The Author Interviews, Round 3: #10: Donald Firesmith

The final interview in this round welcomesDonald Firesmith, author of Hell Holes: Demons of the Dalton.Tell us a little about yourself - Perhaps something not many people know?I used to live in the Pacific Northwest in a tiny lumber-mill town on the south side of Mount Saint Helens. Although the police had closed most of the roads up the mountain (especially on the north side), I actually drove up various logging roads to where the snow stopped me from going any farther just 2 days before the volcano blew. I hoped to feel some of the harmonic tremors, but only remember the deadly silence with no birds singing. I then headed up to a science fiction conference in Vancouver, BC and had to drive back down I5 through all of the ash. I was in one of the last cars across the bridge before they had to close it because of the flood the melted snow, ash, and dead trees rushing down the river. I remember the bridge jerking sideways each time a huge tree hit a support dead on.Million dollar question, are you working on another book?I’m working on three, actually. I am in the middle of writing Hell Holes 3: To Hell and Back, blocking out the plot and characters of Hell Holes 4: A Slave in Hell, and finishing up the manuscript of Free and Low-Cost Marketing for Indie Authors.Have you written any other books that are not published?I wrote two software engineering books that never ended up published because they were overcome by events. I did have six other books published by major publishers.What do you think about the ebook revolution?Absolutely wonderful. No book is perfect, and there are always minor fixes and improvements that can be made. Traditional publishers force you to wait, sometimes forever, before you can put out a second edition. I also have much freedom and control of my books.What is your advice to Indie Authors? On writing? Marketing?My book, Free and Low-Cost Marketing for Indie Authors, is about 90% done. Until the finished book is launched, you can download a free copy from my author website. I only ask in return that you let me know of any recommendations you might have, no matter how few or how small. In other words, I am hoping that some of the people who download it act as informal beta readers.Pen or type writer or computer?COMPUTER!!!! I’ve been using a computer since the late 1980s. It is so much more efficient. I also do a great deal of research for the real aspects of my paranormal, fantasy, science fiction, and horror novels. For example, when writing Hell Holes 2: Demons on the Dalton, I was only able to actually drive the Dalton “Highway” from Fairbanks up to the Yukon River. However, I did virtually drive the whole way down from Deadhorse using Google Maps Street View.Music or silence?MUSIC!! I typically listen to Epic Music on either Pandora or YouTube, although sometimes I listen to Celtic or Middle Eastern instrumentals when I want a change of pace.Do you set goals of certain number of words a week or just when inspiration strikes?Mostly, it depends how busy I am with my day job, how much time I have to spend marketing, and my personal life.What tactics do you have when writing? (For example: outline or just write)I determine the basic plot, identify the specific chapters, and block them out. After that, I just start writing, skipping around as the muse moves me. At that point, it’s totally unplanned and I have no idea what I’m going to write before I write it. It’s fun, kind of like I’m a reader getting to find out what happens next.What have you put most of your effort into regarding writing?I probably spend twice as much time editing and rewriting as I do the original writing, and that’s before the editor(s) get to it. Depending on what I’m writing about, I also spend a lot of time researching aspects of what I am writing about.Does your book have a lesson?I guess it is that a normal person (in my case, a couple of university professors) can rise to the occasion and do what they must to survive.What is your favourite part of your current book?For Hell Holes 3: To Hell and Back, researching and selecting the right thermonuclear bomb and small UAV for spreading the demon plague were a lot of fun. It’s amazing the details you can find on the Internet.If you were running the 100 yard dash with a new writer. What writing, publishing wisdom would you bestow upon him/her before you reached the 100 yards?When you completely finish the first draft of your manuscript, you’re not almost done, not even close. And prepare to spend a lot of time marketing if you want to generate significant sales.If you could spend time with a character from your book who would it be? And what would you do during that day?I would spend the day with the bewitchingly-beautiful 1,400 year-old sorceress, Aileen O’Shannon, learning about more of her adventures, what it’s been live to live so long, and how to do some of the magic she knows.What is the toughest criticism given to you as an author?I think the worst criticism is to get a one or two-star rating without any written review explaining the rationale. Constructive criticism doesn’t bother me as it is an opportunity to improve the book and my writing skills, but a lousy review without explanation is tough. I also have a problem with glowing reviews full of nothing but positive statements coupled with a three-star rating (which Amazon considers a critical/negative review).What has been the best compliment?My first Hell Holes book was written from the first person point of view of the lead male character. The second book was written from the point of view of his wife. In preparation for writing the second book, I must have read 20 paranormal books having strong female protagonists written by female authors. One reviewer of both books complemented me on how he thought that it was remarkable that I had written both books as the second book seemed like it had been written by a female author. Mission accomplished. I also love it when reviewers quote their favourite lines from my books.Who is your favourite author and why?Isaac Asimov. He was a great influence on my science fiction short stories during high school, and I also devoured all of his science books. He was also nice, answering all of my letters with postcards.Do you have any hidden or uncommon talents?I handcraft fine wooden magic wands incorporating gemstones including sapphires, rubies, and emeralds as well as the more typical semiprecious stones.What gives you inspiration for your book(s)?My Hell Hole books were inspired by an article I read concerning mysterious huge holes found in northern Siberia. I asked myself, what would it be like if instead of 3 holes, there were hundreds of holes all around the Arctic Circle and what if they had all appeared overnight? My book, Magical Wands: A Cornucopia of Wand Lore, was inspired when I read about the Flourish and Blotts bookstore in Diagon Alley in the first Harry Potter book. I so wanted to go there and buy some of the books. I kept waiting for JK Rolling to write them, but when she didn’t (except for some very short ones for charity), I decided to write my own.Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?In my Hell Holes series, all of my characters are created from whole cloth. However, in my magic wand book, I included a chapter on famous witches and wizards and their wands in which approximately half of the characters were based on real people (or myths) and the other half were completely made up. It was interesting to see if the readers could tell which ones where which, especially since I added imagined material to the lives of the real people.What do you love most about the writing process?I love when I’m totally in the zone and the writing flows effortlessly as fast as I can type. It only happens rarely, but when it does, it’s great.If you would like to support Donald and his work, please consider purchasing a copy of the book below or visiting his social media. Many thanks.