SPECIAL GUEST: Jamieson Wolf, author of GARDEN CITY

I have a special treat for you today! Jamieson Wolf's first stop on his virtual book tour to talk about his book, GARDEN CITY, is here, live, at Boomer Chick!

Writing from an early age, Jamieson was not really aware that he wanted to become a writer. Starting with poetry, he slowly began to fill journals with words. They words didn't really have meaning to him at the time; they were scratches on paper. Turning away from his words for a time, trying to find his way in the big world of the corporate drones, he enjoyed a great many different hats.

One night, after a particularly bad day at his zillionth office job, Jamieson came upon his old journals and started reading. When he was done, night had come, but instead of sleeping he got up and found a blank journal. And started writing.

"The words just kept coming," he says. "It was like they were there, underneath my skin all the time. I just didn't know it. I wanted to be an actor you know." Here he bends forward and sits in a more comfortable position. "I went to school for it and everything. I loved the acting." He makes a face. "I just didn't like the people."

Reading those words was like an epiphany. Jamieson knew what he wanted to do at that point; but it would take time. Approaching the art of writing like a Bard in training (Seven Years Learning, Seven Years Practicing, Seven Years Teaching) Jamieson has branched outward to give his voice it's hold.

Currently his work is available in the book: Susan Sarandon: A True Maverick. He has also had his fiction published in: The Dark Krypt, Clean Sheet's Erotica, Mytholog, The House of Pain, Twilight Times, Slow Trains Literary Journal, SunPiper Press, A Long Story Short and others.

He is currently a Senior Reviewer at Linear Reflections and has written the novels Electric Pink, Electric Blue and Garden City book of collected fiction.

He is also going to be teaching an online course for A Long Story Short School of Writing entitled The Muse. It will focus on writing from inspiration and finding the inspiration to write.

"I just love what I do," he says. "I'm going to be telling stories for a long time to come. It's like I can tap into the world around me and hear the tattoo under the ground. It's quite the feeling."

More information about Jamieson's work is available at his web site at http://jamiesonwolf.tripod.com.

GARDEN CITY is a book about magic, about people, and what happens when the two mix. It's a book you won't want to put down.

I give you...Jamieson Wolf, author of GARDEN CITY...

Boomer Chick: Jamieson, can you tell the readers what GARDEN CITY is all about?

Jamieson: GARDEN CITY is a book of collected fiction. The stories actually span my entire writing career and, without really know it, I set all the stories in the same place.

Founded by the Goddess of Time, Garden City is a sprawling city metropolis that is home to more than concrete and glass. Roaming it's streets are ghosts, spirits, Goddesses, the Three Fates and, perhaps most importantly, Magic.

There are 20 fictions collected in GARDEN CITY and in each story, we see a little bit of different lives. There's Owen Wolfe who stumbles upon a grisly murder involving magic. There's Kimberlee, who is claimed as a bride by a statue come to life. Or Nancy, a young woman who meets the Goddess of the Fae in a city park.

But there are others who live in Garden City as well. There is Poppy who is able to turn into a Crow after a mysterious dream. There is Alex who prolongs his life by out running the Three Fates; Hillary who disappears while on assignment for a reality TV show. A woman named Miriam disappeared on the thirteenth floor of Edison Tower.

Magic comes in many forms and can effect lives in so many different ways. GARDEN CITY is like a dozen of lives, all happening at the same time. Look at Garden City like a bouquet of flowers: beautiful, but with sharp thorns.

Boomer Chick: Beautifully put, Jamieson! Can you tell us why you chose self-publishing to publish this book?

Jamieson: For me, self-publishing is all about freedom. I had tried sending the manuscript for Garden City to different publishers, but there are few publishers that want to take a look at a collection of short stories by one author. It seems the short story is a lost genre; no one wants short fiction anymore, they want novels.

I started writing with short stories, so the genre is very dear to me. But with no one wanting to publish short story collections (unless you're a big name author) I wasn't getting anywhere. So I started thinking about self-publishing. For years, I was under the mistaken impression that self-publishing had less of a status than traditional publishing, that self-published books were of lesser quality.

Then I realized that this didn't have to be the case, if I published the books myself. I had always dreamed of being my own publisher and, with the publication of Garden City, I am. Self-publishing gives me the freedom to publish good fiction, when I want and how I want.

With self-publishing, I can breathe and finally realize my dream.

Boomer Chick: I'm agreeing with you on that. I've self-published a few ebooks and when you know something works, it just works, you know? What ways are you promoting your book besides this virtual tour?

Jamieson: Gosh, what am I NOT doing to promote my book? I've created my very first Book Trailer for GARDEN CITY and you can see it here:

GARDEN CITY: A Book Trailer
http://beta.photoshow.com/watch?sc=fQ3Df7mt&cid=12

I run my own blog entitled I AM THE HUNTER where I post about my writing, what I'm working on, what I'm currently reading or whatever tickles my fancy. You can view my blog here:

I AM THE HUNTER: Blog for Jamieson Wolf
http://www.jamiesonwolf.blogspot.com/

I also run my own newsletter called THE WOLF and it's free! I write about what I'm working on and even provide valuable writing tips to readers looking to try their hand at writing. You can view it here:

THE WOLF: The Newsletter for author Jamieson Wolf
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Jamieson_Wolf/

Promotion is key to anything, especially writing. If I'm not willing to promote myself, how can I expect others to read what I write? :)

Boomer Chick: Jamieson, you make a good point. If you don't believe in yourself, how are others going to believe in you? That's the first step in good promoting. What are your plans for the future as far as writing books is concerned?

Jamieson: Well, as per usual, I have many things on the go. I've submitted a second rewrite of my novel Hope Falls to The Friday Project and will hopefully have good news in the future. *fingers crossed*.

I'm working on my new serial novel called HUNTED and working on a serial short story for my blog called SECOND SIGHT.

I'm putting together a book of essays I wrote on Stephen King's Dark Tower Series entitled Watching the Rose Bloom and I've started a book of reviews about Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events and a book on Muses that will include writing exercises and tips.

I've finished my children's novel The Ghost Mirror and will begin working on a rewrite and have started a new novel that I think will be a love story. So, as usual, lots of things going on at the same time, but I'm happiest that way.

Boomer Chick: Can you give us the addy to where we can buy it?

Jamieson: You can stop by my web site to pick up a copy of GARDEN CITY:

Jamieson Wolf: Teller of Tales, Weaver of Words
http://jamiesonwolf.tripod.com/

Boomer Chick: There you have it, guys. Jamieson Wolf, author of GARDEN CITY! Thank you so much for stopping by, Jamieson, and good luck to you!

Jamieson: Thanks so much for taking the time to have me here, Dorothy, it's been a blast!