I'm truly blessed to have the second half of the writing duo for the Dark Moon Series. Michael S. Stewart. He'll be fielding the same questions thrown at Shelly yesterday. Without further ado...
What were you like at school?
Mike: I was shy, introverted, a bit of a dreamer, I suppose.
Were you good at English?
Mike: Yes, I did. My favorite subject was history.
What are your ambitions for your writing career?
Mike: To produce books that people enjoy, with characters that are entertaining. I would love to be a novelist full-time.
Which writers inspire you?
Mike: Dean Koontz, Jim Butcher, V. C. Andrews, Lawrence Sanders, Stuart Woods, Sidney Sheldon, and Jackie Collins. Yes, you read that right, Jackie Collins! Her novels are wildly entertaining.
So, what have you written?
Mike: this is my first published work. I wrote a novel in the early 90s, but it was raw, to say the least.
Where can we see them?
US http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OJQ0WL8
UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00OJQ0WL8?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
Give us an insight into your main character. What does he/she do that is so special?
Mike: yes, we have a few. Mike Hardy is a good man, a shape shifter, who is estranged from his family. He chafes at conformity which puts him at odds with his rigid father. He's never had someone see the best in him until he meets Bentley.
What are you working on at the minute? And what is it about?
Mike: we're nearly through the second installment of Dark Moon Series. It's entitled Dark Harvest. It's also about the domino effect showing how all actions, no matter how well intentioned, have consequences.
What draws you to the Paranormal, Supernatural, Action/Adventure genre?
Mike: I agree with Shelly. It's a love for the genre. I grew up watching Christopher Lee as Dracula, and Lon Chaney Jr., as the Wolfman. When I got older and discovered the works of Koontz and King, I was hooked.
Which actor/actress would you like to see playing the lead character from your most recent book?
Mike: Taylor Kitsck for Mike Hardy, and the bond era Sean Connery for Conri. As for her current actor for Conri, perhaps Clive Owen, or Kyle Chandler.
How much research do you do?
Mike: It really depends.
When did you decide to become a writer?
Mike: this year, after receiving encouragement from someone who had taken the plunge.
Why do you write?
Mike: it's cathartic, exciting, frustrating, funny, and many other things. It's something I've always wanted to do.
Do you write full-time, or part-time?
Mike: part-time, with never-ending dreams of doing it full-time.
Where your ideas come from?
Mike: From our depraved imaginations and I love it!
Do you work to an outline or plot, or do you prefer just see where an idea takes you?
Mike: I'd like to think we have a skeleton to work with, so all the bones and structure are in place, but how the flesh of it will fill out is not determined in till we get in the heat of writing.
How do you think you've evolved creatively?
Mike: I'm hopeful that each day we are getting better than the day before, but I think that's how all writers feel, constantly striving to improve.
What's the hardest thing about writing?
Mike: for me, it's having to stop when we have a good rhythm going, due to the real world intruding. Even though that is not something that can be avoided by anyone.
What is the easiest thing about writing?
Mike: playing off Shelley with characters we know so well. I don't have to think "what would Mike say here to Bentley?" I know it sounds strange, but the characters thinks for themselves and that makes writing so much easier.
How long on average does it take you to write a book?
Mike: Dark Harvest, we've been working on since June and it's not done yet, so I guess it depends.
What are your thoughts on writing a book series?
Mike: It's fun and exciting, we have so much more to get out there!
Do you read much, and if so, who are your favorite authors.
Mike: not as much as I'd like, but I hop on any of Jim Butcher's "Dresden Files" novels that come out. I also love reading.
For your own reading, do you prefer e-books or traditional paper/hardback books?
Mike: I have tons of paperbacks, some I've had since my Army days in the 80s, but for convenience, I'm building a library of e-books that I can read on my tablet.
What books are you reading at present?
Mike: I just finished reading "Ghost Story" by Jim Butcher again. I love his imagination.
Do you proofread/edit all your own books, or do you get someone to do that for you?
Mike: We do that on our own. But it's not something we enjoy. One day, I'd love for someone else to do that!
Who designed your book covers?
Mike: a very talented woman named Cris Palomino. She's fantastic.
Do you think that the cover plays an important part in the buying process?
Mike: If the cover doesn't pull you in, you're less likely to pick it up.
What are your thoughts on good/bad reviews?
Mike: It's something that goes with putting your work out there. We love and appreciate the good reviews and consider any negative ones. If it's something we feel we should work on or change, we try to do so.
What's your views on social media for marketing?
Mike: In this day and age, I don't know how you cannot use it to help you, especially when you are trying to get established and don't have an automatic huge fan base.
Which social network worked best for you?
Mike: Shelley is really the one who handles this area, and she's fantastic at it.
Any tips on what to do and what not to do?
Mike: believe in yourself, your work, no matter what.
What do you think of "trailers" for books?
Mike: I enjoy them and they are a good way to promote your work.
Do you have a trailer or do you intend to create one for your own books?
Mike: Yes we do. http://youtu.be/IwDjZaGw21k
How do you relax?
Mike: Watching TV and movies, reading, and playing video games, especially Grand Theft Auto 5!
What is your favorite positive saying?
Mike: It's by Michael Jordan. "I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. What I can't accept is not trying."
What is your favorite quote?
Mike: "we do not look for allies when we love. Indeed, we often look upon those who love with us as rivals and trespassers. But we always look for allies when we hate." ~~Eric Hoffer~~
What is your favorite film and why?
Mike: it's almost impossible for a film nerd like me to pick just one, but I'll go with "The Long Hot Summer" because I love the misunderstood character of Ben Quick, played by Paul Newman and his interaction with the repressed Clara Varner, played by Joanne Woodward.
Where can you see yourself in five years time?
Mike: Sitting in the owners box of a Lakers game!
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Mike: believe in yourself.
Which famous person, living or dead, would you like to meet and why?
Mike: Martin Luther King Jr. I'd like to hear what he would do to continue the great work he started.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Mike: keep writing, and believe in yourself, you have something unique to share with the world.
How can readers discover more about you and your work?
Website: darkmoonseries.wordpress.com:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dark-Moon-Series/1383292888619153?ref=hl
Twitter: @ScribeShelly @LakersGold @DarkMoonSeries
No comments:
Post a Comment