Welcome to my stop on the ‘Coming Soon’ blog hop–the perfect place to find out what’s next on my agenda, and to find out a little bit more about my writing. Maybe this is the first time you’ve even heard about me. If that’s the case, then this ‘blog hop’ is doing its job–introducing interested readers to new writers.
Before I go any further, I want to thank my fellow writer, D Alexander Ward, for inviting me to answer the following questions about my current projects, the writing process and what gives me the skeevies.
- What are you working on right now?
I’m always working on short stories, depending upon what’s in my mind and what submission calls I’ve seen that spark my interest. I am also working on a sort of post-apocalyptic novel in which most of the people on earth have simply disappeared without a trace.
- How does it differ from other works in its genre?
Hopefully the emotional ties between the characters as they try to survive and figure out what has happened to everyone makes it stand out, as well as the lack of an overt ‘bad guy’ who is immediately to blame for bad things happening.
- What experiences have influenced you?
Actually part of what gave me the idea for this story was moving from a highly populated area to a very rural and quiet area. Along with that I think is having lost my parents, and feeling almost like an orphan even though I was already an adult when they passed. A big part of this story is about family legends; I grew up with those and still trade them with my relatives when we see each other. It’s like a modern version of the old oral traditions.
- Why do you write what you do?
When I was in my teens, I used to tell myself stories. I would go for walks and just have this story running through my mind, entertaining myself. Eventually it occurred to me that if I wrote them down, then I could come back in a year or five years or whatever and read through them again. Most of the time, I write to find out how each story goes and how it will end. Sometimes other people enjoy them, too.
- How does your writing process work?
As I said above, it’s a very natural and linear process. I never outline, and I very rarely know how a story will end before I’ve written the whole tale.
- What is the hardest part about writing?
At this point I would have to say time. I would love nothing more than to spend all day wandering through my internal world, but my job and family like my presence as well.
- What would you like to try as a writer that you haven’t yet?
I think it would be fun to do a screenplay, that’s something I’ve yet to do.
- Who are the authors you most admire?
Wow, there are so many. I couldn’t begin to list them all, but off the top of my head would be Anne McCaffrey, Patricia McKillip, Barbara Hambly, Jean Auel, Rosemary Rogers, P C Hodgell, Charles DeLint, Neil Gaiman, Stephen King and Dean Koontz.
- Who are new authors to watch out for?
Again, there are a bunch! Just a few are Christian Larsen, Jay Wilburn, Eric Guignard, Jeff Strand, Adam Millard, Robert Walker, Rachel Swirsky and Janet Holden. And of course, the three wonderful writers I have tagged below, as well as D Alexander Ward who included me.
Wasps, spiders when they’re lost from sight, driving in bad weather, never seeing the Pacific again, and the thought of losing those I love.
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Now that you know a little bit about me and my work, click the links below to read the blogs of three of my fellow writers, who will be joining me on the ‘Coming Soon’ blog tour next Wednesday.
Michael J Evans
Nelson W Pyles
Aaron Gudmunson
Moonlight and Thorns 