DENNIS STAMEY
- Guest Author -
G'day folks,
Today, I offer an interview with a writer from Katy, Texas.
Welcome, Dennis ...
1.
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT
YOURSELF AND YOUR WRITING JOURNEY.
I've always wanted to write since a child but
never could really express myself
2.
WHEN AND HOW DID YOU BECOME A WRITER?
A good friend and co-worker, who has written a couple of
self-published novels, encouraged me to try my hand.
3.
WHAT TYPE OF
PREPARATION DO YOU DO FOR A MANUSCRIPT? DO YOU PLAN EVERYTHING FIRST OR JUST
SHOOT FROM THE HIP?
I have a rough
outline in my head and start typing away, filling in the blanks as I go along.
4.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT BEING A WRITER?
It’s an intellectual challenge and gives me a great feeling
of accomplishment.
5.
WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT BEING A WRITER?
Describing action scenes. Very difficult.
6.
WHAT WERE YOU IN A PAST LIFE, BEFORE YOU BECAME A WRITER?
A non-writer. Seriously just a guy trying to earn a living,
same as now.
7.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST WRITING ACHIEVEMENT?
Definitely my novel, “The Devil’s Horror Show.”
8.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON AT THE MOMENT?
A very dark short story.
9.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
Probably experiences from my past, good and bad.
10.
WHAT GENRE DO YOU WRITE?
Horror/fantasy. Some drama.
11.
DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS FOR NEW WRITERS?
Just keep writing, hone your craft, don’t worry about
anything else at the moment.
12.
DO YOU SUFFER FROM WRITER’S BLOCK?
No. There’s a million
ideas out there. Just look around.
13.
DO YOU HAVE A PREFERRED WRITING SCHEDULE?
Probably in the morning, but it could be anytime.
14.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE WRITING PLACE?
My computer. I can’t read my own writing so my writing has
to been done on Word.
15.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST JOY IN WRITING?
Seeing your ideas becoming animated on paper.
16.
WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHOR AND WHY?
Harlan Ellison. A superb writer of prose, able to write the
most absurd fantasy from a gritty perspective. He has the imagination from
hell.
17.
WHAT’S THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT YOU EVER RECEIVED FROM A READER?
That they were drawn into my story from the beginning.
18.
WHAT WAS THE WORST
COMMENT FROM A READER?
They couldn’t understand the ending of a short story.
19.
WRITERS ARE SOMETIMES
INFLUENCED BY THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN THEIR OWN LIVES. ARE YOU?
Absolutely, especially a lot of stuff from childhood. I was
an adventurous child and had many wonderful encounters.
20.
OTHER THAN WRITING,
WHAT ELSE DO YOU LOVE?
Spending time with my family.
21.
DID YOU HAVE YOUR BOOK
/ BOOKS PROFESSIONALLY EDITED BEFORE PUBLICATION?
No, unfortunately.
22.
DESCRIBE YOUR PERFECT
DAY.
Not having to go to
work, writing a few hours, watching something interesting on TV, a good meal,
then watching my kids play video games before I sleep.
23.
IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A
DESERT ISLAND WITH ONE PERSON, WHO WOULD IT BE? WHY?
Harlan Ellison. I would
learn worlds about the art of writing.
24.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IF
YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO SPEAK TO WORLD LEADERS?
Think about the welfare
of not only your people but those of other nations.
25.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS
FOR THE FUTURE?
Just to keep writing.
26.
WHAT FIVE BOOKS WOULD
YOU TAKE TO HEAVEN?
Look Homeward, Angel;
Time and the River; Complete Works of Carl Sandburg; Shatterday; Strange Wine.
27.
DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN
ANY OF YOUR CHARACTERS?
To some extent the character Jesse Landry, the protagonist
in my novel.
28.
DOES THE PUBLISHING
INDUSTRY FRUSTRATE YOU?
I haven’t dealt with the publishing industry per se, but
I’ve heard horror stories.
29.
DID YOU EVER THINK OF
QUITTING?
A few times, but I’d
always think, “What if I continued?”
30.
WHAT WAS YOUR
FAVOURITE MANUSCRIPT TO WRITE? WHY?
I suppose my novel. It
was both fun and frustrating and I was able to use it as a forum to express all
my interests, from Westerns to Eastern mysticism.
31.
HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE ‘SUCCESS’ AS A
WRITER?
Being widely read, even
if I’m not critically acclaimed.
32.
WHAT SHOULD READERS WALK AWAY FROM YOUR BOOKS KNOWING? HOW SHOULD THEY
FEEL?
That
although life is dark, there can be redemption.
33.
HOW MUCH THOUGHT GOES INTO DESIGNING A BOOK COVER?
I had the cover of my
novel and my book of poetry done by an artist who does book covers. I described
my books and he designed an appropriate cover.
34.
WHAT’S YOUR ULTIMATE DREAM?
To see my novel turned
into a successful movie.
35. WRITING IS ONE
THING. WHAT ABOUT MARKETING YOU, YOUR BOOKS AND YOUR BRAND? ANY THOUGHTS?
Right now just using Linked-in as a forum to generate
interest.
36. ARE YOUR BOOKS
SELF-PUBLISHED?
Yes.
37. DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN FIVE WORDS.
Impatient, neurotic,
imaginative, moody, inquisitive.
38. WHAT PISSES YOU OFF MOST?
Smart phones, arrogant people, hateful people, people with
limited imagination. Smart phones are helping to increase more of these
aforementioned personality types.
39. WHAT IS THE TITLE OF THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? GOOD ONE?
Tender is the Night by
F. Scott Fitzgerald. Good story but rather verbose.
40.
WHAT WOULD BE THE VERY LAST SENTENCE
YOU’D WRITE?
Don’t be afraid to
express your feelings.
41. WHAT WOULD MAKE
YOU HAPPIER THAN YOU ARE NOW? CARE TO SHARE?
Being financially
stable.
42. ANYTHING YOU’D
LIKE TO ADD?
Sure, read my book. It has a received a very good review
and everyone, regardless of whether they like horror fiction, will enjoy it, I
promise.
Clancy's comment: Well done, Dennis. Keep going.
I'm ...
No comments:
Post a Comment