Mayra Calvani's Blog - Posts Tagged "medical-thriller"
Calling for reviewers for controversial medical thriller!
I’m helping author Rudy A. Mazzocchi promote his controversial, powerful medical thriller, Equity of Evil (Twilight Times Books), and I was wondering if you’d be interested in doing a review of his book or have him as a guest on your blog for an interview, guest post, or simple spotlight any time during March or April.
Review copies are available in pdf, ePub, html, mobi and prc formats.
Release date: March 5th.
I’m pasting below a blurb, trailer, description and author bio for your perusal.
Thanks in advance for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you!
Best regards,
Mayra Calvani
mayra.calvani@gmail.com
BLURB:
Equity of Evil is the debut Medical Thriller by Rudy A. Mazzocchi. This bold novel involves some of the world's oldest and most emotional—therefore controversial—issues, including abortion, human trafficking, and the pirating of human organs. At the core of each matter is man's predisposition to control and take ownership of the human spirit for the sake of profit and personal gain. The reader is dragged through a dark and brutal new world where life becomes the equity of evil.
Book Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAYkQE...
Book description:
A Venture Capital Fund makes a risky investment to start a challenging new business that appears capable of reaching profitability with modest capital requirements. The real challenge: optimizing one of the most frequently performed surgical procedures in the world — abortion.
Founding Partner, Roman Citrano, a successful entrepreneur turned venture capitalist, soon struggles with what he believes is his choice to establish the controversial new company. He soon realizes that he and others are but pawns on a massive, ugly chessboard being manipulated to benefit a far larger, illicit market in human organs for transplantation. Unknowingly, prime, hyper-enriched organs are spawned from the aborted fetuses and grown like hydroponic vegetables.
An unfolding world of deceit, rape, human trafficking and assassination becomes deeply personal as Roman's sole love interest secretly uses one of his new abortion services to terminate her untimely pregnancy. When she disappears, his frantic search becomes a hellish nightmare that grows worse by the hour.
Based on true events, this bold novel involves some of the world's oldest, most emotional and controversial issues. At the core of each matter is man's predisposition to control and take ownership of the human spirit for the sake of profit and personal gain. Such control and manipulation over the will of others is the most horrendous equity of evil.
Rudy A. Mazzocchi - BIO
Rudy is best known as a medical device and biotechnology entrepreneur, inventor, and angel investor, with a history of starting new technology ventures throughout the U.S. and Europe. He’s been privileged to have the opportunity to see the newest innovations in healthcare and work with some of the most brilliant researchers, scientists and physicians in the industry.
Authoring more than 50 patents, he has helped pioneer new companies involved in cardiology, oncology, orthopedics, neurosurgery and even embryonic stem-cell development. Through these efforts, he has become the recipient of many technology and business awards, including the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in Healthcare and the Businessman of the Year Award.
Combining these experiences and opportunities, with thousands of hours of travel and long evenings in hotel rooms, he found the initiative to start writing a collection of medical thrillers based on true events, the first of which is entitled Equity of Evil.
Blog: http://rudymazzocchi.wordpress.com/
Website: www.rudymazzocchi.com
Author Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/MazzocchiAuthor
Email: rudy@rudymazzocchi.com
Purchase info:
Title: Equity of Evil
Author: Rudy Mazzocchi
Author web site: http://www.rudymazzocchi.com/
Publisher: Twilight Times Books
url: http://twilighttimesbooks.com/
ISBN: 978-1-60619-236-8
Genre: medical thriller
Format: ebook in pdf, ePub, Kindle, Mobi, PRC, etc.
Distributors: Amazon Kindle; Apple iBookstore; BN.com Nook; eReader; Fictionwise; Kobo Books; OmniLit; Sony eBookstore, etc
Release date: March 5, 2012
Price: $6.95
Pages: 310
Chapter excerpt:
http://twilighttimesbooks.com/Equityo...
Interview: Rudy A. Mazzocchi, author of Equity of Evil
Please welcome my guest, Rudy A. Mazzocchi, author of the controversial debut thriller, Equity of Evil, just released by Twilight Times Books. Mazzocchi reveals what’s inside the mind of the medical thriller author and discusses various aspects of his novel, among them his hero, his villain, and the challenges he faced during the creative process.
About the author:
Rudy is best known as a medical device and biotechnology entrepreneur, inventor, and angel investor, with a history of starting new technology ventures throughout the U.S. and Europe. He's been privileged to have the opportunity to see the newest innovations in healthcare and work with some of the most brilliant researchers, scientists and physicians 
in the industry.
Authoring more than 50 patents, he has helped pioneer new companies involved in cardiology, oncology, orthopedics, neurosurgery and even embryonic stem-cell development. Through these efforts, he has become the recipient of many technology and business awards, including the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in Healthcare and the Businessman of the Year Award.
Combining these experiences and opportunities, with thousands of hours of travel and long evenings in hotel rooms, he found the initiative to start writing a collection of medical thrillers based on true events, the first of which is entitled Equity of Evil.
Interview:
Congratulations on the release of your medical thriller, Equity of Evil! Tell us, what’s inside the mind of a medical thriller author?
I believe most (if not all) authors of medical thrillers have a direct connection to the medical or healthcare industry, either as a physician, researcher, caregiver or industry expert. A medical thriller author needs to capture all the necessary literary components of a successful novel, in addition to those of a suspenseful thriller, AND also include the correct medical terminology and technology description in such a way that the layman can seamlessly understand. The compelling thing about writing medical thrillers is that we have an opportunity to educate readers about real technologies that potentially impact each and every one of us. It’s a theme that every reader could potentially relate to.
Equity of Evil deals with the controversial subjects of abortion and genetic engineering. During the creation of this novel, were you worried about what the general reader’s response might be?
It is important for readers to understand that I made a substantial effort to not take either a Pro-Life or Pro-Choice position when using the abortion theme as a backdrop of this story. Neutrality on such a controversial topic is very difficult, but I believe that regardless of your political or moral position, the reader will find support in the words and actions of the book’s characters for whatever perspective they might have. However, sometimes a novel comes along that forces us to face the brutal reality of our world. If Equity of Evil produces a response from readers on these topics whom otherwise may have never given any thought about them, then I’ll consider myself a successful writer no matter how many books are sold!
Tell us about your protagonist, Roman Citrano. Share with us something about him that readers won’t be able to resist.
Roman is one of those rare individuals who we may all know… successful, charismatic, willing to take risks that only others talk about, but one that has also experienced as many failures as successes. Divorced many times, 
but always dating the woman who seems unapproachable, he gives the impression of a womanizer, but shows his embarrassment of being a man when he realizes that his new business venture has placed many of them in harm’s way. As many of us often do, he starts out with the best intentions, only to become a victim of his own ambition and self-determination. He’s human… very human.
It isn’t fair to leave the villain behind. Tell us something about Professor Marcus Levine that readers will love to hate.
Although they share a common desire to be successful, Professor Levine is just the opposite of Roman Citrano. He believes he’s untouchable, with an ego and insatiable desire for wealth that grows with each incremental step of his conniving plan. He’s a manipulative, lying, inhumane scientist who treats women as he does the animals in his research laboratory. Readers will find it easy to hate him!
Who is your favorite character in the book? Why?
Although I can personally relate to Roman, my main character, I favour Andrea who is not only dedicated to the field of medicine, but very passionate about providing care for her young patients. She’s a strong, independent woman who becomes an unfortunate victim, whose fight for survival turns into a search for justice and revenge.
Several scenes in your story are particularly violent against women. Were these scenes difficult to write?
Yes, there are several violent scenes in the story that were difficult to write, but this was not designed to focus on the atrocities against women, but the atrocities of our society. Many of these scenes were taken from reported incidences, in real environments, that unfortunately occur with real people all too often. Yes, they’re difficult to write about, but even more difficult to accept that they are a part of the dark side of our world.
What did you find most challenging, the scientific details of the story or the technical aspects of novel writing? Did you stumble along the way?
I’ve been living the scientific details of this story for a long time, so this is an easy one. I had to learn the basics of writing as I wrote this original manuscript. My first editor (Gerry Mills) had to school me on the fundamentals of point-of-view (POV), transitions, some basic grammar, and as I hate to admit it, often times… punctuation. I frequently stumbled, tripped, and fell along the way.
How long did it take you to write the novel and how did you find the time to sit and write between your demanding job and all the travelling that you do?
It took approximately a year to research and write the initial manuscript. I became obsessed with writing during every flight (including long trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic flights), during long evenings in hundreds of hotel rooms, and during early morning and late nights over the weekend. Don’t all writers do this?
What do you want readers to get from Equity of Evil?
There are several new scientific innovations and breakthroughs that will impact our lives in the near future, and many more that will affect the next generation. We will have no choice about their existence… they’ll be here if we like it or not. Therefore, we all need to be aware of them and start to think about how society is going to accept and manage them. Equity of Evil touches on many of these medical and scientific innovations that are on the cusp of shaking up public and political views in the major nations of the world. I’m hopeful that this novel (and those underway) will help open up people’s willingness to process such new revelations that will surely disrupt our current moral and ethical opinions.
I hear you’re working on a second medical thriller. When will that one come out?
My second manuscript is well underway in hopes of releasing it near the end of the year. My goal is to make this the second of a trilogy that we might refer to as “The EQUITY Series”. It will carry a similar theme, but focus on a technology (which currently exists) that can allow us to re-wire the brain… a process known as “neuroplasticity”. Can you imagine a world in which we can eliminate fear, restore memories, create artificial desires and dislikes, or even eliminate pain?
Is there anything else you’d like to share with my readers?
I just sincerely hope that my readers take away something positive from this story, while learning a little more about the advancement of medical technologies that many others don’t want to admit even could exist.
Read an excerpt of Equity of Evil:
http://twilighttimesbooks.com/EquityofEvil_ch1.html
Equity of Evil is currently up at Barnes and Noble at the discounted price of $2.99 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/equity-of-evil-rudy-mazzocchi/1109327667
Equity of Evil is also up at OmniLit and available in ePub, PDF, mobi and prc for $2.99.
http://www.omnilit.com/product-equityofevil-740141-249.html
Also on Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007H9QNQW
Note: the $2.99 price will be in effect until March 10th (midnight EST), then Equity of Evil will be available for the discounted price of $3.48 via ebook distributors and the Twilight Times Books website until the end of March.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAYkQE...]
Interview with Rudy A. Mazzocchi, author of EQUITY of FEAR
Rudy is best known as a medical device and biotechnology entrepreneur, inventor, and angel investor, with a history of starting new technology ventures throughout the U.S. and Europe. He's been privileged to have the opportunity to see the newest innovations in healthcare and work with some of the most brilliant researchers, scientists and physicians in the industry.Authoring more than 50 patents, he has helped pioneer new companies involved in cardiology, oncology, orthopedics, neurosurgery, ophthalmology and even embryonic stem-cell development. Through these efforts, he has become the recipient of many technology and business awards, including the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in Healthcare and the Businessman of the Year Award.
Combining these experiences and opportunities, with thousands of hours of travel and long evenings in hotel rooms, he found the initiative to start writing a collection of medical thrillers based on true events, known as The EQUITY Series. The first book of which is entitled "EQUITY of EVIL" (released March 5, 2012), and the second entitled “EQUITY of FEAR” (released March 25, 2013).
Find the author on the web:
Website: www.rudymazzocchi.com
Blog: http://rudymazzocchi.wordpress.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/RudyMazzocchi
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MazzocchiAuthor
Q: Tell us why readers should buy EQUITY of FEAR.
A: EQUITY of FEAR is the second novel in The EQUITY Series, following the award-winning thriller, EQUITY of EVIL. These bold, controversial thrillers combine both business and medical science based on true events and/or current technologies under development. They not only inform the reader about life-changing innovations that could positively effect each one of us, but also reveal the dark and often frightening aspects of these technologies that can be manipulated to control our minds and souls. Society needs to prepare for how to best deal with such new innovations.
Q: What makes a good medical thriller?
A: I believe that the readers of medical thrillers are sophisticated readers who are looking for more than the conventional storyline found in mystery or suspense novels. Medical thrillers are designed to incorporate medical science and technologies that could impact everyone, unlike the mystery novel where the reader is an observer, along for the ride. A good medical thriller triggers the reader to think “this could happen to me”!
Q: What is a regular writing day like for you?
A: I usually write when I find the opportunity, which is most likely on a long trans-Atlantic or trans-Pacific flight, or during long evenings in my hotel room. I tend to start writing “scenes” according to the story that’s running non-stop in my head, and then stop when I need to dedicate the appropriate time to researching a topic, place, or clinical application.
Q: What do you find most rewarding about being an author?
A: It’s a rewarding platform for me to talk about the new innovations that I see around the world without divulging specific confidential information. It also allows me to openly explore the “why-nots” and “what-ifs” that often creep into my mind. It is then most rewarding when others find the results of such efforts informative and entertaining!
Q: What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received that you’d like to pass to other authors?
A: I seem to get more advice regarding publishing and promoting, than I do writing, but the best advice I’ve ever received was to “write what you know”. This seems intuitive for non-fiction, but I found it to hold true for fiction writing as well. When you call on life experiences and knowledge, it’s much easier to craft those challenging scenes and to instil more realism.
About the book
Researchers and scientists in the U.S., Russia and Japan compete in a new technological race to control memories, fear, and pain in the minds of the world’s populace. At first the race is rooted in purely scientific ambitions, such as that of space travel or in the era of industrial revolution, but it evolves into something much more sinister.
Here is yet another dark world where scientists experiment on orphaned children rather than rhesus monkeys, where torture and pain become just another set of data points and lives are discarded for the sake of owning the ability to control how man perceives and processes fear.
Book Review: EQUITY of FEAR, by Rudy Mazzocchi
Once again author Rudy Mazzocchi ventures into the shadowy world of controversial medical technologies. In his first thriller, Equity of Evil, the author revealed a dark world involving abortion, human trafficking and organ cultures. In this his latest instalment and 2nd book in the series, Equity of Fear, he boldly delves into subjects of the re-wiring of the brain to eliminate fear and the alteration of memory. Fascinating and terrifying stuff, to say the least.Dr. Frank Moretti is CEO of Recon Innovations, a company that is developing a new technology designed to help millions of patients get rid of irrational fears, such as the fear of heights or darkness. He is also working on a neuroplasticity program designed to rewire the brain and restore the memory of Alzheimer’s patients. It all sounds like the perfect way to contribute to science and help humanity.
However, the USA, Russia and Japan are secretly competing for this technology, for a nation that would be able to control fear and pain in the minds of the people would also be able to create a supreme, invincible army.
Roman Citrano, a member of the Recon Board of Directors (also the protagonist in book 1 of these series), warns his friend Frank about the possible sinister repercussions, but Frank decides to move forward and license the technology to other countries. For this purpose, he flies to Japan with his teenaged son Joey—a big mistake, for soon both fall into an evil vortex of international intrigue where sadistic, unscrupulous doctors experiment on orphan children in the name of science, and where father and son have to fight for their lives.
This was a great read! First of all, the science behind it, which the author so skillfully describes and explains, is both absorbing and horrifying. It truly reminds us of the two very different fac
ets of science and what can happen when greed, ambition, and plain and simple human nature get in the way.
The story moves pretty quickly in spite of all the ‘science talk.’ I really liked the three main characters, Frank, his son Joey, and Roman, and felt compelled to stick with them to see how they were going to get out of their difficult predicament. I especially enjoyed the character of Joey; he really added spunk to the dialogue and situations. The Japanese scientist villain is well rounded, and I appreciate the tact and responsibility of the author in describing the Asian culture in the book. The ending is satisfying and utterly surprising.
One last word of caution, Equity of Fear has some scenes that are quite violent and graphic in nature, so this isn’t a read for those of you faint of heart.
Find out more on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Equity-Fear-EQUITY-Series-ebook/dp/B00C0HAUUG
View the original article on blogcritics.org
Talking Craft with Dr. John Benedict, author of ‘Adrenaline’
Dr. John Benedict graduated cum laude from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and entered medical school at Penn State University College of Medicine. While there, he also completed an internship, anesthesia residency and a cardiac anesthesia fellowship. He currently works as a physician/anesthesiologist in a busy private practice in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania.Dr. Benedict has been writing stories since high school, but his creative side was put on hold to pursue a medical education and start a family—he now has a wife and three sons. Finally, after a 15-year pause, his love of writing was rekindled and his first novel, Adrenaline—a gritty medical thriller with a realism borne of actual experience—was born.
Besides creating scary stories, the hallmark of Dr. Benedict’s writing is genuine medical authenticity—something in short supply these days in thriller fiction. He draws on his 25+ years of experience as a board-certified anesthesiologist to infuse his writing with a realism that renders it both vivid and frightening. As one of only a handful of anesthesiologists throughout the country writing fiction, he gives readers a taste of what really goes on in the operating room, the human drama inherent in this high-stress, high stakes environment where lives are continually on the line. Readers will find out what it’s like to hold a patient’s life in their hands, as the author provides an illuminating glimpse into the fascinating, but poorly understood realm of anesthesia.
Q: Congratulations on the release of your latest book, Adrenaline. To begin with, can you gives us a brief summary of what the story is about and what compelled you to write it?
A: Adrenaline tells the story of veteran anesthesiologist, Doug Landry. When patients start dying unexpectedly in the Mercy Hospital OR, Doug winds up being blamed. Doug is confused at first and wonders if he screwed up somehow. However, as he investigates further, he unearths evidence of greed and corruption in his department. As he struggles to unravel the secrets of the mysterious deaths and clear his name, it quickly becomes apparent that someone will stop at nothing to keep him from revealing the devastating truth. Doug becomes trapped in a race against time to prevent more deaths, including his own.
I am an anesthesiologist in real life and Adrenaline is a classic medical thriller told from the anesthesiologist’s viewpoint. To illustrate the real inspiration behind this book, I will need to relate a true story from 20 years ago:
One day it struck me—at 2:00 in the morning in the midst of another grueling 24-hour shift. I had just finished interviewing a nice lady with an appendix about to burst—we’ll call her Linda. I had done my best not to yawn as I went through the routine questions that an anesthesiologist is obliged to ask. She appeared nervous, which soon gave way to tears. I did my best to comfort her, took her hand, told her I would take good care of her. That I would watch over her carefully in the operating room and see her through surgery. And be there when she woke up in the recovery room. She appeared to calm down a bit. I wrapped up my pre-op assessment and asked her to sign the anesthesia consent form, while assuring her the risks would be minimal. She raised her eyebrows at this and the fearful look returned. I wondered: What the hell does minimal mean when you’re talking about life and death? More tears. She told me of her two young daughters at home that desperately needed a mommy. I felt my own throat tighten. I quickly buried my emotions, tried not to think about my wife and three sons, and focused on the task at hand as we wheeled her litter back down the hall to the OR.
After Linda was safely tucked in the recovery room, operation a success, anesthetic uncomplicated, I lay down in the call room to try to catch a couple of z’s. My mind wandered as I lay there. Rarely, I thought, does a person willingly surrender control of their mind and body to a virtual stranger. Yet, this is exactly what happens when the person is a patient being wheeled in for surgery and the stranger is their anesthesiologist, whom they have just met minutes beforehand. Talk about an extraordinary amount of trust. This degree of trust made a distinct impression on me that night, some twenty years ago.Other thoughts followed soon thereafter. What if the trust Linda had exhibited earlier was ill-conceived and her doctor was actually bad? Not just incompetent or sleepy, but downright evil. Being an avid reader of thrillers, I thought this chilling concept would make for a good story. Too bad I wasn’t a writer. (Disclaimer time: I don’t want to scare people here. All the docs I have known in my 30 years of medical practice are highly competent professional people, who would never purposely hurt anyone.) But I still couldn’t shake the evil concept; it kept gnawing at me until eventually I had to put it down on paper—lack of writing experience be damned. So Adrenaline was birthed, my first medical thriller novel that explores this issue of absolute trust implicit in the anesthesiologist-patient relationship—specifically, what happens when that trust is abused and replaced by fear. Adrenaline was finally published twelve years after my encounter with Linda.
Q: What do you think makes a good medical thriller? Could you narrow it down to the three most important elements? Is it even possible to narrow it down?
A: A good medical thriller must, first and foremost, be a gripping story usually in a medical setting. It must also have memorable characters that people can identify with and care about what happens to them. Finally, the medicine portrayed in the story should be authentic, adding to the realism.
Q: How did you go about plotting your story? Or did you discover it as you worked on the book?
A: I discovered a lot of it as I worked on the book. I actually wrote the climax scenes first of Adrenaline and then tried to make the rest of the story fit into the climax. I don’t really recommend this technique in retrospect, but I was basically flying by the seat of my pants. In writing subsequent novels, I tried to have a better idea of the beginning, middle and end of the book. This is much more time efficient.
Q: Tell us something interesting about your protagonist and how you developed him or her. Did you do any character interviews or sketches prior to the actual writing?
A: My main character in my first two books is Doug Landry. Coincidentally, he’s an anesthesiologist, like I am. Just kidding—it wasn’t a coincidence. A lot of me goes into Doug, so I didn’t have to interview anyone or make a character sketch. I’m not sure this is the best approach. It’s certainly simplifies the character development but you’ll likely take some flak from your family and friends.
Q: In the same light, how did you create your antagonist or villain? What steps did you take to make him or her realistic?
A: My villains tend to be petty evil because basically they’re doctors who are OK with murdering their patients. So the trick is to humanize them to make them more believable, instead of just pure evil. I would try to take parts of real people that I’ve run across—not enough to be recognizable—and blend them into a bad guy with some redeeming characteristics, like sometimes exhibiting a conscience or feeling remorseful for what they have done.
Q: How did you keep your narrative exciting throughout the novel? Could you offer some practical, specific tips?
A: First, I love to do dialogue, always trying to add realism but also using it to highlight confrontations. Second, I like to end chapters with a pique if possible to keep the reader guessing and needing to read more. General foreshadowing is also a technique I employ to build tension. One final note and this may be counter-intuitive but I’ve come to believe it is true. Rather than have a lot of action scenes, I think it builds tension more by putting off the actual action. Instead, you continually set the stage for the final confrontation, so that everyone knows it’s coming, but they’re not sure when or how it will resolve.
Q: Setting is also quite important and in many cases it becomes like a character itself. What tools of the trade did you use in your writing to bring the setting to life?
A: My books are generally set in a hospital or operating room or delivery room. Because I am intimately familiar with these locations, I can describe them accurately and vividly. This definitely lends a sense of realism to the stories, as readers can clearly envision the surroundings. It certainly helps to be very familiar with your setting—real is better.
Q: Did you know the theme(s) of your novel from the start or is this something you discovered after completing the first draft? Is this theme(s) recurrent in your other work?
A: The main theme in Adrenaline is the concept of some doctors being evil. Patients implicitly trust their physicians with their lives routinely. What if that trust is misplaced? What happens when the desires and goals of a bad doctor supersede the well-being of his patients? Yes, this theme of doctors being evil is at the heart of all my medical thrillers.
Q: Where does craft end and art begin? Do you think editing can destroy the initial creative thrust of an author?
A: I feel like I create the story—this is the art part. Good editing then helps the nuts and bolts of the writing—sentence structure, word choice, grammar and punctuation, and also addresses any inconsistencies in the story. Good editing makes the story stronger and clearer. Bad editing can destroy a story, if the editor tries to rewrite too much of the basic storyline.
Q: What three things, in your opinion, make a successful novelist?
A: 1) Creativity 2) ability to realistically depict characters, dialogue, setting and see the big picture of a story 3) perseverance/obsessiveness
Q: A famous writer once wrote that being an author is like having to do homework for the rest of your life. What do you think about that?
A: In my mind, there’s no way to sugar-coat this: writing is hard work that demands obsessive attention to detail and an enormous expenditure of time. It generally includes extreme delayed gratification and exposure to painful criticism and rejection along the way. It’s not for everyone.
Basically you must write to fulfill a need to tell stories—not because you expect anything in return.
Q: Are there any resources, books, workshops or sites about craft that you’ve found helpful during your writing career?
A: I would recommend attending as many writers’ conferences as you can. Here you can meet and interact with other authors to hear their stories and learn from their experience. Also, it’s a chance to network with the all-important agents and editors. Finally, after you finish your book, it’s a good idea to hire a professional editor to tune up your work—you can also learn a lot from observing what changes the editor might make.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share with my readers about the craft of writing?
A: My advice for would-be novelists is fairly straightforward. Nothing worthwhile in life is quick or easy. Writing is no different. Expect to spend a long time learning the craft and improving upon it. Don’t expect to become famous overnight or make a lot of money easily. The best advice I can give is this: You shouldn’t write because you want to make millions or become a household name—you’ll likely be disappointed. Rather, you should write because you enjoy the process and feel the need to tell a story. Let the results take care of themselves.
Other things I’ve learned along the way: I’ve learned to believe in myself even when no one else seemed to. I’ve also learned the power of perseverance and patience. The path to successful book publication is notoriously long and arduous for most. Developing a thick skin is also helpful to protect oneself against the many rejection letters and obligatory nasty reviews that will come your way. Finally, I’ve learned that writing a good book is probably only half the battle. Getting it published and successfully marketing it may be the most difficult part. Good luck and keep writing!
