Interview with Joe M. Solomon, Author of The Light: Houston, Texas

What can you tell us about your new release, The Light: Houston, Texas?

It is a science fiction thriller that revolves around a group of ordinary college music students whose world is turned upside down when mysterious lights in the sky appear and drive anyone who looks up at them insane. I’ve always enjoyed seeing how different characters in stories react when they’re taken completely out of their element as they are in this one. I also enjoy fast-paced, action-filled stories in which a small group of people have to work together to survive.

What or who inspired you to become an author?

I’ve always enjoyed creating new worlds, ever since I was a child. Kids often read comic books: Batman, Superman, etcetera. But instead of reading the comic books, I used to cut out the pictures and create my own storyboard. I didn’t actually learn the story of the superheroes until they were made into movies, so I think I was always destined to become a writer.

What’s on your top 5 list for the best books you’ve ever read?

The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler

On Writing by Stephen King

Complete Poems and Plays of T. S. Eliot

The Stand by Stephen

Books of Blood by Clive Barker

You always write about murder! Why is that?

Stephen King. I’ve always admired his writing and know he used to be an English teacher, so I would ask him what books he would recommend for the newest generation of readers who might not have explored fiction written before they were born.

What’s your favorite thing about writing?

I love the process of creating new realities. Some ideas I already have in mind before I begin crafting a story. However, as I write, events begin to unfold and expand beyond anything I had imagined. That is so exciting.

What is a typical day like for you?

As far as writing goes, a typical day finds me embroiled in at least one of the following: I’m beginning a new story, am continuing one I’ve already begun, and am rereading a completed project.

What scene in The Light: Houston, Texas was your favorite to write?

I love the opening in which Robert, the main character, rests in his graduate house apartment, speaking to his girlfriend on the phone. She wants him to drive over and see her, but he is tired from the late night they’d shared. He wants to sleep a couple of hours before he swings by. Less than please, she hangs up on him. Poor Robert sits there, contemplating love, and has no idea that not only his world, but the entire world is about to change.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

Be kind.

Joe M. Solomon is the author of the new book The Light: Houston, Texas.

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