself in her music while writing. As my fingers pounded the keyboard with Ms. Ross’s music in the background, she literally turned me up side down, inside and out and round and round. I was transported back in time to those early years as my body intuitively moved to the music ( further impairing my typing skills ) and memories good, bad, and nauseating—came flooding back!
Dancing to the music just as I did all those years ago in no. 49 energized me in a way that I didn’t have to think about the words that had been waiting in my heart and soul to be poured onto the pages of my manuscript.
BLG: Your breezy style and attitude is entertaining for readers. Do you have any tips for a writer developing her voice?
DDS:
It was ingrained in me from the womb as I came from a family of storytellers with a twinkle in their eye. I feel staying true to your unique style and voice is not only authentic but also critical to our sanity as writers. I wrote as if I was sharing my story over a cup of tea or glass of wine – my real life. I’m a Brit. We use humor to take the hard edges off of the difficult situations and the truths that would otherwise be hard to face. Humor has always enabled me to observe life and situations more openly, to see a different perspective and laugh at the absurdity of life without judgment.
BLG: When we talked you said you had an audio book coming out. How did you find the right company to record your book? Did you read it yourself or did you find the voice talent?
DDS:
A lot of research, cross referencing and conversations with wiser people in this space than me. I choose to read it myself after being asked to do so by many. After all, it’s written in my voice and I feel no one can share my very personal story better than I. Plus, after all these years I still have my British accent.
BLG: What recommendations can you make for indie published people who want an audio book?
DDS:
I would recommend waiting at least six months. Audio books require more time and energy than I ever imagine. I rushed to produce mine to launch in sync with the print publication. Big mistake. I couldn’t do it all at once. The audio is still in production, as it takes a number of re records and pick ups. Everyone confronts this. Practice, practice, its a bit like being on stage without the fans. Read out loud a few times, to understand your pace. I also received offers to publish the audio book after I began the process.
BLG: What can you tell us about Mothers and Daughters Unfiltered and what’s next for you?
DDS:
Writing my book was the inspiration for our podcast. In January 2019, my daughter and I started MDU with a vision to create a space for intergenerational perspectives, hosted by my daughter and me on topics that affect women everywhere.
In the last two years we have spoken with and learned from women of all walks of life – a formerly-trafficked community-builder in Nepal, cousins and co-founders of an organic tampon startup, a wedding planner, mother of the bride and bride , a prison nurse in Florida, and a United States Senator to name a few amongst numerous mothers and daughters just like us. I could write a novel on these conversations, but I think they’re better experienced on the podcast.
At the beginning of 2022, we were on pause because we are took time to have a little break and pursue other passions – writing, painting, family, travel…and my new book, My Mother Next Door. https://www.mothersanddaughtersunfiltered.com/my-mother-next-door, which has taken on a life of its own. We are currently looking at the topics and stories we’ll be sharing from My Mother Next Door on the podcast, but there is no master plan or date for our return to air in our current format either.
BLG: Thank you for sharing your writing and recording experiences with Writer Advice readers. I’ve read the book and recommend it. You can find it at the link above or learn more at Koehler Books.
Why not take a look at an excellent book and some wonderful promotion.
“This story that existed on my laptop that I typed on in my pajamas in my cabin in the North Georgia mountains a few years ago is suddenly a Proper Thing with folks making decisions about wardrobe and hair and emotions and perspective. . .” ~~Karin Slaughter
Karin Slaughter’s Pieces of Her on Netflix
I just watched the trailer for the first episode of Karin Slaughter’s Pieces of Her, which is now a series on Netflix. Andrea Oliver thinks she knows everything about her mother, a small town suburban single parent who makes her living as a speech therapist. One day, though, Andrea’s threatened and her mother leaps into action, showing an unrecognizable side of herself. Who is she and where did she get the skills needed to kill a male predator half her age
A hero to her community, she’s shot within 24 hours and lands in the hospital. Who is she? Why would someone attack her? And why does she tell her daughter to run without calling or texting anyone, including her step-father?
In the book the story is revealed in flashbacks mixed with current time scenes. It lends itself well to a series. Based on the trailer, I know I’ll love the story, and I’m eager to see how they combine past and present.
In the Q&A below, Karin Slaughter answers some questions about having her book turned in to a movie.
What was it like to find out that Toni Collette and Bella Heathcote were playing the leading roles in PIECES OF HER? Did they match your vision of the characters when you wrote the book?
KS: I was super excited and of course had to go back and watch Muriel’s Wedding and Unbelievable again for a Toni-appreciation night, then I had to re-watch the Man in the High Castle because Bella completely transformed herself in the Nicole Dormer role (as compared to her character in Strange Angel) and I wanted to see if I could figure out how she did it. As for what’s in my head when I write the characters, it’s hard to describe because I don’t really “cast” the person beyond a basic body type or height or whatever specific characteristic.
We heard that you have a cameo in the show. Do you know in which episode you cameo?
KS: Yes! I’ve been told I am in episode four, but I haven’t seen it. We were in downtown Atlanta in an area called Underground near Georgia State University (go Panthers!) and it was around 100 degrees that day. Everyone was very nice and I was terrified I would do something wrong and make them have to go again. I was supposed to carry a purse, and fortunately I had a friend with me to show me how because I’ve never carried one before. Everything is a learning experience!
What was it like being on set during the filming of PIECES OF HER?
KS: Surreal was the word that constantly came to mind. This story that existed on my laptop that I typed on in my pajamas in my cabin in the North Georgia mountains a few years ago is suddenly a Proper Thing with folks making decisions about wardrobe and hair and emotions and perspective, and then there were all the folks behind the scenes—hundreds of them—who make the magic happen and I couldn’t help thinking that it was one of the strangest things I had ever been a part of. What I have always felt from the beginning is that my book is my book and what appears on screen is not really an adaptation so much as an interpretation, because the writers, producers, the director and the actors are themselves creative people who bring their own experiences and ideas to the project, and that’s been lovely to see come together. They are amazingly talented people who really captured the tone and cadence of the story in a remarkable way.
We heard that a pilot episode has been ordered for your Grant County/Will Trent books. Can you tell us what you know about that?
KS: Probably as much as you do! The pilot script captures the shock of sudden violence alongside the sense of humor from the books. What I wanted most of all was for the stories to stay character-driven, and from what I’ve seen so far, the writers have managed to capture everything that my readers love about the stories. I’m very excited to see how it plays out.
You can see trailers for the episodes on Netflix and you don’t need a membership to take a look at the first two trailers. You can learn more about prolific author Karin Slaughter on her website.
