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Saturday 1 October 2016

The rare Lee Pletzers has joined us in the dungeon ...

If you sit quietly and make no sudden movements he may even speak ...



Kia ora,
Please welcome our latest victim guest, Lee Pletzers. On the metal plate suspended above that puddle by wires is a chocolate fish. Behave and the delicious pink marshmallow fish covered in chocolate won’t end up a goopy mess on the floor.
In the event of an earthquake/zombie plague/or random occupation - you’ll find emergency procedures taped to the bottom of your seat. Yes, just like a flotation device. You’ll also find a Glock 17 with a full magazine.
Remember you cannot reason with zombies and it’s a head shot every time.  



 Comfy?


What’s your favorite type of takeaway? (Yes, that means take-out in NZ speak)
Fish and Chips all the way. I used to order one fish, one sausage and a scoop of chips.

Describe your current mental status.
Interview mode. 


I know how I do what I do … but how do you do what you do?
I’m writing a book about that (inline with my next horror novel, Wolf). I have spent a lot of money buying books that claim to show how an outline, plot or whatever is done, and not one book shows by example. David Farland’s book, Million Dollar outlines, says on page 212 and I quote:

This means you need to outline well.
I’m not going to outline a book for you here, but I will go through the process. (Italics mine)

There are many other books like that. Only David comes cleans and says it. Usually these books are paragraph upon paragraph on information and sometimes meander around. As I couldn’t find the book I wanted, I decided to write it, and add pictures and step by step instructions. We’ll look at solo brainstorming, character development – minor stuff like finding a pic online of what your character should look like and as you type a few lines of their role in the story, you could get lucky (as I did) and find one of them has a dark secret from the past. It will be step by step inputting hand scrawled data into Scrivener. Then we’ll look at the three act structure and book blurb. All the while inputting into Scrivener with pics. I will be writing Wolf after the how to book is done, based on all the data that has built up. This way, if there is an error (or better way) I can easily update the how to book file. 


But as to your question how do I do what I do, until I decided to write the how to book, I’m a discovery writer. I don’t plot or outline until I’m near the end. I just sit down and type. I words come and the story unwinds. Sometimes a new thought will pop into my mind and I make a note of that. I have also record myself when an idea comes while walking to the bus stop using my phone. I like this way as another away from the computer tool. It’s faster than writing and if you are waiting for a bus, you don’t have to stop writing to get your ticket.   


 Could you tell us a little bit about your latest work?
I’d love to. I’m quarter way through the first edit.

Here’s the blurb. Cat says it needs to be shortened, so I’ll look into that later:

Transported through a wormhole, IT specialist Craig Buffett, encounters a world foreign to him. A devastated landscape. Creatures that thrive on human blood. And a town fighting for normalcy. 

Michael Olay runs SimTek an organisation that produced wormhole accessibility. A militia is hell-bent on destroying this technology. A dark secret lurks in Lab 7, and the wormhole technology is unravelling. 

Deception, hate, anger, vengeance and altered timelines can tear a soul apart. Fight or flight. It's a decision that will change Craig’s life. 

WW3 was purgatory. This time it’s going to be Hell.


Do you have a favorite coffee or tea?
I love pure Columbian coffee. 


Walk us through a typical day. (Do you make sure you’re wearing your lucky underpants before you sit down to write, perhaps you prefer commando? While we’re discussing your underpants, boxers, briefs, or budgie smugglers. Inquiring minds want to know. Yes, that includes my Admins… we don’t piss off the Admins.)
A typical day in my budgie smugglers, involves getting up at 5.30 or 6.00, turning on the computer and doing some editing. Then off to work for 13 hours. In that time I can usually find 30 minutes or 90 minutes of free time and I write. Then I come home, eat dinner at 1030pm and edit until 1am or 2am. It is currently 3am as I write this. 


7. Tell us about your main character. (How did you first meet? Would you like to hang out with him/her? What delights you the most about writing him/her? You get the idea …)
Craig is very much like me at the start of the novel. Into Highlander, owns the McLeod swords, loves Macs and own a Macbook Air but desires a powerbook. Unlike me, he has never sky dived, bungee jumped or done any extreme activities. He is afraid. He also feels deeply alone. All of his friends are married and moved onto better towns and better jobs. He yearns for adventure and whishes he had the guts to go through that. But he doesn’t. He is in a rut, afraid of his donut eating boss and needs change. Knowing is only half the solution. 

I would hang out with him, for a little while. We would binge watch Highlander.  


Who are your favorite writers?
Laymon, King, Lumley, Leather, all the usual suspects, including, Cline and Wilson and I’ve started reading a bunch of new writers, haven’t found one I like yet. 


Who inspires you to do better? 
My adoring fans. Both of them. I want to make sure I give a better book than the previous. Hope I do. 


Do you ever put pants on your dog, cat, or budgie?
No. My dogs are hairy. 


Describe your perfect day.
Sleep until 12. Write until 6. Eat dinner and watch a DVD. 


Who is your favorite fictitious villain? Or are you all about the hero? Who do you love to hate?
Jason Vorhees from Friday 13th series. He rocks out. 


Do you have any quirks?
I’m mildly OCD, does that count?


All-time favorite movie and why?
Highlander. The story blew me away when I watched it at a friend’s house before I jumped off a bridge (see question 19) 


Do you enjoy the editing process?
No. Do you? It can have its fun moments but they are few and far between. 

Yeah, I do. My editor is awesome. I admit I might be a bit weird -Cat

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be and why?
Norway. Because Norway. 


Favorite Pizza topping?
Cheese. Meat. 


What were you before you became a writer?
Always been a writer, but for money I drove a truck, work in HR and how I’m a teacher. 


What is the most random thing you have ever done?
Jumped off a bridge at 16. 


If you’re not working, what are you most likely doing?
At the moment, editing or watching WWE. 


Who is your ultimate character?
Peter Clement from The Last Church. Blurb: The future is not a utopia. 

In a world run by one president; a world on the brink of WW4, in an age sparking the end of Christianity, one group of archaeology students will face the greatest terror known. 

They will battle, not only for their souls but the souls of humanity. It won't be easy though, as the devil is coming to...The Last Church.


Whiskey or Bourbon? Red or white wine? Tequila? Beer?
Cognac 

What’s in your pockets? (Or handbag, whatever you carry your stuff in. Are you apocalypse prepared?)
Nothing. 

Laptop, PC, Mac, tablet?
Macbook air for writing, PC for editing in word. 


Ebook or tree book?
Both. 


Favorite apocalyptic scenario?
Zombie. There are some people I’d love to kill. 

Where do you do most of your writing?
At work in my breaks. 


What’s the hardest thing for you when it comes to being an author? (For me it’s marketing but for others it’s the actual writing …)
Editing and Marketing. I’m getting better at the former and still need help with the latter.


You made it!! Damn, you rock. Now would you like to try for the chocolate fish? Mind the puddles … but hurry. Power surges are common in the dungeon; you don’t want to have one hand on the metal plate containing that delicious chocolate fish and a foot in a puddle...
That laughter you hear is coming from The Knight, he probably won’t flip that switch he has his hand on. Probably …


You can find out more about Lee Pletzers in the following places ...

Blog: link in website
Twitter  @threeand10 

Of course you can find some of Lee's work in our shop.



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