Byron’s Comments (group member since Feb 20, 2013)

Byron’s comments from the Author Byron Suggs Hosts a Q&A Session group.

Hi, Kendra! Thanks for dropping by. To answer your questions, Rockapocalypse was actually two stories. The first one never really had a title and it was comprised of the current back story with a different beginning and ending. After doing several re-writes over a year and a half, I became frustrated because no one showed any interest in the story. Then WWC wanted to give it a shot, but it was turned down by their pub board. So, convinced that my story had to be told, I got really frustrated and wrote the current day story around (and through) the original one during Nov/Dec of 2011. Two months later, I had a contract. As for the title, it just came to me one day when I was re-writing the beginning. With the historical elements, there was a great deal of research needed during the whole process.

Thanks, Linda!

Thanks, Nicole!

I hope it is. It was fun to write, and probably the most satisfying thing I've written so far. It's on submission with my agent.

My second book is completely different. I wanted to experiment with the mystery/crime/thriller genres and I discovered something there that I wasn't expecting to find: My true writing voice. "Cold Currents" landed me my first agent. In fact, I ended up with three that offered me representation. You can read a short synopsis on my website and watch the trailer there as well.

Nicole wrote: "I enjoyed the entire book. Trying to pick one part as my favorite, is tricky. I think there was more truth and emotions in the scenes when the main characters are younger. As a reader, I could sens..."
Yes, I had a blast with them. Since I was following a theme of redemption, I wanted to make their second life positive in a different kind of way. They were like my own superheros.

Nicole wrote: "What was your favorite scene to write?"

That would be a toss up between the portal scene with Mojo and the final showdown at the pond. I have many favorites, but were the most fun to write!

For those who read Rockapocalypse, what was your favorite part of the book? And why?

Linda, that's a hard one to put my finger on. I will say I spent many years reading authors like Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Peter Straub, etc., as well as various others like Terry Pratchett and Patricia Cornwell. On the whole, it was authors like Pete Dexter that hit the sweet spot better than the rest. A little quirky, good storytelling, etc.

Welcome, everyone! Let's talk about writing in general and Rockapocalypse in particular.