Writer’s Spotlight: Jeffrey Michael Tebelak

Red decided to corner M3 Coffee Shoppe newbie Jeffrey Tebelak about his book Just One More. He was candid about how he approaches his writing and tipped his hand about the M3 blog.

Telebak
Jeffery Michael Tebelak

M3: M3 Readers want to know, so give them the agent’s press release version of Jeffrey Michael Tebelak.

JMT: Jeffrey Michael Tebelak is a husband, father, teacher and writer. He spends his days teaching students how to write and practices the art himself, at night.

M3: Do you have someone you would like to show gratitude before I get out the spotlight and the telephone book?

JMT: I have to thank all of my family, high school teachers, college English professors and the great bunch of friends that I hung around with for introducing me to reading literature and writing poetry and short stories.

M3: Tell the M3 Readers how you got your start in the publishing industry.

JMT: I coached high school football for twenty years and left the profession two years ago. I enjoyed my family time, but did not know what to do with all of my free time. So, I decided to start a novel and I surprised myself when I actually finished it.

M3: You have great time management skills. Do you just have an overabundance of time?

JMT: Thanks a great question, and I don’t have enough time as it is.  I put in many hours at work, spend a few hours with family, and then write for three hours Monday through Friday.  I take the weekend off to spend with my family.

M3: Do you take a break from the writing with a hiatus?

JMT: No, I do not go for hiatus; the problem is that I know myself way too well. If I were to take a break, I will put things off too long. I guess it is best to understand who you are as a person, then focus on your strengths and recognize your shortcomings as a person.

M3: Sounds like you have been reading the Identity Series. Has the state of economics changed the way you perform at all?

JMT: No.  I cannot do anything about the economic state of the country.  My father taught me long ago that when you cannot control a situation, why worry about it.  I just do the best I can on a daily basis, and it is hoped that my work, in whatever it may be, keeps me going.

M3: That is sound advice. Does that mean the M3 Readers need to care about your day job?

JMT: No.  A writer is going to write, and that is that.  Every writer finds time to write no matter what his or her day consist of.  I guess it is like me being a diabetic; when I eat sugar, I just cannot stop eating the stuff.  The same goes for writing; it is addictive.

M3: We may all need rehab. What do you have brewing on the back burner?

JMT: I am currently working on a follow-up novel to Just One More, a couple of novellas based on some characters from the work, and my favorite future work—a novel with my eleven year old son. My wife and son mean the world to me and he loves to work with his dad.

M3: Sounds like a true family affair. How do you feel about other authors in your genre?

JMT: I love them.  They remind me of the football coaches I use to coach against.  You are going to see what a football team does on film, so most coaches tell you what you want to know.  I find it the same way with authors, once you read a few of their works you understand what makes them tick.  They have always been very helpful in guiding me along the way.

M3: Do you have any advice for the budding newbie authors?

JMT: Well, I still consider myself a newbie—a writer should never stop growing.  I guess the best advice I can give a writer is to just write and write about something you know at first.  Also, read as much material as you can from different genres, so you can get a feel for the authors’ craft and language.

M3: That is also good advice. Do you think the traditional industry looks on Indie work as inferior?

JMT: No.  I just think they are so afraid of losing money on a new writer.  It is a catch 22; it is hard to get published without an agent and it is hard to get an agent if you’re not published.  But, there is a huge following for Indie writers, and it is gaining more and more headway each year.

M3: So, what is it that makes Just One More different from everything else in the genre?

Just One More~Tebelak

JMT: It is a comedic detective fiction work.  I don’t see a lot of it out there.  Have fun with it and enjoy, and some of course may be offended, but that is okay…it happens to everyone.

M3: That’s funny! Nice to have so little competition. What is there you really do not want me to share with the M3 Readers?

JMT: Oh, I don’t care what you tell them.  I’m an open book [pun intended]. People who know me trust me, because I will talk about anything more or less.  How are people going to get to know you, when you hold back who you are; if you hold things back, isn’t that a lie?

M3: I am convinced you are reading the series! What made Just One More close to your heart?

JMT: I grew up as an ADHD kid before the industry even coined it as a title.  I was also and still am dyslexic.  The ADHD gave me an imagination next to none growing up (great for a writer) because of the dyslexia I have always read as many books as possible to overcome the disorder.

M3: Be you own ad agent: Tell the M3 Readers in less than 15 words why they need a copy of Just One More.

JMT: It is fun to read, and I want people to have fun reading it.

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Dearest M3 Readers,

Please take a few moments to check out  Jeffrey Michael Tebelak and his comedic detective murder mystery, Just One More. You can purchase the Kindle ebook  at Amazon or the Adobe/EPub at Lulu. Visit Tebelak’s website to learn more about the author and the book.

Thank you for your ongoing support to the talented M3 Coffee Shoppe authors. When you tweet and +1 this post, please use the hashtags #authors and #WW.

Red.
M3

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(c) Ann Marie Dwyer 2012
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6 Comments

  1. I liked that Jeffrey doesn’t shy away from his former position as a football coach. He uses these experiences to fuel his writing and was brave enough to change paths and turn to writing for a living. Impressive.

    Reply
  2. Thank you so much for your kind words. It is hoped that you have a great holiday season and a Happy New Year.

    Reply
  3. Very inspiring.

    Reply
  4. Terrific interview. I can relate to the time off theory of book writing.When I was disabled from my heart transplant is the most valuable time I had in my relationship with novel writing.
    Now that I am back full time it is a real dedicated effort to work on the sequel to archimedes’Claw. Good luck to Jeffrey Tebelak. I plan to go to amazon next and obtain a copy of Just One More. Ted

    Reply

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