This is the guy who gives me hope and keeps me writing. Once he was just an indie author writing his stories like me but when he made it big he was still nice enough to interview for my blog.
Tag Archives: Hugh Howey
Indie (?) Author Interview: Hugh Howey
Posted in author, books, interview
Tagged Author interview, Hugh Howey, indie author, ThePhilFactor
A New Book by Author Hugh Howey: The Shell Collector
This isn’t a review. The book just came out Sunday and I definitely don’t read that fast. I’m essentially providing free advertising for Hugh for two reasons. One, because several years ago he started out like me; just a guy publishing his own books and hoping for the best. About three years ago one of his books, Wool, kind of caught fire by internet word of mouth. About two years ago he signed a seven figure contract with Simon & Schuster. About a year and a half ago The Phil Factor had just moved to WordPress and had a small number of followers. The second reason he gets free advertising is because, in spite of my small following at the time, Hugh Howey agreed to let me interview him for my blog.
The Shell Collector synopsis: The ocean is dying. The sea is growing warmer and is gradually rising. Seashells have become so rare that collecting them is now a national obsession. Flawless specimens sell like priceless works of art. Families hunt the tideline in the dark of night with flashlights. Crowds gather on beaches at the lowest of tides, hoping to get lucky.
Supreme among these collectors is Ness Wilde, CEO of Ocean Oil. Ness owns many of the best beaches, and he keeps them to himself. It’s his fault the world turned out this way. And I aim to destroy him.
My name is Maya Walsh. You might be familiar with my shelling column in the Times. I was working on a series of pieces about Mr. Wilde, when out of the blue, he called. He says he wants to talk. But I don’t think he’s going to like what I have to say.
Despite only having come out on Sunday The Shell Collector already has 60 great reviews. Hugh has now built up an impressive catalog of sci-fi, dystopian and fantasy novels. You can find them all on Amazon and on his website.
Come back tomorrow for a very special guest interview about The Interview. Have a great Friday! ~Phil
Sand by Hugh Howey
I haven’t read Sand yet. I did read Hugh’s book Wool that made him a mega-star in the indie and real publishing world. It was a futuristic, sci-fi tale with a strong female protagonist and a surprise ending that you’ll love.
I will forever be a supporter of Hugh Howey’s work. At the end of last June when I had half as many blog, Facebook, and Twitter followers as I do now I e-mailed Hugh to ask him if I could interview him for The Phil Factor. Much to my surprise he answers his own e-mail and he said yes. You can read that interview here. Just a few weeks ago a question about one of his books occurred to me so I emailed him with the question. He got right back to me, proving that he is a truly nice guy.
Because I am always grateful to those that have helped me in life I will always promote the work of the more established writers who have agreed to interview for my blog. Hugh just released Sand. What he did that is awesome is that he released as both an omnibus edition (the whole story) and he also released it in five separate sections. This way if you’re not sure if you want to invest the entire $5.99 for the omnibus e-book you can just order Sand Part 1 for $1.41 (or free if you’ve got Amazon Prime) so you can try out the story and decide if you want to read the rest.
Sand synopsis: The old world is buried. A new one has been forged atop the shifting dunes. Here in this land of howling wind and infernal sand, four siblings find themselves scattered and lost. Their father was a sand diver, one of the elite few who could travel deep beneath the desert floor and bring up the relics and scraps that keep their people alive. But their father is gone. And the world he left behind might be next.
Welcome to the world of Sand, the first new novel from New York Times bestselling author Hugh Howey since his publication of the Silo Saga. Unrelated to those works, which looked at a dystopian world under totalitarian rule, Sand is an exploration of lawlessness. Here is a land ignored. Here is a people left to fend for themselves. Adjust your ker and take a last, deep breath before you enter.
If you like sci-fi, futuristic dystopian societies Hugh is a great writer and you should give his book a try. He is also a nice guy and I believe that should be rewarded in life.
