. I write because I like to write, it’s really that simple. If lots of people like what I write then great, if they don’t then it won’t break my heart either. I just hope that decades from now someone will blow the dust off of one of my books, sit down with it, and get a little enjoyment from reading it.
Michael Moreau – 4 May 2014
The Back Flap
Everyone dreams of being a hero but very few actually do anything about it. Enter Nathaniel Hawkins, a university janitor who plays a few too many video games, drinks a little too much beer, and desperately needs to get his life in order. That is, until he discovers how to travel in time and be a hero to those in the past. His adventures will pit him against a flesh-hungry robot monster, intergalactic space lords vying for power, and an evil emperor bent on destroying the planet Earth. This is the campy tongue-in-cheek tale of how a super-hero is born, the mistakes he makes along the way and the impact he has on all of the lives he touches. He is the ordinary guy who takes a stand, he is Futureman!
About the book
What is the book about?
The book is about a normal guy from an alternate version of the present (well, 1999 to be exact) that wants to be somebody, wants to be a hero. He works as a janitor at a local university and he finds a time travel device that a professor is working on and uses it to travel into the past and be a superhero using his futuristic technology. It’s about heroes, evil space lords, radioactive monsters and just about anything else that made 1950s monster movies so endearing.
When did you start writing the book?
I started writing It Came From Tomorrow some time in late 2011.
How long did it take you to write it?
That’s difficult to answer. It was a screenplay before it was a book so although we probably did the screenplay back in 2009 or 2010 it sat on the shelf for quite some time before I decided to adapt it into a book.
Where did you get the idea from?
In our early twenties a few friends and I started a skit-comedy show for local public access and one of the short films we did was called Robot Monster 2000 and it featured a hero named Futureman. It was done with out-of-sync sound effects, dramatic music copped from old monster movies and was edited to look like we’d paid no attention to what we were doing. In essence, it was bad by design. We ended up making a few more of the Futureman shorts over the years and eventually got the idea of combining them into a single feature-length film.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
I wouldn’t really say so. Writing something that is comedic isn’t terribly difficult. If you get stuck for a while just come back to it in a day or so and usually the ideas will flow. Getting started was probably the hardest part for me.
What came easily?
The sarcastic sense of humor that the characters display. Being a generation X’er myself sarcasm seems to come quite naturally so writing characters that had a dry and sarcastic wit wasn’t all that difficult. Also I’m a big fan of old monster movies so coming up with ideas for how the characters should behave to be as cheesy as possible was a no-brainer.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
Being that it was based off of short films there is definitely some overlap between the book characters and the people who played the characters on the show. Each person brought their own personality to the characters they portrayed so yes I would say that I borrowed a little from real world persons.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
For It Came From Tomorrow I would say that the biggest influence would be Douglas Adams. His quick-witted sense of humor and free spirited writing was a major influence. His writing told me that is was “okay” to break the rules in order to get a good laugh.
Do you have a target reader?
If I would have to select a particular group I would say that twenty-somethings are probably the age group that would enjoy my book the best but I could be completely wrong.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
Well, this book was unique. It started as a screenplay that both I and my friend Reggie Walsh worked together to create, hence the dual author credit on the cover. This book was different than others I have written in the sense that the framework was already there so all I had to do was flesh it out into something that was fun to read and not just a bunch of stage directions.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
I’m not one to sit down and spend weeks laying out the book before I get started. More often than not my books begin with a single scene or single piece of dialogue and a vague idea of the overall story and progress from there. It often grows and changes as it goes and many times I find myself discovering new ways to take the plot when I’m already half-way through writing it.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
My typical process is to simply write. I write at a furious pace until I have a rough draft. Then I make “passes” over it with a separate Notepad file open to write down mistakes, plot holes, things that need elaboration, etc… Typically I’m doing my final editing at the same time that I’m doing my final layout.
Did you hire a professional editor?
No, and let me tell you that with the first book I had a lot of learning to do about editing and layout. I spent the better part of two weeks just researching grammatical constructs and page layouts and all sorts of things and I’d say it’s made the process easier with subsequent books since I now know what I’m looking for earlier on in the process.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
Yes. Typically it’s just some ambient music without any rhythm. I don’t want anything that makes me aware that it’s there, just some background sound to help me get into the mood.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
After doing a good deal of research I decided against it and instead went straight to self publishing.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
I am one who sees writing like any other art. It’s no different than making music or painting. Sure, one can listen to what’s on the radio and make similar music in the hopes of making it big, or one can forgo painting things that they care about and instead paint murals for buildings and other commercial projects but that’s not the type of artist I am. I have absolutely no intention on writing ever being a career or major source of income. I write because I like to write, it’s really that simple. If lots of people like what I write then great, if they don’t then it won’t break my heart either. I just hope that decades from now someone will blow the dust off of one of my books, sit down with it, and get a little enjoyment from reading it. For me being self-published is all about one thing, I don’t want anyone changing my art. It’s mine and that is important to me.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
I do all of my own cover art. I’m a professional photographer/cinematographer as well as graphic artist so that was not a far stretch for me. I also like making costumes and props (my indie film background) so if I can’t make something with Photoshop or 3D software I usually resort to live people done up with makeup, props and costumes.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
I attend a lot of science fiction conventions (and am on the board of directors for one as well) so I do most of my marketing by attending live events. In person book sales where I can sign copies and talk to the people, that’s my main outlet.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
If you’re wanting to make writing a career then you may just have to accept that you’ll need to get onboard with a large or medium sized publisher. They absolutely will change your work and probably want you to agree to write so many books a year. If you like that idea then go for it, but if like me you want to have complete creative control then self-publishing is definitely the way to go.
About You
Where did you grow up?
I lived all over the state of Louisiana as a child. Everywhere from the piney woods of the north to the swamps of the south.
Where do you live now?
Lafayette, Louisiana. The heart of Cajun country.
What are you working on now?
I am working on getting a small press started that will put out a yearly scifi anthology. Also I’m working on sequels to No Time Like the Future and It Came from Tomorrow. In addition I’m also working on a novella entitled Ashes of Acheron. I’ve also been building my own scifi universe since 1998 and am currently writing the first novel set in it, the book is called Son of Seven Moons and is about one world’s struggle to free themselves from oppressive alien invaders.
End of Interview:
For more, visit Michael’s website and like his Facebook page.
Get your copy of It Came From Tomorrow at Amazon US (paper or ebook) or Amazon UK (paper or ebook).
