Thursday 1 December 2011

Author Interview: Charles M. Pulsipher


Charles M. Pulsipher has written The Crystal Bridge.



1. What is your name and where do you call home?
Charlie when I can. I live in St. George, Utah. It's a smallish town surrounded by red sandstone cliffs and I love being here and writing here.

2. Do you have a pen name?
My pen name is just a really formal use of my name, Charles M. Pulsipher.

3. What is the name of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up in 20 or less words, what would you say?
The Crystal Bridge. A boy who can open wormholes and a girl who can read souls find themselves lost on a world at war.

4. Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?
Yes and yes. This book was written as a stand alone novel, but ideas for a second book crept into the words anyway, maybe even a third. The series will be called Lost Shards.

5. What or who inspired you to start writing? And how long have you been writing?
I've been writing since I was in elementary school. My older brother started shoving large science fiction and fantasy novels into my hands when I was seven and eight and I've been hooked ever since. I didn't take it seriously as a career until college though. That's when I realized I was actually pretty good at making up stories.

6. Do you gift books to readers for book reviews?
I have been giving out a book every now and again for reviews, giveaways, and for fun.

7. How did you come up with the cover? Who designed the cover of your book?
The cover is taken straight from the book. Kaden is standing in his Egg, his vehicle for wormhole travel, surrounded by the darkened space between realities. I had a local graphic artist that went to my high school build on that idea. His name is Karl-Erik Bennion and he's a wonderful artist. You should see his pastel work.

8. Which is your favourite cover of all the books you have written?
Since this is my first, this one. I've got some good ideas for the next book though.

9. Is there anything you would change about your book covers?
Not at the moment. We'll see how I feel in another ten years though.

10. Would you have different book covers for different countries?
Maybe in the future. 

11. How did you come up with the title for your book?
The title comes from the mythology of the world in which my character's find themselves. It is a direct tie to the creation of wormholes.

12. Is there anything you would change about your book? And why?
No. It has some flaws, but I'm pretty happy with the outcome.

13. Do you have a book trailer? And what are your thoughts on book trailers?
Not yet. I'm thinking some things over. I do a velociraptor impression that several bloggers are asking to see. Maybe I'll use that even though it has little to do with the book. It still goes a long way in portraying my personality and weirdness.

14. Do you prefer e-books, paperbacks, hardcovers or audiobooks?
I'm torn between paperbacks and e-books. I love the weight, feel, and smell of books, but the new technology has some great things about it too and is starting to sway me.

15. Are you a self-published / Indie author?
Yes. Indie all the way. I thought now was a great time to experiment with self publishing.

16. Have you ever read a book more than once? And if so what was it?
Yes, but it's rare. I have a pretty good memory and I don't like to read things over again. I can tell you the plot of books I've read once 25 years ago. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde are two exceptions. Both are unbelievable and I had to delve into them again.

17. Have you ever bought a specific edition of a book because of it’s cover? (For example a UK, US or Canadian version)
No. The covers sometimes draw me in, but it's the words that make me buy it. I read the back cover and a page or two and see if it hooks me.

18. Have you ever read a book just based on it’s cover?
No, never.

19. Has the quality of the cover of a book ever put you off of reading it?
Also no. I may not pick something up that has a drab cover, but ultimately the cover isn't what sells me.

20. What book are you reading at the moment? And in what format?
I'm reading The Black God's War by Moses Siregar III in paperback, Everfound by Neal Shusterman in hardcover, Shades of Grey again in paperback, and Hunting the Fiveby Maria Violante in digital. Yes, I'm reading too many books at the same time.

21. Do you have any advice for other writers? And what’s the best advice that you have been given when it comes to writing?
Write the best you can and then write it better. Nothing sells a book like the quality of the work. The best writing advice I've ever gotten seems counterintuitive to what I just said, but it isn't. Allow yourself to suck. That means write even when it doesn't feel great and the words aren't flowing. You can fix it later. I suffered from self editing the same sentence or paragraph over and over while progress was lost on the novel as a whole. Allow yourself to suck and then make it the best you can later.

22. Where can your readers follow you?
 

 

Twitter: charliepulse


Barnes & Noble
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ean=2940013379176








Thankyou so much for taking the time to do this interview and allowing us a glimpse into your writing world!

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