- a poet, journalist, and author who’s been working on his craft for most of his life.
Readers, thanks for checking out another Author Spotlight Interview. Let’s give a good, hearty welcome to this week’s guest!
From an early age, Neil’s passion was telling stories and putting word to page. He won the Illinois Young Authors competition several times, attending both state and county conferences. He was published in a young authors’ poetry book before he entered his teens. At both Butler University and Columbia College-Hollywood, his focus was writing.
After attending those schools, he had work published at USAToday online, contributed for Forbes Online, was the subject of an article at Publishers Weekly, and went on to earn a Master’s degree in writing at Lindenwood University. As an author, he constantly pushes himself to be better, and prides himself on being able to tell a story in any genre, making each one exciting and engaging. Neil always held on to a simple goal: to tell great stories.
Neil, thanks for agreeing to be here today. Most author spotlight interviews start off with the boring stuff, but I know what readers REALLY want to know.
If you could have any pet (real/fantasy/no-allergies/no worries about feeding it) what would it be?
There’s actually a piece of technology in my Star Runner series that I wouldn’t mind having. It’s called a vir-pet, and allows people stations on space ships to enjoy a wide variety of virtual animals as pets. The one the main character chooses is a Gorian Cat, similar to a saber tooth cat here on Earth. Since I don’t really have room for something that size, I’d say a virtual version would be really cool.
What a great high-tech pet!
What do you write? And how did you get started?
My primary focus is science fiction, but I have projects that cross the spectrum in terms of genre. I actually got started writing back in elementary/primary school. My state hosts a conference for young, aspiring writers, and my school would hold a competition for entries. I won a chance to represent the district at the state conference twice, as well as the county conference. Ever since, it’s where my passion has stayed.
So many writers find the passion early! I’m glad you’ve stuck with it.
What do you like to read?
For me, just like what I write, genre isn’t the most important aspect. It’s a good story. If it can capture me and keep my attention, I’m interested. Plus, reading a wider variety also helps my own work. Not just in seeing how other authors in the genre tell a story, but in style and prose as well. Stories sometimes need a unique voice, and being adaptable helps with that. But, really, I just like seeing how other people capture a reader.
I’ve definitely found myself reading more genres as I’ve gotten older. Perhaps, it’s just that ‘outside of my genre’ reading doesn’t happen naturally due to class assignments.
What do you drink when you’re writing?
Usually one of three things. Or maybe all of them. Energy drink, green tea, and mineral water. I can’t have soda, so if I want carbonated, that does the trick. And energy drink gives my brain that nice little boost it needs to get the gears turning. It’s always about finding that balance, between staying hydrated and not having to run to the bathroom in the middle of a scene.
The full array of healthy to fuel!
Are you a snack-fueled writer? What are your favorites?
And this is where my life has gotten a little tricky. My formerly favorite snack was white cheddar chips. Unfortunately, I’ve developed a food allergy in the last couple years, and that makes my previous choices a bit difficult. It’s a yeast allergy. So, less than 5 grams of sugar, no dairy, no fermented, no simple carbs. Boils down to no more candy, no more junk food, no more easy options. But I’ve found corn flour-based snacks work just fine, and a good one is Popcorners chips. But sea salt flavor only, sadly. Which means a little extra water.
Oh no! I have a lot of friends with different allergies, but yeast is a new one. As a carb-o-vore, that’s got to be so challenging! Although, I’ve recently discovered Popcorners, too. So tasty! At least you’re not snack-deprived.
Name one commonly accepted piece of writing advice that doesn’t work for you
Write to market.
Problem there is if you don’t already have a book series ready to go when the trend starts to rise, you can never get in on it. Few years ago it was vampires, and by the time I had a book ready to go, the heat had started to die. So, I don’t really worry about that and just write the stories I want to tell. And hope readers like them, too. It’s just so hard to predict what’s going to spark the next trend that I find it easier to come up with a list of ideas and just go for it. The only thing you can really do is have a small stockpile, and if something is starting to trend upwards, release something earlier than planned.
So true! For indie writers with quick turn-around, it’s almost possible, but for the rest of us? It’s better to write what calls to us and wait for the market to catch up.
Name one commonly accepted piece of writing advice they can pry out of your cold, dead hands
The 3 New Rs: read, write, research.
For those of us old enough, the Three Rs of education were reading, writing, and arithmetic. For me, the New Three Rs are read, write, research. And you can’t really do enough of each.
Reading helps broaden your horizons and understands how others ply the craft. Writing every day helps improve your own skill and gets you into good habits. Research is perhaps one of the most essential tools a writer can use. Sure it takes time, but it also makes a story better. Learning how things work, seeing proper technique, getting a better picture of the world, all of these things feed into a good story.
My first novel was about pirates and some of the first critiques I got involved the sailing. I’d put the order of events on a ship out of place. It’s a small thing, but you never know what detail, big or small will take a reader out of a story. In this case, opening the sails before raising the anchor caused a bit of concern. So, I spent a few days and learned about sailing. Fun and educational for me, and a better experience for my readers.
Indeed! I’ve heard about the dangers of distracting a reader from the story. Even in fantastic settings, if the activity or item is based on something in the real world, it needs to be grounded in reality — or have consistent world-building to explain the differences.
Shameless Self-Promotion time!
Star Runner Series (#1-6)
Journey Beyond
Simon Rigel constantly struggled to find his place in the galaxy. Art had him craving more, and only when he traveled into space did he feel genuinely at home. Yet, after a sequence of encounters, he discovers himself in the midst of a cosmic conflict that questions everything he knows.
After an alien emissary comes calling, Simon moves from humble citizen to captain of one of the finest warships when his biological father, a legendary war hero, goes missing. Over the course of Simon’s first year battling against an implacable enemy, the fledgling pilot shows his skill with every encounter. But the adversary forces him and his crew to the edge, along with the sanctimonious demands of his political officer. It forces Simon to find his own way in the fight, and do what he feels is true and good, not just what he’s told.
The Eschaton Saga (#1-4)
Open the way forward to close the lock.
Long ago, the Fates foresaw two great wars. The first was fought by the gods of Asgard. The second was fought by high school students. Of course, when Katie Adams agreed to attend the Hannum Academy for Intellectual Advancement, she had no idea of the role she would play. All she wanted to do was make the voices stop.
Near the end of her middle school journey, Katie discovered she had some…rather disturbing talents. She could hear the thoughts of others, and see their memories whenever she touched them. And for someone just trying to find her place in the world, such gifts made that extremely difficult. Then, one night, a man came calling. Cornelius Coffin. And he offered something impossible: a place where she could be herself. Where she wouldn’t have to worry, or fear. Little did she know, that offer would open a door to a world few get to witness.
Stepping through the doors of the academy, she became an Oddity, the strange and unique. She became friends with a telekinetic, a disappearing thief, a girl who could speak to the dead, one who could control the elements…and the hand of death himself. Unfortunately, with every positive that the school offered, there was always a negative. The biggest being confronting Ghoulies, and Ghosties, and Long-legged Beasties, and all the things that go bump in the night.
All of that because Katie’s first year coincided with the first year of the latest iteration of The Cycle. Every nineteen years, when the harvest moon falls on the autumnal equinox, the barrier between worlds grows thin. The realms align, and the mysterious Nightshade Circus tries to spread darkness, in the hopes of releasing the last great Devourer from her prison.
It’s a fight that Katie never imagined joining. All she wanted was control. All she wanted was peace. Was to live a normal life. But normal stopped being possible the moment she heard those first whispers. And as much as she longed to blend into a crowd, her conscience wouldn’t let her stand on the sidelines. So, as problems arose, Katie made it her mission to solve them, one after another. She might not have been a fighter, but The One Who Sees did exactly that. Became a lantern in the dark. A navigator along an ancient road.
Antiquity
Long ago, a civilization thrived in ways unfathomable to modern society. Innovations and inventions 10,000 years before they would be seen again. And wealth. They amassed more wealth than God himself could spend. It’s hard to say which is more famous, the name of their city, or that of the mine that traded its riches to them. Though, perhaps the mine, as it had another famous trading partner. Solomon of Israel from the House of David.
And then they vanished. Leaving the world to wonder if they ever existed at all. And in that question, they slipped from ghost story to myth, and eventually history discounted them entirely.
After an honorable medical discharge from military service, Jasper Vaughn spent his free time looking for clues, anything to point him toward that elusive civilization. Though, every lead seemed to culminate in a dead-end. Until Jasper gets a call from mining baron Henry Herbert Thomas. With the right translation of the only clue known to exist, Henry hires Jasper to find that civilization and share their advancements with the world.
Though, Jasper isn’t alone in his search. An amoral treasure hunter named Reinhardt Rousseau is hot on his trail, with greed guiding him instead of history. One wants the find for the wealth, the other for the historical significance. The only question that remains is who will reach it first.
(This book contains adult language and situations)
WRITING TIPS & WRITERLY MUSINGS 
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