20 Questions with Edmond Manning author of “King Mai”
Blurb:
Adopted from Thailand and never one to fit in with the local bubbas, life has been rough around the edges for Mai Kearns, even before he came out of the closet. Now, almost ten years past the torture of high school, Mai still can’t catch a break: he and his parents stand to lose their beloved farm.
How will a “King Weekend” help change Mai’s fate? What has narrator Vin Vanbly been up to for the four weeks he’s been sneaking around Mai’s hometown? At the urging of a ransom note from ‘The Lost Kings,’ Mai embarks on an impossible treasure hunt chasing mystic poetry, Fibonacci Hopscotch, ancient prophecy, the letter ‘x,’ and a confounding, penguin-marching army.
The stakes are high: if Mai fails, the Lost Kings will permanently claim him as their own. Finding the treasure may unlock the secret to saving his family farm. But can this angry farmer risk opening his broken heart before the weekend is over? Mai Kearns has 40 hours to get very, very curious in this second installment of The Lost and Founds.
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20 Questions with Edmond Manning author of “King Mai”
- Coffee or Tea? Diet Pepsi
- Coke or Pepsi? Caffeine free Diet Coke
- Plain or Peanut M&Ms? Yes, please
- Beer or wine? Red wine
- Muffins or Cupcakes? Cupcakes – always go with frosting
- Computer or Television? Computer
- Would you travel the world or travel space? Stay home
- My favorite pizza is… Italian sausage, heavy garlic
- My favorite book genre is… science fiction
- My superpower of choice would be… teleportation. Hmmm. Maybe I would travel the world if I could teleport.
- On a rainy day, you’ll find me… enjoying a long walk
- When I get free time, I’ll… organize my hundreds of Firefox bookmarks.
- If you had a million dollars… Pay someone to organize my Firefox bookmarks.
- My dream vacation would be… Two months luxruiating in an northern Italian villa with a sweet local couple who cooked every meal and liked calling me “Bobo.” In this fantasy, a local unemployed mechanic named Ricardo gives me massages every other day.
- If you could be a character in any novel you’ve ever read, who would you be and why? John Harmon, Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens. While many Dickens characters suffer tremendously for their happy endings, he gets hilarious step parents, a happy marriage, fun in-laws, and serious wealth and all he has to do is go undercover for a little while. In Dickens’ world, that’s getting off easy.
- How many books do you read each year? I’m embarrassed to admit this, but since I started getting published, the number dropped significantly. Used to be about 35 per year. These days: 5.
- If you could pick a book to turn into a movie, which one would it be? Can I say mine? No? Okay. Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny or Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin
- If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? Sienna, Italy or a remote forest cabin along the northern Oregon coast. My neighbor would be an local, unemployed mechanic named Ricardo who gave me massages every other day.
- Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? An upscale grocery store. I love buying food. I mean, it’s like a weird fetish. Yay! Out of milk – I need to go to the store!
- What are you reading right now? Saga (comic by Brian Vaughn) and Everything Matters by Ron Currie Jr.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Edmond Manning has been writing for many, many years.
After graduating from Northern Illinois University (NIU) with an English Education degree (graduated Valedictorian from the University Honors Program), Manning pursued and completed a Masters of Science within the field of Instructional Technology. These two curious backgrounds allowed for practicing a unique blend of creative and technical writing, skills that were enhanced over a 22+ year as an e-learning consultant.
During those consulting years, Manning feverishly wrote fiction, completed three novels, and yet never pursued publication because the writing simply didn’t meet his high standards. Something was missing: a spark. Looking back, Manning prefers to believe that he was living out Malcolm Gladwell’s maxim: you’ve got to ply your craft for 10,000 hours before you get good. Yes, that would be the preferred belief.
In 2008, Manning experimented with writing a new type of fiction, and ended up with his first “kinging” novel, published in serial format on a free website. (The original novel has been removed from that site.) The intense reaction from hundreds of readers around the globe suggested to Manning that something had indeed changed, so he decided to create a new novel based off these wild, frothy characters.
GIVEAWAY
Leave a comment to enter to win a free copy of “King Mai” by Edmond Manning.
Great interview! Lol, I love grocery shopping too. Just bought some lamb tongues from the international grocery. Such a unique author–thank you!
Wonderful interview =) I have a million things bookmarked in firefox too, too bad we don’t have a minion or something to do all the sorting for us.
I’ve read different novels by Dickens, but not My Mutual Friend, which makes me curious enough to want to read it now. Not sure when though, when there are so many other good books to read.
He likes to go to the grocery store. What he doesn’t tell you is how he leaves the food out just barely past the point of ruination and THEN eats it. His friends worry endlessly about his health. Anyone have advice on conducting an intervention?
I like white wine. Good thing there are so many types. Love the look of your book.
Urbanista – Lamb’s tongue? Really? Do you use them in sandwiches or stew or…how do the little sheepies bleat without their tongues? *sniff*
H.B. – let’s get a minion. We’ll split him/her.
Jbst – Our Mutual Friend is so wonderful. It’s my favorite. Worth making time for even if that means you have to quit your job. (Seriously, don’t quit your job.)
Debra – I like white wine, too. Prefer red, but I won’t say no to a glass of white. Especially sparkling wine. Mmmmmm. And thanks! The cover was done by Ann Caine. She does good work, eh?
Thanks everyone for visiting the blog today!
Edmond
Great 20 Questions, Edmond. That’s one of the things I feel bad about for authors: so much writing that reading has to take a back seat. Well, I guess you get fulfilled in other ways now. I just bought King Perry last month (haven’t read it yet, but I’m looking forward to it), so I’m happy to have a chance at winning King Mai. Thank you for sharing with us!
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