Today we are super proud to present M. M. Misevicius, from Ontario, Canada, in our Author Interview series. M. M. Misevicius is a building contractor by day and an artist, a dreamer and writer by night. He has just published his first novel, titled “Hearts of Men”, which was released on 29th of November 2019 and is now available in your bookstore. See the full interview with M.M. Misevicius below.

Where do you live? & how does it influence your writing?

I live in a small town in southeastern Ontario Canada. The experience has influenced my writing in many ways. I was born in Toronto. A much larger place than where we moved when I was seven and still reside. The difference is about six million to fifteen thousand. When we settled into our small town the culture shock was vast & the impression stuck with me. The hypocrisy of fear and promise of the unknown ever present and thereby prominent in my stories.

When did you first become passionate about writing? What attracted you to it?

I first became attracted to writing that same winter after moving to our small town. I recall standing in a barren land, looking across a frozen marshland to an abandoned bus. It was sky-blue to which to this day I’m still uncertain as to why. I remember the strange curiosity I felt… wanting to cross the ice to it, where I could explore the vehicle. I couldn’t fathom how it got there in the middle of nowhere… fields beyond a giant sandpit across the back road from our old farmhouse. So, when I got home that afternoon I decided to go there and so in my mind I went. Pencil to paper were my feet to the ground and off I went. I wrote two more short stories that afternoon. Although to me, they may have well have been novels. I hid them under my bed. I wish I still had them.

What inspires you to write?

Quite simply for me, it’s the majesty and mystery of the unknown. I want to explore the edges of reason. That curious area between sleep & dream. The places our fully awake and aware mind often dare not go. If I’m communicating it well enough, hopefully some readers get to come along with me to the obscure and attempt make some sense of it.

How do I market my books?

I only recently have began marketing my book through Instagram and facebook.

What is your favorite genre and why?

I love them all, however if forced to pick I’d say dark fiction. A bit of old-fashioned unease is attractive to me in a story.

Can you tell us a little about your writing process? How do you come up with stories? And how do you edit them?

I don’t have much of a process. When I feel like writing, I pick up a pencil and notebook and I write. There is not much premeditation or planning. The premise is decided on the fly, as are the stories. The setting falls in line, the characters follow. Think Frankenstein’s monster. Once his beginning is set… He escapes to run amuck. Exploring as he goes. Uncontrolled.

Editing is different for me. I’ve caught the monster. Time to analyze it and think… what have I done… and then it’s time to refine it, so he is as presentable as possible.

Do you support yourself through your writing financially? Or do you have a day job?

I do not support myself financially. While the first book I ever wrote has just been published on November 29th 2019, I have yet to see a cheque. While I’ve heard sales have been good for a newly published author, I am still working everyday with my small contracting business to which I own and operate. I am building in the field daily, as I am the foreman and in my at home office on nights and weekends doing the red-tape side of the business.

How many hours a day do you spend writing? And what helps you get in the writing mood?

I write on most weekends and during winters when I don’t have enough jobs scheduled to thereby sustain work during the snowy, cold months. As for mood… I am always in the mood to write a story.

What’s the best moment you’ve had in your writing career so far?

Being offered a contract for publication.

How do you respond to writer’s block or not knowing what to write?

I have never experienced writers block or not knowing what to write.

What am I working on next?

I have a handful of stories I’ve been writing in my spare time.

Where would you like to see yourself in three years time?

I would love to see myself as an established novelist. I would love to be paid enough to do it for a living. While I’m not in the writing business for fame, it’s really simply that I love the craft. I am not a literary writer… these aren’t masterpieces, but they are meant to pull you in and arouse your interest and hopefully readers can even relate to what is written… the conflicts, the triumphs.. I write a lot about the human condition. Trials of the heart. The emotion of being here… Alive in a world of wonder. My Mother is a poet… she too writes with passion and feeling. I suppose in a way while she was published when I was a child, I’d love to see us both come together and co-write something too and have that published in the future.

What is your strategy, to grow your audience?

I suppose my only strategy is to learn how to utilize social media. I have been doing so a little bit lately, but am new to the process. I have a lot to learn.

What advice would you give young authors just starting out?

This is the single most important piece of advice I could give because I believe in it so much. But please remember, this is merely what works for me when writing fiction.

Do not put too much emphasis on pre-planning or structure. JUST WRITE. Just go… get something down. Anything. Big or small. One paragraph, one sentence, one line… and then write whatever comes to mind… right off the top of your head… no matter how boring or mundane it seems or even nonsensical or out there… give yourself a few words and build upon that spark. TRUST YOUR IMAGINATION and let the pencil, pen or keyboard take you away and guide you through your story. Your intuition is powerful tool. Use it to open your mind, travel into it’s depths and free your soul to bring about a great piece of work that is unequivocally and above all YOU. Once you have written your first draft of craziness, you can go back once, twice, ten times and see just what you have before you. At the very least it will make sifting through the rough copies fun and interesting to even yourself. Once the first draft is done, the real work begins, then you can worry about grammar, structure and plot. Some of my best ideas in a story were those that were not planned. Finally, I would assert the age-old cliché. Write about, what you know about. Not only will it be less work, but it will feel more real. The last thing the world needs is more superficial, fake perspectives. Readers are smart, rather than try to fool them why not get right up beside them… be yourself with them, as you journey through stories together.

If you want to learn more about M. M. Misevicius or get in touch contact him on mikemisevicius@hotmail.com or follow him on instagram @author_mmmisevicius

Also don’t forget to grab a copy of his book at http:www.austinmacauley.com/us (from the menu either search: Hearts of Men or look in books, fiction then thrillers) or from the below stores:

amazon

Indigo/Chapters

Barnes & Noble

Good Reads

Abroad:

The Telegraph

Hive

Waterstones

Author Interview Series: M. M. Misevicius