Tell us a little about yourself as a writer.
As a writer, nothing is as satisfying as being able to sit down and write a great story. Now I am not going to say that writing is easy, as it is not. There are many times when we have to sacrifice what we want in order for our dream to be fulfilled. Not only is there outside influences that give you all the reasons why you cant, but you have your own inner demons that give you all the excuses why you shouldn’t. I’m sure we’ve all heard these ones we tell ourselves; “You need to work to reach your goal.”, “Can’t today, got too many other things to do, but I will get to it later.”
I love to write. In fact if I had my way that is all I would do. Unfortunately real life gets in the way, and in order to support my dream I balance life as a writer and marketing consultant.
My life as a writer is something that I enjoy as I love being able to create new characters, scenarios and the like, but, there is also the life I have outside of writing which is equally as important. So balancing my life as a writer, a parent, and marketer is something that is not always easy to do. But I do not think I would do things any other way. 
Describe your novel in a short paragraph.
Rise Of The Darkness. Alex Manning is The One. Born of a heritage that was once a powerful civilization before it was destroyed by the Giants that once walked among men. Now tonight, in a small town, after thousands of years of being bound in the Dark Realm, the Ancient Darkness has been unleashed, and they set about to finish what was begun. Only Alex can stop the Dark Forces from destroying this town, but will he fulfill his own tests and sacrifice his life for those would seek to betray him?
Where did you get your inspiration for your novel?
The original idea came to me in 1989 when I was living in Melbourne. The story for the original story came from a hobbytex picture my mother had on her wall. The picture was of a yellow moon behind a rustic shack. I remember that I was sat at the table staring at the picture and got the whole idea for Shack of Evil from that picture. That first short story was a 9 page story based on the character Jamiesonn. Even though it was my first “real” story, I still thought that I could do better. What can I say? I’m a perfectionist! Shack of Evil had always been the basis for Rise Of The Darkness.
Why did you choose self-publishing for your book? Is it, in your opinion, a better option for writers everywhere?
This time around I went with Lulu.com as the publisher. Primarily the choice was based on the creative freedom I had with the publication of the book. With that said, there is the downside to self-publishing. Such as lack of exposure, improper distribution by the provider and many other issues.
Now while there are advantages, in as much as being noticed at the right time by the right people, it is not always the right choice. Especially if you need a ghost writer or editor to smooth out the storyline. I will not say that the choice I made was a bad one, but it does have limitations that I should have explored more in-depth before jumping in where angels fear to tread.
I would advise writers to research the options more carefully before jumping in at the first good thing that comes along. Some may not agree with me here, but in my experience it is best to check all options.
What advice would you give someone who wants to publish a book but have no idea how to go about doing it?
There are probably a lot of new writers out there who have no idea where to start, but, if you are an aspiring writer looking to get your first work out there, start with a good letter to an agent or publisher. That is your starting point. A good letter with the synopsis of your novel will get the attention of the agent or publisher, even if the response is a “No thank you”.
Learn by my example. It took 14 years from the main draft of Rise Of The Darkness to now to get published, which shows that it is worth the wait. That is not to say that it will take 14 years for you to get published! I am saying this as I left mine sitting on the back-burner until I was ready. Yes, you will get rejection letters, or even worse yet, no reply at all. Don’t worry about that as it will happen.
Those rejection slips only tell you that you are on the right (write) track! Okay, now that you have your email draft ready to go out to agents/publishers, make sure you do your homework, by checking out what genres they represent. If it is unclear on their web if they are accepting new clients, don’t be afraid to ask! Make a mental note on some of the authors they represent.
Also, if you come across an agent or publisher that charges a fee of any kind, stay away from those. What I will say in concluding is this: If you have the ability to write, you have a gift. Like any skill, it is a talent that should be nurtured and polished. Find your niche, and keep on writing, no matter what wannabes may tell you.
C. A. Milson’s book can be purchased at his website in various formats. It’s also available in Russian so go check it out.
Want to be featured as an author/mangaka on the AMWC Virtual Book Tour? Check out our simple guidelines and we look forward to hearing from you! =3
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