Exclusive Interview with
Mark Castleberry
When did you start writing?
I have been writing for most of my life, but never published. So now I have a collection of unused stories and notes that I still use in my work.
What makes writing your passion?
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How long have you been writing?
I think I answered that one in the first question.
What was the feeling when you published your first book?
Bit of excitement combined with a bit of relief. And throw in a bit of fear with that wondering how it was going to be received.
What’s the story behind your choice of characters?
I just sat down one day and made up a giant list of characters when I was younger. I have used them in unpublished tales. They just seemed to fit in these stories I have published just fine.
What annoys you the most in pursuing a writing career?
At the moment, it's not much of a career, but a hobby. I would love to be able to support my family with my writing, but in this day and age, I don't foresee it ever coming true.
How do you get over the “writer’s block”?
Take a nap or watch a movie or something different. Mostly take a nap. Perhaps eating is good for it. I will have to try that one.
We all know the writer’s path is never easy, what makes you keep going? What advice would you give to new authors?
Writing may not be an easy path, but I do have fun doing it. I love writing stories I would like to read about. I would just tell new authors to just have fun with it and enjoy it.
If you could go back in time and talk to your younger self, what would you say?
Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with the bad ones?
I try and read all my reviews. Some of the bad ones can be useful, and others tend to be by those who respect one thing and they don't like it, so to get back they write bad ones. With the useful ones, I do tend to go back and see if I can make it better in some way.
What is the feeling when you get a good review?
Most make me smile. Others, even though they gave me a good review, apparently have no idea what I was going for.
Have you ever incorporated something that happened to you in real life into your novels?
Just my faith, perhaps.
Which of your characters you can compare yourself with? Did you base that character on you?
I can compare with a little bit of all of them, and no, I did not base any character on myself.
What do you think, the book cover is as important as the story?
The cover catches the eye of a possible reader, which in turn will read the blurb, which in turn might look into it and read a few passages.
Do you connect with your readers? Do you mind having a chat with them or you prefer to express yourself through your writing?
I wouldn't mind connecting with readers to answer a few questions for them, but I don't think I am that popular.
How do you feel when people appreciate your work or recognize you in public?
I do not know. It has not happened yet.
Who is your favorite author? Why?
I have a variety of favorite authors, and all for different reasons. But the main reason is I like to read them.
What’s the dream? Whom would you like to be as big as?
Would you rewrite any of your books? Why?
I would correct some of the mistakes in my books, perhaps, but I would never rewrite them.
If you could switch places with any author – who would that be?
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What would you say to the “trolls” on the internet? We all know them – people who like to write awful reviews to books they’ve never read or didn’t like that much, just to annoy the author.
I have had a few of those I think. If you don't want to read a Christian Science Fiction for Young Adults, then don't read my books. Surely they could be smarter than that.
What would you say to your readers?
Hi
Share a bit about yourself – where do you live, are you married, do you have kids?
I move from the south to southwest Missouri to be close to my now wife. This is where we reside.
What is your day job if you have one?
I do have a day job.
What are your hobbies? What do you do in your free time?
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Did you have a happy childhood?
Yes
Is there a particular experience that made you start writing?
My first successful story was in school was about a talking tapeworm. Well received among my friends.
Do you have unpublished books? What are they about?
I have a bunch of hand-written stories, and they are all about this and that and some of the other,
What do you think should be improved in the education of our children? What do we lack?
There is so much that is going wrong in schools today, so I don't want to get on a bandwagon on that.
If you were allowed 3 wishes – what would they be?
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What is your favorite music?
Just that. Just music.
Share a secret with us 🙂
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