About Tom Lucas:
Tom Lucas was born and raised in Detroit, and although currently enjoying the lack of snow and ice in Florida, remains a son of the post-industrial apocalypse.
He is a college professor, author, and spoken word performer.
Tom has been published in The Orlando Weekly, Writer's Digest, The Writer's Monthly Review, The South End, The Oakland Press, The Macomb Daily, Orbit, Anthropomorphic, and U. Magazine. He has also been featured in literary journals such as The Write Place at the Write Time, Graffiti Rag, F*cked Up Fairy Tales, and Dark Fire Fiction. He has performed on the Lollapalooza stage as well as guest spots on CIMX, WDET, and WJR.
When not writing, Tom likes to drive fast and take chances.
What inspires you to write?
I was an avid reader from an early age, and have spent a life loving storytelling. I cannot imagine not being a part of it. What I enjoy as a writer is giving my readers an engaging and fun experience, and its my forever inspiration.
What authors do you read when you aren’t writing?
Michael Moorcock, Jack Vance, Phillip K. Dick, Andre Norton, Stephen King, H.P. Lovecraft, James Ellroy, Robert and Lynn Aspirin, Ray Bradbury, Margaret Atwood, Octavia Butler, the list goes on and on…
Tell us about your writing process.
Moving past early idea generation and when inspiration strikes…when I have chose a writing project, I first do a bit of research and take notes for possible story elements. Then I do a light outline, using 3×5 cards for each scene. I spend a couple weeks just going through the cards, eliminating some and adding others as I go. Once I think I have a solid plan, I stack them up in order and start writing. This gives me enough structure to not get lost but plenty of room for improvising.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
Sometimes, I let them do their thing and really just record it for them. Other times, I have a very strict plan for them to follow. It's always interesting when they take a life of their own. In my newest book, Research Randy and the Mystery of Grandma's Half-eaten Pie of Despair, I have the characters talking to both me and the reader. It gets weird.
What advice would you give other writers?
The advice I heard that has become my mantra is "write the books you would want to read." One way to apply this is to look at the books on your shelves or e-reader. What do you enjoy most? As a creative writer, you will find more satisfaction in contributing to that corner of book-dom, more so that simply trying to write to the market and cash in on trends. Regardless of whether you get published or not, or whether you sell many books or few, your heart will be full.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
My first book, Leather to the Corinthians, was self-published. The next two, including my new one, were put out by indie publishers. My choice to self-publish came after many inquiries were sent to agents. It's an odd book, hard to classify, and as such was very hard to sell. I wanted to have it out in the world, so I took control of the situation. Self-publishing is a more than viable path, and I will most likely do it again. With the indie/small press scene, you get to work closely with the publisher and, in my case, got a bit more attention from them. I am an old punk rock guy, and I believe in doing it yourself or as an indie. I've never put any thought into trying to land something with a big-time corporate publisher.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
Books are a vehicle for story. Film, games, virtual reality, interactive storytelling, choice driven storytelling, A.I. — these are all vehicles as well. Much like paintings are still enjoyed by many, so will books. The future will most likely look like today, as far as books go. I know this is a boring answer from a guy who loves science fiction, but there it is. I imagine future of the book is a bit bleak with all that choice for story out there, but I still love having a book in my hand and I expect there are many others out there that are the same.
What genres do you write?: Horror, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Weird Fiction
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Tom Lucas Home Page Link
Link To Tom Lucas Page On Amazon
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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.
