Author Feature Article/Interview of Medium.com Indie Author: Alex R. Carver

A Look Into the Consistency of An Indie Author by Angel M.B. Chadwick

Consistency is the art of being prolific. It’s the foundation on which to build a platform consisting of drive and ambition and indie author Alex R. Carver has it all in spades.
My first discovery of this author’s works was on Wattpad.com. The first of his books I read is titled, Written in Blood. Starting off with action and suspense in this one had me intrigued from the very beginning. I knew right then and there this was a brilliant author in the making with an intelligent approach with his writing style. The descriptions are well thought-out from the start, giving the reader an eloquent experience of being right there so ingrained with the characters. The world building is well-written.

With eight novels successfully published, Exposed, Written in Blood, An Unwanted Inheritance (Cas Dragunov), Inspector Stone Mysteries Vol. 1 (Book 1-3) Where There’s A Will (Book 1), An Eye For An Eye (Book 2), A Perfect Pose (Book 3) and Into the Fire, his latest and fourth installment in his Inspector Stone Mysteries series Alex R. Carver is definitely on his way to being a bestselling indie author.


Alex R. Carver's Books:



























Interviewing Alex R. Carver:


Angel Chadwick: Hi, Alex! Tell us a little about yourself and your latest novel.

Alex R. Carver: Hi, I’m Alex R Carver (not my real name, I decided to go with a pen name when I published my first book to keep my personal and my writing lives as separate as possible) and I live with my elderly Mum, for whom I act as carer after she suffered a stroke last year, and Molly the Yorkshire Terrier, who is currently unhappy because the vet has said she needs to lose a few pounds.

My latest book is Into The Fire, the fourth book in my Inspector Stone Mysteries, and it centres on the discovery of a body in the burned wreck of a car found in the woods outside of the fictional town of Branton.


Angel Chadwick: What inspired you to be a writer and to get into indie publishing? How long have you been writing? How long have you been published as an indie author?

Alex R. Carver: I have been a writer for quite literally as long as I can remember. One of my earliest solid memories is of writing a children’s adventure novel when I was 10. I have been writing off and on ever since. I don’t know exactly what inspired me to become a writer, but it might have been the fact that I started reading from a young age and have always loved reading.
I began my indie publishing career a little under a year and a half ago following a two year period where I lacked either a computer or internet access, which gave me lots of time for writing and helped me to focus enough to develop Inspector Stone and the world he inhabits. Once I was in a position to get myself a laptop and the internet I decided it was time to get publishing.

Angel Chadwick: Who are your writing mentors/authors? What genres do you enjoy writing and what genres do you like to read? Are you an avid reader/reviewer of other authors?

Alex R. Carver: I’m happy to read most genres, so long as the story and the characters are good, but my favourite is probably fantasy. I’m not sure I would call him a writing mentor, per se, but I do aspire to someday write a book that is considered on a par with something from Charles Dickens, whose Oliver Twist is one of my go-to books when I’m after a good read.

Angel Chadwick: Have you ever co-wrote or consider collaborating or co-writing with anyone on a writing project?

Alex R. Carver: A number of years ago I did co-write a book, 2 books in fact, in a genre I would not normally write in, and unfortunately I cannot say the experience was a good one. I don’t say that I would never collaborate or co-write again, but before doing so I would want to be sure I have a contract in place that protects my rights.

Angel Chadwick: What are your dreams and aspirations that could drive you forward on this writing and publication journey?

Alex R. Carver: My dreams are, in my opinion, both simple and grand. I want to make a living from my writing, which I believe is entirely possible, if not necessarily something that will happen soon, and I want to sell one million books.

Angel Chadwick: Do you prefer to do marketing and promotion yourself for your works or would you rather have someone else control that spectrum? What are some of the things you have done to promote and market yourself?

Alex R. Carver: I have tried a number of things to promote and market my books: I’ve blogged, used a variety of social media, told random people in real life about my books, paid for promotion on a variety of sites, done blog tours, and virtually anything else I think might get a result. Marketing and promotion are not my favourite jobs, though, and given a choice I would have someone do it for me.

Angel Chadwick: What is your greatest accomplishment as an author?

Alex R. Carver: One of the books I co-wrote years ago spent 6 straight weeks as the #1 drama on Amazon.com. It earned more money in that time I used to earn from my day job in a year.

Angel Chadwick: What's the next writing project(s) you're working on?

Alex R. Carver: My next project is a follow up to a serial killer thriller I published last year, followed by book 5 in the Inspector Stone Mysteries.

Angel Chadwick: How would you balance creativity with the business side of writing such as coming up with particular concepts and solutions to stand out amongst the crowd in this writing/publishing industry where 'popularity' is key, if your idea wasn't exactly popular/or was unknown to the readers/publishers?

Alex R. Carver: I honestly have no idea. I already struggle to find a balance between the creative and business sides of the publishing business. I spend far more time writing than anything else.

Angel Chadwick: Have you ever been traditionally published? Would you consider it? Or feel like a sell out if you took a traditional deal and abandoned indie publishing? Have you ever thought about being a hybrid, part indie, part traditionally published? How would you feel about such an opportunity, if both or either of these things happened?

Alex R. Carver: I’ve never been traditionally published, and given the stories I’ve heard about it in recent years, I’m not sure I would want to be, but I guess it depends on what sort of deal I was offered. If the agreement contained guarantees regarding marketing, combined with a decent advance, I might be tempted.

Angel Chadwick: What other creative talents do you have? Do you draw, sketch, paint, etc.?

Alex R. Carver: I can draw, not as well as my great-uncle who was an amazing artist, but I’m capable when I concentrate and I’m in the right mood.

Angel Chadwick: What advice would you give other aspiring authors?

Alex R. Carver: Keep writing, don’t expect overnight success, and be prepared for a hard slog, but most of all, believe in yourself.

Angel Chadwick: Describe yourself in a one-sentence epithet.

Alex R. Carver: I’m an anxiety-ridden mess who loves animals, loves writing, and loves solitude.

Angel Chadwick: Paying it forward. What things do you do in your community/ and other communities to help others?

Alex R. Carver: My blog and social media are always available to my fellow writers, and I provide whatever support I’m able to in whatever situation. It’s a difficult situation for me because of my own mental health issues but I do what I can, in whatever way I’m able.

List of articles written by Alex R. Carver on Medium.com:
https://medium.com/@arcarver87/

Alex R. Carver’s Social Media Sites:
https://alexrcarver.wordpress.com/
https://twitter.com/arcarver87
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...


Buy Links to Alex R. Carver’s books:
https://www.amazon.com/Alex-R-Carver/...
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/search?que...
https://www.books2read.com/u/bxgXVl

Alex R. Carver’s Bio:
After working in the clerical, warehouse and retail industries over the years, without gaining much satisfaction, Alex R. Carver quit to follow his dream and become a full-time writer.
His non-writing dream is to one day earn enough to travel, with a return to Egypt to visit the parts he missed before, and Machu Picchu, top of his wishlist of destinations.
When not writing, he is either playing a game or being distracted by Molly the Yorkie, who is greedy for both attention and whatever food is to be found.