3Q’s – A.S. MacKenzie takes a Long Walk Back
Today’s guest is someone whom I connected with while a member of the Kendall Reviews review team. A.S. joined and offered up solid commentary of dark fiction releases. Then, we became Publisher mates when he was published through Demain Publishing and finally, we became Table of Contents buddies when he appeared in an Anthology that I was also in! Throughout, it’s been great connecting with A.S., seeing his newest releases and supporting along the way.
Please, welcome A.S.!
Steve: What does your writing time look like? Do you try and write at the same time each day? Do you have a word count you attempt to hit?
AM: My writing time can be summed up in one word: chaos. I try to schedule, and then life happens so the schedule gets upended. I try to write as I have availability, but then the aforementioned life happens again. So far, the best I’ve been able to do is to just make random days my “Writing Day”. It’s not nearly as consistent as it should be, nor as much as my imagination would like, but it allows me to pour a ton of energy into one spot. That’s been really helpful. A recent short I wrote for a western horror anthology submission I wrote in a single morning on my phone. That’s not typical but it does show that if I can pour the energy into as condensed a time as possible, it seems to keep the world at bay long enough for me to finish. As for measured goals, I’m happy when any words on the page because they are more than I had before I started, but I typically try to stick in the 1500-2000 range at a time. It is typically enough to get the gist of what I want to say right then.
Steve: You decide to host a writer’s retreat. One weekend in a luxury house on an island. What three other authors do you invite to come along?
AM: Funny enough, this was an easy question. I’d bring a buddy of mine, Nicholas Sansbury Smith, because he’s an awesome person to be around, incredibly talented and creative, and he’s really athletic. If there’s a need for someone to run for help or to pull someone from the edge of a cliff, I want it to be the fit one. The second choice would be another friend, T Wood. They are Gen-X, goth-y, sarcastic, brilliant, and would readily be up for animated arguing over which movie is better and why. The third would be Jonathan Maberry because his work has been the single greatest influence on my writing journey. I’ve read everything he’s ever written (and it is a LOT) and met him a few times. He’s a no-nonsense, super nice guy, who could give writing advice that is time-tested and solid. Also, he’s crazy accomplished in multiple fighting martial arts, so that’d be good in case the island is invaded, or we need to fight our way out of the newly discovered cellar in the house.
Steve: Tell me about your newest release (novel/story/poem/novella) and why someone should read it!
AM: My latest release was a self-published novella titled, Long Walk Back. It’s about two guys from the city who decided to go hike and camp and now need to get back, but their inexperience in the wilderness and their own troubles mean they don’t get to go home so easily. Fog, storms, mud slides, bees, and bears are the least of their problems because they may not be able to survive each other. It’s currently available for free through my site. I have another novella coming early next year about a guy who is forced to announce the return of something coming to reclaim the earth. His life turns inside out as the world descends into chaos and he is forced to announce the countdown to their return. It’s titled ‘Herald’ and details on release date/price will be coming soon. Also, have a couple of more projects that I can’t announce yet coming next year.
https://claims.prolificworks.com/free/y1577OjG
Steve: Bonus Question! You receive an invitation in the mail from one of these two people. The invitation invites you to have dinner and spend the night in their home. Do you accept the invitation from Victor Frankenstein or Dracula and why?
AM: Dracula, no contest. I can keep enough garlic and crosses around me to keep me safe. Victor I wouldn’t trust to not drug my food and the next thing I know I’m the left arm, right lung, and ears on his next creation. No thanks.
Great choice! Thank you so much for doing this A.S.!
To find more of his work, check the links!
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/A-S-MacKenzie/e/B089ZHB7DR/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/a_s_mackenzie
Website: http://www.asmackenzie.com/
