Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
I work and live in London, working in financial services, having a regular job but also breathing with a creative spirit and pursuing my different hobbies such as writing and painting on the side. I’ve always enjoyed keeping a journal but this was on and off. When I was at school – writing was coming my way quite easily but I had a horrible teacher of Polish literature and that definitely discouraged me to pursue my ideas. That brings me to a point of saying that English is my second language as I was born and educated in Poland. Then, moved to London at the age of 21 and my English language is still very far from perfect. But since I read a lot in English I thought let me write in English and get a pro editor to just correct my grammar. This is a great way of improving vocabulary and grammar in your second language. I have been always of creative spirit, painting, and writing stories came to me quite naturally. So let’s see how my creativity unfolds further and in what directions.
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What inspired you to write your book?
The Sacred Mountains was my second book in fact. It follows the theme of a parable – similar to my first book about living and working with purpose – “Dreamford”. I trust stories and parables have special powers to heal us and inspire us in an unusual way. I wanted to bring a few things here together:
a story of a girl from a small village
an outsider story because there is so many beautiful colorful birds who feel out of place and I want them to know that there is a world they belong to
love for mountains
the metaphor of mountain climbing as a life story
What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
I trust there are different things for different people to relate to in the book, but the one closest to my heart is: You have your powers. Find them. Go where your home is, where your heart and soul belong to.
What drew you into this particular genre?
I trust storytelling has the power to change us and enrich our emotional intelligence.
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If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?
I did not expand much on the mother character- I wonder why did she stay in the village, and who she really was.
What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
Your own blog is always a good source and I am a big fan of Instagram.
What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
I’d say – just open a word document and start plotting things together, then change them a few times, leave it for some time to forget the story, go back to it, improve and just keep opening your word document and don’t wait for a full story to unfold in your mind, it comes to you more as you start typing!
What does the future hold in store for you? Are any new books/projects on the horizon?
I will definitely write another part of the Sacred Mountains and bring the themes together again, just like I brought Dreamford’s story in The Sacred Mountains together.
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About the Author
Kinga was born in Poland and now lives in London. She writes inspirational stories on personal and professional development, work, and travel on her blog: http://www.kinga.blog. Kinga is certified by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and is a Qualified Performance Coach and talent hunter. Besides writing and creative living, Kinga is a keen traveller, speaker, painter, foodie, and social media junkie.
1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
My father’s love for the English language and the power of words. He used to repeat phrases from famous poems or speeches, caressing each word. Maybe that’s why I majored in Journalism at Rutgers and ended up as an advertising copywriter and author for many years. I still get excited when I come up with a way of expressing an idea I’ve been searching for. In my advertising life, I ended up creating the emotional “Kodak Moment” campaign. From Kodak Moment to Good Dick, Bad Dick is quite a leap, I guess, but it’s for a good cause.
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2) What inspired you to write your book?
Ten years ago, an art director and I worked on a comic book about the life of a cartoon penis. It was funny but mostly just a bunch of clever puns, and I stopped working on it. A year ago, as I listened to so many reports of famous men assaulting women, I suddenly thought about the book and turning it into a bigger, more important idea. I wanted to use the cartoon character to teach some bad “dicks” what they’re doing wrong to women by using the character’s own life’s story as a reformed bad dick. It could still be very funny, but do some good in the world.
3. What theme or message do you hope readers will take away?
If you see yourself on these pages, get over yourself. If you can’t do right because it’s right, you’ll pay a price for mistreating women.
4.What drew you into this particular genre?
I grew up in a time when it was common to treat women like objects and possessions. I know the mentality. And then I thought about this idea I had which was an unusual way for guys to allow the message to sink in. It’s not as if they would be hearing the message for the first time, but using humor might be a new way to get through to them.
5) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
Facebook ads were tremendously successful at getting likes. Amazon refused to let me advertise the book. They admitted it was helping the feminist cause, but they
couldn’t get past the title and visuals which violated their content guidelines. Really a bad decision. I’m just starting to try blogging sites like yours.
6) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
Love what you’re writing and the writing experience itself. When you’re not writing, read, so you’ll know how high the bar is and how much you need to improve.
7) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?
I’m working on an unusual self-help book that explains how we cause a lot of our injuries and our pain ourselves by the way we move incorrectly, and how to easily prevent it.
1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
I have severe dyslexia and did not do well in school. Then mother died when I was ten, and my father was mostly absent. I first started running away when I was 14. This was on the east coast, near D.C. I walked up the Potomac river to where I got on the Appalachian trail at Harpers Ferry and turned south. I was hungry and lonely most of the time. For the company in words, I started writing. My dyslexia became a superpower because I listened and looked at words as sounds and shapes, not as structured rules. Dyslexia has let me notice the world in ways most people don’t. In my early 20s, I lived off the short stories I was selling to magazines. Editors fixed my grammar and spelling. Not long after I started selling fiction, I found that I also had a knack for a different type of writing: code. So I started writing software too, which is another way to deal with loneliness. And dyslexia was also an advantage for understanding code, as it helped see connections that most people missed.
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2) What inspired you to write your book?
I started writing “Paper Targets” more than 20 years ago. The software company I founded, FreeMail, had been acquired a few years earlier, and my life should have been good. But instead, it was a Herculean mess. I had just been fired by a billionaire whom I had accused in a board meeting of crimes, and now I was out of work and broke. It would still be four more years before Bernie Ebbers was arrested and sentenced to 25 years in federal prison — where he became blind and demented — for what was then the world’s largest fraud. But when I was writing the first words of “Paper Targets,” he and the other executives who had pulled me into their world of the “Lie” were freely strutting on the World Stage of Greed. But it was all corrupt, even as they were still scooping up investor money that would evaporate into headlines. I had also recently made yet another terrible relationship decision — wanting to believe that red flags were trail markers — and had bailed an artist out of jail. And that story found a place in Paper Targets.
Writing has been my way to understanding mistakes and troubles. But whenever I try to write “Just The Facts,” my words scrunch into arrogant-sounding scribbles and add depression to my burdens. So I turn to fiction, as I have been doing since I left home at 14, to figure out what happened. And inevitably, the truth does come out; there is a lot of non-fiction in “Paper Targets,” but I have never killed anyone nor hacked for money, though I have known several that have.
Then, in 2020 I became friends with Stacy Lear, a writer who was then a homicide detective and who also has a knack for solving financial crimes. I thought Stacy might appreciate what I had spent the last 20 years trying to figure out, and I read to her the first pages of what then was called “The Aether and the Lie,” some of which I had also read on my podcast Montana Voice. Stacy’s response encouraged me to finish what I had started and find a publisher for what became “Paper Targets.”
3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
People who have created our technological world — the screens, wires, networks — are failable human beings, and some have done bad things because of greed. And others have been nudged into doing bad things because the border between right and wrong can be jagged and grey. But good still matters, and ethics is more than an academic concept, and living ethically is a challenge but should be a goal.
4) What drew you into this particular genre?
Paper Targets fits into the shelf space of “Literary Thriller,” but I like to think of my genre as “Truth Stirred With Fiction.” A bad thriller is pure plot, and a bad literary work is pure internal insight. But when plot is mixed lovingly with insight, there’s often a good story. I’m drawn to a good story; that is what I also like to tell.
5) If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?
I like Pascal, the Bondsman. I would buy him a drink and ask him to tell me more about his time in Missoula before the place became a Zoom Town. I would ask him about great dirt roads that aren’t on the map and go far back into places with endless stars in a dark night sky.
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6) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
I have a love/hate relationship with social media sites. Of course, they are all corrupt. But ignoring them is like saying you won’t have any part in book publishing because there are evil books that have been printed. I have a large following of fans because of my podcast, “Montana Voice,” and most of those fans seem to come from my Facebook followers. Goodreads is cool too.
7) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
Writing needs to be, first and foremost, for yourself. There is great company in words, and good stories make the world a better place. Learn to tell a good story, then get the words down. Then do it again. Never stop.
8) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?
I have several unpublished manuscripts that I am thinking about launching. I am also working on a new book with Pascal as the main character since I liked hanging out with him the most while writing Paper Targets.
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About the Author
Steve Saroff is the host of the podcast Montana Voice, and the author of over 30 traditionally published short stories printed in Redbook and other national magazines. His available books include Paper Targets; The Long Line of Elk; and the forthcoming Mixed Drinks.
1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
I grew up in a household where everyone was always reading and stopping by the library. I was quickly inspired by the books I read, and knew that I wanted to create stories of my own. I kept stacks of notebooks throughout elementary school and filled them with more short stories than I can count, but began writing The Shadow Hour as my first novel when I was ten. Since winning the Secret Kids Contest and having The Shadow Hour published, I’ve continued working on several longer projects, and can’t envision a future where I’m not writing!
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2) What inspired you to write your book?
I had wanted to write a longer work for several years and had attempted it many times, typically foregoing the projects halfway through. Ultimately a conversation with friends sparked the basic idea for The Shadow Hour, and with that creative inspiration, I was able to turn the concept into a fully-fleshed story. I was also inspired greatly by the dystopian adventure novels I read throughout middle school, like The Hunger Games and Divergent. I wanted to create a dystopian novel of my own, combined with more fantastical elements.
3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
I hope that readers might learn from Amber, the protagonist, whose journey results in the realization that her fierce independence will not be the key to her success. Even if we may not have to face autonomous shadows or different dimensions in our lives, I hope readers can learn from Amber that the world and its challenges often aren’t meant to be faced alone.
4) What drew you into this particular genre?
I have always been drawn to the fantasy and dystopian genres because I like the creative elements of world building, and the ability to consider how characters might react to the new environments I create. I love the creative liberties I can take with fantasy especially, stepping away from the limitations of the real world through my writing. Fantasy and dystopian have always been my favorite genres to read as well, and the many books that I have read have constantly influenced me and my style of writing.
5) If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?
I think I would sit down with Ender, one of the more mysterious characters in my book. Ender has been trapped in the Shadow Realm – an alternate dimension in the book – for years. If he were somehow brought to life, I would want to hear all about his years in the Shadow Realm and how they’d impacted him, as well as what kind of mysterious phenomena he’d witnessed in the strange dimension. For the sake of avoiding spoilers, I’ll have to keep some of the questions I’d ask him to myself!
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6) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
During the editing process, I was able to participate in blog posts where I could share my experiences with writing and editing The Shadow Hour. With the book now published, it has been more difficult than expected to get used to the self-promotion aspect of sharing my story. After much recent encouragement, though, I have decided to start an Instagram page to promote The Shadow Hour, as I take many book recommendations from the Instagram reading community myself!
7) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
I would tell any aspiring author that writing requires practice – if you have an idea, try to get a first draft onto paper. Don’t be disheartened if it’s imperfect. You can rewrite the story as many times as you want, and each time holds endless room for improvement. I rewrote The Shadow Hour in its entirety three times before submitting it to the Secret Kids Contest. I then edited the manuscript over several rounds, rewriting as many as a hundred pages in some edits. Each editing round and rewrite was a chance to practice and to improve, so if you’re looking to write a book, get the first draft down and don’t worry about the details.
My second biggest piece of advice is to be open to criticism. The more opinions you receive about your writing, the better. Bringing in new perspectives is always helpful, even if it is scary. I had to move past that fear when working with an editor and sharing my book with family and friends, and found that I improved much faster when I began taking feedback. There is always room for improvement with writing, and outside opinions make those improvements much more obtainable.
8) What does the future hold in store for you? Are any new books/projects on the horizon?
I have quite a few Google Docs filled with story ideas and some longer projects that are more complete. I’m not sure which I’ll end up pursuing further, but I certainly want to share more stories with the world in the future!
I’ll be starting college next year as well, and I’m looking forward to more formally studying creative writing and honing my skills. I hope to be able to take what I learn and apply it to the projects I’ve already started. Writing is certainly not leaving my life anytime soon, and I’m eager to see where my current projects take me in the coming years.
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About the Author
Anya Costello is a teen author whose manuscript won first prize of the International Writing Contest of Stone Soup magazine and Mackenzie Press.
Anya says: I have been writing stories since the age of four and at age ten, I attempted my first full length work of fiction, The Shadow Hour. I have always been drawn to writing fantasy and fiction. Building worlds that follow different rules from our own, like the Shadow Realm, and creating the characters that live within them allows me to put aspects of my own life, experiences, and thoughts in an entirely new context.
Anya has been presented at the Frankfurt Book Fair and has received a citation from United Sates Representative Joseph P. Kennedy III.
Anya was born and raised in Massachusetts where she currently resides with her family.
1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
I had always wanted to write, but so many things got in the way – family, kids, work, career. I did try though, but never found a project that excited me that gave me an incentive to keep going. After I retired, two of my kids asked me to put together a timeline of my youth. They just meant dates for – starting different schools, dropping out, moving to Haight-Ashbury, meeting their mother, etc. But it finally hit me – the project I could sink my teeth in was right in front of me. The sixties were a crucible for me. They were also one of the most intense periods in American History. Lenin said, “There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks when decades happen.” Well, in the 60s we had lots of weeks where decades happened. So, between my own crucible and the events happening all around me back then I had plenty or material to draw on for the book.
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2) What inspired you to write your book?
After I had the idea of a book about the 60s, I looked at many of the books already out there about the sixties, and I thought two elements were missing. Most of the books were by or about famous people from those days, they didn’t give a picture of what it was like for 95% of the people, the non-celebrities. Last and most important, the sixties were a time of incredible energy and movement. And I didn’t read a single book that had pace, that conveyed the velocity of the times. So, I was inspired to make my contribution to sixties literature by creating a work with pace and where the characters were not celebrities, but regular denizens of the times.
3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
The message of the book is simple – Here is a vivid portrait of the sixties and the counterculture.
4) What drew you into this particular genre?
Coming-of-age was a natural fit for a story that drew heavily on my experience as a youth.
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5) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
I’ll have to defer on that question for a few months until my experience gives me an answer.
6) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
The best answer I can give is a quote by James Baldwin: “Talent is insignificant. I know a lot of talented ruins. Beyond talent lie all the usual words: discipline, love, luck, but, most of all, endurance.” I would just stress endurance. I started my novel in 2013 and it’s coming out late in 2022.
7) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?
I’m continuing to write, and I have a project that motivates me. It’s a novel about a family dealing with the dementia of a loved one. It’s personal.
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About the Author
Paul Justison dropped out of high school in 1966 and fled to Haight-Ashbury, spending most of the next two years there and in Marin County engaging in all the pleasures and follies that magical time had to offer. After the sixties ended, he went to college, started a career, and raised a family. He has been published in The Rumpus, The Gambler Mag, Flash Fiction Magazine, and Fiction on the Web. Lost and Found in the 60s is his first novel.
1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
I never imagined I would write a book. I grew up on a farm where if you “had enough time to read a book, you had enough time to do chores”. No one in my family, or community, read books, or had an education beyond year 11. I was the first.
I read nonfiction for my education, but I never read for pleasure. Then I started reading bedtime stories to my now 10 year old daughter. I wanted her to see me reading. I bought a kindle and the rest is history.
I have worked as an borderline academic and independent consultant for many years. Before I started writing THE JOB HUNTING BOOK my writing style reflected that. Yawn. It needed to change.
I wanted to instill a voice into my writing. I studied books on craft like William Zinsser’s classic “on writing well”, books on book marketing, and books on writing fast. I listened to writing podcasts. I had always learnt new skills through studying nonfiction books, and so I thought I could learn storytelling that way too. I discovered narrative nonfiction and creative nonfiction styles, but reading books about those only took me so far. I realized that I had to read fiction if I was to understand storytelling.
These days I read widely. Nonfiction business, marketing and career books. Podcasts have introduced me to whole new genres. Monster, billionaire, sweet, erotic, enemies to lovers, and a bunch of other romance styles. Also, time travel and fantasy genres, and historical fiction, especially WWII historical fiction. Oh my, I do read a lot these days.
But, the books that most helped me find my writing voice were Richard Wake’s Alex Kovacs historical thriller espionage series. I found myself forgetting that I was reading. It was like I was there. I’d not been in that headspace before. Richard nailed the banter I witnessed from WWII veterans when I was a teenager. I had found the “voice” I had been searching for. Its unlikely you’ll see the connection in my book, but that lightbulb moment was pivotal in turning my book from a dry consultant’s report into something that, I hope you agree, is an easy to read nonfiction book.
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2) What inspired you to write your book?
I was good at winning work for my small consultancy and the word had got out. In my circle, I became the go-to person to help apply for jobs. The draft job applications and cold pitches people presented me with were usually terrible. Consistently my (mostly) young friends undersold themselves and failed to address a job’s description.
In my consulting life I had learned that if you want to have your best chance at winning a tender, you need to make it easy for your client to hire you. That’s means, addressing the tender selection criteria and having a “profile” that’s big enough to give project officers the ability to confidently go to their superiors and recommend a contract be awarded to you.
I saw the link between me winning tenders and job seekers winning a job. Job seekers need a profile that’s “just big enough” to make it easy for a hiring manager to hire them. These days there’s any number of possible home bases for that, but for most people it will be LinkedIn. The trick is to use your home base to demonstrate to an employer that you’re the perfect hire. By doing your research, you can align yourself with a business, and even a hiring manager. Magically, you’re the candidate who meets their needs. You’ve made their life easy. Yay. Of course, you’ve done the hard work, so it’s not magic.
3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
Once you have a career in mind, you need to play the long game and make yourself just famous enough to get onto a hiring manager’s radar. When you do this right, you’re more likely to have success with the jobs you apply for, but employers are also likely to approach you. Imagine that… being approached by an employer and so not having to compete for a job!
4) What drew you into this particular genre?
I’m a teacher at heart. I always enjoyed the feeling of making a difference to people’s lives when I was teaching geography at my local university. Knowing that I had helped inspire someone into a career that they obviously loved, I was proud when former students sat next to me at conferences. I wanted more of that feeling.
I could have written another geography book, or a sustainability book. But to be honest, I wanted a change. Being a first generation graduate, I had always felt that my career would have been a lot easier had I had a career mentor. I needed more than the generous skills-mentors I had always had. I wanted to offer to young people what had not been offered to me.
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5) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
LinkedIn
6) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
READ. READ. READ. Read widely and read often. Listen to podcasts about writing, and about book marketing. Start working on your social media presence early.
Pay attention to book metadata like keywords and categories and incorporate them into your book title and book description if you can. Don’t skimp on your book cover and get your blurb professionally written.
7) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?
I’ll continue marketing THE JOB HUNTING BOOK until early 2023. I’m already planning my next two books – probably a workbook to accompany THE JOB HUNTING BOOK, and a LinkedIn for Job Seekers book. Once again, they’ll be aimed at early career job seekers.
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About the Author
Life has a way of throwing up challenges. Mine happened in my late teens. In the final year of my apprenticeship a nasty workplace accident forced me to rethink my career.
Fast forward to my early 30s, I’d been a furniture restorer, a furniture removalist, a bingo caller, a pedestrian accident researcher, a condom tycoon (for some reason that failed to impress my girlfriend’s mother), a software engineer, and a lecturer and researcher in spatial science. I won jobs, sometimes due to my tenacity, but looking back, mostly through word of mouth.
In the 90s I started a consultancy and did spatial modelling for universities, the water industry, all levels of the Australian government and the UN. Magically, consulting work and now my employees came via word of mouth.
So, after 40 years as an employee and as a consultant, I’ve learnt that the secret sauce for getting work is relationships, especially professional relationships. These need not be insincere or manipulative. Opportunities naturally arise for those who make the effort. The trick to giving relationships their best chance of yielding work is to put yourself in the other person’s boots and empathize with their problems, their hopes and their dreams. Getting work becomes a simpler exercise when you’ve customized your offering to meet someone’s needs. And that idea is essentially what I’m on about.
I’m a teacher at heart. Now, in my 50’s, I can look back on my career as an employee looking for work, as a consultant winning work, and as an employer hiring and firing. The guidance I write was not around for me when I was starting out. In the absence of a mentor, I had to work it out for myself. And so here are some of my thoughts for you.
1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
Thank you for this question. Actually, when I ponder this I would say it was writing that got into me. I focused early on around being a filmmaker and fashioned myself standing somewhere between the Director and the lead camera person, cooking up visual recipes for words that were trapped on paper. Although I still have a penchant for writing screenplays, I have found myself so focused on creating written content that writing now feels like home.
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2) What inspired you to write your book?
People often ask this question, and they are often uncomfortable with my answer. But I am wedded to the truth. This entire series is my interpretation of a conversation I am honored to be having with extraterrestrial beings.
3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
Book 1, Beyond the Father, is meant to be a key. I am hoping it will not only unlock the door through which readers can enter into the world of Xżyber, but I truly hope it gives readers a chance to dive into areas in which they may otherwise be uncomfortable: pondering the imperfections of a god, examining the face of death, creating alternative meanings for what it may in fact mean to exist. I hope readers of Beyond the Father will come away with the confidence that they were born with the right to question…everything.
4) What drew you into this particular genre?
The endless possibilities within both SciFi and Fantasy writing is a very rewarding space for a writer, and before I starting working in this space I was a huge fan of what SciFi and fantasy offers both writers and readers. It allows one to meander out past the guardrails of what we believe reality is. It’s is on the outskirts of “reality” where writers in this genre are given the chance to create their most interesting work.
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5) If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?
I would have to pose one question to Flexix, who has been jealous ever since I was selected by the Xżyberians to tell their story. He has not agreed with my treatment of the Book, and his envy has caused him to be mildly disruptive. If he would agree to sit down with me, I would ask him what it will take to calm him down!
6) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
The strong reading community on Goodreads, and it’s variety of platforms is a world all of its own. My publisher, 1iR3 Publishers LLC, has really appreciated that and they introduced me to the platform.
7) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
Definitely connect with readers on a personal basis whenever possible. When a reader reaches out and tells you that your book broke through and reached them, take the time to thank them and let that reader know how very much their thoughts and opinions mean to you. At the end of the day, the writing that matters most is not about the number of books we sell. It’s more about the quality of our work and our ability to connect with humanity.
8) What does the future hold in store for you? Are any new books/projects on the horizon?
I will be releasing Book 2 of this series at the end of next year, and I am currently refining Episode 4 of that volume. Readers who follow me on Goodreads will have the benefit of seeing an iterative cover reveal ceremony that will span over several months leading up to the launch of Book 2. I hope they enjoy this upcoming journey with me!
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About the Author
Opëshum has been writing since she was a child, and believes that authors are selected by their characters to bring their stories to the world. Incredibly shy and introverted, Opëshum does not make public appearances. She prefers to remain behind the scenes as the characters in her books take center stage. Her current work, the 8-Book SciFi Epic gods on Trial: The Series™ kicks off with Book 1, BEYOND THE FATHER.
Opëshum calls Sheridan, Wyoming her home, where she is currently writing Book 2 of this series. She lives in a modest Cape Cod dwelling on 3 acres of land where she lets a robust variety of sunflowers grow wild and untamed, while Aloe Vera and other succulents decorate almost every ledge within her house. An avid writer in the early morning and late at night, Opëshum often works on her manuscripts in rooms lit only by homemade candles.
She enjoys nature walks, full moons, and open spaces where she can stare up at the stars.
“I live my life in the shadows, and I am shy. For I know that my appearance is not pleasing to the eye.” – Opëshum Patroz
1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
About ten years ago, I came down with a strange malady. I was exhausted and had to spend most of the time in bed. No doctor could help. While I was slowly recovering, I thought “Wouldn’t it be interesting if you could see the past through the eyes of an ancestor.” I played around with story ideas and settled on a satisfying ending, which I will not reveal for obvious reasons. Once I knew the ending, I crafted the plot to get there. Sometimes, all a writer needs is time to think.
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2) What inspired you to write your book?
I love stories with adventure where characters travel to exotic places and make great discoveries. My lead character, Brooke, is a young scientist who has to battle not only at her present-day university, but also in the rather uncomfortable middle ages. I love history, and I researched diligently before writing. Don’t worry, though, I only used the most interesting bits of what I learned.
3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
Brooke faces many obstacles on her long quest, but she persists. Perseverance even against established authority (maybe especially against them) is a major theme.
4) What drew you into this particular genre?
I’ve been reading science fiction and doing research since the age of eight. Science is my first love and my lifelong passion. By profession, I am a professor of mechanical engineering. Write what you know is the old adage for writers. I’m following that.
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5) If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?
I would like to know more about Prof. Hunter, Brooke’s thesis adviser. Hunter reveals nothing personal about herself, yet she is a key person in Brooke’s life. College students do sometimes wonder who that “sage on the stage” is who has been assigned to teach them. Hunter is also the most unpredictable character during the novel. Who is she, anyway? Does she have a family, a dog, a secret life??
6) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
I’ve gotten some traction on Facebook, that lumbering giant. I started with family and friends and then used their advertising platform. Goodreads has been helpful as well. I just did an interview on Narrated, a podcast about audio books. I listen to podcasts every day, and I’m not alone.
7) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
I’ve spent time (before COVID) at writer’s conventions getting the lay of the land. Other writers are very helpful in sharing their stories and giving you hints. I liked some advice and not others, but I was always enriched by it. When I was just starting, I was reluctant to share my ideas with anyone before I had everything written out. That was a mistake. Feedback is key. I am now brave enough to share first drafts with my writer’s group.
8) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?
I’m working on the second draft of my fourth novel, a tale about colonizing Mars. As usual, the story has a twist. While the astronauts are heading on the first trip to Mars, a blockbuster asteroid strikes Earth. Who’s in more trouble – the astronauts or the ones left behind? Well… I’m still writing!
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About the Author
I am a traveler, an explorer, and a dreamer. My fiction takes you to exotic places that I love and treats you to new ideas to chew on. Before my writing career, I was immersed in scientific research, working at General Electric, RPI, and the National Science Foundation, so it may not surprise you that my science fiction is of the hard variety – striving for internal consistency and (more or less) realistic possibilities. You can count on me for an adventure with a satisfying ending.
Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
Firstly, I want to thank Anthony for this interview opportunity and for his review of Driveway Detailing Warrior click here to see Anthony’s review.
I was born and raised in the South East of England and became a voracious reader from an early age. I devoured Kipling, Blyton, and Charles Hamilton as a young child. I clearly remember my grandma thrusting in my lap at age ten a hardback copy of Alex Haley’s Roots and telling me it was time for me to graduate to ‘proper literature’!
A degree in English Literature inevitably followed, though strangely enough, much later, my clearest path into writing was as a policy drafter in the UK civil service. Sure, that kind of writing was as dry as dust, but it sewed in me the creative writing seed. Then, late in 2021, my wife casually remarked that I should write a book. The idea for Driveway Detailing Warrior was born, and I was off and running as a fledgling writer…
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What inspired you to write your book?
As a car enthusiast and owner of a pristine 2010 Porsche Cayman 987.2, I was keen to keep my ride always looking her best. However, something was bugging me about the soaring cost of hiring professional detailers to bring out the full beauty in my Porsche’s sensual, flowing lines. Though my car was in excellent condition, I was quoted £1,231 ($1,650) by pro detailers for an exterior paint correction and ceramic sealant, £291 ($404) to have my alloys, brake calipers and exhaust tip ceramic coated, and £525 ($704) for undercarriage detailing and protection. Those three projects were quoted at a whopping £2,047 ($2,745) (the average of three separate quotes) from UK pro detailers in 2022 – far too much, methinks, and off-limits to the ‘on a budget’ sports car owner!
So, I drew on my experience of owning, detailing, and driving three different Porsches since 2002: a 964 model 911, a 996 model 911, and my current 987.2 Cayman. There had to be a foolproof way to do these projects at home and achieve the desired, breath-taking results, and there definitely is! When my wife suggested that other car enthusiasts would love to know how to detail their ride, I was inspired to bring together in this book for the reader’s benefit, in an engaging and inspiring way, all the pro hacks and detailing techniques I have learned along the way.
What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
I hope readers will understand why they need not pay sky-high pro detailers prices to bring out their motor’s beauty. I hope they will learn how to keep their ride in stunning tip-top condition at a fraction of the pro detailer’s cost. Particularly amid this cost-of-living crisis.
I hope readers will understand why they should embrace the Driveway Warrior spirit as a petrolhead ideology and how to use the power of home detailing on a budget to thrive in their endeavour to create the ultimate DIY detailed street weapon…
Okay, I’m going to ask you to keep an open mind here. I can hand on heart tell you that detailing your own cherished motor is not only good for your pocket, but it’s also good for the mind, body and soul! Yes, plotting your detailing projects, being out in the fresh air, keeping busy and active, looking after your pride and joy, and enjoying the results is pretty darn rewarding for both the well-being and the wallet! Let’s face it; there’s plenty of time for vegetating on the sofa in front of the TV when it’s dark outside or while your ride is safely stored away over winter!
Most importantly, I hope readers will be empowered to seize the moment of medicine for the soul by cruising around in their immaculately presented, gleaming ride. While observing (and secretly relishing and delighting in) the admiring, envious glances of pedestrians and fellow motorists alike.
What drew you into this particular genre?
I wasn’t really thinking about any particular genre. I simply wanted to empower other petrolheads with the means to harness the power of home detailing on a budget. I hope I have been able to do so in an entertaining, engaging way.
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What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
This is yet to be determined. I have never been active on social media (too busy having a life). In fact, my initial attempts to engage Driveway Detailing Warrior on social media have been less than successful. Facebook – a deeply unsatisfying experience, Instagram – they closed my account after one day, goodness knows why (what the actual @$*!%#!). Detailing forums in the USA closed my accounts within one week – (again, what the actual…)
That said, I’m an optimist at heart, and I’m sure I’ll engage social media in a useful way eventually!
What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
Keep a writing journal with you all the time. You never know when an idea will explode in your head. Sometimes I awake at 4am with a choice idea to start the next chapter, and I jot the premise down in my journal straight away before the idea spins and fades. Don’t be afraid to utilize writing aids like Grammarly Premium – if you don’t like the Grammarly suggestion, ignore it – simples!
Above all, go for it – why wait?
What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?
The plan is to serialize the Driveway Warrior adventures, and book 2 is well underway for release in 2023. Don’t miss it…
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About the Author
S. L. Lucas is the owner and creator of the popular ‘Driveway Detailing Warrior’ home detailing blog and is a blogging mentor in the home detailing community. A published writer for the local press and a Porsche monthly magazine, he has bought, sold, detailed, cherished, and spiritedly driven three different Porsche models since 2002. He lives with his wife in Brighton in the UK and continues to detail and enjoy his current cherished Porsche Cayman 987.2 around the B roads of leafy Sussex.
Author Anthony Avina's Blog 