Ask the Author: Mike Meyer
Answered Questions (3)
Mike Meyer
Write, write, and write. A writer is a person who writes. It is that simple, but be sure to enjoy yourself as you do so. Make it a pleasurable thing, not drudgery, for life is way too short as it is.
Mike Meyer
Writing is a lonely avocation, just my trusty computer at my side, as I work hard to create people, places, and plots that other people might enjoy reading. Marketing one’s own writing is an extremely lonely business. Unlike having a traditional publisher and all of its clout behind me, I have only myself, and I am a writer, not a salesperson. I find it difficult to toot my own horn, though I know that it is essential in order to get word of the very existence of my work out to the reading public. So what keeps me going? What inspires me to write? The writing, of course, gives me a lot of enjoyment. I am actually like a reader as I write. I never quite know how things will turn out in the end, not only of the book itself, but also in specific scenes. I thoroughly enjoy working with words, stringing them together in a creative way. Language has always fascinated me. Can you goose a goose? Does a house burn up or burn down? If you are going to come visit me, are you coming or going? Why would you want to swipe your card at a cash register if you already own the card? There is a huge difference between snap to and snap at. The list can go on and on. I love to play with words as I write, and this can be seen in COVERT DREAMS.
Marketing my own work, however, is a completely different ballgame. I am a good writer, but I lack a lot in the area of salesmanship. I do seek out as many reviewers, interviewers, and bloggers as I can, and I am very thankful for all of these people, but every hour I spend tooting my own horn could be spent creating, my real forte. So what keeps me plugging away at telling others about my work, you might ask? The answer is found in the wonderful reactions that readers have to my work. Their excitement serves to push me forward. I like people, and it makes me happy to see that they, in turn, like what I have created. Here are a few random lines from posted reviews of COVERT DREAMS on my Amazon author’s site as examples of what I mean:
“This story will not disappoint as it sucks you right into these lives from page one and doesn't let go until the last page is turned.”
“If you enjoy psychological thrillers and exotic locales, this is the book for you.”
“This is the best book, bar none, that I've read in an eon. It grabbed me by the collar and wouldn't let me go…. I felt I was in the hands of a master.”
“[COVERT DREAMS] was like I was reading Robert Ludlum and the Bourne series.”
“I'm looking forward to reading more from this wordsmith! Michael Meyer is a born storyteller!”
“Covert Dreams is ‘I got captured’-reading, as opposed to ‘escape’-reading.”
I think you can see what I mean. It is pretty heady stuff, the type of thing that helps me keep the faith.
Marketing my own work, however, is a completely different ballgame. I am a good writer, but I lack a lot in the area of salesmanship. I do seek out as many reviewers, interviewers, and bloggers as I can, and I am very thankful for all of these people, but every hour I spend tooting my own horn could be spent creating, my real forte. So what keeps me plugging away at telling others about my work, you might ask? The answer is found in the wonderful reactions that readers have to my work. Their excitement serves to push me forward. I like people, and it makes me happy to see that they, in turn, like what I have created. Here are a few random lines from posted reviews of COVERT DREAMS on my Amazon author’s site as examples of what I mean:
“This story will not disappoint as it sucks you right into these lives from page one and doesn't let go until the last page is turned.”
“If you enjoy psychological thrillers and exotic locales, this is the book for you.”
“This is the best book, bar none, that I've read in an eon. It grabbed me by the collar and wouldn't let me go…. I felt I was in the hands of a master.”
“[COVERT DREAMS] was like I was reading Robert Ludlum and the Bourne series.”
“I'm looking forward to reading more from this wordsmith! Michael Meyer is a born storyteller!”
“Covert Dreams is ‘I got captured’-reading, as opposed to ‘escape’-reading.”
I think you can see what I mean. It is pretty heady stuff, the type of thing that helps me keep the faith.
Mike Meyer
I was an English professor for 40 years, so THE SIR RODNEY VIGNETTES, a collection of humorous anecdotal episodes in the life of an Old World Charmer, allowed the English professor side of me to come forth.
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