Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m Thomas Fenske. I was grew up in Texas but have lived in North Carolina for a number of years. I’ve written a five novels but as of today, I’ve only published one. I’ve been married to the same lovely lady for over thirty years. We have three grown children and currently have a houseful of cats with one over-sized dog.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Fever is my debut novel. I was always intrigued by tales of the lost Sublett mine in west Texas and one day while journaling about events in my life I realized that one event might serve as the catalyst for a story about it. After three unsuccessful attempts at starting, I tried it as a project in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and the story just seemed to click. I’d written other drafts but I kept hammering away at this one after completing the draft.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am most comfortable writing early in the morning, in the living room, in my easy chair, using the arm as a mousepad. This drives the cats crazy because they want to sit in my lap and sometimes it is a constant battle because they try to push between me and the laptop.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have been influenced in a lot of ways. I always like the candor of Ernie Pyle. Yeah, not a fiction writer but seriously for me he was one of the best twentieth century writers. Dashiell Hammett also had such an easy way of weaving a story. Flannery O’Conner is another favorite. She was a marvelous storyteller. I am in awe of Tolkien and wish I could create entire worlds like he does.
What are you working on now?
Even though I have three other rough drafts to work through, all good stories I think, I decided to go with a sequel to The Fever. My publisher was interested in it as were dozens of my most ardent fans. It takes up where The Fever leaves off. The working title is The Curse. We’ll see if that stands … but there is trouble afoot for Sam and his friends, both old and new.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Still working on that one. I’ve had some success with Facebook and twitter, and am only now hearing about Awesomegang … hope it helps get my name out there. I have limited resources and my publisher can only help me so much … small publisher equates to “author does all the work”
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Everybody says write, but beyond that, leave your ego at the door when you sit down. I’ve found that the initial writing is in fact the easy part. It is the editing and revision that are the hard parts. Sometimes you might craft a masterpiece of wording but you know what? It might not fit into your story. It is your baby and you hate to let it go, but if it doesn’t fit it needs to go. I have thousands of words of “clip files” … I will remember them and use them if I get the chance. Oh, and one final word … learn about marketing before you get published. Marketing is even harder than revision.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
What are you reading now?
I intersperse fiction with hard history. I had been reading The Atomic Times by Michael Harris, a somewhat fictionalized autobiographical account of his time stationed at a south pacific nuclear testing site in 1950s. I interrupted that to read Enemies by Richard W. Barnes. It is a fictional account of two opposites fighting in WWI.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I have a checklist of other good book ideas, but I’d sure like to work through one or more of my current drafts. Getting to full-time writing is my goal.
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?
I’d take a complete works of Shakespeare … I never get tired of the plays. I’d probably take a compilation of Lord of the Rings (cop-out!). I’d probably fill in with Ringworld by Larry Niven and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein … I never get tired of re-reading those.
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