Interview With Carl R. Merritt

By

Steven Lloyd

1. Thanks for coming to Kingdom of Shadows, Carl.  I trust your journey here was a safe one.  First off, what went through your mind when Fleet of Angels was released?

Relief and excitement, Steve.  Excitement because I was about to see a dream fulfilled, and relief because I foolishly believed that  the hardest part of being published was over.  Uh, to explain that a little . . . in the last few months, I've learned that the easiest - and most enjoyable -  part of publishing a novel is the actual writing.  From then on out, it's all hard work on account of all the promotional work that needs to be done if you want your book to become a success.

2. Did you think Fleet of Angels would reach the level it is now?  Did you think it would take off like it did?

Oh, yes, without a doubt.  I wasn't going to settle for anything less.  Like I said, there's a lot of hard work involved to make a novel a success.  I wasn't about to spend all that time writing Fleet of Angels and spend all that time trying to find a publisher just to see it fade away just after publication.  As soon as the publishing contract was signed, I made my mind up to spend as much time as I possibly could to get the word out about Fleet of Angels.  So far, I've had nearly a dozen book signings, write-ups have been in various papers six times (with a lot more to come), Fleet of Angels is mentioned on over a dozen web sites, I've seen to it that there are "Fleet" posters in every major book store, I've asked every book club in the county to read and start pumping my book, and I've given away over five hundred dollars worth of promotional hats, buttons and so on.  Hell . . . there's even going to be a billboard at the busiest intersection in Dayton advertising Fleet of Angels in about another two weeks.  All that, in addition to word of mouth, is making Fleet of Angels one of the hottest books in the Dayton area.    

3. What went into writing this book?  Did you do research or did it come natural?

Fleet of Angels is a work of fiction, Steve.  There wasn't too much research involved, just a lot of imagination . . . and a ton of editing.  Actually, Fleet of Angels was rewritten five times before my publisher and I were happy with it.     

4. Working at General Motors and running your famous web site, Abe’s Tomb, must have been a trying time for you.  When did you find the time to write such a remarkable book?

Steve . . . you have to make the time, there's no other option.  Truth be known, I've had a lot of sleepless nights since I've started writing.  In addition to my web site and working on my books, I also take care of a wife who has Congestive Heart Failure.  For the last several years, I consider myself lucky when I get two hours of sleep in any given night.  Yeah . . . time is not exactly my greatest ally, that's for sure.  

5. Who published Fleet of Angels, and how did that come about?

Fleet of Angels was published by Barclay Books, LLC. in September of 2002  As for how that came about, well, that's a long story.  Fleet of Angels isn't the first book that I've tried to get published, it's the seventh.  The first six books had around twenty-one hundred rejections from just about every publisher, editor and literary agent on the planet.  That's when I decided to take the advice of the "literary greats" by changing my subject matter to something that would sell.  With that in mind, I went to the nearest book store to my house and looked on the shelves.  I saw more science fiction than any other genre.  There were Star Trek and Star Wars books everywhere I looked, so basically, I simply changed my genre from horror/adventure to pure science fiction.  That's how Fleet of Angels came about.

While Fleet was being edited, I started sending out query letters again, but found I was still being turned down because I was an "unknown."  I was up to a total of 2168 rejections when a friend of mine, Kathi Deavers, suggested that I enter Fleet of Angels in a writing contest being held by Gardenia Press.  It took First Place, and soon afterwards, I heard from Barclay Books.   

6. What’s next for Carl R. Merritt?  Do you have another book in the wings?

Fleet of Angels is turning out to be so hot, there are now plans for seven more books in the series.  There may soon be a movie in the works, and if all goes well, the Mass Market paperback rights may be bought out some day in the future.  If any of this comes about, I know a lot of people (including myself) will be jumping for joy because I'm getting a lot of fan mail from my readers begging for this to happen.  

7. How did Abe’s Tomb come about?  Did you just decide one day to build your own website?

Abe's Tomb is (was, actually) no more than a means of getting exposure.  I originally came up with the idea to get my name known to the public in an attempt to make things easier for me in the writing circles.  Now . . . hell, it's like a child to me, and I'll keep it going now until the day I die.   

8. People are calling Abe’s Tomb the largest horror website in the world.  Would you like to comment on that?  I still visit Abe’s Tomb and I have to agree with the people.  Abe’s Tomb has a lot to offer it’s visitors.

I don't know about it being the largest horror web site in the world, but Abe's Tomb is a fairly large site.  I haven't counted them recently, but there are probably over 250 pages with content ranging from horror stories to jokes, games, puzzles, hidden pages, writing resources, chat rooms . . . hell, you name it, and it's probably on there somewhere.  And the best thing about it is that Abe's Tomb pretty much runs itself.  Web site owners can post their own links now, and new horror stories can be submitted at any time by other authors who want exposure for their work.  Publishers and literary agents hit Abe's Tomb in addition to readers from all over the world to give my site an average of 16,000 hits per day.  I also use Abe's Tomb now to promote Fleet of Angels.  The only bad thing about getting that many hits is all the E-Mail I have to answer.  Usually, if the E-Mail doesn't have the words "DO NOT DELETE" in the subject line, or I don't recognize the sender's address, there stands a good chance of it being deleted because there simply isn't enough hours in the day to answer it all.  Even then, it's sometimes a week before I can get around to answering some of it.  I guess that's just the price of fame . . . one that I'm all to happy to pay, however.   

9. How can the readers find your astonishing website?

Steve, that's easy.  The address is: www.carlmerritt.com  

10. What scares Carl R. Merritt?

Nuclear wars, the economy, a wild amusement park ride . . . all the normal things, I suppose.  But that type of fear can be subdued by a rational mind, and I handle all that rather easily.  What terrifies me the most is the thought of my wife passing away.  There is no cure for Congestive Heart Failure, and I just can't stand the thought of any future without her.  

Hey, what do you say we go on to another subject?   

11. Okay.  How do you feel before a book signing?  Are you nervous about the outcome at all?

Nah...  Book signings and crowds don't make me nervous.  In fact, I look forward to them.  

12. What do you do to prepare yourself before an appearance?

Shave, trim my moustache, try to find a shirt without a coffee stain down the front...  (laughter)   No, seriously, to have a successful book signing, you've got to be prepared.  After arranging a date, any author worth his salt will contact all the different forms of media in the area in which the book signing is being held in an attempt to get them to offer free publicity.  I'm talking about articles in the local events sections of newspapers, spots on radio stations and so on.  Also, an author should make sure he has plenty of business cards and/or bookmarks with him to distribute to all the customers who come in the store.  Aww, hell, Steve . . . there are a million things an author can do at books signings to promote his work besides simply signing books.  And what works for one author may not work as well for another.  For instance, I once had a lady show up in a yellow bikini chanting, "Fleet of Angels!  The best sci-fi book on the market today!"  It worked real well until the manager kicked her out of the store, but I can't imagine my good friend, Terry Wright, doing something like that.  He's a better writer than I'll ever be, but he's not quite as . . . daring . . . as I am when it comes to doing the absurd to promote a book.  I'll tell you one thing though, there wasn't a person in the store who saw her that day who will ever forget the book entitled, "Fleet of Angels!"  (mild laughter)

13. Where can the readers find Fleet of Angels?

In the counties around where I live, Fleet of Angels can be found in just about every book store there is.  Outside the area, the stores either have my book in stock, or they don't.  It mostly depends upon if anyone has ever ordered a copy of my book in that store or not.  If someone has ordered a copy, the chances are pretty good that the store manager will get a few extra copies to put on the shelves.  At least that has been the case in the Dayton/Cincinnati area.  

However, to answer your question, the readers out there have many options if they want to purchase a copy of Fleet of Angels.  The easiest is to go to any Waldenbooks store or any Barnes and Noble and see if the have it.  If they don't, they can order it and have it in stock within a week.  To order online, both Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com already have it in stock and usually ship within twenty-four hours.  People can order directly through my publisher, Barclay Books.  If someone wants a signed copy of Fleet of Angels, people also have the option of E-Mailing me.  I'll sign it however they like, and I'll ship it to them for cover price plus $2.00 shipping.  (slight laughter)  To those of you out there who E-Mail me for a copy . . . just make sure you put "DO NOT DELETE" in the subject line!  (laughter)

But seriously, just about any book store in the world can now order a copy of my novel for their customers through Ingrams, Brodart, or Baker & Taylor.  The ISBN number for my book is 1-931402-33-7.  With that number alone, just about anyone who knows what they are doing in any book store can get their hands on a copy of Fleet of Angels . . . the best sci-fi book on the market today!  (laughter)

14. Carl, time is running short, and in closing, I want to thank you for stopping by.  We all wish you the best of luck.

Thanks, Steve, and being here has been a real pleasure.