Interview with James Hold, author of Incidental Contact
12:30 AMInterview with James Hold,
author of Incidental Contact:
The Weird Menace Adventures of O'Ryan and His Ostrich
Doodles, doodles everywhere congratulates author James Hold on the release of his book, Incidental Contact! Let's welcome him on the blog for an interview with DDE today. Read on!
1. How did you decide to write INCIDENTAL CONTACT?
It started with a joke. In this case I heard a joke about a genie who granted a man a wish. He asked for a tall, beautiful chick with long legs and big beautiful eyes. Then genie then presented him with an ostrich. End of joke. It got me thinking, so then what happened? What does the guy do next? To me, it seemed logical he'd hunt down the genie and have him correct the problem. So that's what the book is all about.
2. Could you give the readers an idea about what they should expect in the book?
The book, at its heart, is a love story. The hero O'Ryan wished for the woman of his dreams, and that is what the genie gave him. The only problem is this perfect woman is housed in the body of an ostrich. So there is no way way he will abandon her, knowing she is the soul mate meant for him.
The reader will find eight stories in which O'Ryan searches for clues of the genie's whereabouts and seeks out those spots. Along the way he manages to run into weird-menace style adventures involving crooks, mad scientists, and other supernatural phenomena. In television terms, think of it as a mixture of Kolchak meets Mr Ed, only the ostrich doesn't talk.
3. What kind of research went behind the book?
Not a lot. It all takes place in Texas where I happen to live so the settings were easy enough. Also I've always liked ostriches ever since I went to the zoo and had my picture taken with one. That's what you see on the cover, by the way. I did look up a few things as to their size and weight and speed, but otherwise it's pretty much off the top of my head.
4. How did you celebrate the first sale of INCIDENTAL CONTACT?
Well, seeing as it's priced 99 cents in most cases and free in others, there's not a lot to celebrate in the "conventional" sense. Really, I'm just happy people get a copy by whatever means available, read it, and enjoy it. That's my main purpose in everything I write. I want to entertain. That's reward enough for me.
5. What are some of the biggest challenges or learning experiences you have faced throughout the writing and publishing process.
The biggest challenge is to ignore the jerks and focus on the good people who sincerely like your work and want to help you succeed. You learn that there are so many jerks out there who give negative feedback simply because that's the way they are. You have to learn to put that aside. If you stoop to their level you'll never get anywhere. Of course, you may never get anywhere anyway, but at least it won't be because of them.
6. Where is your favorite place to think or write down your ideas?
Ideas pop up all the time and in any place. I try to keep a notebook with me to jot them down. The problem is I end up with tons of notes and jottings... scraps of action ...bits of dialogue... and I have to remember to organize them right away else I have all this terrific stuff lying around and I can't remember what it goes with.
Oddly I get my best ideas while driving. Which I hate because I have to repeat it over and over so I don't forget it, all the while praying for a red light to happen so I can stop and jot the thing down. You'd be amazed how red lights never seem to happen when you really need one.
7. What do you do when you are not writing or reading?
I listen to music, 60's & 70's psychedelic-surf-garage bands. And I like movies for the same era. Otherwise I play with my cats or spend time with my wife.
8. Would you like to give a few tips to aspiring authors?
No, other than keep plugging and believe in yourself. Listen to the people who offer suggestions about grammar and punctuation; but tell all the rest to buzz off.
9. What's next?
I'm working on a new installment in my OUT OF TEXAS series. I'm a quick writer but a very slow editor so it's no telling when that will come out. And I have a half-finished murder mystery that's been sitting on the shelf for years. It's a lot more serious than my usual output so I have to be in just the right mood to attack it. Maybe sometime in 2017 I'll finally get around to completing it.
10. Lastly, any special thoughts for the readers?
Just thank you for reading my stuff. I hope it entertains you and you get a laugh or two from it.
Doodles, doodles everywhere congratulates author James Hold on the release of his book, Incidental Contact! Let's welcome him on the blog for an interview with DDE today. Read on!
It started with a joke. In this case I heard a joke about a genie who granted a man a wish. He asked for a tall, beautiful chick with long legs and big beautiful eyes. Then genie then presented him with an ostrich. End of joke. It got me thinking, so then what happened? What does the guy do next? To me, it seemed logical he'd hunt down the genie and have him correct the problem. So that's what the book is all about.
2. Could you give the readers an idea about what they should expect in the book?
The book, at its heart, is a love story. The hero O'Ryan wished for the woman of his dreams, and that is what the genie gave him. The only problem is this perfect woman is housed in the body of an ostrich. So there is no way way he will abandon her, knowing she is the soul mate meant for him.
The reader will find eight stories in which O'Ryan searches for clues of the genie's whereabouts and seeks out those spots. Along the way he manages to run into weird-menace style adventures involving crooks, mad scientists, and other supernatural phenomena. In television terms, think of it as a mixture of Kolchak meets Mr Ed, only the ostrich doesn't talk.
3. What kind of research went behind the book?
Not a lot. It all takes place in Texas where I happen to live so the settings were easy enough. Also I've always liked ostriches ever since I went to the zoo and had my picture taken with one. That's what you see on the cover, by the way. I did look up a few things as to their size and weight and speed, but otherwise it's pretty much off the top of my head.
4. How did you celebrate the first sale of INCIDENTAL CONTACT?
Well, seeing as it's priced 99 cents in most cases and free in others, there's not a lot to celebrate in the "conventional" sense. Really, I'm just happy people get a copy by whatever means available, read it, and enjoy it. That's my main purpose in everything I write. I want to entertain. That's reward enough for me.
5. What are some of the biggest challenges or learning experiences you have faced throughout the writing and publishing process.
The biggest challenge is to ignore the jerks and focus on the good people who sincerely like your work and want to help you succeed. You learn that there are so many jerks out there who give negative feedback simply because that's the way they are. You have to learn to put that aside. If you stoop to their level you'll never get anywhere. Of course, you may never get anywhere anyway, but at least it won't be because of them.
6. Where is your favorite place to think or write down your ideas?
Ideas pop up all the time and in any place. I try to keep a notebook with me to jot them down. The problem is I end up with tons of notes and jottings... scraps of action ...bits of dialogue... and I have to remember to organize them right away else I have all this terrific stuff lying around and I can't remember what it goes with.
Oddly I get my best ideas while driving. Which I hate because I have to repeat it over and over so I don't forget it, all the while praying for a red light to happen so I can stop and jot the thing down. You'd be amazed how red lights never seem to happen when you really need one.
7. What do you do when you are not writing or reading?
I listen to music, 60's & 70's psychedelic-surf-garage bands. And I like movies for the same era. Otherwise I play with my cats or spend time with my wife.
8. Would you like to give a few tips to aspiring authors?
No, other than keep plugging and believe in yourself. Listen to the people who offer suggestions about grammar and punctuation; but tell all the rest to buzz off.
9. What's next?
I'm working on a new installment in my OUT OF TEXAS series. I'm a quick writer but a very slow editor so it's no telling when that will come out. And I have a half-finished murder mystery that's been sitting on the shelf for years. It's a lot more serious than my usual output so I have to be in just the right mood to attack it. Maybe sometime in 2017 I'll finally get around to completing it.
10. Lastly, any special thoughts for the readers?
Just thank you for reading my stuff. I hope it entertains you and you get a laugh or two from it.
Incidental Contact:
The Weird Menace Adventures of O'Ryan and His Ostrich
by James Hold
Publication Date: October 27, 2016
Published by: Amazon Digital Services LLC (Independent)
Everyone knows the joke about the man who asked a genie for a tall beautiful chick with long legs and large eyes...and the genie gave him an ostrich.
But then what happened?
Here are eight tales about O'Ryan, the man with the ostrich, and his quest to track down the genie and have him turn her into a human being. Along the way they encounter ghost, spirits, mad scientists, scheming murderers, thieves, artists, and poets.
Weird menace with a touch of humor. Read along and learn about a steadfast and true love that stands up to all challenges. Read the weird menace adventures of O'Ryan and his ostrich.
About the author
"First you're an unknown, then you write one book and you move up to obscurity."
— Martin Meyers
I published a book in 2004. It became an immediate collector's item. In fact, I have several hundred copies collecting dust in my attic. Critics everywhere said it belonged right up there between Ernest Hemingway and Robert E Howard—on an alphabetical bookshelf.
My influences include Rocky & Bullwinkle, 1950s sci-fi movies, and silver-age comics.
I live in Texas with my wife and cats.
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