An Interview with Joseph Amiel, author of Stalking the Sky

Readers! Hi! We were taking a little bit of a break for our crazy train of author interviews (I had to officiate a wedding), but we're now back. Along with this blog, my own novel took a back seat for a little while, but I'm hoping to pick it back up again before we get too deep into the summer. 

I just had the chance to speak with someone who's published five novels, all currently available for your eyes on Amazon. Most recently, international bestselling author Joseph Amiel has written Stalking the Sky. He is also the author of Deeds, A Question of Proof, Star Time, and Birthright.

- Thank you so much for deciding to sit down with us today. You have published five novels on Amazon, your latest being Stalkingthe Sky. Have you always been an author?

JOSEPH: My first fiction was in 4th grade, and I've been writing ever since.  Law school was an interlude, but I soon sold my first book to a publisher, and, magically, I was an author.

-Where did the idea for Stalking the Sky first come from?

JOSEPH: I began writing Stalking the Sky when I learned about a unique reason for wanting to sabotage a jetliner.  Finding and tracking down the killer obviously became the heart of the plot.

-Do your books stand alone or are the all connected?

JOSEPH:  My books stand alone, although nearly all have some mystery element and often how that mystery affects a family.  The heroine of Birthright comes from a banking family like the Rothschilds.  Deeds deals with the stories of three generations of men in New York real estate.  A Question of Proof is set among a wealthy newspaper-publishing family.

-This is a blog for new authors who are just starting out in this publishing world. Can you talk a little to us about your process for starting a new book. Any tricks/helpful tips?

JOSEPH: Someone once told that he had a book in him if he could just come up with a perfect first line.  I told him to start with the second line, he'd probably end up rewriting both.  That shook him because it took away the obstacle to starting a book he had conveniently placed in his path.  It was some of the best advice I've ever given.  Some writers start with a character who grabs them and then invents plot.  I've always found it easier to get an interesting idea for a book and then build the characters who be involved.

- Would you say that you’ve taken inspiration from any authors/books that you’ve read in your lifetime?

JOSEPH: I think every writer takes inspiration or at least instruction, knowingly or not, from every writer they've ever read.  I'm a storyteller and, in the end, the way I tell my story is very much my own.

-What kind of reader, in particular, do you write for?

JOSEPH: I don't think the main reason for story-telling has changed much since Homer's day.  I write with invisible listeners in mind, as if they were gathered in my living room, and I'm trying to tell my story so they are moved and entertained.  Obviously, that changes with every story.  

-How much of a hand do you have in the cover design for your novels? Can you share a little about that process? Believe it or not, this is a question that our readers often ask.

JOSEPH: Because my novels had never been published as eBooks, I could create new covers.  Working with a gifted designer, we try to come up with an image that most effectively conveys what the book is about, but also the book's genre.  With my five novels being reissued for Amazon in print and online, I could also use for all five a distinctive font and color progression that would brand my books in a unique way.  So, the cover designs are similar in style, but the image and text for each endeavors to grab the potential reader in the most effective way for that particular story and genre.  For example, Stalking the Sky's cover shows a soaring 747 in the colors of my fictional airline.  A Question of Proof, about the trial of a woman accused of murdering a newspaper publisher, shows a newspaper front page and a bloody gavel.

 
-Anything else at all that you’d like our readers to know about your books? Why should we pick one of these up?

JOSEPH: I've said I'm a story teller.  My aim is to entertain the reader with a great story told as effectively as possible.  The research alone for Stalking the Sky took six months and twice as long to write and rewrite until I and my editor believed it was as good as could be.

-Brief teaser for Stalking the Sky:

JOSEPH: How about this?  Can they catch the ruthless killer who downed the 747 before he bombs another?

-Where can we buy Stalking the Sky and your other four novels?

JOSEPH: All my books are available at Amazon for Kindle and in print.  You can learn about all of them and click through to the appropriate Amazon sales page by going to my web site: JosephAmiel.com.

Fantastic interview, Joseph! Your books sound fantastic. I myself, am excited to get to my hands on your novels. I hope my readers are feeling the same way.

The interviews are going to start coming fast again, so please keep checking back for more.

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