Wade Kelly: Friend Fridays

Hello everyone. It's been a while since I've hosted another author on my blog. It is great to reconnect with others :) Tyler is an author I met online, but we haven't met, nor have I read his book. As you may have figured out, I like networking with people. So in the interest of promoting fellow authors I sent Tyler a set of interview question so we could all get to know him better.

So Tyler…

WK: Why don’t you start out with telling the readers a little bit about yourself?

TC: I’m a native of Franklin, North Carolina. I’m 23, who recently graduated with a degree in communication at Western Carolina University. I just recently received a job at Keller Williams Realty, doing their social media and assisting with their listings. On the side, I own a publishing company called Moonshine Press, which helps publish indie authors such as Eva McCall, Timm Muth, myself and potentially many others.

WK: What inspires your writing?

TC: I use a lot of material in my own life. I have to look back and find things that are happy, sad or funny in my life that I could apply to the characters or situations that I write about. These things help me through the hard parts of writing, which then allows me to get the book flowing better.

WK: Are you a full time author?

TC: Sadly, no. I would love nothing more than to become the next Nicholas Sparks or J.K. Rowling. But I don’t think that I will be able to write and publish books as fast as some of the career authors that are out there right now.

WK: ME TOO! Glad I'm not the only author out there who thinks like this!

WK: Who is your favorite author?

TC: J.K. Rowling. Hands down. Harry Potter inspired me to read when reading was forced upon students in school. It also gave me the dream to one day write an epic adventure like the one that she produced. I have recently discovered Jay Bell, whose writing has made me feel things through a book that I thought were impossible.

WK: How many books have you written so far?

TC: Two. The first was A Guide to Historic Dillsboro, a non-fiction book that celebrates a historic town near where I live. The book was my senior project at WCU that I had to complete in order to graduate. I wrote it with two other students, which sparked the fire in me to write my debut novel shortly after.

WK: Tell us a little about your novel, The One.

TC: I personally don’t like to give too much away about this book, but it’s about a guy named Eli who becomes another victim of heartbreak. His situation is different from the rest of the world because he suffers in secrecy, due to the fact that there’s a secret that may change how people look at him.

WK: How long did it take you to complete it?

TC: That was fairly easy. Only five months. The idea for the book hit me while I was in Mexico. Once I returned to the states, I immediately started writing. I wrote every chance I got. I took a notebook wherever I went. And during one of my part time jobs, I would write during my breaks. I was so moved by this story, it was as if the story was bleeding out of my soul.

WK: Who is your favorite character in the novel and why?

TC: My favorite is Tori. Originally, this character was only supposed to appear in one spot in the book. But the deeper I got into the story, the more I realized that she was needed throughout the book. She is what I call a “major-minor” character. I enjoyed writing her so much, that I have thought about writing a story specifically about her and making it a sequel to The One.

WK: I find it interesting that your favorite character is a girl. hmm. Cool. I guess all our favorites tend to be the ones we enjoy the most:)

WK: When someone reads The One, what do you hope they gain from reading it?

TC: A sense of objectivity. I want them to put the book down after reading it and have a new perspective on life. And for some, I want it to change their attitudes about some stereotypes and prejudices.

WK: Do you have a favorite literary character?

TC: Harry Potter, duh!

WK: If you could sit down to dinner with one person, past or present, who would it be and what’s the one question you’d love to ask?

TC: I would say Abraham Lincoln (I’m a history minor and researched him for a story in A Guide to Historic Dillsboro). And I would probably ask him if he really believed if he could restore the Union the way he did.

WK: What is your suggestion or piece of advice to new and upcoming writers?

TC: Keep on pushing through. There were times when I was ready to give up on my books. But I knew that there was a message that needed to get out there, so I persevered. And don’t worry about what happens after you finish the book. First, focus on the book itself. Then, you can decide whether you want to get a publisher, or if you want to publish independently.

WK: Where we can find you on the Internet?

TC: My book are on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords and your local bookstore. My website is www.tylermcook.com and my Facebook is www.facebook.com/tylercookbooks.

WK: I'd like to say thank you for providing links! It helps when we want to find you! And I am super glad you stopped by!

WK: Could you please share your favorite excerpt from The One with us?

“Diane got Eli’s attention again by saying, “Eli, how are you supposed to find the love of your life if you don’t take a chance at finding it? And even more importantly, how am I going to get any

grandbabies if you don’t find a good girl?”

“Oh God,” Eli moaned, cringing.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “But you’re twenty-two years old. When I was your age, I was married, pregnant with you and had a car and house payment.”

“Things have changed in the last twenty-two years,” he said. He stopped, and then said, “You know, most parents would be glad that their kids aren’t getting knocked up or getting someone knocked up. But you just can’t wait until I get someone pregnant.”

Diane ignored the laughing from Carrie and said, “Eli,” she placed her hand on top of his arm from across the granite counter top to keep him from walking away, “I am very glad that you haven’t gotten anybody pregnant. Sure, you’re not ready to have a child, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t start the journey that leads to that. I want you to be happy, and if you come straight home from work every night, I don’t see that happening for you.”

He walked around the counter next to his mom and said, “Thanks for the confidence, mom.” He smiled, showing that he didn’t take any offence to what she said. He kissed her on the cheek goodbye.

She kissed him back, “Have a great day, sweetie. And remember; start finding your soul mate!”

Eli shut the door behind him and went down the back porch steps that lead to the driveway where his white Civic Hybrid sat. He got inside, and sat there for a second before turning the car on and putting it in reverse.

I wonder what they’d think if they knew the truth about me.