Today, I have the pleasure to #interview a man whose storytelling style has been compared to Mark Twain’s.  A. G. Moye became a #novelist fairly late in life, and has produced a number of works that cross several genres.

Interviewer: Writing is a solitary profession, in my opinion. How do you feel about it?

A.G.: #Writing may be solitary but every writer needs to gather with people to get ideas, character personalities and so forth. “No man/woman is an Island”. I go to the local taverns to gather with people and socialize while taking a break from writing so I can become refreshed in my thinking.

Interviewer: What has been the single most important thing to occur in your life? What changes did it bring?

A.G.: Besides my children, the biggest change in my life occurred when I married my current wife. Besides bringing me happiness and being my best friend, she read one of my books and encouraged me to publish. I had been writing my Lightning in the Tunnel series for twenty years along with other stories.

Interviewer: What genres do you write in and why did you pick those genres?

A.G.: I write in several genres, publishing first in Dystopian/apocalyptic genre first followed by my one mystery book. That was followed by my only time travel story. I write mostly Science fiction now but took a break to write my first fantasy, Sasha. When a story comes to my head, I write it not caring what genre it is in.

Interviewer: What one person has had the greatest influence on your writing and in what way?

A.G.: Robert Heinlien comes to mind. As a teenager I was captivated by his books. Tunnel in the Sky being my favorite. Maybe the name of my first book was because this book was my favorite.  I took part of it for my series’ name. The first two books have Lightning in the Tunnel in the first of their names.

Interviewer: List four things that make your novels unique and tell us why/in what way?

A.G.: In my Lightning in the Tunnel series, I take the reader through the destruction of the world and governments. The heartache and heartbreak of all this.Then I add hope as the main character helps unite the world in peace–no countries and no fighting–supported by his wives that help develop this new world.

Even after my character retires from public spot light he is called back into action, going into space. So this is different than most other writers that leave the reader in the black cruel world these type of books portray.

In my Chronicles of the Marauder, I take my main character that has everything in his life go wrong then he wins the lottery and can live his dreams of going into space. I give hope to even those that make mistakes in their lives that with a lot of hard work and a little luck, they can change the direction of their lives.

Interviewer: How many books have you read this month? Can you name them?

A.G.: I have read and reviewed six books this month. The Harvest by Anne Ferretti , Life II by Scott Stopson, Troubles by Ian Miller, Arousing the Legacy by A.J. Raven, In the Beginning by Jane Dougherty, Angels and Aliens by Chryselle Brown. Since this was answered at the start of the month, I used those I read in February to answer this question. I am currently preparing to read Endless Sky by Stuart Land ( I think I have his name right)

Interviewer: Give us a three short sentence review of the LAST book you read.

A.G.: The Harvest. Very seldom does a book make me stay up most of the night to reach the ending like this one did. Normally, I only stay up late to write when the story is really flowing. All I can say right off is “WOW” Anne Ferretti’s The Harvest kept me locked into reading most of the night. It took hold of me and I had to even read while eating my dinner.

Interviewer: Do you live through your characters or do your characters live through you?

A.G.: I tend to live through my characters such as in the Lightning in the Tunnel series, I was Brad in my mind. In the Chronicles of the Marauder, I was Neil. In the Stranger Comes Crawling, I was Rip in my head. In some books where the female is the lead, obviously not; she lives through my head.

Interviewer: What is the first element of a new novel that comes to you? (plot, character, etc.)

A.G.: The first thing that comes to my mind is the story beginning and then the characters create themselves as the story unfolds. Many times, I have no idea where the story is going or how it will end. I let the characters and their actions guide me through telling the story. Only in my mystery did I know the solution before I ever came to the end and that was the hardest part of writing the book. By the way, the mystery is called “Brandi’s Nightmare.

Interviewer: What value do your books give to readers? Otherwise, why should readers read your books?

A.G.: The first thing is escapism reading and to entertain the reader while reading the story. Each book shows problems the characters face and how they dealt with them. I know not all their solutions to problems can be dealt with in the same way, but they can see themselves facing the same problems in life.

Why should anyone read my books? That is a good question, I think they should to escape from problems and concerns of everyday life since I write fiction about other worlds, other places and to see how these people (They are alive in my mind) deal with problems of living and with relationships.

I may never be the best writer in the world, but I feel I am a very good story teller. I had one person on GoodReads say that after reading my book “Brandi’s Nightmare” that I tell a story like “Mark Twain” style and for me not to let the editors change that. I find most editors want to change it to the acceptable format of writing. I balk at that.

A.G. Moye was born in the cotton fields of Arkansas. He is married with seven children, twenty-two grandchildren and three great grandchildren. A.G. starting writing seriously in 1987 when he got his first computer; long hand before that. Hayloft filled with old stories.

Published in 2011 after being prodded by his wife when she read the first of the Lightning in the Tunnel series.  There are ten books in the Lightning in the Tunnel series. A Stranger Comes Crawling was his first SiFi.  His time travel/love story, T.T. Gristman, followed. Brandi’s Nightmare came next. They were all followed by the highly successful series called “Chronicles of the Marauder”. Book three of the trilogy is due out some time in 2014.

To find A.G.’s books:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/323360 Chronicles

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/214021 Stranger

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/268840 Begins

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/302271 Gristman

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/306274 Bullet

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/312016 Brandi

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/327192 Need

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/341678 Rescue

His social media links:

google https://plus.google.com/112198287464668940516/

linkedin http://www.linkedin.com/pub/a-g-moye/53/850/628

goodreads http://w.w.w.goodreads.com/agmoye

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/Author.A.G.Moye

website: http://sites.google.com/site/booksbyagmoye

One of A.G.’s blogsites http://booksbyagmoye.blogspot.com

on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/author/agmoye

on Mars http://marsocial.com/groups/Lightning-Chronicles/