Howdy gang,
How was everyone's winter? Everyone enduring? I spent the time putting the finishing touches on book 3 of the Hotel and I'm happy to announce that it went off for editing this week.
This means an August release is on the horizon. One more shot for all the marbles, or as Vain might say, "Why would I shoot for the marbles when I can just pick them up?"
I don't want to give away too much about what happens in this book, but I thought it might be fun to answer some of the most common questions I've gotten about the book over the years. Enjoy! You can always poke at me on Twitter at @mikejamesauthor, where I'm normally hanging out and making jokes about music.
Is Vain based on a real person?
Sort of! There's no direct line between anyone I know and Vain, but she is certainly the composite of some more interesting personality traits I've encountered in my real life. The whole character of Vain started from her relationship with Roman and grew from there.
Will this be the last book in the Hotel series?
Let's never say never, but this is intended to be trilogy and this is the third book. So... probably.
How did you come up with the Wyatts?
When I was writing book one, my neighbors had twin boys named Wyatt and they were psychopaths and I was like, oh my god, imagine if there were more of them?
What about Aliens and Ice Cream? Are you ever going to write a sequel?
This answer might be unsatisfying, but I viewed book one as a complete standalone story. I know the ending is ambiguous, but I was trying to model it off the Stephen King short story, "The Mist".
That said, I have about 40,000 words of a sequel written and every so often I go in there and throw down another couple words. So, you never know.
What's next after the Hotel?
Great question. I have ideas for about ten different stories, but I'm not sure which one I'm going to write. There's no question that I'm not done putting out books though, so there will always be more stuff to write from me.
How can I read more of your stories? I love your writing so much and you're quite handsome.
Okay so to be fair, no one has ever actually asked me this. But.. yes! I would love to tell you about some short stories of mine that are out right now
My most recent story was turned into a Podcast! How neat! Ever wonder what a call center in a zombie apocalypse would work? Wonder no more. You can check out my story, Minimum Sage, here:
This story was also featured in an anthology that you can buy at Sci Fi Lampoon magazine
Next, I wrote a story about a memory plague. It's one of my favorite things I've written and was inspired by my endless obsession with my relationship to my memory. It freaks me out that I can't remember like 90% of my life, yet everyone seems super cool with this. Like there's a really good chance that I'm not going to remember this day. I won't remember having breakfast, or talking to my friends, none of it. I'll go through the day and it will be erased, like it never happened.
Doesn't this freak anyone else out? No?
Anyway, the story is sort of about that. You can buy it here at Cossmass Infinities Magazine
Lastly gang, let me leave you with a few book recommendations I'm reading. I'll check back in when my book gets back from editing!
I just finished Rosewater by Tade Thompson. This is a wonderfully zippy book about an alien species that lands in Nigera and gives some people psychic powers. It's funny and unique and one of those books that makes me squint at my own writing and say "you can do better"
If Rosewater is making me think I can be a better writer, M. Shaw is making me want to quit because I'll never be that good. This book is a super weird, incredibly unique story about two halves of body that wake up in a morgue with no memory of their previous lives.
"When I was writing book one, my neighbors had twin boys named Wyatt and they were psychopaths and I was like, oh my god, imagine if there were more of them?"
😂
Looking forward to the Elevator!