Writerly Wednesday Welcomes Mike Emmett

Welcome Mike Emmett to Writerly Wednesday!  Everyone, grab a nightlight and don’t forget to look under your bed.

 “Demon” is available in paperback from Barnes and Noble.com

For most ebook versions, visit the publisher’s Web site

For Kindle readers

web site
Bio
Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, I grew up as the son of two great parents. Although we lived in some pretty tough neighborhoods, my parents took care of my needs and sent me to one of the finest high schools in the country – Notre Dame Catholic in Fairfield, Conn., where I graduated in the Top 10 percent of my class.

Early on, I developed a love of writing fiction, especially horror fiction. By the age of 17, I had several short stories published in literary magazines. It was at this time that I knew what I wanted to do with my life.

Upon graduating from high school, I entered Marshall University in Huntington, W.Va., where I majored in journalism. I graduated with honors and quickly found work as a writer/photographer. I learned a lot in those early years and completed my first novel in the 1980s. It was a story called The Paper Murders and based on what became known as the 22-caliber Killers in Columbus, Ohio. Although the book was not very good, and my agent told me to put it on the shelf, the most important lesson I learned was the importance of pushing the envelope and not being afraid to take risks. My technique has continued to evolve to the present day.

I ended up working as a writer and an editor at more than a dozen major metro newspapers around the U.S. My network of friends is extensive and they range from reporters and editors at places such as The New York Times, The L.A. Times, Chicago Tribune, Miami Herald, the Wall Street Journal, Dallas Morning News, Denver Post, San Francisco Chronicle and Seattle Times. I also have about 3,800 Facebook friends.

Also, in my career, I was the first online Sports Editor in Web history (see NANDO in Wikipedia), and I have owned and operated my own restaurant as well as work as the Publications Director for large restaurant chains such as Wendy’s, Red Lobster, The Olive Garden and Popeye’s. More than 12 pages about myself appear in Sports Careers In Journalism, a non-fiction book. In the online world, I have helped build and manage more than 100 major Web sites that are still around to this day.

I currently am an author and freelance writer after having spent many years as a writer and editor of newspapers, magazines and Web sites. Over the years, I’ve had hundreds of stories published and have earned a nice living from my writing pursuits. My next work to be released in September is Demon – a horror fiction novel that’s both a tribute to Stephen King and one of the most terrifying stories since The Exorcist. Click on the link to the left to learn more about the book. I also have finished Damn It To Hell: An Anthology of Terror, Eva – A Ghost Story, a sci-fi book about a time-traveling writer who goes back to solve some of history’s greatest mysteries called Mystic Man, and a non-fiction book about my life called Dot-Con: The Legacy Of A High Tech Life. It’s a scathing look at what online “pioneers” such as myself have done to society and the way we now live. I am currently working on a romance-thriller called Destin, then will tackle another horror fiction book called Rapture about the Apocalypse.

In addition to my writing, I am also a student at Wake Tech/East Carolina University majoring in IT/Web Technology. I next plan to get my master’s degree in mass/online communications from UNC-Chapel Hill and then go to East Caroline (online) to get my bachelor’s degree in IT that I started at Wake Tech.
I am a member of the prestigious Horror Writers Association, as well as The Society of Professional Journalists, Knights of Columbus and The Kentucky Colonels Association.

Writing and photography, playing my guitars, and baseball card collecting are my hobbies so that’s how I spend the lion’s share of my free time. I have two great daughters, Erin and Miriah, who are attending college. Both have strong creative writing and photography skills.

Blurb

My novel “Demon” was released in September by Damnation Books. It is a tribute to the works of Stephen King and one of the scariest stories since “The Exorcist.”

Excerpt

No, there wasn’t anything Jack could tell anyone. Mainly because he wasn’t Jack. He was now the demon Legion. Yellow eyes and all. Sure, he had the power to snap the straps on the gurney and kill everyone in the place if he so wished. But possession for a demon is like a long, well-planned dance routine. You save your best moves when you have the most viewers’ attention – their total attention. Thousands of years of this existence gave Legion the upper-hand when it came to patience. As for Jack, he was hiding somewhere inside his brain. Cursing himself for missing one crucial step in the whole god damn process that led to this mess.

Interview 
1. In three days, all power will go off, everywhere for a very long time. What will you include in your author survival kit?

A printout of my sci-fi book “Mystic Man” and a pen. A copy of Stephen King’s “Black House” (only because I can’t seem to finish it with the power on). A notepad. And a digital camera.

2. Where did the idea for the work you are promoting arise?

I began “Demon” in 1986 as a tribute to the works of Stephen King. Everyone was asking, “How does he come up with these ideas for his stories?” So, I decided to write a story about a famous author that resorted to demonic possession to come up with his tales. Sort of a modern-day Dr. Faustus by Christopher Marlowe. The work was then rewritten and shelved several times over the years. I finally finished it last December.

3. What do you like to read?

Horror Fiction, Science Fiction. Stephen King. Dean Koontz.

4. Tell us about the most exciting place you have ever visited?

I spent a month in Ireland in 2000 with my daughters. We traveled everywhere. My grandparents were from Ireland so it was like a dream come true. We stayed in a castle for four nights and visited the place where they filmed the 1950s movie with John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara called “The Quiet Man.” Ireland is beyond beauty. It is a fantastic place to be. I hope to own a home there someday and do my writing from there.

5. What is the most mundane, day to day, thing you can share about yourself?

In addition to having spent 30 years as a journalist and several years as a writer/author, I am into Web Technology. I was the first sports editor in Internet history, having worked for one of the first newspapers to go online (The Raleigh, N.C., News & Observer in 1992). I also am going back to school – at Wake Tech in Raleigh where I will graduate with a degree in Web Technologies in May. Next September, I am going to UNC-Chapel Hill to get my master’s degree in Mass Communications and Technology.

I wonder how your internet experience has evolved over time and what might the future of communications hold?  (Sally)

6. What scares you the most?

Demons, of course.

7. Tell us anything but keep it G rated.

My next book, “Eva – A Ghost Story” is being published by Damnation Books in April 2012. After that, Damnation is publishing my short story collection “Damn It To Hell: Twenty-one Tales of Terror” in September 2012. I have also finished “Mystic Man,” a story about a time-traveling writer who goes back to solve history’s mysteries, and Dot-Con: The Legacy of the High Tech Revolution (my autobiography). The latter two I am holding off on in terms of selling right now. I want to see how my first three books do. I’m not in this for the money or for fame. I just have some stories to tell. I am currently writing “Rapture,” a story about the End of Days and the final battle between good and evil. And I have a romance novel called “Destin” half-finished. I am going to Destin, Fla., for a month next summer to finish it

Thank you Mike, you’ve been a great guest.  Next week Karina Fabian is back to share Neeta Lyffe.

 “Demon” is available in paperback from Barnes and Noble.com

For most ebook versions, visit the publisher’s Web site

For Kindle readers

web site