Guest author - Michael Murphy
Feb. 14th, 2013 12:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
charlie_cochraneMy guest today is Michael Murphy, who I first encountered on Facebook. I thought, "there's an interesting chap!" so asked him to answer my third degree...
What inspired you to start writing?
My inspiration for writing probably goes back to my two grandmothers. Both women had strong influences on me while I was growing up. They both loved to read and shared that love with their children. Both also liked to tell stories and could tell some amazing stories to anyone who would listen. Both were widowed young and left with children to raise. Both were fiercely independent fighters. They survived, they thrived, and they passed on their influence to their grandson.
What did/does it feel like watching your first book fledge and leave the nest?
When my first book was published on July 15, 2012, I was absolutely terrified. I had worked on it for months. Sending it off to a publisher seemed like a ridiculous waste of time, but I did it anyway. When they agreed to publish it I was excited beyond all measure. I remember getting the news one Monday morning while riding the subway to work. I was so excited I yelled and hugged the guy sitting next to me – I had no idea who he was.
I was terrified all over again when the book came out six months later. Every hour I was going back and forth from ‘it is okay’ to ‘it is horrible’. Then it was released and some reviews came in – mixed. Some people liked it, some people hated it. When I read the first positive review I was overjoyed. When I read the first negative review, which was fairly negative, I felt like someone had just punched me in the stomach.
The next week was horrible for me. I felt terrible that some people didn’t like my book. I was convinced I had made an awful mistake by publishing. When a box of 20 copies arrived one afternoon I again felt great – until I looked carefully at the box. The books looked fabulous – until you opened the cover. The cover was for my book, but the body was someone else’s book. The printer had made a rather significant error and had used an old file along with my new book cover.
So in a round about way, the answer is that publishing a book is a bit like riding a runaway rollercoaster without a seat belt. All you can do is hang on for the ride and hope you don’t get thrown out of the car on some of the especially sharp turns.
Why this particular setting and era?
The setting for this book is New York City in the present day. My favorite genre is contemporary M/M romance so that’s what I started writing.
Are you character or plot driven? What do you do if one of your characters starts developing at a tangent?
This particular book started with a ten second glimpse of someone. I could not chase the image out of my head. Finally, I wrote it down thinking a one sentence note to myself would take care of this idea. Ha!
One sentence turned into two which turned into three which turned into a couple of paragraphs which turned into a couple of pages and so on. The idea just kept unfolding in front of me and I just couldn’t stop writing. The characters kept talking and telling their story through me and I let them. It was scary as hell and great fun at the same time.
So the answer to your question is my characters hijacked the process and went off on a number of tangents. Sometimes they drove us over a curb and once or twice threatened to drive us off a cliff, but I had to trust them and let them tell me their story.
If you were in a tight corner and had to rely on one of your characters to save you, which would it be and why?
In a fight, I’d trust most of my characters to have my back. If I had to pick one (parents don’t have favorites – right?) I’d probably have to go with Joseph from Little Squirrels because he’s not shy about saying what he means even when the odds are against him. He’s a feisty underdog and I relate to underdogs. A number of readers seemed to intensely dislike Joseph for a variety of reasons. This is probably partly because he’s a bold, outspoken New Yorker. As a native New Yorker, I can say that we live a little more up-front and out there which is jarring to a lot of people. It is probably also partly because he had conversations with his penis (they were having a dispute as to who was in charge).
If you had no constraints of time and a guarantee of publication, what book would you write?
Tough question. But good question. I have a list of something like 50 plus story ideas just waiting for some attention. If I had to pick one that probably wouldn’t sell very well but that I’d really like to tell, it would be the story of two young men fleeing Ireland during the potato famine years – one Catholic, one Protestant – and both constrained by their family expectations and the culture in which they lived. I’ve started this, but I know that historical fiction doesn’t sell very well so I’ve put it on the back burner even though it is all plotted out. I would love to return to the two young men as they are tossed about by the rough seas, family duties and responsibilities, and the harsh conditions in which they lived.
Is there a classic book you started and simply couldn't finish?
I don’t know if this counts as a classic, but many years ago there was a book that people raved about. It got lots of press coverage and was really hot for a long time. The book was The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. Try as hard as I might, I just could not get through it and gave up.
If this isn’t classic enough, …
What’s your favourite gay fiction book? And why?
My favorite gay fiction book. Hmmm. Can I pick two? One for young adult and one for everything else? I think I’m going to do that and see if I can get away with it. Probably my favorite gay fiction book would be By That Sin Fell the Angels by Jamie Fessenden – what a powerful book that is. My favorite young adult gay fiction book is End of the Innocence by John Goode. If you haven’t read something by Jamie Fessenden or John Goode then you absolutely should. These two guys are amazing writers with incredible imaginations.
What's your next project?
Again I’m going to cheat just a little bit. My next project is Book Fair, which will be published by Dreamspinner Press on Wednesday, February 13, 2013. As a new writer I know I made lots of mistakes in my first few books, but I have learned from all of those mistakes and from all of the constructive criticism I’ve received from readers (simply cranky criticism is ignored – if someone can give me constructive criticism I’ll listen to every word of it). Book Fair is in my opinion my strongest book to date. The editors and I worked very hard on this one to make it a strong story and I think we’ve succeeded. Initial reviews have been unanimously positive and I hope that continues to be true.
After that I have two more books under contract with Dreamspinner. I'm also co-authoring a young adult novel with J. P. Barnaby entitled Anything But Sunshine that explores the world of young men sent to a residential therapy center whose aim is to make gay teens straight.
Be sure to stop by his website/blog for the latest news and information.
What inspired you to start writing?
My inspiration for writing probably goes back to my two grandmothers. Both women had strong influences on me while I was growing up. They both loved to read and shared that love with their children. Both also liked to tell stories and could tell some amazing stories to anyone who would listen. Both were widowed young and left with children to raise. Both were fiercely independent fighters. They survived, they thrived, and they passed on their influence to their grandson.
What did/does it feel like watching your first book fledge and leave the nest?
When my first book was published on July 15, 2012, I was absolutely terrified. I had worked on it for months. Sending it off to a publisher seemed like a ridiculous waste of time, but I did it anyway. When they agreed to publish it I was excited beyond all measure. I remember getting the news one Monday morning while riding the subway to work. I was so excited I yelled and hugged the guy sitting next to me – I had no idea who he was.
I was terrified all over again when the book came out six months later. Every hour I was going back and forth from ‘it is okay’ to ‘it is horrible’. Then it was released and some reviews came in – mixed. Some people liked it, some people hated it. When I read the first positive review I was overjoyed. When I read the first negative review, which was fairly negative, I felt like someone had just punched me in the stomach.
The next week was horrible for me. I felt terrible that some people didn’t like my book. I was convinced I had made an awful mistake by publishing. When a box of 20 copies arrived one afternoon I again felt great – until I looked carefully at the box. The books looked fabulous – until you opened the cover. The cover was for my book, but the body was someone else’s book. The printer had made a rather significant error and had used an old file along with my new book cover.
So in a round about way, the answer is that publishing a book is a bit like riding a runaway rollercoaster without a seat belt. All you can do is hang on for the ride and hope you don’t get thrown out of the car on some of the especially sharp turns.
Why this particular setting and era?
The setting for this book is New York City in the present day. My favorite genre is contemporary M/M romance so that’s what I started writing.
Are you character or plot driven? What do you do if one of your characters starts developing at a tangent?
This particular book started with a ten second glimpse of someone. I could not chase the image out of my head. Finally, I wrote it down thinking a one sentence note to myself would take care of this idea. Ha!
One sentence turned into two which turned into three which turned into a couple of paragraphs which turned into a couple of pages and so on. The idea just kept unfolding in front of me and I just couldn’t stop writing. The characters kept talking and telling their story through me and I let them. It was scary as hell and great fun at the same time.
So the answer to your question is my characters hijacked the process and went off on a number of tangents. Sometimes they drove us over a curb and once or twice threatened to drive us off a cliff, but I had to trust them and let them tell me their story.
If you were in a tight corner and had to rely on one of your characters to save you, which would it be and why?
In a fight, I’d trust most of my characters to have my back. If I had to pick one (parents don’t have favorites – right?) I’d probably have to go with Joseph from Little Squirrels because he’s not shy about saying what he means even when the odds are against him. He’s a feisty underdog and I relate to underdogs. A number of readers seemed to intensely dislike Joseph for a variety of reasons. This is probably partly because he’s a bold, outspoken New Yorker. As a native New Yorker, I can say that we live a little more up-front and out there which is jarring to a lot of people. It is probably also partly because he had conversations with his penis (they were having a dispute as to who was in charge).
If you had no constraints of time and a guarantee of publication, what book would you write?
Tough question. But good question. I have a list of something like 50 plus story ideas just waiting for some attention. If I had to pick one that probably wouldn’t sell very well but that I’d really like to tell, it would be the story of two young men fleeing Ireland during the potato famine years – one Catholic, one Protestant – and both constrained by their family expectations and the culture in which they lived. I’ve started this, but I know that historical fiction doesn’t sell very well so I’ve put it on the back burner even though it is all plotted out. I would love to return to the two young men as they are tossed about by the rough seas, family duties and responsibilities, and the harsh conditions in which they lived.
Is there a classic book you started and simply couldn't finish?
I don’t know if this counts as a classic, but many years ago there was a book that people raved about. It got lots of press coverage and was really hot for a long time. The book was The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. Try as hard as I might, I just could not get through it and gave up.
If this isn’t classic enough, …
What’s your favourite gay fiction book? And why?
My favorite gay fiction book. Hmmm. Can I pick two? One for young adult and one for everything else? I think I’m going to do that and see if I can get away with it. Probably my favorite gay fiction book would be By That Sin Fell the Angels by Jamie Fessenden – what a powerful book that is. My favorite young adult gay fiction book is End of the Innocence by John Goode. If you haven’t read something by Jamie Fessenden or John Goode then you absolutely should. These two guys are amazing writers with incredible imaginations.
What's your next project?
Again I’m going to cheat just a little bit. My next project is Book Fair, which will be published by Dreamspinner Press on Wednesday, February 13, 2013. As a new writer I know I made lots of mistakes in my first few books, but I have learned from all of those mistakes and from all of the constructive criticism I’ve received from readers (simply cranky criticism is ignored – if someone can give me constructive criticism I’ll listen to every word of it). Book Fair is in my opinion my strongest book to date. The editors and I worked very hard on this one to make it a strong story and I think we’ve succeeded. Initial reviews have been unanimously positive and I hope that continues to be true.
After that I have two more books under contract with Dreamspinner. I'm also co-authoring a young adult novel with J. P. Barnaby entitled Anything But Sunshine that explores the world of young men sent to a residential therapy center whose aim is to make gay teens straight.
Be sure to stop by his website/blog for the latest news and information.
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Date: 2013-02-14 10:00 pm (UTC)And Happy Valentin Day!
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Date: 2013-02-15 11:29 am (UTC)