Interview with kids author Carlos Malbrew

Kids author Carlos Malbrew is kicking us off this week talking about his new book, The DANGER! Kids: Explosive Action Adventure.

Bio:

Carlos Malbrew is the founder of C.R.M. International Publishing. He holds an MPA and bachelor’s degree in English from Louisiana State University and Xavier University of New Orleans. He is also a graduate of the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts.

Welcome, Carlos. Please tell us about your current release.

What starts as a boring day becomes the fast-paced action adventure of a lifetime when Kevin and Mike team up with 3 new friends to save Kevin’s mom after she gets kidnapped by the villain Pierre. Can Kev’s leadership, Mike’s patience, Army’s skill, Sal’s toughness, and Smooth raps save Kev’s mom? Or will the start of the Danger! Kids also be their end?!

Meet the characters:

---Kevin (12) starts the club, a natural leader, He is literally incapable of resisting the call to adventure.

---Smooth (12) raps. Swag. His 3 fav items are his shades, his motorcycle jacket, and his gold boom box.

---Army (11) is a tactical wizard who wears army fatigues and has been on missions before.

---Sal (13) The oldest, the only girl, and she packs a mean punch.

---Mike (12) The most mature kid and the one who along with Army thinks before he acts.

What inspired you to write this book?

My road to authorship began with journal time in elementary school. Standing up in front of the class to read 1 to 3 page stories. This is where I developed a skill in story -telling and connecting directly to the audience. This is when I fell in love with writing. Years later at the ‘Hardy Boys’ readings inspired me to create my own version of a full length Story. The DANGER! Kids is that story. It’s much shorter than those books but 20 years ago at age 12. I was very proud to have written a story this long. All these years later I made efforts to publish but was never comfortable with the upfront costs. Amazon-Kindle provided me an opportunity. As a film writer these books are the perfect vehicle for jumping into the world of publishing while owning the rights to my material and building up my publishing company CRM International.

Excerpt from Chapter 8 of The DANGER! Kids: Explosive Action Adventure:

!!!!DANGER!!!!

In the hideout… Sal had finished untying Kevin, but was struggling to free Mike.

“We’ve got three minutes left,” Mike cried.

Sal yelled in frustration: “Shut up! I haven’t even begun to get these knots undone, they’re too tight!”

Sal looked at the time on the dynamite. “Only two minutes thirty seconds left!” she exclaimed.

“Hurry!” Mike yelled.

“I can’t do it,” Sal said sadly.

“I’ve got an idea,” Kevin responded. “Let’s just carry him out of here.”

“Thirty seconds,” Mike cried.

They struggled to pick him up.

“You and this chair are so heavy,” Sal said.

“You can complain later,” Mike replied. “Get me outta here!”

Sal and Kevin slowly but surely made their way toward the door with Mike in tow. 20, 19, 18, 17… they finally got some momentum but weren’t out of the door yet. 13, 12, 11, 10

“HURRY!” Mike shouted.

9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4… Kev and Sal were just able to lift him and run out of the door. 3, 2, 1… BOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The explosives destroyed the building and shook the ground!

What exciting story are you working on next?

I’m currently taking an innovative story from my childhood composition books regarding a young man who signs up for a fighting tournament to win the prize money against the wishes of his girlfriend. In this story the reader is the main character and will have to make choices to determine the resolution. There are happy endings, sad ones, and some in between. It’s a YOU CHOOSE adventure GAMEBOOK!

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

In middle school!

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I currently write and promote my material full time having made the leap from the world of Louisiana State University Human Resources to now building my own business. Outside of writing I love rooting on my Dallas Cowboys to one day win another Superbowl!

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I love to jump from one story to another one during the writing process because ideas for one story remind me of plot points for other ones.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A film director.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

Reading is essential and… FUN! Touring schools has proven one thing for me, students love The DANGER! Kids.

Check out these titles from C.R.M. International, now available in e-book and/or paperback, free as e-book on the dates listed.

1. The DANGER! Kids Explosive Action Adventure 

2. LIGHT of the World 

3. The Adventures of Super C and Cool Dude: First Flight 

4. The DANGER! Kids: Back in Action 

5. Super C and Cool Dude’s First Flight Continues: Voltz is here!

6. Ordinary People: Love is Ambitious (free as an e-book May 16-20)

Links:

Website | Amazon author page | Amazon

Thank you for being here today, Carlos! Happy writing!