Pump Up Your Book Chats with Scott Eder, author of ‘Knight of Flame’

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Since he was a kid, Scott wanted to be an author and explored many genres through high school and college. Fantasy, though, captivated his soul. Tales of Knights and magic, dragons and elves filled his dreams. After greasing the gears of the corporate machine for many years, he escaped the Information Technology vortex to focus full-time on writing. The stories he’d envisioned years ago—of nobility and strife, honor and chaos—demanded they be brought to life.

Scott lives with his wife, two children, and a giant Chihuahua on the west coast of Florida.

Visit him at: http://www.scotteder.net/

Q: Which part of the book was the hardest to write?

The hardest parts were the pages beyond the first seventy five or so. I know that sounds like a lot, but it’s true. When I started writing Knight of Flame, I didn’t know how to write a novel. I wrote the first seventy five pages, but didn’t know how to continue. So, I rewrote them, hoping by the time I finished, I’d have figured things out. Guess what? That magical epiphany did not occur. I was no closer to moving forward than when I’d written those pages the first time.
At a high level, I knew what I wanted to happen in the story, but I didn’t know how to structure it, or how to connect those major events. I turned to the Internet, and found craft seminars taught by David Farland. The first class of his I attended, Million Dollar Outlines, opened up a new world for me. It introduced me to outlining techniques, developing a story using scenes, and more intense character development. After the class, I outlined the entire novel, scene by scene, producing a cohesive storyline.

Q: Do you remember when the writing bug hit?

The writing bug actually struck back in college (a long time ago, in a state far, far away), but it was only a minor sting. I wrote some short stories, part of a screen play, and dreamed of being on the NYT best-seller list. At that time (circa 1990) careers in the blossoming computer field were all the rage. I played it safe, got a degree in Computer Science, and followed the money. Writing took a back seat, becoming little more than one of those things I liked to do once upon a time.
Around four years ago, my life…turned. After twenty years in IT, I realized that I’d had enough. I didn’t want to spend another twenty years doing the same thing. In a quasi-calamitous series of events, I found myself on the downside of gainful employment. With my mind uncluttered by the minutiae of a nine-to-five job, I had time to think. It took a while, but I remembered those dreams of long ago. I wanted to be a writer. So, I wrote…poorly. But I did it. And I learned. Then I wrote some more. It didn’t suck as bad as the first piece I’d finished. I learned more and moved on. And now, four years later, my debut novel, Knight of Flame, hit the streets.

Q: Do you have a writing tip you’d like to share?

Don’t underestimate the value of a good critique group. Once you’ve polished your story, and feel that it’s ready for prime time, let a small group of trusted readers take a look. I’m not talking about family and friends, I’m talking about readers who are going to give honest feedback, readers who will not just nod their heads and say it’s great when in actuality there are plot holes large enough to drive a Hummer through. As writers, we all have bad habits that creep into our prose. Repeated phrases, overused emotional cues, and pet words become invisible to us as we write. A good critique group will help identify those items as well as provide input on character development, pacing, and plot structure. My group is invaluable. I wouldn’t think of submitting anything for general consumption without first getting their feedback.

Q: Can you tell us a little about your childhood?

Growing up, it was just my mother and me. My parents divorced when I was one, and my Father moved several states away. It might as well have been to another planet, because he dropped out of our lives just as completely. But that was fine. My Mom and I grew very close, and we always lived near my grandparents. The four of us faced the world together. After bowling on Saturday mornings, we’d all go out to lunch and hit the mall or something. For some reason we went to the mall a lot back in those days. I guess it was something to do. My grandfather and I wiled away the time on a bench outside JC Penney, or a bench outside Dillards or, on a rare occasion, a cushioned bench outside Macy’s. The shopping didn’t thrill us, but we were together. And that’s all that really mattered.

Q: Where’s your favorite place to write at home?

It depends on the time of day. In the morning I like to sit at my desk, cut off from the world by a big ol’ pair of headphones shoving progressive rock into my ears. With a steaming cup of coffee by my right hand, I can type away for hours. After lunch, I move to the laptop on the couch with the TV flashing a classic movie in the background. The noise and the lights keep me pounding away.

Q: What do you do to get away from it all?

I’m a gamer, have been since the first Atari came out about a billion years ago. When I need a break, I dive into one of several long-running games for a couple of hours.
We travel once in a while, but most of the family travel is centered on bowling tournaments. My kids are active youth bowlers, and we make annual pilgrimages to the Junior Gold and Teen Masters national tournaments. This year we have to do something different. Since my children were born in Florida, they have not had the opportunity to experience snow. In their heads, they’ve built the experience up to mythical proportions. A few years ago I promised my daughter that by her fifteenth birthday, I would take her to play in snow. She’s now fourteen and a half. Sometime in the next six months, the Eder family is going to the snow.

Q: What was the first thing you did as far as promoting your book?

I created the online pillars to support my author platform—an attractive website where I can build my reader list, a basic blog, and a straw-man presence on social media. With a solid foundation in place, I can build up over time.

Q: Are you familiar with the social networks and do you actively participate?

Absolutely. Being active on social media is a must in today’s world of publishing, especially for an author building a platform. I spend most of my promo time on Facebook, but have been known to Tweet on occasion. I created a blog, and try to post on a regular basis, but I find that challenging. Between writing the next book, participating on social media, and promoting my work on other blogs and sites, it’s tough to have anything left for my little blog. Still, it’s something I need to keep working on.

Q: How do you think book promotion has changed over the years?

It’s a totally different world that continues to evolve. The bulk of the book promotion today falls into the lap of the author. Gone are the days an author could simply sit home and write the next book, leaving everything else to the agent and publisher. New authors today are advised to build a broad platform using social media to reach a wide audience, interact with readers whenever possible, and not to be a jerk.
But all the social media in the world, and being the nicest person in the history of mankind, doesn’t buy you squat if you haven’t written a good book. The first rule of book promotion—write a good story. The second rule of book promotion—write another good story. Most of the pros tell us that the best promotion is our next book. Write it.

Q: What is the most frustrating part of being an author?

Form-letter rejections. We all get rejected. It’s part of the process. The frustrating part is not having an idea as to why. Agents and editors are very busy. Swamped with submissions, they don’t have the opportunity to respond to each and every entry. I understand that. BUT, for the writer on the other end of the nebulous “Thanks, but no thanks” letter, it sucks. The writer dumps his heart and soul into a manuscript, is willing to make it better, stronger, faster, but needs something to go on. How can he fix the problem if he doesn’t know what to fix?

Q: What is the most rewarding?

Having a reader, especially someone I’ve never met before, find and love my work. Another is having my daughter read Knight of Flame for the first time, and not be able to put it down. That was pretty dang cool.

Q: Thank you so much for this interview, Scott Eder. Do you have any final words?

It’s been a pleasure. With Knight of Flame being my debut novel, and the first book in The Chronicles of the Knights Elementalis, I’m eager to hear reader reaction. Feel free to hit me up on social media or send an email through my website. I’d love to hear from you.

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Question of the Day

How do you make sales happen for you?

A lot of hard work! I sponsor a lot of on line parties, festivals and contests. Book sales don’t magically happen, believe me. An author has to work hard to earn her readers. And then she has to work hard to keep them by giving them something they’ll enjoy reading. I try hard to make my books worth a reader’s time.

-- Sheila Roberts, Author of Winter at the Beach