Tuesday 22 January 2013

Guest Author Interview - Tom Abrahams

In today's guest author interview we welcome Tom Abrahams, read what he has to say below:



Please introduce yourself, who are you and what do you do?
Hi!  My name is Tom Abrahams.  I am a lifelong television journalist and first time author.  I work at a network owned television station in Houston, Texas as an anchor and reporter.  I cover a lot of issues-oriented news from politics, to energy, the environment, and the economy.  I love what I do for a living, but I am first and foremost a husband and dad. 

What first inspired you to start writing
I've always been an avid reader.  And I think that love of reading translated into a desire to create.   I write every day for television, but I wanted to try something a little different.

I wrote a manuscript about a decade ago that was a great practice novel.  I played around with ideas on and off for a while until I found one that really inspired me.  SEDITION was it.

What was your first story?
That first manuscript was called "Random Victim".  It was a police procedural with a lot of journalism thrown into it.  It had good points, but a lot of not-so-good points.  I still have it on a memory stick.  But I'll never do anything with it.

Do you do much research before starting writing?
I do a lot of research before and during the writing process.  Because my outline is always in my head, the storyline stays very fluid.  So as I write, I'll come up with ideas that need research.  SEDITION is not only based on a real conspiracy (in 1820 England), but it is also woven into modern day reality.  There are real places, pieces of art, documents, people, and meetings mentioned at various points in the story.  They each help build what I think is a realistic, plausible world in which the fiction takes place.

What do you enjoy most about writing?
I love the adrenaline rush of finishing a great passage or turning a cool phrase. And I really like it when readers get the nuance within the story.  That's really fulfilling.

And the least?
Writer's block.

What advice would you give new and aspiring authors?
Since I am new, I don't know that I have any valid advice.  Though I would tell aspiring authors to  find an idea about which they they are passionate.  That, I think, is the key to finishing the novel and making it good.  A writer's enjoyment is easily transferred to the reader.

What are you working on at the moment?
I am about 30% of the way through another political thriller.  This one takes place in Texas and follows a low level political aide as he tries to understand his unwitting involvement in a conspiracy which combines nanotechnology, energy, and secession.  I hope to have it finished and ready for publication by the end of 2013.  I'm not as prolific as I'd like to be.

Tell us about your latest work and how we can find out more.
So SEDITION is my new book.  It's a new-style political thriller. 

Here's the blurb:
The President of The United States is dead. There is no Vice President to take his place.
As the nation slips into a constitutional crisis, a small group of disenfranchised neo-patriots conspire to violently seize power.
They have the will. They already have someone on the inside.  And they have the explosives.
Standing in their way is a woman who listens to conversations not meant for her to hear. She reads mail not intended for her to see.   She knows their intention. But can she stop them in time?
SEDITION is a smart, fast-paced, modern day political novel woven in reality and based on the 1820 British plot, The Cato Street Conspiracy.
It navigates the thin line between good versus evil and patriot versus traitor, proving there’s always a reason behind treason.

You can read more about it and find an excerpt at http://seditionbook.com
Here's the Amazon purchase link: http://www.amazon.com/Sedition-ebook/dp/B009G76250/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348669743&sr=1-2&keywords=sedition+abrahams
And here's a feature on the book from The Houston Chronicle: http://www.houstonchronicle.com/life/hoffman/article/TV-anchor-moonlights-as-novelist-4058272.php#ixzz2DC3Z8tll

Thanks to Tom for sharing his thoughts with us, on Friday we welcome Gary Markwick to the hot seat.

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