Today I’m excited to have author Michael W. Glover on the
Sunday’s Author Spotlight. Michael’s first book ‘Saint Sebastian: The Rose’
will be published in January 2016. Today we have the opportunity to get to know this new
author. 

Some secrets are dying to be discovered. Some are already
dead.

At seventeen, Sebastian’s world is dominated by fairly
normal things—his adoptive family, his new friends—and his unrelenting fear of
vampires! Sebastian lives in an English monastery converted from an ancient
vampire’s home containing the secrets of vampire graveyards. Sebastian knows
that some never truly die, and they must be guarded; he is the unlikely keeper
of secrets that are dying to be discovered. Everything changes one spring when
a strange combination of visitors arrive, turning his otherwise routine
existence upside down. New friends Jacob and Jessica awaken Sebastian to the
more pleasant side of life while their own awakening finds the darker side of
reality. Sebastian’s quest now becomes an epic struggle between himself, a
strange companion who knows too much, and the greatest evil he has ever
encountered. Sebastian is used to life-changing events, though–the night he
became a vampire was nearly as traumatic as what is to come.

Tell us a little more about who Michael W. Glover is?

I was born in a small town in Kentucky but I have lived
in several different states. I have a love for all things creepy and strange;
they fascinate me and coincidentally can be good for stories. I love food and
people hate me for it because I don’t look like I eat a lot; let me be clear I
like good food. The outdoors always calls me and when I’m outside I am usually
playing disc golf. Like many authors I have an unhealthy love affair with
books, libraries, and bookstores.

When did you decide you wanted to become an author and
write your own book?

I have always wanted to write. I guess I was always
curious if I could write a story worth telling. I finally just sat down and
started pecking away at the keyboard and before I knew it I had two chapters.

Where do you get your inspiration from? Do you use your
own experiences?

I get my inspiration from just about everything, from
some of the great authors I have read over the years like Stephen King, he
stands out with his work Salem’s Lot. I also get inspiration from everything
around me, I love to go places and envision what could happen. I believe every
author uses their own life experiences in their stories; I combine that with
things that interest me with any history, mythology and folklore that may have
any relevance to the story being told.

Your book ‘Saint Sebastian: The Rose’ is an paranormal
thriller. Why that genre?

Saint Sebastian The Rose, saint is actually not
capitalized due to the story, most people think I am actually not catching a
mistake. I wanted to write something in this area because I have always loved
books and movies dealing with the supernatural. I do blame Stephen King for
scaring the hell out of me as a kid when I saw Salem’s Lot. I was scarred for
life in a good way.

What do you love most about being an author?

I have always loved the creative and writing a book gives
a feeling of permanence to an idea. I am adding to the story in some small way,
this is my world and I am inviting everyone to come and live in it. Plus it is
just cool to be an author.

Can you describe your writing process? Do you have any
sort of ritual you follow?

I start with an idea that has been tumbling around in my
head for some time. I run over an idea and walk it down many different paths to
see where it goes before I write anything down; sometimes it leads to something
completely new I had not thought of. My ritual varies, I like to think about
the story for a while before I write anything, and sometimes I just like to get
the mind going with some music and play some Minesweeper. I like my lighting
dimmed, my music classical, and my tea hot with honey.

Are you a reader yourself? And what is your favorite
book(s)?

I do enjoy reading and my interest is varied but
favorites have been in the fantasy, horror and thriller genres. As I said
before Salem’s lot was one of my early favorites, The Outsiders also made an
impact on me in high school; since then there are too many to count, I love so
many for their unique stories.

What are your future plans in writing?

I plan to write many more books covering several genres.
I have the two following books for saint Sebastian The Rose in the works to
complete The Lonely Tower Series. After that I have some pure fiction ideas and
a fantasy novel I am working on. I really can’t wait to be able to bring each
of these worlds to print.

What would your advice be to new aspiring authors?

My advice for new authors is to write, first and
foremost. Keep notebooks for any ideas you get, write them down; there is no
guarantee you will remember them and you may lose something that was pure gold
for you story.

It had been a great day, I was off of work and my day was
a success. I had my to do list done, some necessary relaxation also took place,
so I settled down at my desk to write some on my first book and page 36
happened. The Earth didn’t shake, the skies didn’t open up, and there wasn’t a
trumpet blast…but for everything at that moment, my world stopped. I believe
everyone has had a page 36 and it’s nothing to sneer at, but for an aspiring
author it was the great wall, a coma, or the test to see what you would do to
overcome. Sitting at my desk in front of my computer, I had successfully and
blindly made it to page 36 of my first novel and there I stopped.

As the story goes, I decided in the middle of a movie to
start writing my first book and in just about an hour I had the first two
chapters; I was on my journey. The days that passed included crazy notes
written in a notebook at all hours of the day, including waking me up in the
middle of the night; I had many hours sitting in front of my computer staring
blankly at the screen waiting for inspiration. But nothing would prepare me for
page 36. I sat there on that page for days, maybe even weeks; it’s hard to say,
time was distorted for sure. I was lost in the throes of my first writers
block. I knew where I wanted to end up but getting there was absolutely tricky.
I had a similar experience even earlier in the book when I made it to a part of
the story where I was introducing a new character, who I knew in my head, but I
had not yet named. It was so frustrating and funny at the same time. I moved to
the couch with my notebook and I began to think of names for the all the
characters I knew I planned to include, so I wouldn’t have that moment again.

I am happy to say, as most of my friends and family knows
I did get past page 36, with much effort, hair pulling, consternation, and lots
of tea. The wall was not insurmountable, just intimidating. I tried to focus
too much at times, trying to force this new and creative process; that was
absolutely a failure most of the time. There are times you just have to let go,
step away from the note pad, the typewriter, or the computer. I found that
stepping away and letting your mind think about something else, anything else,
helped tremendously. The paths your neurons take in the complex web that is the
brain is a mystery to me, but I do know that when the traffic is most
congested, the best thing to do is let go of the wheel.

I have several methods to help me think more clearly; I
don’t know if this is unique to me or not but, there are times it completely
changes the way I view things. One of my favorites is to play Minesweeper; it
is amazing what it does for me. I use it two different ways…I play it sometimes
before I ever write a single word, it’s like a warm up for the brain; I also
use it when I have hit the wall and my brain is clogged with too much junk, it
allows me to reboot in a way. Try it and see if it works for you. Another
method that works is going for a walk or a drive; this is probably nothing new
but the solitude and distraction completely work, actually too well sometimes.
As it happens I end up with too many new ideas which can drive me just as
crazy, but that is a good problem to have.

The experience was new to me for sure, but I believe we
have all been in this place, it just has a different face. These were some of
the growing pains while trying to be an author, something I had no idea how to
be. I think back to that late night in my small apartment in St. Louis and I
remember the absolute frustration, confusion, helplessness, and I smile. This
was necessary in my growth, as small as it is, to be the author I want to be. I
look forward to the next time I face it, as crazy as it sounds; I know it’s
possible to overcome, what for me at the time seemed impossible. If it were
easy anyone would do it. I know it’s not rocket science; it’s still not easy.
But I encourage anyone who has that desire, no matter how small, that lingers
somewhere deep inside, to find the will to sit down and write that first
sentence; sometimes, that is the biggest Page 36 you will ever face.

Michael W. Glover, an author from a small town in
Kentucky, is debuting his first novel, ‘saint Sebastian: The Rose’, a
paranormal thriller. An avid fan of fiction, fantasy, and horror, he is
currently working on novels in each of these genres. He is a devout foodie who
loves the outdoors and conversation that inspires all things creative.

For more information about Michael W. Glover please visit
his website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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