Author Michael Bradley and the Supernatural Thriller

Today we interview Michael Bradley, author of a new work of supernatural thriller titled Sirens in the Night.  We are both members of the Wilmington Writers Group (that's the Wilmington in Delaware, not North Carolina).

Congratulations on your new book, Michael! Tell us about Sirens in the Night.

Sirens in the Night is a supernatural thriller that asks the question, what would happen if myths were real? The novel focuses on the efforts of police detective Samantha Ballard as she investigates a series of unusual deaths in the city of Philadelphia. As she embarks on her investigation, she is forced to face a reality that tears down the very framework of what she believes is possible. Jack Allyn, a radio DJ in Philadelphia, just wants to reignite his floundering career, but he is drawn unwillingly into Samantha’s investigation when his friend becomes the next victim. The two must team up together to take on a force that is as malevolent as it is beautiful.     


Sirens in the Night was published by Amberjack Publishing. How did you come to work with them? 

I had been in the midst of sending out submissions to agents and publishers when I came across an article in Writer’s Digest about Amberjack Publishing, announcing that they were now accepting submissions. I decided to give it a shot, and the rest, as they say, is history. They liked what I had to offer, and wanted to negotiate a contract for the publishing rights. With this being my first publication offer, I have to admit that I was a little cautious because I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t signing up for something I would regret. The last thing I wanted was to allow the excitement of getting a book deal to blind me to reality. But, in the end, everything worked out for the best, and the book was released last year in November.

 
I believe that Amberjack Publishing wanted you to change the title for your book, correct? 

The book’s working title had been Beware of Greeks, a take on the old saying “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts”. It had been one of those titles that, when it came to me, I instantly fell in love with it. So, I was a bit heartbroken when my publisher asked me to change it. There was a great deal of “weeping and gnashing of teeth” before I succumb to my publisher’s wishes. But, in the end, the new title has grown on me, and I’m happy with it.

You previously self-published a book.  How does self-publishing compare with your experience with Amberjack Publishing?

The big difference is that you’re not alone. A publisher brings resources to the table that I might not otherwise have had access to with self-publishing. I had an editor who was fabulous to work with, and a graphic designer to take care of cover artwork and book formatting. It gave me, the writer, the opportunity to do what I do best, which is write. When you self-publish, you often have to play all of those roles, and it can take you away from moving on with writing the next book. On the flip side, my royalty percentages are lower than if I had gone the self-publishing route. But, I think the sacrifice was worth it.

Very good.  What's next -- a sequel to Sirens in the Night?

Not at the moment. I have an idea for an indirect sequel for Sirens in the Night, but I haven’t developed it enough yet. I’m currently working on a new thriller with a more psychological angle this time. I just finished the first draft. The working title is Follow You Down. I don’t want to give too much else away about it yet.

Let’s finish up with a process question: how to you write?  Do you do it in the same time and place every day?

I usually write at a small desk I’ve got down in my basement. It’s small, leaving little room for distracting adornments. As for time, my intent is to write every night for a few hours, but you can pave a lot of road with good intentions.


We’ll look forward to your next book.  Thank you for your time, Michael.

Michael Bradley's books can be purchased at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Books-a-Million. 

You can follow Michael Bradley at:

Twitter - @mjbradley88

Facebook - www.facebook.com/mjbradley88

Web - www.mbradleyonline.net

Defending Plagiarism

And now for something completely different: The New Yorker ran a contest asking its readers to suggest what a dog would tweet.  (If, of course, dogs COULD tweet.)

The winner they picked submitted an answer that was uncomfortably close to the caption of an old Gary Larson cartoon.  (Of course, ALL Gary Larson cartoons are old - he retired his strip "The Far Side" in 1995.)

Defending its decision, The New Yorker declined to disqualify its winner because of the number of times the word in question was repeated.

Sorry, it's still plagiarism.  Repeating the word doesn't make it different, unless it's in a foreign language incomprehensible to the reader, and the joke is how often the word is repeated.

Somehow, this reminds me of that episode of "Seinfeld" in which Elaine gets a cartoon accepted by The New Yorker, only to discover that she stole the caption from a "Ziggy" cartoon.

And, if you want a much more clever answer to the "What would dogs tweet?" question, go see Philadelphia stand-up comic John Kensil perform.

OK?  OK?  OK?  OK?  OK?

I Ain't Dead Yet

I've been absurdly busy the past few months, which has caused me to neglect my blog.  (As I'm sure both my followers have noticed.)  But that project is done, and I'm back now.

Yet, while I was otherwise engaged, it seems that blogging is no longer de rigueur for writers. I was catching up on Elif Batuman's blog, only to find that she's suspended her blogging!  She blames this on a note in the New York Times Book Review, which says that Twitter has rendered blogging obsolete.

Well, none of my work has ever been mentioned in the New York Times Book Review.*  Until it is, I don't feel obliged to obey its ukase.  I'll be blogging...as soon as I have something interesting to report.

* However, a business book I co-wrote has been referenced in the Business section of the New York Times.  So I'm working my way towards the Book Review.  I anticipate appearing in the Real Estate section any day now.