It has been a hopping week in the M3 Coffee Shoppe this week! Red caught up with Roger Smith, holder of many a dream job, to talk about his new book Dust Devils. Roger had some exciting news share!
Roger Smith
M3: Roger, tell the M3 Readers how your press agent would introduce you.
MR: Roger Smith was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and now lives in Cape Town. His thrillers Mixed Blood and Wake Up Dead have been published in six countries and both are in development as movies in the U.S. His books have won the Deutscher Krimi Preis (German Crime Fiction Award) and been nominated for the Spinetingler Magazine Best Novel award.
M3: That is exciting! How did you get started in the publishing industry?
MR: I was a film and TV director and screenwriter for many years, but I’ve always loved crime fiction and always wanted to write a novel. In 2007, I sat down and wrote my first, Mixed Blood, got an agent in New York City and a publishing deal with a major U.S. publisher. Since then, my books have been translated into five languages and two of them are in development as movies.
M3: You make it sound so simple. Do you think the traditional publishers look down on self-published books as inferior?
MR: I have print publishers in six countries, and I will also continue to ePublish. As I writer, I don’t get too caught up in the politics, my job is simple…to find readers for my books.
M3: That is some good advice. Any more advice you would give a budding writer?
MR: Your challenge is to find stories and characters that move, stimulate and excite you — material that you are passionate about. If you find yourself shocked, appalled, terrified and moved by what appears on the page, then your readers will be, too.
M3: Should the M3 Readers care about if you have a day job?
MR: I’m a full-time writer, so I write at least six days a week.
M3: You put in a lot of time. Do you ever take a break with a haitus?
MR: I take a little time off between books, but with promotion, social networking, copy editing and researching my next book there is very little down time.
M3: Has the state of the economy changed the way you approach your work?
MR: No. I write at least one book a year.
M3: Very consistent. What are you working on now?
MR: My fourth book, Capture, will be out in mid-2012. It’s a little different from my first three in that it deals far more with the devils within, exploring the dark acts supposedly good people are capable of. I also have two novellas that will be published early in 2012.
Dust Devils ~ Roger Smith
M3: That’s quite a twist! But let’s talk about Dust Devils for just a moment. Why is this book special to you?
MR: With Dust Devils I set out to write a bloody, amped-up page-turner, but I wanted it to be fuelled by the things that anger me about South Africa. Apartheid is over, but a violent crime epidemic, poverty and the highest incidence of HIV/AIDS in the world present new challenges that are left largely unaddressed. This is the background against which Dust Devils is set, and what I’ve written is no love letter.
M3: The motivation to Dust Devils says much about you. Any secret you would like to tell me, especially if I promise it is just between us?
MR: That I’ve just written a horror novel. Top secret!
M3: Love it. Just between us. Now, give the M3 Readers a good reason why they need to buy Dust Devils.
MR: I think the reviews speak for themselves.
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Dearest M3 Readers,
Please a moment to check out Roger Smith and his gripping newest book, Dust Devils. The ebook is at Amazon for Kindle and for Nook at Barnes & Noble. Visit Smith’s website to learn more about the author, the book, the awards and the upcoming motion pictures.
Thank you for your continued support of the talented M3 Coffee Shoppe authors. When you tweet and +1 this post, please use the hashtags #authors, #books and #WW.
Happy Reading!
Red.
M3