Today’s interview is with the exciting new author, Michael S. Walker.
Do you love books with whimsy and creativity like Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe and Alice in Wonderland? Well then Michael’s novel 7-22 is for you. This highly imaginative novel forges new territory while at the same time bringing a smile to your face.
Book Description: When Lee Dritson awakes on 7-22, he’s not too sure what to expect, whether green skies, strange all-knowing Mrs. Robinsons, or guest lectures from the Venerable or even the Honorable, Bede, or any combination of these, on any given 7-22… and if there’s
something he should be remembering, just on the tip of his… memory? Understanding? Well, luckily there’s a few folks around to help him write the thoughts.
What gave you the idea for your book 7-22?
I always loved the Alice in Wonderland books as a child—the absurd logic and word play used by Lewis Carroll’s characters in those books. I also was a big fan of the Douglas Adam’s books, which are in a sense like Carroll in space. So I thought I would have a go at creating a whimsical world like that.
What is the writing process like for you? What is your writing day like?
Well on my first two books I was very earnest about getting three pages done every day, five sometimes six days a week. Right now I’m stalled on the novel I am writing because I’m not sure where I am going with it. So I am writing poetry in the interim—learning about different poetic forms. So no strict practice or set times at present. But I’ll get back to it soon.
What got you into writing sci-fi/fantasy?
Pretty much two words—Harlan Ellison. I think that man is the greatest purveyor of that genre in the past fifty years, and he uses the form to say some serious things about the human condition. I wish someday to write a sci-fi fantasy story as good as some of his best works, which are not only great genre fiction but simply great fiction.
Did you self-publish or go through a traditional publisher? Which do you think is better and why?
Traditional publisher. At this point in the game I think the debate of traditional vs self is apples and oranges. Technology has made self-publishing a much cheaper and feasible route these days. (Look at the success of the Martian.) My books are both published through small houses and promotion falls on me a great deal, so sometimes I feel I might have done just as well going the self-publishing route.
What is your favorite book (other than your own book, of course) and why?
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson Mcullers. I have never read a work of fiction in which the characters were so well defined, a work in which there was so much empathy for people trapped in lives and work they did not wish to be doing. That is the reality that so many people deal with on a day to day basis
What are you doing next?
Working on a novel about a rock band in a small town in Ohio. It’s mostly autobiographical . But like I said before, I have kind of hit a wall story wise with it.
What advice would you give aspiring writers?
I know this may sound harsh but my advice is if you can do anything else for money, pursue that and if you can’t make sure you know people because like any job out there connections trump anything you produce most of the time
Trick or Treat Thrillers 