Straight from the Mouth of 'Runes and the Tower of Shadows' Andrew Cratsley

A native of Honeoye, New York, Andrew Cratsley lives in North Carolina. Keepers of Runes and the Tower of Shadows is his debut novel. Cratsley is a lifelong fan of fantasy books, films, and RPG-style gaming.  A champion of literacy issues and proud supporter of the World Literacy Foundation, Cratsley will donate a portion of the proceeds from Keepers of Runes and the Tower of Shadows to the World Literacy Foundation’s fight against illiteracy.


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?
It was a slow development as the story evolved in my mind. There was a point where the idea had to be put to paper since my mind couldn’t let it go. Sometimes the subconscious is not to be ignored.
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?
The demands to produce a masterpiece are great, but I believe the rewards will be equally satisfying.
Which route did you take – traditional or self-published – and can you give us the nitty gritty low down on what’s that like?
I self-published and the process is probably more stressful than letting an agent handle it, but the freedom to control every aspect of my vision seems ideal. I don’t like the idea of having editors make changes I don’t agree with, or artwork that doesn’t fit my theme.
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 family is delighted with the journey I have taken to complete this work.
This is for pet lovers.  If you don’t own a pet, skip this question, but do your pets actually get their food on time or do they have to wait until you type just one more word?
I have 2 cats and they don’t make forgetting such things possible.
This is for plant lovers.  If you don’t own a plant, skip this question, but if you do, are they actually still alive?
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?
After feeding the cats I found the mute button on the phone very helpful. :)
What was the craziest or insane thing that happened to you in the book publishing process?
Exploring the venues with my illustration was rocky, but I’m ecstatic that I found Tony. His artwork is amazing.
How about the social networks?  Which ones do you believe help and which ones do you wish you could avoid?
I’m still new to all of the networks, but I hope all of them will be useful.
Book sales.  Don’t you just love them (or lack of?)?  How are you making the sales happen for you?
I will find out after the release date :)
What is one thing you’d like to jump on the rooftop and scream about?
Book 2 is ready for the editor!
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?
The satisfaction of seeing my completed book on my desk is difficult to describe, but I eagerly await to see the entire set there one day. I also think at the same time I will dread the end since the journey is so exciting. We are years away from that point though.


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