Hugh Howey (author of Wool) Q&A Dec. 11-17th

[David, Mr. Blue Eyes; He's the Best--Ain't no lie!! ;)]

From December 11th to 17th, bestselling author Hugh Howey will be coming to our group to answer questions about his bestselling Wool series, his life as an author, and about anything else you all can come up with!! So get ready for the fun and start thinking of some questions to ask him!

And if you haven't checked out Hugh Howey's books, take a peek, they're AWESOME!



Master List of Questions

1) Jeann: Your overwhelming success as an indie author has led to obtaining publishing contracts in the traditional publishing world. How did you feel when this happened? What would your advice be to other aspiring indie authors?

How did you come up with the idea for WOOL? It's such a simple idea but completely captivating!

WOOL rapidly switches between character perspectives in each episode, often in a shocking manner in the previous book. What was your thought process behind this?

What has been your favourite fan moment as an author?

2) Karen: I, Zombie is probably one of the most gory books I've ever read! Out of all the horror or zombie books out there, you touched on subjects I've never seen before. What made you decide to write a "zombie" book?

3) Karen: What's next after the Wool/Silo series?

Are there any future plans to revisit the Silo world? I'm intrigued to see what happens next!!

4) Jenny: There has been an explosion of dystopian novels hitting the market, especially in YA over the last few years. Why do you think this subject matter is so popular?

What made you decide to become a writer?

And, what is the your favorite part about being a writer? What is your least favorite?

5) David: I always think of bestselling authors as superheroes. What do you do when you're not working? Save cats from trees? Pull people from burning buildings?

6) Kelly: Hi Hugh, I haven't got around to reading Wool as yet, I do have a copy though. I wanted to ask you about Sand. Do you find it easier to write and release in episodes than to hash out an entire novel?

I also seen the Goodreads release date, 2103 and thought wow, he's one good looking procrastinator.

7) Karen: Hi Hugh, I'm one of your Facebook stalkers friends so interact with you and your zany posts (and serious ones too) daily! So IS Ridley Scott really casting the Wool movie right now?

Do you have a dream cast?

What was your favorite dance challenge videos you did?

I've read the first few tidbits you released of The Belt of the Buried Gods (Sand, #1) and, for me, find it so incredibly interesting and unique! How did this one come to you?

8) Dre: What books have most influenced your life most?
- Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?

9) Layla: I know, it's like the favorite child question, but what book of yours is your personal favorite?

I know books say that this is a work of fiction, etc..., etc... but do you base any of your characters off people you are acquainted with in real life?

10) Dre: If a zombie apocalypse do become a reality, do you think you'd survive for a long time, or give in and be zombie or zombie food?

11) Keith: My question is mostly about DUST. When WOOL became successful and you decided to expand the SILOsphere (I prefer this term to WOOLiverse), did you worry about coming up with sufficient plots/stories for characters like Juliette, Lukas, Solo, Donald and others to face? I mean, after what they overcame in WOOL and Shift, were you worried that anything else that the silo might throw at them would seem ... trivial? Did you feel pressure to "raise the stakes" for them? Conversely, by putting these characters in the fight of her life for the SECOND time, did you worry that the intensity of the struggle would lose its impact on the reader?

12) Raquel: Hey Hugh! I recently found out that you live in Jupiter, which is a mere 20 minutes from me. For some reason, I have this notion that all celebrities (yes, you are a celebrity) live in places like LA or New York. I'm wondering, what was your initial reaction to the spike in sales? Did it happen overnight? Did you do a lot of marketing?

13) Jeann: What's the favourite place you've visited and how do you find being on tour and travelling to all of these amazing places?

Also what did you think of Australia and our crazy Supanova convention?

14) Jenny: Talking about traveling, where would you like to visit that you haven't been yet?

15) Karen: Do you have a secret you can share with us? ;-D

16) David: Two of my favorite characters from Shift are Jimmy (AKA Silo) and Shadow the cat. I thought they were both written perfectly and you can't help feeling for the both of them. Do you have any pets? Are you an animal lover?

17) David: What have I got in my pockets? Sorry, just kidding...(yes, I had another coffee) What's your favorite thing to do on date night?

18) Dre: If you were a Star Trek [or Star Wars] character, which one would it be? If you don't watch these, are you a Doctor Who fan? Who's your favorite Doctor?

19) Jenny: How long have you been married?

20) Dre: If everyone here comes over to your house for an impromptu dinner party, what would you prepare for us, given that you can only use what's currently inside your fridge?

21) Kaley: For someone starting out today, who hasn't published either traditionally or self-pubbed, what should the writer consider in deciding which route to go?

Also, given how fast the publishing climate is changing, if someone was to self-publish, what would they need to do know for the current climate: write a lot, learn a lot about marketing, etc?

22) David: Who do you consider to be your most valuable critic?

23) Karen: So why do they clean?

24) Karen: What does a typical day look like?

Do you ever get writer's block? If so, how do you deal with it?

Chocolate or vanilla? ;-)

25) Jeann: What are your future writing plans - any particular genres or stories you are keen on writing about?

Do you read every single review written on your books? How do you take negative reviews as constructive criticism or flaming fireballs?

Do authors prefer negative reviews over no reviews?

26) What would make you smile from ear-to-ear if you get "this" gift for Christmas?

[Kelly]

Wow, that's awesome!

[David, Mr. Blue Eyes; He's the Best--Ain't no lie!! ;)]

SO STOKED! We don't have dates confirmed for Neal Shusterman yet, but he might be in December too! That will be an awesome month :)

[Karen’s Library]

Ohmygosh!! Soooooo excited for Hugh! Loved this series. I've read some of his other books too. You want gruesome, I think Hugh may win the gruesome award for . He holds NOTHING back!

His YA books are pretty good too!
series and are really good!

[David, Mr. Blue Eyes; He's the Best--Ain't no lie!! ;)]

You made it happen, Karen!!!

[Jeann (Happy Indulgence)]

How exciting, Hugh is freaking awesome! I love his WOOL series!

[Caitlin]

I'm gonna have to bump his books up on my TBR IT SEEMS!

[Jenny, Always smiling! :-D]

Woot, so awesome!

[Michael]

ok then wool is next it's much better when your next book is decided for you especially when you've been looking forward to it and saving it for a rainy day.
can't wait .

[David, Mr. Blue Eyes; He's the Best--Ain't no lie!! ;)]

Enjoy!!

[Karen’s Library]

Yay, Michael!

[Tracy]

I have part 1 on my kindle. Guess I need to read it. Someone on twitter recommended so I guess I should get on with it.

[Jenny, Always smiling! :-D]

Yay, Tracy! I need to get caught up as well, I'm way behind! :)

[Karen’s Library]

I'm ready for this one! I've read the entire Wool series (all 9 books), plus a few of his other books! This will be fun! ;-)

[David, Mr. Blue Eyes; He's the Best--Ain't no lie!! ;)]

I bought the second Omnibus! Can't wait!!

[Karen’s Library]

His third book in the series (counting the first 8 as 2 omnibuses) is up for Goodreads Best of 2013. Wow!

[David, Mr. Blue Eyes; He's the Best--Ain't no lie!! ;)]

Yes!! I voted for it!

[Zoe]

Hugh Howey! I'm excited :D I still need to read and ...

[David, Mr. Blue Eyes; He's the Best--Ain't no lie!! ;)]

Awesome Zoe! I need to read them too! We could buddy read them at some stage?

[Karen’s Library]

Hugh sent his newsletter out and put in his first few chapters of his newest book, Sand, that he's writing right now. They were completely unedited and raw and he may end up changing everything about them. But the concept kind of blew my mind.

It's going to be another amazing Hugh Howey book!

[Zoe]

David wrote: "Awesome Zoe! I need to read them too! We could buddy read them at some stage?"

I'd be up for that!

[David, Mr. Blue Eyes; He's the Best--Ain't no lie!! ;)]

Zoe wrote: "David wrote: "Awesome Zoe! I need to read them too! We could buddy read them at some stage?"

I'd be up for that!"

Cool beans :) How soon? I'm buddy reading Wither now, but I'd be up for Shift after that!

[David, Mr. Blue Eyes; He's the Best--Ain't no lie!! ;)]

Karen wrote: "Hugh sent his newsletter out and put in his first few chapters of his newest book, Sand, that he's writing right now. They were completely unedited and raw and he may end up changing everything ab..."

AWESOME! Can't wait :)

[Jeann (Happy Indulgence)]

Let's buddy read Shift, I'm totally up for that!

[Zoe]

David wrote: "Zoe wrote: "David wrote: "Awesome Zoe! I need to read them too! We could buddy read them at some stage?"

I'd be up for that!"

Cool beans :) How soon? I'm buddy reading Wither now, but I'd be up f..."

I can start anytime - just let me know! I might not get through the book too fast, though, since I'm currently neck-deep in revisions. I'm sure you know how it is :)

[David, Mr. Blue Eyes; He's the Best--Ain't no lie!! ;)]

Awesome Jeann/Zoe, let's do it! I set up a thread with a start date for Thursday, does that work? We can always push it back if necessary. Here's the link:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Zoe, I know EXACTLY what you mean! I'm in my second round of major revisions on Brew! A painful process but it's SO NICE to see how much improvement I've made to the story already. My beta readers are INCREDIBLE!

[Zoe]

David wrote: "Awesome Jeann/Zoe, let's do it! I set up a thread with a start date for Thursday, does that work? We can always push it back if necessary. Here's the link:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/158..."

Thursday works for me!

[David P]

I loved the whole Silo Saga (waiting to see where "Sand" will take us). In fact yesterday, as a member of an author panel at Long Beach Comic and Horror Con, I was asked which new author had the greatest influence on my own work. I didn't hesitate to say Hugh Howey. Not because of his stories so much, although I love them, but for the example he has set for other indie authors to emulate (and the personal advice he has given me). I was happy to hear the other authors on the panel (Jonathon Maberry, Nancy Holder, Christopher Rice, and Tamara Thorne) all echo their esteem for Hugh. Later in the day Nick Cole mentioned Hugh favorably while we chatted during a book signing. Hugh is a favorite of fans and peers alike.

[David, Mr. Blue Eyes; He's the Best--Ain't no lie!! ;)]

Welcome David! Very well said, indeed, he's an inspiration to a lot of people, myself included :)

[Karen’s Library]

David P wrote: "I loved the whole Silo Saga (waiting to see where "Sand" will take us). In fact yesterday, as a member of an author panel at Long Beach Comic and Horror Con, I was asked which new author had the gr..."

David, did you read the first few chapters of Sand in Hugh's newsletter? Looks so good!!

And wow, amazing panel, BTW!!

[David P]

Karen wrote: ..."

Hi Karen (waves). No, I haven't seen any of Sand yet. I will wait until it comes out and read it all in one sitting. :) So please no spoilers.

And yes, Karen, it really was an amazing panel. Quite intimidating at first, but they were all gracious and kind to the newbie indie. It was my first real "Con" and I was honored to be there as an invited guest.

[Karen’s Library]

David P wrote: "Karen wrote: ..."

Hi Karen (waves). No, I haven't seen any of Sand yet. I will wait until it comes out and read it all in one sitting. :) So please no spoilers.

And yes, Karen, it really was an..."

That's so amazing! And everyone, David P is the author of a really scary zombie apocalypse series
where something "I wrote" got featured in . And I don't write so even more amazing that I got in!!!

So, yes, I can see why you were invited to the panel! :-)

[David, Mr. Blue Eyes; He's the Best--Ain't no lie!! ;)]

That's awesome!

[Jenny, Always smiling! :-D]

That's so cool! I'll add them to my TBR!

I just finished reading and I loved it! Can't wait to ask my questions!

[David P]

Karen wrote: "David P wrote: "Karen wrote: ..."

Hi Karen (waves). No, I haven't seen any of Sand yet. I will wait until it comes out and read it all in one sitting. :) So please no spoilers.

And yes, Karen, ..."

You write just fine. :) Thanks for being part of the sovereignspirit.net role-playing blog contest. And thanks to Hugh Howey for tweeting some of my free promotions last year and giving some sage advice and encouragement. He is a superstar who would rather reach out a helping hand than a boot in the face to those trying to follow in his footsteps. :)

[Heather Bell]

Congrats Karen & Jenny.

[Jenny, Always smiling! :-D]

Thanks, although not sure what I'm being congratulations for :) But I'll always take a kind word, regardless!

[David, Mr. Blue Eyes; He's the Best--Ain't no lie!! ;)]

For becoming a mod :) Did you see the shout out message I sent out to the group :)

[Jenny, Always smiling! :-D]

DUH, yes, but that was like an hour ago, so I completely forgot! *smacks forehead*

Thank you so much Heather!

[David, Mr. Blue Eyes; He's the Best--Ain't no lie!! ;)]

Hahaha!

[Heather Bell]

You are very welcome Jenny...

[Jenny, Always smiling! :-D]

Thanks again! *hangs head in moderator shame*

[Karen’s Library]

Thanks Heather!! Jenny and I are going to rock this new gig!! ;-)

[Heather Bell]

sounds good,I hope that I get a chance to win something one day

[Karen’s Library]

WOW, Hugh Howey came in 2nd for the second year in a row for Goodreads Choice Awards - Best Science Fiction Book!!!

That's freaking amazing!!

https://www.goodreads.com/choiceaward...

CONGRATULATIONS Hugh!! What an accomplishment!

[Jenny, Always smiling! :-D]

Oh, I didn't see that, CONGRATULATIONS!!! That is awesome!!

[David, Mr. Blue Eyes; He's the Best--Ain't no lie!! ;)]

That's awesome!!!!!

[Karen’s Library]

Almost time to start posting questions! I have sooooo many for him!

[Heather Bell]

start asking questions....

[Jeann (Happy Indulgence)]

Yay, Congratulations Hugh! He came 2nd last year in that category too, I know I voted for DUST :)