Jock Miller received his
BS degree in Zoology from Ohio
Wesleyan University.
He attended Harvard
Business School
to participate in a case study relating to publishing management which was
sponsored by the American Business Press.
He served with Billboard
Publishing as a director of Marketing and Sales and went onto being a Director
of Circulation on twelve magazines. Miller has appeared on Cable Talk Shows,
Radio Talk Shows and has been interviewed live by Barbara Walters on the Today
Show.
We are extremely honored
to have such a popular talent willing to do an interview on our blog.
Welcome Jock.
As a start –
before we dive into the novel. Would you mind giving readers a bit of insight
when it comes to your writing career? What made you bridge the gap between
animals, publishing and writing?
Answer:
I had never written anything creatively in novel format until I saw the movie,
Jaws in 1977. I was so inspired by the creative aspects of the film that I said
to myself: Why couldn’t I come up with a thriller like that. In short, a sat
down one rainy afternoon and wrote the first sentence of a novel. Result? I
churned out a three hundred page novel in ninety days. I can not share the name
of the book or the concept…because I am now one third of the way through a
rewrite of that novel and I hope to finish it within the year.
I got an agent, Sterling Lord, and
they thought they had sold it to Simon and Schuster during the first week, but
the subsidiary rights manager said no to the book. Then on to Tom Condon who
edited Jaws at Doubleday. He loved the action and concept and had me do two
rewrites; however, he eventually turned it down. Then David Brown of Brown
Zanuck (Jaws, Sting, and Chocolate) read the book and called me in for a two
hour meeting. He said, “If you sell the hardcover, I want first option on the
movie rights.” After two years, the novel never sold, but I came close and the
net of it was that after I wrote that first sentence, I never stopped writing.
My life’s dream was, after that first experience: publish a hardcover novel and
get it sold as a commercial movie. Fossil River was my first “published book”
on Kindle E-Book.
So the novel is an intertwined
adventure that binds the past with the future. I mean Dinosaurs and Oil – how
did you come up with that plot?
Answer:
Like my first novel that never got published, I am constantly thinking of not
only current affairs and what is happening in the global market, but what would
be a BIG commercial topic that would be timely. David Brown. Brown Zanick, the
movie producer, told me that “You have to be able to say what the book is about
in less than four words. I.E. “Sharks attacking Swimmers.” In the case of
Fossil River, “Dinosaurs protecting their territory which happens to surround
the largest mother load of fossil fuel.” Or, “Dinosaurs and Oil.” Out of that
concept, I coupled the “What If factor,” current events, the United States
running out of oil with finding the mother load of fossil fuel in Alaska within
a massive inaccessible preserve. The challenge: how does the country gain
access to the oil, as the lights are dimming and transportation has become
limited, when the oil field is surrounded by a vicious colony of Living
Fossils?
The novel is called Fossil River. Can
you tell readers what to expect within what seems to be a very intriguing read.
Answer:
Fossil River is an action oriented thriller that puts lives at risk not only
for the energy research team entering the area, but Marines within the US
Military. The big question is: Will the nation be able to gain access to the
fossil fuel field in time to turn the lights back on, and save the
transportation industry that relies on fossil fuel (cars, trucks, trains,
airplanes and the biggest user of all, the US Military), before the Living
Fossil Colony prevents all encroachers to get out of its territory alive.
How has Amazon Sales been so far?
Answer:
Over 10,000 readers have downloaded Fossil River. Currently, it is ranked # 3
in Science Fiction Adventure, #2 in Oil Crisis, #1 in Man VS Nature, #2 in
Family Adventure, #16 in Dinosaurs, #14 in Oil Industry, #1 in Family Thriller,
#10 in Disabled Hero, and #82 in Marines.
What gender is your target market?
Answer:
Male and female: teenagers and adults. The male protagonist is a Marine Wounded
Warrior helicopter pilot, the female protagonist is the Paleontologist Curator
at New York’s Museum of Natural History, and the two teenagers (boy and girl)
are thrown into a life and death situation when they get lost in the Alaskan
Preserve.
Are you currently working on anything
else?
Answer:
Yes. As mentioned, I am working on the first novel I wrote years ago and I have
a third book that I will work on upon completion of this next novel which is a
psychological thriller.
Where can readers stay in contact with
you?
Answer:
By going to my Fossil River Blog: Google “Fossil River the novel” and you will
see updated information. You can also go to Kindle E-Book under Fossil River
and there is all the relative information to Fossil River.
As a writer myself in the outskirts of
Africa (And believe me getting published around here is like attempting a world
plague) tell our fellow aspiring writers what they should look for on the road
towards getting published. How could writers around here try and get into your
international markets.
Answer:
While my first priority historically has been to try and get published in
hardcover, the world of the printed word and the E-Book market have both
changed dramatically. Hardcover editors are VERY reluctant to take on a new
unproven author and there are so many authors looking to be discovered so it is
very tough to break through this iron curtain to get a read from the editors.
For me, the champion and true professor of the written word is Ken Atchity, AEI Entertainment. Ken not only edited
Fossil River but helped me package the book for Amazon Kindle E-Books. It is
vital to connect with someone who has the expertise and the contacts within the
field.
As a person that had worked within the
publishing and marketing industry I generally find that the stuff that get’s
out there fully depends on how much you want it to get out there? What are your
views since you have years of experience in the same field?
Answer:
For many years, I felt that with my publishing background, I could connect with
appropriate agents and/or book publishers; some of that stubbornness slowed the
process down; however, there is no substitute for connecting with the right
consultant/literary person who has all the contacts and knowledge in order to
launch your product. For me, Ken Atchity
came to the table with what I needed to make it all happen.
How did you approach writing this
novel? I follow David Farlands daily letter – daily. I find him to have useful
tips even though it might sometimes be a tad bit contradictory. As a writer
myself I tend to build igloos and pyramids before I get into my work – what’s
your method?
Answer:
I start with the basic two to three word concept to describe the novel before I
write the first word. Once I capture the brief description, then I question how
commercial is the subject matter, and most importantly does it capture my
creative juices and am I excited about the journey once launched. What I love
about the creative journey is that I never know the twists and turns of the
plot. It just spills out the moment I write the first word.
What are your future goals? Would you
be going movie as I’m sure this type of novel would be very visually dynamic.
Answer:
Regarding novel writing, my passionate life goal in this field has always been
to have a hardcover book published followed by a commercial movie. There is
already movie talk with Fossil River, but the journey along the way in an
effort to achieve this goal is a real head rush for me. I am not sure how I
will react once these dreams have been achieved, but I have been in love with
the process along the way.
You have your own publishing company. What
sort of publishing do you specialize in? If it’s novel where can fellow writers
go and look at your submission requirements.
Answer:
I started my own publishing company forty-four years ago, and I am very
passionate about the vertical niche that we fill with the mission to help
Minorities, Women, people with disabilities, and Wounded Warriors connect with
industry and government for jobs. Equal Opportunity Publications, Inc. (our
website is www.eop.com) publishes seven
career magazines and hosts six Career Expos all in the diversity field. With
Fossil River, the reader will find that the protagonist is a Wounded Warrior,
Purple Heart, who has achieved the highest award from one of our magazines,
CAREERS & the disabled, the Employee of the Year. So it is a very real
award that is only presented to the TOP Ten Employees within the nation who
have a disability.
For our seven magazines, we do have many FREE Lance writers so they can go to our website and review the subject matter.
