US: I Hate Cell Phones by Mike Ronny
UK: I Hate Cell Phones by Mike Ronny
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| I Hate Cell Phones by Mike Ronny |
"I Hate Cell Phones" is a short comic thriller about Red Daley, a retired weapons expert sent to an assisted living home. Forced to play Bingo and checkers all day, Red attempts a daring escape. It’s no use. But then Red gets his hands on some wires, and a battery, and a timing device….
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Author Quiz interviews Mike Ronny...
What is it you love most about writing?
It’s a hard question because I love almost everything about writing: immersing myself in another world, deliberating over word choices, deciding whether or not to put a comma in a certain place. I even like the way the keys on my laptop sound as I type!
But I think what I love most about writing is when I’m surprised by how a story ends. It makes me feel like the story has come alive, that my characters don’t need me to guide them toward a certain conclusion. For instance, and without giving anything away, one time I’d planned for everything to turn out well for a main character. But I realized as I was reaching the final scene that a happy ending would seem false. So things took a dramatically bad turn for this poor guy.
Why do you enjoy writing in your usual genre?
My usual genre is humorous short stories, and I have fun trying to pack into a piece as much comedic material as I can: amusing dialogue, offbeat character traits, one-liners. I try to make myself laugh in the process. (And as I go along, I just hope that other people will think some of what I’m writing is funny.)
Are any of your characters based heavily on people you know or have met from real life and if so, would they regard it as a compliment or an insult to discover they were the inspiration for the character in question?
I try not to base characters heavily on real people. Instead, I sometimes take certain aspects of different people I’ve met and mix them together to create someone new. That way, if any of those people ever happened to read the story, none of them would say, “Hey, that’s me!” and then drive to my apartment to beat me up.
At least twice I’ve broken this rule, however, and patterned a character more or less on one person from real life. But those characters were portrayed in flattering ways, so I don’t feel too guilty about it.
When deciding on your book title what influences you most; potential sales or artistic integrity?
I don’t choose titles for artistic purposes per se. Rather, I try to hit on a title that, along with the cover image, will give potential readers an idea of the story’s subject matter and flavor. For instance, I wrote a story called “The Best Camp Counselor in the World.” When most people come across that title, they’d assume (rightly) that the story takes place at a summer camp and that it’s a light piece. It’s unlikely someone would see a story called “The Best Camp Counselor in the World” and think it might be a lost work from William Faulkner. So anyway, I guess the answer to this question would have to be “potential sales.”
Do you foresee more and more authors making a living from their writing?
I don’t know. In the digital age it’s so much easier to deliver content to readers, but at the same time there’s so much additional competition among writers that it all may turn out to be a wash. What might happen is that roughly the same number of people will make their livings from their writing as ever before, but also that many more people will publish at least one book during their lifetimes just to try it out and see what happens.
I read a book review on Amazon once where the reviewer described the book as a page-turner and had clearly enjoyed the book, and yet only gave it three stars out of five. Have you had any similar experiences with reviews yourself and if so did you take pleasure in the positive comments or frustration from the unduly ungenerous rating?
I’ve received at least one 3-star review for which the comments were 100% positive, and I’ve also received at least one 4-star review where the reviewer didn’t seem to enjoy the story. But I’m appreciative of anyone who takes the time to read my work and write a review. I respect my reviewers’ opinions, I respect the conclusions they form about my work, and I take pleasure from whatever compliments they might offer. On the other hand, it's not worth getting upset about the number of stars in any given review.
Would you rather sell 1000 books at $10/£10 each or 2000 books at $1/£1, i.e. what gives you the greater sense of satisfaction; overall earnings or overall sales?
Sales are more satisfying, because the more sales you make the more people you’re entertaining with your work. Plus, one way or another earnings usually increase as sales increase. After all, the more individual sales you get, the more likely that movie deal becomes!
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Thanks for your comments, Mike, and good luck with your writing.
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US: I Hate Cell Phones by Mike Ronny
UK: I Hate Cell Phones by Mike Ronny
Other short stories by Mike Ronny on amazon.com:
The Best Camp Counselor in the World by Mike Ronny
Stalkers Drink Free by Mike Ronny
Other short stories by Mike Ronny on amazon.co.uk:
The Best Camp Counselor in the World by Mike Ronny
Stalkers Drink Free by Mike Ronny
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