The Interrogation Room with Franklyn C. Thomas

Please give a cold dead welcome to the next victim to enter the hot seat... the wonderful Franklyn Thomas!

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What were you like at school?

I was kind of out of place in school. I skipped a grade, so I was in a weird place of younger than my class and older than my age.

Were you good at English?

I was. I was always a big reader, loved literature, and creative writing was my favorite class in high school and college.

What are your ambitions for your writing career?

Ideally, I would like to retire and write and still support myself. That’s the long game. But if fame and fortune hits in the short term, I can’t be too mad at that.

Which writers inspire you?

So many. Tops on the list right now is Christopher Moore, he’s been my favorite for about the last ten years. Chuck Palahniuk is on the list, as is Jonathan Maberry. Blake Crouch is someone I recently realized is kicking butt out there. Jonathan Pavone. Thom Carnell.

So, what have you written?

I’ve written a bunch of short stories that – for now – are private collection only. I’ve written two novels: The Fab 5 (published in 2005), and The Favorite (published in 2014). The Favorite won a Readers’ Favorite Award.

Where can we buy or see them?

The Fab 5 and The Favorite are both available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Google Books, and most online retailers.

Give us an insight into your main character. What does he/she do that is so special?

Well, in The Fab 5, the main character grew up and got out of a rough childhood living situation. He became an adult in a world where, to quote a rap song “either you’re slingin’ crack rock or ya got a wicked jump shot.” What’s special is his relationships with the people he grew up with that endured after they parted ways.

In The Favorite, the thing that makes the main character special is his integrity, even though he finds it later in life. He wants to be someone his child can be proud of.

What are you working on at the minute?

I’m putting the finishing touches on a novel called Open.

What’s it about?

Open follows a married couple who experiments with swinging to save their stalled relationship.

What genre are your books?

I don’t really write to a specific genre. My first two were sports-based fiction, the current one is a romance/erotic/relationship drama, my next one is a superhero/crime/noir thing. I just like telling stories.

When did you decide to become a writer? I was 17 when I decided I could do this. A girl in my English 201 class liked my short stories, and I liked her, so I wrote. And I enjoyed it.

Why do you write?

I write because I have to, and not in the negative sense. I enjoy it, and I really love telling stories.

Do you write full-time or part-time?

I write part-time. To pay the bills, I work in a sleep disorder clinic.

Do you have a special time to write or how is your day structured?

The lovely thing about my job is that most of the time I’m there, if everything is going well, everyone is asleep. So I do most of my writing between 11 PM and 4 AM because I’m at work and nothing is happening. It’s perfect!

How do you think you’ve evolved creatively?

I think as you complete things, your confidence grows as a writer, and you tackle stories that are more complex, more textured. You start to try things you wouldn’t have thought about early on. Personally, I think that as I’ve gotten more confident in my ability to finish stuff, I’ve taken on more mature and more “out there” projects.

What is your favourite motivational phrase.

“Time to make the donuts.”

What is your favourite positive saying?

“Aim for the stars. Even if you miss, you still hit the moon.”

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

I would say the two most important bits I ever learned. One: Every story worth telling is about love. That love can be basketball, money, power, or an actual person. Two: Your first draft is supposed to suck, so don’t worry about making it perfect the first time out.

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A big thank you to Franklyn for hanging out with us and talking to us!

Be sure to keep in touch with him!

Blog: franklynthomasblog.blogspot.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FranklynCThomas Twitter: @authorFrankT Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/author/franklyncthomas

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/861657.Franklyn_C_Thomas Book Links:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0595357288 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HQKZ7E6