Ask the Author: Mike Sutton
Answered Questions (6)
Mike Sutton
I force myself to write through it or I look for an issue to use to write past it. If I can find something in the news or discussions with friends that sparks my interest, I go back and see if I can weave it into my storyline as an inspirational moment.
Mike Sutton
To me, when my readers tell me how much they enjoyed a book or how it gave them a whole new perspective on a topic--e.g. terrorism or combat--I have a real sense of accomplishment. The fact that someone learned or felt something new is the true reward from my writing.
Mike Sutton
Your writing talents are no different than the muscles you exercise in the gym or on the road. The more you write, the stronger your work will become.
I have looked back at passages from early drafts of my novels and shuddered at how clumsy I was. As the saying goes, "You don't write. you rewrite." :-)
I have looked back at passages from early drafts of my novels and shuddered at how clumsy I was. As the saying goes, "You don't write. you rewrite." :-)
Mike Sutton
I'm currently promoting "The Immaculate Infection, et. al. My next project will be on agro-terrorism.
Mike Sutton
After serving three tours in Vietnam as an infantry advisor, I went to college and studied electrical engineering. IBM hired me before I graduated. I had a great job, terrific benefits and . . . I was miserable.
The VA’s Vietnam Vet Outreach program was my salvation. Not for what it did for me, but rather for what it told me to do for myself . . . write.
And I did, about all the things I couldn’t talk about. That was the genesis of "No Survivors," my Vietnam novel. It’s based on real people and events during my three tours in Vietnam and is dedicated to the more than 58,000 names on The Wall, their families, friends, and all veterans.
In appreciation for all that my fellow veterans have done for me, and in recognition of the fact that well over 150,000 veterans are homeless on the street every night, I donate 50% of the royalties from No Survivors to various veterans’ support organizations.
"No Survivors" lit a fire in me. But, rather than writing complete fiction, I wanted to use actual criminal cases, and real situations as the basis for other works. So, "High Order," is based on actual Baltimore City and County bomb squad cases. "Primary Candidates," is based on the 2008 Presidential Primaries. And now, "The Immaculate Infection," is based on cold murder cases and activities in the Middle East.
The VA’s Vietnam Vet Outreach program was my salvation. Not for what it did for me, but rather for what it told me to do for myself . . . write.
And I did, about all the things I couldn’t talk about. That was the genesis of "No Survivors," my Vietnam novel. It’s based on real people and events during my three tours in Vietnam and is dedicated to the more than 58,000 names on The Wall, their families, friends, and all veterans.
In appreciation for all that my fellow veterans have done for me, and in recognition of the fact that well over 150,000 veterans are homeless on the street every night, I donate 50% of the royalties from No Survivors to various veterans’ support organizations.
"No Survivors" lit a fire in me. But, rather than writing complete fiction, I wanted to use actual criminal cases, and real situations as the basis for other works. So, "High Order," is based on actual Baltimore City and County bomb squad cases. "Primary Candidates," is based on the 2008 Presidential Primaries. And now, "The Immaculate Infection," is based on cold murder cases and activities in the Middle East.
Mike Sutton
The idea for "The Immaculate Infection," came from three old cold murder cases in upstate New York and recent current events in the Middle East.
Between November 16, 1971, and November 26, 1973, the murder of three girls—Carmen Colón (age 10), Wanda Walkowicz (age 11), and Michelle Maenza (age 11) took place in the Rochester, New York, area. Known as the Double Initial Murders and Alphabet Murders, each body was recovered in a town or village with a name beginning with the same letter as the victim's initials. These cases are still unsolved as of this writing.
Between November 16, 1971, and November 26, 1973, the murder of three girls—Carmen Colón (age 10), Wanda Walkowicz (age 11), and Michelle Maenza (age 11) took place in the Rochester, New York, area. Known as the Double Initial Murders and Alphabet Murders, each body was recovered in a town or village with a name beginning with the same letter as the victim's initials. These cases are still unsolved as of this writing.
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