Most of the credit goes to Glendon Haddix and the good folks at Streetlight Graphics. They took my concept for the cover and made it come to life. The cold/dark colors they used fit the genre as does the font. I can’t imagine having any other cover for this book.
What are the future plans for you and this book? I’m currently write my essay and the first draft of the novel’s sequel, Agents of Chaos. As much as the first book was filled with surprises, I think the sequel has a few more shocking moments in store for readers. I plan for Agents of Chaos to be released in late summer/early fall, after which I’ll be working on the conclusion of the series. Once I finish the series, I plan to write a standalone novel that will serve as a modern, sci-fi take on an old classic. Have you published anything else? I have also published a suspense short story called The Scorpion Nest, which is available for free in ebook format. Any advice for other writers/indie authors out there? At this embryonic stage of my career, the best advice I can give other writers is to be patient and to keep writing. Don’t be discouraged if sales are slow and you’re not getting many reviews. If you write a good story and market it sufficiently, the reviews (and, thus, sales) will soon follow. In the meantime, keep writing because publishing a collection of books–at least one of which you should offer for free–can be the catalyst for success (especially a series since readers are more likely to return to your work if they already feel emotionally invested in your characters). Thank you for reading this interview! I hope you liked it and found it interesting. I am planning on making more interviews in the future, so let me know in the comment section below if you like these and want me to continue. Thank you one more time and see you soon in my next post!
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How have sales been? Where have you had the most success?
In a word, slow. But I attribute that to the book’s relatively recent release (yes! a three word alliteration) and the fact that it is my debut. Again, as reviews come in and the rest of the series is released, I foresee (and hope) for an uptick in sales. How are readers/reviewers reacting to your book? Positively! The most common praise I’m hearing pertain to Calvin’s relatability as well as the story’s unique premise, quick pace, action, and plot twists. What was the biggest challenge you faced writing this book and how did you overcome it? The biggest challenge for me was setting up Calvin as a guy who is both capable of taking charge (as he needs to do this later in the book) while also being likeable enough to deserve his new job as, essentially, a guardian angel. As someone who enjoys sarcasm, I perhaps wrote a bit too much snark in Calvin’s early scenes in the first couple of drafts. Thanks to my beta readers, however, I was able to come up with an entirely new first chapter that I think strikes a balance between Calvin being stern as well as charismatic. Tell us about your book’s cover. How did you come up with the idea and implement the design? I knew that I wanted the cover to capture two things in relation to the story. The first is the shapeshifting ability given to the agents. In addition, faces and what they mean to the people to whom they belong are at the heart of the story, as is the idea that appearances can be deceiving. I pushed hard with my graphic designer to show the two “half-faces” that you see there. The other thing I wanted illustrated on the cover was the fact that the book took place in large cities. This isn’t a cozy mystery that takes place in Smalltown, USA. Tell us a little about your book.
Agents of Change is best described as espionage with a twist; at its core, it is a surprise-laden action/suspense with sci-fi elements. The story’s protagonist, Calvin Newsome, is an amicable businessman in his 20s going through a quarter-life crisis. His life is turned upside-down when he’s recruited by a secret, worldwide organization which serves as the world’s purveyor of good karma. Given the powers of telekinesis and shapeshifting, Calvin embarks on his new journey as an Agent of Influence until his life is turned upside-down, yet again, when he’s framed for murder by his new employer. As Calvin uses his new powers to elude local authorities, the Agency of Influence’s rival organization (the world’s distributor of bad karma) threatens to unleash widespread violence of apocalyptic proportions. As the first in a series, Agents of Change sets up both agencies and the world caught between them. What inspired you to write this book? I love a good superhero story but comic books and stories based on comic book characters are widely overdone. I wanted to write about a superhero who was chosen (as opposed to someone who accidentally acquired their power). I also wanted to write about a superhero who didn’t necessarily fight crime; in this case, Calvin helps lift people up when they’re down in the dumps or helps to talk them off the ledge. Of course, I then concluded that a book based purely on that would bore people so I decided to throw stones at Calvin. What if there was another “karma” organization that did the exact opposite of Calvin’s new agency? What if they were at odds with each other? What effect would that have on the world? These were all questions I asked myself as I tried to develop a story that was both unique and compelling. What are you doing to market your book? So far, I’ve given away a paperback copy of the book on Goodreads (with another giveaway with two more copies coming in the next month or so). The key, I think, to my book’s success will be reviews. I have a few book bloggers lined up to review the novel and hope that their (hopefully) positive reviews and the release of a sequel will generate some sales momentum. |
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