Meet the Author : Price Doom

 

 

 Today I am delighted to welcome author, Price Doom to Books, Life and Everything to talk about his writing life and his latest science fiction novella, Weatherman.

Welcome to Books, Life and Everything, Price. 

Tell us about your latest book without giving the plot away.

Heart and her father are on the run from God. At least, that’s what her father, Sonny, tells her. Young Heart believes Sonny’s stories of dying suns and scientists with tranquilizer guns, parachuting out of planes in pursuit of them. Sonny believes only the elements in his body can save the sun, and Heart grows up in fear of the boogeymen from Sonny’s stories—and Sonny himself. After years without proof and questions about Sonny’s mental stability, Heart makes her escape.    

What are your writing routines and where do you do most of your writing?

I write from 7 am to 10am. From 10 to 12 I go back and make notes on what to expand and shorten. I take a long break and don’t think about any part of the story or characters until in the evening, then I reread and make changes from my notes, editing along the way, which takes about an hour.

How many hours a day do you write?

Three solid hours a day without interruptions. If I go further than that time, the writing becomes uninspiring and predictable. I know that I am just wasting time and energy for something that will not make it into the book.

How do you go about researching detail and ensuring your books are realistic?

For Weatherman, I researched for months before I even began writing. I wanted Sonny’s explanations to be as realistic as possible, so if the reader (or his daughter) doubted him, they could look up the information and find out Sonny could be telling the truth. And when I write, I need to believe the character believes in what he or she is saying and doing based on fact.

Which aspects of your writing do you find easiest and most difficult?

The easiest to write is the beginning and the ending. If I can’t figure out the ending or beginning within the first week or so, I know I do not have a story to tell and will move on to something else. The most difficult is always the middle.  In a sense, the middle is where the story for me begins.  The middle is where I learn about my characters strengths, weaknesses, and motivations. The middle can take months to write.

Were there any scenes which you had to edit out of your book which you still hanker after?

I did edit out a lot. I had scenes with Sonny showing his powers to Heart and using his powers on the scientists chasing him, but that gave it away to the reader Sonny is telling the truth, which took away the mystery and suspense of the story. The story reads much better when you take away those details because the reader gets to draw their own conclusions if Sonny is crazy or not, and it keeps them guessing when they will figure it out. I also cut the original ending. Again, I wanted to trust the reader to decide what happens to Sonny. The original ending described what becomes of Sonny and what he turns into, which I felt took the emotion away from the characters and story.

How do you select the names of your characters? Are they based on anyone you know?

For this book I named the character Sonny because he thinks he’s the sun and it plays into his childish mental state. I named her Heart because it is an anagram of Earth and Sonny tells her that the sun can’t live without Earth, and he can’t live without her.  She is, in essence, his earth.  I think that is beautiful.

Does writing energize or exhaust you?

Emotional scenes and dialogue give me energy. Action scenes and description exhaust me.

Do you or have you ever considered writing under a pseudonym?

My real name is not Price Doom. It is an anagram of my children’s names. I have already created another pseudonym for my third book based off another anagram of their names. My first book, Red Rider, I used my real name, and it felt uncomfortable, more personal, more vulnerable. Using a pseudonym takes that all away. I like the mystery of writing books using different names each time. After all I create different characters for different books, why not create a different author?

 Do you have any other writers as friends and how do they influence your writing?

No one knows I write. I keep it to myself. It is almost like living a double life. 

Do you believe in writer’s block? What do you do to break its spell?

When I get writer’s block it means the story I am working on isn’t going to work. I have been writing long enough to know if a story isn’t there, you can’t force it.  Just like you can’t force chemistry between two people; you either have it or you don’t.

 
Thanks so much, Price and good luck with your writing!

 About the Author

A single father and a special education teacher, Price resides in California.

You can follow Price here: Twitter

 

Book Spotlight: Weatherman 

 

Heart and her father are on the run from God. At least, that’s what her father, Sonny, tells her. Young Heart believes Sonny’s stories of dying suns and scientists with tranquilizer guns, parachuting out of planes in pursuit of them . Sonny believes only the elements in his body can save the sun, and Heart grows up in fear of the boogeymen from Sonny’s stories—and Sonny himself. After years without proof and questions about Sonny’s mental stability, Heart makes her escape.

Book links: Amazon UK  |  Amazon US   |  Goodreads