Interview with Michael McHuff
Published 2013-11-20.
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
It's got a cathartic nature, reliving personal experiences from my character's point of view makes them so much easier to deal with.
The interaction I've had, new friends, the sense of achievement. The beer earned after a good day of writing.
What are you working on next?
The second book in the Asulon Series, The God's Refuge.
Who are your favorite authors?
Raymond Fiest, Thomas Pynchon, George R.R. Martin.... ah the list goes on. I'm reading Eleanor Catton right now.
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
My kids wake me up anytime around seven, and ironically, yes they are my ispiration. I wouldn't have written a book without them. I want them to be as proud of me as I am of them.
When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
Working, helping with the kids, drinking beer. It is a charmed life.
Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
Yes, and it was totally plagiarised from the teacher who told it to me. It was a ghost story and I wrote sequels.
What is your writing process?
I write on my train journeys from where I live to Wellington and back. 50 minutes each way, headphones on (fast mix) sunglasses on, (even if its dark). I use a Lenovo X230 with an SSD and loads of RAM as I'm not a patient person. Seems to work ok.
I kick started my novel with a great deal of personal experience, and then it seemed to write itself from there.
I used a group of readers to offer feedback, and am so grateful for their brutal honesty.
How do you approach cover design?
DIY I am a control freak. My Editor is a control freak and she liked it.
I had an idea one night, and downloaded some heads from the web to fulfill it.
I wanted the photos to match my vision of what the characters looked like.
I think I did an ok job. But maybe next time, I'll ask a friend to do it...
What is your e-reading device of choice?
Kindle. Simple, efficient, battery life is fantastic. I have 3.
What book marketing techniques have been most effective for you?
This is a good question. I'm still in the early stages, but adding a QR barcode soundtrack would have to be the best thing for it, and most certainly the toughest. I approached every artist after picking their song off bandcamp. And I listened to a lot of music to pick the 31 tracks on the soundtrack. It was a very enlightening experience, and I will include more soundtracks on my future books.
Smashwords Interviews are created by the profiled author or publisher.
