FAQs


Frequently Asked Questions

 


Where do you get your ideas?
I've never had a good answer for this question. To be sure, the original idea for Time Vandal came as the result of a group effort by my brothers and myself, over a period of decades, led by our oldest brother.

The other ideas I get come to me at strange times. Sitting in the park, seeing interactions between real people, etc. The inspiration for Mary, a novel I plan to write soon (about the death-by-hanging of a circus elephant in a small town in Tennessee) came as the result of my Aunt Sherry's tireless documenting of our family's history.


Will you ever publish Pigeons Aren't Psychic?
For the unitiated, Pigeons Aren't Psychic was my first novel, written during my first decade in Prague. Its haphazard storyline corresponded perfectly with my haphazard life at the time. I was touring Europe with a punk rock band much of the time, and the rest of was spent trying to hold down a job and keeping up with the Czechs in the beer-drinking department.

The problem with publishing it now would be with the potential spoilers it might betray in regards to the third Time Vandal book. While P.A.P. is an entirely stand-alone book, its theme is similar to that of Time Vandal.

I would like to release it one day, however. It is essentially a comedy, and I wouldn't mind discovering people's reactions to it.


How can I find out about any book signings, readings or appearances?
Unfortunately I don't reside in United States, so organizing these types of events is very expensive. The next reading/signing that I will attend in the U.S. will be on Saturday, December 16 in Atlanta and Sunday, December 17 in Knoxville, TN (locations TBD).

Appearances in the U.K. are feasible in the long term, but as I have no significant sales there there are no immediate plans to do so.

In the fall of 2017, after the release of First Epiphany in the Czech language (Prvni Zjeveni Vandala Casu), there will be a slew of appearances around Prague and the country, and even into the border areas of Germany and Poland.


What about an audio book?
I made one! Well, to be honest, I recorded one. But no, I have not released it yet. I wasn't satisfied with the final product, so it's still sitting, lonely, in a random folder on my hard drive. But I got a great microphone (Rodes Procaster) out of the deal.

What are some of your other interests?
This is the type of question I like to get. Who doesn't like to talk about themselves?

I love music, of course. Writing and playing, or even just listening. My dream job would be composing and creating scores for feature films. But I love going to rock shows, and Prague has a lot to offer in that regard. My favorite venues in Prague are Strahov 007, Akropolis and Lucerna Music Bar.

Other than music stuff, my biggest interests are riding motorcycles and scooters, PC gaming (fire in the hole!), traveling, and of course castle hunting.

Living in Europe offers a lot of opportunities for traveling and riding motorcycles. My favorite places to go are the South of France (Antibes is great), the coastline of Slovenia (if you ever get a chance to go to Piran, do it) and of course the islands of Croatia.




Spain and Italy are great, as well, but I've only holiday'ed in each a couple of times. Petra and I did walk Cinque Terre, however, which was extremely grueling.


Tell us about Petra
Petra is my fiancee, and my rock. She keeps me grounded and is always bringing my head back down from the clouds. The best thing about her is her love for travel and adventure. In that we are entirely alike. It is with her that I've traveled Europe hunting intriguing castles to investigate.

Do you have a facebook page?
I have an author page, of course. I do twitter, as well. The links are at the top of the page on the left, under the header image.

What are your thoughts on censorship and free speech?
I have always been a proponent of the free-flow of information. Even as I grow older and, therefore, less rampantly liberal (don't we all) my stance on censorship is unwavering. I must admit my surprise, however, at from which corners of the political sphere the desire to shout down opposing veiwpoints is coming from these days. But resist it we must.

Free speech must always be advanced, and the opponents of free speech , in all their forms, must always be opposed.


When did you decide to become a writer?

The first time I remember being a 'writer' was in the sixth grade. I would write short stories and do articles for the school paper. I went to college to be a journalist, although I abandoned that idea by my mid-twenties. With advocacy journalism becoming more and more prevalent, I realized that it wasn't for me.

My creative energy then got hijacked by music (I love writing songs, as I mentioned before), and I didn't return full-bore to writing until the breakup of the last band I was in in 2014. Time Vandal was born shortly thereafter.


Are you interested in screenplays or other types of non-book fictional writing?
Very much so. First Epiphany was original written as a screenplay, which I then pitched to a few people. After no one was willing to give me the millions of dollars that I and every other potential screenwriters expect for our troubles, I began adapting it to novel form.

 
 




Visit M. E. Bowling on Facebook
Visit M. E. Bowling on Twitter



 

copyright 2016-2017 M. E. BOWLING - Time Vandal Series - Time Travel Science Fiction