#California @Writer_MDNeu #amreading #amjoy

MD Neu is with me today to discuss his writing and love for books. Neu is a Fiction Writer with a love for writing and travel.  Living in the heart of Silicon

Valley (San Jose, California) and growing up around technology, he’s always been fascinated with what could be.
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 Specifically drawn to Science Fiction and Paranormal television and novels.  MD Neu was inspired by the great Gene Roddenberry, George Lucas, Stephen King, and Kim Stanley Robinson an odd combination, but one that has influenced his writing.
MD Neu has written The Reunion, and the Dragon for Christmas which will be released December 18,2017

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing as far as content?

It’s hard for me to kill off a character.  It’s not something I enjoy and if I can avoid it I would, but that isn’t possible.  As with life, death happens.  Sometimes death it expected and other times it’s a shock, a horrible painful shock that you wouldn’t wish on your worse enemy.

If I know I’m going to have to kill a character, I want to ensure that it is absolutely necessary to the story, and not just being done to traumatize the reader. I, also, want the death to matter.  I want the character to matter to the reader, because as hard as it is for me to write their death it needs to be just as hard for the reader to read the death. I’m not doing it to be mean but to ensure that these characters I create get what they deserve (both good and bad).

Now, to be honest, I love killing off the baddies, that always makes me feel good.

When did you decide to become a writer?

Am I a writer?  I mean I guess I am.  That’s so weird. (chuckles)

I’ve always loved telling stories.  I was a bit of a nerd when I was growing up.  I played AD&D and a few other roleplaying games. In school, I would write short stories for creative writing class.And in theater, we would have to write scenes. So I did a lot of that.

But deciding to become a writer, that is a big leap, especially for someone who suffers from severe dyslexia. I’m lucky to spell words--let alone write full sentences.  When I was growing up, I hated writing.  It terrified me. Reading was even worse.  Ugh.  Just awful.

Finally, as I got older I started reading. And the more I read, the more I didn’t see characters that were like me.  I’m gay.  And I never saw a gay character.  Even in Science Fiction, it was disappointing.  So, I wanted to change that.  I started working on my own stories.  My own novels. I didn’t want them to be romance, because there is a lot of that.  I wanted them to be stories anyone (kids to grandparents) could relate to and enjoy. I hope that’s what I’m doing now, as a writer.

Do you think that giving books away for free works and why?

Free books, or free ebooks.  Man, I’m mixed about that.  People tend to not value ‘free’ they see it as having no worth including the person who is giving it away.  However, free copies are a great way to get your work and your name out there, which is amazing.  And that is good marketing.

I’ve heard from different writers that giving away the first book in a series then charging for the rest of the books in the series is a great way to make additional sails.  So, there might be some value in that.  I would be more inclined to offer the book at a discount (50% or 75% off) rather than to give it away. That way the person who buys the book is still invested in it, and you don’t feel like you’re giving them something of value.

 Are there any marketing techniques you’d be afraid to use or think might not pay off?

That is tough. Because what works for one person, may not work for another.  Google AdWords I’ve heard mixed things about.  I’ve also heard mixed comments about paying for book reviews.

I’m not saying these don’t work. What I’m saying is I would be a little worried about using them.  If people find out that your book reviews were paid for (and you didn’t disclose this information first) that will leave a bad taste in people’s mouths especially if they didn’t like the book. They’ll feel misled and you can bet dollars to donuts – yum donuts – their review will not be kind.

As for Google AdWords, you have to know your target audience and have to know what they might use to find you.  That is tricky, and even the professionals don’t always get it right. In my past life as a Sr. Marketing Specialist, we had some pretty big misses. But on the flip side when we hit, he hit home runs.

Where do the ideas come from?

This is gonna sound crazy, and I might just be a little crazy, but my ideas come from all over.  ‘A New World – Contact’ started out as a play about a family and their drama.  And then it morphed into a Sci Fi epic incorporating all the family drama and expanding on it.  ‘The Calling’ started off as a dream I had, crazy right, but that is how it started.  I wrote down my dream and started crafting the story.

Most of my stories come to me in random ways.  Some come to me, as I said, in dreams.  Others start as a thought.  I may be out at the mall and think ‘what if’ or I’ve been on vacation and a character will start talking to me about their story.  I’ll put the notes down on the computer (which I never travel without) and see if something comes of it.  Right now I have two additional novel ideas stewing away as well as a bunch of random thoughts that may or may not turn out to become something.

More about MD Neu

You can find him on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/mdneuauthor/ on Twitter here: @Writer_MDNeu His scribbles and more about his writing can be found here: www.mdneu.com His blog can be found here: www.mdneu.com/blog/

Readers, please comment below.