Science Fiction with a Twist, Author Travis McBee

I have a special treat for all the Sci-Fi lovers out there! Travis McBee, author of the Bridgeworld series graces the front page of my blog today. 

Could you tell us a bit about your self?

Well I’m twenty-two, live in the mountains, and I write books. Wait a second...does that sound cliché? Crap...

Your book Bridgeworld is original and well written, what was your inspiration?

The inspiration behind Bridgeworld came from a book I had read years before called “The Dark Side of Nowhere”. In that book, a boy found out that his small town was really populated by aliens disguised as humans, and he was one of them. I was musing over that book for some reason when I wondered what it would be like if the boy had been forced to integrate back into the alien society his parents were from. I wrote the prequel to Bridgeworld that very day, but it became what I like to call “sketchy” which is a word I use to describe things that get just a little too weird. I became disillusioned with it and shelved it.

A few months later I was tidying up my computer files when I ran across the prequel. The idea behind the story infatuated me again, but I still didn’t want to write a book that was inundated with weird names and strange looking creatures. Then it suddenly hit me: make the aliens human as well. I ‘m not prejudiced against books which do have strange creatures, but to me it would have lost the mystery and wonder of being able to relate to someone going through something as crazy as living on a different planet if he wasn’t human. From there the ideas started spreading like wildfire, including a history of why people ended up being in space. That history wasn’t mentioned until the second book, but I had achieved what I had aimed for, making the idea of the story completely possible under normal laws of nature.

Will there be a sequel to Bridgeworld?

Yes! I’ve already written the second book and it’s scheduled to be released in July. There will be four books in the entire series (unless I decide there should be more of course!)

What is your writing style like? Are you an organized writer or do you like to free write?

It depends on what I’m writing. For short stories I just go for it, but if I’m writing a novel I have to have a very intricate set of notes in front of me. I become distracted very easily so I need an outline to keep prodding me back onto course.

What kind of books do you read in your down time?

I read everything, and I mean everything. I read a lot of Stephen King and Dean Koontz, but I also read classical authors like Twain and Stoker. I’ve also read most of Nicholas Sparks books as well (to impress the ladies with my sensitive side of course!). If your going for genres, I hit all of them: sci-fi, fantasy, general fiction, romance, horror, mystery. I read young adult as well as adult books. I try to be well read.

Are you reading anything right now, and would you recommend it?

At the moment I’m reading “The Deadzone” by Stephen King. It’s been pretty good—not my favorite but not bad. It’s worth a read if you haven’t read it.  

Do you have any other projects in the works?

At the moment I’m writing a middle grade novel about a boy who uses a haunted house to get back at a bully.

What do you like best about being an author? What do you like the least?

I love talking to people about writing. Writers are passionate about what they do and it seems like that’s rare among people today. I love giving people tips and getting advice from others. It’s also the best feeling in the world when a stranger tells you that they really enjoyed your work. The worst part is the rejection. Men are terrified of rejection, but when you’re an author you get rejected dozens of times.

Any advice for those who wish to become an author?

Keep at it. It’s a lot of work to write a novel or even a quality short story. Don’t give up and never think that you’re good enough, always try to get better. But the biggest piece of advice is cliché but very very true: Don’t do it for the money—you probably won’t get rich—do it because you love it.

And Finally, is there anything else you would like to add?

Just to thank you for having me, it’s been a real pleasure!

 Author Bio: 

Travis McBee was born and raised just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. He is the younger of two children and enjoys backpacking, playing rugby, and watching football. He is the author of four novels: Bridgeworld, Bridgeworld: Encounter at Atlantis, Triton: Rise of the Fallen, and Triton: The Call of War. He is also the author of a children’s series: The Chronicles of a Second Grade Genius. He currently resides in Georgia.

Follow Travis On Twitter : twitter.com/travis_mcbee

and Don't Forget To Like Him on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BridgeworldAcademy

One of the most entertaining Interviews I've ever done! Hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did! Until next time, may your Muse be at your side, and your writing the light that guides  you.  

Dawn.

Formatting For Kindle; The Slightly Uncoventoinal Way

    We have all been there as self published authors in the Noob stage. Screaming at our computer, pulling out chunks of hair, and wondering for the hundredth time why it was we decided to do this self publishing thing. Any new self publisher that is more than a little clueless when it comes to HTML dreads this part of publishing. Formatting for Kindle.

photo courtesy of Phaitoon

   If you go through smashwords to upload your book to Amazon you are gold. But what if you want to utilize KDP Select? This means uploading directly to the Amazon website. This means for the best looking eBook you need to format. This was my monster under the bed when it came to getting close to the end of a book. I could sail through revisions and editing, because I knew in the end I would get the results I wanted. Formatting however was another story.

   My revelation came one day when I was converting a book I had in Calibre for my mom's Nook. She's one of my beta readers so I have to take exception for her B&N loyalty. It was so easy to filter my book as a webpage and convert it through Calibre for the Nook. So I tried one of my latest manuscripts for Kindle. It was almost but not quit there.

   Now I don't know if I am the only one who has had issues with Mobi Pocket Creator. But I could never get them to build right. Always coming up with errors and the like, but i figured if it was really already converted with Calibre, maybe it would run through Mobi. I can't say how my mind works, just that it eventually comes up with something weird that ends up brilliant. It went through Mobi with out a hitch, and looked wonderful!

   Even my Word created TOC was just as it should be. I was so happy I literally got up and danced around the room for a minute. Ten minutes and my manuscript was formatted. It sure beat the days on end of trying to figure out why I couldn't get it to work, or emailing my friend Damien and begging him for his HTML knowledge. I could do it myself and do it quickly, all with free programs I already own.

   I've looked the web over and found no one that has used Calibre in this way and thought it would be a nice thing to share. I sure know I could have used it a year ago. I do have to mention in a shameless plug that if you still don't want to mess with it, damiendarby.wordpress.com will format your manuscript for you, you name the price. He does beautiful work. So now that I've plugged a fellow author,I must say, Til next time. May your writing be your light and you muse be at your side always,
Dawn

 

Article writing for the Kindle

Photo courtesy of
Danilo Rizzuti and fredigitalphotos.net

  There is a little known niche in Kindle publishing. Article writing. This is a great alternative for those authors that have a wealth of information to share and want to get paid for sharing it. Everything from travel to how to can be written and published on Amazon and Kindle as an article. These short informative articles can be as short as three thousand words, or as long as thirty thousand.

   Keep your front matter low, due the fact that it is a short article You want the reader to get a good sample of the writing style and content. Since the kindle only gives a ten percent sample in the look inside feature you need to put the writing at the fore front. Consider leaving what you would normally put at the front for the last few pages. Use only your author name, title and copy-rite for front matter, any dedication or citations for the end.

     I would also suggest clearly stating in the description that it is an article. You don't want your customer to buy it thinking it is a novel and be disappointed. Due to the fact that amazon allows returns for digital content within seven days, you want them to be well aware of what they are buying. If the return ratio tops out at 2% amazon will pull your content. Don't let that happen.

   Some of us may never be the article writing type. I couldn't write a good article if my life depended on it. But there are quite a few authors out there that could benefit from this side niche. Give a try and see if it works for you. If anything it will help you stock your digital shelves.

Until next time, happy writing and may your muse be at your side.
Dawn