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Why
did your name your company Blu Phi'er?
My
fraternity is Phi Beta Sigma. We give a call, Blu Phi. One who says
Blu Phi is a Blu Phi'er. Plus the blue part of the flame is the
hottest and that's what I want my company to be.
From
the site - Blu
Phi'er Publishing, I learned that you initially found it
hard trying to break into traditional publishing; how long did it
take you to decide to create Blu Phi'er? How long did it take you to
create the company?
I'm very impatient. When I couldn't get a book deal in about two
months, I began researching how to self publish. I almost went that
route, but [I] found several yahoogroups, and people there walked me
through all the steps to open my own company. Took me about three
months to get up and running and six months to have our first book
in print.
Why
did you decide to publish the works of others?
I like to read. If someone sends me a good book, I think it's a
shame that that book has to remain on the author's hard drive and
never see the light of day because Random House is too busy. So if I
can get a few good books to the public figure, that's my good deed
of the day. Plus, a publishing house with one author is not much of
a publishing house.
There
are two things that I absolutely love about your house: one, you're
focusing on a vast array of genres; two, you have a diverse group of
authors. Why did you decide to make Blu Phi'er such a multicultural
and diverse house, and what do you think that says about your house?
I like good books. There are good books written by blacks,
whites, and all others. There are good horror novels, fantasy, Sci
Fi, and many others. I think it would be very closed minded to only
acknowledge or publish one set of good books.
What
are your future goals for the company?
Right now my law firm fronts all Blu Phi'er's bills. I want to
first have the company turn a profit. From there I want to get to
the point where my authors are getting paid well. From there the
sky's the limit. I want us to be a household name.
Tell
us about your own most recent novel...(I may have more questions
later to coincide with your latest work.)
In 2003 I went through a divorce. [My ex-wife] and I were perfect
together on paper. Couldn't figure out why it didn't work. So I
began to reflect on my relationship with her. [I] discovered [that]
a lot of my actions and behavior were influenced by past relationships.
Before I knew it, I had written an autobiography and each chapter
was named after a woman who had effected/shaped me in some way.
How
cathartic was it for you to write this novel?
Very. I mean think about it. Look at where you are in your life
and everything you don't like about your life and every problem you
have. Now imagine back tracking to discovery the route of all your
problems.
As
a novelist, are you an outliner, or are you someone that likes to
jump right in to a story and see what happens?
Outliner,
all day every day. I have plenty of manuscripts I'm working on. I
will come up with a title or concept. Then name each chapter. Then
make a synopsis of what happens in each chapter, then write the
book.
Do
you find that outlining takes away from your creativity?
Absolutely
not. You want a novel to make sense. At some point, someone will
edit your novel or you will go through and give it structure even if
you are not an outliner. I begin my work with structure. However,
everything put into each chapter is as creative as if I just
randomly began writing.
What
inspires you to write?
"What
if?" With every situation I've faced in life, with everything I
see on a daily basis, I think "what if?" I generally write
reality-based fiction. I take perfectly common situations and add
something outlandish to them.
What
inspires you to be a publisher?
Can't
wait for big publishing houses to put my work into print and
apparently my authors can't either.
What
do you mean by big publishers? Is the goal to put out works
and generate interest so that they are bought by bigger publishers?
I
like to think I'm a good storyteller. Lord knows some of my authors
are. My goal is to produce good books. Sure everyone would love a
deal with a big publisher and make lots of money and make it as an
author. I want that. But that's not my main goal. My main goal is to
get good books into print. Would love success, but I just like
publishing good books.
What
are you currently working on?
My first book was Negro in Nam: My Father's Tale. It talks about
my father's life before Vietnam, during the war and after. It also
includes a tale he tells of battling a larger than life villain
called the Jade Emperor. It's on the reader to decide if they believe
that part of the story.
The
Jade Emperor has been busy since his dealings with my father,
planning the destruction of all worlds. His newest target is a young
black attorney in New Orleans named Tyrone Jarreaux. In my next book
(don't really consider my autobiography Stained Glass Windows: Memoirs
of a Cheater too creative since I'm just remembering the past),
Twenty Virgins in Heaven, you'll see how this black attorney, the
Jade Emperor, and some of the few characters who survived my first
book play into both the World Trade Center attacks on 911 and the
levies breaking in New Orleans.
To learn more about Michael and Blu
Phi'er (like their submission guidelines), check them out on MYSPACE
and at Blu
Phi'er Publishing!
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