The 7 Question Interview with
Margaret Maron
Jonas Saul is the author of the Sarah Roberts and the Drake Bellamy Series. Visit his website, www.jonassaul.com for upcoming release dates.
The 7 Question Interview with
Jonas Saul
in·ter·view ('interevyoeo), Verb: Hold an interview with (someone);
Noun: A meeting of people face to face, esp. for consultation.
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Some of his novels are:
- The Kill
- Visitations
- The Dead Shoe Society
His official website can be accessed by HERE
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Please let us know who you are and how we might know you:
My name is Jonas Saul. You may know me from the Sarah Roberts series. I have three Sarah Roberts books, Dark Visions, The Warning, and The Crypt, with book four, The Hostage, due out March, 2012. I also have two short story collections, Suicide Notes, and Visitations. Also a couple stand-alone books, Bad Vibes, and The Threat.
My best-selling titles are the Sarah Roberts books.
Readers may know me from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple iBookstore, Sony Store, Kobo, and other e-retailers.
Any news you would like to share concerning upcoming projects:
Absolutely, and thank you for asking. In a few weeks, Visitations, a short story collection will be available at e-retailers everywhere. January 2012, I'm releasing a thriller called, The Kill. It's about the Mafia and what happens to a regular fellow when he accidentally kills a 'made' man.
That brings us to March 2012, when The Hostage (Sarah Roberts book four) will be released. After that, June 2012 I'm releasing, The Burning, which is a haunted tale about a house that consumes the souls of its inhabitants by slowing burning them.
That's the schedule of back-titles being released along with current titles I'm working on and editing.
Thoughts concerning the current state of the literary world:
There is no better time to be a writer.
That really sums it up in one sentence. We've witnessed a major change in the industry since Amazon opened their doors for writers to upload their books directly. E-book readers have been selling quite well, and the ebook market has blossomed in 2011.
According to the Association of American Publishers Annual Book Sales, in 2006 total ebook sales were $54 million. In 2007, it grew to $67 million and in 2008, $113 million. Finally, in 2009, ebook sales were $169.5 million. Although $169.5 million is not a big chunk of the $35 billion publishing industry, ebook sales rose 176%.
Last year, 2010, ebooks rose again to $441.3 million, and according to an AAP Publishers report, 2011 is projected to be the first year where the billion dollar mark is hit in ebook sales alone.
I conclude, there is no better time to be a writer.
Who is/are your favorite author/s and why?
My favorite authors vary from thriller and mystery, to horror.
Clive Barker, for his eccentric imagination and attention to detail as he weaves a tale in a horrific land, taking the reader on a unique ride that only Clive can accomplish.
Jack Ketchum, because he scares Stephen King (King admitted this freely), and Harlan Coben, because of his fast-paced mysteries that leave you guessing until the very last two paragraphs.
Finally, Greg Iles, for his well-written, human stories, that leave the reader gasping as they feel, that could happen to me.
Have you written a book you love that you have not been able to publish?
Great question. The short answer is, no. There's only one book I started to write that is not published and at this time, I don't see a future for it.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Absolutely. I love them. If it wasn't for them, I'd still write, but I'd be lonelier. It's the readers that fuel the obsession and the readers who cause the candle to burn at all hours of the night, thinking about their reaction as a character traverses a dark alley, or a twist in the plot leaves me with no idea what's going to happen next. It's the readers that make it all happen and without them, I don't know where I'd be. Maybe in a dark alley somewhere…
How do you feel about what WritingRaw.com and other literary sharing sites are attempting to
do for new writers?
I feel what WritingRaw.com is doing for writers is absolutely amazing. I'm impressed how you, along with other literary sharing sites display up-and-coming writers and aid in their push to bestsellerdom. I believe the writing prompts help writers who need an injection of inspiration and the quotes by famous authors are fabulous.
Also, I thank you for having me here today, asking questions and allowing my answers to reach readers and potential readers alike.
My hat's off, to you…
* Bonus Question - Required reading:
This needs to be a two-part answer as there are two books in different genres.
Book 1: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini for the literary readers out there. This is a moving story of a boy becoming a man in a corrupt world. For me, I called it Book-of-the-Year for 2007
Book 2: Lightning by Dean Koontz for the thriller readers out there. I read this book over twenty years ago and still remember how amazing it was. The beginning of the novel is a shock, and the end, unbelievable. I have yet to find a book that measures up to it in its totality.
WritingRaw.com would like to thank Jonas Saul
for taking the time out of his busy schedule for this interview.
© 2012 WritingRaw
Maron is the author of numerous short stories and more than 20 mystery novels to date. One series of novels features Sigrid Harald, a loner lieutenant in the NYPD whose policeman father was killed in the line of duty when she was a toddler (The Right Jack. A Sigrid Harald
Mystery). Another series follows the adventures of Judge Deborah Knott, attorney and daughter of an infamous North Carolina bootlegger.
Some of her novels are:
- Sand Sharks
- Christmas Mourning
- Three-Day Town
Her official website can be accessed by HERE
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Please let us know who you are and how we might know you:
Greeting of the season, everyone! I'm a native Tar Heel who grew up on a tobacco farm and I'm the author of 28 mystery novels and two collections of short stories. My first series was set against the NYC art world and featured Lt. Sigrid Harald, NYPD. The second series is a 180° turn to District Court Judge Deborah Knott in rural eastern NC. The first in that series, Bootlegger's Daughter, won the Edgar for best Mystery Novel of the year.
Any news you would like to share concerning upcoming projects:
Last year's book, Christmas Mourning, recently came out in paperback; and Three-Day-Town was published last month. That title comes from a James Cameron quote: "I love short trips to New York; to me, it's the finest three-day town on earth." In this book, Deborah Knott and her husband finally get a honeymoon and, in the course of it, wind up with a corpse in their borrowed apartment. When Lt. Harald comes to investigate, my two characters finally meet. In The Buzzard Table, my 2012 novel that I just finished writing, Sigrd Harald comes down to Deborah's home turf.
Thoughts concerning the current state of the literary world:
It really is in flux, isn't it? I think (I hope!) that there will always be real bookstores stocked with real paper and ink books, but eBooks and eReaders are here to stay and they are going to change how books are perceived and published. I hope that content will always matter and that good writers can continue to make a living. I will always treasure my local independent bookstore and hope all of you reading this will treasure yours. I meet so many interesting people there. AND it supports your own local economy when you buy from locally owned stores. Two-thirds of their intake stays in your state, but on-line stores pay no sales tax to your state.
Who is/are your favorite author/s and why?
Jane Austen and Josephine Tey. Both are so lively and so aware of the comedy in human interactions that their characters just rise up off the page.
Have you written a book you love that you have not been able to publish?
No, I've been lucky. So far every book I've ever written has been professionally published. But I learned my craft by writing short stories for several years. I do have a couple of those that were never published. (And rightfully never published because they really were poorly written.)
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Thank you for reading me and for buying my books so that I could afford to keep writing them instead of having to earn a living doing something totally different.
How do you feel about what WritingRaw.com and other literary sharing sites are attempting to
do for new writers?
I think it's admirable. I just wish I'd had similar resources when I was teaching myself how to write. The Writer Magazine was my only link to the writing community and it got a little lonely at times.
* Bonus Question - Required reading:
Stephen King's On Writing, which has probably been suggested here before. It's very inspirational for the seriously-committed would-be writers.
WritingRaw.com would like to thank Margaret Maron
for taking the time out of her busy schedule for this interview.
© 2012 WritingRaw
The 7 Question Interview with
Ed Kovacs
Ed Kovacs has worked for many years as a private security contractor deploying to challenging locations worldwide. He is a member of AFIO, Association for Intelligence Officers, the International Thriller Writers organization, and the Mystery
of America. Eight screenplays he wrote have been produced under various pen names.
Some of his novels are:
- Storm Damage
- Unseen Forces
His official website can be accessed by HERE
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Please let us know who you are and how we might know you:
I've had a very strange career track: comedy writer, freelance journalist, produced screenwriter, media consultant, teacher, bodyguard, shoe salesman, and private security contractor to name but a few occupations. My first novel, UNSEEN FORCES, was self-published in 2004 and got good reviews, but I was too busy working as a security contractor to promote it properly. Now, with my crime novel STORM DAMAGE getting released by St. Martin's Press and getting great reviews, more people are becoming familiar with me.
Any news you would like to share concerning upcoming projects:
I just got an early Christmas present by learning that St. Martin's will publish the second Cliff St. James crime novel in December of 2012. That one is called GOOD JUNK, and showcases more music, mayhem, and murder in New Orleans. And they gave me a new book deal for the third novel in the series, BURNT BLACK, a spooky tale about a series of murders in the New Orleans occult scene.
Thoughts concerning the current state of the literary world:
Like just about everything on the planet, the publishing business seems to be getting turned upside down. New business models seem to be evolving hourly as digital undermines the old structures and foundations. Writers have more options, as do readers, but there are a lot of crappy e-books out there for 99 cents, so buyer beware. Still, maybe all this change is healthy. If nothing else, it's an exciting time to be in the publishing world.
Who is/are your favorite author/s and why?
To answer this question properly would take two or three days! My interests are wide and varied and I love reading all types of writing--except maybe those IRS letters informing me of a pending audit! My Goodreads page is pathetic because it's such a poor representation on what I have sitting on my many sagging bookshelves in my office at a Southern California airport. I'll try and improve my Goodreads page soon.
Have you written a book you love that you have not been able to publish?
No, but I have a stack of unproduced screenplays! Luckily, I managed to option a few scripts, in addition to getting some made, so over the years I managed to stay out of the poor house, but just barely. A couple of those scripts I really love; maybe I'll turn them into novels someday, as Raymond Khoury has done with an unproduced script that is now a bestseller.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Just that I hope they will check out my work. I'm writing crime novels but I set a high bar for myself. I operate within the conventions of my genre, but I inject social commentary and populism into my stories without stopping the plot advancement. My books aren't political and I personally don't identify with either political party, I identify with the common man, as long as he's not a lazy lout looking for a free handout. I learned to do that on my steelworker-grandfather's knee. It's too bad the "Occupy" movement has been labeled as a "progressive" agenda. What we really need is the right and the left to come together and hold hands and fix some things in this country. Populism is bubbling to the surface; maybe my timing is good.
How do you feel about what WritingRaw.com and other literary sharing sites are attempting to
do for new writers?
I think it's outstanding. Nurturing and helping writers is a way to invest in our collective future, in a sense, and I greatly appreciate the exposure being provided to me on WritingRaw.com.
* Bonus Question - Required reading:
It would be the book that makes your heart soar, that lifts a veil from your consciousness, that makes you stand up and go to the phone or the computer and tell someone else about the amazing thing you just read and how it has changed you. There is no one book for everyone like that, but there are thousands of such books that act as catalysts for the different people who discover them. That's one reason why we need to keep reading, to find the next book that will vibrate our souls, our spirits. And it is also why sites like WritingRaw are important, as they can play a part to help a writer who may create yet another piece of work that can uplift our collective consciousness.
WritingRaw.com would like to thank Ed Kovacs
for taking the time out of his busy schedule for this interview.
© 2012 WritingRaw
Kyle Mills is the New York Times bestselling author of twelve books, including the latest in Robert Ludlum's Covert-One series, The Ares Decision. Growing up in Oregon, Washington, DC, and London as a the son of an FBI agent, Kyle absorbed an enormous amount about the Bureau, giving his novels
The 7 Question Interview with
Kyle Mills
their unique authenticity. He and his wife live in Wyoming where they spend their off hours rock climbing and backcountry skiing.
Some of his novels are:
- Lords of Corruption
- The Ares Decision
- The Immortalists
His official website can be accessed by HERE
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Please let us know who you are and how we might know you:
I've published quite a stack of thriller novels, including Rising Phoenix, Fade, and The Immortalists, and have been lucky enough to hit the New York Times bestseller list a few times. I also wrote the most recent installment of Robert Ludlum's Covert-One series.
My books generally deal with the world's grand-scale problems and possible (if draconian) ways of solving them. I've always been fascinated with "what if" scenarios and enjoy laying them out as realistically as possible.
Any news you would like to share concerning upcoming projects:
My latest book, The Immortalists, was released a few weeks ago (editor note: this book was released in December). It deals with the fascinating new science on aging and the ramifications of tinkering with human genetics.
With that done, I've been able to dive back into outlining the next Covert-One novel.
Thoughts concerning the current state of the literary world:
It remains exciting, that's for sure.
Right now, we're going through changes on just about every level. Books (and novels in particular) are having to compete with an ever-increasing number of other entertainment options, e-readers are in the process of taking over, self-publishing is starting to look more and more like the future, brand-name authors are hiring staff novelists, and the Internet is providing an outlet for millions of writers who wouldn't have been able to reach a wide audience through traditional channels.
Over the next ten years or so, we're going to go through an upheaval that rivals the invention of the printing press. Where it will all end up, I have no idea.
Who is/are your favorite author/s and why?
That's a hard question, but I suppose I'd have to say George Orwell because he was so influential in shaping my world view when I was young.
Have you written a book you love that you have not been able to publish?
Never. Though, I know a number of well-established authors who have.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
In my books, I hope to make people think about things in ways that they wouldn't normally, or to prompt them to look deeper into subjects that they have only a fleeting knowledge of. Though, like all thriller novelists, I want them to have such a good time with the story that they don't notice they're learning something.
How do you feel about what WritingRaw.com and other literary sharing sites are attempting to
do for new writers?
I think it's really important. The brick and mortar store and paper book are on their way out, frankly. The Internet is the future of this medium.
* Bonus Question - Required reading:
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers (Browne/King.) In working with aspiring novelists, I'm always surprised by how little they know about the craft. This is easy stuff to get right and this little book will teach you everything you need to know!
WritingRaw.com would like to thank Kyle Mills
for taking the time out of his busy schedule for this interview.
© 2012 WritingRaw
The 7 Question Interview with
Joe Haldeman
Joe Haldeman has served twice as president of the Science Fiction Writers of America and is currently an adjunct professor teaching writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Some of his novels are:
- Marsbound
- Starbound
- Earthbound
His official website can be accessed by HERE
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Please let us know who you are and how we might know you:
I am Joe Haldeman. Have been writing full-time since 1969. Thirty-some books and hundred or so shorter things; a couple of movies. Best-known novel The Forever War. Currently writing Work Done for Hire.
Any news you would like to share concerning upcoming projects:
In December the last book of my Marsbound trilogy, Earthbound, came out. I'm past the halfway mark on my next novel, Work Done For Hire.
Thoughts concerning the current state of the literary world:
Seems pretty healthy. When I started writing people were moaning about the death of the novel. That was evidently premature.
Who is/are your favorite author/s and why?
Hemingway and Fitzgerald are enduring fascinations. Partly because they're good quirky individual writers, and partly, I suppose, because I envy their life situations - being novelists when the world in general still thought that novels were important.
I don't read as much current fiction as I should, perhaps. I read contemporaries like Stephen King and Peter Straub while traveling; in science fiction, I read the "best of" collections, especially Dozois, every year, to see who's sneaking up on me.
Have you written a book you love that you have not been able to publish?
No. I did write one that I didn't particularly like that was not published. But it was the novelization of a movie, and it was not published because the director and I had a difference of opinion.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Definitely: Thank you for buying books. Without you, people like me would have to go out and teach, or do something even less savory.
How do you feel about what WritingRaw.com and other literary sharing sites are attempting to
do for new writers?
I think it's great that you are opening up a place on the web for people who still scratch out stuff on paper. I never submitted things to "literary" magazines (who back in the day did not print things that could be identified as science fiction, fantasy, and horror); I'm glad you're opening a good market willing to consider work by people without a publishing record.
* Bonus Question - Required reading:
"One" is hard. A list of six would be easier. But avoiding the obvious silliness of naming one of my own, I think I would recommend Boswell's London journals. A unique glimpse into a past that everyone who writes in English should visit; a riveting confessional from a young man unafraid of exposure; the delightful record of a country mouse becoming a city mouse, a meticulous and charming style of writing.
WritingRaw.com would like to thank Joe Haldeman
for taking the time out of his busy schedule for this interview.
© 2012 WritingRaw
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