Indie Monday With M.R. Merrick

                                                                    Indie Monday With M.R. Merrick

   
     Today we have the author of Exiled & Shift M.R.Merrick with us for Indie Monday. You can find out more about his books by going to his Website or Facebook you can also find him on Twitter

 (Interview)

 Matt, can you tell us a little about yourself?

Let’s see, I’m a 27 year-old Canadian, father of two girls, owner of two dogs (way better than cats), and husband to one wife. Writing and music pretty much make my world turn, I’m an occasional gamer and always movie lover.  

What is your favorite Junk food?

This is tough. I really like ice cream but…even though they cause my jaw much pain, I love Milk Duds.  How about Ice Cream with Milk Duds in it? Actually, that sounds really good…

What project are you working on now?

I finished the outline for book 3 in the Protector series last week, so I’ll begin working on that sometime in the coming weeks. I have another project I’ve been brainstorming and I’m excited for, but before I start it, I want to finish this series.  

What have you found to be the biggest challenge in self-publishing?

Getting yourself out there. Marketing yourself so that people want to read your books and learn more about you, without annoying everyone. It’s a fine line. You want to reach as many readers as possible, and that’s not easy. In a digital world where everyone is promoting their work, you need to make yourself stand out, and that’s a huge challenge. 

When you’re not writing what do you do for fun?

Generally, if I’m not writing, I’m with my girls; taking them swimming, playing outside, crafting, or just hanging out until they go to bed. Once they’re asleep, I’m all about watching movies. I love sports too, so in the summer I try to get out on the court to play basketball once in a while, and I go through random spurts of Karaoke addiction throughout the year. 

Share the blurb from the book that you've written that you like best.

I don’t know if I can pick a favorite…there are a lot of passages I really love, but most of them are spoiler-ish. In Exiled, the scene when they first discover the tree, and also the part when Chase first enters Drakar and you see the water. Those are two of my favorites from Exiled. From Shift, the entire first chapter still gets me pumped up. Even now, having worked on it for a year, I still love it. There are also a few one-liners from Vincent that still make me smile.

What has been the biggest challenge in your writing/publishing life so far?

Finding balance. Between writing, editing, formatting, organizing your publishing schedule and getting cover art, writing guest posts, promoting, social media, and real life, there is a lot to do, and that it really just the beginning. Like many authors, I have a full-time job, so my days are already busy. That only leaves me evenings and weekends to do most of that, plus spend time with family. When I really get going on a project, sleep takes a backseat.

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions Matt!