Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
After writing for almost a decade, I’m extremely pleased to offer my stories to the public. I enjoy writing anything related to Sci-fi, the future, and especially mystery. I live in Apopka, Florida with my wife, daughter, and two mischievous cats. I’m a bit of a space junkie and am unafraid to discuss it with anyone willing to listen!
I’ve written four full books and two more are half-finished.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Entrapment,” is out now.
I was inspired after reading “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie. I loved it so much that I had to write a bit of a love letter to it. The first few chapters are pretty similar to the novel by Agatha Christie, but the book diverges from that plot very quickly.
Fun fact: every single person who has read it says they’ve been surprised by the ending.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have to write the whole book in order. Any time I’ve gone to write a later scene, I end up erasing the product later on. When writing a novel, I develop a very basic outline of the beginning, middle, and end. That was what held me back for many years. I wrote several good stories that had absolutely no ending.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Agatha Christie, Suzanne Collins, Timothy Zahn, J.K. Rowling, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Mal Cooper, and many others.
Truthfully, and I know this is a bit of a faux pas, I gain a lot of my inspiration from the games I’ve played over the years. Maybe I’m the most millenial of millenials, but my ADHD has made it very difficult to read books. They have to be truly inspirational to hold my extremely short attention span. Bioshock, the video game, was life-changingly brilliant for me. Its fingerprints are everywhere in my stories. I am a HARDCORE gamer, and spent my entire formative years on them (much to my father’s objections).
Of course, Tawdra Kandle gets her own paragraph. She’s my editor and my mother-in-law. She must have the patience of a saint because she read my first novel, “Drakesport,” without laughing out loud at every over-used trope stuffed into it. I could never ever, ever, have done this without her.
What are you working on now?
Tricentennial Man!
I’m SO excited to bring the story of Alexis Fox to light. He’s such a complex character that I had to give him his own book. It follows him over three separate centuries of life. I get to cover the 60s, 70s, 80s, and future all in one book.
God help me.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Bookfunnel has been absolutely indispensable. I could never have met with success without their promotions. It’s really easy, too. The Facebook ads have been great, but were very confusing at first.
Mailerlite has been helpful, but it is definitely a bit of a “learn it yourself.”
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Have an ending in mind! I wrote two books that were totally unusable because I didn’t know exactly where they were going.
Don’t be afraid to throw away your first big story. I know you think it’s a #1 that is going to sweep the world, but I’d wager that it won’t (not as your first draft, anyway). That’s okay. Write more and learn. If you keep at it, you might just turn into the next New York Times bestseller.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Finish three books before publishing the first.
It’s totally counter-intuitive because you have to get that first one out, or your head will explode, but really it will give you a head start on publishing and is one less thing to worry about. I promise that it’s totally worth it. I can’t imagine how I’d be feeling right now if I didn’t have two finished manuscripts waiting in the chamber.
What are you reading now?
Agatha Christie–Hercule Poirot’s Christmas
I know I’m slow. Like I said, my attention span is really bad.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Publishing “Unnatural Selection” and then, “The Andromeda Paradox.” I would love to write full time, but I need to make quite a bit more revenue first! It’s been an amazing ride, but I think I need to cultivate a larger fan-base before even considering writing as a career.
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?
Ooh…
“How to Build A Raft With Natural Materials 101”
Just kidding.
“And Then There Were None,” “The Great Gatsby,” and “Watchmen.”
Author Websites and Profiles
Greg Prado Website
Greg Prado Amazon Profile
Greg Prado’s Social Media Links
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