Ask the Author: Michael F. Stewart
Answered Questions (10)
Michael F. Stewart
I used to work aboard ships and once, well past midnight, when our vessel was crossing the equator, I spotted a ship in the distance. Well lit, maybe a small cruise ship or large yacht. I ran to the helm and checked the radar, but there was nothing there. Outside. Nothing. The ship was gone. I swear to you I saw that ship.
Michael F. Stewart
Thanks for the question, Karen! And thanks also for the kind words. The themes and context of my books generally come from my life. My brother received a heart transplant; I wanted to write a thank you. My teens were asking about how to decide what to do with their lives; I wrote them Ray Vs the Meaning of Life. Our family has been impacted by mental illness, I wrote Counting Wolves. This continues now; my teens are individuating from their parents, it's a messy process, and so I'm writing my next book to match. :) Get to the heart, by writing from the heart? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Michael F. Stewart
Hi, Mike, many thanks for the kind words. The work of Hirimo Goto is something to aspire to! As for categories, if the book is YA, I'd keep it in YA. This said, I think the keywords you choose are equally important in terms of what comes up when a user searches for a book. Over time, Amazon will select for you the categories its algorithm best thinks fits your book. But the keywords won't change. The real trick is to sell enough books that you are slotted into the 'also boughts' of other authors and you can gain visibility organically (very much easier said than done). Good luck!
Michael F. Stewart
My daughter's slim body laid at my feet. The blooded blade tight in my grip.
Michael F. Stewart
Thanks for asking, Nancy. I do have a second Terminals planned, Terminals: Ghost Riders, but I don't have a set publication date as of yet. I have A LOT of books in the works, however, and hopefully some of them will appeal to those who enjoyed The Terminals.
Michael F. Stewart
On every bag of potatoes is written: Keep in a Cold Dark Place. How spooky is that? And with that as the title, off I wrote.
Michael F. Stewart
Coffee and some writing instrument. Seriously though, some books come easier than others. I have many partial drafts of books that I ran out of steam on. For most of those it was because I didn't have enough character depth in order to write their story.
Michael F. Stewart
I'm currently working on a whole series of different middle grade books. I have two eleven year old daughters who are voracious readers, so it makes a lot of sense for me to write to a captive audience :). Oddly enough, my most recent book is definitely a boy book: THE BOY WHO SWALLOWS FLIES. About a bug-eating boy. The others are
THE RIVER KEEPERS, KEEP IN A COLD DARK PLACE, and COUNTING WOLVES, which is young adult.
Oddly, I'm finishing them all within six months of one another so I feel like I have a lot on the go.
THE RIVER KEEPERS, KEEP IN A COLD DARK PLACE, and COUNTING WOLVES, which is young adult.
Oddly, I'm finishing them all within six months of one another so I feel like I have a lot on the go.
Michael F. Stewart
I go for a run. Sometimes it has to be a very long run.
Michael F. Stewart
It gives you the right to research EVERYTHING.
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