Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a husband, father of three teens (well, two teens and on who is knocking on the door) and I have been a writer for most of my life. I write mostly short fiction in the horror and dark fiction genres and my work has appeared in three books to date with a fourth being published in September.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Phantoms in the Moonlight (scheduled to be released on September 8) is an anthology that my Second Draft Podcast co-host, Alaine Greyson, came up with. The idea was to create an anthology of Halloween-themed stories that cross genres and utilized the particular focus and talents of the three contributing authors (myself, Alaine Greyson and Marie McGrath).
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know about unusual, but all of my first drafts are hand written in a notebook. The second draft of my story comes about while I am typing out the text into a Word document.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have always been a huge fan of Stephen King and his On Writing book has provided me with great advice and guidance along the way. Outside of the horror genre, Patrick Rothfuss has created some absolutely spellbinding stories that have a way of grabbing hold and not letting go until the last page.
What are you working on now?
I am working on a few short stories and I am getting my head around a series of stories that could potentially span multiple mediums (namely a podcast, a novel and a series of short stories). Once I start that, my immediate future will be spoken for.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have utilized a variety of Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites to promote the books and I am still feeling my way around to find the best way to market my stories.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Get the first draft down on paper and don’t listen to the inner critic. There will be time to fix the story, patch up the plot holes and get rid of all the repeating words. When you get that first draft done, you have something to work with and that is a great feeling.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It’s never as bad as it looks.
If you only go by how things look the first time you take them in, you’re usually missing the point. Give things time and the tough times can become lessons that will make you and your craft better.
What are you reading now?
Year One by Nora Roberts. I grabbed it from the library before the world screeched to a halt and lo and behold the book is about a pandemic that demolishes the world as we know / knew it. It was tough getting into it just because of the subject matter hitting a little too close to home now, but I’m glad I stuck with it.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Writing my first novel is tops on my list and as I mentioned earlier I have a big project on the horizon that should be interesting.
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?
On Writing by Stephen King; The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss; and The Diamond Throne by David Eddings would be the three books I would take as they all provide me with great amounts of entertainment, but as long as I had paper and a pen with me, On Writing would get me writing too.
Author Websites and Profiles
S. C. Morgan Amazon Profile
S. C. Morgan’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
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