Today’s guest on the ol’ blog is a gentleman whose cover sports the eye-catching mushroom cloud of an H-Bomb. Michael Houtchen’s debut thriller, Tybee Island H-Bomb, is now available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I invited him to talk a bit about his process and his new book. Check it out!
Q (Infamous Scribbler): First, can you tell me a little bit about yourself and your writing? What do you write, how long have you been at it, what are some of your published works, preferred genres, etc.?
A (Michael Houtchen): I don’t consider myself a writer. I’m more of a storyteller. I have a friend who was working on his first novel back in 2012. I told him I had stories in my head, and he said I should put them on paper. I said, “I’m not a writer.” He said, “If you put it on paper, you are.” That’s when it started. I self-published a four volume fantasy series:
Marco Talmai – Saving Heaven (Takes place in Hell)
Angelo Talmai – The First Werewolf
The Talmai Saga – Armageddon
Sophie Talmai – The Saga Ends (Takes place in Hell)
A friend asked me to write a story about him where he is the hero. So, the thriller Operation: Lady-Hawk was written. The Plot: The First Lady and daughter are kidnapped, and it’s up to an old, worn out sheriff to save them. My friend is the sheriff.
All five books are standalone novels available on Amazon.
Q: What do you find most challenging about the writing process, and how do you meet that challenge?
A: Finding the time to write is a challenge. Since I retired back in 2014, I’ve been busier than ever. How do I meet the challenge? I find myself staying up later.
Q: What was the worst writing advice you ever received? The best writing advice? And why?
A: I’m not sure about the worst. I would say the best advice I received would be, if you have an idea, write it down. If you wake up in the middle of the night with an idea, get up and write it down. You will forget about it if you don’t. That’s so true. I’ve gotten up in the morning knowing I thought about something during the night, but I couldn’t remember what it was. Keep a notepad on your nightstand.
Q: Of the work you’ve done, who is your favorite character you’ve created, and why?
A: Volos, the Nuisance, a small green dragon about the size of a house cat. He appears in Sophie Talmai – The Saga Ends. He’s small but he’s full of spunk.
Q: What’s next in your writing journey?
A: I’m working on a new manuscript, working title: I Wish I Could Cry.
People diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are born without emotions and feelings. They’re a bit like Spock from Star Trek ̶ analytical and logical. They care for no one. People with ASD make the best assassins.
Carolyn Johnston, the ten year old daughter of the recently deceased prostitute Freda Johnston, finds herself a captive of the men who killed her mother. As fate would have it, her life now depends on an assassin with ASD.
~ ~ ~
Synopsis
The government lost a hydrogen bomb around Tybee Island, Georgia, in 1958, or is that an old wives’ tale?
If it is only a tale, then why are three young men trying to find it, in hopes of selling it to make a dirty bomb?
Before the week is out, six friends from Kentucky will get caught up in kidnapping, murder, and treason, while trying to save one of their own and perhaps the citizens of Tybee Island and Savannah, Georgia.
Pick up a copy on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
