Straight from the Mouth of 'Kill Daddy' Gerald Freeman

Gerald Freeman’s debut novel, Kill Daddy, was inspired by a real life adventure in Africa. After spending ten years travelling to many parts of the world, he decided to settle down in Portugal and write about what he had seen and learnt. His stories are based on true experiences, and he hopes readers will be able to identify with some of the struggles and battles his characters go through. Gerald Freeman also expresses himself through sculpture, which again focuses on the human condition and the enigma of Life.

Purchase Kill Daddy on Amazon.


Questionnaire:

Thanks for letting us interrogate you!  Can you give us a go-for-the-gut answer as to why you wanted to be an author? 

I write for the same reason I do sculpture: to share experiences and thoughts with people all over the planet about this thing we call Life. The work I leave behind when I am gone will be evidence of my journey, an example of one human being’s experience on this planet. Hopefully, people will find my work interesting and it will inspire them to follow their dreams and live the lives they truly desire.

Tell us (we won’t tell promise!) is it all it’s cracked up to be?  

I mean what are the perks and what are the demands? I think, the belief I have in myself and the decision I have already made to lead the life of a writer and an artist, means that I am able to take the rough with the smooth. I get mostly worn out by always being excited about what the next day is going to bring. Every day is full of new opportunities in this business, and the support system out there is fantastic for those days when you feel a little defeated. I am three months new to the business, but so far, I am enjoying the whole process.

Which route did you take – traditional or self-published – and can you give us the nitty gritty low down on what’s that like? 

After contacting many Lit agents in London and receiving some very favorable negative replies, I decided to go it alone. I got the impression my work was appreciated, but that it wasn’t mainstream enough for the big publishing houses. I signed up with Amazon, and since then, I have been given a great deal of help and advice from authors and bloggers all over the world:it is a very supportive community. I am now learning how to format my book to go on all the other platforms through Smashwords, and visiting places like this, in order for my readers to get to know a little about me.


Tell us for real what your family feels about you spending so much time getting your book written, polished, edited, formatted, published, what have you? 

My wife, Eva is the most supportive partner a person could ever dream of. She would like me to spend a little more time with her, but understands and is excited about my projects, which of course include her in the big picture. Late nights, I think are the most annoying thing for her.

Do your pets actually get their food on time or do they have to wait until you type just one more word? 

My wife usually has that covered, but should we forget, the dogs start scratching on the floor at five to four.

Are your plants actually still alive? 

When my eyes are sore and my fingers ache, I take a little walk around the house and check for neglected plants and flowers. However, the Portuguese sun can wither the most well looked after plant.

In writing your book, how did you deal with the phone ringing, your family needing dinner or your boss calling you saying you’re late? 

I am never late, but I have been known to pull a sickie, if I have been awake thinking about my book, publishing issues, etc… the whole night.

What was the craziest or insane thing that happened to you in the book publishing process? 

To be honest, it is all the great reviews I have had. I am not sure if I truly believed my stories would be of such interest to people until the reactions to my story started coming in. The fact that complete strangers in different corners of the world are sitting there reading my mind, inside my thoughts and actually relating to the events, makes me feel unbelievably humble in one way. I have only recently realized the seriousness of what I do and the real effect it can have on others.

How about the social networks?  Which ones do you believe help and which ones do you wish you could avoid? 

I am accumulating more passwords and joining more sites than I can keep up with. FB has been great for meeting and talking with both readers and authors and bloggers. Sometimes, it seems there are many more writers than readers on FB, so I think it is better for networking than reaching potential readers.

Book sales.  Don’t you just love them (or lack of?)?  How are you making the sales happen for you? 

I am in the process of listing my book in all the major distribution houses, for the last three months I have only been on Amazon. These three months have been spent building a platform, and hopefully my book will start to reach a wider audience in the near future. A few thousand downloads and a couple of hundred sales, so far.

What is one thing you’d like to jump on the rooftop and scream about? 

How can we educate the world so that all life is valued? How can we spread love and compassion amongst  people who feed off hate and prejudice? Why can’t God do more to help the weak? I know that is three, but they are all related.

Okay, too much sugar for you today!  Here’s a nice cup of Chamomile tea and come on over and sit under the cabana and watch the waves roll in.  Now…can you tell us what you love about being a published author and how all those things above doesn’t matter because it’s all part of the whole scheme of things and you wouldn’t have it any other way?

What I love about being an author is: The end product being in someone’s reader, sat on someone’s coffee table or on their bedside table waiting to be read. The image of that person eagerly commencing the story and the feeling of sharing something intimate with a complete stranger, who by reading your book will get to know you better than some of your friends and family. Also, receiving beautiful letters from people who have read my story and want to tell me a little of theirs and meeting and talking to people like you. All in all, I adore the lifestyle, at the end of the day I feel satisfied, which hopefully means the same satisfaction will come at the end of my life, too.

Connect with the author on the web:

                 http://geraldfreeman.blogspot.pt/
                  http://gerryaldridgedesign.dinstudio.se/
                  https://twitter.com/gerryaldridge

1 comment:

Gerry Aldridge said...

thank you for this guys!