Meet the author of Energize, Thomas Ray Manning!
K.N. Lee: Thanks for stopping by
Write Like a Wizard. It is a pleasure to host you today. Not too long ago we
were sitting here and you were interviewing me about The Chronicles of Koa:Netherworld!
Thomas: Yes! The tides have turned haven’t they?
Mua ha haaaaaa *cough*. Thank you so much for interviewing me! It’s always a
pleasure to converse with you!
K.N. Lee: Thank you. Now, Mr.
Manning, can you tell us a little about yourself?
Thomas: Let’s see…I’ll be turning 32 in
September but I still act like I’m 10. I have a wonderful wife and two amazing
children! I graduated college with a BFA in Musical Theatre, and play the
trumpet and saxophone. A few years ago I began my quest for writing a book that
I felt was strong enough to be published, and released Energize through Amazon
this past June. I had such a fun time writing it. I absolutely love using my
imagination and creating something with it.
K.N. Lee: Where are you from?
Thomas: I live outside the city of Pittsburgh,
Pa. Go Steelers! Go Pirates! (Truth be told I’m not a huge sports nut, but I
might as well root for the home team right?)
K.N. Lee: What inspired you to
write your first book?
Thomas: I think at the time I was reading so
much, just flying through books to the point where my mind started to create
new plots and stories. I was talking to a friend of mine one day and we both
decided we would really like to write and publish books. It was around that
time when Amazon’s KDP service really took off, and I thought I would take a
chance. I made sure to read a lot more, looked up articles by authors on how to
write, and then out of my ideas I picked the story I thought would be a great
debut book.
K.N. Lee: Do you write full-time
or part-time? How do you balance your writing life with your family/work life?
Thomas: I would love to write full time! I
really would! I have so many ideas just swimming through my head. I think my
last count of books I want to write is around 21, no joke! Unfortunately I can
only do it part time right now. During the day I work at my job, and then I
come home to be with my family. After the kids go to bed is when I usually
start writing. I try to keep it as balanced as I can, but family comes before
anything, and work pays the bills, so those comprise the majority of my day.
K.N. Lee: Your debut novel,
Energize, is very impressive. I found it well written, intriguing, and would
have guessed you’d written scores of books prior to its publication. Can you
tell the readers out there what Energize is about?
-
Thomas: Thank you so much! That’s really great
to hear! With any luck my next book will be even better!
Energize
is the story of Daniel Quinn, a captain and insignificant mercenary who
discovers a secret. Somewhere among the stars there exists an energy source
once thought to be myth. Attempting to sell the information for riches, Daniel
is cornered by very dangerous people and is forced to travel to an unknown
location and retrieve it. In order to find what he’s looking for, Daniel will
have to overcome his fears, escape from his pursuers, and explore a mysterious
planet. But as he learns more about the energy source he was sent to collect,
he will find this job is not so easily accomplished, and the path he chooses
will not only be the difference between honor and disgrace, but life and death.
K.N. Lee: I really enjoyed reading Energize! Daniel was such a great character that a reader can easily relate to. How cool is that bionic eye?!
How did you come up
with the title for Energize?
Thomas: I used Thesaurus! Honestly! The main
theme behind Energize is energy and power, and I wanted the title to reflect
that. After inputting a few words into the thesaurus website, I found the word
energize and immediately knew that would be the title to my first book.
K.N. Lee: How did you come up
with the idea?
Thomas: I am a huge science fiction fan. I love
Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, and then some! When I set out to
write Energize, I really wanted to make it more of a personal story of just one
man, as opposed to an ensemble story like so many others are. While there are
plenty of characters in Energize, we only follow Daniel from beginning to end
watching how he grows, reacts, and becomes a better person.
K.N. Lee: There was a great character arc. Good job! Is there a message in
your novel that you want readers to grasp?
-
Thomas: Absolutely! Always stand up for what you
believe is right, and don’t let your past dictate who you are. Overcome any
regrets you have in your past and instead look toward the future.
K.N. Lee: Set in a sci-fi world,
how much of Energize is realistic?
Thomas: That’s hard to say considering Energize
takes place about 100 years in our future, give or take a decade. I would like
to think in a century we are out among the stars in ships. I tried not to make
the technology too advanced. When Daniel lands on a mysterious, uncharted
planet, then the book goes a little more into fantasy.
K.N. Lee: Are experiences based
on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Thomas: Not really. I don’t use my personal life
much when building a story. I essentially create a character I think would be
fun to write about and then craft a story around them. Some characters and
their reactions may be inspired by people in my life, but that would be the
extent of it.
K.N. Lee: What books have most
influenced your life most?
Thomas: How can I choose? Stories can teach us
so many things. J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter taught me that a young, courageous
boy could beat the odds by trusting his friends and believing in himself. Jim
Butcher’s Dresden Files taught me to never give up, and also how stories and
characters can span over a dozen wonderful books! George R.R. Martin taught me
how to piss off people by killing their favorite characters! In all seriousness
though, Martin is an amazing author. They all are! That’s what makes an amazing
book, is when you can walk away from it and found that you learned something
valuable.
K.N. Lee: If you had to choose,
which writer would you consider a mentor?
Thomas: Jim Butcher. No hesitation here. I was
amazed by the characters he created, the style he writes in. I don’t think I
would have ever written a first novel if it wasn’t for him, and I never even
met him in person! His books are just ridiculously good, and he inspired me to
write and release books just as good!
K.N. Lee: What book are you
reading now?
Thomas: I’m currently reading Hunted by Kevin
Hearne, and Darkest Before Dawn by Robert Jackson-Lawrence.
K.N. Lee: Are there any new
authors that have grasped your interest?
Thomas: I’m talking to one of them right now!
Seriously, your Chronicles of Koa book is awesome! I also enjoy indie author
Robert Jackson-Lawrence’s books. I just recently discovered author Richard
Preston. His novel Romulus Buckle & the City of the Founds looks
incredible! I’ll be starting that as soon as I finish my current reads. There
are also a few aspiring authors still working on their books, people like J.
Ramirez, Kristen Hope, and E.F. Rose who I’m looking forward to! I can’t wait
to read them all!
K.N. Lee: Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed, The Chronicles of Koa. What are your current
projects?
Thomas: Right now I’m working on the next book
in the Daniel Quinn series, titled Antagonize!
K.N. Lee: Name one entity that
you feel supported you outside of family members.
Thomas: Without a doubt it would be my best
friend J. Ramirez. Over the last five years we’ve been motivating each other,
pushing each other, and supporting each other in our aspirations to become
published authors.
K.N. Lee: Do you see writing as a
career?
Thomas: That’s my goal! I would love make
writing my career. As long as I can keep writing books that people enjoy, I
don’t see any reason why that couldn’t happen! I sure hope it does!
K.N. Lee: If you had to do it all
over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
Thomas: I think I managed to get everything into
Energize that I wanted. The reviews seem to agree! I actually removed a few
things from the book before it went out to betas!
K.N. Lee: Do you recall how your
interest in writing originated?
Thomas: I don’t actually. My earliest memory of
writing is probably fifteen years ago when J and I would write random stories.
Years before that in grade school I drew comic books. My artistic ability was
non-existent, but it was more about the story in that comic that I wanted to
create.
K.N. Lee: Can you share a little
of your current work with us?
Thomas: At the moment my manuscript of
Antagonize is in its first draft, so I don’t want to release anything that
could be altered at a later date. Fear not though! How about I reveal the
synopsis for Antagonize?! Let’s do it!
The
neighboring planets Terra and Gaia have been at war for countless years. Now in
the wake of a peace treaty, members of their council are being murdered. Far
away on a desolate planet, Captain Daniel Quinn of the Kestrel Belle is pulled
into the conflict by an unknown man in the hopes that he can help stop the
bloodshed. Unfortunately for Daniel, the task is easier said than done
considering there are more people who embrace the war than those who want it to
end. As he attempts to track down the killer and resume the talks for peace,
Daniel will come face to face with someone from his past, fight against armies
of soldiers, and worst of all, go up against a highly trained mercenary who
watches and taunts Daniel's every move.
K.N. Lee: Is there anything you
find particularly challenging in your writing?
Thomas:
I suppose making sure that each
character has his or her own distinct voice and personality is something I feel
I struggle more than anything with. Even though Energize is a first-person
book, there are still a lot of supporting characters, and I want to make sure
that they’re different from each other. If you look at the characters Cessa and
Sarah King, they both have similar views, they’re both ruthless and cold, but I
still think they’re distinguishable characters.
K.N. Lee: I really liked Cessa! She was such a dynamic character. She actually reminded me of Cara from the Sword of Truth novels. A true Mord-Sith!
Who designed the cover?
Thomas: Ronnell Porter designed my cover for me.
I think he did a great job! He’s a really nice guy and a pleasure to work with.
You can see some of his other covers, and what his services include here! - http://ronnelldporter.wix.com/design
K.N. Lee: What was the hardest
part of writing your book?
Thomas: Honestly? Writing it lol! Throughout the
process of writing it I kept doubting whether it would be good enough, whether
I studied enough on the craft of writing and storytelling. Additionally I had a
lot of trouble making consistent time for writing (Still trying to figure that
one out today!).
K.N. Lee: Did you learn anything
from writing your book and what was it?
Thomas: I learned a couple of things actually.
The story, no matter how long it’s stuck in your head or written down on an
outline – it can still surprise the hell out of you. One minute you’ll be
typing away and all of a sudden a light bulb turns on in your head and you’re
like, “Whoa! I didn’t even think of going in that direction”. Also, I didn’t
realize how amazing it feels to finish the book and see all these characters
and worlds that you created come to life. It’s awesome!
K.N. Lee: Do you have any advice
for other writers?
Thomas: I do, and everyone’s heard it before,
but it needs to be repeated over and over again - Do not stop writing! No
matter what’s going on in your life, how your current books are selling, how
nervous you are about releasing your first novel, don’t stop. It doesn’t matter
if you write 5,000 words a day or 100. Be like Dory in Finding Nemo – “Just
keep writing…just keep writing…just keep writing, writing, writing!”
K.N. Lee: Do you have anything
specific that you want to say to your readers?
Thomas: Thank you for reading my book! Also,
feedback is important to me. Whether you liked Energize or didn’t like it, I
would be grateful if you would leave a review. If you didn’t like it, tell me
why so I can work harder the next time to grab your interest. You can even
e-mail me! Just go to the contact page on my website – http://www.thomasrmanning.com
K.N. Lee: What were the
challenges (research, literary, psychological, and logistical) in bringing it
to life?
Thomas: For the most part I just wanted to make sure
I knew enough about the craft of storytelling. As much as I wanted to write a
novel and release it for people to read, I wanted to make sure I had all the
fundamentals that made a good book. I really took my time and spent a couple
years reading and researching plot structure, character creation, story and
world building. Once I was satisfied with the knowledge I acquired, then I set
out to write my book!
K.N. Lee: What do you think about
e-publishing versus technical publishing?
Thomas: When you ask that, are you referring to
eBooks vs. print? Or indie publishing vs. traditional? How about I touch on
both? I love my Kindle, and since I bought it, my reading speed has doubled when
compared to reading print books. I like the convenience of having one device
with all my books on it, and it’s small enough to take with me wherever I go.
Having said that, I think print books are also great. It’s nice to browse the
book store and look at the covers and read the back to see if it’s a story you
might enjoy. For the most part though, I buy my books on Kindle.
Now
in regards to indie publishing vs. traditional, I think there’s a place in this
world for both! I feel like there’s a wall between indie and traditional that
shouldn’t be there. Traditional authors should be willing to read, feature,
talk about indie books, while indie publishers do the same for traditional.
Maybe some do, but like I said, from my perspective it seems like everyone just
stays within their own group. I really enjoy the self-publishing route. I
retain all creative control for my books, I get to choose the cover, and I pick
my own deadlines. I can also write in whatever genre I want, regardless of what
is the “hot genre” at the time. To be completely honest with you though, I
would love to be picked up by a traditional publisher. It would be amazing to
see my book in a physical book store. Another disadvantage for self-publishing
is the cost of cover art, editing, ISBNs, etc. You have to spend a lot of money
to publish your book in a professional manner, and with a family to feed and a
house to pay for, I have a hard time finding the funds to do all that.
K.N. Lee: Do you have an agent or
publisher? How did you go about finding one?
Thomas: I’m currently self-published. However, I
did send out queries to seven agents concerning my first book, Energize. So far
I’ve had one response and it was a rejection, but they were very nice about it!
K.N. Lee: If you could live
anywhere, where would it be?
Thomas: Probably Ireland. I’ve heard it’s
beautiful there, and being Irish myself, I would love to see where some of my
ancestors lived!
K.N. Lee: Me too! I'd love to live in Ireland. If you could have any
super power, what would it be?
Thomas: It would have to be a toss-up between
flying and reading minds. I always choose reading minds though because if I
could fly I’d most likely smack into a tree or plane! Reading minds would be
great though! I constantly wonder what people are thinking!
K.N. Lee: Thank you for joining us on Write Like a Wizard!
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