Author Interview

World of Writing - Author Interview

* A note of appreciation to Leslie Barrett of PR By The Book who connected us with today's guest. 

 
Prior to Gary Lee Miller beginning his writing career, he was a successful businessman and entrepreneur. Gary lives in “the scenic city of the south”: Chattanooga, Tennessee, and has two adult daughters and one granddaughter who live close by. One of his greatest joys in life is acting in movies and TV. Join us for this fascinating look at Gary's life experiences and his work as a writer. He can be found at: www.garyleemillerbooks.com or drop by his Facebook page.

Q: Hi Gary, nice to meet you :) Why don't we start by having you share with our readers a little about where are you from?

A: I was born and raised in Cleveland, Tennessee. I couldn’t find any girls who would have me there (lol), so in 1973 I moved to Chattanooga after meeting the girl who would become my wife for 45 years, Sharee Sanders Miller, before her passing in 2019. Chattanooga is still my home.

Q: I'm very sorry for your loss, yet what a gift to have such a long marriage with her! Writing can be such a healing tool for grief, too. When did you consider yourself a writer?

A: My expectations of myself have always been extremely high, and I’ve never been one to toot my own horn, so the bar for considering myself to be a writer was pretty high in my own mind. When my novel Finding Grace won its first book award, I thought: “Maybe.” It was only when it won its second award that I became comfortable calling myself a writer and author. There’s something about third-party validation…

Q: Do you tend to use more than one voice in your writing? (first, second..)

A: My stories are about other people, so I write in the third person. There is a very specific reason for that. When writing, in my mind’s eye, I’m watching and listening to my characters interact as if they are on the movie or TV screen. So, I’m an outside observer, often writing as fast as I can to keep up with the dialogue between the characters. Yes, I know that sounds odd, but it’s true.

They say that many great fiction writers have this same ability, to watch and struggle to keep up with their characters, I have heard authors say they were often surprised with the twists and turns the characters take the story along. What is your profession and educational background - has it played a role in your writing career?

My university degree is in Secondary Education, although I never taught. I went into sales and management until leaving the corporate world, becoming a successful entrepreneur. I have started, grown, and franchised three different companies, prior to selling my interests in each. Now, in addition to writing, I occasionally act in movies and TV projects and am listed in IMDb (Internet Movie Data Base). I’ve appeared in the films “42,” “Hunger Games – Catching Fire,” “Anchorman 2,” “Avengers: Endgame,” “MacGyver,” and over twenty other movies and TV shows. It’s a fun hobby for me.

Q: Wow, that's fascinating ! When you look at your career as a writer, what do you see as being your main goal? 

A: My first goal is to create a living, breathing world for the reader, researching every detail and nuance to bring that world and the characters in it to life. And such was my goal with Finding Grace. Each character has their own personality and speech pattern based on their life experience and backstory. Readers find my characters highly relatable, which is a humbling compliment to my efforts. But I have another goal. My book Finding Grace is a means to an end, with the end goal of having it produced for movie or TV. I actually wrote the screenplay first, then COVID-19 struck, shutting down all production. That’s when I worked turning the screenplay into a full, fiction novel. By the way, writing a  novel is MUCH more work that writing a screenplay. I’m currently doing edits and rewrites to my screenplay before contacting movie and TV production companies.

Q: What do you consider to be your greatest strengths and weaknesses?

A: As mentioned earlier, I’ve never been comfortable tooting my own horn, but my greatest strength is my patience and persistence. I’m willing to put in whatever amount of work necessary, and work as long as it takes to become successful. My weaknesses are legion. In regards to becoming an author, my greatest weakness was the lack of knowledge I had about the business side of publishing. I had no idea! So going from the creative/writing side to the business side has been a real education for me. Fortunately, I have an extensive business background and tend to be a quick study. I really enjoyed the learning process about the publishing industry.

Q: How do you go about choosing a book title?

A: Sometimes the book title chooses you. Or, as I like to imagine, you have an angel on your shoulder whispering in your ear. An example is Finding Grace being the only title possible for this book. With Grace as one of the two primary characters, along with all the other character’s search, in one form or another, of finding their own grace, the title came easily. 

 

Q: If you had to give up one thing in your life in order to become a better writer, what would that one thing be?

A: In my opinion, if you are leading a balanced life, it is not necessary to give up something to become a better writer, or a better anything else for that matter. For me personally, I function at a higher level when my personal and business lives are balanced. That also means placing equal emphasis on work and play, along with diet, exercise, and sleep. When all those are balanced, most people have the energy and focus to do the work that allows them to accomplish their goals.

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