Interview with Michael Curry

Published 2014-07-17.
How do you approach cover design?
I wanted something whimsical to reflect the light tone of the book. It shows the sheer joy of a father playing with his daughter. She wears a tiara and cheers her father on in whatever adventure is to come! Behind them are blue skies and green fields.

I think it captures the book perfectly: I love reading and writing fantasy stories and old comic books. The cover shows a father playing a gallant knight protecting his royal little princess. The art captures that adventure feel without being too cartoony. The cover fonts also show that whimsy and joy I hope you find in the book, too.
What are your five favorite books, and why?
Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien, are you surprised? The others might surprise you: Path to Power by Robert Caro, London by Edward Rutherford, Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough and A Christmas Carol by Dickens - I read that one every weekend after Thanksgiving to get me in the holiday mood!
What do you read for pleasure?
Biographies of just about anyone and comic books from the 1960s and 1970s. I prefer superheroes (Superman, Spider-Man), but I also love to read horror titles, war titles and adventure titles (Conan and his derivatives). Sometimes I like to read an Archie or Casper the Friendly Ghost just for that trip down memory lane. I also love to read old pulp adventures from the 1920s. Some of those characters are now finally being adapted into comic book form!
What is your e-reading device of choice?
My I-pad. My wife reads everything - Kindle and Nook, etc. But as you can imagine, I am a very old soul. To me there is nothing greater sound than the creak of an opening binder and the smell of musty old paper. Nothing gives me more joy than holding a book in my hand. Although with my old eyes, the adjustable brightness of my I-pad is very welcome!
What book marketing techniques have been most effective for you?
Social networking. Facebook, Twitter, Google+. I tell my friends and family and they spread the word! It helps that I was a radio announcer for ten years in the 1980s and I still keep in touch with my friends who are still DJ or announcers. They share news about my book and it goes out to many more people than I can reach alone!
Describe your desk
I keep a very clean desk. Behind the desk is another matter! Piled with papers and books - reference books as well as books for casual reading. Otherwise my computer, keyboard, printer, lots of pens, a plastic spoon on which I chew, a photo of me and my wife and a photo of my wife and daughter in a Charlie Brown frame my secretary made for me!
Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up in a small farming and mining town in southern Illinois about 60 miles from St. Louis. I was never very athletic and my mother didn't allow us to wander very far from home. While my classmates rode their bikes on the coke piles at the mines I stayed in the backyard. A town nearby had a factory that printed comic books and the employees were allowed to bring home stacks stacks of comics. My friends would give me their leftovers and that started my love of all things fantastical. Then came Star Wars. I discovered there were book adaptations of the movie! A friend told me about ANOTHER trilogy about a dying galactic empire called Foundation by Isaac Asimov. Reading led to writing; particularly in the late 1980s when science fiction was mostly cyberpunk. Nothing wrong with cyberpunk, but it wasn't my cup of tea. No one wrote the stories I wanted to read. So, by gum, I would write them myself!
When did you first start writing?
Ever since I was a kid in grade school. Of course I drew my own superhero comics - silly-sounding characters like Glassman, Moonman, Stringboy, Ghost Guy fighting the good fight. I wrote stories, too. An essay on "Schools of the Future" made the school paper in 1975 as did my Christmas comedy "Rudolph Blows a Fuse" in 1976. I started writing seriously in the mid-1980s because I didn't like the state of fantasy and science fiction stories at the time - no one wrote what I wanted to read so I wrote them myself! Law School made my writing take a back seat until the 2000s, when I finally decided to take the craft seriously.
What's the story behind your latest book?
I wrote Abby's Road for my daughter - to tell her the story of her adoption. My family thought I should share it with you.
It is my first attempts at anything remotes non-fiction-y.
i went through all the emails and paperwork we had saved and went back to read my Facebook posts from 2009 and put together an outline. i wrote down the memories all this triggered and put it in this memoir.
What motivated you to become an indie author?
I was frustrated trying to get the established publishers in accepting my work. No one was interested in my science fiction, there was no one around to publish my horror stories, and who would publish my index of the Batman comic book "The Brave & The Bold" or my George Harrison discography? I got a joke published in "The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction" and my wife and family (particularly my cousin) said, "See Mike? Your humor gets you published - write something funny." Easier said than done. But Abby's Road is a humorous look at our adoption, and I'm quite proud of it. But who would publish it? That's why I decided on independent publishing. I joined some Facebook groups and blogs by independent authors, attended seminars (I was especially impressed by the panels at Gen Con 2013). And here I am!!
How has Smashwords contributed to your success?
It was much easier than I thought. The "Style Guide" was marvelously easy for a Luddite like me. If I can put in a hyperlink - anyone can! I published in minutes and was approved for Premium Service in two days! I would recommend Smashwords for anyone wanting to publish their work! I hope my next book - a guide to children's television - to be much more interactive with lots of hyperlinks within the book (linking subjects together) as well as on the web. I can't wait for you to read it!
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
Finishing! No really! I LOVE when I discover the end of a story - how the mystery is solved or the conflict is resolved. To be honest, when I realize how the book or story will end, I have a hard time finishing it. To me, the story is done and it is time to move on the to next one! I tend to rush the endings because of this and have to consciously slow my writing pace to make the last quarter of the book as detailed as the first three quarters.
Smashwords Interviews are created by the profiled author or publisher.

Books by This Author

The Brave and the Bold: from Silent Knight to Dark Knight; a guide to the DC comic book
Price: Free! Words: 47,790. Language: English. Published: November 30, 2014 . Categories: Nonfiction » Comics (nonfictional), Fiction » Graphic novels & comics » Superheroes
(5.00 from 1 review)
The comic book The Brave & the Bold ran for 200 issues from 1955 - 1983 where the best writers and artists in the business introduced, among other features, the Justice League, the Teen Titans and the Suicide Squad to the world. From Silent Knight to Dark Knight is a guide to one of the most influential comic books of the Silver Age. Come meet some old friends and long-forgotten characters!
Toddler TV: a Befuddled Father's Guide to What the Kids are Watching
Price: $1.99 USD. Words: 82,800. Language: English. Published: October 30, 2014 . Categories: Nonfiction » Entertainment » Television, Nonfiction » Entertainment » Humor & satire » Form / essays
One of the problems of becoming a father in my late forties that I DIDN'T expect was watching television with my pre-schooler: “Daddy, can we watch Barney?” “Sure! The Andy Griffith Show is on in a few minutes!” “No Daddy, the purple dinosaur.” “Dino? I LOVE The Flintstones...” Reviews and commentary on over 100 shows aimed at ages 0-5 from the 1960s to now! Just what ARE our kids watching?
Abby's Road, the Long and Winding Road to Adoption; and how Facebook, Aquaman and Theodore Roosevelt helped!
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 72,350. Language: English. Published: July 12, 2014 . Categories: Nonfiction » Relationships & Family » Adoption, Nonfiction » Parenting » Adoption
Abby's Road leads a couple through their days of infertility treatments and adoption. It is told with gentle (and sometimes not-so-gentle) humor from the perspective of a nerdy father and his loving and understanding wife. Join Mike and Esther as they prepare their house, prepare their family and prepare themselves; and then wait for their daughter to be born a thousand miles from home.