Fiction Scribe

Today we are joined by Mr. William Potter who is touring virtually with his book ‘Lighting the Dark Side’. I hope you join me in welcoming Mr. Potter back to Fiction Scribe and invite you to look at his guest post about self-publishing as well as Mr. JM’s review of his book up today at The Book Stacks.

If you have any questions for Mr. Potter, please ask in the comments section.

Hello and welcome to Fiction Scribe, Mr. Potter. Let’s start with getting to know you a little better. List five things you feel define you as a person.

Hi and thanks for having me on Fiction Scribe.

Family Man—I am a Dad and a Husband first before writing, work, friends etc.
Animal Person—I’ve lived with pets since childhood and volunteer at animal shelters when time allows.
Passionate about writing—If I don’t have at least one project on the go I feel…off balance.
Hard Working—I was raised with the motto, “Give a good day’s work for a good day’s pay,” and I do my best to follow this in the workplace, although it can be difficult at times.
Respectful—I always try to show respect to colleagues, friends, family, as well as to strangers.

Tell us about Lighting the Dark Side.

Lighting the Dark Side is an anthology of fiction featuring three novellas and three shorter works. The book opens with a novella called “Bent, Not Broken” where we meet Dwayne Johnson, a man embarking on a new relationship even though he is plagued with severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

Also included is a police procedural called “Prominent Couple Slain.”. Detective Jack Staal is on the case of a murdered couple in which two unrelated suspects take responsibility for the deaths. The short story has drawn comparisons to television’s Law and Order and one Blogger mentioned a desire for a weekly fix of Jack Staal mysteries.

The book closes with the largest piece, “Surviving the Fall,” a tale about James Goodal, a man with a rescuer complex who takes in a young street girl named Ashley. The pair finds comfort in their unorthodox friendship until the violence of Ashley’s past catches up to her.

One reviewer compared “Surviving the Fall” to the Oscar-winning movie Crash. In the three remaining stories you will find average people, however flawed, struggling to overcome their weaknesses. I believe the collection will capture your attention and keep the pages turning.

Where do you find you gain the most inspiration for your writing?

Inspiration comes for me from all over. We are exposed to so much stimulating imagery through books, television, movies, and the Internet and each avenue can evoke different emotions. Whatever the source or topic, if it stirs up emotion in me, whether it’s sadness, anger, pity or even the warm fuzzies, there is a good chance that it will get some new ideas bouncing around in my brain. And every now and then those ideas ferment into a story idea and if the idea has that must write feel, I will begin and see where it goes.

You’ve mentioned that the stories included in this book cover a wide variety of genres. Did things just happen to work out that way or was it your intention to provide such a variety?

I wish I could say that the range of fiction genres was the result of some well thought intentional plan—it wasn’t. The stories were written between 2001 and 2007. For the first time in my life I was writing every day. Some of the ideas were years, even decades, old while others were brand new. The genres were all over the place; however, they all had an undertone of darkness to them and so I brought them together.

Lighting the Dark side is self-published with Xlibris, I understand. What made you decide to go the self-publishing route?

From the beginning I didn’t expect a traditional publisher to take on a short story collection from an unknown and unpublished author and after several rejections I decided to go the self-publishing route.

Do you have any advice for writers considering self-publication?

Yes. There are numerous self-publishing POD companies out there from the big name full service publishers to the do-it-yourself types like Lulu. Decide how much you can afford, if you want full distribution, etc., and then Google ‘self publishing’ and start researching the sites for the publishing package that best suits your needs.

Take your time and when you find the right situation, buy a book from the publishers’ bookstore. Pick one in your genre that closely resembles the vision you have for your book, including page count and cover art. This will give you a good impression of the finished book you are working so hard to achieve. You will know the retail cost and how quickly the store fills its orders. If you don’t like the sample copy for whatever reason then move on to another publisher.

What are your dreams for your writing? Where do you see yourself in five years both as a writer and as a person?

I don’t expect to ever be able to quit my job to write full time; however, I do dream of selling a novel to a mainstream publisher and being able to release a book each year. In five years, I see myself signed with a traditional publisher with a following of enthusiastic readers.

As a person, I hope to continue teaching my kids by my example and achieving a happy balance as father and writer.

What is the most valuable piece of advice you have been given/learned in your life as a writer?

The importance of reading. Sometimes with a busy life centred around family it’s a challenge to keep reading. Stephen King said that if you don’t have the time to read then you don’t have the time or the tools to write. I try to keep this quote in mind whenever the old To Be Read pile looks to be gaining dust.

Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers here?

Self published writers and POD books often get a bad rap. There are so many wonderful, well-written books out there by self-published and unknown authors and I would like to invite readers to give them a chance.

Thank you very much for coming by this blog. I wish you great successes with Lighting the Dark Side.

Thank you for having me I appreciate the support.