About Michael Camarillo:
I was born in California and raised in Texas, but I strive to be a citizen of the world. I hold a dual-Bachelor’s degree from Brown University in Archaeology and Architectural Studies, and I am currently pursuing a Master’s in International Relations at Troy University.
I have published a non-fiction travel book as a part of my product development in my family travel business, Novel Excursion Travel. I am also working on a children’s book series that will put our business vision (changing the world one nameless stranger at a time by bridging cultures through travel, education, and service) into action through the eyes of my two children exploring the world around them and meeting new people.
I love travel, culture, baseball, and anything involving outdoor activities. My greatest passion is my family—Amanda (wife), Sarah, and Adrian.
What inspires you to write?
Life experience and trauma inspired me the most. As I was coping with a major transitional time in my life, I found solace in writing. The story felt like it wrote itself and I found many of the things I loved seamlessly finding their way into my tale.
What authors do you read when you aren’t writing?
Anne Rice, Emily Bronte, Kurt Vonnegut, J.R.R. Tolkein
Tell us about your writing process.
I am a mix between a pantser and a plotter. In other aspects of my life, I am a deliberate planner to the point of obsessive. When it comes to writing, I do intensive research at the beginning of a project, and throughout as questions arise. Generally, I have an understanding of where the story is going to end. Beyond that, I write from beginning to end without jumping around or putting extra work into creating character sketches or profiles. I do think I need to profile my characters a bit more, and I recently found mapping out each chapter in an Excel document to be useful.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I definitely listen to my characters. I'm not sure if I talk to them, but I can say they have found their way into my dreams. I have grown quite attached to a few of the characters, and I am struggling killing one off.
What advice would you give other writers?
Editors are out there and don't necessarily have to cost an arm and a leg. Take your writing career into your own hands and do the work. That includes finding the places where authors, readers, and supporters live. Social media is full of people in each of those categories–of various experience levels. Put your stuff out there and talk to people. I found my editor in a Facebook group, just by responding to a random post. Now, we have established a long-term agreement where she will work on my projects for the foreseeable future.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I decided to self-publish because I feel the social and geopolitical issues I discuss are relevant now, and I wanted to get the message out as soon as possible. I also read about how difficult the process it is to get picked up as a new writer. That, combined with my entrepreneurial mindset, convinced me to publish on my own, build up a portfolio of published works, and send out query letters for later books in my series.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
The proliferation of vanity publishers is a two-sided coin. On the one hand, I love the idea that it makes professional publishing a bit more accessible to everyone. On the other hand, it will likely go the way of traditional publishing and become exclusively-priced where it is also inaccessible. The simplicity of publishing on Amazon is similarly good and bad. I think the pros outweigh the cons in this case as I believe the written medium improves and grows when more voices are heard–whether or not those are polished manuscripts.
What genres do you write?: Science Fiction, Dystopian Fiction, Non-Fiction Travel, Children's Books
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print, Audiobook
Website(s)
Michael Camarillo Home Page Link
Link To Michael Camarillo Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
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All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
