Straight from the Mouth of 'The Edge of the Known Trilogy' author Seth Mullins

Seth Mullins first conceived of his dream to write novels in his early teens, and this one desire has stayed with him throughout all the other myriad twists and turns of life. His inspirations include methods of inner exploration such as dream-work and shamanism and his experiences as a songwriter and performing musician. He studied creative writing at Santa Fe Community College in New Mexico and Lane Community College in Oregon. Seth has lived in Connecticut, New Mexico, Oregon and (currently) Vermont.

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

 There were certain books I read when I was young that instilled me with a sense of wonder. I wanted to find a way to do that myself. “Wanted” is a weak word, though. I feverishly ached to find the magic words. 

 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’ve heard it said that you shouldn’t be a writer if you can imagine yourself doing anything else. Like the pursuit of music, it can hold out certain ego rewards; but no one knows upon whose shoulders those will fall. So, the only thing that’s gonna sustain most of us is our passion for the work and where it leads us. 

 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’ve gone both routes. In this instance, I opted to self-publish because I felt really protective of Brandon Chane’s somewhat ‘uncultured’ voice and the overall edginess of the books. I was nervous that an editor might try and soften those edges. 

 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? 

 I don’t experience that particular conflict because I live alone. I’m unmarried, and my only son is off to college. So, I only have to justify the value of all that work to myself. 

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

 Again, it’s just me. I’m waiting until I have a bigger yard before I collect companions. If I did have a couple dogs, though, they wouldn’t have to wait for anything because I typically write on the move anyway. My thoughts actually flow most fluently when I’m busy with something else. 

 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? 

 The phone rarely rings, there’s no family and I work from home. ;)

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

 There’s one character who appears in What Casts the Shadow? - She only has a bit part, but three months later I met a lady who completely mirrored her physical description. She was, literally, the image I’d had in my head while describing this waitress who Brandon had befriended. What’s that, like, precognitive libel? 

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

 I haven’t found any of them to be particularly helpful, honestly. People go on social media sites for the free stimulation, by and large. I’m most present on Twitter, but all I really expect to do there is increase overall awareness of my work. I seldom see sales as the result of a tweet. 

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

Religion and science should both either evolve or fall by the wayside. Our race needs new forms of inner nourishment. 

 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? 

 Well, I suppose it’s like asking a frog what the value is in being in the water. I am amphibious. If I’m up too long in the linear logic world I’ll dry up and waste away. I need to dip down into those waters of creativity to live.