Interview with Mark Freeman

www.greenfyr.com

Let’s get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

High School was when I first realized I wanted to write. I had a fantastic 10th grade English teacher who really got me interested in reading and writing. We were reading Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and it was while we were reading his play that I realized I wanted to imagine, create, and write something that would outlast me.

Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?

Well, I think I’m still on that road, to be honest. The Kindling of GreenFyr was published through Publish America, which even though it has allowed me to get GreenFyr into the hands of readers, I’m still looking for an agent and traditional publishing house that – I think – would suit us better.

Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?

I’m currently working on the sequel to GreenFyr, The Welling of Wisdom. Even though Owen has been banished from ever returning to Parathas, he finds he’s needed there once more and returns to the realm in an attempt to secure the Eye of Athaeyr before the ReUnifiers can claim it for their own and use it to further their attempts and reuniting the two realms.

What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?

My wife and daughters, everything I write and imagine is for them. They are my muses.

Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!

As I mentioned above, I’m married and have two young daughters. They are my joy and happiness. My writing schedule and working wife allow me the opportunity to spend my days home with my two favorite people in the whole world while writing in the evenings. It doesn’t get any better. All three are very supportive of my writing and I couldn’t, wouldn’t, be writing without them.

Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?

Yeah, coffee and chocolate (in any form really). It’s tough to sit at my laptop and write without their company.

What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?

Let out my dog Timber, brew coffee, and make breakfast for my wife and daughters.

If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?

Yeah, so I’ve got a bachelors and masters in Wildlife Biology, which means I think wildlife and outdoor stuff is kinda interesting. When I first started going to college for WB I started collecting animal skulls (I know, it’s kinda creepy), but I was, am, fascinated by the evolution and morphology of animals, and in particular wildlife. You can discern so much by looking at their skull structure! So, you might be a bit surprised by the number of animal skulls along bookshelves and glass cases. Oh, and all of the animals in my possession were either given to me or found during my travels!

Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?

Green. Hands down, the most interesting and complex color. I actually wrote a blog about it!

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

Thundarr the Barbarian. Okay, I realize I’m completely dating myself, but I really loved that cartoon when I was a kid.

Which cartoon character is most like you?

Yeah, probably Elmer Fudd, unfortunately.

If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?

Wow, that would be awesome. You know, though, I might be worried to go to any of my favorite times in history and find them disappointing? We know that the middle ages were nothing like we romanticize them to be, and I think it would ruin it for me. So, can I cheat then, and say the future? Now, that would be pretty exciting. Although, I would probably be hoping to find my own Millennium Falcon and be bummed to find myself behind barbed wire in Suzanne Collins’s latest novel!

So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?

I usually don’t listen to music while writing, but otherwise have a pretty eclectic taste. Favorite bands? Son Volt, The Mountain Goats, and old Bruce Springsteen.

Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?

The last movie I saw in the theater was Harry Potter the Half Blood Prince. I could watch Star Wars (the Holy Trinity please and not the abominations that followed) over and over again. It seems like all my favorite shows always get canceled. Firefly and Veronica Mars come to mind. Which makes me worried to admit I really enjoy Castle, Dollhouse, Big Bang Theory, and How I met Your Mother.

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?

Read and keep writing. Never stop. It’s not something that you can do the first time you set out to do it. You need to keep at it and develop thick skin, it’s a tough business.

One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?

There will be three more books in the ReUnification Conspiracy to follow The Kindling of GreenFyr. I am also developing a second YA Urban Fantasy series, but I really can’t say more than that at this time.

Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!