Sixty Seconds II with: Michael Seese

Ten answers to ten questions in 20 words or fewer. That’s less time than it takes to burn a match*.

(*Depending on the length of the match and your tolerance for burned fingers, obviously)

Our newest Flash! Friday winner is back-to-back champ Michael Seese.  Read his winning story here. Read his first #SixtySeconds interview (all the way from last week) here. Then take another minute to get to know him better below.

1) What about the prompt inspired your winning piece? I’m reading Under The Dome. A character reflects on using a magnifying glass to burn ants. But I did ants last week. So I went “bigger.”

2) Do you outline, or are you more of a discovery writer? Generally I’m a seat-of-the-pants writer. But I’m about to start a complicated thriller. So I’m writing down… more of a road map than a true outline, plus character bios.

3) How would you describe your writing style? I’m not sure anyone has ever used the word “style” that close to my writing.

4) When did you begin writing fiction? The first fiction piece that I can recall writing started shortly after college. It’s a YA thriller. And I’m STILL trying to find an agent for it.

5) Introduce us to a favorite character in one of your stories. I really like the completely creepy titular character from Jerald’s Joke, which is the second story in the No Strings Attached series. Speaking of which (AHEM) the first story, Rebecca’s Fall From… will be free AGAIN today on Amazon.

6) What books have influenced your life the most? The Encyclopedia. When I was a kid, I would read it for fun. I guess that’s why I kick butt at Trivial Pursuit, and throwing weird factoids into my writing.

7) What are you currently reading? As mentioned above, Under The Dome. One word: WOW! Though if pressed for a second word: LONG.

8) How do you combat writer’s block? What’s that? Seriously.

9) What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever been given? The great advice would have to be “show, don’t tell.” But it was reading an example of it that I would cite as the “best” part. It’s not automatic for me yet. But when I do… DAMN, I’m proud!

10) What do you admire most about dragons?  The fact that they’ve managed to stay out of zoos this long.