The Page Turners discussion

Our next Q&A is with Bill Gourgey, author of Nu Logic.

Here is the synopsis:

"In Nu Logic, Rise of the Neos, accomplished virologist, Dr. Janot (whose specialty is crossover pathogens), threatens the promising Glide era with his wildly popular augmented reality gaming world—Neology. Only the genius inventor, Captain Magigate, can stop him, but Magigate is lost in the past with his erstwhile lover and foe, the Prophet. Teenage artist Maddy’s cryptic paintings hold the key to reaching the Captain, but will she discover their secret in time to stop Dr. Janot, whose Connected Reality vision threatens to transform the human experience forever?

Nu Logic is the sequel to Glide and is Book 2 in the Glide Trilogy, which is set alternately in a future world shaped by the miraculous inventions of Dr. Magigate, and the preceding dystopian era dominated by the Prophet and her Academy."

Please post questions by October 20.

Who has influenced you the most in your writing process?

What is the publishing process like?

Do you have any other projects in the works that you can share with us?

Do you base your writing on real events in your life or does it all come from your imagination?

What is the most exciting part about being a publish author?

How do you over come writer block?

How often do you write?

Where do you find inspiration?

What is the hardest aspect of writing a book?

Here are the answers:

Who has influenced you the most in your writing process?
I couldn’t point to one person. Just as it takes a community to raise a child, it takes a community to make a writer. But there are some professors and authors who deserve to be called out. I first got the bug for writing in college when a Creative Writing professor—the acclaimed poet, Archie Ammons—surprised me by suggesting I had a good imagination and a way with words. I always enjoyed literature, especially the classics, but didn't think of myself as a creative writer. Being an engineering student, who wrote equations in Greek better than composition in English, I thought he was joking until he gave me an A+. That gave me pause. So I filled up my remaining electives with writing classes and quickly fell in love! In terms of authors, I’ve been inspired by many, notably, Tom Robbins, Dave Eggers, Anne Rice, Scarlett Thomas, Toni Morrison, Emily Dickinson (one of my favorite poets of all time), and Robert Frost, to name a few.

What is the publishing process like?
It’s not for the faint of heart. Like most other authors, I’ve received countless rejections, met with agents and editors, and have found myself both thrilled by and dejected with the publishing world. At the moment, I’m an Indie author with my own imprint—Jacked Arts Press. I publish my own work as well as the poetry of other authors. Nowadays, being an Indie author has distinct advantages in terms of time to market, poetic license, royalties, and branding, but it also has significant disadvantages, too, including hidden costs (good editing and artwork don’t come cheap!), lack of publicity and marketing talent and resources, and no retail store (bricks and mortar) distribution other than what you’re able to drum up by visiting local bookstores. Although sales of my books have been modest, I’m glad I’ve gone the Indie route. It’s forced me to get a handle on social media (where my books are much more popular), and to appreciate the nuances of the business. Of course, I look forward to establishing a relationship with the right agent and editor. When that happens, I know I will be a much better client now that I’m familiar with the business of publishing books.


Do you have any other projects in the works that you can share with us?
My primary project at the moment is the third book of my Glide Trilogy (Genesys). I hope to have it out early next year, which means I have my work cut out for me! (The manuscript is roughly 50% complete). But I’m the kind of writer who likes to have more than one ball in the air at a time, so I’m also working on my second mini-volume of short stories, called Unfamiliar Fruit. That might be ready by the end of the year.
Do you base your writing on real events in your life or does it all come from your imagination?

World building genres like fantasy and sci fi require vivid imaginations and a healthy dose of right brain influence. Nevertheless, the old saying “you are what you eat” has a writer’s corollary: “you write what you are.” Any author who tells you otherwise is either prevaricating or completely disconnected from his or her muse (a condition that could be more troubling than prevarication!) Even the most far out fantasy must have characters that readers can relate to for the story to work. That’s where personal experience comes in.

Like a witches brew, I find that the most enchanting fiction rises from a pentacle of elementary ingredients: 1) a dollop or two of personal experience; 2) a healthy dose of originality; 3) a few sprinkles of research (more than a few for historical fiction); 4) many leaves of good writing; and 5) a great editor with a stiff paddle to stir the concoction to perfection! Of course, cooking time is important, too— generally speaking, the longer the brew bubbles, the more intoxicating the spell. All of these ingredients can be found on the shelves somewhere in the writer’s equivalent of a place that resembles Diagon Alley. All save one: originality. Originality stems from inspiration, which can’t be acquired. That’s what distinguishes the greats.


What is the most exciting part about being a published author?

There’s nothing more rewarding than receiving praise from a reader who tells me how my writing inspired them. I’ve been lucky enough to receive an abundance of such praise since I published my first novel, Glide. Here’s an example for my most recent book, Nu Logic, that made my day (OK, my week!)—

“No pressure, but this is one of the best novels I've read in a long time. I've read the first one too. You've really done a good job of maintaining the suspense, and you've created characters that come alive. I'm looking forward to more, and to think there's still a 3rd novel to look forward to!” –a Wattpad reader

We writers live for such praise.

How do you overcome writer block?

I keep plenty of hand sanitizer, tissues, and other hygienics at my desk to avoid contracting that dreaded affliction in the first place. I hear it’s contagious!

The truth is I’ve never had a problem with writer’s block. I think that writer’s block happens when a writer’s self-expectations are set too high. I have lots of faults and foibles (don’t tell my family and friends!); luckily, setting my writing bar too high is not one. Whenever I sit down to write I know that I’m just as likely to write something crappy as good. The trick is not to despair when it’s crappy. As one writing teacher used to put it, “writers have to be prepared to kill their babies.” It’s an ugly image, and of course I rebelled against it at first, but her point was a good one and I write by it to this day—don’t become too attached to your words or run the risk of getting stuck.

How often do you write?

Every day, including weekends. Truth is, I can’t not write. After all, my word processor is the only thing in my life that does what I tell it to (which, I’ve learned, isn’t always a good thing: beware what you ask for!)

Where do you find inspiration?

We writers like to dissociate ourselves from our source of inspiration as willfully as believers like to dissociate themselves from their God. That way, if it all goes south, we have someone else to blame! Writers call that convenient deity their Muse. But in a neat turn of closed-loop logic, inspiration, like the characters and scenes it spawns, comes from within, from our personal lives—from our accomplishments and failures, our gains and losses, our love and hate. For me, I like to write fiction about technology and the future because they fascinate me. After more than twenty-five years of deep immersion in a technology-based career, the human-technics chemistry still intrigues me. It has all of the hallmarks of a great romance—a star-crossed romance. Who isn’t drawn to read and write about stories of star-crossed lovers? If that notion hooks you, check out the first two books of my Glide trilogy.

What is the hardest aspect of writing a book?

Not giving up. A novel means that you have to string together anywhere between 80,000 and 200,000 words in a row that make sense, tell a story, and encourage readers to keep reading. That’s a lot of words to get right!