Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a writer/entrepreneur. I have been writing articles for 15 years about small businesses for the company I founded, smallbiz.com. I just published my first fictional book.
I am married to an incredible wife who supports my passions. I joke that I’ve been married three times: to my wife, my business, and now my writing. My wife is starting to get jealous! We live in Tucson, Arizona, and spend as much time at the beach in Rocky Point, Mexico, about four hours away – Hint: this is where much of STONE AGE is set. When not in Mexico, or in Tucson writing, Lisa and I serve at our church.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The idea that became STONE AGE fermented in my noodle after reading article about how a large coronal mass ejection – just think solar storm – could take our power grid down for decades. This scared the crap out of me. I wondered if we ever had a bad solar storm in the past and I read about the Carrington Event of 1859. I thought, “Wow, this is not only scary, this would make a great book – One that covered both the events in 1859 and an equally large event today, now that we are completely dependent on our technology. I couldn’t believe that no one had written this story… that is until I published STONE AGE.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
From what I read about other writers, I think so. I am a seat of the pants writer who outlines the story only after I’ve started writing. I usually get an idea: it can come from a dream, a movie I’m watching, a book I’m reading, or a story in the paper. I think about it and a basic story line forms, and then a character or two. I start writing about that scene. Then quickly, while it’s fresh, I write a quick story synopsis – beginning to end. If I’m really into the story and/or I have the time, I’ll start doing the outline, scene by scene. Then, I’ll go back and fill in the blanks. I know it sounds chaotic, but this is how I wrote STONE AGE.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Hugh Howey and his Silo Series: Wool, Shift, & Dust. Stephen King and his novel, The Stand.
What are you working on now?
The second book in the series, STONE AGE – New Realities. This picks up right were STONE AGE ended, and will explain many of the mysteries left in the first book.
I’m also working on a science fiction short story and another post-apocalyptic novel. Both I hope to finish later this year.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Because I’m a fairly new author, my methods are ever evolving. Truly the best thing to shoot for is pushing your book to make it on Amazon’s Hot New Releases. In other words, try to get a push of purchases in the first few days to crack onto the list.
I didn’t even know this list existed, until STONE AGE made the list with about 28 purchases in two weeks (most in the later part of the two weeks). Then, because of the visibility, people really started buying. Yesterday, STONE AGE hit #6 overall on Amazon’s Best Seller list for Post-Apocalyptic fiction. It even edged Sand, written by Hugh Howey, who I think has something like a 100 billion fans.
For book 2, I will be focusing on communicating directly to my readers who have signed up on http://mlbanner.com.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write! Don’t worry about whether it’s the right time, or whether your illustrations should be one way or another – that’s directed towards my sister. As the folks at Nike have said, “Just do it!”
There will never be a perfect time. You will never get your book perfect. So, just get started and enjoy the process, because writing is fun.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Other than my “advice for new authors,” the best advice I received from one of my early beta readers was to take my time. That is, take my time to write my first book and get it right.
The other one, which I didn’t hear until recently, is to make friends with other authors in your same genre. Discuss, review, & cross-promote. You’ll be helping each other.
What are you reading now?
Fiction: You’ll never guess, but books of a similar genre: Breakers, by Edward Robertson; Apcalypse Z – Dark Days, by Manel Loureiro; Extinction Point, by Paul Antony Jones. I probably won’t read any solar flare stories until I’m done with my series. I want my ideas to be original.
Non-Fiction: The Bible
What’s next for you as a writer?
Meeting deadlines. They’re self imposed mind you, but they are there just the same. Because of the success of STONE AGE, I’ve pushed up the date of release of book 2. I scheduled the time with my editor, who is booked solid through the end of the year, so I’ll need to meet my deadline with her to get STONE AGE – New Realities released by the Fall.
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 Bible – I try to read it every day; The Army Survival Manuel; Fishing for Dummies – I am pretty dumb when it comes to fishing; & STONE AGE – It would make a great gift for the person who rescues me.
Author Websites and Profiles
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