What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
For Breakfield and Bureky, the most difficult part has to be time. Having enough time for all the aspects of storytelling we want to do is sometimes had to find. Capturing the ideas as they pop into our minds is sometimes not doable.
When you are in the middle of a meeting with executives giving a presentation and one of the attendees says something that sparks an idea, one cannot stop and say, I want to use this in a story, can you give me five minutes which could stretch into the rest of the day.
We do have a habit that suggests if one of can’t think of it we throw it over the digital fence and get the other to provide a thought. Breakfield and Burkey are very lucky in that regard.
Does your family support your career as a writer?
Family support is important in any career. In the case of Breakfield and Burkey, Sandy Breakfield is our first line editor and totally supports our efforts. Other family members read and comment as requested. From a cheering us forward perspective we have a host of family and friends who make this easier. Even when we don’t win a contest or get that interview spot we really wanted, our family is there applauding our efforts.
If you had to do something differently as a child or teenager to become a better writer as an adult, what would you do?
Defining becoming a better writer is a bit of a tricky element to this question. Many of you are likely in the same boat as Breakfield and Burkey. We went to school and learned as much as possible. In each of our cases our parents were insistent that we do well in school, participate, and excel to our potential.
When you look over your shoulder and play the shoulda, coulda routine one can always find gaps or things to do better. Those regrets are not productive unless you are guiding children.
As with anything, the more you do it the better you become. A baseball player or other athlete trains more, plays more gets more coaching, and rises to their potential. If they don’t have talent in the area they realize it at some point and move onto something else.
Perhaps we would have sent in one more article to Reader’s Digest or created one more post for the school newspaper or even taken that special English Creative Writing class.
The best any of us can really do is seize the opportunities presented to us and then press forward. Create that poem, story, song, or novel and share with others. You don’t get better unless you try and unless you are open to objective and constructive criticism on what worked and didn’t work in your creation. Try and try again. You’re only ever beaten when you give up.
How long on average does it take you to write a book?
When we first started this series, we were creating more than one book a year or releasing 3 books per year. These were published in eBook and Paperback or trade paper formats. Since technology is the foundation for our stories, we have an endless supply of new ways people use and abuse it. This makes for great story themes as well as relevant discussions for today’s adults. In migrating each of the stories, beginning with the first The Enigma Factor, to audio formats the time available has shifted to a degree.
Breakfield and Bureky listen to each of the chapters of a story to make certain it captures the essence we wanted when it was written. Fortunately, with a great narrator and voice actor like Derek Shoales we also get entertained most of the time. As he has now narrated six of our stories, he is aligned with our intent. He is working on narrating book 8, The Enigma Broker. It still takes time away of writing to do the listening, but worth every minute.
We are also writing more short stories and increasing our meet and greets at libraries, book fairs, and interviewing authors. We are lucky however in that two of us tend to write faster than a single author. We do love writing and storytelling.
Do you believe in writer’s block?
When you have nothing to say then do something else. Many factors in our lives impact what we think about, how we interact with others, our work, families, and health. Breakfield and Burkey tend to think these influences play a role in providing time for things we want to do. When we don’t have enough time for item A we move to item B and so forth. When we have rested and have time available, we often burn up a keyboard
The Enigma Gamers - A CATS Tale (The Enigma Series Book 7)
Has today's technology advanced to the point that the line between the real and cyber worlds has vanished? If so, will this unchecked digital landscape provide new social predators with opportunities to unleash terror and pain on unsuspecting victims, while avoiding detection from anywhere in the world? How does anyone find the culprits holding international cities, big businesses, air traffic, and even emergency systems hostage to terrifying digital ransom demands. Julie and Juan's cyber assassin technology services team are immersed in these outrageous cyber-crime events occurring at multiple locations around the world. The CATS team is the next generation of hunters in the find and fix contest of cyber warfare, unlike any seen to date. How will they prove that the of 21st century video game playing has evolved beyond the that simple after-school distraction for children? With Supercomputers, the adage 'bigger toys for bigger boys' takes on a whole new definition. These Gamers may be after far more than just points. George, Ty, Ernesto, Mercedes, EZ, and even Juan—travel to and investigate their respective assignments where they find they are undermined by organization’s leadership unwilling to listen to reason, playing the part of victim. Tampering with automated processes, driven by today's explosion of technology use, is only the beginning of the competitive nature of these players. Cyber bad guys always think they can’t be caught or stopped. Award-winning authors, Breakfield and Burkey, take their fans into this grittier story of The Enigma Series to explore virtual hacking within our technology dependent world. Book 7 of the series, The Enigma Gamers, A CATS Tale, is focused on misguided technology using Julie and Juan’s talented and tenacious team of professionals committed to finding and punishing evil achievers in every corner of the real and virtual worlds. You may find yourself trying to rewrite the ending to match how you see the world, or how it should be.
Award-winning authors, Breakfield and Burkey, take their fans into this grittier story of The Enigma series to explore virtual hacking within our technology dependent world. In book 7 of the series, *The Enigma Gamers*, The CATS Team, led by Julie and Juan, is committed to avenging and administering justice to evil doers in every corner of the real and virtual worlds. Website / Facebook / Newsletter
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Interview with authors Breakfield and Burkey of the Enigma Series
by Mandie
Feb 12, 2019
For Breakfield and Bureky, the most difficult part has to be time. Having enough time for all the aspects of storytelling we want to do is sometimes had to find. Capturing the ideas as they pop into our minds is sometimes not doable.
When you are in the middle of a meeting with executives giving a presentation and one of the attendees says something that sparks an idea, one cannot stop and say, I want to use this in a story, can you give me five minutes which could stretch into the rest of the day.
We do have a habit that suggests if one of can’t think of it we throw it over the digital fence and get the other to provide a thought. Breakfield and Burkey are very lucky in that regard.
Family support is important in any career. In the case of Breakfield and Burkey, Sandy Breakfield is our first line editor and totally supports our efforts. Other family members read and comment as requested. From a cheering us forward perspective we have a host of family and friends who make this easier. Even when we don’t win a contest or get that interview spot we really wanted, our family is there applauding our efforts.
Defining becoming a better writer is a bit of a tricky element to this question. Many of you are likely in the same boat as Breakfield and Burkey. We went to school and learned as much as possible. In each of our cases our parents were insistent that we do well in school, participate, and excel to our potential.
When you look over your shoulder and play the shoulda, coulda routine one can always find gaps or things to do better. Those regrets are not productive unless you are guiding children.
As with anything, the more you do it the better you become. A baseball player or other athlete trains more, plays more gets more coaching, and rises to their potential. If they don’t have talent in the area they realize it at some point and move onto something else.
Perhaps we would have sent in one more article to Reader’s Digest or created one more post for the school newspaper or even taken that special English Creative Writing class.
The best any of us can really do is seize the opportunities presented to us and then press forward. Create that poem, story, song, or novel and share with others. You don’t get better unless you try and unless you are open to objective and constructive criticism on what worked and didn’t work in your creation. Try and try again. You’re only ever beaten when you give up.
When we first started this series, we were creating more than one book a year or releasing 3 books per year. These were published in eBook and Paperback or trade paper formats. Since technology is the foundation for our stories, we have an endless supply of new ways people use and abuse it. This makes for great story themes as well as relevant discussions for today’s adults. In migrating each of the stories, beginning with the first The Enigma Factor, to audio formats the time available has shifted to a degree.
Breakfield and Bureky listen to each of the chapters of a story to make certain it captures the essence we wanted when it was written. Fortunately, with a great narrator and voice actor like Derek Shoales we also get entertained most of the time. As he has now narrated six of our stories, he is aligned with our intent. He is working on narrating book 8, The Enigma Broker. It still takes time away of writing to do the listening, but worth every minute.
We are also writing more short stories and increasing our meet and greets at libraries, book fairs, and interviewing authors. We are lucky however in that two of us tend to write faster than a single author. We do love writing and storytelling.
When you have nothing to say then do something else. Many factors in our lives impact what we think about, how we interact with others, our work, families, and health. Breakfield and Burkey tend to think these influences play a role in providing time for things we want to do. When we don’t have enough time for item A we move to item B and so forth. When we have rested and have time available, we often burn up a keyboard
The Enigma Gamers - A CATS Tale (The Enigma Series Book 7)
Has today's technology advanced to the point that the line between the real and cyber worlds has vanished? If so, will this unchecked digital landscape provide new social predators with opportunities to unleash terror and pain on unsuspecting victims, while avoiding detection from anywhere in the world? How does anyone find the culprits holding international cities, big businesses, air traffic, and even emergency systems hostage to terrifying digital ransom demands. Julie and Juan's cyber assassin technology services team are immersed in these outrageous cyber-crime events occurring at multiple locations around the world. The CATS team is the next generation of hunters in the find and fix contest of cyber warfare, unlike any seen to date. How will they prove that the of 21st century video game playing has evolved beyond the that simple after-school distraction for children? With Supercomputers, the adage 'bigger toys for bigger boys' takes on a whole new definition. These Gamers may be after far more than just points. George, Ty, Ernesto, Mercedes, EZ, and even Juan—travel to and investigate their respective assignments where they find they are undermined by organization’s leadership unwilling to listen to reason, playing the part of victim. Tampering with automated processes, driven by today's explosion of technology use, is only the beginning of the competitive nature of these players. Cyber bad guys always think they can’t be caught or stopped. Award-winning authors, Breakfield and Burkey, take their fans into this grittier story of The Enigma Series to explore virtual hacking within our technology dependent world. Book 7 of the series, The Enigma Gamers, A CATS Tale, is focused on misguided technology using Julie and Juan’s talented and tenacious team of professionals committed to finding and punishing evil achievers in every corner of the real and virtual worlds. You may find yourself trying to rewrite the ending to match how you see the world, or how it should be.
Kindle / Paperback / Audio
Enter to win 3 $20 Amazon GCs. Fill out the form below to enter.
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