A mother of two, a workers' compensation adjuster and an aspiring author, K.P. Smith from New Orleans plays many roles in her life. As she was growing up, she always wanted to write a book. And then one day, "Growing Pains" series was born... K.P. Smith answers a few questions for us...


1. What made you enter the world of writing and what is the driving force behind continuing here?
 I think we have all experienced saying or thinking “When I grow up I am going to”. Growing Up I always said I was going to write a book. I love a good book with a good story. One day when life happened too many times within a year I thought this was as good as time as any to make it happen so I did.

Why do I continue? Easy, I love it. It has taken a while but I have finally discovered something that is effortless (now getting to the best seller’s list isn’t). But the art of writing is easy it flows out of me. This is what I was born to do.

2. Besideswriting, what else do you do for a living? Please share some thoughts about your this work as well.
By day I am a worker’s compensation adjuster. Oh OMG hate to say it but I want to be honest. All the joy I get from writing I get the opposite being an adjuster. But I am good at it and it has been provided me a good living for the past 14 years.

3. Any plans to quit this job and taking to writing as a full time occupation in nearfuture?
YES! YES! YES!

4. Whichspecific genre would you associate yourself with? Why did you choose thisgenre? Any plans to try out a new genre?
My first series is a YA series. I choose that because I wanted to help the youth and offer some encouragement and inspiration during the journey/mage of growing up. I am hoping to give some insight and inspiration.

I have thought about adult function will see where this path takes me.

5. How idea of “ Growing Pains “ come to you? Any real life incident influenced you?
I started writing the book and one day when I was writing a scene that was close to my own experience I remember thinking wow that was a painful experience. But I looked back and saw as painful as it was then it had helped me out later. It is all apart of the process of this thing we called life. Sometimes it takes pain to Grow.

6. Shedsome light on your upcoming work and when can we expect them to be out?
I am currently working on the second book in the series tentatively titled New Beginnings. All I will say it should be out sometime in 2012!LOL!

I have started my own Publishing Company; Doin It Publishing. I would like to take on new writers such as myself and help them find their voice and their audience.

I have also just started an outreach community organization; Open Hearts Opened Hands. We are just starting out but looking for ways to help those in our community who need it.

7. You are a proud mother as you say. Has motherhood played a major role on shaping the plot of your book?
Being a mom hasn’t shaped my plot. But it does inspire me to keep pressing no matter what. And to give this dream of mine everything I have. By doing that I want to set an example for my two sons that with faith, determination and perseverance you can make your dreams come true.

8. What plays a major role in selling a book, content or marketing?
I know the most accepted answer is content but in the day of Pop Culture I think Marketing is more important than Content.

I always say a book only becomes a best seller if people BUY it!!

9. Whatis the most cherished moment of your life? Something that you would wish torelive again.
I cannot pin point just one. I will say I have learned that every day is a gift and this thing is not a sprint but a marathon. And in the end the good and the bad will even out to be all GOOD!

10. Anymajor regret in life till date?
Of course but life happens just get up and dust yourself up; Stay Positive, Keep it Moving and Never Give Up!

TheBookplex - We wish to thank you again for agreeing to the interview. Our sincere thanks for such frank and fabulous answers. We wish you all the luck with your book.

Born and spent her early days in the shadows of hills and green valleys, Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban, was always a writer, one who understands the outside world by translating her experiences into stories...

We are delighted to have her answering few questions for TheBookplex...

1. You were born in Spain but your writing career began only after moving to US. So was the writer in you always there or was it born due to some experience in America?
I am a writer. I have always been a writer.

Whether I’m writing or not, I think in words. To make sense of the outside world I must translate my experiences into stories.


2. (a) Besides writing, what else do you do for a living? Please share some thoughts about your work as well.
Apart from being a writer, I’m also a freelance translator.

I have a Ph.D. in Biology and I translate documents for hospitals and pharmaceutical companies among others. I would love to do literary translations but haven’t broken into that market yet.

I have also written four non-fiction books for High School students on drugs and diseases.

(b) Any plans to quit this job and taking to writing as a full time occupation in near future?
To be a full time fiction writers is my dream. But I don’t see it happening in the near future.

3. Which specific genre would you associate yourself with? Why did you choose this genre? Any plans to try out a new genre?
My three first novels are Young Adult and can be described as ‘Realistic Fantasy’. By which I mean that the stories take place in an imaginary medieval world, but magic plays no part (THE REVENGE OF THE WOLF KING) or a small part (TWO MOON PRINCESS and THE KING IN THE STONE) in the story.

My fourth book, BECQUER ETERNAL, is an adult paranormal story.

I didn’t ‘choose’ a particular genre. I just wrote the stories the way they came to me.

4. How did the idea of “Two Moon Princess” come to you? Any real life incident influenced you?
  When I was a child, I saw a broken arch on a beach in northern Spain. In my mind, the arch was magical. It was a portal to another world, I called Xaren Ra. Later, I moved to California and Andrea, a sixteen year old princess from Xaren-Ra came with me. TWO MOON PRINCESS is the story of what happened to Andrea when she went back to her world with an American boy.

TWO MOON PRINCESS is loosely based on my life. Like Andrea, I came to the New World, California, from Spain. Of course, I didn't come from medieval Spain, but I have always loved stories that take place in medieval times. I did meet "John" in California and he came with me to Spain where trouble ensued. But the similitude between the real and the imaginary story lines stops there. I like the story I made up much better.

This is the portal in Spain that in TWO MOON PRINCESS becomes a door between Xaren-Ra and Earth.

5. Shed some light on your upcoming work and when can we expect them to be out?
I conceived TWO MOON PRINCESS as a standalone, and I knew exactly how it would end before I started writing it. But, after I finished it, I realized something was amiss.

**Spoiler Alert**

If you have read TWO MOON PRINCESS, you know that at the end Andrea goes back to California with her love interest. Now the problem is that Andrea plans to stay, while her love has come to Earth only to learn how to build dams and the principles of irrigation, then he plans to return to Xaren-Ra.

**End of Spoiler**

That’s why, after I finished writing TWO MOON PRINCESS, my characters stayed in my mind arguing and THE KING IN THE STONE was born.

THE KING IN THE STONE follows Andrea's adventures in northern Spain both in the present and in the year 718 A.D. 718 A.D. is a crucial year in Spanish history. It marks the first victory of the Spaniards over the Arabs that had invaded the peninsula seven years before. Andrea's journey is rather personal though. It is a story of love, loss and revenge. Not necessarily in that order.

I expect THE KING IN THE STONE to be published this year

You can read an excerpt from THE KING IN THE STONE at my blog (http://carmenferreiroesteban.wordpress.com/) or website (www.carmenferreiroesteban.com)

I've also finished a third Young Adult novel, THE REVENGE OF THE WOLF KING, a story of forbidden love and blind revenge in a world reminiscent of XII century Spain. (http://carmenferreiroesteban.wordpress.com/carmens/requiem-for-a-king/). My agent, Ginger Knowlton at Curtis Brown Ltd., is representing it right now.

My first adult novel, BECQUER ETERNAL, a paranormal story with Becquer, a XIX century Spanish poet, as protagonist will be published by Astraea Press this summer. To learn more about it see my answer to Question 7.

6. Did TWO MOON PRINCESS win any prizes?
The ForeWord Magazine Bronze Award in the Juvenile category.

7. You are planning a paranormal story to be published as a serial on your blog. It is quite unusual and one doesn’t see such experiments often by bloggers. Please share some thoughts on it.
I did start writing a paranormal story as a serial in my blog (http://carmenferreiroesteban.wordpress.com/2010/10/30/garlic-for-breakfast/), but ended the experiment after only seven weeks.

Unlike my other novels, I didn’t have an outline for this story in my mind and, as I wrote, the characters took a life of their own and steered the story in a different direction. By the time I posted my seventh installment, both post number 1 and the title were already obsolete. So, I decided to stop the experiment.

Eventually I finished the novel and BECQUER ETERNAL is now under contract with Astraea Press. I expect it to be available before summer. 

8. One electronic gadget that you wish to have but don’t have?
A mind reader.

If you know where to find one, please tell. 

9. Any suggestion or your thoughts about The Bookplex?
Thank you very much for this opportunity of sharing my thoughts and writing with your readers.


TheBookplex - We wish to thank you again for agreeing to the interview. Our sincere thanks for such detailed and fabulous answers. We wish you all the luck with all your books.

A Spanish princess, an American boy, a king set in revenge. An unrequited love and a disturbing family secret bring a world to the brink of war

To escape the constraints of her medieval world, Princess Andrea leaves her father's castle, and crosses a portal into another world. In this new world, modern day California, Andrea finds the freedom to be herself and falls in love. So it is no wonder that, when by accident, she returns to her parents' kingdom, she will do anything to go back. But going back to California may be impossible for her actions have unearthed an old feud and started a war that will challenge Andrea's beliefs and change her forever.

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Two-Moon-Princess-ebook/dp/B006PKL7U6
B&N - http://goo.gl/7Y1jU
Tanglewood Press - https://www.abdi-ecommerce.com/tanglewood/

THE KING IN THE STONE, (Sequel to TWO MOON PRINCESS) coming out in 2012.
A full moon,a silver key,and the forbidden passion of two young loverswill bring hope to a defeated kingdomand, through their sorrow, deliver a king who will change its fate.

Sent back in time to 717 A.D., Andrea and Julián are caught in opposite sites in the battle between the Spanish last unconquered settlements and the Arab army. A battle for survival that will challenge their love and demand of them the ultimate sacrifice.

THE REVENGE OF THE WOLF KING: Represented by Ginger Knowlton at Curtis Brown Ltd.
Princess Ines's love for her whipping boy is put to the test when the king accuses him of the queen's murder and sentences him to death.

BECQUER ETERNALunder contract with Astraea Press, coming out in 2012:
Meet Becquer.
He’s handsome, well-read, and can get you that book contract you always dreamed.
Never mind that he’s also an immortal and lives on human blood.
What would that matter?
Your relationship is strictly business.
Or so you thought.
Until Becquer’s life is threatened, and you discover that walking away is not an option,
Because he was hurt while protecting your son,
Because you are the only one who can save him now,
Because you care for him.
Welcome to Becquer’s world.
Please, come inside. He’s waiting for you.

Becoming an author was never an option for Mark Glamack but it was a message from God that made him quit his glorious career and write "Littluns: And the book of darkness"! Since then life has assumed a different meaning for Mark...

Here is Mark answering a few questions for our esteemed readers...

1. What made you enter the world of writing and what is the driving force behind continuing here?
I never thought that I would ever become an author. I already had more projects than I could handle. In fact, I had six projects that I had developed and was in the process of funding when God came to me and said “Write Littluns.” It was the most beautiful experience of pure love that I had ever experienced. Needless to say, I shelved all my other projects to work full-time on writing and creating all the color illustrations for my 411 page epic fantasy novel, “Littluns: And the Book of Darkness.” Three years later “Littluns” was completed, then self- published and I have been marketing the book full-time ever since.

2. You quit your job to become a full time author! How difficult was it to take this decision? Any regrets about this decision?
My professional history includes director, producer, and writer for family entertainment in the motion picture and television industries; a patented inventor; elected to six terms as a Governor for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, and now author of the award winning "Littluns: And the Book of Darkness." My bio can be found at http://www.littluns.net/pages/about.html?osCsid=781f1bb5d1b5f7544379b463bd8c2668 I walked away from all of the above to serve God with what “Littluns” has to offer to the world for truth, peace, love hope, joy, and the heart’s desire for all things good.

With the exception of spiritual warfare, it was not difficult at all. When God comes to you, a greater purpose awaits. For me whatever He has planned is fine with me because whatever it is will be good.

3. How did the idea of “Littluns: And the Book of Darkness“ come to you? Any real life incident influenced you?
God guided me to create a story for all seasons and all reasons in a most different reading experience; a one-of-a-kind book for both Christian and secular readers that they will not find anywhere else. The multi-award winning "Littluns: And the Book of Darkness" is for you, family, and friends. Don't let the animation-like content fool you. Although family friendly, "Littluns" is best understood by "Young Adult" and grown-up readers on an adventure and journey of a lifetime; a fantasy that takes readers beyond their imagination to reality and truth under God.

The power of God’s presence is like nothing you could ever experience in the world of man.

4. Shed some light on your upcoming work and when can we expect them to be out?
A sequel to “Littluns” is possible, but only if sales justify my doing so and especially if God wants me to do it. Otherwise, “Littluns” stands on its own with a beginning, middle, and end to the story.

5. Why did you decide to self-publish and not look for traditional publishers?
Traditional publishers would not let me do the color illustrations for the book and more. It’s just too expensive to produce. Experts told us, because of the high quality, that we should charge at least $50.00 per book, but I wanted it affordable to everyone. We can only make it with large sales volume. We gambled big-time.

6. So, you think you did the right thing by self-publishing or you feel your book would have done better if it had a backing of a traditional publisher?
We wanted to create a novel that looked to the future; something never seen or read before – and that’s exactly what we did. No regrets.

7. What plays a major role in selling a book, content or marketing?
Marketing is what it’s all about. If someone can sell a Pet Rock, anything can be sold with good marketing. However, there is no substitute for content, quality and value, and that’s what readers will find in “Littluns.”

8. What is the most cherished moment of your life? Something that you would wish to relive again.
God choosing me to write “Littluns” was truly the best experience of my life, something I relive every day.

9. Any major regret in life till date?
My only regret to date is that more people don’t yet know that they need “Littluns” in their life; to see where we are all headed and what we can do about it. Read the reviews and awards won for “Littluns” athttp://www.littlunsblog.com  Select second TAB at the top of the page for awards and reviews.

10. As we enter 2012, what are you looking forward to in the world of writing?
I look forward to what God has in mind for me next.

11. Your take on Amazon’s KDP select which many have termed as a monopoly tactic by amazon?
Business is business. Writers and readers have other options if they don’t like what Amazon or any other business is doing.

12. Any suggestion or your thoughts about The Bookplex?
As it says on your site, “One website - readers delight, authors friend and reviewers heaven.” I like your insistence to give unbiased and honest reviews. I would prefer you making money on sales of books. There are many people who frown on paid reviews and so do I. Regardless of what your policy is, there’s a perception out there that just doesn’t find a paid review valid. A free book should be enough incentive for any reader to be expected to review it. A percentage on sales could also be given to reviewers with the remaining percentage going to Bookplex.

The Bookplex - Selling books is something that will soon be a part of TheBookplex. We are building up readership and once we achieve a significant number of followers, many great things will be up here soon.
We would like to thank you once again for agreeing to this interview. It was a pleasure having you here.

For sample chapter, video, merchandising and for purchasing the book, visit -  http://www.littluns.net 

At 10, she wanted to be the youngest published author ever but unfortunately a 9 year old girl had already made that record. Then for next 10 years, she was busy figuring her literary journey but failed and with that the author within her disappeared. Years later the author with Karen A. Wyle came alive and she published her novel Twin-Bred. Here is Karen A. Wyle answering a few questions for TheBookplex visitors…

 1. What made you enter the world of writing and what is the driving force behind continuing here?
From early childhood, I considered myself a writer. I had a poem (not a very good one) published in the local paper when I was in 3rd grade. When I was ten years old, it was my ambition to be the youngest published author ever, and I was somewhat crestfallen to learn that a nine-year-old girl had claimed that honor. For the next ten years, I tried to find the right form for my writing: novels? poetry? short stories? Nothing seemed right, and I gave up for a long time.

When I started having children in my mid-thirties, I also started writing picture book manuscripts. My older daughter is a gifted artist; when she was eight or so, she would do drawings and I would write silly poems to accompany them. Ten years later, she took part in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo or NaNo) for the first time. Her second year in NaNo, I joined her – and produced the rough draft of my first self-published novel, Twin-Bred (available as a paperback and ebook on Amazon and elsewhere). I’ve since used NaNo and its summertime version, Camp Nano, to write two more rough drafts (a sequel to Twin-Bred and another novel tentatively titled Reflections).

What drives me to continue? I love to imagine characters and situations, and to find out from my characters what they will do with the situations. I love the art and craft of working with words. And I am glad to keep faith, finally, with that ten-year-old girl I used to be.

2. Besides writing, what else do you do for a living? Please share some thoughts about your this work as well. Any plans to quit your present occupation and take to writing full time?
I am an appellate attorney, handling mostly civil appeals (as opposed to criminal appeals). I believe I owe my return to writing fiction to my career as an attorney. When I was an English major in college, it took hours of agonizing, complaining, and pounding my head on hallway walls before I could produce a three-page paper. As an attorney, writing briefs for a living, I learned to turn out persuasive prose in quantity with relative ease. That facility turned out to transfer to writing fiction.

I have no plans to quit my law practice. I enjoy the analysis and tactical sparring as well as the writing. Nor do I expect my writing to be especially lucrative until I have published more books.

3. Which specific genre would you associate yourself with? Why did you choose this genre? Any plans to try out a new genre?
Twin-Bred is science fiction, as is my published short story, “The Baby” (available free on Smashwords). I have been reading science fiction for many years. By now, my imagination tends to run in that direction. I read the news or listen to gossip and find myself coming up with science fiction adaptations of what I hear.

Science fiction explores how human beings – whether acknowledged as such, or in any of innumerable disguises – react to the unexpected. How do they – how would we – cope with the fulfillment of anything from dream to nightmare? How will the future we anticipate surprise us? How will we surprise ourselves when we confront it? Science fiction's imaginative settings allow us to examine familiar themes and problems with a fresh eye.

Science fiction paves the way. Its authors, often scientists themselves, extrapolate from current technology and knowledge, and make educated guesses about what we will be able to invent. Often they guess correctly. It might be easier to identify the scientific advances of the last sixty years that were not predicted in science fiction than to list those that were.

Finally, science fiction gives the would-be builder of worlds a place to play. While fantasy does the same, science fiction imposes certain constraints – and as many a poet would testify, some constraints can actually spur creativity. At any rate, I find satisfaction in knowing that what I have imagined, or what another author lays before me, could possibly exist.

That said, my current WIP (work in progress) is not science fiction. Reflections could be called general fiction, literary fiction, or fantasy. (I know – I may have to pick one, when I get to the marketing stage. . . .) It is set in an afterlife, which could make it general fiction or fantasy, depending on one’s beliefs and definitions. It focuses on family relationships, which could make it literary fiction. I’ll be interested to see what readers make of it.

4. How did the idea of Twin-Bred come to you? Any real life incident influenced you?
When I decided – at the end of October 2010 -- to take part in NaNoWriMo that November, I needed a story to tell. As I sat down to come up with some book ideas, science fiction kept happening. At about the same time, I read an article about amazing interactions between twins in utero, captured on video. The researchers had found synchronized movement, touching, even kissing. Either the article or a comment on the article mentioned the traumatic, often devastating, impact on those whose twin -- identical or fraternal -- had died in utero or shortly after birth.

Straining this information through the science fiction filter in my mind, I imagined a scientist seeking to overcome the comprehension gap between two intelligent species by way of the bond between twins. It would be natural for the scientist who conceived this idea to be a twin. It would add emotional depth to the story if she were a twin survivor. And for added strangeness and interest, what if she had somehow kept her lost twin alive as a companion, who could be a character in the story?...

I have always been fascinated by communication issues and the struggle to understand what is different. I also find myself returning constantly to the themes of family relationships, unintended consequences, and unfinished business. All these threads wove together to form the story of Twin-Bred.

5. Shed some light on your upcoming work and when can we expect them to be out?
As I write this answer in late December of 2011, I am just beginning to revise the rough draft of Reflections. I would like the book to be ready for publication by late spring, but as this is only my second time revising a novel, it’s hard to predict when I’ll finish.

Reflections has two alternative tag lines: "Death is what you make it" and "Will you need courage in heaven?" It is set in an afterlife with certain features which lend themselves to the confrontation of lingering personal issues and unfinished business. For example, you can relive any memory in perfect detail -- and if someone else who took part in the remembered scene is there with you, you can trade places and remember the events from the other person's perspective.  There are other aspects of the afterlife that, while serving this same purpose, are also just plain fun. You can be any age at any time, and visit any place that you remember or that anyone you meet -- from any time in Earth's history -- remembers.

Reflections concerns a mother who desperately wanted a child, but who left that child in the care of her parents and grandmother for unknown reasons.  The child, grandparents and great-grandmother die in an auto accident four years after the mother's mysterious departure; the mother dies of stress cardiomyopathy ("broken heart syndrome") some time later, and is reunited with the family she left behind.

Next in line after Reflections, at least where novels are concerned, is the still-unnamed sequel to Twin-Bred. I haven’t yet decided whether to alternate work on that sequel and on Reflections, or whether to keep the sequel in the metaphorical drawer until I have Reflections fully edited. I can’t say anything about the plot of the sequel without giving away too much about what happens in Twin-Bred.

I am also planning to do more stories about human cloning, which is the subject of my currently available short story, “The Baby.” One or more of these stories will involve legal issues that human cloning could raise.

6. Why did you decide to self-publish and not look for traditional publishers?
While I was editing Twin-Bred, I was also busily researching the process of finding an agent and/or publisher. I wrote and rewrote draft query letters, made long lists of agents, and followed agent blogs. Somewhere along the way, however, I started hearing about the recent changes in the publishing industry and the surrounding landscape. I learned how much more practical it had become to publish one's own work, as a POD (print on demand) paperback and/or an ebook. I read many a blog post about the pros and cons of self-publishing. I also read, with some alarm, about the recent changes in many standard agent and publisher contracts -- changes seriously unfavorable to authors, and often concealed in boilerplate language.

I have never been good at self-promotion. The thought of doing my own publicity was daunting. But from what I was reading, most traditionally published authors do much of their own publicity these days. Moreover, as an indie writer, I have time to learn. Major chains like Barnes & Noble are now returning books to publishers after 90 days on the shelves. My self-published books will be on the electronic equivalent of shelves indefinitely. I will have the time to find more ways to promote myself and my books, and to write more books which can in turn bring readers to my earlier books.

In the end, the decisive factor was control. Publishing my own book, I could control the editing process, the choice of cover, and the timing of publication.

7. So, you think you did the right thing by self-publishing or you feel your book would have done better if it had a backing of a traditional publisher?
It’s too early for me to say whether – if I had been able to find a traditional publisher for Twin-Bred – it would have sold better. Of course, it might well have been a different book altogether, with the changes an editor might have insisted on. It would almost certainly have had a different cover.

If Twin-Bred’s online sales become impressive, I would certainly be interested in any offer from a traditional publisher to publish the print edition and place it in bookstores, retail chains, etc. – if I could maintain the rights to and control of the ebook editions. A very few authors are able to make this sort of deal, but it may become more common.

8. What plays a major role in selling a book, content or marketing?
Both. I don’t believe that word of mouth or any other marketing can sell a great many copies of a bad book (absent some special factor like celebrity involvement) – but the odds of a terrific book being discovered without substantial authorial effort are awfully slim.

9. What is the most cherished moment of your life? Something that you would wish to relive again.
I’m not good at picking “most” or “favorite” anything, but it might be something that happened when my youngest daughter was a baby. When I nursed (breastfed) her, I would usually pat her arm, without really thinking about it. One day, when she was a few months old, I was nursing her, and I felt her little hand patting my arm as I held her. WOW. (Teaser: this moment appears in one of my upcoming books.)

10. Any major regret in life till date?
My science-fiction orientation affects this answer. There are many things I could have done better in my life, many challenges I could have faced head-on, relationships I could have nurtured, skills I could have mastered. But any change in my past, especially a significant change, would have set me on a different path. I cherish my present – my marriage, some accomplishments I have had and some good I have done as an attorney, my writing, and above all my wonderful daughters – too much to wish that I had made any such changes.

Now if I could sprout a few alternate universes, I’d love to see whether I could have ended up as a prominent appellate judge, or become a famous writer in my twenties, or kept more of the friends I made in my youth. Or all three! J

11. Any suggestion or your thoughts about TheBookplex?
I look forward to its success! I know how much work it is to find book reviewers. Those who don’t have the time should find your prices reasonable.

One suggestion: you might want to have an editor look over your website copy for grammatical correctness. For example, it’d be best to add apostrophes to the home page heading (“Readers’ Delight, Authors’ Friend and Reviewers’ Heaven”).

If I were a potential reviewer, I’d be interested in knowing how much you pay reviewers – but that might be information better provided directly.

TheBookplex – The apostrophes were always there but the font for headings was such that it never showed in internet browsers. But keeping with our policy to keep authors happy, we have decided to change our font all together and now you can see the apostrophes.
Each reviewer is paid $5 for every book reviewed by him/her. Apart from this, there is a provision of quarterly bonus payments to sincere and dedicated reviewers depending on website’s earnings.
Karen, it was indeed a pleasure having you on TheBookplex and we wish you all the success for Twin-Bred and upcoming Reflections.

We were lucky to catch up with Michael Meyer, author of Covert Dreams, The Famous Union and The Survival of Marvin Baines. As we asked questions, the author happily answered to us for the benefit of our readers. Here is interview…

1. What made you enter the world of writing and what is the driving force behind continuing here?
Michael - I have always been fascinated by language. For instance, why would I want my credit card swiped at the cashier’s booth while I am swiping it after a purchase? If you are going to come to my house for dinner, are you coming or going? Do children drink their milk up or down? I love the creativity that can be achieved by getting the wording just right. I am an avid reader, and that has also contributed to my desire to write. I enjoy reading my own work. I still can laugh, or cry, at the scenes I have created.

2. Tell us something about your occupation prior to retirement? Do you miss those days?
Michael -I was a college professor for over forty years. I taught literally throughout the world, at universities in Thailand, Saudi Arabia, and the Caribbean. I retired just over a year ago from a twenty-four year stint as an English professor at a California community college. I do miss my students, but, I must admit, I love the free time I now have to devote to three of my favorite things: reading, writing, and travelling

3. Which specific genre would you associate yourself with? Why did you choose this genre? Any plans to try out a new genre?
Michael - I am eclectic in both my reading tastes and in my own writing. I have currently published three novels on Amazon Kindle. COVERT DREAMS is an international thriller, filled with fast action and suspense. THE FAMOUS UNION is comical fiction, and The SURVIVAL OF MARVIN BAINES is contemporary fiction. One well-known reviewer dubbed it as a dark comedy. 

4. Tell us more about your published works?
Michael - COVERT DREAMS is an international thriller that roars through London, Rome, Munich, and Saudi Arabia. It is a murder mystery combined with elements of parapsychology, where what is real just might not be the case. THE FAMOUS UNION is a comical look at a once-proud institution of higher learning, where the decisions of the powers-that-be lead to comical chaos for the often-eccentric characters. THE SURVIVAL OF MARVIN BAINES is about a loving family man whose poor decisions as he tries to cope with middle age lead to scenes that will make one laugh and cry, and sometimes both at the same time.

 5. Shed some light on your upcoming work and when can we expect them to be out?
Michael - I am currently working on a second novel of suspense, tentatively entitled THE DEADLY EYES OF ST. CROIX. It is a murder mystery set on the island of St. Croix, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where I lived for four years, as an English professor at the St. Croix campus of the University of the Virgin Islands. I hope to have it published on Amazon sometime in 2012.

6. Why did you decide to self-publish and not look for traditional publishers?
Michael - My wife bought me a Kindle, and it was love at first sight. After I retired, I seriously turned my attention to writing. As a senior citizen, I wanted to get my work to readers as soon as it was polished and ready to read. I simply did not want to wait a couple of years, or longer, in order to see my work in print.

7. So, you think you did the right thing by self-publishing or you feel your book would have done better if it had a backing of a traditional publisher?
Michael - I definitely did the right thing. I have three published books on Amazon, all three of which have garnered wonderful reviews, and all three have been purchased and read by large numbers of people. Publishing on Amazon Kindle has almost been like a dream come true for me.

8. What plays a major role in selling a book, content or marketing?
Michael - Marketing, unfortunately. Without exposure, a book with the greatest content will not sell. If people are unaware of its very existence, then a book can in no way sell itself. I love to write, but marketing is not my cup of tea, but it is a necessity.

 9. What is the most cherished moment of your life? Something that you would wish to  relive again.
Michael - I have fallen madly in love two times in my life, which is something I treasure the most. My first wife, who I love dearly, passed away eight years ago. Several years later, I was fortunate enough to fall in love for a second time. My wife, Kitty, has brought love back into my life, something I once thought an impossibility. For that, I am the most grateful man in the world.

10. Any major regret in life till date?
Michael - Not really. I have many minor regrets, such as, “Why didn’t I do that when I had the chance?” but I quickly try to get past those. Life is too short to focus too much on what was not accomplished in the past. Instead, I like to focus on the present and on the future, on what I will do or accomplish so as not to have a future regret.

11. As we enter 2012, what are you looking forward to in the world of writing?
Michael - As a writer, retired to boot, with all the time needed to give to one of my lifelong passions, writing, I see myself doing just that: writing and writing.

12. Your take on Amazon’s KDP select which many have termed as a monopoly tactic by Amazon?
Michael - It is a wonderful tool for Indie writers. Without the financial backing of major publishing firms to spring for extremely costly advertising, the KDP Select program allows writers to get the reading exposure they require.

13. Any suggestion or your thoughts about TheBookplex?
Michael - It seems to be the perfect place for Indie writers and reader to meet. Great job!

TheBookplex – It’s been a pleasure having you here. Wishing you all the success in life and we are waiting for your upcoming book!