Wednesday 2 May 2012

Author Interview: John G. Nelson

Today, Books & Tales is pleased to welcome John G. Nelson to the hot seat.
Pictures supplied by author.

Against His Nature
by John G. Nelson
Wildchild Publishing
Modern Dystopia

Blurb:
The U.S. is ground-zero for a mysterious global pandemic. The disease is highly infectious and kills its victims within two weeks of exposure. It’s neither bacteria nor a virus and all traditional treatment regimens have failed. Serena Salus, a radical scientist, discovers the organism is an extraterrestrial dust mite brought to earth by a shuttle astronaut. The government contends it’s a genetically-engineered organism created on earth by enemies of freedom. Dr. Salus uncovers a vile plan for distributing her experimental vaccine and finds herself in a deadly confrontation with powerful forces that’ll stop at nothing to control the distribution of her vaccine. Against Nature was published as an ebook by Wild Child Publishing (Culver City, CA) in 2011. Now, on with the questions ;) Do you plan everything or just let the story flow? I start out with a loose outline, just to give the story structure and then I just let it flow. The outline isn’t set in stone. Sometimes the story goes where I hadn’t initially anticipated. That’s the fun part… the ride. I do use a loose outline for structure though. A story should have: exposition, complication, rising action, climax, and falling action. Without some basic structure your story could get confusing and go all-over-the-place. Do your characters ever want to take over the story? Sometimes a character may emerge and get more print that initially anticipated, but I’ve not had any minor character eclipse a main character. What is your favourite food? Pizza. Are you a morning person or a night owl? I’m a night person, but oddly enough my mind is more active and creative in the morning. I write more in the morning. Where do you dream of travelling to and why? I’ve lived in several countries and travelled quite extensively, so I have no place in particular that I want to visit. Any warm sandy beach will do me just fine. I am particularly fond of the Caribbean. Do distant places feature in your books? Not yet. My writing is centered in the U.S. Though maybe a future project will be inspired by my personal travels. I’ve lived in the UK, Asia and the Middle East. I reside now in the U.S. Do you listen to music while writing? No. Too distracting…when I write I am 100% in my head. Could you tell us a bit about your latest release? It’s a modern dystopia about a global pandemic; a disease without a cure. Unlike many dystopia that starts the reader off in a post-apocalyptic landscape, in Against Nature we start off in the present and journey together into a dystopian, pandemic world. What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first started? I’ve learned quite a bit. The more I write, and the more feedback I get, the better I develop as a writer. Against Nature was actually the second book I wrote, but the first published. I learned a lot from writing my first book. I had way too much back story and now that I’ve grown as a writer I am re-writing my first book to make it a faster, tighter novel. Is there anything you would do differently? No. The art of writing is a process and you have to live, learn, and develop. Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing? For me writing is how I process the world around me. The headlines over the past decade were filled with some really frightening stuff. It was in those pernicious headlines that I found the inspiration to write a modern dystopia set in the post-9/11 landscape. I’ve been in healthcare my whole adult life, so I made the catalyst a global pandemic. I think you write about what you know. Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft? Write often and seek out feedback from smart, literate people. Writing is a skill that takes years to develop. Be patient. Also you must have a thick skin. You will get much rejection in your quest to get a publisher. Don’t give up. What are three words that describe you? Centered, smart and quirky What's your favourite book or who is your favourite writer? I love Candide by Voltaire. I also love the Grapes of Wrath. Against His Nature is available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple iBooks and from the publisher (www.wildchildpublishing.com)
For more info on me and to read some reviews please visit me at:
http://johngnelson.blogspot.com/ I love to get feedback from my readers or just have a chat about the book. I can be reached at againstnature@hotmail.com John G. Nelson Thank you, John! Good luck with the book :)




































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