Straight Chatting from the Library: Michael Okon

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READ THE INTERVIEW

If you could have one paranormal ability, what would it be?

I have one. Anything that I dream about comes true. For real. I know what’s going to happen before it happens. I don’t know how I have this ability but my “correct” ratio is much higher than 50/50, I’d say 70/30.

What is one thing your readers would be most surprised to learn about you?

I haven’t eaten fruits or vegetables in 3 years and have no plans to. This is the best health I’ve ever been in my life.

When writing descriptions of your hero/ine, what feature do you start with?

This is a great question. I start with a characteristic that everyone on planet earth will identify with. A tic, an allergy, an affliction. Something that people will understand what this hero/heroine is going through.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Plotter. If I don’t beat out my story and character arcs beforehand, I cannot finish the story. I already know what’s happening in book 6, and I’m already on book 3 of Monsterland.

Did you learn anything from writing this book? If so, what?

I learned that a normal guy from Long Island (me) can really spark an interest in some pretty powerful people that will make them want to read my work. I currently have a lit agent, a film agent, an entertainment attorney, a publicist, a two-book publishing deal, and a powerful producer who wants to turn my book into a film. They are all rooting for Monsterland.

READ THE BLURB

Welcome to Monsterland—the scariest place on Earth.

Wyatt Baldwin's senior year is not going well. His parents divorce, then his dad mysteriously dies. He’s not exactly comfortable with his new stepfather, Carter White, either. An ongoing debate with his best friends Melvin and Howard Drucker over which monster is superior has gotten stale. He’d much rather spend his days with beautiful and popular Jade. However, she’s dating the brash high-school quarterback Nolan, and Wyatt thinks he doesn’t stand a chance.

But everything changes when Wyatt and his friends are invited to attend the grand opening of Monsterland, a groundbreaking theme park where guests can interact with vampires in Vampire Village, be chased by werewolves on the River Run, and walk among the dead in Zombieville.

With real werewolves, vampires and zombies as the main attractions, what could possibly go wrong?

READ AN EXCERPT

What were the interlopers doing here? Billy thought furiously. This was their territory. The humans didn’t belong in the swamp. The moon continued its trip to the heavens, the familiar agony beginning in his chest. Billy fought the demons churning within his body, feeling the pain of metamorphosis. He curled inward, hunching his shoulders, the curse of his nature making his spine pull until his tendons and muscles tore from their human positions to transform into something wicked. A howl erupted from his throat, followed by another, and then another. Grabbing handfuls of dirt, he tried to fight the awful change, but, as the sun dipped to its fiery death, the moon took control of his life, and the unnatural force tore through his unwilling body. Reason fled; his heart raced. Falling on his hands and knees, he let loose a keening cry as his face elongated, his body changing into a canine, fangs filling his mouth. He raced in a circle in a demented dance, knowing his fellow pack members did the same thing. Slowing, he regulated his labored breathing, forcing the icy calmness he needed to keep some semblance of reason. He peered through the dense brush. Lights from the search party bobbed in the distance. The odor, the stench of humanity, filled the clearing.

He turned, digging furiously on the ground, throwing dirt on the flames, hiding their existence. It was no good. Discovery would ruin everything. No one could live with their kind. Humans brought disease, humans brought anger, humans brought hatred. They were there; he could smell them, see their clumsy bodies invading his home. “They’ve found us,” he growled in the special language they used. “Run!” he barked as he turned to his pack, watching his friends’ naked skin transform until it was covered with the same silvered fur. They cried out in unison at the pain, howling with the injustice, and then ran in fear from the interlopers threatening their habitat.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Michael Okon is the award-winning and best-selling author & screenwriter formerly known as Michael Phillip Cash. His originally self-published book Monsterland was picked up in a two-book publishing deal by WordFire Press. Michael is happily married and writes full-time on the North Shore of Long Island with his two screaming monsters in the background.

WEBSITE: http://www.michaelokon.com
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/iammichaelokon
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/IAmMichaelOkon

Email Michael at MichaelOkonBooks@gmail.com

Buy the book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Kobo.

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