1: What is the most productive time of
the day for you to write?
Usually,
I sleep during the day and pull an all night-er. I would like to say it’s
because its dark, no one else will interrupt with a phone call, and it’s
spooky! The reality is because I watch a lot of TV/Movies and surf the
inter-webs. You start watching an episode of American Pickers and you just lost four hours.
I'm
totally relate to Johnny Depp’s character in that Secret Window movie, in a sense that I sleep the day away; not the
murdering, split southern personality, or messy divorce… so to counter-act the
sleeping addiction, I work seven days a week, (4 hours a day during the week
days and 20 hours on the weekends. )
Yeah
I don't ever recommend working 7 days a week, not that I don't have major free
time after work, and get things done; it’s that it’s never ending! Hopefully one
of my works will take off, and then I can be lazy and not have a normal job.
2: Do you start your
projects writing with paper and pen or is it all on the computer?
Very good question, Mr. Kipp! I have done
various experiments with this.
At my job I use a notepad to write out
the books. Not only does it make me look like I’m doing something, its shows
I’m busy to annoying people I don’t want to talk too.
I
got an old portable PC, which can fit in your pocket… kind of. The keyboard was
just large enough for me to get used to without cramping my fingers. The
problem was it was on windows 97’ software, and crashed often until it just
stopped working.
Now you may ask why not get an updated
portable pc? I know right? Yeah they don’t make any of those past 2006, and for
800 dollars!
What
I found is the entire updated portable PC’s were basically Black Berries or cell phones. I just wanted the freaking Microsoft
Word program portable. It’s not like it’s changed in the last decade, you know!
Eventually
I got Quickoffice app for my Iphone,
which is portable Word, Power Point, etc for the Iphone. Turns out that the
keyboard on the Iphone is too small to type with, even when you turn side ways.
So I bought a mini-bluetooth keyboard for the Iphone, and I thought, HECK YES,
I won.
Well,
then I had to jail break, and buy another app just because Iphone keyboard
didn’t work with a 2g Iphone. Then after all that work, Microsoft word crashes
because it freaks out that there’s a blue tooth keyboard. BUT! I found out I
can write fine with the Notepad app on
the Iphone with the keyboard, you just have to copy and paste into a word .doc.
Looking
back, I only got it so I could use it at work, at night, so I didn’t have to
carry a laptop around. Well now I work mornings and it would look like I’m
texting, and when I’m at home I might as well use a desktop computer, because
anything else is too much work. Sigh…
3: What do you draw inspiration from?
A
lot of my stories are based on my experiences, friends, people I have met, and
everyday life. No one wants to read about me, so I’ll use those experiences
through my characters. Like “Amadeus,
Trust No One!”, based off me playing guitar on the street, and me wanting
to break into Disneyland to find all the hidden treasures in the underground
tunnels.
Seriously,
while I was in “art school” (which is basically means expensive community
college for artsy people) in Cali, I met this girl, who told me about all this
really cool stuff under Disneyland, since well Disneyland was built in the
seventies and there is a lot of mysteriousness to it.
For
about a month we would study up on Disneyland, find building blue prints, watch
documentaries as well as visit the park. I friend-ed employees who got me in
for free, because seriously that stuff’s expensive. Also you will not believe
how many “SoCal” kids who have annual passes and just go every weekend.
Reality
soon set in, which told me that breaking into Disneyland was a terrible idea,
but a good book idea. I had always been pretty good at writing, and after a
bunch of life changing events I was able to finish the book.
The
first book is always the hardest, because no one believes that you will finish
it, which gives you the drive to prove them wrong, that you’re not just that
guy in Starbucks typing on a computer. By the way you can see me at Starbucks
every morning in D.C at…
For
my second book due out this summer, I’m just getting the money together, (dang
it, self-publishing) I was upset with ghosts. What are they? Do they exist? So
I traveled around to lots of haunted places, even though I really didn’t need
to since I already knew the story. Some weird things did happen, more on that
later. :D
4: Do you set goals for yourself when you
sit down to write such as word count?
HOLY
CRAP, a word count is a great idea. I usually just write till I pass out, or
get distracted by the internet.
I
usually do write till I finish a chapter, but I’m totally going to have to try
that word count idea.
5: Are you a published or a self
published author and how do you come up with your cover art?
Self-publishing
is awesome! Except I can’t get into Books-a-million,
Barns and Noble and Borders… What’s really cool about self
publishing is I can make fake advertisements, design my own artwork, hire an
illustrator to do drawings and customize
my book to my liking!
I’ve
never been published by a book house, so I’m not sure if I could do that with
them anyway…
Luckily
I studied for a year and a half at an art school in Cali, where I became
awesome at graphic design, html website editing, and other multimedia stuff.
This is great because not only is it fun, but saves me money. People say I
should stick to that, since there is pretty good money in it, which is usually
a nice way people say they didn’t like my book.
Anyone
seeing any of my book covers will notice my name is always small so you can see
the artwork. The artwork has a to be original, and not make it look like it was
designed in 1996 in Paint.
Hopefully
it will make the reader interested in the story. I’ll make it look like it’s a
movie poster. That means, I will never have GEOFFREY BROKOS in plain text
taking up half of the book cover. I’m looking at you John Grisham! I love you
though.
The
books title always has to be in a cool logo type format, like you would wear it
on a t-shirt and not just boring text. The reason for this is, I want to give
you the full deal, not just the story but that you’re getting art that you can
hold in you’re hand. Something you would be proud to put on your shelf.
Authors - you need to think
marketability! Would my artwork look awesome on a cup? Would my characters be
interesting enough to be an action figure? Sure I fail at this sometimes;
sorely it’s not about the artwork since we have seen the best seller books that
have nothing special. I’m just hoping that maybe it will personally let me
stand out among all the other books.
6: What drives you to choose the career
of being a writer?
It’s basically like directing, acting and
writing all compacted into a timeless package. Well timeless till the book falls
apart, or if you make to much homage’s and references. (I know I know! I do
that to much.)
I
think it’s really cool that I can take someone who might be having a bad day or
just wants to be entertained, and take them into a different world where they
are going to be on the edge of where ever they are sitting.
For
that moment reality is gone, and you need to see what happens to the
characters. Plus that and I hate having a boss or wanting to work a normal job.
“You can’t always get what you want, you
get what you need…”- The Rolling Stones. (They didn’t know that the
exception is that, this doesn’t apply anymore when you sell millions of
records, have a famous magazine named after you, and women crawling at you’re
feet. Ok, maybe that last one doesn’t apply to today so much, but I think I
learned a lesson today.)
7: Do you own an ebook reading device?
Nope. Movies, music, I have to have all
on a portable device, but I still think books are awesome in a paper form personally for me, but I will promote
the crap out of an ebook version of my book.
Are
ebooks the future of books? Probably. But they don’t look as awesome on your
shelf though like vinyl record. Its like they got the idea of book formatting
right the first time, it’s lasted the same way for so long.
8: Who are some of your favorite authors
and What are you reading now?
OOOooo! My favorites are James Patterson,
John Grisham, Stephen King, J.K Rowling, and the guy who wrote the Fletch
books. I know, I know, you probably expect me to put some obscure authors, but
there’s a reason a lot of people enjoy their work. (Awesomeness is probably
number 1).
Somebody
never claimed this book by one of my new favorite authors Ian Sansom, which I
found in the lost in found at work. (I waited like a week). I’m reading his
whole catalog of books since I fell in love with his style. He writes British
detective comedies and they are hilarious!
I’m
also reading the whole Harry Potter
series, on book numero 2 right now, since I wasn’t allowed as a child… and
I plan to read In Cold Blood by
Truman Capote, since the movie was the shiz.
9: What do you think of book trailers and
do you have any plans to have any?
Well, we all know you don’t have to have
a book trailer to make it a best selling; it could help if it’s unique enough
to go viral.
Personally
for me, I think they are awesome! If done right! Luckily I’m also good at video
editing/filming, so I’ll try to make mine look like a movie trailer. So yes I
have book trailers.
I
plan to hire actors for the next couple book trailers, since I can’t just keep
doing voice over and text no matter how pretty I make them look. :D
10: How did you come up with the title of
your latest book?
“Suburban Prophets”, is the title of my
book coming out this summer, like I talked about above. It’s the name of a
movie that playing at a movie theater the main characters work at. It’s also
about being a Christian growing up today, possibly being homeschool or going to
a private school, in a murder/mystery/comedy/thriller.
Micah,
who has growing up in the church his whole life, wonders why ghost are never
talked about. So he and his two friends look up haunted places online and
travel to visit them, not knowing that there is a reason why they are never
talked about.
11: What are you working on now that you
can talk about?
Out this Easter is an audio-book version
of “Amadeus, Trust No One!” out on all major stores in digital download and
hard copy. Now you may ask who cares about an audio-book? Aren’t they just a
person reading you’re book in a monotone voice?
NO
good sir! I hired a pretty well known famous “youtuber”, Brock Baker, who is in
the top 20 most subscribed comedians on youtube
right now.
I
had him bring the book to life as he read it in different voices. Not only does
he bring comedic and talent to the characters, but I added dramatic music,
sound effects, and me and my friend even composed a song for it. This is an
audiobook experience, like an old time radio show, but now on a book.
So
with “Suburban Prophets” coming out this summer, and “The Empty Crypts: Vol 1”
this winter, and 5 more books planned already after that, so much is about to
explode! All my books take place in the same world, but are grand stories
revolving around a character in that world. I loved how the show Lost did that with each episode, and
also how Kevin Smith would use characters from his other movies, but still make
his movies a whole different thing.
With
that, thanks for taking time to interview me, and best to where-ever the book
world may take you Mr. Kipp. (Hopefully with money.)
