
GUINEVERE, THE LEGEND by CHERYL CARPINELLO COVER REVEAL

Welcome to day 2 of the Fresh Ink Group Authors’ Blog Tour with Superstar Drummer Mark Herndon. Comment on his post here or at Contest@FreshInkGroup.com to enter for one randomly awarded free book trailer or one of seven (7) daily free books. Thanks for hosting, and thanks for visiting. Be sure to subscribe!
About Mark Herndon
Legendary Country Music Hall of Fame drummer Mark Herndon yearned to fly jets as a military brat, then discovered the dream of playing drums, vowing to come back one day and perform at the very place where he once had to stand outside just to hear. Along the way, he loved and lost and made plenty of mistakes, persevering to achieve all that he imagined before having so much taken away. After decades with one of the most celebrated bands of all time, he still lives his dreams, playing, producing, flying, and now writing with keen observations about life and living in the spotlight.
Mark’s Backstory
Mark
spent nearly three decades behind the drum kit for country-music band Alabama.
He’s enshrined in the Country Music Hall of Fame along with the other three
members of the legendary group. But despite the celebrity such a position
affords, Mark maintains that common-man element that makes him a likeable soul.
In The High Road: Memories of a Long Trip, Herndon invites readers to
follow him on a jaunt through his past, beginning with his childhood as the son
of a respected military man and a devoted mother, through his years in country
music’s biggest band, and into his post-Alabama days as a private commercial
pilot and doting father to his own daughter.
A rebellious and free spirit, Herndon lets readers in on the fun, games, and
pranks—some of which go awry—of his youth. He shares what it was like watching
the band blow up into bona fide superstars. He also sheds some light on the
politics that go on behind the scenes in the music industry. But this memoir
isn’t a dirt-dishing tell-all sort of story. That’s why it’s titled The High
Road, as that’s the route Herndon has chosen to travel. Mark was there for
all of those great Alabama moments—meeting President and Mrs. Reagan, the
successful tours, and induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame—but it’s
the quieter moments that show he’s no different from any worker in the
factories or waiters working tables at the local diner. Mark Herndon is an
ordinary man who has lived an extraordinary life.
The High Road is now available in keepsake dust-jacketed hardcover edition, as well as softcover and all major ebook formats at retailers everywhere, worldwide. Find Mark at FreshInkGroup.com. However, at MarkHerndon.com—for a limited time—you can order signed, personalized copies for you and all the Mark Herndon / Alabama / country-music fans on your list.
Thanks again to our generous host for allowing Mark Herndon and Fresh Ink Group to spread the word about his exciting memoir and new dust-jacketed hardcover edition! Mark’s flight schedule keeps him busy, but soon after he lands you can expect him to respond to your comments. Specify that you want to be notified of new comments to catch his responses!
Mark’s Book Trailer
Mark’s Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrummerMarkHerndon/
Read Mark’s Books
Available everywhere, worldwide, now including China
To follow along with the rest of this tour, please drop in on the tour page.
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Thank you for supporting this tour and also the blogger of this post!
Steven is giving away (3) Signed Paperback copies of “THE MEREST LOSS.” For your chance to win, be sure to leave him a comment below.
Getting to know Steven Neil, the author of THE MEREST LOSS.
THE MEREST LOSS, a story of love and political intrigue, set against the backdrop of the English hunting shires and the streets of Victorian London and post-revolutionary Paris.
The Writing Process
1. How did you set about writing your novel?
I planned thirty-six chapters of not more than 2500 words for my novel, even before I had a subject. This arose from a conversation with one of my Creative Writing tutors.
Me: I can only write short stories. I could never write a novel.
Her: But you can write a 2500 word short story?
Me: Yes.
Her: Well, can you write ten 2500 word short stories?
Me: Yes, I suppose so.
Her: Well, if you write thirty-six short stories on a linked theme, you have written a novel.
2. Where did your ideas come from?
Originally, I was planning to write a Dick Francis style thriller and I was researching a jockey called Jem Mason, who won the first Grand National at Liverpool in 1839. I found a line in his description which said something like ‘also famous for his relationship with Harriet Howard, who ran away to live with him in London when she was fifteen and who also became Louis Napoleon’s mistress and financial backer’. I decided she was an even more interesting character and I set about writing a fictional account of her life.
3. Are you a planner?
As my answer to question one indicates, I am absolutely a planner. Once I have my outline however, I don’t write in a linear fashion. I move across the timelines and try to complete each chapter as a mini story.
4. How do you write, e.g. manuscript/PC?
I write straight on to PC and I edit on the PC. I have also used Dragon software to dictate on to PC. It works to about 85% accuracy once it learns your voice and I find it helps to unfreeze my thinking if I am struggling to type words on to the page.
5. When do you write: are you a lark or an owl?
I write at odd times. I often write late at night, but I also write early in the morning when ideas that have been running through my mind overnight are still fresh. I like to write to word count. I think 200-300 words at a time, edited and polished, is good going.
6. Do you have any writing rituals or habits?
I am not sure they are rituals or habits, but I do commit to reaching my word count every time I sit down to write. Even if the writing isn’t very good, I can always improve it later. ‘You can’t edit a blank page’ is good advice.
7. How do you edit?
I edit as I go along. I might generate 300 words of ‘new’ writing and then move to a section of ‘old’ i.e. unedited writing and spend time editing. I am always going back to the beginning and reading through, to make sure the continuity is right.
8. Have you experienced writer’s block and if so, how did you overcome it?
Not really. I just keep writing. Eventually it comes out.
9. What do you enjoy about the writing process?
I think I enjoyed the research process the most. I am not a natural writer. Nothing came easy. However, I think the planning and organisation skills I learned in my business career, allied to the writing craft skills I learned in my degree and my masters degree gave me the tools of the trade. I think Harriet Howard’s story deserved to be told as it is a fascinating tale. I hope I have done it justice.
10. Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?
I have met some tremendously naturally gifted writers but that alone will not make you a published author. I genuinely believe that, however gifted, you need to learn the craft of writing. Invest in a creative writing course and learn about structure, plot, point of view, character, setting and dialogue before you start writing. When you have finished the first draft of your novel, understand that you have only just begun the process of writing a publishable novel. Even if all your friends and family tell you your novel is brilliant, invest in an independent development and copy editor before you even think about publication.
© Steven Neil
THE MEREST LOSS is available in paperback and eBook in the US, UK, France, Canada and Australia.
Follow Steven Neil on TWITTER for information on how to purchase the paperback through an independent bookseller in the UK.
Steven has a BSc in Economics from the London School of Economics, a BA in English Literature and Creative Writing from the Open University and an MA in Creative Writing from Oxford Brookes University. He has been a bookmaker’s clerk, bloodstock agent, racehorse breeder and management consultant amongst other professions in his varied career. He is married and lives in rural Northamptonshire, England. The Merest Loss is his debut novel.