Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born and still live in the north east of England. Having spent 40 years working in the financial services industry, I am now retired and pursuing my interest in writing. I live with my wife Susan. Our son, Christopher, lives and works in New York.
Aside from writing, I like walking, cycling, internet chess, reading and travelling.
I have just released my second book – a non-fiction title. This quickly follows a very personal memoir that I completed earlier in the year. Both books are available from Amazon.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is “Get Fitter, Get Leaner, Get An Activity Tracker!”
Having retired about 3 years ago my intention was always to get fitter and be more active. Change my lifestyle in effect. I had a setback when I had an injury to my heel which took me about 18 months to shake off.
Almost 12 months ago I purchased my first activity tracker and really did not know much about these devices at the time. Within 6 months of using one I had lost over 28 pounds in weight and 4 inches on my waist line taking me down to a normal level for my height. I am fitter than I have been for a long time.
As a result I decided to share my experience for those in a similar position to me. The book is aimed at people new to activity trackers and aspiring to become more active. Improving your personal fitness and losing excess weight are covered in this book.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to do my writing early morning or late at night, not really that unusual. However, I do like taking time out and will go out for a walk or do some cycling. This gives me time to clear my thoughts and come up with fresh ideas for a new or existing project.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I admit to being a big SF fan. I think authors like Arthur C Clarke, Ben Bova and Brian Aldiss certainly influenced my direction in reading SF at an early age. I do like a lot of the Indie SF material available today and since retirement have managed to get back into good reading habits.
What are you working on now?
I am shortly embarking on a trip through the Canadian Rockies on the iconic Rocky Mountaineer and will be updating a personal blog at :
https://journeythroughtherockies.wordpress.com
Apart from the blog I intend putting together a two travelogue books (with and without photographs) for release this year.
I also have a further memoir planned for release at the end of the year.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far I have focused on memoir or non-fiction titles and maybe it is a easier to identify your target audience? I have some experience in marketing from my former working life and for each book I have written to date I have drawn up a very simple marketing plan and followed it through. I think that is vital for a self published author.
Having really just started to publish books this year, I am still feeling my way around, but building up social networks on Twitter or Facebook are also important. These are also really useful for soaking up information on your writing craft and marketing skills.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Persevere with your writing but make sure it is polished to the best you can make it before unleashing it. For a self published author ( that wants to keep new book costs to a minimum) then this can be a huge challenge.
Your first draft will be terrible. You need to revise, revise and revise it. It needs to be error free as much as possible. There is nothing worse as a reader than finding spelling, grammatical and punctuation errors page after page. A total put-off. Aside from yourself you should have a third party read it to help with this process.
When you are in editing mode either print it out or put it on your kindle. I guarantee you will find errors that you missed in reading your word document!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be organised as a writer. I latched onto a great piece of writing software early on which does just that. Scrivener, is probably the best investment I ever made. Everything is there for a writer and it even compiles your ebooks or book the end of your project.
What are you reading now?
Cyberstorm by Matthew Mather
An SF title about a global cyber attack set in, you guessed it, New York. I have told my son time and time again, New York, is a bad place to live!
What’s next for you as a writer?
This year is a learning experience for me as a self published writer. Not only learning the craft, but developing my marketing strategies and social networks. By the end of the year I will have released 4 titles.
Next year I will focus more on fiction writing. I have already started a potential novel with a further SF themed idea in the pipeline.
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?
Arthur C Clarke’s Rama series of books – this comprises of 4 books and is well worth the read. I read this some years ago and I’m sure this would keep me well occupied for quite some hours while I was enjoying the sunshine!
Author Websites and Profiles
Paul Korhonen Website
Paul Korhonen Amazon Profile
Paul Korhonen Author Profile on Smashwords
Paul Korhonen’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
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