Interview with Scott Wieczorek Author of Awakening. Half-caf, Bigfoot and Angels

Today we welcome Scott Wieczorek to the Grove. Scott's third novel,Awakening will release next week in eBook form. We asked Scott to sit down with us and tell us something about his book and himself. We'll be back next week with an excerpt and links so you can have your own copy.

Storyteller’s Grove: Tell us about yourself and what brought you to writing?

Scott Wieczorek: I wanted to write since a young age. In truth, I had two passions—no three. I wanted to either be an archaeologist, a mercenary (as any '80s kid did when confronted with the "Red Threat"), or a

writer. Well I managed to complete two of those goals: I work as a professional archaeologist, and though I write plenty for my job, it's not what I really want to be writing, so I write fiction.

I guess I first got pulled into writing due to my passion for reading. When I was about seven years old, I read a book called Sphinx by Robin Cook, it was a thriller about Egyptology and a archaeologist/treasure hunter. It had everything, action, adventure, and secret societies. Since then my imagination has been alive with stories and tales, and I have been itching to put them to paper.

SG: Share with our readers a little about your book, Awakening.

Scott: Awakening is my third novel and the first in a new series. It has everything—romance, action, adventure, secret societies, and a fast pace. Elena Michaels is a college student whose life turns upside down. After meeting a mysterious stranger on campus, she is pulled into a world of myth, fantasy, and science where she becomes the target of an ancient race of Angels who are hell-bent on world domination. On the run, she needs to reach the only one who can help her survive and save mankind.

SG: What made you choose to publish through a smaller independent press?

Scott: I self-published my first two novels, Byron: A Zombie Tale, and Witness Through Time, after having a tremendous amount of trouble finding a publisher to take them. I had even approached a few agents and met constant rejection. So I decided to just put them out there and see what happened. Basically, they gave me the confidence to keep writing and to finally land a publisher. My third novel, Awakening is being released through Lycaon Press on September 10th. I am so excited!

Witness Through Time will be re-release through Three Worlds Press later this year.

SG: What do you love about writing? Hate?

Scott: What I love about writing is being able to express my creativity in a form I love. From the age of about six or so, I have been writing all sorts of stories. My preference has always been for horror. In essence, I get to do what I love.

What do I hate about it? Nothing, really. My frustrations are more with the how hard it is to get a publisher to look at you. But that all comes with time.

SG:What do you love to eat while writing?

Scott: I generally don't eat while writing. I can sit in front of the computers for hours on end at times and just forget about anything and everything. It's weird—I get in the zone and nothing else exists. Of course, that's when I have time to write.

SG: What do you love to drink while writing?

Scott: Usually while writing, I'll be drinking a cup of coffee—either half-caf or decaf. Don't need the top of my head popping off from high-blood pressure *laughs*.

SG: If you could be a character in a book or movie, who and why?

Scott: Harry Keogh from Brian Lumley's Necroscope Series. Harry was a levelheaded man who could do amazing things with his mind. He could speak with the teeming dead, learn their secrets, and in the end even call them back from the grave. He could see people's destinies through holes in time/space, and even cheated death. It would be fascinating to have his abilities and see the things he has seen.

SG:  Do you believe in Bigfoot?

Scott: I think a more important question is: Does Bigfoot believe in me? I mean, there has been a lot of documentation for cryptozoological species that defy logic and reason. There are bound to be species we have not identified—independent evolution has spun off such amazing creatures. It's definitely plausible enough to see something like it could exist. Perhaps a genetic variation on Neanderthal previously undiscovered. What makes it more plausible is there being independent legends on multiple continents of a similar creature (Yeti and Bigfoot). And if I had his support and backing for my book—wow! What a sponsorship, huh? Stamping the cover with "Bigfoot Approved!"

SG: If you were on an island and could only bring 3 things, what would you bring?

Scott:I am guessing this would be a deserted island. The three things I would bring are:

1) A picture of my family—I couldn't see myself living without them.

2) A good knife—it's probably one of the most versatile implements to have in any situation.

3) A satellite phone with built-in GPS—I'm not stupid, I'd want to get rescued. Of course with my luck, the battery would be dead and I would be SOL!