Author Bio:
Andrew Cormier was born in Lowell, Massachusetts. He was raised in Falmouth, Massachusetts (on Cape Cod) until the age of six. He lived in Massachusetts for approximately seventeen years before he moved to New Hampshire in 2006. His works of fiction include: Shamblers: the zombie apocalypse (horror/action), The Great Deceiver (speculative fiction/darkfantasy), The Winds of Change (epic fantasy), What Tomorrow Brings (epic fantasy), The Ultimate Revenge (short story: dystopian), Piece of Mind (thriller/suspense), Edge of the Abyss (dark songs and poems), and The Informed Buyers (horror)
He began reading at an accelerated level at an early age. Around the time he was nine or ten, he was reading such books as Dickens: A Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist, or Jack London’s Call of the Wild. He has been an avid reader and writer throughout his life. His works include three novels, over 100 songs/poems (many of which are available in his collection entitled Edge of the Abyss), and a number of short stories such as Piece of Mind and The Ultimate Revenge.
His first novel was completed as a sophomore in high school. It totaled 96 pages and was a Sci-Fi piece. He lost that manuscript due to a computer failure (and now routinely backs up all work).
His favorite authors include R.A. Salvatore, Robert Jordan (RIP), and George R.R. Martin.
In his free time, Andrew Cormier is an avid musician with over thirteen years of guitar experience, a video gamer, and also enjoys a variety of other activities. He likes to go camping, enjoys the outdoors, likes to walk, loves steak and lobster, and he is a graphic designer. He graduated in 2013, summa cum laude, with a BA in Graphic Design and Media Arts from Southern NH University.
He recently started a writing blog. Feel free to visit it and post comments or like it. He welcomes and encourages all fan feedback and discussions. He despises all the hashtags from Twitter, but uses it as a useful marketing tool anyway. For events and updates please go to his official site: author.andrewcormiergraphics.com and register for his blog.
What inspires you to write?
I love it. It is my passion, it is what makes me feel accomplished and it is what I enjoy.
Tell us about your writing process.
I write a solid outline whenever I come up with an idea. I sketch out roughly what each chapter has in it and the point of each chapter. I do it all in Microsoft Word, 2003, and when I write I will get up whenever, write for sometimes hours, take breaks, and do that for 8-12 hours or more in a day. I write until the book is done, and then I go back and edit it 3-4 times, or as needed until I am satisfied it is error-free and flows well with the best-possible word choices. It helps to have insomnia as a writer because I have so many ideas I can’t sleep as I usually try to work them all out into the story.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
When I write in the first person, I BECOME my characters for as long as needed. It helps their point of view, tone, and mannerisms remain the same. I don’t know if that makes me crazy or brilliant. When my characters interact, I will read everything aloud as I edit to make sure it sounds good.
What advice would you give other writers?
Keep trying, keep writing. Take breaks when you need to. Drink lots and lots of coffee. Don’t get discouraged by pessimists. Write every day, even when you don’t want to. Expect rejection and expect the worst, but hope for the best. Also, get a 2nd job because you will likely need it. It is a feast or famine business.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I self published because I needed money quickly and couldn’t afford to wait. I also kept hearing “no’s” when I needed one “yes” from agents. I have been able to market myself enough to the point I get regular sales now, so I even question the necessity of big time publishing houses now. I certainly question the need for agents, who have never done me any good, frankly. They get you in the door, but I think you’re better off working hard and getting noticed that way. Then skip them and keep their extra 15% for yourself. If you do get an offer though, I would seriously consider it: you may not get another chance!
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think it will remain consistent. I think eBooks and paperbacks will always have their places. If anything, I think eBooks could decline over time as people get tired of staring at computers and phones all day every day. I personally have trouble reading eBooks because I spend so much time staring at the computer screen, I’d rather read a paperback.
Maybe I’m a prophet? We’ll see if eBooks do decline for the very reasons I’ve stated. Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket too?
What genres do you write?
Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Horror, Mystery, Literary Fiction
What formats are your books in?
Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Andrew Cormier Home Page Link
Link To Andrew Cormier Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on other site
Your Social Media Links
http://www.goodreads.com/buymybooks
http://www.facebook.com/andrewcormierauthor
https://www.twitter.com/ACormierAuthor
