Interview with Michael Chatfield, SACREMON

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?Sacremon looks at what would happen if corporations controlled everything - from Earth to the colonies that they have settled. Government is just a system to keep the workers of Earth and Her Colonies under the Corporations’ control. Sacremon follows the story of two brothers, Mark and Tyler Victor that grew up in the slums of Earth. Earth is made up of two groups: those that live in the slums, and those that live in the massive cities that are made up of the richest CEOs. The CEOs do as they want, and the people in the slums fight one another for the little that they have. The only way out of the slums is through Earth’s Military Force (EMF). The EMF has one role - to secure the corporations’ control over the colonists that work for them in their settled colonies. Sacremon is the first in The Harmony War Series.
Do you have a favorite character?Hard question! I like all of the characters, even if they are uncaring CEOs and rebelling colonists. But my favourite character would have to be Mark. He’s a lot of fun to follow and watch his reactions. Plus the dude can fight. There’s not many scenes quite like having Mark in a fight. He seems to find himself in a lot of those for some reason…
What factors influenced your decision to self-publish your book(s)?To be honest, I never even really thought about traditional publishing. There were so many barriers to entry, and I wanted the greater control over my work that I have heard traditionally-published authors complaining about.
If you used a graphic designer/publisher’s designer, how involved were you during the creative process for your cover?I’m pretty involved, but not too much. My current cover artist is Hokunin. I basically give him reference images on what I want the characters to have, or an idea of what the scene might be on the cover, and see what he comes up with. I think that having a solid image of the book’s cover in your head can be negative, as it is rare that your imagination will match up with reality. It’s better to have a rough idea and then see what the cover artist comes up with. I’ve been lucky to find an artist who can make some really great covers, so I’m always happily surprised and excited to see what the cover of a book will be.  What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?Once I have my characters and thought of a scenario for them, I build my way up to my daily word goal and keep going till I’ve got the book down. I’ll add in scenes at the end, if I think something is missing, and fire it off to my beta readers. After throwing a bunch of emails around and correcting any mess-ups I have, it’s off to my editor. I’m constantly listening to music. YouTube is always open, and I probably spend too much time looking for new music.
Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?I’m along for the ride as much as the readers. I start off a story making up a character, and then throwing them into interesting situations. Sometimes I have a general direction I’m going in, but most of the time, it’s just crazy adventure.
Did you hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing?Yes I most definitely do! With my first book, The Recruitment, I learned to invest in an editor. I’m good with the whole storytelling thing, but sentence structure is usually left by the wayside. Having an editor makes it not only a better story, but an easier read.
What kinds of marketing [twitter, facebook, blog, forums] are you involved with for promoting your book(s)?Readers and sci fi fans can find me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/michaelchatfieldsbooks/), follow me on Twitter (@chatfieldsbooks) or check out my website at: http://michaelchatfield.com/Here, you can find all of the latest news on my books and read exclusive excerpts.
Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?That was one of my biggest issues. I found that I was spending more time keeping my social media and other advertising up-to-date, instead of getting to work on my book. It was the reason that I got a “social media guy” (he also goes by Jay.) He takes care of that side of things, and I get back to writing as much as possible!
What’s next for you?Next for me is looking to work on the next book in the Harmony War Series, Masoul. It’s already proving to be a wild ride. If people liked Sacremon, then I think they’ll be addicted to Masoul.
Why should people read your latest release, SACREMON, and your books in general?If you like characters, mixed with action and backed up with real science, then I’ve got some books for you. When I start a story, I don’t look at the events of the story. I look at the characters. They’re the reason we’re all reading - good characters that can grip us, and pull us into a story.
Well, that’s why I read at least! That is why my characters are the centre of the story. Then I throw them into scenario after scenario, based off real science and events. After that, it’s just a ride for me as much as it is for the reader. I may have an idea of how the characters are going to react, but it’s not until I write out the scene that I see how they change. The characters are gritty and real. They have their own issues, motivations and needs.

Amazon buy link:  http://amzn.to/29ni4BG

Author Bio: Having spent the majority of his childhood jumping from country to country with his mother, Michael Chatfield now travels the world searching for inspiration. He calls Canada home, for now, but regularly bounces across the pond to his true home, the UK. Michael pays the bills as an Infanteer in the Canadian military.
Michael is an accomplished science fiction author based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and has written a series of novels, titled The Free Fleet Series, released on Amazon. His latest book, From Furies Forged Free Fleet 5, was just released on June 4. His upcoming release, the first book of the Harmony War Series, Sacremon, is forthcoming. 
You can find all of Michael's book at his Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Michael-Chatfield/e/B00WCAOQME