Nicholas Welcome, tell us a little about yourself.
As Einstein crafted general relativity, I want to find a theorem that can explain most thoughts of humanity.
I`m an avid statistics consumer and in my mind I see a probability in every event. I would like to say that I act only when the odds are in my favor however lying I will be. Sometimes the sweetest victories come from the utmost underdog situation.
Music is, maybe, one of the most influential factors that defined my personality. I wasn’t blessed with talent to sing or play so I can only write about my rock albums, to the world. Yes, rock is the main genre I listen too, with all subcategories, but any good styles, refuse I don’t.
Nothing that comes out as new, hasn’t been covered in the past. It`s almost impossible to write about a completely new topic. However, the only new that can be added is the style, blending of words and message transmission. I can only count on these techniques to make and influence.
There are too many things that bother me, so slowly I`ll introduce you to all the corners of my mind. I felt the need to pass on my thoughts, maybe as motivation as certain times.
That been said, I hope you enjoy, this long journey that I started. For more about me, social media is anytime available. And in the words of one of my favorite bands “For those about to rock, We salute you”!
Nicholas, what got you into writing?
There was this bug inside my head that had the urge of speaking out loud. I`m an introvert and it's not easy to talk about all the things that hide inside me. It started as a therapy, to try to release all the "demons" and after awhile I said, what if what I have to say and my thoughts can help someone, somehow? Will a publisher take a shot on me? Is there any value added to the realm of writing? And there it was, my first book, released :).
When you read which do you prefer: print books or ebooks?
For sure, having a ebook is more comfortable because you can have it on a click of a button. But from time to time, I`m going old school, devouring each page of a new book, feeling the cover and trying to build an emotional connection to its content even before the reading starts. I still like to underline paragraphs and interesting quotes so I can come back to them on a later stage.
Nicholas, have you been given any helpful advice?
I'm a bit of a rebel when it comes to advice. Yea, I did read dos and don'ts but then how can you go over limits? I mean, nothing that is written hasn't been wrote before, so If you take too many advice tips then aren't you limiting your universe? The risk is that not following guidelines can backfire in so many ways but I would rather have it my way if that means bringing something unique to the table.
Currently, what are you working on?
I just established my fist start-up in the artificial intelligence domain, so this took and takes quite a bit of my time. I have a few drafts and some ideas of a new book and I am eager to return and continue it.
Can you tell us a little bit about your main characters
I have to say that my main character is rock music and I have many throwbacks to songs that influenced me a lot. My main regret is that I haven't put a bookmark on all the bands and singers that saved me and when I look back at the latest deaths in the industry I wish I could have told the guys that left us how much they meant to me.
The other main character is my inner self with all his inner battles, but I will let the readers find out more.
Who designed the artwork for your cover? Or did you design it yourself?
I had an initial version, a test one, with a design made by a friend. It was a hand crafted masterpiece, but the feedback I got was that the whole design was too dark and the publisher recommended me to change it. The later version was designed by someone from the publishers staff.
What brought about the idea for your book?
I would have liked to tell my story in some rock songs. But I wasn't given the blessing of having a singing voice at all (friends beg me to stop when I'm doing a song :)) ) and I had no talent whatsoever in playing the guitar (I bought one, but the coordination is a bit tricky in my fingers). So then, because I did a little bit of writing when I was younger, I said "Hey, why not write a rock song in the form of a book?". And the rest is history.
What was your biggest challenge when writing? Did you have any writer’s block? If so, how did you work your way through it?
My biggest challenge was to not bore myself when reading it. I didn't want to elaborate too much on the subject and be as concise as possible. I thought that if I were to get lost in my review then how will a reader feel? One technique that I used to go out, in the middle of the night and wonder around my city to refresh my mind. I used to get exhausted so that I can get more deep sleep whilst dreaming more and getting more ideas. I also would get up in the middle of the night and write any raw thoughts I had.
Nicholas, what was your writing process like?
Intense. I live in a 1 room apartment and whenever I got some raw ideas, I would write them on a large piece o paper that was clipped on the fridge or on the furniture in my house. It was a real mess around but somehow I always knew were I wrote each part at each time. Of course, in the background, the speakers were bleeding rock with the neighbors often knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door...sorry.. my door.
Is there something you learned from writing your first book?
The biggest mystery to say was when I read it back, in the end. I often amaze myself with questions like "Did I really wrote in that way?". There are a lot of thoughts that we have and if we don't write them down, of course, we will forget. So I did learn that any idea, no matter how raw or idiotic, is worth mentioned somewhere. It can be vital at some point.
What are your hobbies aside from writing, if any?
My biggest one is to travel the world and meet new cultures. My biggest objectives it to see Machu Picchu, Iceland and New Zeeland.
I am also a big fan of lost civilizations like the Mayans, Vikings and Aztecs.
And the 3rd one on the list is artificial intelligence and how algorithms can helps us predict the future.
I'm with you on the traveling, there are so many amazing places to visit. Machu Picchu is on my list too. Do you have a favorite book?
This is as hard of a question like answering "What is your favorite band/singer?". Can I provide an answer without overshadowing all the rest that I like? I think the answer is no. But what I would say is that I really like the most books related about the human psychology and deep introspects into the human mind.
Since you wrote in this genre, do you think you will ever write in other genres?
For sure. I like going out of my comfort zone and touch what at first glance it's thought to be untouchable.
What advice would you give someone who is considering publishing? Should they consider traditional or self-publishing?
I think this relates to how much time a writer want's to invest. Yes, doing all of the work on your own might provide benefits like well self satisfaction but I think that the optimal point is reached by combining both methods. Having a publisher by your side can help a lot into knowing how things are done and you can "steal" some useful information. Then, after a few published books, the time would be righter for an incursion into the self-publishing realm.
Any last words?
No better way to end but like my best half would say : "Live, Laugh, Love".
Nicholas, thanks for being with us today. Check Nicholas out at the links below.
Happy Reading!!
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