Ask the Author: Mike Vance
Answered Questions (6)
Mike Vance
The idea for Wingo, the first of the two baseball novels, started out a couple of decades ago. Not to sound like a cornered politician, but I honestly don't recall what sparked it. What I can say is that it was a very different book. The initial notes had Wingo as a sweet but stupid character almost like The Jerk. It was written just to get laughs, not develop a story. I read some to a few friends once, and they laughed hard, but when I opened the file years later, I didn't like it. I changed direction to give him a great deal more common sense and self-awareness. So whatever the placeholder missteps were from the 1990s, I like how the new books turned out. To me the story is sustainable, and it would not have been as I originally played around with it.
Mike Vance
Switch to another project for a little bit. Pet the dogs. Listen to the birds. Sit on the porch and have a beer.
Mike Vance
Keep writing. Being an author is a business, and it needs to be approached as such, but before you get there, write for yourself. Write what makes you happy, and don't stop.
Mike Vance
Work is different every day! I've been a creator my entire life, and could not imagine doing anything else.
Mike Vance
Part two of Wingo will be forthcoming in early summer. That will conclude the duology. I have an historical crime fiction series starting in the fall. One book is done, and the next is in the works. I am also finishing book one for what should be a multi-book non-fiction series called Undertold Texas, a collection of essays on a diverse array of people and events Texans should know more about.
Mike Vance
I'm one of those multiple projects at once sort of people. I try to write 7 days a week, and if one thing isn't firing, I'll sometimes try another. I also have little notes scribbled all over my desk from when inspiration or a scrap of dialogue pops up in the middle of the night.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more