Sal Nudo interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

A little introduction:

My name is Sal Nudo. I’m a communications professional at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and have written and published two novels, one novella, one flash-fiction piece, and two nonfiction books. I live with my wife and stepson in Champaign.

When did your love of books begin?

I’m not sure the exact age, but I was pretty young, definitely a preteen. My mom got me into books, and in some cases, the early books she turned me on to were adult-themed reads such as A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and Catcher in the Rye. But I also remember reading Rookie of the Year by John R. Tunis and absolutely loving it. That was a book for kids, and he had a series of baseball books I read in the 1980s. I’ve got Tunis’s books on my “To Reread” list because I remember being so entertained by them.

When did you start to have the wish to become an author?

I self-published a little pamphlet of a book about music back in 1999. It was a mistake, but in some respects it was a good process to go through because it taught me to be patient and more thorough in releasing future books. I haven’t written the perfect, great American novel yet, but each release is getting better.

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

I released my first several books several years apart, but these past few years I’ve become more prolific at working on my writing and publishing, plus doing the marketing that goes along with releasing books. That great American novel, after all, isn’t going to get written and released by itself. The little things you can do each day to help yourself as an author will add up and make your books more noticed and your career as an author more fruitful.

What would you say to those wanting to become an author?

I would say read books on the craft of writing, do lots of different types of writing, and study writing in school. Perhaps find a mentor who also likes to write and is good at it. Many writers like to join writing clubs to share their work and bounce ideas off of one another. That’s never been my thing, but it helps some aspiring authors. I also think that collaborating on and cowriting a book with another writer would be a worthwhile endeavor, something I’d like to do someday. 

Tell us about your book/books:

There are several, and they are all different. I’m definitely not a writer who sticks to one type of genre. I’m proud of my most recent book of short stories called Far From Mars, which has nine literary journalism pieces about individuals in Champaign-Urbana and about one guy who was living in Rantoul and trying to change his life for the better. I hope readers of this blog will visit my Amazon author page to see if any of the books I’ve written appeal to them.

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

On Twitter the #writingcommunity has been great. Many people in this social-media space take the craft of writing seriously and are open and honest about their questions, rejections, and successes. These aren’t things I really tweet about, but I respect the passion and openness of my fellow writers worldwide. Publishing has become so much easier to do, which makes it tougher to get your book noticed. At the same time, it can be comforting when visiting Twitter to see people with the same publishing goals, many of whom are encouraging others with the same writing objectives. Sometimes these tweeting writers post funny tweets about the writing process, and that’s fun to view.

As far as reading, it’s an activity I love that often gets in the way of my writing. Oh well … there are worse problems to have.

If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?

To those who have purchased and read my books, thank you so much. To those who went further and reviewed any of my books—thank you, thank you, thank you (whether it was a good or bad review). There are a million entertainment options these days, and reading may not be top of mind for lots of people. So, for someone to hunt down, or stumble onto, one of my books and then buy it and read it, well, it means the world to me.

Also, a question: For those who have read The Newspaperman, should I write a sequel?

Where can people connect with you?

Please connect with me on Twitter at @NudoSal. Thanks for the opportunity to do this!