Ask the Author: Michael J. Allen

“Ask me a question.” Michael J. Allen

Answered Questions (9)

Sort By:
Loading big
An error occurred while sorting questions for author Michael J. Allen.
Michael J. Allen Amber, and if I got my whole wish, I'd shadow walk to my own shadow earth where my backlist of projects were already ready and waiting for publish so I could find out what happens in the stories.
Michael J. Allen The Dumpstermancer 1: Discarded ebook is currently exclusive to the Strange Magic box set (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NDPM42J). I'm expecting to have the rights back to publish it once more on its own in early August 2019.
Michael J. Allen Sitting in a convention panel listening to the big time urban fantasy writers tell their stories.
Michael J. Allen Write. You get better with every sentence, so keep writing. Don't edit, just finish. You can complete a novel, yes, you.

Average compositional typing speed is about 20 words per minute. Write 15 minutes a day, 6 days a week. A year later you have a 93,600 word novel. Set that aside and go write the next one.
Michael J. Allen Writer's block has never seemed real to me. It might be because I have many works in process, but really, writing is my job. It has to get done whether I feel inspired or not, whether it feels like garbage or not. Often what I think is a bad scene ends up being a reader favorite. Young writers need to learn just to keep going to the end. There'll be plenty of editing passes to get it right later.
Michael J. Allen I love listening to readers share about the worlds I create, but also that I get to meet authors I love to read myself.
Michael J. Allen That's a big question considering I have a habit to multi-pen (write multiple books simultaneously.) We're preparing Murder in Wizard's Wood [Bitter Gate 1] for release later this summer and Stolen Lives [Scion 2] for after that. I'm 40k words into a new epic science fiction novel called (tentatively) Scavenger of Souls; I'm 17k words into a revision of the contemporary fantasy Massacre of Wizard's Way [Bitter Gate 2]; and doing second draft work on the YA urban fantasy mystery Kissin Coven.
Michael J. Allen I'll be going about my daily life: walking the dog, taking a shower, driving somewhere when a voice will whisper in my head, "You've got to tell my story." Moments later the other voices already in line will jump the new one. A knife fight will ensue. When the last bloody character presses his knife to my throat, I write down what he tells me.

About Goodreads Q&A

Ask and answer questions about books!

You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.

See Featured Authors Answering Questions

Learn more