Inchoate Ascendant™: December 2, 2011.

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December 2, 2011

Last week I brought you my review of S.S. Michaels' first novel, Idols and Cons. If you missed it, do yourself a favour and check back for it. Today I have another post that you will find exciting. I knew when I was asked to review the book that I certainly would, and if at all possible I would follow it up with something a little more intimate. That said, I present to you my...

Interview with S.S. Michaels

Tell everybody a bit about yourself, please.

I am a recovering accountant and Hollywood drone hoping to become the next Chuck Palahniuk.

Do you do a lot of pre-planning for your writing or do you just jump right in and sort the details out as they show up?

I do waaaay more research than I need to. Then, I make meticulous outlines and plot charts. And then, I throw all that away and write the story.

Why did you choose to use multiple first person perspectives in Idols & Cons? Were there other styles you considered?

I chose multiple first person because I wanted the reader to be able to get inside everyone's head, to know what they were (or were not) thinking. I did consider a boring third person omniscient, but that just didn't work for me.

What do you consider the most important element in a story? (Character, setting, mood, etc?)

I think you've got to have a story. Having great characters is a close second, but if they don't have anything to do, then what?

How does it feel to have your first novel published?

It feels great! It's even better than an Adventure Time marathon!

Do you have your second novel in mind already?

I have three novels completed, actually. You've only seen the first one so far. The second, REVIVAL HOUSE, will be out sometime early next year. It's a quirky horror story, of course.

Do you have a lot of stories just bouncing around waiting to be pulled out of your thoughts?

I have stories about all the stories I've got dancing around in the caverns of my head.

What is it like to have a great quote for your novel from Jeremy C. Shipp? Jeremy gets a lot of great accolades himself from big names, and you certainly deserved yours.

Jeremy is a great writer - one of my new favorites - so I was, of course, over the moon to get such high praise from him. It really means a lot to me and I'm very thankful.

Have you done many interviews yet? I expect there will be a lot sooner than later.

I have done several so far.

What question would you like an interviewer to ask you, that they otherwise might not ask? What's the answer to that question?

Where do I get my ideas. The answer: everywhere.

Thank you for answering my questions. I hope this is the start of a long and distinguished career.

Thank you, Robert!

Music: Let's Get Rocked by Def Leppard.