ERASMUS CROMWELL-SMITH
- GUEST AUTHOR -
G'day folks,
Today, I interview an author who also publishes in Spanish.
Welcome, Erasmus ...
1. WHEN AND HOW DID YOU BECOME A
WRITER?
SINCE AN EARLY AGE
THOUGH ONLY BECAME SERIOUS AT IT 10 YEARS AGO.
2. WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT BEING A
WRITER?
TO BE ABLE TO
EXPRESS MYSELF AND BE ON A CONTINOUS INSPIRED AND CREATIVE STATE OF MIND AND
SPIRIT.
3. WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT
BEING A WRITER?
THE ENDLESS AND
NECESSARY (STANDARDS WSIE) PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE AND PERFECTION.
4. WHAT WERE YOU IN A PAST LIFE, BEFORE
YOU BECAME A WRITER?
ENTREPRENEUR AND
PEDAGOGUE.
5. WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST WRITING
ACHIEVEMENT?
THE EQUILIBRIST
SERIES (ON MY WEBSITE READ THE “BEHIND THE SCENES” SECTION WHERE I TALK
EXTENSIVELY ABOUT IT).
6. WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON AT THE
MOMENT?
FINISHING THE 4TH BOOK OF A YOUNG
ADULTS SERIES (THE ORLOJ OF LONDON), EDITING THE 3RD (THE ORLOJ OF
PARIS), GOING TO PRINT WITH THE 2ND (THE ORLOJ OF VENICE), THE FIRST
IS OUT IN PRINT AND A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO WE DID THE AUDIO BOOK.
7. WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
MY FAMILY, LIFE,
PEOPLE, THE WORLD, NATURE AND SO ON (ON MY WEBSITE READ IN THE “BLOG” SECTION
THE VERSE “TO BE INSPIRED”).
8. WHAT GENRE DO YOU WRITE?
FICTION IN THE AREAS
OF: INSPIRATIONAL/MOTIVATIONAL, POETRY/FABLES, AND THE OUTLIER OF SCI-FI
9. DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS FOR NEW
WRITERS?
IT TAKES 10,000 MAN HOURS OF DEDICATED.
DISCIPLINED EFFORT TO MASTER ANYTHING IN LIFE. NO WAY AROUND IT. THIS PROVIDED
YOU HAVE THE TALENT FOR.
10.
DO YOU SUFFER FROM
WRITER’S BLOCK?
NO.
11.
DO YOU HAVE A
PREFERRED WRITING SCHEDULE?
EARLY MORNING IS THE BEST TIME OF THE DAY IN
TERMS OF CREATIVITY. I USE THE MECHANICAL PART OF WRITING (CORRECTIONS, ETC) TO
DECOMPRESS AN DISTRACT MYSELF.
12.
DO YOU HAVE A
FAVOURITE WRITING PLACE?
NO. I DO WRITE A LOT WHILE STANDING. MYDESK IS
PRETTY TALL FOR THAT REASON.
13.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST
JOY IN WRITING?
THE COMPLETION/BIRTH OF ONE’S WORK.
14.
WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE
AUTHOR AND WHY?
DEPENDS ON THE GENRE, COUNTRY, ERA AND THE AGE
I WAS. I AM EXTREMELY SELECTIVE YET A VORACIOUS, LIGHTINING FAST READER. SOME
OF MY FAVOURITES ARE: Jules Verne, Charles Dickens, William
Shakespeare, Alexander dostoevsky, Julio Borjes, Ron Chernow, Laura Hillebrand,
Rudyard Kippling, Tara Westover and Mahatma Gandhi.
15.
WHAT’S THE GREATEST
COMPLIMENT YOU EVER RECEIVED FROM A READER?
I WANT MORE.
16.
WHAT WAS THE WORST
COMMENT FROM A READER?
NONE. MOST CRITICISMS ARE EXTREMELY HELPFUL.
17.
WRITERS ARE SOMETIMES
INFLUENCED BY THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN THEIR OWN LIVES. ARE YOU?
ABSOLUTELY. THE EQUILIBRIST SERIES WAS DRIVEN AND INFLUENCED
BY SOME OF MY LIFE KEY MOMENTS. (ON MY WEBSITE READ THE “BEHIND THE SCENES”
SECTION WHERE I TALK EXTENSIVELY ABOUT IT)
18.
OTHER THAN WRITING,
WHAT ELSE DO YOU LOVE?
MY FAMILY, FRIENDS, LIFE, ENDURANCE SPORTS,
READING. LETTING LOOSE THE ISATIABLE CURIOSITY THAT AFFLICTS ME.
19.
DID YOU HAVE YOUR BOOK
/ BOOKS PROFESSIONALLY EDITED BEFORE PUBLICATION?
YES AND NO. I DID BUT HAD THE LAST WORD ON ANY CHANGES. I
REJECTED 95% OF THE EDITS.
20.
DESCRIBE YOUR PERFECT
DAY.
EVERYDAY I AM STILL
ALIVE AND HEALTHY. I MEAN THIS. I STRIVE FOR A SUNNY DISPOSITION TOWARDS LIFE
AND I’M KEENLY/UTTERLY AWARE HOW PRECIOUS LIFE IS. I’VE GOT NOT AN EVEN A
SECOND TO WASTE. THE CLOCK IS TICKING. BESIDES, I DON’T UNDERSTAND THE WORDS
BOREDOM, GOSSIP OR OWNERSHIP.
21.
IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A
DESERT ISLAND WITH ONE PERSON, WHO WOULD IT BE? WHY?
MY WIFE. WE LOVE
EACH OTHER. IT’S ALSO INTIMATE, COMFORTABLE AND NEVER DULL.
22.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IF
YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO SPEAK TO WORLD LEADERS?
INVEST ON EDUCATION,
CULTIVATE THE CULTURE OF WORK AS THE ONLY MEANS TO EARN ANYTHING,
COMPREHENSIVELY FIGHT INEQUALITY.
23.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS
FOR THE FUTURE?
TO LIVE A LIFE IN
FULL AND PAT OF IT INCLUDES CONTINUE TO WRITE WITH IMPETUS.
24.
WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON BOOK TRAILERS? DO THEY
SELL BOOKS?
MORE THAN EVER WE
ARE NOWDAYS MAINLY A VISUAL SOCIETY.
25.
DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN
ANY OF YOUR CHARACTERS?
I AM ALL OF MY
CHARACTERS AND AT THE SAME TIME NOT. IT’S ALL ABOUT HOW MUCH OF MY SPIRIT
INEVITABLY SNEAKS IN THE CREATIVE PROCESS.
26.
DOES THE PUBLISHING
INDUSTRY FRUSTRATE YOU?
NOT AT ALL. THEY PLAY A ROLE IN THE MARKET PLACE. YOU HAVE
TO USE THEM IN THE SAME WAY THE USE YOU. IT’S ALL MATTER OF HOW MUCH LEVERAGE
ONE HAS WHEN NEGOTIATING WITH THEM. IN MANY WAYS THEIR BUSINESS MODEL IS
OBSOLETE AND IT’S JUST A MATTER OF TIME (EXACLY LIKE IT HAPPENED IN THE MUSIC
AND MOVIE INDUSTRIES), AS TO WHEN THEIR PARADIGM WILL BE FIRST DISRUPTED
(ALREASDY HAPPENING) THEN BROKEN AND INEXORABLY REPLACED.
27.
DID YOU EVER THINK OF
QUITTING?
THAT’S ONE OF WORST
CHARACTER FLAWS. I NEVER, EVER QUIT.
28.
WHAT WAS YOUR
FAVOURITE MANUSCRIPT TO WRITE? WHY?
THE EQUILIBRIST VOL.
1. (ON MY WEBSITE SEE THE “BEHIND THE SCENES” SECTION).
29.
HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE ‘SUCCESS’ AS A
WRITER?
TWOFOLD; EACH TIME YOU COMPLETE YOUR WORK, AND
WHEN YOU’RE RECOGNIZED BY THE READERS.
30.
WHAT SHOULD READERS WALK AWAY FROM YOUR BOOKS KNOWING? HOW SHOULD THEY
FEEL?
HAPPY, INSPIRED AND
WISER.
31.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE YOUR BOOKS MADE INTO MOVIES? EVER WRITTEN A
SCREENPLAY?
ABSOLUTELY! I WROTE THE EQUILIBRIST’S
SCREENPLAY AND ALSO THE PLAY.
32.
HOW MUCH THOUGHT GOES INTO DESIGNING A BOOK COVER?
IT TAKES A LOT OF WORK
TO CREATE A SINGLE PAGE THAT SYMBOLIZES THE ENTIRE BOOK
33.
WHAT’S YOUR ULTIMATE DREAM?
SHARE A FULL LIFE WITH MY FAMILY.
34.
WRITING IS ONE THING. WHAT ABOUT
MARKETING YOU, YOUR BOOKS AND YOUR BRAND? ANY THOUGHTS?
THROUHG PUBLISHERS
ONE’S ROLE IS MORE OF A PAWN OF THEIR MARKETING STRATEGIES. ENGAGING WITH
READER’S IN ALL SORF OF FORMS IS STILL PART OF THIS ROUTE. SELF-PUBLISHING
REQUIRES THE WRITER TO DO IT ALL. NOWDAYS SOCIAL MEDIA REQUIRES TOTAL COMITMENT
AND THE USE OF HIGHLY SOFISTICATED TOOLS AND EXPERTISE IN THE AREAS OF DATA
ANALYTICS AND SEO OPTIMIZASTION.
35.
ARE YOUR BOOKS
SELF-PUBLISHED?
YES AND NO. FOR THE ENGLISH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES
THAT’S THE CASE. BUT ON ALL OTHER MARKETS. I DO LICENSE MY COPYRIGHTS ON A
COUNTRY PER COUNTRY BASIS AND WITH IN-COUNTRY PUBLISHERS (MY COPYRIGHTS ARE NOT
FOR SALE).
36.
DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN FIVE WORDS.
DRIVEN, JOYFUL, CREATIVE, DISCIPLINED, AWARE
37.
WHAT PISSES YOU OFF MOST?
VERY SELDOM. NORMALLY FOR DOING SOMETHING I
DON’T LIKE.
38.
WHAT IS THE TITLE OF THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? GOOD ONE?
SAPIENS.
39.
WHAT WOULD BE THE VERY LAST SENTENCE
YOU’D WRITE?
HAVE AN INSAVELY AWESOME LIFE!
40.
WHAT WOULD MAKE YOU HAPPIER THAN
YOU ARE NOW? CARE TO SHARE?
HAVING GRANDCHILDREN. THE NEXT BOOK CREATION.
41. ANYTHING YOU’D LIKE TO ADD?
WRITING IS AN ART. VISUALIZING ONE’S CRAFT
THAT WAY ENRICHES A GREAT DEAL THE EXPERIENCE AND THE JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY WE
EMBARK WHEN WE CREATE A BOOK.
Clancy's comment: Well done. I admire anyone who can publish in more than one language.
I'm ...
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