I wanted titles that were short and memorable. That makes them stand out in a small thumbnail on Amazon or in a bookstore window. It also helps that the title is ironic—how is it possible to be not so dead? It’s the kind of a question that makes you wonder what the story is about and hopefully, want to read it. It helps too that the title Not So Dead was unique at the time I published, so when you Google Not So Dead, all the listings that come up relate to my book either on Amazon, my website, or Facebook.
The idea for Not So Dead came from an article I read about 10 years ago. The story was about how Google, Facebook and other tech companies were investing billions of dollars in what they called longevity engineering. Basically, the idea was to figure out how to digitize our brains so that we could live digitally forever. Now that's pretty darn intriguing, and I had to ask the question, what could go wrong with that? That led to my story Not So Dead and some of the quirky, engaging characters that inhabit the physical and digital worlds of my books.
I never imagined writing a series when I started on the first book. I mean, the first book for any author is a daunting mountain to climb. There is so much to learn about writing and publishing the first time out. Just finishing that first book is a big deal. However, the characters in my book took on a real life personality and befriended me as the author. So, I felt I owed it to them to continue their story into book number two. Then my readers kept asking me what happens next? And that led to books three and four. I’m now working on book 5.
Your college degree was in philosophy and ancient Greek. Your career was in marketing and consulting. What made you decide you could write books?
The first book I ever read just for pleasure as a kid was On Her Majesty's Secret Service by Ian Fleming. I think I have been hooked on thrillers and fast-paced reads ever since. My interest in philosophy and Greek was a happy accident in college that taught me to think about the BIG questions that have made their way into my writing. For example, where does consciousness really exist? And does love survive extreme trials and even death? For me too, reading Plato in the original Greek was a life-changing experience. As for my writing, I started writing poetry as a teenager and learned how to be more precise in my writing when I attended law school. When I wrote Not So Dead, I wasn't sure if it was any good. However, when I got my first five-star Amazon review from somebody who wasn't a relative, I felt that now I am an author.
Your books are indie-published. What’s the hardest part for you in publishing and marketing your own books?
I am a big believer that you should do what you are good at and hire others to handle things where you are not so talented. So, I do hire a professional editor, a professional proofreader, and a book cover designer. But I handle all the publishing aspects myself since those require the technical skills that I do have.
As for marketing, unlike many authors who prefer just to write, I enjoy the marketing and selling part as much as I do the writing. Perhaps it's a result of the many years I have spent in business and sales. Also, the act of writing is a solo pursuit. Whereas getting out with people, selling books, and doing book events is fun and very social.
Probably the hardest part of the entire process for me is writing the first sentence every morning. Once I can get started and not be distracted by social media or handling trivial other things to avoid doing my work, then it all flows. But writing that first sentence is the hardest thing to me about the entire writing and publishing process. If you have a good suggestion as to how to overcome that, please let me know.
What is the hardest part of writing for you?
As I said above, the hardest part for me is starting and writing that first sentence. However, the rest is pretty equal in its joys and frustrations. I will say that my favorite part of writing is creating dialogue. That probably comes from my love of movies. I admire writers like Aaron Sorkin who develop their characters through clever, emotional, rapid-fire dialogue. Many readers tell me they should make my books into a Netflix series. I think they are responding to the preponderance of dialogue in my books, which make them read like movies.
What type of research do you do to create a believable thriller?
Research is a lot of fun and important to my stories. Since what I write is very much fact-based, even though it is fiction, I really want to get the facts and details correct. I know that if I fail to describe a gun or a particular location or street or vehicle correctly, I will hear from my readers.
Part of the fun in research is interviewing experts in various fields. For example, in the current novel I'm writing, I have interviewed a former police detective and narcotics undercover agent. On another occasion, I spent a day with the ATF and learned directly from a sniper how she approaches her work (she landed up in my third book Not So Done). Maybe one of my more interesting engagements was an interview I did with a psychiatrist and a psychologist (married couple) about multiple personality disorder. One of the touching stories they told me made its way in a different form into my second book, Not So Gone.
And research can lead to adventures. I spent three days at sea, 100 miles out and 600 feet down in an armed nuclear submarine. The details of that experience are not available online or in books. I could learn directly from the men and women who protect us under the sea and oversee the Atlantic fleet how it's done. Not surprisingly, I have a passionate interest in submarines and that reflects itself as an element in every book that I have written.
What do you know now about writing you wished you had known sooner?
If I knew how much fun writing and being an author was, I would have taken it seriously many years earlier. But I have no regrets, because I think the richness of my long-life experience contributes greatly to making my stories deeper and broader, both contextually and philosophically. Sorry, that's a mouthful!
What is the best writing advice you’ve received or could give?
The best advice I ever got was from the well-known author Dennis Lehane, who wrote Mystic River and Shutter Island. The advice is… FINISH THE BOOK! So many talented writers I know are afraid to show their writing with others or lose momentum or lack confidence in their work. So many outstanding books are left unread in the drawer. If I could tell you anything I would say finish the book!
Are there any other points about writing you would like to add?
There are so many things I have learned over the last several years that I would be happy to share with your readers. I periodically teach a free workshop called “How to Write Your First Book and Get It Published.” If any one of your readers is interested, have them contact me and I would be glad to share information on that workshop and other videos of talks I have given on the subject—full of suggestions and ideas to make their/your writing experience fun and profitable. I am also happy to speak at book clubs either in person, if local or by ZOOM anywhere. Just contact me at the link below.
What is the next book coming out? Can you give me a short synopsis?
I am in the middle of writing the 5th book in the Not So Dead: Sam Sunborn series. It's called Still Not Done(working title). In the book, our heroes Sam and Monica face tough decisions regarding their son Evan’s health and safety while juggling threats from an escaped terrorist and a technology that may not just threaten us physically, but alter our entire reality. It should be a nail biter with some great new characters. I hope you have time to check it out. It will be available later this year. Still, you may want to catch up by reading the first few books in the series first.
If you'd like to learn more about Charles' writing, here are some links to get you started.
Website: https://charleslevin.com/
Not So Dead Series on Amazon—eBook and Kindle Unlimited: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087JHZDPS
Paperbacks: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087JHZDPS
Audiobooks: https://charleslevin.com/audiobooks/
Contact Charles Levin: https://charleslevin.com/contact/
Your college degree was in philosophy and ancient Greek. Your career was in marketing and consulting. What made you decide you could write books?
The first book I ever read just for pleasure as a kid was On Her Majesty's Secret Service by Ian Fleming. I think I have been hooked on thrillers and fast-paced reads ever since. My interest in philosophy and Greek was a happy accident in college that taught me to think about the BIG questions that have made their way into my writing. For example, where does consciousness really exist? And does love survive extreme trials and even death? For me too, reading Plato in the original Greek was a life-changing experience. As for my writing, I started writing poetry as a teenager and learned how to be more precise in my writing when I attended law school. When I wrote Not So Dead, I wasn't sure if it was any good. However, when I got my first five-star Amazon review from somebody who wasn't a relative, I felt that now I am an author.
I am a big believer that you should do what you are good at and hire others to handle things where you are not so talented. So, I do hire a professional editor, a professional proofreader, and a book cover designer. But I handle all the publishing aspects myself since those require the technical skills that I do have.
As for marketing, unlike many authors who prefer just to write, I enjoy the marketing and selling part as much as I do the writing. Perhaps it's a result of the many years I have spent in business and sales. Also, the act of writing is a solo pursuit. Whereas getting out with people, selling books, and doing book events is fun and very social.
Probably the hardest part of the entire process for me is writing the first sentence every morning. Once I can get started and not be distracted by social media or handling trivial other things to avoid doing my work, then it all flows. But writing that first sentence is the hardest thing to me about the entire writing and publishing process. If you have a good suggestion as to how to overcome that, please let me know.
What is the hardest part of writing for you?
As I said above, the hardest part for me is starting and writing that first sentence. However, the rest is pretty equal in its joys and frustrations. I will say that my favorite part of writing is creating dialogue. That probably comes from my love of movies. I admire writers like Aaron Sorkin who develop their characters through clever, emotional, rapid-fire dialogue. Many readers tell me they should make my books into a Netflix series. I think they are responding to the preponderance of dialogue in my books, which make them read like movies.
Research is a lot of fun and important to my stories. Since what I write is very much fact-based, even though it is fiction, I really want to get the facts and details correct. I know that if I fail to describe a gun or a particular location or street or vehicle correctly, I will hear from my readers.
Part of the fun in research is interviewing experts in various fields. For example, in the current novel I'm writing, I have interviewed a former police detective and narcotics undercover agent. On another occasion, I spent a day with the ATF and learned directly from a sniper how she approaches her work (she landed up in my third book Not So Done). Maybe one of my more interesting engagements was an interview I did with a psychiatrist and a psychologist (married couple) about multiple personality disorder. One of the touching stories they told me made its way in a different form into my second book, Not So Gone.
And research can lead to adventures. I spent three days at sea, 100 miles out and 600 feet down in an armed nuclear submarine. The details of that experience are not available online or in books. I could learn directly from the men and women who protect us under the sea and oversee the Atlantic fleet how it's done. Not surprisingly, I have a passionate interest in submarines and that reflects itself as an element in every book that I have written.
What do you know now about writing you wished you had known sooner?
If I knew how much fun writing and being an author was, I would have taken it seriously many years earlier. But I have no regrets, because I think the richness of my long-life experience contributes greatly to making my stories deeper and broader, both contextually and philosophically. Sorry, that's a mouthful!
The best advice I ever got was from the well-known author Dennis Lehane, who wrote Mystic River and Shutter Island. The advice is… FINISH THE BOOK! So many talented writers I know are afraid to show their writing with others or lose momentum or lack confidence in their work. So many outstanding books are left unread in the drawer. If I could tell you anything I would say finish the book!
Are there any other points about writing you would like to add?
There are so many things I have learned over the last several years that I would be happy to share with your readers. I periodically teach a free workshop called “How to Write Your First Book and Get It Published.” If any one of your readers is interested, have them contact me and I would be glad to share information on that workshop and other videos of talks I have given on the subject—full of suggestions and ideas to make their/your writing experience fun and profitable. I am also happy to speak at book clubs either in person, if local or by ZOOM anywhere. Just contact me at the link below.
What is the next book coming out? Can you give me a short synopsis?
I am in the middle of writing the 5th book in the Not So Dead: Sam Sunborn series. It's called Still Not Done(working title). In the book, our heroes Sam and Monica face tough decisions regarding their son Evan’s health and safety while juggling threats from an escaped terrorist and a technology that may not just threaten us physically, but alter our entire reality. It should be a nail biter with some great new characters. I hope you have time to check it out. It will be available later this year. Still, you may want to catch up by reading the first few books in the series first.
If you'd like to learn more about Charles' writing, here are some links to get you started.
Website: https://charleslevin.com/
Not So Dead Series on Amazon—eBook and Kindle Unlimited: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087JHZDPS
Paperbacks: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087JHZDPS
Audiobooks: https://charleslevin.com/audiobooks/
Contact Charles Levin: https://charleslevin.com/contact/
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