An Interview, An Author, and a Magic 8 Ball: Gregory Thompson

Welcome back to my interview series An Interview, An Author, and a Magic 8 Ball! I'll be bringing you a new author and a new giveaway every Monday this year. I hope you'll stop by to check out these  authors and enter to win some prizes!!!! :D

Please welcome scifi/fantasy/horror author Gregory Thompson!!!! I've known Greg pretty much all of my life. He's so funny and a great guy. Read the interview, then enter to win: 
one of five ebooks of My Only One

UPDATE: Gregory has offered to add a paperback to the prize package too! Whoo hoo! Thanks, Greg!

MJ: Tell me about your novel in your own words, not the official synopsis.

GT: My Only One is about a future dystopian society where you're only allowed to own one book. Different "Bureaus" run what was the United States of America: for example, the Bureau of Lights and Flames is in charge of monitoring electricity and candle use. The Bureau of Words and Pages keeps tabs on book consumption and perform Sweeps, random searches of homes to ensure Citizens are following the One Book Law. The main character's daughter comes home one day with a second book she has stolen and he must find a way to return it without being caught with it.

When he does return it, he opens up a secret world that threatens to overwhelm him.

MJ: OMG, so creative! What's your next release?

GT: My next release is The Indiscriminate, a science fiction novella about a group of 12 Indiscriminates bred from birth and aided with cybernetics to protect the world from Risers and Runners. These Risers and Runners are strange beings that manifested from the fall of the Gray Dirt that has left the world desolate and marginally functioning. One day, while on patrol, Bas and the rest of his team are brought back to headquarters and are informed the Indiscriminate program is being halted due to the overwhelming presence of the Risers and Runners. However, Bas' friend Hillian has disappeared and he vows to find her.

MJ: Sounds amazing! If you were trapped on an island, what three books would you want to have with you?

GT:1. Lisey's Story - Stephen King. No book has made me tear up than this one, and if I need to have a good cry (whether it's because I'm stuck on an island or just because), this book will do it.

2. The Old Man and the Sea - Papa. I know this Hemingway book is short, but it's Hemingway and my favorite. Also, it's also an instructional book on how to fish.

3. A compendium of Edgar Allan Poe stories. Any collection as long as it has everything he ever did. Plus, he's my other favorite author and these stories would be good around my campfire for solo storytelling.

MJ: I looooove Poe too. Who is your celebrity crush?

GT: Nicole Kidman. Always has been, always will be. She can be pretty, she can be hot, she can be pretty hot. Sultry, dynamic, and I picture her as a laid back gal ready to drink a beer anytime. Even in the morning, which is perfect for me.

MJ: It's because you like redheads. Like me, right? lol! What is your favorite color?

GT: Purple. No, not because I like Barney or the Purple People Eater. I just do, okay?

MJ: LOL! What do you wear when you write?

GT: I wear what I normally wear on any given day: T-shirt, jeans, and socks. Sometimes I throw on one of four of my favorite Izod sweaters, and sometimes I switch out the T-shirt with a Polo shirt. I mean, if I said in my underwear (boxer-briefs) with a smile and a cigar, would that have impressed you?

MJ: Wow, that last one is a visual I didn't need! ;) What's your favorite vacation spot?

GT: My absolute, ultimate, most favoritest vacation spot in the whole wide world is Mackinac Island, Michigan. It's relaxing and unique and recharges the mind. I love taking a 5 a.m. bike ride around the island when there are a handful of people doing the same; it's like you OWN the island. The history there is amazing and eye-opening, and if you do go, make sure you take a nighttime or midnight ghost tour. Boo.

MJ: I've been there twice myself. It is gorgeous.  Do you have any pets?

GT: One cat named Freddie. I consider it my wife's pet really because the cat and I have a Kirk-Kahn relationship. We respect each other, but also have disdain for each other. When we say hello to each other, it's with a small nod and a monotone "Freddie" and "Gregory". Also, I wouldn't want him hurt because I feel he has to stand trial for his atrocities: begging for treats all the time and crawling into bed to nap with me. That look...oh that look...FREEEEEEDDDDDDDIEEE!

MJ: Hahahahaha!! Now, I need YOU to ask ME a question about absolutely anything under the sun. It has to be a yes or no question and will be answered by my all-knowing Magic 8 Ball! The question can be serious or silly - it’s up to you.

GT: Will Stephen King ever become my friend on Facebook (yes, his personal one)? I mean, I requested him so long ago and we have 7 mutual friends. Come on, King, you KNOW me.

MJ: That doesn't seem stalker-y at all....

M8B: You May Rely on It

MJ: M8B is never wrong, so expect Stephen to show up at your house for dinner soon!

Thank you so much for visiting my blog, Greg! I hope everyone takes a second to enter to win Greg's new book, My Only One in the Rafflecopter below!!!!

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Am I a "Real" Writer?

Did you see Inception? That's how I dream - full color, frantic, bizarre. When my alarm went off & kicked me out of my dream this morning, I was surprised to realize my dream was about writing. I normally dream I'm trapped in a mall (I think those are about making choices) or on runaway roller coasters or trains (um, crazy life anyone?).

Let's boil the dream down to its basics: Went to a book signing with my DarkSide Publishing girls Karly Kirkpatrick and G.P. Ching, and a blonde woman told us we couldn't sit with everyone else because we aren't "real" authors. We were forced to sit in a basement - needless to say, we didn't sell a whole lot of books.

I didn't think too much about the dream as a reflection on my internal feelings because it took a bizarre turn (more on that later), but as I talked to my friend Eugene about it this morning I realized that somewhere deep inside of me, I still question whether or not I'm a "real" writer since I'm not traditionally published.

Hmmm....I didn't expect that, even though it's probably obvious to everyone else.

Since I was seven I've defined myself as a writer. Sure, I wanted to be an archaeologist or work in a museum (which I did in college - and it was amazing!), but writing has always been my refuge. It got me through adolescence (I saved all of those angsty song lyrics!) and my first marriage & divorce. Without writing, I don't know how I would have made it through those experiences. It offers me an escape and always enables me to connect with my feelings.

Want to know how the dream ended? Well, it dissolved into the DSP girls, our intrepid friend & novelist, Gregory M. Thompson, and me taking out that blonde chick and using my superpowers to call upon a shark - who ate her.

So I guess the answer here is that, yeah, I do consider myself a writer. Maybe my fear isn't so much about accepting myself - but worrying about the acceptance of others. I hope the nearly 300 people who've bought my book over the last two months agree with me. ;)