I was born Aug. 14, 1971 in Redondo Beach, CA. I have been writing stories since I was 9 years old and volunteering to share them in front of class, to just recently in June of 2011 when I released my first published work, "The Leaf Catcher," an epic poem that is the first volume in a series entitled The Traveling Box Trilogy. The series explores and defines the human mind, body, and soul while composing it in a classic epic poem style that speaks in the language of our time. My motto is to strive to be physically and mentally strong, and so I engage in tournament chess and weightlifting. I have an MBA, a BA in psychology, and am married with three children. I currently reside in Los Angeles, CA.
When and how did you discover that you love reading fiction?
Unfortunately, I didn’t start to enjoy reading till I started college. I regret all the years I wasted not reading, and try and make up for it now by reading about 6 books at a time. I have a different book in each room of the house and always have an audiobook going in the car. Additionally, I have a color Nook with so many books lined up to read I have enough reading material to last a lifetime!
What are some of your favorite books and who are some of your favorite authors?
The problem with having read so many books now is that it is hard to name all my favorites without leaving some out. But some of the books that left a lasting impression on me are Douglas Adam’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series (Adam’s is like a modern Mark Twain in my eyes with his ingenious humor), Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games trilogy(I can hardly wait to see if the movie, planned for release in March of next year, does justice to the book.) How can I not have respect for J.K. Rowling and her Harry Potter series? Not only are her books the epitome of well written fantasy, but her life story is an inspiration to all aspiring writers. A masterpiece of poetric prose is Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, and for superb examples of simple down to earth story telling I love Jeannette Walls’ The Glass Castle and Barbara Kingsolver’s The Bean Trees. I could just go on and on, but before I run out of room I want to say that your Wild Child books are some of the best short stories I have read as they can convey so much and get you emotionally involved in the characters in such a relatively short period of time!
What is your favorite thing about reading fiction?
Life may sometimes be stranger than fiction, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t enjoy and learn real life applicable lessons from a good book of fiction. Moreover, we can be introduced to people and events that we may never get to see in real life. The world is a huge place and life is too short to visit everyone and everyplace, so books can be a convenient way to supplement our travels.
Do you have any “pet peeves” about authors, something they do that really annoys you?
Ok I get that in a series sometimes authors need to remind the writers what happened in the previous books, and this is helpful especially when it has been a year or two since the last book, but what I don’t like to see is when they spend an inordinate amount of time recounting the previous events. If they think they need to spend a third of the book summarizing the last one then they might as well just say “read the previous book/books.”
Do you write fiction yourself?
My book is an epic poem, like Dante’s Inferno, so it is fiction in the sense that the characters and events did not really exist, but it is written in poetic form.
What do you think about ebooks vs. paper books?
I know this is a hot spot for you Mike, and I Love your blog on ebooks for dummies. I just happened to be in a Borders book store one evening to hear a family having a conversation about this topic, and sure enough the mom brought up the “I just love the feel and the smell of a paper book” argument.
Immediately, I thought of your step by step guide of how to hold your ebook like a paper book and the can of Smell of Books spray! Honestly though I have to say there is a place in my heart for both forms of books, and audio books for that matter too. If they came up with another format I would probably like that too; <stands>Hello, my name is Dax Tucker and I am a bookoholic…But seriously though, I love the eco-friendly, portability, practicality, and numerous other features of ebooks, but I also love the durability of a paperback that you can throw and leave your drink on top of without worrying about it breaking or shorting out, and the battery will never run out on a paperback!
What is your favorite Mike Wells book and why?
I have only read both of your Wild Child books so far and they are both equal in can’t “putdownable” strength. I look forward to more in the series (And I really want to know what you have planned for that big catfish at the bottom of the lake! Ancient guardian of the green water perhaps?)
Thank you so much for taking the time to give an interview for my blog, Dax!
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you Mike for all your insightful advice. Your blog site has a wealth of helpful information to all authors whether published or not. I would also like to encourage your readers to check out my book, The Leaf Catcher, and see if they can meet its challenge: “Can you go just one day without thinking a negative thought?” Read the book and you will learn that the secret to helping you attain this goal is your perception—How you choose to perceive yourself, others, the environment and events around you will be instrumental in determining your quality of life.
email: daxmtucker@gmail.com
Twitter: @DaxMTucker
No comments:
Post a Comment