Ask the Author: Shawn Inmon
Answered Questions (17)
Shawn Inmon
Hi, Rick. Which series?
Shawn Inmon
Hi, Harvey!
All the Middle Falls books will be available in audio, but there is a lag between the release of the ebook and that of the audiobook.
The Ambitious Lives of Evan Sanderson was published in ebook in Mid-December and is currently in production. I anticipate having it available in audio in early March.
The Topsy-Turvy Lives of Hattie Kildare is currently only out for presale and in fact I haven't written it yet. That's up next, though. I will release it in ebook in May and it will be out in audio later this summer.
Cheers!
All the Middle Falls books will be available in audio, but there is a lag between the release of the ebook and that of the audiobook.
The Ambitious Lives of Evan Sanderson was published in ebook in Mid-December and is currently in production. I anticipate having it available in audio in early March.
The Topsy-Turvy Lives of Hattie Kildare is currently only out for presale and in fact I haven't written it yet. That's up next, though. I will release it in ebook in May and it will be out in audio later this summer.
Cheers!
Shawn Inmon
I don't like to give spoilers, but I will mention a few things.
Carrie is my favorite Middle Falls character.
If you were in a trivia contest and the question was, "Who has appeared in more Middle Falls books than anyone?" The answer would be my favorite Middle Falls character.
I know it's a tough transition from detesting Michael in book one (I felt the same) to seeing him in a different light in book two, but overall Michael's story is the most popular in the whole series for a reason.
Carrie is my favorite Middle Falls character.
If you were in a trivia contest and the question was, "Who has appeared in more Middle Falls books than anyone?" The answer would be my favorite Middle Falls character.
I know it's a tough transition from detesting Michael in book one (I felt the same) to seeing him in a different light in book two, but overall Michael's story is the most popular in the whole series for a reason.
Shawn Inmon
Hi, Maria; I would love to translate these books and I'm looking into it, but it is a slow and expensive process. I am working on it, though!
Glad the books are hitting home with you.
Glad the books are hitting home with you.
Shawn Inmon
That is one of those things completely beyond my control.
When I wrote The Unusual Second Life of Thomas Weaver, I thought it was a standalone novel. I had no idea that in 2023, I would be writing the 18th and 19th books in the series.
Because of that, suicide was the mechanism for reset that worked best for the story. When I wrote the next few books in the series, it seemed to make sense to continue that pattern.
By the time I got to Book Eight, however, I wanted to make a change, and I did. From that point forward, the protagonists die natural deaths, or through their own stupidity, or from Watcher interference, but very rarely by their own hand.
My own life has been touched by suicide. It's nothing I would ever take lightly.
When I wrote The Unusual Second Life of Thomas Weaver, I thought it was a standalone novel. I had no idea that in 2023, I would be writing the 18th and 19th books in the series.
Because of that, suicide was the mechanism for reset that worked best for the story. When I wrote the next few books in the series, it seemed to make sense to continue that pattern.
By the time I got to Book Eight, however, I wanted to make a change, and I did. From that point forward, the protagonists die natural deaths, or through their own stupidity, or from Watcher interference, but very rarely by their own hand.
My own life has been touched by suicide. It's nothing I would ever take lightly.
Shawn Inmon
Hi, Daniel
Richard Bell is out in ebook, but I don't have a release date for the audio version yet. We're shooting for November, but it might be December.
Richard Bell is out in ebook, but I don't have a release date for the audio version yet. We're shooting for November, but it might be December.
Shawn Inmon
Yes, people often mention that book to me as being influenced by Middle Falls.
However, since I had not even read Replay, for instance, when I wrote The Unusual Second Life of Thomas Weaver, it's entirely possible that Relive was written out of pure imagination.
One of the reasons I wrote the Middle Falls series was because I couldn't find many time travel books like I wanted to read - essentially character-based books that tightly focused on a single protagonist, without all the whiz-bang of scientific time travel.
However, a few other time travel books I have enjoyed include 11/22/63 by Stephen King, which did influence Middle Falls, In Times Like These by Nathan Van Coops, The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North, and Time and Again by Jack Finney.
However, since I had not even read Replay, for instance, when I wrote The Unusual Second Life of Thomas Weaver, it's entirely possible that Relive was written out of pure imagination.
One of the reasons I wrote the Middle Falls series was because I couldn't find many time travel books like I wanted to read - essentially character-based books that tightly focused on a single protagonist, without all the whiz-bang of scientific time travel.
However, a few other time travel books I have enjoyed include 11/22/63 by Stephen King, which did influence Middle Falls, In Times Like These by Nathan Van Coops, The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North, and Time and Again by Jack Finney.
Shawn Inmon
I assume you're talking about why he doesn't go to the cops about Michael Hollister?
I spent a lot of time thinking about that.
If he went to the cops, what could he tell them, especially if it was prior to Michael's first murder.
That he was a time traveler and knew what Michael would become? No, that would lead to a quick trip to a psychiatric hospital, but not repercussions for Michael.
After the first murder? Again, what could he tell them? "I know it's this guy Michael Hollister?" That might have shined a spotlight on him, but wouldn't be strong enough to do much more.
In effect, Thomas planting the evidence that led them to Michael was the equivalent of doing just that - he put their eyes and focus on Michael without involving himself (the questions would start with "And how do you know this) at all.
In the end, I thought it made for a much smoother denouement to handle it the way I did.
Hope that helps.
I spent a lot of time thinking about that.
If he went to the cops, what could he tell them, especially if it was prior to Michael's first murder.
That he was a time traveler and knew what Michael would become? No, that would lead to a quick trip to a psychiatric hospital, but not repercussions for Michael.
After the first murder? Again, what could he tell them? "I know it's this guy Michael Hollister?" That might have shined a spotlight on him, but wouldn't be strong enough to do much more.
In effect, Thomas planting the evidence that led them to Michael was the equivalent of doing just that - he put their eyes and focus on Michael without involving himself (the questions would start with "And how do you know this) at all.
In the end, I thought it made for a much smoother denouement to handle it the way I did.
Hope that helps.
Shawn Inmon
Unfortunately, all my musical talent resides in my golden ears. I can't play an instrument or sing at all. =)
You are picking up on something that is really part of my writing process. Sometimes I will come up with a question, in this case "what would the ethics be of using foreknowledge to create something that was already created?"
Sometimes that question will occur to me in the midst of a book where it can't really be fully answered. So I tuck it away in my mental file cabinet to be answered in full in a later book.
So it was with Aiden and the idea of "borrowing" a popular song. That question provided the entire framework of the movie "Yesterday," but I wanted to use it to show how Aiden's mind - and character - worked.
Cheers!
You are picking up on something that is really part of my writing process. Sometimes I will come up with a question, in this case "what would the ethics be of using foreknowledge to create something that was already created?"
Sometimes that question will occur to me in the midst of a book where it can't really be fully answered. So I tuck it away in my mental file cabinet to be answered in full in a later book.
So it was with Aiden and the idea of "borrowing" a popular song. That question provided the entire framework of the movie "Yesterday," but I wanted to use it to show how Aiden's mind - and character - worked.
Cheers!
Shawn Inmon
One thing I'm learning is that I am really terrible at ending series.
When I wrote the first half of Thomas Weaver, I thought it was a standalone book. It wasn't until Carrie turned to Thomas in the hallway and said, "How many lives is this for you?" that I knew there would be a sequel.
My plan was to write a trilogy. That morphed into six books, when I announced I was done with the series. Six more immediately followed before I again announced I was done with it. I just published #14 in June, and I am planning to release #15 in December, so we see how that went.
It's the same, more or less, with Alex Hawk. I envisioned it as a trilogy. When that was wrapped up, I saw another storyline that would take two books to resolve. My intent was to kill Alex off so I wouldn't be tempted to return. Now I am starting a sixth book this week and am planning a seventh for early 2022.
As I say, I'm not very good at killing off characters!
When I wrote the first half of Thomas Weaver, I thought it was a standalone book. It wasn't until Carrie turned to Thomas in the hallway and said, "How many lives is this for you?" that I knew there would be a sequel.
My plan was to write a trilogy. That morphed into six books, when I announced I was done with the series. Six more immediately followed before I again announced I was done with it. I just published #14 in June, and I am planning to release #15 in December, so we see how that went.
It's the same, more or less, with Alex Hawk. I envisioned it as a trilogy. When that was wrapped up, I saw another storyline that would take two books to resolve. My intent was to kill Alex off so I wouldn't be tempted to return. Now I am starting a sixth book this week and am planning a seventh for early 2022.
As I say, I'm not very good at killing off characters!
Shawn Inmon
Hey, Daniel. As compared to most traditional writers, I know I am prolific, but honestly I could be more so if I wasn't so lazy!
Writing is my full time job. My kids are all grown and out on their own. I have a supportive wife. That means that my time is essentially my own every day.
There are a lot of things that go into being an indie writer other than writing - social media, handling ads, constantly keeping up with the changing river that is Amazon.
But, I am able to write a thousand words an hour. So, I make sure that I write at least 2-3 hours every day, which nets me out an average of about 2,500 words each day. From the time I start a book until it is finished, I write every day, then take a week or so off.
That means I write, on average, about 17,000 words per week, or about 68,000 words a month.
My Middle Falls books run around 72,000 words on average, so it takes me about a month to write one of them. My Alex Hawk and Kradak books are longer - at least 100,000 - so it takes me about six weeks to write one of them.
The key for me, though, is that while the first one is going through the end of production - editing, proofreading, formatting - I am already at work on the next book, writing 2,500 words per day.
That will allow me to put out seven (maybe eight) books this year, along with writing a number of short stories that I give away to people who have signed up for my newsletter.
I know there are author names who are either a group of people writing under a single name, or author names who hire ghostwriters to write their fiction. Nothing wrong with that, but I can't do it. Every single word ever published under my name, good or bad, came directly from my brain.
Cheers!
Writing is my full time job. My kids are all grown and out on their own. I have a supportive wife. That means that my time is essentially my own every day.
There are a lot of things that go into being an indie writer other than writing - social media, handling ads, constantly keeping up with the changing river that is Amazon.
But, I am able to write a thousand words an hour. So, I make sure that I write at least 2-3 hours every day, which nets me out an average of about 2,500 words each day. From the time I start a book until it is finished, I write every day, then take a week or so off.
That means I write, on average, about 17,000 words per week, or about 68,000 words a month.
My Middle Falls books run around 72,000 words on average, so it takes me about a month to write one of them. My Alex Hawk and Kradak books are longer - at least 100,000 - so it takes me about six weeks to write one of them.
The key for me, though, is that while the first one is going through the end of production - editing, proofreading, formatting - I am already at work on the next book, writing 2,500 words per day.
That will allow me to put out seven (maybe eight) books this year, along with writing a number of short stories that I give away to people who have signed up for my newsletter.
I know there are author names who are either a group of people writing under a single name, or author names who hire ghostwriters to write their fiction. Nothing wrong with that, but I can't do it. Every single word ever published under my name, good or bad, came directly from my brain.
Cheers!
Shawn Inmon
Hi, Shawna! I just now saw this question!
My least-favorite character and my favorite book have the same answer. =) Michael Hollister. I hated him for what he did to Carrie, and I struggled to write his book because of it. However, in the end, I saw who he was and his own struggles.
I tend to love the characters who have the most struggles themselves. So, Michael, Charles Waters, Hart Tanner. To me, when they do find their redemption, it is all the sweeter.
This concept came to me when I was daydreaming one day about things I would do differently in my own life. The thought occurred to me that even if I thought I knew what was coming, I would probably still mess things up. Just like that, Middle Falls was born!
My least-favorite character and my favorite book have the same answer. =) Michael Hollister. I hated him for what he did to Carrie, and I struggled to write his book because of it. However, in the end, I saw who he was and his own struggles.
I tend to love the characters who have the most struggles themselves. So, Michael, Charles Waters, Hart Tanner. To me, when they do find their redemption, it is all the sweeter.
This concept came to me when I was daydreaming one day about things I would do differently in my own life. The thought occurred to me that even if I thought I knew what was coming, I would probably still mess things up. Just like that, Middle Falls was born!
Shawn Inmon
Thank you, Fel. We will all do better to have a little Mushu in our lives. :)
Shawn Inmon
Hi, George.
From time to time in my books, I want to quote a song. However, I won't use someone else's intellectual property without permission and that permission is often hard (and/or costly) to obtain.
My problem is, I am not a musician, or a poet. So writing lyrics myself doesn't work.
However, I have a friend named Steve Larson who is a musician, and a songwriter. So, when I need a song that I can quote, I turn to him. I've done it twice so far. For my book Rock 'n Roll Heaven, I needed a song for my protagonist to sing with Buddy Holly. I had some general ideas of what I wanted to say, but didn't have the ability to write the song.
Steve wrote a song for me called "Edge of Heaven" and gave me the rights to use those lyrics in the book.
I did the same thing for my book The Reset Life of Cassandra Collins. He wrote a 60s-era protest song called "Not for Marching" for that book.
Now, the real mystery is, why was the credit for that song included in the prior book, The Vigilante Life of Scott McKenzie.
And the answer is... I have no idea. Just a mistake likely.
If you continue on in the series, you will find the song and lyrics in the next book.
Cheers!
From time to time in my books, I want to quote a song. However, I won't use someone else's intellectual property without permission and that permission is often hard (and/or costly) to obtain.
My problem is, I am not a musician, or a poet. So writing lyrics myself doesn't work.
However, I have a friend named Steve Larson who is a musician, and a songwriter. So, when I need a song that I can quote, I turn to him. I've done it twice so far. For my book Rock 'n Roll Heaven, I needed a song for my protagonist to sing with Buddy Holly. I had some general ideas of what I wanted to say, but didn't have the ability to write the song.
Steve wrote a song for me called "Edge of Heaven" and gave me the rights to use those lyrics in the book.
I did the same thing for my book The Reset Life of Cassandra Collins. He wrote a 60s-era protest song called "Not for Marching" for that book.
Now, the real mystery is, why was the credit for that song included in the prior book, The Vigilante Life of Scott McKenzie.
And the answer is... I have no idea. Just a mistake likely.
If you continue on in the series, you will find the song and lyrics in the next book.
Cheers!
Shawn Inmon
If I answered this, it would ruin all the fun, wouldn't it?
Shawn Inmon
Holy cow, I just saw this question, two years after it was asked! My apologies.
I haven't read Glimpses, so I have to say I wasn't influenced by it at all. But now it is on my reading list!
The only Glimpses that might have influenced me is the song by the Yardbirds. I often listen to that while I write.
I haven't read Glimpses, so I have to say I wasn't influenced by it at all. But now it is on my reading list!
The only Glimpses that might have influenced me is the song by the Yardbirds. I often listen to that while I write.
Shawn Inmon
You're right - I just looked on the mighty 'Zon, and they are showing it is out of stock. Typically, that's because an author used a POD publisher other than CreateSpace or KDP. Normally, if someone orders a copy, though, they will get on the stick and get some in.
Wish I could help more - I think it looks like a great book.
Shawn
Wish I could help more - I think it looks like a great book.
Shawn
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Jul 17, 2025 06:39PM · flag