The Same Six Questions - Axel Howerton

Welcome to today's edition of The Same Six Questions! Give a warm welcome to author Axel Howerton!

Author. Film reviewer. Music writer. Time Lord. Bookhouse Boy. Coffee Addict. Dudeist. Sox National. Enmascarado. Reformed pugilist. Ink Monkey. Best known for his work as an entertainment journalist, Axel is thelong-time Managing Editor of www.eyecrave.net. Axel also recently acted as Associate Editor for the first four issues of the horror fiction quarterly Dark Moon Digest. His work has most recently appeared in Kitschykoo Magazine, Dark Eclipse #4, EWR: Short Stories, Fires on the Plain, Dark Moon Digest #3, and many more. He is also the co-founder (with fellow author Julie Jansen) of the annual "Coffin Hop" horror author online event, which takes place in October and has featured over one hundred of the best Indie writers and artists of at least four continents.

Axel spends most of his time in Calgary, Alberta, traversing the frigid tundra of Canada - usually two steps behind his brilliant young sons, and a wife that is way out of his league.

The Same Six Questions

1.Have you published a book yet?

I have been published in books. I have actually just put the finishing touches on my novel Hot Sinatra which should be available in the next couple of months. I've had incredibly positive feedback from some fellow authors like Red Tash (author of the amazing This Brilliant Darkness) and Scott S. Phillips (Squirrel Eyes, Gimme Skelter). Here's the quick synopsis:


Moss Cole is a private detective. The kind you thought only existed in old movies and afternoon reruns. He's looking for a stolen Sinatra record... one that may be a figment of one cantankerous old bastard's imagination.

Of course, if that were true, Moss wouldn't have so many people busting down his door and threatening his life. He's smart, talented, sometimes even charming. You'd think he could find a better gig than carrying on his grandfather's legacy as a 'Private Dick'.

A vivacious redhead, a foul-mouthed Irish rock star and half the crazies in L.A. add up to business as usual, when all Cole wants is some fresh coffee and a Hot Sinatra...

The first three chapters are available as "added-value material" on the kindle version of my novella Living Dead at Zigfreidt & Roy. Axel's Amazon writing.


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

Can I use the ol' standby of “always”? Like a lot of writers, I was a very voracious reader at a very young age. I started writing stories in some form or another as soon as I had figured out the alphabet. By elementary school, I was putting out my own comic books and books of jokey poetry with my friends. I first had articles published when I was twelve. I focused more on poetry for a long time, just because it was better for wooing. I also gravitated towards screenwriting for a while, making terrifically bad movies in High School.


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

Probably a story for grade ten English class. I think it was supposed to be a page or two, mine ballooned to twelve or thirteen pages of prime Steven Seagal-inspired hitman/ninja madness. I remember the teacher was supportive, but duly shocked by the content. There were numerous episodes of dismemberment and beheading, a couple of “creamy white breasts”, and a whole lotta F-bombs. I'm still pretty fond of the F-bombs. I'm sure I probably have it buried in a box somewhere, along with a couple of slasher movie scripts from the era and a few books full of bad poetry inspired by Red Hot Chili Peppers lyrics.


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

Also, like most writers, I am a hopeless feedback whore. I doubt I'll ever be entirely confident or believe I'm accepted as a real writer, but that's just one face of the beast that drives us. Positive comments from writers I really admire and respect goes a long way, so I try to be very open and thankful when I get it. I also try to pass it on when newer writers ask for advice or validation. I know a lot of people who treat this industry as a cut-throat competitive battleground, but I think that is really counter-productive. How much better would it be if we all helped each other get better? How much greater would a world filled with amazing tales and rich, colorful, ORIGINAL stories be? Am I avoiding the question?


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

Good lord. That's a hullabalooza. I think most characters come from facets of the writers own psyche. So, in a sense, I've met them all because they all are me. That's kind of a dippity pseudo-psychology answer, though. If I was going to hang out with one? Foxy Thunders from Hot Sinatra is a good pick. He's a wild, foul-mouthed, womanizing party-hound. Good-time incarnate. If I didn't have to worry about getting beaten or arrested, I think I'd have a hell of a time with him. Conversely, I'd love to just sit in a room and have a coffee with the old cowboy from Living Dead at Zigfreidt & Roy. He's basically all the best memories of my dear departed Grandaddy, who flavors pretty much everything I do. I miss him something terrible most days.


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 doorstep?

An army of ghosts, the spirits of legends passed, James Joyce at the fore. A bottle of whiskey in one hand, one of my books in the other. “Well? Come on then.”

_________________________________

Thanks for sharing with us today, Axel! Be sure to stop back and let us know when Hot Sinatra is finished! You can find Axel at his Web site and follow him on Twitter.

The Same Six Questions is on Spring Break for a week! We'll see you back here on April 16th.

The Same Six Questions - John Mefford

Hi there, and welcome to another exciting episode of The Same Six Questions! ;) Today's guest is John Mefford. Welcome!

Thanks, Andy. At different points in my life you could call me a West Coast person or an East Coast person. I moved eight times by the seventh grade, finally laying roots just outside Dallas, Texas. Being the new kid was somewhat of an albatross, but the plethora of geographic and architectural settings, weather patterns, and cultures of each home city and state resonated with me. Now grateful for the experiences, I use my recollection of people and their lives to help me devise characters and storylines for my writing. Only my family gives me a better high than spending a day creating something that will hopefully evoke an emotional reaction by a future reader.

The Same Six Questions

1. Have you published a book yet?

My debut novel, Committed (The Michael Doyle Chronicles), is now available on Amazon. It’s about sinful deception, a malicious corporate takeover, a grisly murder, and unrelenting greed. We all have that inner voice, the one who knows all but refuses to let even our closest confidantes inside. The one we must calm when we’re most unsettled. The one who seeks to understand our path, our destiny.

Michael Doyle lives in emotional anonymity, resistant to fully devote himself to anyone or any cause. Without warning, a technology conglomerate acquires Michael’s company, and he quickly sees through the fog of political posturing: false hope, layoffs, and blatant dishonesty.

Then, death reaches up and grabs him. Shaken to the core, Michael leans on his live-in girlfriend, who has touched his heart like no one else. But her haunting past resurfaces, and she’s pulled into a seedy web by an outside force so cruel, so cunning it destroys every soul in its path.

Can Michael rise above his greatest fear to uncover the truth about a murder and save the life of the person he loves most?

Committed is Book One of The Michael Doyle Chronicles.

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

Twice in my life writing has called my name. Right out of college I took a job as a newspaper sports writer. My competitiveness pushed me to consistently “scoop” the competing paper and to hone my craft. I had never written a story prior to that first job. What seems like a couple of lifetimes later, I quit my regular day job, fed up with corporate BS and greedy a-holes who reminded me of The Penguin from the first Batman movie. I needed a creative outlet. I started writing, pouring out my thoughts into something that resembled fiction. That’s when I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up.

3. What was your first lengthy piece of fiction? What was it about? When did you write it? Do you still have it?

I wrote various magazine articles over the years, but, of course, those were non-fiction. Other than some elaborate fictional doodling (not sure they quite reached 1K words), my first piece of fiction was an early version of my just-released novel, COMMITTED. The difference between version 1 and the published version is similar to comparing a slab of concrete to a piece of sculpture created with a metal-bristled toothbrush. Massive effort and painfully elaborate. But worth it.

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

I remember the day vividly. Parked in what has become my writing chair, I had just completed the first twenty pages or so of my first novel. I slowly read through the draft and took a deep breath. My pulse started to pick up speed and a realization clicked in my brain with the exact quote you have above. “I can do this.”

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

Without a doubt, Arthur Spanarkel, the publisher. We know enough about Arthur to be intrigued, just by walking into his office. He’s met so many people, seen so many things across the globe. He’s open-minded, but gritty and strong-willed in his own, educated way. Yep, he’s the guy.

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 doorstep?

A note from Tony the Neanderthal Bastard (character from COMMITTED) that says: I will find you. I will kill you. The paper message disintegrates the moment I finish reading the note and the remnants fall between my fingers like sand. I’m not sure if I scream or if my heart stops!

__________________________________

Thanks for stopping by and sharing with us, John! For more of John and his writing, check out his Web site, Facebook Author page, and Twitter page.

For more indie author interview goodness, be sure to stop back on Monday!

The Same Six Questions - Kimberly A. Bettes

Good Monday morning to you all! Today's gues on The Same Six Questions is Kimberly A. Bettes. Welcome Kimberly!

Thanks, Andy! I was born in southeast Missouri and have lived there nearly all of my life. I spent a year in Tacoma, WA, and though it was beautiful, it didn’t have the same small-town atmosphere of home. That Dorothy was really onto something when she kept going on and on about there being no place like home. So I moved back and met and married the most awesome man alive. I live with him and our son in the beautiful Ozark Mountains. When not writing, I crochet, knit, quilt, and of course study serial killers and write thriller/suspense stories. I’m also a freelance photographer, and for fun (and budget-friendliness), I design all my own book covers. Yeah, I have that kind of time.

The Same Six Questions

1. Have you published a book yet?

Yes. This summer, I published 2 novels and 5 short stories using Smashwords. The first one I published is The Good Neighbor, a novel I wrote last summer.

What’s it about, you ask? Well, let me tell you:


The normally quiet neighborhood of Hewitt Street is being upset by the sudden amount of suspicious deaths. In less than two years, three of the residents have died suddenly. Another left, never to be seen again. In a city with only 12,000 souls, that’s a high rate. On a street with only a handful of residents, it’s even higher. The residents have been so caught up in the happenings of their own lives they fail to notice the abnormality of the high death rate of their neighbors. It isn’t until the niece of one of the murder victims moves to Hewitt Street and points it out to them that everyone takes notice. Suspicion falls to each of the 8 residents living on Hewitt Street. It could very well be any one of them. Neighbors become aware of the actions of the other neighbors as love blooms, relationships grow, hatred blossoms, doubts arise, safety is threatened, fear takes hold, and fights ensue. So which of the neighbors is the killer? That’s what the residents of Hewitt Street are dying to find out…

My books are available at Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Sony, and soon, Amazon.

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

When I was 14, I read Watchers by Dean Koontz. When I finished it, I smiled foolishly, knowing that this was my calling. This was what I was supposed to do. I wanted to make people feel the way he’d made me feel. I was in awe of the way he’d made me laugh, cry, and even get angry with no more than words. It was the first time I realized that simple words on a page could evoke emotions. And I’m always looking for new ways to make people cry.

3. What was your first lengthy piece of fiction ? What was it about? When did you write it? Do you still have it?

The first lengthy thing I wrote was my first novel, Adaptations. I was an elderly 14 years old when I started it. It took me 2 years to finish. No one has ever read it, and I don’t see myself letting anyone read it anytime soon, though I still have it. In fact, I keep it chained to a rusty pipe in my basement where all abominations are kept. It’s about a woman who returns with her husband to the house in which she grew up. Soon, her life begins mimicking that of her abusive mother. There are affairs, illegitimate children, witchcraft, and other things 14 year-old girls write about.

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

When I was in Junior High, my English teacher made us write poetry. I was amazed at how easy it was for me. I wrote a ton of poems and essays just for fun. The words seemed to simply fall from my pen. It was a way to escape, to release all the feelings I had bottled inside. Kind of like popping a pimple releases the goo. Does that bring about a horrible image? Sorry.

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

I love all of my characters so it’s hard to choose. I would have to say Brian Boozer from my novel Rage. He was so real to me, I feel as though I already know him. I can totally relate to him, and I empathize with him. He’s such a good kid in such a bad position. I just want to hug him and tell him it’s okay, even though we both know it’s not. (If I couldn’t meet him, I’d want to meet Ace Haven, the main character in Shock Rock. Who wouldn’t want to meet a good-looking, cocky rock star with an original Shelby Mustang?)

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 doorstep?

One of the most vile, evil creatures nature has ever known. With beady eyes and hairy legs, it stares me down, longing to consume my soul. I stare back, trying to hide the fear that courses through my veins, hoping my lady-like screams didn’t give me away. If I’m lucky, I can slip back into the safety of my house unnoticed.

What is it, you ask?

Why, it’s a Jehovah’s witness.

Just kidding! It’s a spider. Lord, how I hate me some spiders.

______________________________________

LOL...thanks, Kimberly! For more of Kimberly and her writing, be sure to check out her blog, Twitter and Facebook sites.

Stop back on Thursday, when my guest will be Brett Irvine. See you soon!