Zachary Hamric Interview

1: What is the most productive time of the day for you to write?

Usually in the mornings, but always after two cups of coffee.

2: Do you start your projects writing with paper and pen or is it all on the computer?

I always start on the computer. It makes it much easier to move chapters around as needed. The only paper in my process is Post-It-Notes that I keep on the right side of my screen with the names of the characters. It’s very difficult, especially on Russian names to keep from confusing the characters.

3: What do you draw inspiration from?

Many of the events in my own life ranging from technical rock climbing to offshore sailing tend to be incorporated in my books. I’m also a detail sponge- I absorb the ambiance from places like the Delano Hotel in Miami that I’ve visited personally and also use Google Earth to visit places like Syria that are almost impossible to see in person.

4: Do you set goals for yourself when you sit down to write such as word count?

Writing is a discipline no different than going to the gym daily. I try to write daily to keep my brain connected to the story and normally set a goal of 7,000 words a week.

5: Are you a published or a self published author and how do you come up with your cover art?

I am self-published but do have an agent who is actively pitching my books. I struggle with covers, but at this point I am still creating my own with heavy use of Photoshop, InDesign and stock photo services like iPhoto.

6: What drives you to choose the career of being a writer? 

I spent twenty years traveling all over the country and would read two or three books every week. I finally began to run out of good books to read and decided it was time to write my own.

7: Do you own an ebook reading device?

 No, but I am about to buy an iPAd

8: Who are some of your favorite authors and What are you reading now?

Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, Tom Clancy, Lee Child. I’m currently not reading anything- I’m fighting a self imposed deadline of trying to finish writing the first draft of my new book by October.

9: What do you think of book trailers and do you have any plans to have any?

At this point, I don’t have any plans to have any.

10: What are you working on now that you can talk about?

I’m currently writing a full length novel BLANK SLATE that should be finished by October.

The blurb is:

What happens when the Russian mob decides to go in business with the Columbian cartels in Miami? Nothing good; as Kyle Jackle quickly finds out in this tropical thriller.

His undercover investigation for the FBI takes him from the steamy underbelly of the strip club and escort scene in Miami to drug running submarines in the jungles of Ecuador. After almost being beaten to death in an alley one evening, he awakens to find himself hunted by the mob, unable to trust anyone he meets, and with no memory of his past life.