An Interview with Maxx Powr: Author of The Promise

Maxx Powr is a husband and father. He loves dogs. His dream situation would be a huge rescue farm taking in strays.

Tell us about your book.

The Promise is a fun sci-fi space opera romp. It has action, humor, adventure, romance and a little sex, but not erotica. The main characters have been DNA enhanced and possess special abilities, useful in fighting the invading alien Klix. They are well trained, but untested. They are brothers, sharing the same DNA and history, trained at the Piecer Academy. A trusting humanity has become complacent, believing in a false truce. When the aliens return, humanity is nearly wiped out, again. It is up to the 523 squad, the bad batch, to save the day.

Why did you want to write a book?

I wanted to tell a story that I would like to see made into a movie. Something a little different. I also wanted to explore the relationships between men, women, aliens, androids and robots.

Why did you choose to self-publish?

This is actually my fourth book. The first and second I shopped around to publishers using the over-the-transom method many years ago. Their responses were encouraging, but life got in the way. Writing was put on hold. My first self-published book was a MG/YA story: Fairalon. I tried agent queries and got the usual rejections. I read that it can take ten years to find an agent and didn’t want to wait that long. Fairalon was self-published to great reviews. It was enough for me that children liked it and the reviews were good. Self-publishing is really self-marketing and I’m “probably” a better writer than a marketer. Marketing is not an easy task.

What tools or companies did you use, and what experience did you have?

Reader’s Favorite for a review. They were great. They also did Fairalon and liked it and they don’t break the bank. Self-Publishing Review, obviously, and they were great as well. Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) reviews are hard to get and it is fortunate for Indies that these companies exist. I also hired a great editor Sarah Liu who loved the book and did a great job editing, in spite of me. It makes all the difference in the world if your editor likes your book.

Would you self-publish again?

Yes! Return to Fairalon is in the works, as is Book 2 of the Piecer Chronicles.

What do you think are the main pitfalls for indie writers?

You’re a salmon swimming upstream sideways. Nobody believes in you. People roll their eyes when you say “self-published.” Be prepared for criticism, lots of criticism that is sometimes designed to be hurtful, not helpful. Beware of trolls.

What tips can you give other authors looking to self-publish?

Write the best book you can. If you are happy with it, that’s enough. Get a good editor though, because they can see things you can’t anymore. After you read your book 1000 times, your mind fills in the blanks with words or scenes missing in the book. Read it aloud to someone you trust. Edit it, read it again… again… again. I’m not the world’s best writer, far from it, but if you look at what is out there, there is a dearth of new material. Your book may be just what people like. You never know until you put it out there.

What was your steepest learning curve during the publishing process?

For me it was learning a new desktop publishing program, capable of printing a book to the specifications required both for the cover and the contents. It is “easy-ish”once you know how, but you will pull your hair out trying to satisfy the printer. Then there is E-book formatting, more joy. Probably the easiest part, but that doesn’t mean it’s super easy either.

As a writer, what is your schedule? How do you get the job done?

I try to write every day when working on a book. My schedule is dependent on my other work. Writing doesn’t always win, but when I’m in the zone, I have to get the words down on paper. I email myself a lot using my phone with ideas and scenes. Once you are into the book, it’s hard not to finish it, for me. You invested a lot of time and you want to see how it ends. If you have an outline (you should) you know how it ends, but the characters sometimes surprise you with their own ideas, and that is such a wonderful thing it makes it fun.

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Plow ahead. Write the next chapter. If it stinks, trash it. Other ideas come to you as you write. Take a break. Do something mindless, like washing dishes or cleaning. Take a shower. I have my best ideas in the shower for some strange reason. I may have to purchase a waterproof laptop.

Tell us about the genre you wrote in, and why you chose to write this sort of book.

This is adult Sci Fi. Always a fan of this genre, along with fantasy. I wrote The Promise as adult Sci Fi, the movie I would like to see. I have found that people have similar tastes to mine so I thought it would appeal to a lot of people.

Who are your biggest writing inspirations and why?

Stephen King for his discipline, writing every day, and the weirdness of what he writes.

How do your friends and family get involved with your writing? What do they think of your book?

My poor wife has been a saint. I read to her on weekends. “What do you think of this?” She asks pointed questions. She makes me re-read frequently and lets me know if a sentence is too clunky. My friends have really surprised me. I didn’t think they would be interested in reading my dun dun dunnnnnn, “self-published book.” (the horror) But they have become my biggest fans, requesting the sequel. “Now!” The other very cool and amazing thing is that I’m meeting a lot of really amazing people on Facebook. I’m not a fan of FB, but I have connected with some great writers and modern day heroes, military and police. Some of them have read the book and like it. To have your heroes and fellow writers read and like your book, is indescribably satisfying.

What are your plans now your book is published?

It’s not launched until 5/23/19, a tie-in with the 523 squad. Once it is, it will be interesting to see what happens. I will continue to work on Return To Fairalon, and Book #2 of the Piecer Chronicles. What better way to spend my life?

Why did you write about this particular subject?

I was a former therapist. I am fascinated with the human psyche and especially the relationships between men, women, and sex. Robots are becoming more lifelike. If we ever reach the time when male and female robots are as lifelike as Westworld portrays them, I wonder if the human race is doomed. Would a lifelike robot cure loneliness? Would the suicide rate go down? If you could create the perfect man or woman, would they be? Would you just be dating you? DNA enhancement is already a reality. What will the world be like when we can produce humans without parents, with adjusted DNA to make them “better?” Will we imbue animal characteristics or machine parts to give them access to the Internet? Will they be part human and part machine? If we create them, are they our equal, or our superiors? What will they think about what we did?

Do you consider yourself a great writer?

No. Hardly. But I’m getting better.

Why did you use the pen name Maxx Powr?

The first book was MG/YA for children and young adults. I had to differentiate this book from Fairalon. I didn’t want young people thinking this was another children’s book.

Is The Promise X-rated?

No. If I had to rate it, I would give it an R rating. The language is rough at times. There are sexual situations in the book that are intended for mature audiences.

What did you learn on your journey as an author?

You will receive more criticism than you ever thought possible. You will get opposite reviews, loved it/hated it, great characters/terrible characters, great world building/terrible world building. It will blow your mind if you take it too seriously. Some people don’t feel they are helping you unless they criticize your work. I just try to remember that they are trying to help and it’s like getting a broken yo-yo for Christmas. It’s the thought that counts.

What’s next for you as an author?

Return to Fairalon and Book #2 of the Piecer Chronicles.