Note to new blog readers: Please follow all instructions at the end of the post to be included in the book drawing.
Welcome back, Mike. Why do you write the kind of books you do?
Welcome back, Mike. Why do you write the kind of books you do?
It all comes down to the story. Is it different? Does it
capture my attention? I figure if it's interesting for me, it will be
interesting for others. As to how I come up with a particular story, that’s
hard to say. Sometimes they just come to me in a moment. Other times, it may
come from a casual conversation, or a story in the news, or God whispering an
idea in my ear. I suppose that’s why I can't stick to one genre.
Besides when you came
to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?
Is it too much of a cliché to say the day I married my wife?
We've been together 22 years now, and going strong.
I don’t think it’s cliché
at all. How has being published changed your life?
It has certainly soaked up most of my free time. Most
writers will attest to the fact that when they're not writing, they're still
thinking about their story. Writing has also forced me to be more of a
disciplined person. Even though I may not feel like it at times, I need to sit
in front of the computer and work on the next chapter or do some revisions. It
is a taskmaster that is never satisfied until the book is done. Probably the
best way writing has changed my life is all the people I've had a chance to
meet along the way—other writers, people who've bought my books, hopeful
writers I've helped over the years. I always enjoy talking about writing with
them, and what inspires me.
What are you reading
right now?
I'm actually reading a story my daughter wrote for my
birthday, a story about a king and a queen who lived in a castle during the medieval
period. She is a very good writer in her own right, much better than I was at
her age.
What is your current
work in progress?
I have started on my next novel with a fellow writer I've
known for a few years, Stuart Clark. He and I are working on a novel called Mind Writer, a futuristic story that
deals with the ethics of cloning and how it would affect society if people
could keep themselves alive for generations.
What would be your
dream vacation?
There are two places I would love to visit—Jerusalem
and Pompeii .
History is my passion, and those two cities are probably the most interesting
historical places in the world in my opinion. Rome
with be a close third, followed by Istanbul .
How do you choose
your settings for each book?
It depends on the kind of genre I choose for each story. If
it's a sci-fi story, then space will fit in there somewhere. If it's a fantasy,
than alternate dimensions. If it's a romance, then I tend to gravitate toward
small towns with an eclectic group of people who live there, and if it's a
historically-based story, then sometime in the past that works best for the
setting.
If you could spend an
evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?
That's a tough one. There are so many interesting people in
the world I wish I could ask a thousand questions. If I had to choose one, I
would say Stephen Spielberg. I love movies, and his have been some of my top favorites.
Despite his obvious success as a filmmaker over the last 40 years, he seems to
be just as creative and excited about his projects as when he first started. I
hope to have that kind of passion in my life years from now. Plus, I'm sure he
would have a whole treasure trove of stories to share.
What are your
hobbies, besides writing and reading?
I pretty much said it in the previous question. I love
films. I love watching them, and then analyzing them afterward. I enjoy hearing
behind-the-scenes stories about a movie. How it was made, the problems
experienced along the way, things we learn from them. To me, there are few
things better than being taken away on an exciting journey for a couple of
hours to far-off places and meeting interesting people along the way.
What is your most
difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?
For me, my most difficult writing obstacle is knowing when
it's time to stop. It doesn't matter how many times I've edited a story, I can
always find something to fix. I've basically come to the conclusion that a
story is never really finished, you just have to decide it's done, than then
send it to the publisher.
What advice would you
give to a beginning author?
Write, write, write. Submit what you've written to a
publisher, and then write some more. I know that's not new, but the only way
we'll be really good writers is through practice. There's just no substitute
for time in front of the computer. Most writers who go back and read their
earlier works often cringe. Their stories are generally much less polished than
they are today. But at that time, it was the best they could do. Honing their
skills came by writing one story after the other. Clunky sentences, weak
characters, and flat storytelling fell by the wayside over time, replaced with
gems that have found their way into readers' hands. That’s what all writers
should aspire to in my humble opinion, and that comes by writing.
Tell us about the
featured book.
It is titled,
Treasures
of the Heart. This is an adventure story I co-authored with Brandon
Barr.
Bree McKinney is your run of the mill researchers who is
happy to lose herself in her work as an oceanographer, until she meets a
mysterious stranger, Jack Castle. He's charming ex-Navy SEAL who needs her help
to find the HMS Sheba Queen’s rumored
cargo of gold, a legendary British warship that mysteriously sank off the New
England coast in 1779. Bree finds herself falling in love as they search for
the lost treasure, but their search takes a life or death turn when a dangerous
man from Jack’s past catches up with him, and will stop at nothing to claim the
gold for himself.
There are a lot of twists and turns in the story that will
keep the reader engaged from the first page to the last, plus a nice romantic
element that will warm anyone's heart. If you're in the mood for a nice little
buried treasure story, then Treasures of the Heart will be right
up your alley.
Please give us the
first page of the book.
CHAPTER 1
Another wave crashed over the bow, slamming Samuel Piper
onto the deck. Half frozen, he clung to
the mizzenmast with one hand, his cutlass tightly gripped in the other. The Sheba Queen
trembled under his feet as gale force winds blew against her without remorse.
If she hadn’t run aground against Lucifer’s Horns, a jagged grouping of rocks
less than a mile from shore, the ship would have foundered under the torrent,
and he'd likely be dead, his life quickly ended by the frigid waters. The
misery he endured at present still seemed
a cruel mercy.
Samuel pulled himself back to his feet and caught glimpses
of two men fighting through thick sheets of rain. One lunged forward with his
sword while the other parried the thrust that was intended to finish him off.
Clangs of metal against metal pierced through a succession of thunder claps
that lit the ship, casting it in an eerie glow. The darkness that followed was
total, and Samuel navigated the ship by memory, his eyes recovering slowly from
the blinding flashes cast down from an angry sky above.
“To the quarter deck!” someone yelled. “We make our stand
there.”
Quick, disjointed movements caught Samuel’s attention. He
turned in the direction from where they originated, just in time to catch the
edge of a sword coming down on him. A man twice his size materialized in the
dark, his shadowy outline like a massive beam. Samuel raised his cutlass just
in time to fend off the blow, but the power of his opponent's crushing attack
sent him stumbling back into the ship’s rigging.
His laced shirt and pantaloons soaked by rain, the Spaniard
came at him again just as a thirty-foot wall of water slammed into the ship.
The Sheba
Queen teetered noisily against Lucifer’s Horns, momentarily halting the
Spaniard’s attack as the two men held onto whatever they could.
“Preparar a morir
usted perro,” he said, and thrust his sword at Samuel again.
He used his smaller size to his advantage, and darted out of
the way quicker than his unwieldy adversary could move.
With the same devastating impact as before, still another
wave crashed into the ship, this time knocking Samuel onto the deck. The
Spaniard gained the upper hand, and made a wide cut with his sword, slicing
Samuel’s arm. He ground his teeth, fighting the searing pain, and rolled out of
the way before the man could finish him off.
How can readers find
you on the Internet?
The best place to find me is my website: www.mikelynchbooks.com Thank you, Mike, for sharing this new book with us.
Readers, here’s a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.
Treasures of The Heart
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Google +, Feedblitz, Facebook, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link.
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
15 comments:
Sounds like a great read! Please enter me. I'm from NC.
Hello Katie. Best of luck on winning a copy of the story.
Mike
A treasure hunting story sounds very exciting. I was a child the last time I read about buried or lost treasure.
Mary P
QLD AUSTRALIA
Sounds like a interesting read. Thanks for the opportunity!
Blessings,
Jo from Southern Arizona
azladijo(a)aol(dot)com
Thanks for the opportunity to get this book.
Lyndie Blevins
Duncanville, Tx
Yes, it is an exciting story, one people have enjoyed reading.
Mike
Looks like a good mystery and I would love to win this and read another new author to me. sharon, CA
Sounds like a great adventure story to read!
Beth from Iowa
This sounds like an exciting book! I'd love to win. I'm in MN.
Best of luck to you all. I hope whoever wins enjoys the story likes it. I know I had fun writing it.
Mystery, romance and treasure hunting, this sounds so good!
Merry in MN
Yup, it is.
Mike
I absoutely love these types of books!!
- Leauphaun from BC
Best of luck to you. Perhaps you'll be the winner of the drawing.
Mike
Post a Comment