Scott Semegran’s Advice to Fellow Indies: “Don’t let anyone get in the way of your desire to be creative and write.”

Originally posted by IndieReader.com on January 30, 2018

BOYS received a 5 star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.

Following find an interview with author Scott Semegran.

What is the name of the book and when was it published?

BOYS by Scott Semegran. It was published June 27, 2015.

What’s the book’s first line? 

“The little boy sat on the floor in his room surrounded by his toys–Micronauts action figures, Hot Wheels race cars, Star Wars action figures and vehicles, Evel Knievel doll and motor cycle, Shogun Warriors in various sizes, and a pile of Legos intermixed from various sets.”

What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”. 

BOYS is about three young, male characters growing up in central Texas during the 1980s and 1990s: a third-grader, a high-schooler, and a recent college graduate. All struggle with finding love and acceptance, either because their family life is unfulfilling or they are trying to navigate through life on their own for the first time. They long for friendship and companionship and ultimately find it in unlikely places. I put as much humor and raw emotion as I could into each story, allowing the love these characters have for their friends to shine through the darkness that life throws their way.

What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event? 

BOYS is a compilation of a short story, a novelette, and a novella. It didn’t start as a single project. After completing all three at the beginning of 2015, I saw the thematic thread through all three stories, although it was not intentional. They were intended for different purposes i.e. literary journals, magazines, or a book of some kind. It seemed to me that they would make great companion pieces to each other in one book so I hired a graphic designer for the cover and a couple of editors for the manuscript. As for inspiration, all three stories were inspired by my nostalgia for growing up in Texas. Although BOYS is not autobiographical, it was written with a loving nod to the friendships and connections I made as a boy and a young man growing up in central Texas.