Author Interview: Michael Brookes

I'm pleased to welcome Michael Brookes, author of The Cult of Me, today. He resides in eastern England and is a game producer by day, but a novelist by night. I hope you'll enjoy learning about him as much as I did.

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Q: Michael: Your day job sounds pretty interesting. Tell us a little about it.

I'm an Executive Producer for a video games company. I manage various game projects, helping bring them from concept to released game. It's a great job and I'm lucky enough to work with many talented and wonderful people.

You can see me doing work type stuff here:
http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/first-elite-dangerous-fiction-diary.html

I've been fortunate recently in being asked to write the official novel for one of our upcoming games - so I get to combine two of my great passions.

Q: When did you know you wanted to become a writer?

I've always enjoyed writing, but it's only in the last few years that I decided to try making my work public. Reception has been quite positive so far, which is nice.

Q: How did you pick the genre(s) you write in?

The story picks the genre. Although it can be loosely termed 'horror' I'll utilise tools from any genre to tell the story.

Q: How did you come up with the idea for The Cult of Me?

The original inspiration came from reading John Milton's 'Paradise Lost'. For me it's the greatest story ever told. I've wanted to do a modern take on it for some time, but from a more human perspective. But I needed a suitable protagonist. 'The Cult of Me' is the first book in the trilogy for that tale.

Q: Plotter or pantser?

Plotter. Although story is king, I do like to plan it out in advance. Of course it changes once you start writing!

Q: What makes you so sexy?

My blue eyes and firm jaw. And the beard. Definitely the beard.

Q: Okay, so you're an author. What do you enjoy reading?

I love reading. I think any author has to love reading, although it depresses me sometimes. I'll read a passage and think, I can't write as good ass that. But the good thing about writing is that you can always get better.

My favourite reading tends to be science-fiction and horror. 'Excession' by Ian M Banks is my favourite novel.

Thank you for visiting with me today. To learn more about Michael, visit his blog at:
http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/ .

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