Talkshow Thursday: Welcome Mark David Pullen!

Talkshow Thursday: 

Welcome Mark David Pullen

I love meeting new-to-me authors, don't you? Grab a cup of your favorite beverage and take a few minutes getting to know Mark David Pullen!

1.What inspired you to write this story?

Believe it or not, I was inspired to write this story because I got bored reading my son to sleep. There are only so many board books you can read as an adult before they start to wear you out. I wanted to write something that would be equally engaging for the person reading the story and the person they were reading it to. And so, I gifted my son with this story.

2. How do you develop your characters? (e.g. decide on their vocation, names, etc.)?

Because I wrote it for my son, I thought it would be fun to make him and my two nephews the main characters. They were relatively easy to develop because I had a lot to work with and all the resources necessary to develop their traits and characteristics.

3.What sort of research did you do for your story, and was there an exceptionally interesting tidbit you knew you had to include?

I did a lot of research! Even though I write Sci-Fi/Fantasy and fast-paced Action/Adventure, I researched everything to make it as authentic as possible. I wanted to write about a giant prehistoric frog, and I had no idea they actually existed. They’re called Beelzebufo!

4. Describe your journey to becoming an author.

My journey to publication is a God story. All my life, I’ve been a daydreamer, and that has gotten me into trouble. I got bored reading my son to sleep and thought, “Why not write him a story?” So, I daydreamed one up. I am a trade worker, not even close to a writer at the time, but I sat down and wrote him the story anyway. It was an inspiring experience, and I felt the tug on my heart to finish it and write more.

I wrote the whole thing in about a month and fell in love with writing. It was a whopping 30 pages in a looseleaf binder. I didn’t even have a laptop at the time. I wrote it entirely on my iPhone with a Bluetooth keyboard.

I gave it to my son for Christmas, and the following spring, my wife sent me away via Zoom to the Colorado Christian Writers Conference for Father's Day. Remember, I’m not a writer, but this was a fantastic gift and experience. She even arranged three appointments for me: two with agents seeking work and one with an acquisitions editor for a company I’d never heard of.

Neither agent was interested in my work, and I missed my appointment with the editor, a man named

Terry. Too bad, but I’m not even a writer. I wrote one thing, one time, so what was I to expect? Certainly not for Terry to have an open time slot and ask to meet with me, which is what happened. So we meet. I should have mentioned Terry, and the agents only got the first page of my story to judge whether they were interested in it. Not the front and back, the front of the first page only. Terry loved it and asked for the rest. I could not believe it. He asked for the rest and said he would be in touch.

I sent him the rest of the story, the other 29 pages, and I waited. Terry reached out shortly after that, telling me it was too short and way below the industry standard for word count and content. But he encouraged me to keep working on it and stay in touch. Too bad, but it happens.

Life continues, and a few months later, my phone rings from an unknown number. I answer by mistake instead of hitting the ignore button. But I answer, and it’s Terry. He asks how the writing is going, and I tell him I’m working on it here and there. But I still have real-life obligations, and writing is a hobby, so I work on it when I have time. Terry then explains that his company publishes two books in my categories a year and that he had hoped one would be mine, but time was running out. So I got to work. I bought a laptop, got to work, and finished my story. A month later, during the week of Christmas, Terry called and told me my writing contract was in the mail.

5. If your book is part of a series: Did you set out to write a series? Why did you decide to write a series?

My book is part of a series. I did not intend it to be, but it is. Once I sat down to write, the ideas and stories kept coming. The second book in the series just hit shelves this September! (Freedom Through the Narrow Gate: The Oasis Chronicles)

6.Why do you write in this genre?

I write in this genre because it’s what interests me. That makes it easy.

7. What advice do you have for fledgling writers?

My advice to fledgling writers is to attend a writer's conference. This is not only for the networking opportunities but also for the coursework and materials that will help you grow in the craft and prepare you to be a small business owner because, as an author, your book is your business.

8. What is your favorite childhood book?

My favorite childhood book is “Mrs. Frisby And The Rats of Nimh.” I love any story with talking animals, especially mice and rats. A little fun tidbit for you is that the second book in my series focused only on talking mice and rats.

About the Oasis King

Dylan, Jack, and Tripp are looking for adventure, but when they find an entryway into a magical land, plagued by the malevolent Stranger, the cost of their new, exciting journey might prove to be too much.

While on vacation at their grandmother’s farm, cousins Dylan, Jack, and Tripp learn of a long kept family secret and the power of wishing on a star. The boys are swept away to the Valley of the Oasis—a strange, primal paradise, where monsters and danger lurk around every turn. They find refuge with a lone hunter and his dogs, who have lost track of time and appear trapped in this magical land.

But the hunter and his dogs cannot rest for long. He is pursued by the Stranger, a strange green-skinned being from another time and place who also seeks to escape the Valley of the Oasis. As they narrowly escape the Stranger’s attacks, the boys worry that they, too, are trapped with no way home. Will the hunter protect the boys and send them home in time, before the Stranger closes in once and for all? The Oasis King is the first in a series of an action-adventure tales for younger readers who seek new lands, heart-racing challenges, and unexpected twists.

Find more information about Mark David Pullen at:

Website: www.theoasisking.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/therealoasisking
Instagram: www.instagram.com/markdavidpullen