Lynn Hardy: The Journey of an Author

We have a wonderful treat today...Beck Sherman, author of Revamp, has stopped by!

Tell me, were you a reader before you were a writer? What do you enjoy reading?

I think writing is in my genes (not the denim kind) so technically I guess I’m a writer first and a reader second. But I love to read and I don’t think you can write well without also being well-read. Mostly horror is on my shelves, of course. I read about guts oozing nice like melted malteds (thank you, Throw Momma From The Train). Stephen King, Scott Smith, Simon Clark, Robert McCammon, Dean Koontz. But I also love Nick Hornby and Cormac McCarthy. Anything with good writing and characters to care about.

Is Revamp the first book you’ve written?

Yes, but not the last! Sorry, I didn’t mean that to sound like a threat.

What where you particular inspirations the character development or character traits for Revamp?

I draw from real life when it comes to my characters. What better way to create characters your readers can relate to? I mean, how many people does one person meet in a lifetime? A billion? Okay, maybe not that many, but it’s a lot. A great, vast pool of inspiration.

There are many roads that lead to becoming a published author, each one littered with its own potholes. What was the most challenging aspect of writing Revamp? (dialogue, character development, creating names, etc)

It’s funny that you mentioned creating names (and potholes) because for the life of me I can’t think of original street names when I’m writing. It’s always Main Street or Beach Road. I change them in further drafts, but I’ve been a licensed driver for over a decade now and this shouldn’t be so difficult.

Also, Revamp has a complex plot with lots of twists and turns. Tying it all together, making it work, was definitely a challenge.

How did you tackle this challenge?

Head-on. By trying not to get too attached to any one scene, because there was always the chance it might have to go, to appease the mighty plot. A lot of it ends up working itself out. You create this world and sometimes it takes on a life of its own and where it goes makes sense.

Being an author is so much more than just writing a good story. Besides writing the story, what is one of the most difficult things you’ve encountered on your journey as a published author? What helped you get a handle on it?

Getting negative reviews is never fun. I’ve been lucky enough that a lot of people really enjoy my novel, but you can have 100 great reviews and that one bad one can be like a thorn in your side. What helped me get a handle on it? I think just accepting that anyone who doesn’t like my book is a big stupid-head. But besides that, people are different, with different tastes. The idea of a book that everyone likes is unrealistic. Unless it’s one of those hollowed-out books with money or the keys to a brand new car inside.

Beck Sherman, thank you for coming today and sharing a little of your experience with us, for helping us avoid a few potholes on the journey to becoming a published author.

Thank you for having me!

Find Beck.'s books here:

Kindle / Paperback

More about Beck here:

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