Showing posts with label Nick Cole. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nick Cole. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Today's Authtoberfest featured author is NICK COLE







1. It’s Halloween, pick 3 of your favorite writers to paint the town red with and tell us why you chose them.
Nick Says: Stephen King because the Dark Tower series is what it would be like if every day was Halloween and it was all Trick and not so much treat. Ray Bradbury because he just owned that awesome homespun weirdness meets future fantastic vibe of “all’s not right”. Martian Chronicles specifically (Side note: I appeared in a production of this as Spender the murderous astronaut who goes native. Mr. Bradbury showed up and after the show we talked and he kept calling me “Spender”. One of the best nights of my life.) And Charles Schultz. Because the older I get the more I long to be in that neighborhood on Halloween afternoon. Carving a pumpkin. Cutting the eyeholes in a sheet. Crawling through the trenches in no man’s land and hoisting a root beer with the world’s greatest flying ace. Midnite in the pumpkin patch talking about the meaning of life.



2. You’re ready to head out with your pillowcase to collect loads of confections on All Hallows’ Eve, what’s your costume and why did you choose it?
Nick Says: Pirate. Because I am, says I.



3. Old Mrs. Robinson opens her door and you’re holding open your pillowcase patiently waiting. “Oh deary,” she says in her frail, little old-lady voice. “I forgot it was Halloween. Don’t know why you kids go begging anyways. Let me go find something to give you.” She shuffles off and finally returns three and a half minutes later with 5 pennies, 2 peppermint candies that look like they went through the dryer, and her deceased husbands dentures. “Take what you like,” she offers, squinting at you.
What do you choose and why.
Nick Says:  I tell her to get a big bowl and I empty all my candy into it. I’ll be back later with more.



4. I really love reading Dean Koontz but some of his stuff scares the bejesus out of me. What’s the spookiest book you’ve ever read?
Nick Says: The Spookiest? Probably the Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Inside you find The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, The Man in the shadows. Scary stuff.



5. You’re a writer by day and supernatural creature by night. (Shed that human skin you sack of bones) What are you and why?
Nick Says: An Edward Gorey Ghost. Haunting the nights looking for the lost road that leads to yesterday and WhatMightHaveBeen. Wandering the night for all those long lost good times. Not threatening in any other way that an over-consuming melancholy for all the good that once was.



6. Every author has a bookshelf filled with his or her favorite reads. Run on over to yours and tell us the scariest book you have.
Nick Says: I guess, in a way William Forstchen’s One Second After is pretty scary. In a “Wow! I hope this doesn’t happen but it’s probably gonna sort of way!”



7. We don’t all write horror but there comes a time when you’ve got to surprise your readers and make sure their hearts are still beating. How do you prepare yourself to get in the spooky writing mood?
Nick Says:  I like looking at Edward Gorey pictures and listening to 80’s goth music.



8. Stephen King’s front porch light is on but there are no Halloween decorations.
Do you:
a) trick-or-treat and cross your fingers that he’s handing out the good stuff
b) run screaming
c) call your mom to bring your favorite King paperback and beg for an autograph
Nick Says:  I’ll go with “a” and tell him that I don’t like anything he’s handing out. Instead I’ll take a one minute story off the top of his head for a “treat”, or, I get out my Big Book of very Bad Tricks. Your call, Stevey, but I’d pick the story.



9. Congratulations, you just won the literary lottery and sold a million books at full price! The royalty check clears on October 28th. What are you buying for the neighborhood kids?
a) an assortment of mini candybars
b) an assortment of cheap, hard candies
c) full size Hershey bars
Nick Says:  Full size Hershey’s with almonds. Memory. Basic Training. I hadn’t had a candy bar in six weeks. One day a guy smuggled in a few from the PX. It was heaven.



10. Your writer friend calls you with some frightening news. They’re giving up on writing, can’t take the pressure any longer. What do you tell them?
Nick Says:  Probably for the best. It doesn’t sound like they were doing it for the love. Because in the end, that’s the only reason you do it. The more successful you become the more people hate you. If you can’t take the pressure now you don’t want to know what it’s like when you actually make it. Just write for fun. You’ll be happier that way.

Connect with Nick Cole






("I drink your Milkshake. I drink it down!")

_______________________________________


Nick Cole is a former soldier and working actor living in Southern California. When he is not auditioning for commercials, going out for sitcoms or being shot, kicked, stabbed or beaten by the students of various film schools for their projects, he can be found writing books for Harper Collins.




Friday, August 7, 2015

Please welcome Nick Cole author of Soda Pop Soldier & other awesome books










I stalked Nick on social media. Since we live on opposite ends of the continent we had to do this interview via email. Wait... I do all of these interviews via email. Let's see what Nick had to say about reading, writing and zombies!



1. It’s the zombie apocalypse and writers have got to stick together to survive. Pick 3 authors to be on your zombie apocalypse killing team and tell us why you’d choose them.
Nick says: “I think I’d pick Michael Bunker author of Brother Frankenstein because he’s the off-grid Maestro and so his common sense, survival skills and integrity commend him well. Next I’d pick John L. Monk, author of Kick, because he’s got some guns, survival interests and I’ve played Left 4 Dead with him. He’s a team player and a shooter which makes a good wingman for the run and gun world of the Zombocalypse. Next I’d pick Christopher Boore, author of the novella Next Up. He’s the awesome DM for our podcast SciFi Writers Playing Old School D&D and we’d probably start playing first edition Dungeons and Dragons since there’s no TV or interwebz now that the zekes ruined everything.”
Meredith says: I've been waiting for someone to pick Bunker!


2. If Stephen King and J. K. Rowling were drowning in a river, who would you save first? And now you have to tell us why.
Nick says: “I’d save Miss Rowling because she’s a lady and I’m sure Mr. King would want it that way because he’s a standup dude. But, I’d go back for Stephen King because he’s one of my literary heroes. Even if he’d gone under for the third time. Plus, how bad would zombie Stephen King be? It’d make a great memoir once publishing got started again. Me and Zombie Stephen King: A Friendship... sort of.”
Meredith says: Sweet Jesus... a zombie Stephen King. I may not be sleeping tonight. Also, I can't wait to read that memoir, you know, if I survive the zombie apocalypse.


3. We authors are voracious readers. My TBR list is approximately 8 miles long. What are you currently reading?
Nick says: “Currently I’m reading Arturo Perez-Reverte’s The Siege. It’s bang-up historical fiction set during the siege of Cadiz during the Napoleonic era. I pretty much read anything Perez-Reverte writes. He tweeted me once.”
Meredith says: Awesome!


4. What is the one book that you could read a million times and never get bored with?
Nick says: “For fiction I bet it would be The Lord of the Rings. Including The Hobbit. But, I annually read The Old Man and the Sea in one day. Sometimes sitting in the pool, or the bathtub.”



5. Last year my favorite read was The Martian by Andy Weir. What was your best read of 2014?
Nick says: “I would agree with you on The Martin. A fantastic read that’s both witty and gripping. I did a panel with Mr. Weir at ComicCon and he’s one of the nicest writers I’ve ever met. Really super guy. I also really enjoyed Jonathan Maberry’s Patient Zero.”



6. This year my favorite read has been The Dog Stars by Peter Heller. What’s the best book you’ve read so far in 2015?
Nick says: “I finally got around to reading A Prayer for Owen Meany. It’s a heartbreakingly excellent book. The prose and pacing and pathos hurricane’d into a touching snapshot of a giant. Bold Statement: I sincerely doubt that even the author knew what he was creating in the character of Owen Meany. It’s one of those books that sticks with you as you walk away. Or are driven down the road, taking the bus, waving at it one last time through the back window. It’s probably influenced a fantasy memoir SciFi thing I’m futzing with.”



7. You’re a writer by day and a superhero by night. (Take off those geeky glasses Superman) What’s your superpower?
Nick says: “Ninja Skills. Because Ninjas are awesome and it’s probably a pretty healthy way to live. The training, I mean. Not the poisons, combat to the death octagon style and criminal underworld assassinations. Other than those things... ninja-ing seems great. Batman’s basically a ninja.”



8. I have writing spots all over my house: my desk, my couch, the patio, and my bed. Where’s your favorite spot to write?
Nick says: “Backyard on the patio. I live in a very balmy Southern California out near the edge of civilization. So, as a Wastelander I enjoy the melancholy loneliness of breezy afternoons.”
Meredith says: Since I live in the frozen north east, that actually sounds kind of nice.


9. We’re supposed to love all of our children equally, but there are some scenes I’ve written that really stick out in my mind. Tell us your favorite scene from one of your books.
Nick says: “The End of The Wasteland Saga. It gets me every time.”



10. Sometimes a little too much of myself slips into my characters. Which one of your characters most resembles you?
Nick says: “I’m probably a cross between the Old Man from The Old Man and the Wasteland, PerfectQuestion from Soda Pop Soldier and Holiday from Apocalypse Weird: The Red King.



11. I’ve always got tunes rocking while I’m writing. Tell us five songs that are on your playlist.
Nick says: “Right now...
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds - Elton John Version
Rocket Man - Elton John
Nobody Told Me – John Lennon
Rock you Like a Hurricane – Scorpions
You’re So Vain – Carly Simon”
Meredith says: I love this playlist!


12. If you could tell an aspiring author one tiny tidbit of information, what would you say?
Nick says: “Perform your book. Read it, out loud, over and over again until it sounds as good as any audio-book performed by any of Stephen King’s celebrity narrators. As many times as it takes. I probably read The Old Man and the Wasteland upwards of twenty times, out loud, in my backyard, one spring.




Connect with Nick Cole






("I drink your Milkshake. I drink it down!")

_______________________________________


Nick Cole is a former soldier and working actor living in Southern California. When he is not auditioning for commercials, going out for sitcoms or being shot, kicked, stabbed or beaten by the students of various film schools for their projects, he can be found writing books for Harper Collins.





Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Review of Soda Pop Soldier by Nick Cole







"I drink your Milkshake. I drink it down!"

An exciting Sci-fi read. If you're a gamer you should read this. If you're not a gamer, you should read this. Set in a bleak future where technology rules, SodaPop soldier is action-packed and thrilling.
4/5 stars








Blurb:

Call of Duty meets Diablo in this fast-paced, action-packed novel from the author of The Wasteland Saga.

Gamer PerfectQuestion fights for ColaCorp in WarWorld, an online combat sport arena where mega-corporations field entire armies in the battle for real world global advertising-space dominance. Within the immense virtual battlefield, players and bots are high-tech grunts, using drop-ships and state-of-the-art weaponry to wipe each other out.

But times are tough and the rent is due, and when players need extra dough, there’s always the Black, an illegal open source tournament where the sick and twisted desires of the future are given free rein in the Westhavens, a gothic dungeon fantasy world.

And all too soon, the real and virtual worlds collide when PerfectQuestion refuses to become the tool of a mad man intent on hacking the global economy for himself.