Interview with author Michael Sprankle

Author Michael Sprankle is here today and we’re chatting about The Ghost of Tom Mix.

Bio:

Michael Sprankle is an American author of journalistic style fiction. 

His writing style combines the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that impact society to at least some degree. He is a graduate of Penn State University with a BA in film. His books feature the recurring themes of drug abuse, comedy, everyday life, art, crime and conspiracy theories. He has worked as a bit-writer for major motion pictures and television shows, and has worked for some of the largest studios in Hollywood. Literary influences who have inspired his writing are recognizable in his novels and include Hunter Thompson, William Burroughs, and Dan Brown.

Novels include:
Once Upon a Time in New York, How I Painted My Masterpiece
Love & Theft (in the 2016 Pulitzer competition)
The Killing Spring
I Want to Believe

The Ghost of Tom Mix (with Rick Cherry)

Current Project:
The Apocalypse Within
The Killing Spring Movie (in development 12/19)

TV Shows:
Alcatraz
Under The Dome

He currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona

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

In The Ghost of Tom Mix, the reader

What inspired you to write this book?

My inspiration for this book came from my love of old Hollywood.

Excerpt from The Ghost of Tom Mix:

The streetlights began turning off one by one as we drove underneath them, leaving a darkened freeway behind us. When we got to Tom Mix Wash, the thermometer on the dash stopped functioning, our cell phones lost service, and the dash lights flickered and died, including the light that lit up the clock on the dash. I continued to drive, but we were both totally freaked out. The inside of the car got very cold…

What exciting story are you working on next?

My next project is The Apocalypse Within with co-writer Rick Cherry. It is an absorbing story of the end of civilization relayed through a handful of tortured characters. It will be coming out in early 2018.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

From early on, I kept a journal of everything interesting in my life. Like most of us writers, writing is an outlet. It is a way to block out all the noise and distraction in life…the craziness, and just think, focus, and release whatever thoughts have been weighing heavy on our hearts and minds. Along with the little “stargate” that writing provides for me, it has also taught me many things. I have noticed that I write in more than one way. Sometimes, I write for others. I write what I think people would like to read, or what they can relate to. The schizophrenic me writes for myself. I write about certain things based entirely on how I feel or even how I feel about certain things. And sometimes, I am at a total loss as to what to write about which forces me to become very creative; so, I pull some dusty file out of the back of my mind. Writing has shown me a few things. Writing has shown me that it's okay to write about whatever it is I want to write about, that this is my creation to write and my story to tell; there is no right or wrong way, and that is a nice feeling to have. In this sense I create a monster, and bring that monster to life. I also have never been much of a social butterfly and I am somewhat closed when it comes to feelings or personal matters. It is through my writing that I can express these things in a more comfortable manner than I feel I would otherwise.

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 don’t write full time, but if you are serious about writing, you must write every day. One of my quirks or habits, is that even when I can’t physically be writing, I am constantly writing in my head. I write when I’m driving…sometimes even when I’m watching TV. I maintain a daily routine of writing as religiously as the most driven marathon runner. I can’t afford to wait for a lightning bolt of inspiration to strike before sitting down and staring at a blank page.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

My most interesting quirk bar far is the way I twist things around in my stories. The best plot twist is an unexpected one. This means something happens that the reader could in no way infer was going to happen, or perhaps a change in the story that might not have been completely unexpected, but occurred at a completely unexpected time in the story. Try giving your story an open ending, try something unexpected, and be sure at least one of your characters is shifty.

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

Laugh if you will, but I wanted to be a movie star. I actually almost was. To find out how, you would have to read my novel Love & Theft.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

Nope. Time to write.

Links:

Barnes and Noble | Goodreads | Facebook | Amazon | LinkedIn

Thanks for stopping by today!