Australian Author – Mike Elliott’s First Book
Australian Author – Mike Elliot doesn’t know it yet…He has been sponsored to have his first book formatted and published by Plaisted Publishing House. The sponsorship is something new we are doing to help encourage new authors that publishing can still be done and affordable. Mike was chosen at random, out of a list of new clients on my books at this present time. The sponsorship was anonymously donated, making this a special case. I was approached and gave out a list of names from which Mike Elliott was chosen. Apparently they like Thrillers.
Now let me introduce you to Mike. One lovely Australian bloke.
I’m a first generation Australian. Mum, Dad my elder brothers and sisters, aunts etc were all born in England. I think we go back to the Roman invasion lol. I’m 53 and share my small unit with my two cats, Charlie and Smokey. I enjoy drawing, Golden Age Hollywood Movies and I’m a passionate Whovian ( Dr Who fan)
Could you tell us all what bought you to the world of writing?
I’ve always loved drawing since childhood. I use to create my own superhero comics, complete with ads. When I started school I began writing ‘dark stories’. I loved it when we were given creative writing tasks. I went to a trade school so there wasn’t a lot of opportunities to write creative stories. When Media Studies became one of our subjects I threw myself into it by scriptwriting, acting and directing. I carried on in this vein when I went to Teachers College for two years where I majored in media studies.
What is the first story you wrote and what do you think of it now?
My first attempt wasn’t a complete novel, just an outline etc. I started this before I knew anything at all about writing. It was about a dystopian future where drugs are legal but looking back it was awful. I read too many ‘How To’ books and paralysed myself with fear.
What type of books do you write and do you think they fulfill your reader’s needs?
I write dark books, not always horror, some are supernatural thrillers some are dystopian others still are straight out horror. I think my books satisfy that need to be occasionally scared while we sit in our nice safe surroundings. I think it’s the same sort of feeling people experience on a roller coaster. They’re terrified and glad to be back on solid ground again.
Due to the sponsorship you get to feature a book. Tell us about the novel you are releasing shortly?
My first full length work is called Portraits of Dread. It’s a collection of my short horror stories .It features two of my previously published stories, Dinner For Two and Mr Westacott’s Christmas. The collection is quite diverse, it includes a dystopian thriller, a ghost story and even a ‘dark’ poem.
Does it take you long to write your first draft?
It depends on the story. Some stories are quite quick to write, others seem to have a life of their own. A Glutton For Punishment, my dystopian thriller, was very long and with some more work could quite easily be turned into a stand alone novel.
What works best for you? Are you plotter or not, if so why?
I always plot, I don’t think I could write by the seat of my pants! When I come up with a story idea I write it down. With my new novel, Mr Westacott’s Holiday. I wrote down the outline, characters, scene and chapter breakdowns so I could see where it was heading.
Do you write in 1st or 3rd person, or have you do both?
I mainly write in 3rd person, unless the story has a plot that can only be told by the character as in, Mother Called Today.
How do you edit your work? Do you leave your draft alone for a while or edit as you write?
I write a story, then go onto the next one. I usually go back to the other one to pick up on left out words, spelling mistakes etc.
What type of people/readers do you market your books to?
I try to market to readers of dark fiction, lovers of thrillers and just horror readers in general.
Do you self-publish or have you worked with an Agent/Publisher
I self publish. Portraits is my first major work so I don’t have enough product to approach a publisher. I’m quite happy self publishing and working with editors and formatters etc.
How do you promote your writing?
I generally tweet any new developments in my writing such as approaching releases. I also post on facebook. I have a blog called The Writers Emporium which showcases indie authors of all genres so sometimes I post there too.
Where can we buy your books?
From my amazon author page
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00T3UMGQ4?ref_=pe_584750_33951330
Who are your favourite authors?
Dean Koontz, Clive Barker, James Herbert, Margaret Atwood, Stewart Bint, Rocky Rochford, DM Cain, Joe Compton, Jason Greensides to name a few!
Links
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/horrorbloke?ref=bookmarks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thewriterbloke
Official Michael J Elliott Blogsite: http://talesfromthedarkrealm.blogspot.com.au/
