Featured Author: Mike Kraus

[Jen Rattie]

1. Tell us about your latest book.
   Drake is a five-part series about the world’s response to an emergence of dragons that begin to spread across the globe. The first book, “Emergence” covers this initial portion of humanity’s war with the dragons, and details a variety of sides to the war, such as the politics between nations, military responses, civilian responses and more. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to add a good dose of realism to the book while incorporating some of the more popular and lesser known accounts of mythical dragons into the book to help give it a more authentic feel. The result, I think, is a story that hangs on the edge of creepy realism, where the line between what you know is real and what you know is myth starts to blur ever so slightly.

 

2. Where did the idea for the book come from?
   Back in 2012 when I was mulling over ideas for various books I wanted to write, I happened to re-read World War Z and some other books in the “oral history” genre and was reminded of how much I enjoyed the style. Instead of a main character or group, you get a series of vignettes that are all separate from each other, but when combined add up to an awesome story. As with most of my story ideas, the thought of writing about a “return” of dragons that threaten humanity sprang up out of nowhere one day, and I spent a while mulling it over and refining it.
   
   I really enjoy writing post-apocalyptic fiction, but Final Dawn ended up winning out over Drake for the series I started with, so Drake’s been sitting on the back burner ever since then. I went back to it several times in the last two years to do some design and outlining work, but didn’t start writing the first episode in earnest until the start of the year.

 

3. Who and what inspire you to write?
   For as long as I can remember I’ve always had stories constantly swirling around in my head, and writing is the best way I’ve found to get them out. It wasn’t (and still isn’t) uncommon for me to spend fifteen or twenty minutes deep in thought about a story that just comes to me out of thin air. I’ll think about how the characters would respond to their situations, what types of things are happenings and so on. I’ll create voices for the characters, silently act out what’s happening, devise clever escapes or devious ends for them… really the stories in my mind are more like movies than books. I’d have to say the desire to get those stories out into the world inspires me more than anything else. Writing is like a release, where I can finally share some of the craziness in my head with the outside world.

 

4. Each author has his or her own inspiring journey. How did you begin writing?
   When I was younger, probably ten or so, my dad gave me an assignment one summer. He handed me a three-ring binder filled to the brim with paper and said that, for the entire summer, I had to write a minimum of one page of something, every day, without exception. While I didn’t enjoy the task at first, I stuck with it (mostly because I didn’t have a choice!), but oddly enough, even after the assignment was complete I kept on writing nearly every single day.
   
   Since then, I’ve been writing fiction and nonfiction nonstop. I wrote hundreds of short fictional stories for my own amusement and relaxation, and then when I was in college and didn’t have time for fiction writing, I was always the one who did the writing for group assignments for all of my classes. Having that initial push into doing something that my parents obviously recognized I had some sort of innate ability for or desire to do really helped start me off on the right foot.  

 

5. What has been the most pleasant surprise about writing? How about an unexpected down side?
   I think I can safely say that the reception I’ve gotten from my readers has been the most pleasant surprise. When I published the first episode of Final Dawn, I was pretty nervous about the reaction folks would have to it, or even if anyone would read it. To see so many people enjoying something that I wrote is a constant blessing and something that makes me absurdly happy.
   
   As for downsides… I’d have to say the weight gain! I’ve put on a few pounds in the last couple of years due in no small part to the fact that I spend more time in a chair in front of a computer than I ever have before in my life. I’m working on that, though!

 

6. Do you have any writing rituals?
   The oddest type of “ritual” I partake in is constantly changing my keyboards. I have over a dozen keyboards, from cheap big-box computer keyboards to my collection of 20 year old Model M keyboards. Changing my keyboards up is an easy way to get my creative juices flowing, and a good way for me to get out of a writing rut. When things are going very well (or very poorly) I’ll even break out an electric typewriter and use that for a few hours to break up the monotony and keep things going.

 

7. Do you write your books in order?
   Not at all. I’ve tried writing them in order and in an orderly manner, but my best-laid plans always get thrown out the window after a few pages. I hop around from chapter to chapter, adding and tweaking things I’ve already written as I go.

 

8. What is on your writing playlist for this book?
   I try to match my music to the tone of my books, and since I mostly write post-apocalyptic fiction, most of my writing music is moody instrumental. I like to stick with film soundtracks and some of the slower classical cello pieces.

 

9. Any favorite writing snacks?
   Mexican glass-bottled Coke (made with cane sugar) has been keeping me awake on the late nights, along with homemade brownies. That might explain some of the weight gain, too!

 

10. What advice would you give writers who aspire to be published?
    I’m a huge fan of independent publishing, mostly because I see how well my books have done under the model, and I highly recommend going that route. Independent publishing has never been both easier and harder than it is right now. Services like Kindle Direct Publishing make putting your book in front of the masses trivial, but that means that there’s a lot of competition for virtually every niche and genre out there. Even in the fiction genre, where you don’t see as much direct competition as in the non-fiction genre, it’s incredibly difficult for authors to stand out just because of the sheer number of books that are continuously published.
    
    If you want to stand out, you need to do three things correctly: #1: Have a fantastic, eye-catching cover for your book. #2: Have a title that sounds interesting, not generic. #3: Hire an editor and make sure what you write is of the utmost quality. The first and second points will help draw in new readers, but without number three, you won’t be able to hold them or start generating the word of mouth recommendations you’ll need to keep things moving. So many people focus on number three and then slap a cover on their book that looks like they created it in Microsoft Paint, then wonder why they don’t sell any books. You need to cover all three points. It’s still going to be a challenge to get yourself noticed, but if you can do all three of those things and do them well, you’ll be way ahead of the majority of the new independent authors you see these days.

 

11. Are you working on anything new right now?
    In addition to Drake, I’m working on a series of full-length novels that are set in a universe that one of my readers described as “a combination of Warehouse 13 and The Dresden Files.” I’m writing this series of novels in the first-person perspective, so they’re taking longer to write than I had originally anticipated, since I’m used to the traditional third-person perspective. Cold Springs, which came out in 2013 after I wrapped up Final Dawn, is a prequel of sorts, and sets the tone for the overall universe.

 

12. Who is your favorite character in your current book?
    It’s hard to pick a favorite character given the style of Drake, but in Episode 1, I’d have to say it’s John Ledfield, the leader of the black ops mission who accidentally unleashed the drakes on the world. I wrote and re-wrote his section of the story so many times that I can clearly see him as he recounts his story while simultaneously trying to forget it. I really wanted to capture his sadness and remorse crossed with utter helplessness, as he’s received so much blame for something that was in no way his fault.

 

13. What is your favorite book of all time?
    That’s not a fair question! “Of all time” is so broad, but if I had to choose one on the spot, I’d probably say either Sphere or Prey, both by Michael Crichton. Crichton was an incredible author, especially with the way in which he blended realism with his fiction. I’ve drawn a lot of inspiration from his books, particularly those two, and if I can ever reach a level of writing that’s a fraction of what he had, I’ll be overjoyed.

 

14. Tell us in one sentence why we should read your book.
    It’s World War Z with dragons; what’s not to love?

From bestselling author Mike Kraus (Final Dawn, Prip'Yat) comes a new, five-book series: Drake: An Oral History of the Dragon War. In what can be best described as "World War Z with dragons," Drake portrays a realistic, scientific history of the emergence of the drakes, and humanity's subsequent battle just to stay alive. The gripping 5-part series will take you around the world, examining the history of the war from all sides: political, military, civilian, scientific and more.

Buy on Amazon

---

Professionally trained as a Systems Engineer, Mike has been a writer his entire life, spending his summers as a child writing of daring adventures and epic science-fiction exploits in a college-ruled notebook instead of playing video games. That love of writing stayed with him until it finally burst forth in the form of "Final Dawn," a thrilling post-apocalyptic series released in an episodic format that has sold over 70,000 copies and counting. Final Dawn was followed by two other stand-alone books, "Prip'Yat" and "Cold Springs," and Mike's latest work is a new five-part series titled "Drake: An Oral History of the Dragon War." Mike currently lives in Mississippi with his wife and three children and spends his days writing (of course), programming and tinkering on his PC.

Follow Mike on FaceBook | Literary Addicts | Goodreads

Follow the tour

The author is giving away a Kindle Paperwhite. Fill out the form to enter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway