Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a US Navy Veteran (13yrs) from Queens, NY. My self-published books are:
THE ANUK CHRONICLES
Rise of Prophecy, Vol. 1
Rise of Villains, Vol. 2
The Ballad of Persephone – Upcoming release (August 27th, 2010)
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My upcoming release, THE BALLAD OF PERSEPHONE, is the third installment in “The Anuk Chronicles” series – Anuk by the way is short of Anunnaki; this was done to avoid any confusion with Zecharia Stitchen’s book THE ANUNNAKI CHRONICLES, and/or get sued by the History channel’s ANCIENT ALIENS.
THE BALLAD OF PERSEPHONE is the ‘heart’ of the series, and paints a concise picture of events prior to Volumes I & II. Think of it as the Star Wars prequels, relative to the originals, without the upset stomach of course.
As for inspiration, the grand canvas of the entire series was woven when I was a child. I had a story to tell, and with time, life provided me with the necessary acrylics. To put it in a nutshell, my story is Frank Herbert’s DUNE meets Erich von Danikean’s non-fiction CHARIOTS OF THE GODS.
I couldn’t find an appealing fictional rendition of the Ancient Astronaut, or Alternative History genre. In documentary and speculative circles, the topics I found to be fascinating. In the fiction arena, however, content remained on either extreme of a very short pendulum.
An opportunity presented itself to stitch together real science, archaeology, anthropology, religious beliefs from all religions, alternative history, and my story. I started off putting pen to paper, and spat out a screenplay.
For a number of reasons, including the story being too big for a two hour script, I resorted to putting a small percentage of what I want to tell in novel format. By the way, a one-hour pilot has been adapted from RISE OF PROPHECY, Vol. 1.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to lock myself in a room and avoid sunlight, and can only write between 10am to 4pm…with one break in-between. Oh, there has to be loads of coffee.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Now that list is extensive, but I’ll have to go with Frank Herbert, Erich von Danikean, Andrew Collins, Graham Hancock, and Ken Atchity. Books, Dune of course, Chariots of the gods, The Cygnus key, and The Messiah Matrix.
What are you working on now?
I am working on the 2nd Editions of Rise of Prophecy and Rise of Villains (explanation in ‘advice to authors’ section.)
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Now that is a trick question. I am not a Facebook addict, and most of my friends there are from the military – promoting books there resulted with lots of requests for freebies. Twitter seems to be working for me. The thing is to keep consistent with posts and remain visible. You can offer One Million dollars for no reason, and not a soul will interact with you unless they recognize your handle.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes. Utilize resources, take your time, and market your books long before publishing. Fresh out of the military I did the bare minimum for my first book – hence the 2nd edition. Stay away from Vanity publishers…in other words, if an individual/company charges your for a publishing package, they are ripping you off.
Last one (yet there are many) Grammarly and other editing software are not your friend. Nothing can replace a professional editor. THE BALLAD OF PERSEPHONE was expensive to finish, and I am happy I spent the money. Use your resources.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never proofread your own work.
What are you reading now?
Born of Chaos: A Post-Apocalyptic Military Science Fiction Thriller (Ruler of Ashes Book 2) by Jeff Demarco
What’s next for you as a writer?
The Anuk Chronicles was meant for the screen. Each book is written as a ‘stand-alone,’ for the most part, yet they all connect to the same grand universe. I plan to continue writing segments for the whole story, and adapting screenplays along the way.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Saviors Champion – Jenna Moreci
The Illiad – Homer
Wilderness Survival – Gregory Davenport
Author Websites and Profiles
Abdur Mohammed Website
Abdur Mohammed Amazon Profile
Abdur Mohammed’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
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