SOMETIMES I GET ASKED STUFF… PART 13

Tis the Season... to answer some questions.

Seasons Greetings!

One of the perks of being a writer is getting to meet some of the most interesting people. Whether it is at conventions, store signings, through the Earth Station One podcast, writer’s groups, on social media, and sometimes just from people I run into on when I venture out of the cave I call my office, and they have questions. Sometimes they are about writing or what I’m working on. Other times they’re out of left field. I thought it would be interesting to share some of them along with a few answers. Regardless of where they come from, here’s a few of the latest.

Check out past installments of Sometimes I Get Asked Stuff... Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here, Part 5 here, Part 6 here, Part 7 here, Part 8 here, Part 9 here, Part 10 here, Part 11 here, and Part 12 here.

Mix-N-Match

Q: Have you ever found yourself deep into writing a novel, and in need of combining characters, or eliminating a character, to make the story better?

Yes. Sometimes you realize that one character can handle what you initially created two characters to do. Adding characters late in the story can also help with the overall story as well.

Q: When writing, do you complete scenes and chapters chronologically in the order they will appear in the final manuscript, or do you hop around?

I generally go chronologically for the first pass, but there are times when a future scene or chapter pops fully into my head so I go ahead and write it down. On the second and subsequent passes, I jump around as needed.

Q: Does your antagonist have any tattoos, piercings, or scars?

Those are all good descriptive points for characters. I’ve used them to describe characters in some of my books before. In the upcoming Evil Intent novel, the antagonist has a few different scars that necessitates growing a beard to help cover some of them while he’s on the run.

Q: Is there really any awesome jobs besides athlete's or actors that people say I love everything about my job?

Hi. My name's Bobby. I'm an author.

Mine's close. I love being a writer. My only complaint: the pay could be better. Of course, I imagine everyone can say that about their job. Getting paid for writing isn’t steady. I don’t collect a weekly paycheck and royalty checks don’t come with any sort of regularity so it’s very feast or famine. I still love it though. I just need to sell more books as I get paid per sale in most cases.

Q: How do you name your characters? Do they name themselves? Do you research for name meanings? Do you use names of people you know?

The author hard at work.

A little of each. I have been known to borrow first names from one person and a last name from another to create a character’s name. Other time they just come to me. I did learn early on that if a name came to me too easily that I should probably research or discard it because there'’ probably some character out there with that name already.

Q: How long does it take you to write a book?

It varies depending on size, interruptions for other deadlines, and the like, but I can do the first draft of a novel in anywhere from 2 to 4 months. It all depends on what else I’m also working on at the time.

Sommersville, Georgia

Q: Are you a "map addict" when you're writing? Checking for locations, travel distance, time zones, seasonal weather patterns, flight numbers and departure/arrival times? How deep do you go into the details?

It depends. If the time it takes to travel is important then I make sure it’s accurate. If the focus is not on the journey, but the person getting off a plane, for example, I may not need those details because they aren’t important to the story. When I created the town of Sommersville, GA for Evil Ways and Deadly Games!, I made sure to keep track of where things were on a map of the town/county.

What are yours?

Q: What are your writing goals for the coming year?

My open projects board for 2014 is already pretty full. I’ve got a few projects that have been started and set aside for other projects. One of my goals is to get them finished and off my plate. Being more productive is also a goal for 2014 as is leaving space in my schedule for a vacation. It’s been too long since I’ve been to the beach.

I make up stuff for a living.

Q: As a reader, how much do consistent spelling/grammar/punctuation mistakes bother you? And as a writer, how much care do you take to get it right?

As a reader, I see them, correct them in my mind, and move on. Of course, that’s only because as a writer I understand just how easy it is to miss them. I strive to catch them all as do the editors, but mistakes happen.

That was easy.

Q: Do you have any stories available to read for free?

I have freebies under the Free Stuff tab above. Enjoy.

Q: Do you, or would you ever consider paying for a book review?

Nope. I love reviews, especially the positive ones, but I won’t pay someone to write them for me. I prefer that readers to leave a review because what he or she read moved them to want to leave a review. Amazon or Goodreads, for example, because adding a review moves a book up in the rankings so more potential readers will see it and hopefully purchase a copy.

Writers love book reviews.

Reviews are very important to writers for a variety of reasons. It lets us know what readers think about our stories, which we don’t usually know. Plus, it helps on places like

If you’ve read and enjoyed anything I’ve written, please leave a review up on Amazon. I greatly appreciate it.

Q: At December Season Holiday time, I must read "How The Grinch Stole Christmas… so the question is, is there a book or novella you go back to each year or every other year? If there is, what title or titles of the books? And I don’t mean the bible in this question.

It's not Christmas without these guys.

I don’t have any holiday reads that I go back to each year. I do sometimes dig out the TV series DVD box sets and watch Christmas themed episodes. Plus, there’s the old stand by movies, Die Hard, Die Hard 2, and Lethal Weapon, the perfect Christmas Trifecta. Although, my schedule has been so hectic this year that I’ve not watched any of them yet.

Deadly Games! Still Available.

Q: What was the "WHAT IF?" question that triggered your current work in progress?

What if a dead man wanted revenge?

Q: Your Favorite Sidney Poitier Movie?

It’s a toss up between Sneakers and Shoot To Kill. I love both of those movies.

Shoot To Kill. I love this movie.

Q: What is your antagonist wearing in his latest scene?

In the forthcoming Evil Intent, Donnie Lehmann, is wearing jeans, button down flannel shirt, and work boots under a long coat as he’s operating under one of his many aliases he uses in the novel. He’s just threatened to kill FBI Agent Harold Palmer’s brother if the agent doesn’t back off in his pursuit of Donnie and his crew.

Another fun flick.

Q: If there was a Santa Claus, what writerly thing would you ask him for?

That’s an easy one this year. I need a new computer. My desktop crashed earlier this year and I’ve not had the funds to replace it. I’ve been using my old, outdated laptop, which has been helpful, but it’s limited in what it can do.

Q: What’s your Favorite Sigourney Weaver Movie?

Hard to narrow down to just one. Alien, Aliens, Ghostbusters, Galaxy Quest, and Copycat were good ones.

"I have one job! It's stupid, but..."

Q: How would your antagonist describe himself?

The antagonist in Earthstrike Agenda would say that he is a freedom fighter seeking a new life for his people. He’ll do anything to accomplish this goal, including mass murder. You can learn more about Earthstrike Agenda here.

Evil's Coming... Don't Look Back!

Q: Have you ever had something published that when you went back and looked at it, there was a sentence you wish you could take back? If so, would you share that sentence?

I’m sure I could probably go back and find several examples, but the one that comes immediately to mind is from Evil Ways.

The disheveled young woman ran frantically through the woods.

It’s a clunky sentence and I would write it differently today.

Lance Star: Sky Ranger

Q: [From Twitter] I have a curious Q for you, Mr. Nash (@bobbynash)! Which pulp action &/or #mystery of yours would you rec'd for a #cosy girl like me 2read?

I’d recommend Domino Lady or Lance Star: Sky Ranger stories for pulp action. For mystery, I recommend Evil Ways. Details on each can be found in the tabs above.

Space. The Final Frontier...

Q: What’s your Favorite Star Trek Movie?

I am a Star Trek fan since I was a kid when I caught the reruns after school. On the movie side of things, The Wrath of Khan is my favorite, followed by Undiscovered Country and First Contact. I enjoy the others in the series, but these three I can watch over and over again. I really enjoyed the first J.J. Abrams movie, but really disliked his second, which is my least favorite of the twelve Star Trek movies.

Q: What is your Favorite Star Trek Television Show?

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is my favorite Star Trek series overall. It is an absolutely incredible series. There's something to like about all of them, but DS9 stands out for me. I’ve been fortunate to meet many of the DS9 cast at conventions over the years. They are a great group. Meeting Avery Brooks was a big thrill for me. We had a nice conversation.

Q: Do holiday experiences ... like crazy Uncle Jack's idea of a few drinks, or Grandma's special Apple Pie, or how the young ones expect what the expect ... ever show up in your writing? Do you find the Holidays a wealth of writing inspiration?

A honey of a team up

Sure. They can. Usually, this is backstory or something mentioned to flesh out the characters, not so much the main plot. At least not yet in my case.

Q: What BIG PROJECT do you have planned for 2014?

Oh so many. 2014 is going to be busy. Domino Lady novel, Honey West novel, Evil Intent novel, Deadly Deals! novel, Blood Shot novel, and Snow ebook are all in play for 2014.

Q: What is your antagonist's greatest strength?

Snow arrives 2014

In Deadly Games!, Darrin Morehouse is a methodical planner. He’s always thinking three moves ahead.
http://ben-books.blogspot.com/p/deadly-games.html

And I think that is a good place to finish this round of Sometimes I Get Asked Stuff… Do you have any questions you’d like me to answer? Post them here as a comment or send them along to bobby@bobbynash.com and I’ll answer them in a future installment of Sometimes I Get Asked Stuff...

Also, please sign up for my mailing list. Drop me an email at bobby@bobbynash.com and I'll happily add you to the list.

HO! HO! HO!

Thanks.

Seasons Greetings!
Happy Holidays!
Merry Christmas!
Happy New Year!

Bobby