Warren Bull's Heartland

My guest today is Warren Bull. Warren is an award-winning author of more than twenty published short stories as well as memoirs, essays and a novel, ABRAHAM LINCOLN FOR THE DEFENSE. He has published in STRANGE MYSTERIES II, Whorlteberry Press, 2010, STRANGE MYSTERIES, Whortleberry Press, 2009, MEDIUM OF MURDER, Red Coyote Press, 2008, MANHATTAN MYSTERIES, KS publishing, Inc. 2005, Great Mystery and Suspense magazine, Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine, Crimeandsuspence.com, Mouth Full of Bullets, The Back Alley, Sniplits.com and Mysterical-E, among others.

He has been writing for as long as he can remember. He claims to come from a functional family and he is a fierce competitor at trivia games.

Anne – Welcome to my little corner of cyberspace, Warren. Mind telling us something about yourself you would normally only share with close friends?

Warren - I would rather do a book signing or a reading in period costume than wearing everyday clothing. It is easier for me to be a character in one of my books or short stories than to appear as myself. I can hide in a character. As the author, I’m out there without a net.

Anne - Let's chat about your most recent release.

Warran - Heartland is available at Avignon Press. It is also available on Kindle.

My standard blurb is:

Sixteen-year-old TOM ALLEN's life is imploding. His father has all but banished him from his life; Tom's stepfather is entirely too interested in his behavior. Then Tom's beloved grandma suffers a stroke, which leaves his mother emotionally distant. Meanwhile his older sister is too sophisticated to worry about his concerns.

When Tom reads an old family memoir from his grandma's cedar chest he becomes intrigued by his ancestors' accounts of their struggles to form one united family from two shattered families. They face man-made and natural dangers while they battle to survive smoldering conflicts that will soon erupt into the bloodiest war in American history — The American Civil War. With the help of family and friends, past and present, Tom gradually comes to terms with the pain and possibilities of his own family.

Anne - Do you belong to any writer’s organizations, critique groups and/or depend on beta readers?

Warren - Yes, yes and yes. I belong to Sisters in Crime, the local Border Crimes chapter of SIC and Mystery Writers of America. I am particularly fortunate to attend a novel dissection class at the chapter led by Nancy Pickard who is an amazingly talented writer. In my opinion, she continues to improve over time and that is one of my personal goals.

I am a member of two online Guppies critique groups and a local group. My wife is my first reader. I really depend on feedback from knowledgeable readers. 

Sometimes after I’ve worked on something for a long time I can no longer read what I’ve written; I can only see what I intended to write. Also, I still get surprised by reactions to my work. Some things I like other people hate and some things I think are outstandingly average get rave reviews.

Anne - How long did your journey from wannabe writer to published writer take?   

Warren - It took seven years from the initial idea to acceptance for publication on my first novel, Abraham Lincoln for the Defense. I can’t count the number of rejections I had or the number of times I quit along the way. When I talk to students I claim that makes me an overnight success and proves I’m not smart enough to know when to quit.

Anne - How many books have you written to date? Are you proud of one in particular? If so, why?

Warren - I’ve written three novels, Abraham Lincoln for the Defense, Death in the Moonlight (another mystery involving Lincoln) and a short story collection, Murder Manhattan Style.

I suppose I am most proud of the first novel since that was the hardest to accomplish and took the longest to complete. I would add that I have written about forty published short stories. I am as proud of some of them as I am of my novels.

Anne - Quick, Your five favorite authors.

Warren - Ouch. Only five? Abraham Lincoln, apart from his importance in American history, he and Thomas Jefferson gave us the vocabulary of our democracy. Mark Twain, no explanation needed. Carolyn Hart, a mystery writer who was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. David Mamet, he can write for any media. Agatha Christie with her body of work just edges out Harper Lee and her one classic novel.

Anne - How can readers learn more about you and your work?

Warren - My website is http://WarrenBull.com. I blog on Friday on http://writerswhokill.blogspot.com/

Anne - I understand you will send a free autographed book to one lucky reader who leaves a comment.

Warren - Yes, if any readers who live in the United States would like a signed paperback version of Heartland please leave a comment and a valid email address below. I like readers in other countries too, but postage can get expensive. I lived in New Zealand for four months.

Anne – Thank you, Warren. I enjoyed our chat and wish you every success both on the page and off!

Just a quick reminder for readers, please include your email address, (Example: annekalbert AT gmail DOT com). The Heartland winner will be selected at random and announced here on March 23.

To ensure you receive future Anne K. Albert posts, interviews or giveaways, why not become a follower on either GFC (Google Friend Connection) or NetworkedBlogs? It’s as easy as a click of the mouse. Thank you, and as always, happy reading!

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