Soap Box Chatter... aka Author Interviews

Today on the Soap Box...








Troy Blackford, Author of Under the Wall


Meet Troy Blackford; a twenty-something who describes himself as "Author, Abortive Musician, Reader, Music Listener, and Foremost Authority on Reality".

In his newly published book, Under the Wall, Blackford was able to capture the imagination of his readers by bringing them into the mind of a cat named Leviticus who has the "unearthly" ability to leave his body and enter the mind of a maniacal serial killer.

Where are you from?
While born in San Fransisco and spending the first six years of my life in a town of about 300 people in northern Arizona, I have to say that small-town life in Illinois is responsible for much of the mental damage that defines my work, so I must reluctantly answer with 'Dixon, IL' the boyhood home of Ronald Reagan and the supposed 'Petunia Capitol of the World.'

However, I voluntarily relocated to the Twin Cities, Minnesota a couple years back and claim this place as my home. It has an abundance of people, art, trees, and bicycles that speaks to my heart.

How long have you been writing?
I have only taken writing very seriously since December of 2009. I wrote, at random, a book in 2006, but stopped working on writing until just last year. I have always been interested in language and composition, but most of my artwork was musical/poetical up until last winter.

What is the first thing you remember writing?
The first thing I remember dictating was a scene from Ghostbusters II that I wanted to have on audio tape for some reason, at about age 3. I told my grandmother what I wanted it to say, and then had her write in pencil on the tape in the cassette. Then, I asked her to play it back and she realized what I thought I had been doing. In retrospect, being raised by a parent who didn't tell me 'No' when I said 'start writing on the tape in this blank audio cassette' might have been a pivotal moment for me.



The first thing I remember actually writing myself was an attempted sequel to 'The Rats of NIMH.' I didn't get much further than 'Chapter' 3, and each of my chapters were one page long.

Which authors/books have you been most influenced by?
This is hard to say. When I was nine I read as much Michael Crichton and Arthur C. Clarke as I could find. I was incredibly affected by encountering Tolkien's work in my late teens, and in the last ten months I have read nearly everything Stephen King has ever written. While I don't come across as some bastard lovechild of Crichton, Tolkien, and King, I have to say they have influenced me the most by opening my heart to the power of stories the most.

Which genre do you most closely relate to?
I am not a 'genre' proponent so much, because I think genres create expectations in readers and give ammo to snobs. Yet I do not deny that, when viewed as a handy tool for story classification, genres do seem to exist. I feel very comfortable in what are often called 'speculative' genres, and feel at home in any story where the author is able to let the story unfold without fitting it into some kind of box.

What do you do when you need motivation or inspiration to write?
I never need motivation, for some reason. Inspiration hits me everywhere. What I often need when writing are 'the right words' or the answer to a question I can only guess at - my solution is to wince out the window for a few seconds, while wearing a frown so sinister it might actual scare my fellow bus passengers.

What do you read for fun?
Anything and everything that doesn't blow. I have even read 'The Innovator's Dilemma' by Harvard Business Professor Clayton Christensen for fun, but usually I read fiction. I like non-fiction on various subjects, as well, particularly enjoying Richard Dawkins.



My tastes in fiction run from things like Joe Hill (current favorite author from this century), older things like Stoker, and generally anything that might be worth a look.


In the month of July alone I read 'Rosemary's Baby,' 'The Man' by Bram Stoker, 'Of Mice and Men,' 'The Old Man & the Sea,' 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,' 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde,' 'The Lair of the White Worm,' 'Horns' by Joe Hill, 'The Shadow over Innsmouth,' 'The Great God Pan,' 'Heart of Darkness,' 'A Clockwork Orange,' and 'Blockade Billy/Morality' by Stephen King, as well as most of 'The Passage' by Justin Cronin.


Though I will admit, I usually don't get to read this much - I still read pretty close to it. I've read 24,000+ pages of Stephen King alone since September 20, 2009.

How did you come up with the idea of a "paranormal" cat?
My sweet little kitty Tomo was sitting on top of the TV in my bedroom and as I was telling him how good he was (a common theme for our conversations) he suddenly jerked his head, his eyes narrowing. It was as though he heard a sound, though my cumbersome humanoid ears had detected nothing. Hmm, I thought. What if the 'sound' he heard is really the thoughts of a crazed madman on his way to murder us? What if he can hear everybody's thoughts but they are all so normal that he never reacted to them before?


Basically, that was the idea for 'Under the Wall' - what if a house cat could sense something was wrong, what could it do?

I was so excited by this idea I sat down and wrote an idea for a story about it. I thought I had spent about ten minutes but it had been an hour and a half... two weeks later I began writing the story.

What are you working on now?
Right now I'm working on a collection of short stories, some of which are novellas in size. I don't have a title for the collection yet, but little bits of info for the various stories can be found on my blog. I am very proud of this work, and I feel it addresses many of the shortcomings of my writing in 'Under the Wall.'

What do you want readers to take away from your books?
To quote Stephen King in 'On Writing,' 'I want -resonance-.' The most powerful aspect of art is its ability to move people, to portray or reflect reality in some way that can provoke thought and prompt a response. If I can get people to see the same strange glimmer of something in my writing that I feel when I'm working, then sharing that strange little feeling (whatever it, in fact, is) is my goal.

Words of wisdom, either your own or given to you?
Not being published can't stop you writing, but your writing CAN get you published!

Where can we follow updates about you and your work?
I am 'followable' on twitter at http://twitter.com/tblackford3 and my blog is at http://troyblackford.blogspot.com . I ride the same bus to and from work every day, so if anybody spots me there you can follow me there too. But don't talk to me while I'm on the bus - that's where I do the majority of my writing.

Under the Wall  is self published.
Copies can be purchased at http://www.blurb.com/


Mindy MacKay, Author of Peacebreakers

17 years old. That's right, I said 17 years old. That is the age of Mindy MacKay, author of the Puppetmasters Series which includes the first book of the series, Peacebreakers.  A graphic artist and aspiring surgeon, not to mention author, Mindy keeps quite busy.

The Puppetmasters Series is a fast paced struggle between humans and mutants that takes place in an alternate reality. A revolution awaits and the oppressed are pressing back, but what will become of everyone? With a tangled web of friendship and betrayal and disillusioned ideals, Puppetmasters will keep you guessing.



How long have you been writing?
I’ve been exploiting my natural fluency with rhymes for recognition in poetry contests and the occasional monetary prize since the second grade, but I only decided I wanted to make novel-writing a passion in the eighth grade, so it’s been five years, give or take.

What was the first thing you remember writing?
The first thing I ever wrote was a poem for a contest in the second grade. It was a quatrain with a refrain, I put it to some music and submitted it as a song. The judges disqualified me because they thought I cheated and had someone older write it for me, but it was still a fun experience.

Which authors/books have you been most influenced by?
Charles Dickens has been a pretty big influence on me, not so much for the writing style, but for the intricate plotlines and disillusioned, near-dystopian settings. I’m also a huge admirer of Chuck Palahniuk for his rare ability to gross the readers out and make them ponder at the same time.

Which genre do you most closely relate to?
I’m going to say it now: I don’t like genres. I know that’s how books are classified and sold these days, but it’s too rigid a system for me. When I pick out a book, I care more about the attitude of the writing (is it an optimistic portrait of mankind? Cynical? Critical?) than the setting. Trying to pick a bookshelf to browse at the store feels to me like being a mixed-race kid trying to figure out what bubble to mark under “race” on a standardized test (which I should be used to by now, since that’s what I am.) I guess what I’m trying to say is I love all genres indiscriminately and they all have their good books, and sorting them by genre makes it harder for me to find something rather than easier.

What do you do when you need motivation or inspiration to write?

When I’m at a loss for inspiration, I like to stimulate my muse by doing something new or different. Drive in a part of the city you’ve never been to. Pick up a new sport. Go to the music store and try out an instrument. Have a long conversation with someone you’ve always wanted to get to know better. It’s surprising how much you can take back when you go out into the world and have adventures.

What do you read for fun?
Aside from Dickens and Palahniuk, I read a lot of old social critique and satire. Growing up, I enjoyed Captain Underpants and A Series of Unfortunate Events, and my more recently completed reads include Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, Anthony Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange, and J.G. Ballard’s Crash, all of which I loved and would read again. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy fantasy--Harry Potter has got to be my favorite series of all time, and I just finished a new novel by Lila Richards called A Different Hunger that was just phenomenal. Most modern YA fantasy doesn’t click with me, though, so I find myself digging through history for good books.


What inspired you to do a series like the one featuring Peacebreakers?
The first book in the Puppetmasters series, Peacebreakers, was spawned out of pure boredom, and strangely enough, I had never intended it to be a series. It was supposed to be a stand-alone, but I started what would happen after the end if the remaining characters managed to evade a total apocalypse. My imagination took over from there, possibly out of a subconscious opposition to killing an entire planet, even a fictional one.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently in the middle of two projects simultaneously. One is the fourth and final installment of the Puppetmasters series. The other is a YA cyberthriller, which I’m co-writing with my father. It’s about a bunch of teenage hackers and their quest to save the United States, if anyone’s curious.

What do you want readers to take away from your books?
I’m not a philosopher. I love hearing what other people have to say about the world, but I’m not trying to send my readers a message or sway them one way or another. I just want to take them on a thrill-ride with my stories and I hope I can get them to laugh and cry with the characters.


Words of wisdom, either your own or given to you?
The best advice I can give to new writers is, don’t get frustrated! Just because it’s a hobby doesn’t mean it’s going to be a smooth ride, but don’t get bothered by the bumps along the way. There will come a time when every writer wants to cry, scream, bash his or her head against the keyboard, and burn the house down, but the moment passes. Just calm down, take a step back, and breathe. Bake yourself a pie. It’s my strong belief that the world needs more pie.

Where can we follow updates about you?
You can follow my blog at http://theylikemehere.blogspot.com/ or my Twitter at http://twitter.com/MindyMacKay . If anyone’s interested in the Puppetmasters series- and Scandinavian Mutant Confederation-related nonsense, the SMC has a Facebook page here: http://tinyurl.com/28katv6 . Then, of course, there’s my web site, www.mindymackay.com , which I try to update as often as possible.


Peacebreakers is published by Rogue Phoenix Press.
Copies can be purchased at http://roguephoenixpress.com and http://amazon.com


 Scott Hendricks, Author of
It's All Fun and Games Until Somebody Gets Murdered


From the back cover: "Scott Hendricks is a father of 3 and grandfather of 1 who has had a passion for writing since his teenage years."  At 46, he has also published 2 books in addition to It's All Fun and Games Until Somebody Gets Murdered.

Two long time friends and roommates find themselves in many interesting situations in Hendricks' book It's All Fun and Games Until Somebody Gets Murdered. With newly rekindled friendships and an annivesary party to attend, everything seems to be going great for the main characters until...somebody gets murdered! But wait! Did our main characters do the killing, or are they on someone's target list?




Where are you from?
I've been around...I was born in Torrance, CA and spent most of my childhood in Lakewood, CA. We moved to Mansfield, Missouri (in the Ozarks) when I was in high school and as an adult I've spent most of my time living in Columbia and St. Louis, MO. I have called Muncie, IN home since June 2009.

How long have you been writing?
I got involved in journalism and writing for my school newspapers in the 8th grade (1977-78) and continued right up through my senior year. Fiction writing probably took its roots with me during the summer of 1981.

What was the first thing you remember writing?
I was probably in 5h or 6th grade, so it would have been around 1975 or so. It was a very short piece and a poor attempt at comedy. It was about Abraham Lincoln's childhood, where I tried to imagine just what a kid could do in those days for fun. My result: Bug hunting with a cork gun.

Which authors/books have you been most influenced by?
I really like the works of Laurell K. Hamilton, in particular her Anita Blake series and to an extent, her Merry Gentry series. Phantoms by Dean Koontz was probably the first book that really held my attention.

What do you do when you need motivation or inspiration to write?
As far as motivation, I have found that I can't force my muse. When I have something I'm working on, I generally try to find some isolation and quiet, with no distractions and just let it come to me. If I am stuck, I sit back and try to place myself in the scene and go from there. My inspiration generally comes from all around me. Someone may utter a phrase that kicks off something in my head and I see the scene develop. I read a quote from someone recently that said, "If the story you want to read doesn't exist, then write it." Or something to that effect.

Which genre do you most closely relate to?
I consider myself a fiction writer, but haven't really settled on any particular area of fiction yet. I've written erotic fiction and the murder mystery, but future works focus on more dramatic events and personal trauma.

What do you read for fun?
Laurell K Hamilton's Anita Blake series for one, though I am way behind on it. And I like to read anything with a comedic tone to it. Biographies and some science fiction.

What inspired you to do It's All Fun and Games...
This is one of those story ideas that came to me out of nowhere. I actually started developing it in 1981 and it took me nearly 30 years to get it all written out and revised to the point where I was happy with it. I think I changed the identity of the killer 3 times, added and removed various scenes, and even changed the title just before publication. It was the first real story I developed and it wouldn't leave me alone. I knew I would have to finish and publish it someday or go insane! Part of the story found its way into a creative writing assignment in college. Something always seemed to be missing from it though and when someone uttered the phrase "sex sells", I took another look at it and decided it needed a relationship aspect as well. Then taking it a step further, I figured why not make it controversial and have the girls fall in love?

What are you working on now?
My current project is the story of how a seemingly strong and happy marriage can fall apart. It is based on a series of true events. It's likely going to be one of those stories where the names were changed. Following that, a friend has asked me to create a story based on her life and various traumatic events she has experienced.

What do you want readers to take away from your books?
I want readers to be entertained. I want them to feel like they were right there in the story. I believe that is the reason most people read, for entertainment. At the same time I don't intend to preach a certain message in my books. But I've noticed that many people tend to look at life from only their own perspective and I would like to challenge them to objectively look at other points of view.

Words of wisdom, either your own or given to you?
The quote I mentioned earlier, If the story you want to read doesn't exist, then write it. Do not censor your muse. Regardless of the subject matter, if you have a story to tell, tell it the best way you can.

Where can we follow updates about you and your work?
I have a site dedicated to my written works, http://scotthendricks.webs.com/. I am also on facebook, but the focus there is much more personal and less on my work. There is also a facebook fan page set up for It's All Fun and Games Until Somebody Gets Murdered http://tinyurl.com/22shg63 .


It's All Fun and Games Until Somebody Gets Murdered was self published using http://lulu.com .
Copies can be purchased from http://lulu.com/ and http://amazon.com .



Douglas Quinn, Author of Cornelius the Orphan
Douglas Quinn is a mystery and suspense author who took a side road to write a historical fiction/adventure novel titled Cornelius The Orphan. He is also a grandfather and pet lover.

In Cornelius The Orphan, Quinn takes the reader into the 17th Century and the very beginning of the 18th Century to chronicle the adventures and misadventures of Cornelius Cursonwhit, an orphan from New Amsterdam/New York who is trying to find his place in a world that swallows up his ambitions.

Where are you from?

I was born in Cambridge City Hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts, lived most of my life in the south and currently reside in a small farming community in northeastern North Carolina with my wife, two dogs and five cats.

How long have you been writing?
Seriously since 1990. Before that it was just a matter of making notes and jotting down ideas. I finally realized that was just a cop-out for not getting on with it.


What is the first thing you remember writing?
My first actual book project was a two-volume family history book published in 1992 and 1995 chronicling the first four generations of my family, followed up fifteen years later with volume three. This project spawned Cornelius The Orphan, based on the progenitor of my family.

My first fiction novel was The Catalan Gambit, a suspense/thriller set in Washington D.C. and Spain. I began writing it in 1995 , put it aside in 1997, moved, dug it back out and finished it in 2002 and it was published in 2004.


Which authors/books have you been most influenced by?
As a kid I was a prolific reader. I collected and read every book, all 69 as it eventually turned out, by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Not only the Tarzan books, but his sci-fi and independent novels, too. As I got older I branched out into classical authors such as Edgar Alan Poe, Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle and Rudyard Kipling.


My interest in reading science fiction remained strong well into my fifties with authors such as Isaac Asimov, Larry Niiven, Frederick Pohl and others.


Somehow, along the way, my interest flipped into mystery and suspense. I think when I revisited Poe and Conan-Doyle, I started thinking about writing mysteries. I expanded my reading list in that area and I’d say that over the past fifteen or so years my main influences had been from reading James Lee Burke, Jonathan Kellerman, Kathy Reichs, John Sandford and Randy Wayne White. Recently, I’ve gone through the Walter Mosley novels and am now working on Robert Crais. There are other authors whose works I’ve read and enjoyed, but the ones listed are my favorites and have had the most influence on my writing.


Which genre do you most closely relate?
I suppose it’s mystery and suspense. I still like to read books in all genres. As to what specific genre my books fall into, I leave that up to the marketing and sales people who like to pigeonhole everything into categories.


What do you do when you need motivation or inspiration to write?
I’m motivated 24/7. I think about scenes when driving, when in the shower, on the riding mower, swimming laps; sometimes, even when I’m dreaming I come up with thoughts and ideas. My most productive location, however, is sitting in the sauna at the YMCA. I’ve worked out more dialogue and scenes naked and sweating. Try not to picture that. It isn’t all that pretty.


What do you read for fun?
I’ve mentioned the author’s I enjoy, earlier. When I find an author I haven’t read before, I tend to just read through everything he/she writes until I’m forced to find someone else while I wait for their next book. Currently reading through Robert Crais and like his Elvis Cole novels the best. With Mosley, I really got into his Easy Rawlins novels. If the character is interesting, maybe a little bit quirky, and fun, that’s what keeps me reading. Without entertaining characters, the plots are meaningless.


Aside from your inspiration for Cornelius the Orphan, how do you come up with your story ideas?
This is probably the most frequently asked question I get. The truth is, everything I see, hear, touch, smell and experience in any way or combination of ways gives me an idea for either dialogue, a scene, or even a full-blown novel concept. Sometimes it’s a combination of experiences. Last year, I remember watching a crop duster flying back and forth, swooping over my house and spraying the field across the street. A month ago, I met someone in the YMCA whom I’d read about in the local paper and we discussed his troubles. Suddenly, the two divergent experiences came together for a complete Webb Sawyer mystery novel. I’ve already put the idea in the queue for Webb Sawyer book number five.


A quick funny: I once had someone say to me, “I’ve got a great deal for you. I’ll come up with the ideas for your books and all you have to do is write them.” I just laughed and replied, “I’ll never live long enough to write all the ideas I already have, but thanks anyway.” I didn’t want to embarrass the poor fellow about how ridiculous his “deal” really was.


What are you working on now?
I’m, of course, promoting Cornelius The Orphan, and preparing for the release of my sixth novel, the third and final Ellis family suspense/thriller The Capablanca Variation: The End Game. This past month I began writing Swan’s Landing, the third of the Webb Sawyer mysteries. The Webb Sawyer mysteries are set on the Outer Banks and the Albemarle Sound region of northeast North Carolina.


I’m also working on a children’s chapter book series called The Adventures of Quinn Higgins: Boy Detective. The first book in the series came out last November subtitled The Case of the Missing Homework. The second book in the series subtitled The Case of Bigfoot on the Loose will be released this November. I have already outlined the third book The Case of the Haunted House, which I will begin writing in January 2011.


This series came about when my grandson asked me why didn’t I write a book featuring him as the main character. I use a photograph of him on the cover. How could I refuse the boy with the million dollar smile?


A brief (and cute) side story: one of Quinn’s fans wrote, saying he bought the book because his name was Quinn, too. He asked if in the next book if I could make his younger brother a character in the book. I said, “Why not?”


Of course, my grandson Quinn’s brother, Charles, wanted a book featuring him. In July I started writing Charles of Colshire Castle–The Purple Dragon. These books are primarily for children ages 7 to 11.


What do you want readers to take away from your books?
Characters with whom they have an emotional connection, even if it’s a negative one. Regarding the main character Henry Ellis in The Catalan Gambit, one reader said, “In the beginning of the book, Henry Ellis annoyed me to no end, but by the end of the book I was cheering for him out loud.” About Cornelius Cursonwhit in Cornelius The Orphan, a reader said, “I wouldn’t mind having Cornelius as my friend but I wouldn’t want him marrying my daughter.” When I receive comments like those, I feel like I have done my job as a writer.


Words of wisdom, either your own or given to you?
A frequent comment that is made to me is, “I always wanted to write a book.” My standard reply is, “Quit talking about, find yourself a pen and a piece of paper and start writing.”


Where can we follow updates about you and your work?
I’m in the process of revamping my website. If it’s not ready by the time of this interview’s publication, I may still be found daily on Facebook under Douglas Quinn/obxwriter. I also belong to a social website called Gather where I post several times a month. I like Gather (www.gather.com) because there are many other writers, readers and reading groups who enjoy interacting with each other.




Copies of Cornelius The Orphan and other books by Douglas Quinn may be purchased at http://www.amazon.com , or contact aasmktg @ yahoo.com to arrange for signed copies.