Hello again, friends. Today, I have a special treat for you. I recently sat down with author Glenn Gamble, who told me all about his latest release. I'm honored to be part of his blog tour! Check out the interview below.1. Tell us about yourself, and what you like to do outside of writing.
Lines of coke, pouring my thoughts onto Microsoft Word in-between swigs of Jack Daniels, and betting entire checks on rat and roach races taking place in project apartments across America. I also send morning texts to Charlie Sheen bragging about my TigerBlood.
All kidding aside, I like to travel, play poker, and casually follow current events.
2. How did you begin writing? Do you have other artistic leanings as well?
I had to find a way to move out of my mother’s basement because the mice had marked their territory and made it clear that I had 30 days to move out. I tried rapping, but those dinner plate chains and 40 lbs pimp goblets were a bit too heavy for my delicate arms to carry. Before the mice took over my sleeping area I used to be a songwriter. I also tried my hand at music production, but I realized that I sucked at it, and that I was getting too old to compete with Justin Beiber posters on impressionable teenagers’ walls so I retraced my childhood roots and began writing stories.
3. Tell us about your current book.
The Jim Money book series is the Gambler – Kenny Rogers movie with more action. Each book in the Jim Money Series is a cumulative story about Jim Money wanting to ease out of his criminal lifestyle by forsaking his gambling and shylocking business for a more honest living. For Jim, wanting and actually getting out of the underground society is easier said than done when he’s presented with situations that force him to either revert back to the criminal minded Jim or become a deceased Jim.
4. For anyone who's never read a Glenn Gamble book before, what is the main thing you'd like them to know about your work?
It really depends on the series that I’m writing. For the Jim Money series, my books are plot-driven with lots of action and occasional instances of comic relief. My Darius Blaylock series is a gambling romance series where my books focus more on Darius’s struggle to balance his gambling and business aspirations with his love life because the sensibilities that he’s developed as a professional gambler conflict with his ability to communicate with women.
5. Where do you see yourself, and your writing, in ten years?
I will have at least 100 novels and 50 novellas published
6. What do you think about the rise of digital publishing? Do you think that it could ever overtake traditional, paperback publishing?
The rise in digital publishing has been very liberating for me. It allows me to experiment with different story formats and publish the kinds of stories that doesn’t neatly fit into specific genres. Authors who choose to self-publish can do so inexpensively while taking their careers into their own hands.
As for paper vs digital, I do not believe that paper will die a slow death as many self-published authors have predicted. Some insiders have predicted a market shift where ebooks will account for 70% of all booksales with paper picking up the other 30%. Many authors seem to agree with this assessment because retail stores are closing. I disagree with this sentiment. I think paperbacks will account for a significant portion of book sales for years to come, while the hardback will phase itself out due to expense. Retail bookstores will adjust their business model after seeing Borders’ demise.
I believe that some indie bookstores will begin hiring self-published authors as their consultants to help them transition to the changes that are going on in the book industry. The stores that will survive will adopt a community centered approach to their business. Many will start having writing workshops, poetry workshops, book parties and other functions that serve the community. These smaller bookstores will become bigger bookstores because of the community approach. I believe that some bookstores will start publishing local authors as suggested in JA Konrath’s blog post. I definitely would sign a book deal with a local book seller to publish a paperback that would be exclusive to that particular bookstore only. This would be a win-win scenario for new authors and midlist authors. They’ll get the push in those bookstores that they would never get with a traditional publishers because it’s the store’s books. The traditional publishers might also get into the retail business as well because 20 and 30% sell through rates isn’t good for anyone’s profit margin.
7. What advice do you have for those that would like to write a book?
Write the kind of book that you like to read for your first novel. After you’re finished with your novel hire an editor to proofread your work to find the punctuation and grammatical errors in your work while fishing out the weak points in your story.
7a. What is the best writing advice you have ever received?
Read a lot and write a lot.
8. Do any of your characters reflect you or people you know? In what ways?
The people that I know or come across in my life are the inspiration behind my characters. For instance, I might assign an a ex-girlfriend’s abrasive personality to one of my characters to showcase how a woman with a similar personality might react to a situation presented within the story. Jim Money reflects some aspects of my personality from when I was a young, professional gambler.
9. Tell us where to find you on the web. Book links, website, blog, the whole nine yards.
Here’s the link to my books on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Glenn-Gamble/e/B002BMGSVK
I also have books available on Nook at the following links:
I also write blogs here: http://www.GlennGamble.com
10. Any final words?
When you’re buying books, take advantage of the “try a free sample” feature to determine whether or not you’d like to read any book that you’re looking to buy. Don’t forget the read my message below
Bon Appetit Contest
Five lucky readers will win a free copy of Bon Appetit, by answering the following questions. Please submit the questions and answers to glenngamblebooks (at) gmail (dot) com
1) When was Bon Appetit published? (Month and year)
2) How many books have I published in the Jim Money Series so far? (Hint: The answer can be found on http://bn.com and http://amazon.com )
3) What is the url to my twitter page? (Hint: It includes my first and last name.)
You can use any of the links below to find the answers to the three questions.
Glenn Gamble is the author of A Thousand Chances, Bon Appetit, Escape, On the Run, and
James. All of his books are available on Amazon Kindle http://www.amazon.com/Glenn-Gamble/e/B002BMGSVK and Barnes and Noble Nook http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Glenn-Gamble?keyword=Glenn+Gamble&store=allproducts and Smashwords http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/glenngamble
He also encourages you to go to his website http://www.GlennGamble.com
Thanks, Glenn for stopping by!
