Pump Up Your Book Chats with Mark Oetjens

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Mark Oetjens was born in 1971. He grew up in suburban Chicago. As a child he was diagnosed with Dystonia, a debilitating neuromuscular disorder. Though there is no cure for Dystonia, surgeries and rehabilitation allowed him to walk with only a slight limp by the time he started high school. He received a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Anthropology, both from Northern Illinois University. As an adult a brain tumor, completely unrelated to his Dystonia, threatened to disable him a second time. Thanks to radiation therapy the tumor has disappeared. Mark currently lives in Phoenix, AZ.

Mark’s latest book is the science fiction novel, The Staff of Rahgorra.

You can visit his website at www.conquerpublishing.com.

I came up with the story over 20 years ago and it’s been gnawing at me ever since. In 2002 I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. After I recovered I knew I had to finish it.

Q: Which part of the book was the hardest to write?

I don’t want to give anything away, but there’s a big space battle in the middle of the book. That was the hardest because I wasn’t sure what I was doing. I’m still not sure I pulled it off.

Q: Does your book have an underlying message that readers should know about?

I don’t think so. It’s just a fun and entertaining story and I hope people enjoy reading it.

Q: Do you remember when the writing bug hit?

I can remember being 8 or 9 and writing bad Star Wars fan-fic.

Q: What’s the most frustrating thing about becoming a published author and what’s the most rewarding?

The most frustrating thing is marketing and promotion and letting people know The Staff of Rahgorra is out there and available. The most rewarding would have to be holding a copy of my book and being able to say, “I’m a published author.”

Q: Do you have a writing tip you’d like to share?

Just start. Once you get going it gets easier.

Q: Would you like to tell us about your home life? Where you live? Family? Pets?

Well, I’m single, the oldest of four kids. I live alone, no pets, no kids of my own, but I do have four nieces and a nephew. I’m originally from the Chicago area. Most of my extended still lives there. I currently live in Phoenix but I wrote most of The Staff of Rahgorra while living in Indianapolis.

Q: Where’s your favorite place to write at home?

I don’t like to write at home. I know it seems counterproductive, but I like to have activity going on around me when I write.

Q: What do you do to get away from it all?

In my case, I moved to Phoenix.

Q: Were you the kind of child who always had a book in his hand?

Not at all. Not even comic books. I didn’t discover reading for fun until high school.

Q: Can you remember your favorite book?

Once I did discover reading my favorite book was S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders. I identified a lot with Ponyboy.

Q: Do you remember writing stories when you were a child?

Other than the bad Star Wars fan-fic mentioned above, I don’t really remember writing as a child.

Q: What was the first thing you did as far as promoting your book?

The first thing I did was set up a website for Conquer Publishing and announce our upcoming novel The Staff of Rahgorra.

Q: Are you familiar with the social networks and do you actively participate?

Oh yes. I pretty much live on Facebook. I’m also on Twitter, though I don’t really “get it.” And I’m on LinkedIn.

Q: How do you think book promotion has changed over the years?

The Staff of Rahgorra is my first novel, so I’m not sure what the “old model” was like. I know that everything I’ve done so far to promote my book has been done online.

Q: If you had one wish, what would that be?

To fall in love and raise a family.

Q: If you could be anywhere in the world other than where you are right now, where would that place be?

I’d like to be somewhere in Asia, Tokyo, Hong Kong, New Delhi. Asia offers so much culturally, spiritually and artistically.

Q: Your book has just been awarded a Pulitzer. Who would you thank?

Everyone mentioned on the Acknowledgements page of the book.

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How do you make sales happen for you?

A lot of hard work! I sponsor a lot of on line parties, festivals and contests. Book sales don’t magically happen, believe me. An author has to work hard to earn her readers. And then she has to work hard to keep them by giving them something they’ll enjoy reading. I try hard to make my books worth a reader’s time.

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