IndieView with Bruce Fottler, author of The Initiative: In Harm’s Way

InitativeAmazonCoverSM2015-1

The book was started in the mid-1990’s, well before I had aspirations of being published. I wrote the first few chapters and soon stopped. My marriage, career, children, and life in general drove this (and other stories) into hard-drive limbo.

Bruce Fottler – 14 June, 2015

The Back Flap

Sam Maxwell hates his bland, dead-end job at a company that’s little more than a labyrinth of cubicles. Seeking a better position, the Blanchard Corporation quickly extends him a surprisingly generous job offer. But something mysterious is lurking beneath the prestigious veneer of this multi-billion dollar technology giant. After accepting the offer, Sam’s life is surreptitiously evaluated by a board of directors who are anxious to recruit candidates for their clandestine consortium. To those already part of this consortium, it’s simply known as The Initiative. To Sam, it’s the start of a perilous venture to help protect one of the most closely guarded secrets in modern history.

About the book

What is the book about?

The Initiative: In Harm’s Way is the first book in a thriller series that follows the life and career of Sam Maxwell. The story opens in 1994, a couple of years after Sam graduates from college. He just quit a mind-numbing job at a company cubicle-farm and scores an interview at The Blanchard Corporation.

After accepting a surprisingly generous job offer, Sam’s life is surreptitiously evaluated by a board of directors who are anxious to recruit candidates for their clandestine consortium: The Initiative. What they do is one of the most closely guarded secrets in modern history.

Sam is slowly pulled down the proverbial rabbit-hole and eventually finds himself caught up in tragic events that change his life. While history as we know it unfolds, he’s caught up in an expansive operation that very few will ever know about.

When did you start writing the book?

The book was started in the mid-1990’s, well before I had aspirations of being published. I wrote the first few chapters and soon stopped. My marriage, career, children, and life in general drove this (and other stories) into hard-drive limbo.

A couple of years ago, I rescued the unfinished manuscript from my old PC (in a very old version of MS Word). I made some changes and finished the story, at least as far as the first book.

How long did it take you to write it?

It went through three writing phases. I wrote the first few chapters in the mid-1990’s. The resurrection and completion of the first draft occurred in 2013, and further revisions occurred in 2014-2015.

The first draft didn’t test strongly with my beta-readers. They didn’t hate it, they just thought that my other novel I was developing at the time (Paladin’s Odyssey) was better. So I pulled back on The Initiative in order to spend more time reworking the manuscript, while going forward with my other novel.

Where did you get the idea from?

To avoid spoiling the plot, I’ll just say that the premise was inspired by an old, obscure TV show that I watched as a kid. Other ideas came from my many years working at a high-tech company, as well as a young adult church group that I was involved with.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

Overall, I struggled with pacing. There’s a great deal of character development that I wanted to cover, but it was slowing down the plot and pulling the reader out of the story. I needed to find a satisfactory balance. I fear that there are still parts that some might find a bit slow, but much of it comes together later, and will continue to play out in future books in the series.

What came easily?

I knew what I wanted to do with the story-line, and I always enjoy writing action sequences.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

All of my characters are entirely fictitious, but often have a mix of traits from real world people. I always avoid making my characters too much like people I know, or those people might start wondering. Well, maybe they do wonder a little. I imagine this has to be something that all fiction authors deal with.

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?

I’ve always liked John Grisham and Tom Clancy (and others). However, I tend not to read very much while I’m writing. I’m always concerned that if I do, my writing will reflect too much of the style of what I’m reading.

Do you have a target reader?

I try to appeal to a wide audience (18+), but certain genre classifications can limit this effort. I classified this novel as a thriller, and while it helps to give a reader a general sense of what to expect, I fear that it also turns other readers away who might like it. One of the things I enjoy seeing in my book reviews is something like “this isn’t the type of book I would usually read, but I really liked it.”

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

When an idea for a story comes to me, I’ll write down the basics and think about it for a while. Over time, I’ll think up more details, subplots, etc. I’ll also have to answer questions like can I hook a reader with the opening, and can I get a full novel out of it? If I think I have enough, I’ll start mapping out characters, locations, etc. Then I sit down and start writing.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

Sometimes, but I don’t outline in chapter form. I write first and worry about the chapters later.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

Both. I typically write a section and then come back to it the next day for a polish. When I’m finished with the first draft, I go back over the whole book, often several times. Once that’s complete, I save it in pdf format and have Adobe Acrobat read it back to me. This is a newer step that I’ve found to be exceptionally helpful at finding small errors (dropped words, wrong words, etc.). It also helps me to make sure everything flows well. Then it goes off to my editor.

Did you hire a professional editor?

Not a professional, but pretty close. I’ve often heard about the concept of self-editing, which is something I pretty much do already – right before I sent it off to my editor.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

Sometimes. It really depends on my mood and the scene that I’m working on. Movie soundtrack music can help boost my creative energy. However, most of the time music is something in the background.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

I’ve tried to in the past, but nothing ever came out of it. I had one agent seem interested, but he considered my material a little too risky for him to take on.

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 went indie from day one.

Several years ago, I attended a lecture given by an author agent about getting published. One of the things he said about publishing was that it’s one of the most frustratingly slow-moving industries out there. The traditional book publishing cycle is measured in months, and often years. This put me off until Amazon broke into the self-publishing arena and forever changed the publishing landscape. As I mentioned before, I’ve tried to feel out agents as I self-published, but their silence (or reluctance) only reinforced what I learned from that lecture.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

I did it myself. If I had a budget for it, I would’ve rather hired a professional designer. I’m keenly aware of the importance of having a strong cover, and I’ve invested a great deal of time developing and having my covers critiqued. My aim was to create something that will not only attract attention, but convey a sense of my book while creating a positive impression. But to be honest, I mostly tried not to make them suck too badly.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

Oh, I certainly have marketing plans! Most of them are dreams. My problem is that I have little to no marketing budget. I’d like nothing more than to line up something like a Bookbub promo. So, instead of acting on my dream plans, I’m forced to contend with my reality. I take advantage of free promotion opportunities, social media, interviews, and book giveaways. I’m busy building my fan-base one reader at a time, because word-of-mouth ultimately sells books.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

This might sound a bit harsh, but if you want to be an indie author (self-publish), put your very best effort into it. Write, polish, edit, revise, and repeat as necessary. Don’t just throw something out there to see what will stick. There’s already way too much substandard, self-published material out there, so PLEASE don’t add to the pile. It only reinforces that old self-publishing stigma.

Overall, just write! Get that novel finished, edited, and published. Then get the next one written. I’ve heard it said many times that nothing will help you sell your book better than your next book.

About You

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in the Chicago suburbs. At age 14, I moved to the Boston area.

Where do you live now?

I still live in Massachusetts – northwest of Boston.

What would you like readers to know about you?

After over twenty years working at a high-tech company, I was laid-off back in 2010. Unable to find a job, I finally embraced writing as a new career direction. I’ve always liked to write but never had the time to do anything extensive with my material.

I’ve also dabbled in directing and producing film shorts. While I had always dreamed of directing the next Hollywood blockbuster, I had to settle for something a lot smaller. In fact, I have just enough experience to know that I don’t know enough about what I’m doing. Writing, on the other hand, is like directing a movie with a limitless budget. I don’t have producers telling me that we can’t film on a certain location, actors who struggle to nail their lines, or CGI constraints. I’m only limited by my imagination (and my Beta-readers who often bring me back to reality).

What are you working on now?

I’m currently working on two writing projects. The first is an updated revision of one of my previously released books. The other is book two of The Initiative series. I’ve also got a couple of potential projects in the thinking stage.

End of Interview:

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