You may remember that recently I read and reviewed The Secret Life of Copernicus H. Stringfellow by Lorin Barber and enjoyed it quite a bit. (You can read my review here). I am very excited that today Lorin has stopped by the blog to answer a few questions and has also generously agreed to host a giveaway of his book for one of you lucky readers!
From Goodreads:
Copernicus H. Stringfellow, a.k.a. Nick, is not your run-of-the-mill genius. His mind is so powerful it can stop a speeding automobile or stem internal bleeding. As Nick goes about quietly doing good, he discovers that his powers are greatly enhanced by the nutrients present in Twinkies. Follow Nick on his amazing adventures in this humorous and exciting action-packed book for all ages.
{Interview}
Q: CAN YOU PLEASE TELL US A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT YOURSELF AND THE SECRET LIFE OF COPERNICUS H. STRINGFELLOW?
A: I’m nearing 60 years old. I've been married for 38 years and my sweetheart has born me 7 children, one deceased. I currently have 8 grandchildren and hope for a few more. I speak Japanese. I have traveled much of the world. I prefer the country to the city and the simple to the technical. My sister told me that when she read the book she could hardly follow the story because she just kept seeing me in the writing.
“The Secret Life” is a story of a guy that has all of the qualities I wish I had and enough supernatural powers to do a lot of things that I would enjoy doing. My hope is that people will be entertained and will laugh occasionally. Life is better when we laugh.
Q: HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE IDEA FOR THIS BOOK?
A: I had written 3 previous novels which had met with rejection. I knew I could do better so I set out to come up with a character and a story that would help me succeed. I knew a tall skinny nerd like Copernicus once. I chose the name Copernicus to connote intelligence. The name Stringfellow I got off the side of a bus while I was conjuring the story. I think the character’s name really framed the story in my mind, a super-intelligent, tall, skinny, funny guy. I wove in a few subplots because my native brevity requires a lot of content to create a novel length piece of work.
Q: COPERNICUS, OR "NICK", GETS HIS FUEL FROM TWINKIES. IS THERE A PARTICULAR REASON WHY YOU CHOSE TWINKIES TO PLAY THIS ROLL?
A: I chose Twinkies because they are a much abused and under-appreciated nutritional item. I was actually told as a child that they contained enough preservatives that they could sit on a shelf for 400 years and still taste fresh. That is definitely not true. I've had stale ones. I have no particular preference for Twinkies as a treat. I just thought they would be a humorous catalyst for super powers.
Q: THE CHARACTERS IN THIS BOOK ARE QUITE AN ECLECTIC MIXTURE OF PERSONALITIES. WHAT WERE SOME OF YOUR INFLUENCES BEHIND THE PERSONALITIES? ARE ANY OF THE CHARACTERIZATIONS BASED ON PEOPLE IN YOUR OWN LIFE?
A: I can’t say that I based any characters on acquaintances of mine. They are composites of people I've known. I wanted and eclectic mix to show that Nick held no prejudices and in fact had a bias towards people of smaller means but greater character.
Q: I SEE THAT YOU ARE WORKING ON A SEQUEL, BUT WILL THERE BE MORE BOOKS IN THIS SERIES TO FOLLOW AFTER THAT?
A: I have 4 more in the Copernicus series planned. The next will be a chronological sequel. I plan one called “Little Nicky” about his childhood. I have one about Nick’s honeymoon in Japan that will be built around him finding a dead woman washed up on a beach (It actually happened to me in Japan). The last one will be Nick running into an Evil mind the equal of his own.
Q: DOES THE IDEA YOU START WITH AS INSPIRATION FOR YOUR WRITING EVER TURN INTO SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY WHEN YOU ARE DONE?
A: I couldn’t say things change entirely, but maybe dramatically.
Q: WHAT HAVE BEEN SOME OF THE WRITING CHALLENGES YOU HAVE FACED? WHAT CHALLENGES DID YOU FACE ON THE ROAD TO PUBLICATION?
A: My 1st book was turned down at least 50 times. My wife didn't even like it. She didn’t like my 2nd, but kind of liked my 3rd. Copernicus is my fourth. Learning to write is a process for me. I’m not a natural, though I think my imagination comes naturally. Each of my books has been increasingly better written and I intend to continue to improve.
One of my biggest challenges in writing is my impatience. It’s true also when I read. I want to skip through all of the descriptive nonsense and character development and get to the exciting conclusion. I suffer when I read, and have learned as I write to say to myself “make them suffer, make them suffer”. I have to consciously work to be descriptive, develop characters and mostly to build suspense, in other words to make my readers suffer before they finish the story.
Q: IF YOU COULD WRITE A BOOK FROM ANOTHER AUTHOR’S SERIES, WHICH WOULD IT BE?
A: I like the Odd Thomas series by Dean Koontz.
Q: WHAT WAS THE BOOK THAT MOST IMPACTED YOUR LIFE AND WHY?
A: Scripture has most impacted my life, but aside from that a series of biographies on America’s founding fathers has shaped my world view.
For more about Lorin Barber and The Secret Life of Copernicus H. Stringfellow, check out his website here. You can also connect with him on Facebook or Goodreads.
{Purchase}
{Giveaway}
a Rafflecopter giveawayThank you again to Lorin Barber for stopping by today and for the generous giveaway!
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