My guest today is Michael J. Sahno. Hello! Welcome
to Writing in the Modern Age! It’s such a pleasure to have you here.
Can you tell us a little bit about your latest book? When did it come out? Where can we get it?
Can you tell us a little bit about your latest book? When did it come out? Where can we get it?
My third novel, Miles of Files, just came out on
December 15th...on
the same day as my first and second novels! The story takes place in Tampa, Florida, and
it’s about a guy who finds out his boss is stealing from the company retirement
plan.
Our hero has to decide whether to try to stop the criminal at the risk of
losing his own job, or live with this terrible knowledge. So the book traces the dynamic of the guy’s inner conflict.
All three novels - Miles of Files, Brothers' Hand, and Jana - are available through my website, as well as through Amazon, Barnes &Noble, iBooks, Kobo, and all sorts of other formats via Smashwords.
All three novels - Miles of Files, Brothers' Hand, and Jana - are available through my website, as well as through Amazon, Barnes &Noble, iBooks, Kobo, and all sorts of other formats via Smashwords.
All right. What made you release three novels at the same time?
Well, I thought it would make a great news story:
"Publisher Releases Author’s
First Three Novels On The Same Day". I had no idea how much work I was in for…the
amount of editing and proofreading was intense. But I think the result is well
worth it, and people are enjoying them.
First Three Novels On The Same Day". I had no idea how much work I was in for…the
amount of editing and proofreading was intense. But I think the result is well
worth it, and people are enjoying them.
That's great!
I was working for a company at one point where the administrator of the 401(k)
put the plan into a "blackout" period for an extended period. I didn't find
evidence of wrongdoing...but it made me wonder: What would happen in that
situation? What recourse would employees have? So that was the genesis of the
idea, although I must stress it is fictional!
Isn't it interesting where the muse takes us? ;)
It's always been a passion of mine. I started as
a poet and songwriter, and I
began writing my first novel when I was about twenty-five. Once I finished the
first one, I launched into writing the second one before I ever thought about
looking for an agent or publisher. That led to the three books I have available
today.
began writing my first novel when I was about twenty-five. Once I finished the
first one, I launched into writing the second one before I ever thought about
looking for an agent or publisher. That led to the three books I have available
today.
Wow! Amazing journey!
Do you have any favorite authors, Michael?
Sure. My favorites are John Fowles, John
Gardner, and a whole slew of classic
authors: Balzac, Dickens, Faulkner, Fitzgerald, and Kurt Vonnegut. I was an
English professor's dream!
authors: Balzac, Dickens, Faulkner, Fitzgerald, and Kurt Vonnegut. I was an
English professor's dream!
:) I admire Vonnegut as well.
So, are there any words you'd like to impart to fellow writers? Any
advice?
Don't give up, but don't take shortcuts either.
Have a great editor and realize
that editors earn the money they're paid. My company, Sahno Publishing, offers
comprehensive services for authors of literary fiction, including editing, and
especially emphasizing marketing and business coaching. Authors need to
understand that once their book is out, they are in business. And if I can help
them succeed, I'm happy to do so.
that editors earn the money they're paid. My company, Sahno Publishing, offers
comprehensive services for authors of literary fiction, including editing, and
especially emphasizing marketing and business coaching. Authors need to
understand that once their book is out, they are in business. And if I can help
them succeed, I'm happy to do so.
Nice! Thank you so much for
stopping by to visit us here today at Writing in the Modern Age. It was
so great having you! :)
Readers,
here is the blurb for Miles of Files.
Miles of Files is a literary novel that combines humor with a
good old-fashioned crime story. When Paul Panepinto finds out that his
boss is stealing from their Tampa company's 401(k) plan, he has to make a
decision: try to stop the criminal at the risk of losing his own job,
or keep his mouth shut and try to live with himself.
Here is an excerpt.
AT 5:38 on the morning of his forty-first birthday, Graham
Woodcock awakened to the sound of a cat retching. He heard three distinct
thumps as the cat’s larynx contracted, then a sound with a different quality,
liquid, gurgling: no doubt the discharge of some vomitous hairball. Or, worse,
an entire meal. He saw it in his mind’s eye as he glared through the dark at
the red numbers of the alarm clock.
When he finally decided to rise—after another hour’s sleep—he was
roused not by the urgency of cat puke, but by the urgency of the breakfast
hour. Not his—the cats’. One of them leapt on the bed and nuzzled his
outstretched hand with phony affection, a clear message: get up, get up.
Giddyup.
Graham crept into the kitchen, trailing the cats in darkness. He
scanned the floor to avoid any cat vomit that might be there, but there was
none. He flipped on lights and fed the cats, then wandered from room to room in
search of vomit. Nothing.
He sat down to eat his breakfast, and everything was fine until
one of the cats began to move its bowels while Graham was finishing his cereal.
It was Truman, no doubt, whose bathroom routine was maddeningly predictable.
He decided to ignore it and finish the cereal in spite of the
odor. Then Truman strutted into the kitchen, waving his tail like a dog.
Somehow he’d managed to snake his tail across the gloppy pile of excrement in
the litter pan, and a streak of it glistened in his fur like a grotesque flag.
“Bloody hell.”
The cat approached the breakfast nook, still switching his tail back
and forth, and each motion left a faint brown brushstroke against the
cream-colored paint. He created his own masterpiece right beneath the kitchen
counter.
“NO, no, no. Shit,” Graham said, then realized the irony. He
picked the cat up by the scruff of the neck—the only way he could hold him
without getting himself painted—and carried him into the bathroom. “You little
bastard.” He swallowed the urge to slam the cat against the wall.
“I hope this isn’t an indication of the kind of day it’s going to
be.”
But it was. On the side of the bathtub stood a cockroach the size
of Graham’s thumb. He froze, dropping the cat as the roach scampered down into
the clean white tub. “Christ!”
He cranked the hot water all the way on to drown the brown beast,
which swam around with frantic leg movements. At last it succumbed to the
boiling hot water and floated toward the drain, which was too small for it.
“Why the hell did I ever come to this godforsaken swamp?” he
muttered. “All I ever wanted was a nice house in the hills and a bit of crumpet
on the side. Now I’m stuck in Florida with the cast of Deliverance,
killing roaches that look like Harley fucking Davidson motorcycles. If it
weren’t for the 401(k) program, I’d bloody well sod off.”
The Harley Davidson was dead now, and Graham grabbed it with a wad
of toilet paper before flushing it. Unfortunately, he’d scalded himself in the
process, and small pink welts like fever blisters rose on his arms.
He remembered the cat, and knew it was too late. Sure enough, as
he walked from the bathroom he saw light brown feather-strokes at odd points on
the burgundy carpet. Some were barely visible, like the first one he stepped
on—with his bare foot, of course.
“Happy fucking birthday,” he said between his teeth.
Amazon Universal: http://bookgoodies.com/a/B016PGDZFE
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/596749
Publisher: http://msahno.com/books/
Wow! LOL. I can certainly relate with the cat situation.
And the book sounds interesting! I am eager to find out what happens in the story.
Author Bio
Michael J. Sahno began writing stories at an early age. Eventually,
he was selected for Editor-in-Chief of his high school literary magazine. The
quality of his work led to several honorary titles and academic awards by his
senior year, which made it clear he was predestined to serve a role in literary
excellence.
Mr. Sahno earned his Bachelor’s from Lynchburg College and
later went on to earn his Master’s in English from Binghamton University.
After college, Mr. Sahno served in several management
positions, including Director at a marketing research firm, Assistant Vice
President at a Tampa-based mortgage company and college professor in the field
of English composition.
Sahno became a full-time professional writer in 2001 and, in
the following years, wrote more than 1,000 marketing articles on a wide range
of topics. His experience with quality copy, research and resourcefulness put
him in high demand in the business community across the southeastern United
States. In fact, several of the publications with which he was associated won
Addy Awards in 2008 and 2010.
Mr. Sahno has written and published three novels: Brothers’ Hand, Jana, and Miles of Files.
He is the founder of Sahno Publishing and is available for professional speaking
engagements upon request. For further information, contact info@msahno.com.
Author Links:
Website: http://msahno.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sahnocomm/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MikeSahno
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Michael-J.-Sahno/e/B018PTN964/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/
Michael's
Books:
