Stevie Mach interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

A little introduction:

My name is Stevie Mach, at least that is the name I use for all my creative endeavours. I have written and published eight books to date, the latest published just last month, the first around twelve years ago, but actually written sometime in my twenties (I'm 58).

I do wish all this modern publishing technology was around when I was a teenager, modern creatives have so much more available to them today, than when I was young, but hopefully I am making up for it now.

I tend to write sporadically, moving from project to project, mainly due to time restraints and having to work for a living. Though when not writing, I am always doing something in the creative field. Over the last few years, I've been writing instrumental music also, and plan on releasing another music album next year, as well as finishing another novel I am working on at the moment.

In-between times, I write articles for an ebike blog I have created as electric bikes are another passionate interest of mine.

I have a few other creative interests and pastimes, but writing is definitely the most fulfilling and gives me the greatest joy.

When did your love of books begin?

I can blame my mother for my love of reading. From an early age she would regularly drag me to the local library and I soon developed an addiction to borrowing books that lasted all through my early years, and continues to this day, though now I buy the books in ebook format and read on my phone or tablet. Reading is one thing that has remained constant all through my life.

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

As a teenager, I would write poetry and short stories, and terrible songs. It was when I first read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams though, that I first thought about writing a full length book. And I did. I wrote a terrible humorous sci-fi novel, entitled, Something Really Deep, which I hand-wrote, then learned to type on a mechanical typewriter and typed up every page.

I soon realised it was lacking in so many ways, though I still think the plot line and some of the comical sections were quite good. Alas, it is no more, but it is a genre I would like to return to one day. It was also good practice for the next piece of writing, and the next…

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

Becoming an author is so easy today. You can write a book, format it a little, and with a few clicks have it published as an ebook, and/or a paperback. Selling the books is the hard part. Marketing is a skill I do not have. I suppose, at my age, although I would love a bestseller, it is not something I would expect to happen, unless I came up with a serious strategy and was prepared to spend a great deal of money on marketing. This is not something I am in a position to do, nor would want to waste so much time on, so I content myself getting some extra pocket money from my writing rather than enough for a deposit on a yacht.

The other means of becoming an author, going through the process of seeking an agent, or publisher, and sending query letters and several pages of a manuscript on the rounds, I gave up years ago. If I was a great deal younger, perhaps I would have the patience for that, but now, I can find far more productive use for the time that would involve, so I’ll stick to the KDP way for now.

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

If you seriously want to become an author, then get writing and just do it. Today you can publish a book for absolutely nothing. Create an Amazon KDP account, upload your manuscript, and a cover, and with a few clicks of a mouse, your book is on sale worldwide. It will cost you nothing if you do this yourself. There are other online publishers available if you don’t want to use Amazon, but Amazon seems to have the biggest slice of the market.

I would say though, please proofread your manuscript before you do publish, there is nothing worse than reading an ebook full of spelling errors and terrible grammar, no matter how good the actual story is.

You can of course, go the traditional route, and seek out an agent or send a manuscript to a book publisher. This can take a great deal of time though, so learn patience if you go this way, and keep writing as you go.

Tell us about your book/books:

My last two novels, Little Light, and Punisher, I would class as crime fiction, rather than, say, detective stories, or police procedurals. The forces of law and order are perhaps not the main characters in these books. The books before, Silhouettes, Fractured, and Stories of Joe, are all different; reading the blurb on the website is easier than me explaining here, I think. And Rat Race Nights is a book of short stories. Ebike Basics, and New Light for the Soul are non-fiction.

If you are interested in reading any of my fiction, I would suggest Little Light first, as obviously I have improved and developed over the years, or so I like to think.

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

The writing community is full of helpful talented people always ready to pass on advice or assistance to anyone with questions. This doesn’t happen in many fields now, so it is refreshing if you have a query and have half a dozen helpful answers shortly afterwards.

I don’t participate much now, but I would encourage any young writers to either join, or set up, a writer’s workshop in their area. I found these immensely helpful when I was younger, and I’m sure I learned much that I would never have discovered in formal classes or from books alone.

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

Firstly, thanks for buying my book, it makes my day when I see I’ve had a few sales. Also, if you have enjoyed the book, then please leave a review. Reviews are something I get few of, which of course are related to sales. It’s reckoned that only one in five-hundred, or one in a thousand, actually leave a review. But few people buy a book without reviews, and I refuse to pay for them, so I suppose I am always at a disadvantage, as far as reviews go.

Where can people connect with you?

You can catch up on all my creative endeavours at my website, steviemach.com where you can read about my books while listening to some of my music or watching one of my videos. Or read my latest articles regarding the subject of ebikes on ebikeuser.com.

There’s an email address on my website if you want to get in touch this way.