Monday, October 31, 2011

The Same Six Questions - Michael Meyer

Hey there and welcome to this Halloween edition of The Same Six Questions! How ironic is it that my guest today is Michael Meyer! I guess it would have been to much to ask that he be a horror writer, right? Welcome Michael!

Hello, Andy! I just retired from a 40-year career as a college writing professor. I lived and taught at universities in Thailand, Saudi Arabia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, finally retiring last December from a California community college. I am an avid world traveler. I love to read. I live in Southern California wine country with my wife, Kitty, and our two other cats.


The Same Six Questions

1. Have you published a book yet?

I have published three novels on Amazon Kindle. The Survival of Marvin Baines is a short novel about real life and whimsy, as they collide head on with a man's midlife crisis. The book is fast paced and filled with colorful characters. Marvin Baines' humorous adventures take him on a journey through which he finally realizes what is really important in life. Funny at times and yet serious too, a winning combination about life, marriage, and coming to terms with one's own quandaries and foibles as midlife suddenly rears its head. The Famous Union is a tongue-in-cheek look at the dismal economic situation currently taking place on a small California college campus, where tough financial decisions bring about severe disruption and hilarity to a once very proud institution of higher learning, the home of the Famous Union Fighting Orchids, whose motto is and always has been, "Just wait until next year." It is a rollicking romp through the halls of academia.

2. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I have wanted to be a writer my entire life. I am an avid reader, and I am excited by the power and use of words, by the creativity that can be expressed by clear and sometimes clever use of language.

3. What was your first lengthy piece of writing (say,>1000 words)? What was it about? When did you write it? Do you still have it?

My first book was on the history of California that I wrote and printed for my parents. I was about ten years old at the time, and they were proud as punch with me.

4. When was your first indication, "I can do this (write)"?

In middle school my teachers began to rave about my writing. They told me and my parents that I was quite creative. It was then, probably, that the writing bug hit me full force.

5. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which would it be?

Although I would love to meet and talk with Marvin Baines, a lost soul at times, my first choice would be Bill Ferris, the frustrated professor in The Famous Union. He has wonderful coping skills for dealing with the catch 22-type circumstances he finds himself embroiled in at his very first full-time job.

6. It's a dark and stormy night...you're alone in the house...there's a knock at the door...you open it, look out, and proceed to scream like a little girl. What's on the doorestep?

I can think of many possibilities that would scare me in this situation, but the one that immediately pops into my mind would be to see the following newspaper headline: "Terror Strikes the U.S. Again!"

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Thanks for stopping by Michael! Check out his blog and another recent interview.

Be sure to stop back in on Thursday when my interview guest will be Monica La Porta!

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