A visit with A.P. Fuchs, author and the man behind Cosom Entertainment

Thanks as always to Eric S. Brown for bringing us A.P. Fuchs, author of the Undead World Trilogy and the man behind Coscom Entertainment.
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You're both a writer AND a publisher. How does that work?

Lately I’ve been finding that I get the most done--deadline crunches excluded--by doing Coscom Entertainment-related stuff during the day, then write for myself at night.

Running a publishing company and writing a book require two different mindsets so dividing the day like I do really helps with that.

What got you into doing this?

The love of creating, really. It started with drawing comics then got into writing. After subsidy-publishing my first two books and despite the headaches from that (namely the first book), in some weird twist I fell in love with the book production side of things so decided to be a true self-publisher. Then that led to being asked to put out a benefit horror anthology for the late Charles Grant called Small Bites, and everything has since rolled on from there.

Tell us some about your new Z novel and the series it's a part of?

Sure. My latest zombie novel is called Possession of the Dead and it’s the second book in the Undead World Trilogy. The first book is called Blood of the Dead, and Possession of the Dead picks up one nano-second after the first one ends. In this latest installment, Joe and his crew must face off against not just human-sized zombies, but also against giant undead some fifteen stories tall. Add in to the mix some supernatural elements--angels and demons--and you got a story loaded with action, thrills and just plain fun. (i.e. There’s a cool El Camino roadtrip that involves running over zombies.)

You also write the superhero Axiom-man. Which do you enjoy more: superheroes or zombies from a writing standpoint?

To be honest, I write my books more or less from the same stand point: good vs. evil. It doesn’t matter if the good guy or bad guy has powers or not, it’s just that you have the good guys and bad guys.

For superheroes, I get a kick out of it because of all the fantastic elements associated with them. For example, writing Axiom-man’s flight scenes are always a thrill for me because flying is my favorite superpower.

The Axiom-man series is my own love letter to the superhero genre, and it’s my way of imagining how a superhero would begin his career in our world in as realistic a way as possible.

For zombies--I’ll admit I haven’t read every zombie book or seen every zombie movie--but I’d like to think that I’m creating some new ground in my Undead World Trilogy, which is not just about survival, guns and the undead, but also about our place in the universe, the supernatural realm, and trying to depict an all-out war between Good and Evil. I’m treating this series more like a low-key superhero series, in that I have my good guys, I have my bad guys (the undead) and it’s very much a case study on humanity’s inner strength to survive against not just the monsters that haunt the streets, but also for those involved to survive against themselves, especially since most of them have gone through so much heartache and pain it’d almost be better to just put a gun to their heads and pull the trigger.

Even with Zombie Fight Night: Battles of the Dead, aside from blatantly writing a book where fighting was the main focus, I tried to do something different by taking my main character, Mick, and using him to explore what would happen if you go too deep into your selfish desires and how that affects the people around you. In his case, it was gambling.

Also in that book I tried to not make the fights one-dimensional and just have people fight zombies and that’s it. Each fight scene is told from the point-of-view of the fighter and each fighter--whether samurai, ninja, superhero, pirate, Viking, etc--has a story and a purpose for being in that ring. I wanted the readers to care about the characters first . . . then watch them get it on with a Shambler or Sprinter (even both) and hope for a victorious outcome.

Who's your inspiration?

I try to soak up inspiration from a plethora of places and people, everyone from comic creators to fellow writers. In the old days, it was Stephen King, Alan Moore and Terry Goodkind that inspired me the most. Nowadays, my pool of inspiration is a complicated mosaic of “a little bit of this guy, a little bit of that guy” and so on.

Marvel or DC?

DC, hands down.

Why?

In the end, it’s tenure for me, tenure in my own life. It was Superman who I first fell in love with way back when I was, like, two or three, and so most of the action figures I had were characters that revolved around him. Likewise with the movies. I mean, Marvel didn’t have much going on movie-wise in the ’80s. So it just kind of stuck.

Marvel right now is dominating in the movie arena, and DC has paid attention because they got all sorts of movies planned: a new Superman, the third Batman, Green Lantern 1 and 2, Wonder Woman . . .

And it’s DC I follow month-to-month in comics. Mostly the bat titles, though I’ve been buying Superman since issue 700.

What are you currently working as both a publisher and a writer?

As a publisher, at this moment I’m doing my quarterly tallies. In the background, I’m dealing with New York for our mass market reprints with them (The War of the Worlds Plus Blood, Guts and Zombies; Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Zombie Jim; Alice in Zombieland), and with the firm who manages us in LA in regards to some film interest we’ve had for our titles. And, of course, trying to get the word out about me and my authors’ books as much as I can. We just did the Central Comic Con, for example, and Coscom Entertainment did well there selling its books.

Personally, I’m working on a vampire novella trilogy, my free weekly web serial novel, Zomtropolis, and am making notes on a top secret comic project I’ll be doing with Axiom-man cover artist Justin Shauf.

Coscom has been very blessed this year getting mass market deals and representation for its properties as film. How has this affected you and company?
It hasn’t affected me on a personal level. I’m still the same old foodie comic nerd. On a professional level, it’s elevated the company to a new arena in terms of respect in the industry, credibility, and an overall image of producing quality material across the board.

What's up next for you in terms of zombie fiction as a writer?

Aside from my regular work on Zomtropolis, which I hope to put out in paperback and eBook next year (complete with some special surprises), I’ll be tackling the third and final book in my Undead World Trilogy for publication hopefully sometime before June of 2011.

After that, it’s finishing my ultra long overdue Axiom-man novel called City of Ruin. I have fans waiting for it and I need to deliver.

And any advice to writers in general or folks hoping to submit to Coscom someday?

Yes.

If you want to submit to Coscom Entertainment, be sure we publish the type of book you wrote. You’d be surprised how many queries I get for genres that have nothing to do with our catalog.

I also expect a query without any sample chapters. If I want more, I’ll ask for it.

Be professional. Doing so tells a publisher you’re the real deal instead of some “Hey, buddy” chummy author. Being professional provides the sense you’re dependable, which is critical when producing a book.

Also be patient. Publishers get lots of queries and have lots to read never mind the other stuff we have on our plate. Sometimes things take time.

Last, to have a successful book at Coscom Entertainment, an author should be willing to really get out there and market their stuff. This is a business where sales don’t just happen. You need to let people know you and your book exists. Coscom helps with that, of course, but the books that have done best for the company are from those who also put on the hat of marketer and went out there and made a fuss about their title. Those are the folks who’ve had the greatest success.

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Thanks again to A.P. and Eric for guest-blogging with us. Be sure to visit Coscom Entertainment for a huge variety of terrific books and ebooks!

An Interview with "Dr. Pus"

Glorious Monday to everyone!

Once again, thanks to Eric S. Brown for this chat with Dr. Pus of the Library of the Living Dead Press and The Library of Horror, publisher of some my personal favorite authors like Rhiannon Frater, David Dunwoody, Scott A. Johnson and of course, Eric.

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Though most folks know him as Dr. Pus, Dr. Michael Carl West is a Dentist practicing in the small town of New Cumberland, WV. He has been married to his lovely wife Tam for almost 25 years. He has two wonderful and gorgeous daughters who are in College. The Doc lives on forty acres of wooded mountain top (referred to as Pus Mountain) with his wife, daughters, two dogs, seventeed cats and 2 pygmie goats. He loves his life and is ready for the zombie apocalypse. He runs Library of the Living Dead Press and all its various imprints.

ESB: Where did your love of zombies come from?

Dr. Pus: My love of zombies came about by watching a vampire movie. I know, I know, vampires aren't zombies. But after watching Vincent Price in Last Man On Earth (when I was in the sixth grade) it scared me so bad that when nightfall came I would run home just waiting for one of those shamblin' vampires to come out from between the houses and grab me. Then I was introduced to George Romero's Night of the Living Dead (Romero got his idea for shamblin' zombies from Last Man On Earth) and it petrified me. THAT is the feeling I get when watching zombie movies and reading zombie literature. And as they say .... the rest is history.

ESB: How did you get into publishing?

Dr. Pus: Publishing came about as a direct result of the Library of the Living Dead Podcast. I was, for the first and only time, reading a non-zombie book on the podcast entitled Beneath The Mask by Stephen A. North. We became fast friends and Steve mentioned he didn't want to self-publish his new zombie book Dead Tide. I jumped at the chance to help him publish it. Started a publishing company called "Library of the Living Dead Press," learned a lot of hard lessons and was finally able to present the book in Pittsburgh at the second ZombieFest. Once I announced this on my forum and podcast the authors came a knockin'. Currently we have over 50 books in print.

ESB: What are some of the favorite books you have published so far?

Dr. Pus: I can't pick just a few of the books I've done. They're all like my babies. I do have a special place in my heart for Dead Tide as it was the first book published and it also remains our best seller.

ESB: Where can we find out more about your company on the web?

Dr. Pus: Folks can find out everything about The Library on our forum www.libraryofthelivingdead.lefora.com, on our website www.thelibraryofthelivingdead.com and on the podcast www.dr-pus.podomatic.com. The forum is very, very active with over 850 members. The members are affectionately called Good Librarians.

ESB: How do you decide which books to publish?

Dr. Pus: The book has to speak to me. Since we've expanded into the entire horror genre I've been exposed to tons and tons of excellent stories. Those are the ones that will see print. I've also been exposed to some of the most incredibly bad writing in the Universe. Those see the circular file ASAP. I'm not mean when I reject a book or story. I always try to give the budding author some type of positive comment, but in some cases it's almost impossible. I accept submissions through my Executive Librarians, who are named in the forum, for all books and short stories except for zombie novels and stories. Those are mine to peruse and then accept or reject. Zombie submissions are sent to my e-mail lotld@yahoo.com.

ESB: You recently shot a TV spot for your company. What can you tell us about that?

Dr. Pus: The link to the commercial is: http://libraryofthelivingdead.lefora.com/2010/10/21/and-so-it-begins/page5/#post94. This was all David Dunwoody's idea and we had a wonderful time doing it. Everyone was in make-up and in character. I even got my hand bitten during the rampage scene. It didn't draw blood, but it did leave teeth imprints on my hand. The commercial was probably the coolest thing we did at Horror Realm. Zombie Zak recorded and edited it, Dan Galli provided the lighting and Dave Dunwoody was the screenplay writer/director. It was a blast!!

ESB: What are your favorite zombie films?

Dr. Pus: I have a really hard time putting in order my five favorite zombie movies. #1 is the only one that is in order.

1. Night of the Living Dead (1968)

2. Cemetary Man

3. Shatter Dead

4. Video Dead

5. Dead Meat

6. Braindead (Dead/Alive)

7. Shawn of the Dead

8. Dawn of the Dead (Original)

9. Day of the Dead

10. Night of the Creeps

It's a pretty esoteric list. I love independent zombie flicks.

ESB: What lays ahead for Library of the Living Dead Press and what are you working on now?

Dr. Pus: Everything I'm working on now is exciting. The publishing company has taken off and become huge. I'm working with Borders/Waldenbooks to get our books in their stores. Barnes and Nobles will be next.

ESB: Where do you see your company in the years to come?

Dr. Pus: The future of Library of the Living Dead Press, within 3 years, will be my full time job. I plan on retiring from Dentistry in 3 years and go full bore into the publishing realm. That's always been my dream and it looks like my dream will come true.

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Thanks again to Eric, and to Dr. Pus, who is an incredibly interesting guy! And be sure to check out The Library of Horror and Library of the Living Dead for some excellent reading!

Saturday Specials at Smashwords

Happy Saturday, everyone! This morning we are offering discounts over at Smashwords for a couple of our titles. Just use these codes for 20% off these ebooks!

Breaths in Winter -- FE66J

Zombies II: Inhuman -- YX33K

Interview with Joe McKinney by Eric S. Brown

TGIF, everyone, and enjoy this great interview brought to us by Eric S. Brown.

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This morning we're talking with Joe McKinney, author of the amazing novel Dead City and the brand new book, Apocalypse of the Dead.

Eric S. Brown: Having read your modern, zombie classic, Dead City, I was wondering how did your own experience in law enforcement play into the book?

Joe McKinney: Well, the main character, Eddie Hudson, is a street cop for the San Antonio Police Department. I’ve done Eddie’s job before, so nearly everything in the book that deals with police procedure comes from my firsthand knowledge. I did change a few things around, such as the location of the 911 dispatch center and the layout of police headquarters, because I couldn’t in good conscience compromise the Department’s internal security protocols, but nearly everything else is lockstep with real police work.

I also worked as a member of the SAPD’s Critical Incident Management Team, where we designed the city’s official response to a variety of natural and manmade disasters. That experience was instrumental in designing the cause of the zombie outbreak.

ESB: Tell me more about that. How did you come up with the idea for the novel?

JM: San Antonio is about one hundred and fifty miles from the Texas part of the Gulf Coast. That means we are far enough inland to avoid the destructive power of a hurricane, but close enough to serve as the main evacuation destination for all the cities along the Gulf. My job with the SAPD was to help design ways to deal with a sudden influx of a large number of evacuees. For smaller cities, such as Corpus Christi or Brownsville, where we’re only talking a hundred thousand people or so, the problem is big, but not unworkable. It’s when you’re dealing with huge cities, like Houston and its surrounding areas, and the population numbers get up into the millions, that the problem becomes dangerously unmanageable.

So, when I was looking for a cause for the outbreak, I decided to hit Houston with five major hurricanes in the span of three weeks. That would require a million or more refugees to hit San Antonio all at once. I grew up Clear Lake City, a little suburb south of Houston, and I lived through several huge hurricanes. I know firsthand how badly Houston can flood after even a minor storm, and now that I’ve had some real world training on just how fragile the infrastructure behind Houston’s oil and gas and chemical industries really is, it seemed logical to combine the two. The bodies of the dead would be floating in the soupy mix of chemicals and sea water and rotting in the hot Texas sun. The virus that causes the zombie apocalypse would rise from that. And as the infected were evacuated to nearby cities, such as San Antonio, the situation would turn into a pandemic.

ESB: What zombie authors out there do you read yourself?

JM: My single favorite zombie story is “Zora and the Zombie” by Andy Duncan, but to my knowledge, he has never written another zombie story. I also loved Dan Simmons’ “This Year’s Class Picture” and Adam Troy-Castro’s “Dead Like Me,” but again, those guys haven’t exactly flooded the market with a lot of zombie stuff. I think if I had to name a short list of writers who have done multiple zombie projects I’d list Robert Kirkman and his The Walking Dead series and Max Brooks’ World War Z stuff. Those last two do the Romero-style zombie just about perfectly.

ESB: What can you tell us about Apocalypse of the Dead? I know I for one and am really looking forward to it.

JM: Well, the main thing I guess you have to know is that it is a sequel (of sorts) to Dead City. A word about that, though. See, I really don’t enjoy the traditional series, the kind where you follow the same group of characters through multiple novels. The Lord of the Rings was cool, and I also like James Lee Burke’s Dave Robicheaux novels, but that’s about it. For the most part, I get bored with the characters in a series midway through the second book. So when Kensington came to me and asked about the possibility of turning Dead City into a series, I said I’d do it...as long as I got to do it my way.

What I did was to look at the world I had created for Dead City. At the end of Dead City, the zombie situation has been contained in San Antonio, but only at the expense of quarantining most of the Gulf Coast. Houston is still under water. More than a million zombies were still wandering the flooded ruins. So too were hundreds of thousands of uninfected survivors. I imagined a small group of survivors, one of whom is infected and hiding it from his fellow refugees, escapes the quarantine around Houston. When they make landfall, they spread the zombie virus like a torch dragged across a field of dry grass. The next thing you know, the zombie apocalypse has gone global.

From there I follow six different groups of characters as they converge on the North Dakota Grasslands, where they have all heard stories of a preacher who is building a sanctuary to hold the zombies at bay. I won’t tell you what happens when the survivors get to the Grasslands, but I will tell you that I researched everything I could find on Jonestown to write this book.

ESB: What's your favorite zombie film?

JM: The original black and white version of Night of the Living Dead, hands down. All hail George Romero! His is the movie that got me started on zombies, and the one I keep coming back to for inspiration. After Night of the Living Dead, I’d say Shaun of the Dead. From there, listing my favorites would be difficult. The list changes with my mood.

ESB: Do you have a favorite short story that you've written?

JM: I am known for zombies, but they are actually only a small part of what I write. Of my own short stories, my favorite is a ghost story called “Blemish.” Think When Harry Met Sally, but with a ghost inspired by the folklore of Vietnam. The tale is quite popular, I’m told, with romance readers, which I guess makes it one of those stories that the writer intends to come across one way and yet everyone else seems to take another. Go figure.

ESB: What's next for you and what are you working on now?

JM: I just finished the third book in the Dead City series. That makes a total of four novels written this year, so I may take a break on novels until January. In the meantime, I’m working on a reader’s guide to the Dead City universe, which has grown to include four novellas, two stories, four novels and a screenplay. The essay I’m doing now will put all of those various stories into context, so any one interested in getting a behind the scenes peek at the series should check that out at my website, Old Major’s Dream.

ESB: And what words of wisdom would you share with upcoming writers?

JM: This is probably going to burst a few bubbles, but...you need to treat writing as a job. Yes, I know. Writing is about passion, doing what you really love. I get that. That’s why I started. In fact, I was doing this gig for free for a really long time before I ever started thinking of it as something that could pay my family’s bills. But for those of you who want to write professionally, the only way you are going to succeed is to treat writing like a job.

When you have a job, you show up to work everyday. You consistently turn out a work product that makes your bosses happy. If you agree to a deadline, you make that deadline. You represent yourself in a professional, competent manner. In other words, you get the job done. Think about writing in those terms, and you will find that others will regard you in like terms.

But there is one little secret that seems to have been forgotten in our modern age...never, ever, ever forget the power of a handwritten thank you note.

ESB: Oh and I must ask, do you read comics and if so, Marvel or DC?

JM: That’s an easy one. Marvel all the way. I’m really excited to find out what David Liss is going to do with Black Panther. I’m also hoping for something else along the Marvel Zombies line.

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Thanks again to Eric, and to Joe for the awesome interview. Whether you are a fan of zombies, Bigfoot, or just love good, fast-paced horror, be sure to check out their work!

NSP welcomes Tracy S. Morris!

This morning, NSP has the pleasure of having Tracy S. Morris, author of the urban fantasy/mystery series,Tranquility, with us. Many thanks to her for taking the time to answer a few of our questions.

NSP: Tell us your latest news.

TM: My urban fantasy mystery series, Tranquility, has just been picked up in E-Format by Baen books. You can find the series for purchase at Baen by going to http://www.webscription.net/m-9-yard-dog-press.aspx

The books are available individually for $6.00 each or bundled with the Four Redheads of the Apocalypse series through January for $20.00

You can also find the Tranquility books at their print publisher, Yard Dog Press at http://www.yarddogpress.com

NSP: When and why did you begin writing?

TM: I started writing when I was 12 years old. I was an avid reader since about five years old. My dad used to read books to put me to sleep.

One day he pointed to the page and asked me to read to him. It was slow going, but by the time I was eight, I was reading both Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass on my own. I figured if I could read both books together, which were thicker than my forearm, I could read anything.

When I was twelve, I read a book called The Ordinary Princess. I liked the book, but I thought I could write something just as good. I assumed that writing was simply recording sessions of 'let's pretend.'

So I decided that if I could make a living doing that 'when I grew up' that it sounded much better than having to get some kind of boring job like becoming an accountant.

NSP: When did you first consider yourself a writer?

TM: In high school when I started to work for my school paper, I decided at that point I was a writer. It wasn't that having a paycheck, or a writing credit from a publisher that SFWA recognized was going to make me a writer. Being a writer was something I did and something I was. I think getting paid for it makes you a wordsmith.

NSP: What books have most influenced your life most?

TM: There are so many I could point to. In Journalism, All The President's Men by Woodward and Bernstein really got me excited about Journalism.

The Darkover Novels, which were really my first exposure to what feminism was back in the mid 80's.

(I was one of only two girls born into the fourth generation on a farm of 'strong women.' I never grew up with the idea that you couldn't do anything because you were a girl. You simply did the work that had to be done, regardless of your gender. Mostly because you were the only one around to do it. My aunt ran a tractor and bailed hay because she had to. My dad learned to brush my hair and make French Toast because there wasn't anyone else. A couple of years ago, I tried to pull a Christmas tree out of the attic. It fell two stories and broke every picture frame on the wall that it fell into. When my husband came running, he surveyed the damage and said: You know, you can ask for help. I was absolutely surprised at the concept.)

Other influences -- Terry Pratchett influences me in a huge way. I love comedy and I tend to write like what I want to read. I don't want to be a Pratchett clone (although there are many worse people to ape).

But I tried writing serious fiction, and it doesn't feel as natural to me as writing comedy. Reading Pratchett helped me to find my own voice.

NSP: What book are you reading now?

TM: The stack is a mile high. I just finished Dreadnought, which is the follow up to Cherie Priest's Steampunk novel Boneshaker. I came into liking Steampunk from liking history. The Civil War especially, because I had a great history teacher. I would have overlooked the book series if not for the history angle. Her history is good, and her 'what if' conjecture is nice.

Along the same lines, I also read Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter.

Also good history woven into the fantasy. I honestly hope Steampunk as a writing genre doesn't fade anytime soon. I really love a well-told historical fantasy. And this is a nice departure from the medieval-esque fantasy novel.

NSP: Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

TM: A lot of the 'new' author sensations are usually people who have been around for a while. Every one that I pick up is new to me. I like to read a lot of small press. Because it's very different from the mass market commercial novels that all read alike. I've just finished James K. Burke's novel Home is the Hunter from Yard Dog Press. He is definitely not a new author, but I haven't know about him nearly as long as Terry Pratchett.

NSP: What are your current projects?

TM: I just finished a first draft on a novel that I want to have published as a Mass Market project. The universe is based on a short story of mine entitled "Fish Story" that appeared in the Esther Freisner anthology Strip Mauled. It is an urban fantasy locked-room mystery.

The primary character is half Lois Lane, half Indiana Jones.

While that is in the editing stages, I'm beginning to work on the third novel in the Tranquility series. It's going to be a lot of fun.

David, the doctor from the first two novels is going to have to deal with seeing his ex-fiancee again. I'm playing with a little bit of unreliable narration in this one. In his imagination, she's like Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct. While to everyone else, she's like Reese Whitherspoon in Legally Blonde. When she vanishes, David isn't sure whether he is responsible or not, since he's been fantasizing about killing her from the moment that she shows up.

NSP: Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

TM: I think you can probably look back on the when and how question for the answer to this.

NSP: Do you have any advice for other writers?

TM: I ask other writers this question a lot, since I run interviews with authors on Tuesdays on my own blog. Most writers seem to have the same answer. Since it's a good answer, I'll just parrot it here: Apply your rear to a chair and your fingers to the keyboard.

Seriously, almost all writers will sooner or later meet someone who will tell them "I have thought about writing." What that person is really saying is "I would be a writer, but there are so many other things that I make a priority over writing." Writers write. They go without things like television or sleep, or even a clean house in order to write. And it makes them happy to do so. If you can't say this about writing, maybe you should consider finding a different hobby. One that will give you this kind of burn.

NSP: How has your environment/upbringing colored your writing?

TM: The town that I based the Tranquility series on is my home town. It's a nicer version of my home town. One that is seen through rose colored glasses, but it's still my home town. The druggist in the town is loosely based on my grandfather's best friend, who was a druggist in this town. He is probably the character in the book who is the most based on one person. Everyone else is changed slightly.

I've had a weird life. My parents got divorced when I was five. And I spent one week with each parent from the point when I was five through my senior year of high school. At that point, I got a license and a car, and simply chose to live at my mother's house because it was most convenient.

Books sort of became a place to go when I was bored. So if I went fishing with my dad, step-mother and aunt, I brought a book. If I was sitting with my dad while he worked on a car, there was a book. If I was in my room at my mother's house with nothing to do, I retreated into a book.

NSP: What genre are you most comfortable writing?

TM: I think I like fantasy and mystery because those are the types of books that I like to read the most. Some of the earliest books that I can remember devouring are the Nancy Drew books and the Pern series.

I never liked the teen angst books (they weren't called YA when I was a teen) because they were very much driven by existential dilemmas that I never had in my own experience as a teen. I didn't have to choose between two dates for the prom, I didn't have to worry that my best friend stole my diary and passed it around school. I thought most of the books of that stripe were silly. If I was going to read silly, I would take my brand of silly with dragons in it and the fate of the world at stake.

Urban fantasy has been fun to read and write because it combines that fantasy feel with the mystery genre. Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden solves mysteries just like Nero Wolfe, but he also interacts with fey, werewolves and vampires.

NSP: Are there other genres you would like to try?

TM: I have thought it might be fun to write straight mystery or historical novels, but any time I start something like that, I usually end up throwing in some fantastic, quirky elements.

NSP: What do you see as the influences on your writing?

TM: I think I've pretty well covered that at this point.

NSP: What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers?

TM: Anymore, a computer is a must. You need it for everything from word processing to social networking.

NSP: How do you develop your plots and characters? Do you use any set formula?

TM: It varies from plot to plot. For Tranquility, I outlined to help keep me on track. Bride of Tranquility and this new project were discovery writing type projects. But I already had a pretty good idea of where they were going.

NSP: What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

TM: It varies. I try to write about 1,000 words of original fiction daily.

I like to write a first draft longhand, and then type it. I've found that I refine and add to the story as I type.

NSP: What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

TM: Quirk is a good way to describe my writing. I like to write quirky, oddball characters with interesting tics. For example, the main character of this new project thinks of herself as being like some kind of weird offspring between the Clampetts (from The Beverly Hillbillies) and The Munsters.

NSP: Anything you would like to add?

TM: You can find me on the internet at http://www.tracysmorris.com

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Again, thanks to Tracy. And be sure to check out her new e-book offerings, Tranquility and Bride of Tranquility.

Remember, anyone interested in guest blogging here at NSP, just drop us a line at nspbooks@live.com