This week, I’d like to introduce you guys to Scott Donnelly! I’ve just finished reading his latest release, The Whool, and I enjoyed it so much! I am so excited that he was available for this Author Spotlight.
Heres a little about Scott: Scott Donnelly is an Indie Author who lives in Grove City, Ohio with his wife and three children. Scott is the author of THE ICE GHOST, the first book in the action/thriller RED•ECHO series. He also writes the highly-rated UNHEARD OF series, which are sci-fi thrillers that are based in, and around, Grove City, and uses an investigative format to explore the possible cover-up of alien activity in the area. Scott also writes THE SCOUT BROOKS SAGA, and it’s sequel trilogy, THE SON-ISH CLONE OF SCOUT, which are the quirky, space adventures of high-schooler Scout Brooks, and his misfit crew that follow him to every corner of the universe on the most ridiculous missions ever. Scott just released THE WHOOL, a ghastly horror novella on August 17th of this year.
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
When I was in middle school, I had to write a short story for an english class. It wasn’t very good, but I had a lot of fun writing it. My interest took off from there, and I was writing every chance I got, whether it was a fan-fiction story, an original story, or even a screenplay.
Tell me a little about your writing journey, thus far.
It’s been a very slow journey, but I feel like with each thing I release, I become more comfortable and confident. My writing is a hobby above all else, but it wasn’t until I released “The Scout Brooks Story: The Freshman Invasion” in 2014 that I tried to get my work out there more. Since then, I have released one or two things a year.
Do you write under a pseudonym? If so explain why.
I wrote one story under a pseudonym, but lost interest in the project. It was a sequel to a public domain property. The book is still available as a free ebook download. If you dig just right, you can probably find it.
What genre do you write and why?
I like to write in a variety of genres so I can explore many topics and not bore myself with the same things over and over. I feel like I usually have so many ideas that won’t all fall under the same genre. Most of the time it is within the realm of science fiction, horror, and action. I basically write things that I would like to read.
What are you currently working on?
I just released a horror novella called “The Whool” which I am very excited about. I am currently working on book two in “The Red Echo Series”, my action/thriller series inspired by action movies from the 80s and 90s. I am also writing the seventh, and final, book in “The Scout Brooks Saga”, which is a quirky, fun, sci-fi adventure series. I am also contributing to a couple upcoming anthologies, “Pulp Reality #2” (2021) and “Tales of the Weird and Strange.” (Fall 2020). I am always coming up with new ideas, so i’m sure I’ll have something else in the works pretty soon.
What inspired you to write?
My middle school english class and teacher were huge inspirations at the beginning. As I grew older, my family and children became strong inspirations, as well as my dedicated readers. I really write for them.
What are your top 5 favorite books?
I have enjoyed so many books in my life. My favorite book of all time is “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie. It is what sparked my interest in mysteries, which spiraled into a love for horror movies. I also really enjoyed “White Shark” by Peter Benchley, “I Am Not a Serial Killer” by Dan Wells, “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” by CS Lewis, and “War of the Worlds” by HG Wells.
What does literary success look like to you?
Literary success, to me, is creating a story that people would love to read, or characters that people would love to keep reading about. I love the thought of people looking forward to my next book, especially in a series. I have a few readers who definitely feel that way, but I would always love to have more. Entertaining is my goal. If I can genuinely entertain even just one person, I’ll feel successful.
How many hours a day do you write? What is your writing routine?
Having a full time job and three kids makes it difficult these days to sit down and be able to write or have a routine. I try to squeeze in a few paragraphs here and there, and occasionally, I’ll have a nice chunk of time to work on things. But since I treat my writing as a hobby, that makes it easier to have it spread out more. Usually my only deadlines are times and dates I set myself. I can be flexible.
How do you incorporate feedback into your work?
I love feedback. Good or bad. I’ve definitely received my fair share of negative feedback (mostly with my earlier books), but you also can’t please everyone with everything. A bad review I can usually shake off, but if they make good points, I definitely take note. The good reviews though are what I feed off the most.
What advice would you like to give to aspiring authors?
Don’t be discouraged. It takes a long time for your work to be noticed. Sometimes it won’t. But as long as you enjoy it, keep at it. You’ll have a lot to be proud of.
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