Today we have a fascinating interview with the intriguing writer Frank Fiore...
An Interview With Frank Fiore
Why don’t you begin by sharing a little about yourself.
Though
most of my life I’ve been an entrepreneur, I’ve always enjoyed being a
teacher. In fact I hold a Masters Degree in Education. This ability to
help people learn translates into the kind of books I write. My
non-fiction books are all about learning how to market on the Internet,
how to start and online business and how to shop online. I’ve sold over
50,000 copies of those types of books.
You’ve written a thriller series, Chronicles of Jeremy Nash. Can you tell us about it?
Jeremy
Nash is a noted debunker and skeptic of conspiracy theories, urban
legends and myths is drawn into pursuing them. Each Nash chronicle in
the series is a thriller that sends Nash on an investigation of these
myths and legends. Though he doesn’t believe in any of them, he is
forced into pursuing them by threats to the lives of his family members
or himself or threats to his reputation. The Chronicles is three book
series that is available on the Nook, Kindle and Apple platforms. I am
currently running a promotion for the books. Two of them are selling for
only .99 cents and SEED, the second book is being offered as a serial
of 15 parts that can be downloaded from Smashwords for free.
Like
myself, readers love challenges and my stories seek to challenge their
minds. The kind of stories that reflect the personal challenges that
they face in their day-to-day lives. My stories, in many ways, reflect
the challenges I had in my life. The back-story, so to speak, of the
novel. I hope my fiction through the characters and what they face in my
stories, can open the door a little wider and cast light on how we deal
with the world and face it’s challenges.
You’ve written numerous successful non-fiction books. Why did you decide to write fiction?
I’m
turning my talents to writing fiction to both entertain and to teach.
That kind of writing is called geek fiction. Geek fiction breaks the
boundaries of formulaic writing. It introduces intellectual
acumen and provides a thoughtful, entertaining diversion for the reader.
While the genre niches I write in can be varied – thrillers,
action/adventures/ speculative history, short stories, and mainstream
fiction - my books challenge readers and surprises them with well-paced,
well researched and compelling stories.
My
readers have higher-than-average IQs or advanced educations, and are
looking for intellectual challenges and extraordinary entertainment that
is well-crafted fiction transcending traditional genre boundaries,
providing both literary character development and an interesting plot.
Was it difficult to transition from writing non-fiction to writing a fiction series?
In a
way, my non-fiction taught me how to create a logical progression of
ideas. In the case of fiction, it helped me create an entertaining and
logical plot. But though I can write interesting characters and
unpredictable plots, I need to have a story polisher ‘beef up’ my prose.
I use one for every one of my stories.
Early in your career you founded, wrote and edited the New Times newspaper. What was that experience like?
It was
my very first foray in to the entrepreneurial world. I knew nothing
about the newspaper business – less about journalism. But several
college dropouts and myself came up with an idea for an alternative
newspaper in a very traditional community. It hit and nerve and took
off. Though I left the paper early to pursue other opportunities, it is
now a multistate operation and part of the establishment now.
You’ve
worked as a researcher, designed and taught courses and seminars on the
future of society, technology and business, and served on several vital
committees. How much has this social and educational work influenced
your writing?
Much. I
have always been interested in all the disciplines and have read
extensively on many subjects. This knowledge acquired over the years
acts as source material for my novels like CYBERKILL, the Chronicles of
Jeremy Nash.
Can you tell us about a few of your other books?
My first
novel is CyberKill. It’s a techno-thriller that answers the question
“How far will an artificial intelligence go for revenge?” It’s garnered 5
star ratings on Amazon.
What advice would you give beginning writers?
Don’t
write for money or fame. Write because you enjoy telling a story. If
that story is good enough, the money and fame will come.
What’s your next book or project?
I’ve
just finished a novel called Murran. Murran is the story of a young
African-American boy named Trey coming of age in the 1980s, and his rite
of passage to adulthood. Trey is a member of a ‘crew’ in Brooklyn and
is enticed into helping a violent street gang. He is eventually framed
for murder and flees with his high school teacher to the teacher’s
Maasai village in Kenya. Trey goes through the Maasai warrior’s rite of
passage, becomes a young shaman, and returns to America to confront and
defeat the gang leader that framed him.
How can people find out more about your book?
Go to my author site at www.frankfiore.com and my blog at http://frankfiore.wordpress.
