He has always been a man to works with his hands. From hard work labor to truck driving, to welding, and writing. Ironically, for most of his life, he wasn’t that interested in books until one day a book caught his eye, Everlost by Neal Shusterman. That was the spark that inspired Christopher Cole to pursue his path to becoming an author.
Q.1 Tell us something about yourself not many people know?
A. Christopher Cole is not only my pen name but also my two middle names.
Q.2 Are we going to read more from you in the near future? Any new project you’re working on?
A. Yes, I’m currently writing the third book of my zombie series and recently a book I co-wrote was released on Amazon. A young adult book called Rising Together.
Q.3 What inspired you to write The Prosperity Series?
A. You know how sometimes a picture or a drawing can tell a story? Well, to me one particular picture told a whole story to me. It’s the art cover of an album for a rock band called ‘Better Luck Next Time’ and the album is ‘Start From Scratch.’ The album picture shows a young boy in a dirty bedroom, suggesting it’s a bad home environment, as he struggles to do his homework while a girl is looking longingly at him through the window. That’s what inspired me to write the first book of The Prosperity Series with K.M. Sparks.
Q.4 What is the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?
A. Usually what they would say or what they’re thinking. Sometimes in certain situations, it wouldn’t make a difference between what a boy or a girl would say or do, but there are situations where a guy would say and do this while a girl would say and do that. Sometimes figuring out what a girl would say and do can be a challenge, so sometimes I ask female friends of mine what would realistically happen.
Q.5 How do you develop your plots and characters? Do you use any set formula?
A. Usually when it comes to characters when I develop them, I try to make it where they serve a purpose to the plot. Whether it’s a supporting character or there’s a big event in the plot and this character or character plays an important part in that event. For the plot itself, I try to write an outline from how I want it to begin to how I want it to end.
Q.6 Do you believe in writer’s block? If yes, how do you deal with it?
A. Yes, I do. Every writer comes to a point where they don’t know what to write or how to play a chapter or event. I try different ways to get around like selecting options that could work, but mainly what really helps is if you walk away from it and give it time. Some time away can recharge the writer’s energy.
Q.7 How many books have you written? Which one is your favorite?
A. So far I’ve written two books, Outbreak and Sanctuary, and I’ve co-written a book, Rising Together. Sanctuary is my favorite. I like Outbreak, but Sanctuary has more to it.
Q.8 Among all the protagonists of your books, who is your favorite and why?
A. That’s a tough one. If I had to choose, I would say Grim Harvard. There’s much about him that’s clouded in mystery, but at the same time, he’s the most complex.
Q.9 What about the supporting characters, who are dearest to you, and why?
A. I would say Molly Smithfield. She was abandoned by her mother, so after meeting the main character and how he saved her life she feels a great attachment toward him. To her, Sonny Daniels is her person. He’s the most important person in her life and I have plans for both of them in my future books.
Q.10 Is it vital to get exposure and target the right readers for your writing, tell us about your marketing campaign?
A. That’s important to every author and marketing that is difficult, especially nowadays. I try to find an audience that likes stories and themes similar to my books before I try to market my books to them.
Q.11 Do you have any quirky or unique writing habits?
A. If I get an idea, I try to write it down in a word document so I don’t forget it later. So there are a few word documents on my laptop that have random different scenes and dialogue that I plan on using later in my books.
Q.12 What’s the best part of being an author?
A. To me, it’s at the end when you finished it and it’s published. You get to see your work on display and you can confidently say, “I wrote that, me.”
Q.13 Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will be able to find out?
A. Yeah, I ask specific questions and talk about the details in my books to people I trust.
Q.14 How did you select the title of your books?
A. I try to pick something that isn’t too common but also has a good ring to it. There are many books out there that have the same title, but some are easier to find because they’re by a famous author.
Q.15 Who designed your book cover? How do you select him/her?
A. My first book was designed by C.K. Green from Kingston Publishing. My second and third book covers were by an artist on Fiverr.
Q.1 Tell us something about yourself not many people know?
A. Christopher Cole is not only my pen name but also my two middle names.
Q.2 Are we going to read more from you in the near future? Any new project you’re working on?
A. Yes, I’m currently writing the third book of my zombie series and recently a book I co-wrote was released on Amazon. A young adult book called Rising Together.
Q.3 What inspired you to write The Prosperity Series?
A. You know how sometimes a picture or a drawing can tell a story? Well, to me one particular picture told a whole story to me. It’s the art cover of an album for a rock band called ‘Better Luck Next Time’ and the album is ‘Start From Scratch.’ The album picture shows a young boy in a dirty bedroom, suggesting it’s a bad home environment, as he struggles to do his homework while a girl is looking longingly at him through the window. That’s what inspired me to write the first book of The Prosperity Series with K.M. Sparks.
Q.4 What is the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?
A. Usually what they would say or what they’re thinking. Sometimes in certain situations, it wouldn’t make a difference between what a boy or a girl would say or do, but there are situations where a guy would say and do this while a girl would say and do that. Sometimes figuring out what a girl would say and do can be a challenge, so sometimes I ask female friends of mine what would realistically happen.
Q.5 How do you develop your plots and characters? Do you use any set formula?
A. Usually when it comes to characters when I develop them, I try to make it where they serve a purpose to the plot. Whether it’s a supporting character or there’s a big event in the plot and this character or character plays an important part in that event. For the plot itself, I try to write an outline from how I want it to begin to how I want it to end.
Q.6 Do you believe in writer’s block? If yes, how do you deal with it?
A. Yes, I do. Every writer comes to a point where they don’t know what to write or how to play a chapter or event. I try different ways to get around like selecting options that could work, but mainly what really helps is if you walk away from it and give it time. Some time away can recharge the writer’s energy.
Q.7 How many books have you written? Which one is your favorite?
A. So far I’ve written two books, Outbreak and Sanctuary, and I’ve co-written a book, Rising Together. Sanctuary is my favorite. I like Outbreak, but Sanctuary has more to it.
Q.8 Among all the protagonists of your books, who is your favorite and why?
A. That’s a tough one. If I had to choose, I would say Grim Harvard. There’s much about him that’s clouded in mystery, but at the same time, he’s the most complex.
Q.9 What about the supporting characters, who are dearest to you, and why?
A. I would say Molly Smithfield. She was abandoned by her mother, so after meeting the main character and how he saved her life she feels a great attachment toward him. To her, Sonny Daniels is her person. He’s the most important person in her life and I have plans for both of them in my future books.
Q.10 Is it vital to get exposure and target the right readers for your writing, tell us about your marketing campaign?
A. That’s important to every author and marketing that is difficult, especially nowadays. I try to find an audience that likes stories and themes similar to my books before I try to market my books to them.
Q.11 Do you have any quirky or unique writing habits?
A. If I get an idea, I try to write it down in a word document so I don’t forget it later. So there are a few word documents on my laptop that have random different scenes and dialogue that I plan on using later in my books.
Q.12 What’s the best part of being an author?
A. To me, it’s at the end when you finished it and it’s published. You get to see your work on display and you can confidently say, “I wrote that, me.”
Q.13 Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will be able to find out?
A. Yeah, I ask specific questions and talk about the details in my books to people I trust.
Q.14 How did you select the title of your books?
A. I try to pick something that isn’t too common but also has a good ring to it. There are many books out there that have the same title, but some are easier to find because they’re by a famous author.
Q.15 Who designed your book cover? How do you select him/her?
A. My first book was designed by C.K. Green from Kingston Publishing. My second and third book covers were by an artist on Fiverr.
Q.16 How do you select the name of your characters?
A. Usually it’s just like picking any name, but I try to lean towards names that aren’t too common, especially when it comes to last names.
Q.17 Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with good or bad ones?
A. I do read my book reviews and I tend to look for feedback on how I can improve for my next book.
Q.18 Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?
A. I’d like to meet Neal Shusterman, the author that inspired me to write, and also ask him for any helpful tips.
Q.19 What is your favorite book from other authors and why?
A. Another Kind by Trevor Bream and Cait May. It’s a graphic novel about kids that are different in forms, powers, or abilities. The book tackles a lot of issues like survival, friendship, self-identity, love, etc. In some ways, it reminds me of my books or at least some of the important parts of what makes my books special.
In my books, I try to show humanity and the characters caring about one another and I love that in other books. For some reason, I’m really drawn to stories about the distance that characters will go for the ones they care about.
Q.20 Share the experience of your journey so far?
A. Since I’ve become an author, I’ve learned about the writing world. The importance of plot and characters, the ups and downs of selling and reviews. So far, I can’t complain.
Share your social account links -
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Christopher-Cole-102160441641627
Twitter - https://twitter.com/PaulHoon1
Website - https://allauthor.com/author/ccole09/
Q.20 Share the experience of your journey so far?
A. Since I’ve become an author, I’ve learned about the writing world. The importance of plot and characters, the ups and downs of selling and reviews. So far, I can’t complain.
Share your social account links -
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Christopher-Cole-102160441641627
Twitter - https://twitter.com/PaulHoon1
Website - https://allauthor.com/author/ccole09/
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