Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in Durham, North Carolina on November 8, 1951. I attended NC State University from 1969 to 1972, majoring in mechanical engineering. Two problems: first, the drinking age back then was 18; second, I majored in engineering because all my friends majored in engineering (I found out the hard way that calculus and I didn’t get along).
My mother’s comment was, “I don’t know what you’re going to do, but you’re not living here.” So I enlisted in the US Army in 1972, during the Vietnam War, and found myself in the Infantry. I was lucky. I was never sent to Vietnam. After two years, I applied for the Army’s Nuclear Power Plant Operator’s School, graduated in 1975 with a specialty in Radiation Protection, and spent the next year teaching math at the school (God does have a sense of humor). After spending three years in Honolulu, working at the Tripler Army Medical Center, I left the army in November 1979 with a wife, a two year old son, and no job.
I started working at Three Mile Island Unit 2 in February 1980, 11 months after the accident (that’s a complete separate novel). That started a career in nuclear power that lasted until 2012. I have written lesson plans, procedures and presentations galore (not exactly creative writing). Creative writing is different. You have to imagine a scene, place yourself inside it, and then describe what you are seeing in words (hopefully interesting words). I’m also a woodworker, a glazier and a sculptor. I have had work displayed in the Smithsonian in Washington, DC.
I’ve published six novels: FIFTY, HARRIS and FIRE & WATER, collectively known as the Detonation Series! They were followed by BROKEN UNION – War in the West, BROKEN UNION – War in the East and BROKEN UNION – Preserved, known as the Preservation Series! The six books in the two series are connected. The first series of three books follow Amanda Langford as she discovers a plot to blackmail the United States and attempts to save the country. Her attempts are partially successful but at great personal cost. The second series continues her adventures in a shattered United States and a world at war.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
BROKEN UNION – Preserved is the third and final book in the Preservation Series.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m a morning writer for the most part. I usually am up by 5 AM and write until the cats get up at 8:30. Sophie ‘assists’ me in my writing after that by adding a fresh coat of cat hair on the key board, selective editing as she sees fit and blocking my view of my twin screens.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Tolkien, Dan Abnett, Tom Clancy, Carl Sagan
What are you working on now?
I wrote six novels in four years. They were one long story. now, I’m working on three different plots. One is science fantasy, the second a religious thriller and the third a mystery. Ideas will pop into my head, and I’ll write a few pages or a complete short story. I’m not sure where I’m going from here.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Good question! Marketing/promotion is far more difficult than writing.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
1. Practice makes perfect (or at least better).
2. Develop a thick skin! Rejection is a constant part of this business.
3. Write with your heart. Facts are nice, but your characters have to have an emotional connection with your readers. Otherwise, what’s the point.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To your own self be true.
What are you reading now?
Anything that will distract me from the pandemic/civil war that we’re going through.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Vacuuming cat fur off my keyboard!
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?
Lord of the Rings.
Author Websites and Profiles
Eldon Kellogg Website
Eldon Kellogg Amazon Profile
Eldon Kellogg’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
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