Tell me about yourself:
Hello! I’m G.S. Wright (aka Garth Wright), and I’m a writer in Southern Idaho. When I’m not writing, I return to reality and visit my incredibly patient family to let them know I’m still alive. I also play a mean (yet amateurish) ukulele.
How many books have you written?
Since 2013, I have self-published eight novel-length books (as G.S. Wright), four of which are collections of serialized stories. I’ve written another four or so that are in various stages of editing that I’m not happy enough with to reveal to the world. I have no idea how many other stories that I am working on.
But! I also have a handful of other pen names which have three full length books amongst them, and maybe around 80 shorter works, averaging between 5,000 to 30,000 words.
What’s the best way to market your books?
I’m maybe a little unconventional with marketing. I’ve spent too much money on Facebook advertising, I’ve used countless book newsletters, and who knows what all? Anyway, nothing is more beneficial than being active socially and writing more books.
Being on Social Media is about being discoverable. A writer doesn’t need to shove his books at the world. If you interact with me on Social Media, you’re going to know that I’m a writer. If I have value, either through content or as an online friend, then you’ll likely look at my books, or visit my blog at least once. It’s about living a visible (and thus discoverable) life. You don’t have to be a celebrity, you just can’t hide from the world.
Granted, that’s not as fast as spending advertising dollars. But geez, I hate to admit it, but I’m a lousy advertiser. I can’t even bring myself to study it long enough to be successful at it. Which brings me to my favorite way to market:
Just keep writing. You might do great with your single title, and I’d be happy for you, and a little jealous. But every title you write boosts your visibility, especially if you always write in the same genre. If you’re like me and can’t write in a single genre, you have to write a lot more. And if you do book signings, multiple titles are a game changer. It’s the difference between earning coffee money or earning (at least) enough for rent/mortgage/car payment.
One last thought on marketing – take pride in your book cover. I don’t know about you, but I won’t buy a book that looks like the author slapped it together with their own photographs and limited Photoshop skills. There’s plenty of options to create a great looking book, even without spending a fortune. Any marketing will fail when you’re trying to sell an unprofessional-looking book.
What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
I once was very fond of Google, but I have found Pinterest is incredible to learn just about anything. Articles can be neatly organized, and saving pins allows you to save your research logically in a fashion that works for you.
When I first start a new project, I’ll spend maybe an hour or so researching ideas. Otherwise, most of the research is saved for when I’m actually writing, as my thoughts are realized. I think I’m researching something new almost daily, but I try to limit the time so I can get back to writing.
How long on average does it take you to write a book?
If I’m writing genre fiction, I’ve completed a full-length book within a month. Otherwise, my more passionate books – like Broken Things and Soul Sister – have taken up to six months. I can write a 50,000-word book usually in two weeks, but my muse rarely gives me all of the secrets and plot twists on my schedule that makes my work stand out. She reveals the details to me over weeks and months, which I find extremely frustrating.
That’s why I have so many projects going at once. If I don’t have the details I want for one story, I move on to the next and allow the other ideas to ferment in my mind. And I never know all of the details until I finish the first draft. That’s when the muse reveals the final crucial details to the story.
Regardless of all of that, I’m still trying to develop my craft to where I can write 50,000 words in a week. I am not there yet, but it’s a goal.
Have you ever had writers block? What do you do to overcome it?
Cursed writer’s block. I usually try to overcome it by having a solid outline in place before I even start. Writer’s block comes in when my story deviates from my original vision. As I mentioned above, my muse holds out details, and when she dumps all new incredible details on me, I’ve got to go back for complete rewrites, which always leads to deviating from the outline.
So to avoid writer’s block, I like to have a second project to turn my attention to, allowing my mind to dream up answers to whatever problems have crept up from deviating.
What is your favorite thing about writing?
As much as I love storytelling, I think I like capturing emotion the most. I find nothing more satisfying than hearing that someone experienced the same feelings that I felt when I wrote a scene. I love creating meaningful art.
What do you find most challenging about writing?
Hands down, making time to write. If you want to be a writer, all you have to do is write, and yet this is an era of distractions. You have to remind yourself every single day that this is what you want to do. It requires commitment and forming habits.
What are common traps for aspiring writers?
The first trap is that writing is actually hard. Like anything you want to be good at, it takes practice. Every piece of writing you do grows your strengths as a writer, and that’s one of the main reasons to not spend the rest of your life working on and/or editing a single project. If you want to get better, you have to separate yourself from your earlier works. You must always study the writing craft.
Also, you’re only a writer as long as you are writing. If you finish a book, you’re an author, and that’s great, if that’s all you want. If you want to be a writer tomorrow as well, you’ve got to do it again and again and again.
Also, there’s the fear of judgement. That often hits when you’re about halfway through your first draft, and it gets worse as soon as you publish. You open yourself up to people who are going to judge your writing.
Also, if you’re only writing for money, you’ll likely get discouraged quickly. The money is only a bonus. You’re creating art.
What do you wish you could tell your younger writer self?
Study story structure and study the craft of writing. It will also make life easier if you memorize these winning lotto numbers…
What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?
I think the most difficult thing for me about characters of the opposite sex is whether or not I have managed to avoid stereotypes. It is, however, like any writing, going to get better. Writing about the opposite sex is about observation and listening. A spouse or friend of the opposite sex can easily provide perspective. Definitely read books written by the opposite sex. If you’re a writer, you’re always exploring what’s going on in someone else’s head anyways.
Can you tell us about your Spilling Blood series? Can you give us an excerpt from one of the episodes?
Spilling Blood is a fourteen-episode serial broken into three seasons, with each season also collected in a complete novel. The heroine is a nineteen-year-old girl who’s been chosen to be the eternal companion of the selfish and lusting Gnasher. She’s not the weak-willed victim they expected, and the series follows her growth and struggles as a creature of darkness.
I’ve always been a fan of the vampire genre, heavily influenced by movies from the 80’s (primarily Lost Boys and Near Dark), and by authors Anne Rice and Poppy Z. Brite. I wanted to keep true to the feel of that era, with the horror and elements of a Gothic novel, rather than contemporary vampire romance. I think I’ve actually read too much vampire literature overall, and it’s all influenced the Spilling Blood World.
EXCERPT
Emily opened her eyes to the darkness of her grave. Everything was silent. She could hear nothing, not her heartbeat, not even her breathing. She tried to sit up, smacking her head into the coffin lid.
She sucked in stagnant air and screamed, “Help!”
The coffin muffled her voice. It sounded dull and… dead. She scratched at the wood, splinters burying themselves into her fingers and tearing off her nails. Despite the intensity of the pain, she barely noticed as she tore frantically at the old wood.
Dirt poured into her face, choking away her cries, turning to mud against her wet cheeks. It sifted in, filling in about her.
Don’t leave, stay with us.
She paused. Had she really heard something? She forced herself to breathe. Her body rebelled, refusing to do it naturally. The voice hadn’t been real.
She went back to digging. Her arms burned with the exertion, she could hardly feel her fingers. She struggled to dig, the earth fought back.
Stay, the voice said, stay with us.
No, she’d really heard someone else. She strained her ears, listening for any other sound. She could hear digging. The sounds came from each side of her, nails clawing through wood and earth, coming toward her. She wasn’t alone.
A high-pitched laugh filled her grave. It carried through the earth, more in her head than in her ears. Female laughter.
We’re so lonely. So cold. Let us hold you.
“NO!”
Keep screaming… we’ll find you.
Emily slapped her hands over her mouth, but as the scrabbling tore through the brittle wood of the coffin, she already knew it was too late. Withered fingers broke through, and cold, emaciated arms wrapped her.
Emily screamed and choked on dirt.
END EXCERPT
What is the name of your newest novel and can you tell us more about it?
I’m releasing my newest novel next week, and it’s a bit different. It’s called Died for You, and it’s a Zombie Horror Romance that takes place five years into the apocalypse.
It’s a story about love, loss, betrayal, and new beginnings. It’s also about the zombie apocalypse. There’s not many books where you can find a disturbing mix of spicy romance, dark humor, and the terror of the risen dead, and this book fills the void that you never knew existed. It’ll be fun.
And before you go, is there anything else you would like to share with us?
I don’t know, I feel like I’ve shared too much for one article! For a complete list of my novels, visit my website at GSWright.com. I love visitors.
Thank you for the great questions and the opportunity to share my work. :)
More about G.S. Wright:
G.S. Wright is a horror, sci-fi, and fantasy writer who mixes in the fast-paced action of the thriller novel, bringing you intense fiction guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat. Regardless of genre, you'll find absorbing stories that will pull you in with realistic heroes and loathsome villains, and give you chills that will keep you up at night... turning the page.
G.S. Wright is an author in Southern Idaho. He writes. A lot. All the time. Sometimes he watches movies, plays guitar, or sleeps. He has a beautiful wife (who keeps him from starving) and three children that he is failing to raise as ninjas. He also has a zombie survival plan.
Author of the sci-fi thriller Broken Things, the haunting paranormal novel Soul Sister, the dark fantasy zombie apocalypse series Hungry Gods, the vampire horror serial, Spilling Blood, and the sci-fi steampunk serial Apocalypse Witch.
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