Michael, thanks for taking the time to come and talk with us today. Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Michael Okon. I’m 5’11. 200lbs. I
live on the North Shore of Long Island and happily married with two beautiful
children. I love watching movies with my kids (especially Disney and Marvel), I
cook dinner every night for my family, I make playlists for every season of the
year, and I’ve never been skydiving. I’m a big vision board guy. The following
is what I put on my vision board last year. Get a literary agent, get an
entertainment attorney, get a film agent, get a two-book publishing deal, get a
movie deal for my book. I accomplished everything on my vision board. The last
item – the movie deal – is in the works. As for future goals, I have completed
Monsterland 2, which has a release date of May 26th, 2018 (my 40th birthday).
Wow that's outstanding! It's great to set goals and see them accomplished. Keep us posted on the movie deal. That's exciting! Will you share a short excerpt from your novel with us.
Chapter 1
The Everglades
The sky was a sparkling, powder blue, mosquitoes droned
lazily over the tepid water, frogs croaked messages while they sunbathed on
waxy lily pads. The fire he created burned bright, rabbit roasting on a spit
made from hickory, the juices dripping to hiss in the flames. Seven of them lay
in scattered repose, enjoying the late afternoon lull—two napped, the others
tossed a stuffed fur in the form of a ball around the clearing, hooting with
amusement when it rolled into the brush. They traveled in a pack, his group,
his makeshift family, foraging together, hiding in plain sight. It had been
that way for generations. But the glades were getting smaller, the humans
invasive.
The sun started its slow descent into the horizon, hot pink
and lilac clouds rippling against the empty canvas of the sky. Their color
deepened as the sky filled, the rosy hue morphing into a burnt orange as the
sun hid behind the condensation. The air thickened, moisture causing the leaves
to lie heavily against the branches. Here and there, fireflies lit the gloom,
doing a placid ballet in the humid air. The men moved closer as the sun sank
into the western treetops, the fading sky promising another clear day tomorrow
in the Everglades despite the moving ceiling of clouds.
A lone hawk cried out, disturbing the peace of the glade.
Huge birds answered, flapping their wings, creating a cacophony of swamp
sounds. The area became a concerto of animals responding to the disruption of
their home—wild screams, squeaks, and complaints of the invasion of their
territory.
The lead male stood, his head tilted. He heard it again. It
was music, the strange organization of sounds, predictable as well as
dangerous. Where those rhythms originated meant only one thing—they were not
alone. They all rose, tense and alert, searching the waterway. Billy pointed,
his dirty hands silently parting an outcropping of trees to expose a
flat-bottom boat with strangers floating slowly toward them. It was filled with
people, excitedly searching the banks of the swamp, their expensive khaki bush
clothes ringed with sweat. Many held huge cameras. It was obviously a film
crew, invasive, nosy individuals looking for something, anything, to enhance
their lives. Men’s voices drifted on the turgid air. Billy stood, sniffing, his
mates following suit. He glanced at the sky, gauging the time, his eyes opening
wide. It was late. The bald top of the moon peeked over the ridge in the south,
the sky graying to twilight with each passing second. Night came fast and
furious in the swamp, dropping a curtain of darkness, extinguishing all light
except for the beacon of the full moon. That chalk-white orb floated upward,
indifferent to the consequences of its innocent victims. A halo of lighter blue
surrounded the globe, limning the trees silver, the cobwebs in the trees
becoming chains of dripping diamonds in the coming night.
What were the interlopers doing here? Billy thought
furiously. This was their territory. The humans didn’t belong in the swamp. The
moon continued its trip to the heavens, the familiar agony beginning in his
chest. Billy fought the demons churning within his body, feeling the pain of
metamorphosis. He curled inward, hunching his shoulders, the curse of his
nature making his spine pull until his tendons and muscles tore from their
human positions to transform into something wicked. A howl erupted from his
throat, followed by another, and then another. Grabbing handfuls of dirt, he
tried to fight the awful change, but, as the sun dipped to its fiery death, the
moon took control of his life, and the unnatural force tore through his
unwilling body. Reason fled; his heart raced. Falling on his hands and knees,
he let loose a keening cry as his face elongated, his body changing into a
canine, fangs filling his mouth. He raced in a circle in a demented dance,
knowing his fellow pack members did the same thing. Slowing, he regulated his
labored breathing, forcing the icy calmness he needed to keep some semblance of
reason. He peered through the dense brush. Lights from the search party bobbed
in the distance. The odor, the stench of humanity, filled the clearing.
He turned, digging furiously on the ground, throwing dirt on
the flames, hiding their existence. It was no good. Discovery would ruin
everything. No one could live with their kind. Humans brought disease, humans
brought anger, humans brought hatred. They were there; he could smell them, see
their clumsy bodies invading his home. “They’ve found us,” he growled in the
special language they used. “Run!” he barked as he turned to his pack, watching
his friends’ naked skin transform until it was covered with the same silvered
fur. They cried out in unison at the pain, howling with the injustice, and then
ran in fear from the interlopers threatening their habitat.
Which do you prefer: print books or ebooks?
Print
If you could travel anywhere in the world
where would you go and why?
Disney World. I don’t think about anything
negative when I’m with my wife and kids in the happiest place on earth.
Michael, I am with you on Disney World. They know how to do things right there. It really is a magical place where the employees really try to make your stay memorable. Currently, what are you working on?
I’m in the middle of Monsterland 3 – I’d like
to get this published too. I’m also beating out the storylines and arcs for
Monsterland 4 and 5. It seems that I’m going to be writing about monsters for
the foreseeable future.
It's great when the ideas keep coming. Share something with us not a lot of people
know about you.
I love gambling, namely craps and poker, and
I only eat meat, eggs and cheese. I also lift heavy weights.
I couldn't survive without fruits and vegetables. Bell peppers and mushrooms are a staple at my house. How do you promote your books? Any tips you
can share?
Get a good team
behind you. You cannot do everything yourself. I have a literary agent, an
entertainment attorney, a film agent, a publicist, a wife, a brother, and a mom
who all help me with my career. Don’t think you can write, blog, post to social
media, and be ready for interviews. You have to have people help you
create schedules, help you post, help you create video trailers. Writing
the book is the easy part. It’s the other stuff that’s hard to keep up. You are
nothing without a good team.
Having good people around you is definitely a must. Is Monsterland a stand-alone novel or part of a series?
A 6-part series.
What is the easiest part of the writing
process? What is the hardest?
The easiest part is actually writing the
novel. The hardest part is promoting it 24/7 on social media. You have to have
a good team behind you helping you promote your works.
Who designed the artwork for your
cover? Or did you design it yourself?
My brother works with an incredible artist
who has done Marvel comics. His name is Mike Mastermaker and they both design
all my covers for the Monsterland series.
Finding a good cover designer who shares your vision is key. It is the first thing a reader sees. Michael, what brought about the idea for your book?
I was binge watching a classic movie marathon. You know,
the good ones, The Goonies, Gremlins, Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, etc….
I have always wanted to write a monster book but couldn’t settle on which
monster I wanted to pursue. It was while watching all these movies, that I came
up with the idea, why isn’t there a theme park with zombies. I called my
brother immediately and told him my idea. He said, no – it has to be a theme
park with werewolves, vampires AND zombies. I started beating out the story
that night.
Thanks again for sharing with us Michael! Best of luck with the second installment and the movie deal. Find more about Michael and Purchasing Monsterland at the links below. Happy Reading!!
Author Links:
Bio:
Michael Okon is an award-winning and best-selling author
of multiple genres including paranormal, thriller, horror, action/adventure and
self-help. He graduated from Long Island University with a degree in English,
and then later received his MBA in business and finance. Coming from a family
of writers, he has storytelling in his DNA. Michael has been writing from as
far back as he can remember, his inspiration being his love for films and their
impact on his life. From the time he saw The Goonies, he was hooked on the idea
of entertaining people through unforgettable characters.
Michael is a lifelong movie buff, a music playlist
aficionado, and a sucker for self-help books. He lives on the North Shore of
Long Island with his wife and children.
