Twenty one questions and a conversation with author Rob Cummings continued

Hello, this is Frank Dunn back again continuing our question session and conversation with Rob Cummings. I want to change things up a bit so let’s begin.

Question eleven: What are you working on now?

I’m currently editing my NANO book from 2013 titled Dual Sight. I hope to have it ready to publish before October of this year. This is my first attempt at writing a series. The remaining two books will be my NANO books for this year and next.

Question twelve: Is there some of that work you could share with us?

Sure. I’d love to share.

Ten minutes into her drive, she was sitting on the shoulder of the road with a flat tire wondering who to call when a car pulled to a stop behind her. The headlights blazed white and penetrating into her car the intensity near blinding. The old Maria wouldn’t have even considered accepting help from a stranger, but when the guy got out of the car and made his way up beside her window, she began a focused deliberation. Dave’s words rang like a bell in her head. What could it hurt just this once? If she planned to change she had to start somewhere. So she decided to take a chance by letting this Boy Scout earn a merit badge. Once the door was open, she got out and joined her Good Samaritan. Unfortunately, this would turn out to be her next-to-last mistake. In just a few short minutes she would commit her last mistake bringing her life to an end. Contrary to her belief that bad things always announced themselves, at this moment, there was no sound to warn of her life’s imminent end.

Question thirteen: Going back to Moonlight Sacrifice, is there some significance to the length of the book?

As a matter of fact, there is something. When I started writing the story, I didn’t intend for it to be seventy seven chapters, but as the story progressed, and the number of chapters increased, I figured I could end the story by that number. The significance being, that when I played football in high school that was my jersey number, and since Rocky’s story is about football, I thought it would be fitting to have seventy seven be a part of the story.

Question fourteen: Are there any authors that have grasped your interest recently and why?

One author comes to mind immediately. I’ve read the first two books by Douglas Preston in his Wyman Ford series. For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a love of science and Preston’s use of science in his books is a wonderful spice that flavors the books. I look forward to finishing the series and starting another. His storytelling prowess is stellar.

     

     Tyrannosaur Canyon                Blasphemy

Question fifteen:  Do you already have a project idea for once Dual Sight is finished?

In addition to editing Dual Sight, I’m working on a novel I started years ago but left orphaned until recently. The working title of that book is Trio. I’m looking forward to spending time with the characters. They have been with me for a long time, but I’ve not felt comfortable writing the story until this year.

Why is that?

Since this story has so many subplots associated with the main plot, I’d really like to do the story justice. Until now, I haven’t felt my abilities worthy of that goal.

Question sixteen: What one thing about self-publishing do you find most disappointing?

Well, to be honest, I’m happy with the physical product quality CreateSpace provides as well as the Kindle experience for ebooks. So I’m not disappointed in the self-publishing experience per se. However, there is one thing I find deflating.

And that is?

I don’t know if I’m speaking for all authors here. I suppose when an author is selling millions and millions of books, be it print or ebook, it doesn’t really matter what people think of your work. Still when you boil it down to the smallest particle, I think a writer wants to know what people think of what he/she has written.

Why does it matter? I mean you’re presenting a story right?

That’s true, but still it’s nice to get feedback on any aspect of the story regardless if it’s a scene, a character, a conflict, etc. It feels good to find out the effort wasn’t wasted. I guess the bottom line for me is, did the reader enjoy the story and did it entertain them? Also, if there’s a flaw in the story it’s good to know that too. The best way to convey this to the author is by reviewing the book. So the one thing that disappoints me is the number of reviews I’ve gotten versus the number of books that have been downloaded as ebooks.

Question seventeen: Why are reviews so important to self-published authors?

Reviews are important to any author. The fact is, no matter how much effort a publisher or author does to promote a book, reviews by readers do more to move a book off the shelves than anything. Actually a review is a personal announcement to read or not to read a book. When someone tells a friend they should read a book it becomes an endorsement of the work. People generally respond to personal endorsements and buy books. Also you can use a review to give the author a pat on the back expressing to them how much you enjoyed the book.

Is that important to you?

Absolutely. The last thing I want is for a reader to finish a book and feel the time they’ve spent with the characters in the story wasn’t worth their investment. I’ve been there. I consider myself a slow reader, so for me to put days into reading a book isn’t uncommon. When I finish reading a book, I want to be richer for the experience. What I don’t want is to regret giving the author my time by experiencing disappointment. As an author, I don’t want a reader to have that feeling after they finish one of my books. If they do, then I’ve failed them. But if I did and they don’t tell me how will I ever know?

Question eighteen: What is your favorite review thus far?

My favorite review is one that isn’t published on Amazon, Goodreads, or anywhere. A lady told me she loved reading The Hurting Place. I told her I was glad she enjoyed it. Then she told me she doesn’t usually read books, but found the experience a good one. Hearing that made me feel great, because I love to read, and giving someone a pleasurable experience is worth the hours it takes to write a story.

 Question nineteen: Do you ever suffer from the dreaded writer’s block?

I guess I’d have to answer that with a yes and no response. I think most authors that have spent any amount of time writing have come to a point in a story where the story doesn’t move forward. At that point, the effort of writing feels like slogging through the swamp compared to a point when writing the story was like driving in the Indy 500. That is when writing is fun. The story is moving, and the characters are interacting.

What do you do when the story slows down?

If I’ve got something else going on, it helps me to step away for a while and work on something else. Writing a short story or a chapter for another work frees up the creative juices and helps me get things rolling again. That is the yes I do answer. Now, for the no answer. Once I get started on a story, it’s amazing to me how the characters stay with me. It’s like they are pushing me to finish their story. What I mean by that is, even when I’m not writing they’re still talking and interacting in my head. I could be driving down the road, mowing the grass, working in the yard, etc. So ideas are coming and going in my head all the time. Some make it to the page, while others don’t. It’s like listening to a group of people at a party talking about a hundred different things. Some are interesting while others don’t do anything for me. But when something really strikes me as good, I return to writing the story. Without fail, we begin moving forward.

Question twenty: What is your least favorite part of the writing process?

Each tab is an active edit.

That’s easy. I dislike the process of editing. Writing the first (rough) draft is fun for me. I enjoy watching the story unfold and move toward the conclusion. Once it’s finished, a writer has to step away from the creation and see the flaws in the writing. The harsh truth is that the story isn’t as good as it could be and should be after the initial writing. So the process of making the story better begins. The hard part is trying to find the sweet spot in the editing process. While the story may read fine, there are always going to be tweaks, cuts, additions, changes, etc. that will enhance the flow of the story.

So do you think it’s possible to edit a story death?

Yes, I think that’s the case. It’s sort of like plastic surgery. You start with a little nip here and a tuck there. You step back and are amazed at how better it looks and reads. So if a little is good more should be better. You cut first one scene then another. You rearrange this chapter and that chapter. A little more here and a little less there then finally you don’t know where your original story stopped, and the edited story started. In over editing you might just edit out the thing about your story that made it uniquely yours. Film directors sometimes say the best parts of the movie are on the editing room floor. Years later the studio releases a director’s cut version of the film with the statement: “This is the director’s vision for the film.” So I think sometimes you just have to stop and let it go. It will never be perfect in everyone’s eyes. So it’s important for a writer to accept the work for what it is and move on to the next tale.

Question twenty – one: What is the story Trio about?

Like I said, Trio is a story that’s been with me for a very long time. It’s a story about a tragic day that altered the lives of three families. I’ve set the event of the story in West Virginia in the early seventies with the beginning of the story set in the present. Three grade school friends reunite to deal with the pain of the day each has been unable to overcome in forty plus years.

Are there any facts associated with this tale?

No. This is pure fiction crafted from the mind of Rob Cummings. It’s a story I hope the reader finds entertaining and worthy of reading.

And reviewing?

Of course.

Thank you Rob for your time and I look forward to our next visit.

As do I. Until our next visit. Keep reading. : )

Twenty one questions with author Rob Cummings about his book Moonlight Sacrifice.

Hello readers. My name is Frank Dunn and Rob has asked me to conduct this interview. Rob is with me now so let’s get started.

Hello Rob.

Hello Frank.

Question one: Who would you consider to be the ideal reader of Moonlight Sacrifice?

Although you could put the book in the mystery genre, I’d have to classify it as a “how done it” rather than “who done it." So anyone wanting to solve a murder mystery will not like this book. However, if you like to read a book with lots of character interactions and development, you’ll like this.

Question two: What sparked the idea for the book?

That’s a little difficult to pin down to one thing. There usually isn’t one thing that gives me an idea for a story. More often than not, it’s a cumulative thing. Several ideas come together to create an idea that sort of forms like a little storm in my mind, and before I know it there is a story brewing. As for Moonlight, it started out years ago as a short story of some four thousand words. The idea was to create a character that wanted to leave a mark on the world, but due to circumstances was unable to make the mark he wanted. So that was one point. Another point was the question of suicide and the idea of if it would ever be okay to sacrifice oneself for the greater good. Add to that the idea of considering his death an act of euthanasia. One final ingredient for this story was having the character’s death prevent the committing of a crime. The goal was to make all of these seem plausible.

Now having said that I need to say the idea of making my short story titled Luna into a full-blown novel didn’t come about until October of 2011. I needed something to write about for the National Novel Writing Month challenge (NANOWRIMO) which takes place each November. I decided I could take the short story and make a novel out of it. It took me two years to complete the work so it is actually twice as large as it needed to be, but when the 2011 challenge ended I felt I was only half way through the story and so I completed it the following year in 2012.

Question three: What does your writing process look like?

Well, I usually begin with a title, and I try to write to make the work resemble as closely as possible what it says. At one point in time, I toyed with the idea of calling the book Moonshine, and although that would have worked just fine, it wasn’t quite right. When I hit upon Moonlight Sacrifice, I immediately had the feeling it was the way I wanted to go.

Now for the actual physical process, I write best in what I call immersion. What I mean by that is I’ll select some music from the music player on my laptop and put in the earbuds and start writing. Most people would think it would be a distraction, but the distractions come from outside the world I’m creating. All the music does is set a tone or pace for the story and provide soothing noise to write by.

Question four: Would you consider yourself a plotter or a pantster?

Although I’d have to say I’m really a pantster I can’t get away from having some idea of where the story is going. So I don’t script or plot the story as A to B to C to D but I do know where it begins at A and when I’m done the story will be at D but the middle is wide open for my muse to form as he sees fit. I find if I don’t restrict him to stay on a planned path he’ll come up with much better ideas than I could have on my own. Not all of his ideas are good, but I find most of them are. Also, not knowing which path the story is going to take leads to some amazing surprises for me and in that way, it’s almost as if the story is unfolding before my eyes and I get to experience its birth on the page. For me, that’s the best part of writing.

Question five: What is your favorite scene or chapter in the book?

My favorite chapter is seventy six. It's the next-to-last chapter and the one that was the hardest to write. The reason for that was through the previous seventy five chapters I got to know Rocky Moon almost as a person. When you kill a character that you've come to know and love it can be very personal. It can touch you heart in ways you never thought would be possible. I guess you could say my favorite chapter is when we say goodbye to Rocky.

Question six: Would you share some of that?

Sure.

Rocky’s arm grows heavy and crashes down to his side. He wants to watch Randy go, but is suddenly unable to remain upright. He falls back into the chair. Overhead the moon’s softness becomes austere and harsh. Rocky looks one last time at his namesake, and as he watches, the edges of his sight begin to close in on the circumstance of the orb. It squeezes the emptiness around the heavenly light until it touches all around. In that instant, Rocky Moon can only see his beloved moon and in the next, he sees nothing.

Question seven: Is it difficult to kill a character you have come to love?

For me it is. I had quite a bit of blood flying in this book and only had difficulty with Rocky’s death. It took a while to write that chapter, and I tried to write it in a way that would put some distance between us. It was less hurtful that way.

Question eight: What authors inspire you?

I have an extreme admiration for Stephen King. The first book of his I ever read was The Dead Zone. I can still remember the feeling of having the story draw me in so much that I almost became part of that world. I saw the story instead of read it. It was a surreal experience.

I also enjoy the works of Nicholas Evans, Clive Cussler, and Richard Russo.

Question nine: Which character in the book do you relate to most?

That’s an easy question. The answer is Officer Frank Dunn.

Why do you relate to me?

I needed you to be someone who would do the right thing. Rocky needed to rely on your desire to be true to yourself and above all honest. So I tried to make you, me.

Question ten: What was your favorite quote from this character?

In the prison when you spoke to Dennis you said: “Dennis, I hope you realize you’re on the wrong bus.”

Okay, Rob thanks for your time. We’ll have to finish the other half of these questions later if that’s okay with you.

You bet.

Thanks again.

No, thank you Frank.

Until next time, keep reading. : )

Old Habits Die Hard

With the arrival of the year 2014, I’m sure we all plan to make some changes. I can still hear myself saying, “This year there are going to be some changes around here.”

So what is the top resolution for 2014? Well, according to Statisticbrain.com number one is the age-old favorite to lose some weight. That’s understandable. After eating all the left-over Halloween candy, enjoying all those Thanksgiving meals, and the snacks, treats, and dishes associated with Christmas, I bet most people have put on a few extra pounds. Of course, I’m like most people, so that was one of my resolutions. Along with promising my doctor, I’d get some exercise and get healthy or at the very least healthier. That shouldn’t be too hard. Should it? I’ll just change some of my behaviors. That should be easy.

I’m sure we’ve all tried to change some behavior in our life we wanted to be shed of. Sometimes it’s something so ingrained in our hearts and minds that we simply can’t manage to extricate it from our lives. Our best efforts fail, in some instances … repeatedly. Ah but isn’t that why humans are called creatures of habit. We like comfort, and our habits are the pacifier that sooths our spirits. We enjoy our habits because they make us who we are.

Statisticbrain.com tells us that only 38% of those individuals that resolve to lose weight will achieve their goal. They also state that by the first of February, 36% will have fallen by the wayside. Why is that when only thirty two days ago we were all so dead set on making a change?

When we decide to overcome, one or more, of our proclivities, we wage war against what is normal for us as individuals. What we want to do is exact some change on ourselves to become – hopefully – a better person. We would like the transition to be an easy one, but sadly change is never easy. Change is really about waging war against one’s self. It’s about launching an attack against the subconscious mind and forcing the brute to cease and desist those less than acceptable acts we so cherish. If we are steadfast and victorious, we will win the day and cast off the garment our habit has clothed us in. But be wary. These attacks can have devastating after effects should we fail at our endeavors.

Some late night when we should be in bed, our stomachs will growl, and we’ll decide to go exploring. “What’s in this cabinet? What’s left over in the fridge? Do I smell cake? Is there ice cream? How did these potato chips get here?” Then we find ourselves sprawled out on the couch with icing on our face and empty potato chip bags at our feet. We feel bad. We feel defeated. We give up because it’s just too difficult to exact a change. What we should do is shake it off. Get back up on that treadmill and tread upon that meal. It’s not over until you decide it’s over so don’t quit. Change is never easy, but if you make a habit out of taking steps to eliminate a habit soon enough you’ll be enjoying a new habit associated with a new you. Hang in there you can do it.

Until next time, keep reading. : )