Questions and Answers Nick Pollotta is a best selling author specializing in Science Fiction, Humor and Military/Adventure. A former standup comic from Manhattan, high security courier, and martial arts instructor, Nick is happily married to the beautiful Melissa Pollotta. They live in upstate Illinois with 14,000 books, three computers, and two cats who think they own the place. What are you currently working on? At the moment I'm finishing my ninth DEATHLANDS SF/Military novel "Scorpion God" coming out in 2003. Very hard-boiled and grim. Not my usual stuff. I am also preparing my next DEATHLANDS novel "Blood Fire" which I start in June 2001, and completing the fourth Bureau 13 novel "Damned Nation". Who or what has been a major influence on your writing and why? Frank Sinatra for his philosophy of "always work as if you will drop dead the moment you finish whatever project you are currently doing, and it is by this one work that you will be remembered forever - or forgotten completely". Also for Robert B. Parker (author of the Spenser novels) for teaching me that less is more. Important stuff. With which of your works are you most/least satisfied and why? I hate SHADOWBOXER, a Shadowrun novel I wrote for FASA. They rewrote the ending and it stinks. I will never work for FASA again. On the other hand, I think my best work is SKY KILLER, a Stonyman novel coming out March 2002 from Gold Eagle Books. A Techno-Thriller that is very state of the art and cutting edge. What are your favorite and least favorite words? Favorite word: warm Least favorite word: deadline Who (Fact or Fiction) would you most like to meet, and what would you ask them? Nobody in fiction, but E. E. "Doc" Smith, and I would thank him for writing the Lensman series. As a teenager, I read those seven novels over 27 times. Wore out three sets of paperbacks. Is there a book or story you wish you had written? Yes, and I will get to it next year, I promise! If you could have one wish granted what would it be? More wishes? No, that's a cheap joke. Hmm, more tolerance in the world. Everybody seems to have a chip on their shoulder these days. Calm down, people! Life is lot more fun when you relax. Is writing your full time occupation, if not what is? Yes, I am a full-time author. What was your first professional sale? How did it feel when you received the acceptance? Believe it or not, my very first pro sale was for a cartoon to Dragon Magazine. I was trying my hand at artwork while I took a break from writing and was completely stunned when the damned thing sold! I was flabbergasted and felt ten-feet tall at the very same time. Like electric wine in my veins. Had to have more. Who is your favorite author? Robert B. Parker, author of the Spenser novels. Tight, tense prose, solid characters, good plots. Hell of a writer. If you could give one piece of advice to a would-be author, what would it be? Never give up, no matter what. (all other advice can be found as free articles on The Basics of Writing, on my website: www.NickPollotta.com) When did you first decide that you wanted to be an author? Age thirteen, I was reading an anthology of SF short stories by Groff Conklin, and hated about half of them. I clearly remember thinking, "Well, hell, I could better than this crap!" Then paused for a moment...hmmm...yes! When did you first feel that you were an author? When the doorbell rang, and the UPS guy handed me a big box from TSR. I ripped it open and held my very first novel in my hot little hands. There are no words to describe the feeling. Are you for or against e-books? I dislike e-books because I dislike reading text off a monitor. Also, they are WAY too damn easy to pirate. What's the one question you have never been asked in an interview that you wished you had? And what would be your answer? From 'Inside The Actors Studio' Bravo network: What would you like to hear God say when you arrive in Heaven? Answer: Oh there you are! We lost you years ago. Are you a music fan? If so, what? Mostly jazz, along with a lot of Broadway showtunes. Some soft rock, some classical. I work to John Tesh, and Miles Davis a lot. SF, Skiffy or Sci-Fi? What is the correct shortening of Science Fiction and does it matter? Skiffy is a peanut butter, SF is the good stuff, Sci-Fi is big-eyed monsters and busty women in metal bikinis, and no, it doesn't matter at all. Do you have a favourite place to write? In my office, windows closed, walls lined with my huge book collection, no telephone, no possible disturbances, non-vocal (jazz) music playing softly, a plate of sandwiches and no clock. Sort of like the gambling tables at Vegas - only with a word processor. Do you enjoy book signings/conventions? Always. I am a total ham and love the spotlight. Why do you like SF/F/H? The freedom to explore any conceivable idea. There are no boundaries in Fantasy (which is what SF and Horror are, actually) What book are you reading at the moment? S.J. Pearleman, "Baby, Its Cold Inside" Humor fiction. Great author, he wrote a lot of the scripts for the Marx Brothers movies. Who wouldn't like that? Do you enjoy collaborating? So far so good. But then, Phil Foglio is a hoot to work with. How does your approach to the editing role differ from that of writing? I can not edit. I keep trying to make other people's work read like my work, rather than make it good. So I don't edit. What's you main ambition? To become filthy rich and write a hell of a lot more books. Is there something you are particularly proud of? My mustache, its glorious! Actually, its whenever one of my students makes a pro sale and goes on to have a writing career. I love that. Plug away - what do you have coming out? The reprints of my "Bureau 13" series from Wildside Press. A covert branch of the FBI uses SOTA military firepower, and magic, to combat supernatural criminals. But every monster is not evil, and every Bureau 13 is not human... Fantasy/Humor, trade paperbacks, Larry Dixon cover art, from www.WildsidePress.com or www.Amazon.com. Thanks! This has been fun. Best wishes, Nick Pollotta Many Thanks, Nick Relevant Links Nick Pollotta Bibliography Nick Pollotta Short Story Guide Nick Pollotta's Web Site