Interview With Author Lawrence Cromwell

 

 

1. What inspired you to write this book? I was inspired to write this book because I felt that, although I have never been diagnosed with autism, I have had many life experiences that lead me to believe that I am on the spectrum with Asperger's Syndrome. This gives me a perspective  on living life with a different outlook on the world of work, education, and social interaction as an Asperger's person. I also was an unwilling recipient of society's disapproval of my handicaps in dealing with instructions in work, play, and all types of social interaction. The book is my answer through the fictional character of Alfred an Asperger's person and his plot to take revenge on his six worst high school tormentors. His revenge and what comes after is a science fiction story about not only his revenge on the six former students, but a way to influence society's treatment of autistic people.   

2. What exactly is the book about and who is it written for? As stated partly in #1 above, the book is about Alfred, a young Asperger's man who devises a method of torture for the six worst former classmate from his high school days. He has found a method of capturing the minds of these six individuals, holding their minds in a cyber-room, submitting them to imaginary torture which feels real and breaking them down. Then He recruits them to join him in a seven- person team called the Pleiades Team to use some of the same techniques on  celebrities and high office holders to influence society at large. I believe the best audience for this book is young adults. 

3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book?  I hope my readers will be entertained but educated about the many aspects of living with autism, especially when one is also gifted, (but doesn't know it). The entertainment will basically come from humorous dialogue, romantic lives of characters, awkward situations, and the exposure of bullies in every walk of life, not just for autistic people.  

4. How did you decide on your books title and design?  The seven characters in the book become the seven members of the Pleiades Team, named for the constellation with seven main stars. The book's cover is of the star field in the vicinity of the Pleiades Constellation. Note: I include Alfred as one of the seven because his mind is manipulated through the process of manipulating the others.   

 5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!? My words of advice are to not do what I did. I wrote my story mostly without a plan and published it on Amazon Kindle several different times with poor results until I finally decided that my only hope was to hire a publisher who could take my manuscript and turn it into a readable book with well-presented text and an attractive cover. Don't self-publish unless you are really comfortable with technology and have lots of patience.   

6.  What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading? The trends I'm seeing in the book world include some very good titles and some sophisticated writing, but very little manual editing and  sloppy writing. People are so interested in writing books and making lots of money that they lose sight of the message they are delivering or not.   

7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book?  My whole life has been one of trying to figure out the rules and following them in life. Feeling like I must have been standing behind the door when life scripts were being handed out, I have had to try to cope with misunderstanding much of what I saw, heard, and felt. Trying to succeed under those circumstances when you can't even tell you're just getting the message wrong can be debilitating and you can convince yourself you're just lazy or stupid.   

8.  How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to? I would describe my writing style as free, but disciplined. I try to use humor and dialogue to bring out points I want to make without being overly pedantic or preachy. I aspire to write like Kurt Vonnegut with a mix of Dean Kuntz and some Dave Barry thrown in.   

9. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book? The main challenges were sticking to finishing the book, not getting over vengeful, visiting some of my past foibles in careers and romance and stumbling through all the previously unknown difficulties of writing, publishing, and promoting a book.   

10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours?  I feel that people who pick up the book will be entertained, come away with a different point of view on life (their own and those who think divergently), and have a new respect for all humans that share this planet.   

About The Author: I was born in Miami, Florida in 1950. I went to school in Miami and graduated high school in 1968., I attended University of Florida in Gainesville and graduated with a BA degree from Florida International University with a degree in Sociology/Anthropology in 1973.  Most of the jobs were technical jobs such as land surveying aide.  I joined U.S. Peace Corps as a volunteer math/science teacher in upcountry Kenya from 1984 to 1986. I then taught math and science on four continents, traveled to many countries, and became semi-retired in 2014. Since I had no formal training in writing, I entered writing through writing short stories for my own enjoyment.  I self-published a few short stories and anthologies on Amazon and finally wrote and published my first novel: Seven Manipulated Minds in 2023. For more info, please see: newmansprings.com

 

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About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.6 million pageviews. With 4,800+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.