I am always looking for new authors to interview. I enjoy picking their brain and gaining their insights into the processes of writing, publishing and marketing stories. Horror writer Todd Sullivan was one of the first to reach out to me about a possible interview. Check him out here.
What inspires your writing?
I’m inspired by the world around me. Most of my influences, I have direct contact with. I wrote about Korea because that’s where I lived for ten years. I’ll write about Taiwan as I continue to meet people and experience the culture of the country. If a reader was so inclined, they could read my fiction over the years and follow the progress of where I’ve lived over my lifespan. It’s all there, in the words, like a map.
What is your process of developing characters?
As my mastery of fiction craft has developed, my style of developing characters has changed. Like my inspiration, generally my main characters are based upon people I’ve met. But real life people are only the jumping off part. The characters themselves are not reflections of these individuals in the least.
In the past, I would write very short stories about characters as I was developing them. I picked up this technique from a university professor I met twenty years ago. It’s very useful and very effective, but lately, I’ve found that I don’t have to do that anymore. And when I say lately, I mean in the last year or so. I see fiction narratives in my head quite clearly now. Practicing the craft for my lifetime, I suppose, has given me this ability, as well as the ability to edit more in my head before I even put it on the page.
Did you start with a story outline or did you make it up as you went along?
I don’t outline, and I don’t ask any one I teach writing to to do so with their fiction. Just write the story. People can get caught up with outlining and never finish a story. Plus, that’s what editing is for, to give greater shape to the first pile of words you put down on the page.
One thing I would advise, and have done, if I feel like I’m getting stuck in a story, is to go ahead and write the ending. That way, you now have something to aim for, even if that ending changes as you get closer to it.
What researching methods did you use?
Part of the reason why I developed the practice of writing from direct experiences is because I hated researching when I was young. I didn’t have patience for it. Things have changed now, though. You can research a subject that you want to put in story by simply using the internet. Between google and YouTube, you can get a lot of good information on almost any topic known to man. Because of this, I’ve taken to researching quite a bit, which gives me a greater breadth of what I can include in my fiction.
Did you draw on personal experience?
I draw on my personal experiences, as well as the experiences of people I meet.
How did you publish?
BUTCHERS was published by Nightmare Press, and my fantasy novella, HOLLOW MEN, will be published by Mocha Memoirs Press.
Why did you do it that way?
For business ventures, I simply think it’s better to work as a group. Self-publishing limits your influence to only the people you meet. Publishing with a publisher, at the very least, doubles the reach of your writing.
How long did it take you to land representation?
I’m not represented by an agent.
Who did your cover and marketing?
Holly Wholahan did the cover for BUTCHERS, and Nightmare Press is doing a fantastic job of marketing.
What are some of the methods you have used to generate interest in your book?
Social media events, future book signings, interviews, book reviews.
How did you find a unique approach to familiar subjects like Vampires and the Occult?
BUTCHERS fuses the western vampire mythology to Korea culture to create a unique blend. I feel confident that I’ve written a unique spin on an undying narrative.
What aspect of the book writing process did you find the most challenging?
Finding time to write is challenging. I write every day, usually in the morning as soon as I wake up. I do feel that this is when my conscious mind most easily enters different realms. But usually, I only write about an hour a day, and that means my pace isn’t very fast for completing projects. Sometimes, however, when I suddenly have a lot of time on my hands, I finish projects at a much more heightened speed. I would love to get to a point where I can enter into a new reality for six months, then do nothing but write three months, then enter into another reality in search of new material for another half a year. That would probably be an ideal writer’s life for me.
Did you use beta readers? How did you secure them?
I’m very big on beta readers, and I pray that I never get to the point where I can’t have a variety of regular people reading my writing and giving me honest feedback. Granted, I would like to have a growing audience, but I still hope that I can always get regular readers to give their thoughts. It’s so much better than professionals only, who I feel can lose touch with what a general reader actually wants in their fiction.
How many revisions did it take to get a publishable book?
I wrote BUTCHERS over four months, but the idea started about five years previously. And I wrote my first vampire story as a child, of which BUTCHERS is its far distant descendant. Basically, I’ve been working on this vampire narrative for my lifetime, and BUTCHERS is only the first of many more to come.
What are you writing now?
I’m writing a fantasy novella tentatively titled DEARTH. It has a long road ahead of it until completion.
What is your advice to other writers?
Master the technique of writing a great first line.
Download your copy of Todd’s Novella BUTCHERS now!
