Author Bio:
Michael Bussa grew up in Schiller Park, IL, a small suburb of Chicago. Having an inordinate love of aviation, as a child, he always believed he would grow up to become a pilot. “I was always fascinated with the idea that something that large could leave the ground so gracefully, and stay in the air,” he says. “I mean, if I jumped off a cliff with my arms spread like a bird, I’d plummet to my death!”
His earliest work was a short story, written in the third grade, entitled, “Cars Can go One Hundred and Twenty.” It was a hit with teachers and students, alike, and Michael was hooked on penning for entertainment. As an adult, he has found his niche writing short fiction themed in mystery, suspense, psychological thrillers, paranormal, and some dark comedy in the mix.
What inspires you to write?
There isn't one thing in particular but, most often, stories come to me in the middle of the night. They wake me and play out before me — much like a live event. Though sometimes a bit eerie, I head to the laptop while it's fresh. There's almost always enough to build a real story.
Tell us about your writing process.
I don't use an outline. For me, creative writing is fluid and an outline seems to add a certain amount of confinement. I want to know that my story doesn't have limits. A storyline may come to me, allowing me enough to envision just where I think it will go. Then, like many authors, I realize the story has life and the characters become so real that you simply cannot see them doing what you've planned — so it changes.
I do, however, use the three-act structure. The Setup, the Confrontation, and the Resolution.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
They are completely real, to me. While I don't talk to them, and they never talk to me, I do see them, quite lucidly, engaging in their scene. I usually write stories that take place in the past. I ready myself to begin writing by seeing the interiors, the fashions, the musty smells. I can see my characters eating, walking, etc. I can hear their voices. I come to know them. If a writer doesn't take the time to know them, it would be difficult to believe the characters and their actions.
Who are your favorite authors?
Stephen King, in his earliest works. He writes a complex story, simply. I think it helps to reach his vast audience.
William Peter Blatty. Many only know him as the author of The Exorcist — a masterfully written, vulgar, compelling, electrifying piece of writing. What most people don't know is that he wrote light comedy in the years before that.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I knew, without a doubt, that I could tell a compelling story. Somehow, it wasn't reaching the right desks. I got tired of waiting, being rejected by the large publishing houses who cater to established authors. I decided to go with a very small publishing house and a publicist who basically groomed me.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I believe that there will always be conventional publishing. It was long believed that two years after the e-readers were introduced, publishing would vanish. That didn't happen. In fact, we know that there seems to be a stable balance at this point. There are those who refuse to read anything but a real book.
What genres do you write?
Short fiction
What formats are your books in?
eBook, Print
Website(s)
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Author’s Social Media Links
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All information is provided by the author and is presented as it was submitted so you the reader get to hear the author’s own “voice” in their interview.
