Welcome back for another Author Spotlight! If you want to know more about how the series got started, go check out the introduction post.
Today the spotlight is on California author and cat-dad, Michael Schutz. As you know, I’m not a fan of long introductions, so let’s get started.
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Let’s start with the most important. What’s your most recent/next book, and where can we go to learn more about it and you?
EDGING is my latest novel, which I’m really excited about. It’s the story of Intenze, the newest designer drug. Take it, and nightmares come alive. The fears of all those who “edge” summon the Thirst — a living miasma that thrives on terror. Rick Carlson needs to protect his family and dear friends from the horrifying storm that’s coming, but they don’t all want to be saved. And time is running out.
The best place to find out more about me and my work is http://www.michaelschutzfiction.com
My social media include Facebook and Twitter.
And EDGING is available here.
Do you have a favorite book/story among the ones you’ve written? Why is it so special to you?
My favorite of my longer works is EDGING. By far. And I’m not just saying that because it’s the new one. As a reader of tales, this one excites me. For shorter works, my story “Monster,” in Crossroads in the Dark III: Monsters Under Your Bed exceeded my expectations. Both of those came alive and told me how to write them.
Would you rather your book(s) be filmed for a movie, or a tv series?
I’d love any of my work as a movie! My passion for film almost supersedes my love of the written word. I’m fanatical about the genius of Scott Schirmer bringing Todd Rigney’s amazing novel Found to the screen. If he wanted to transform Edging, I’d be ecstatic.
Do you drink coffee/tea? Do you find you drink more coffee/tea when you’re working on a book?
I drink a lot of coffee — all the time, no matter what. But it is my writin’ juice, and after quitting cigarettes, it’s my one vice that jump starts my mind in the morning.
Do you support the Oxford comma?
Whole-heartedly! Without that final comma, the last two things in a list read as though they’re a pair. Drives me nuts when writers don’t use Oxford/serial commas.
What’s your Harry Potter House?
Ravenclaw! Along with such notables as Luna Lovegood, Ignatia Wildsmith, and Filius Flitwick.
What are you most nostalgic for from your childhood?
Lately I’ve been thinking about summers when I was a kid. They seemed to last forever, didn’t they? I still remember that sweet taste of freedom as my sneakers hit the sidewalk after the last bell on the last day of the school year. Three months of horror-watching sleepovers. Building forts. The annual July trip to the waterpark. Autumn seemed so far away. What a magical time.
What is one question you’ve always wanted to be asked in an interview?
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
Back in first grade, I discovered Walter Farley’s The Black Stallion. I loved that book and after finishing it, I went right back to the start and read it again. The opening paragraphs mesmerized me. This was my first novel, and I grew entranced at how letters became words, words sentences, and the paragraphs transformed into moving images in my head. How did that happen? I needed to know the secret.
Right around this time, my mom borrowed my aunt’s typewriter to work on her resume (I’m dating myself here, aren’t I?) and she let me use it when she finished. I began transcribing The Black Stallion. Now I was creating those letters, making sentences, and molding those images. I felt like I knew the mechanics. The next step would be inventing my own images and typing the words, putting them in the right order, making a brand new mental movie. And I needed to do that. Writing became the only thing I wanted to do from that moment on. I started writing my own fledgling stories, and aside from dreaming of flying F-14 Tomcats off aircraft carriers or profiling serial killers for the FBI, writing remained my only goal.
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And there you have it. I love how words can transform to images in my head as well; it’s my favorite part of reading.
You can learn more about Michael’s various books here. Crossroads in the Dark III, mentioned above, is due to be released September 30. You can read more about it here.
Have you read any of Michael’s books before? What do you think of them? Which is your favorite? Leave a comment below and let me know. If you’d like the spotlight turned on you, send me a message on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
