Author S. T. SANCHEZ: Interview with Patrick McNulty

Today I'd like to welcome author Partick McNulty. Tell us a little about yourself.

Well, I grew up in Southern Ontario, Canada and I've always been a fan of dark, twisted fiction. I went to Vancouver Film School and worked with the production company called the Zanuck Co. on a script of mine called Dark Season. When that deal dissolved I converted the script into a novel called Sleepers Awake that I eventually sold to Kunati Press. About a year later Kunati Press went out of business and since then I have been writing screenplays and I have self-published a novel called The Blood Singer. As for a day job I was a medic in the Canadian Army for five years and now I am a police officer.

That's too bad about your publisher going out of business. It's hard to have to start over again. Self publishing is a great option. What got you into writing?

I grew up in an age without the internet so streaming and Youtube were out, so I read. I loved Stephen King and Dean Koontz and Clive Barker growing up.

Which do you prefer: print books or ebooks?

I prefer print books when I'm at home but having all the digital books on my phone is super convenient and I find I get more reading done on my phone waiting in line than I usually get done at home.

Patrick, have you been given any helpful advice?

The greatest advice I've been given as a writer is that if you love writing and want to succeed, keep writing. Success always seems impossible but if you stick to it and keep learning you can accomplish any goal. And with the online communities out there to offer help every step of the way there really is goal you can't achieve if you are persistent .

If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go and why?

Currently, what are you working on?

Currently, I'm working on the Milo Jenkins: Monster Hunter series. My plan is to release a new book every month once the first one is out in stores. The first three are nearly completed, so I should be publishing the first one, Monster Factory shortly.

Wow, a book a month is ambitious. Best of Luck. Tell us a little bit about your main characters.

My main character is a thirteen year old orphan named Milo Jenkins. He has been raised by the Ministry of Monsters (MOM) to be a monster hunter. He attends a private school of sorts called the Wychwood Academy where he learns all the tricks of the trade. While there he is assigned a partner, Ruby Sinclair. She is a ghost that helps him by collecting intelligence and assisting him while he is in the field on a mission.

Patrick, what did you find to be the easiest part of the writing process? What is the hardest?

The easiest part of the writing process is the rough draft. I love it because I can write really fast and not have to worry too much about grammar and punctuation, and all that jazz. The editing and proofreading is the hardest part for me. That is the only part of the job that feels like work, but in the end the work gets polished and refined and it really is crucial to the writing process.

Do you have people read your drafts before you publish? How do you select beta readers?

I do have a Alpha Beta Reader, which is my wife. I've written rooms full of scripts and short stories and novels and she has always been there to give me an honest, straight forward critique. I love her but she's brutal. If it works for her – happy day, if it doesn't she will let me know about with both barrels. After I get her stamp of approval I pass it along to my beta readers who have graciously agreed to offer me some early comments and suggestions. I have a link at the top of my website: www.patrickmcnulty.cawhere you can sign up to be part of my ARC Team and so far they have been phenomenal.

Brutal is my favorite kind of beta reader. Better to find out before you publish is my thought. Who designed the artwork for your cover? Or did you design it yourself?

www.100covers.com did the artwork for my covers but I knew what I was looking for. Like any good service, the more information and feedback you give them the better the end result. I would highly recommend 100covers and I am using them for all of my Milo Jenkins covers.

What brought about the idea for your book?

Well, I love monster stories and I loved the format/length of the middle grade books. Like all my books I try to write books that I would want to read, and sometimes I get discouraged with a book that's too long. Most times I want a book that I can finish in a day. So I tend to write without a lot of fluff and like Elmore Leonard says, 'leave out the stuff people skip over.'

Try it out and download it for FREE on December 4th & 5th at Amazon.