As you probably know by now, the staff authors here at Indies Unlimited are referred to as minions. No one is sure exactly how or when that started, but it stuck. What you may not realize is that all the minions (and everyone) here at IU work for free. That’s right, they don’t get a dime out of this. They do it out of the goodness of their hearts. So our Fearless Leader (admin) thought it would be nice to give some props to the minions by featuring each of them in a spotlight interview. We hope you enjoy it.
What is your name?
BigAl. Camel case, no space. No last name. Really. I promise. (There are easy ways to figure out more, but I’m not giving you hints.)
What is your quest?
One definition of quest I found is one that might ring a bell amongst this literary crowd. “An expedition undertaken in medieval romance by a knight in order to perform a prescribed feat.” I have a strange travel goal that I think might be close enough, to visit every county in the United States in my lifetime. That sounds kind of like a quest to me. Maybe a bit of tilting at windmills or some other literary thing would fit as well. There are 3142 counties and I’m closing in on halfway, so I need to pick up the pace. Even though this quest almost killed me, now is not the time to slack off. (There is even a club of like-minded people out there, I’m not clever enough to have come up with this on my own.)
What is your favorite color?
Chartreuse. Or blue. I can never remember which. (Sometimes green.) Who came up with this question? I like the one Barbara Walters asks about being a tree a lot better.
What the heck were you thinking when you did that one thing that one time?
As I’m sure you could guess, I wasn’t thinking at all. If I’d thought about it even for a second, I wouldn’t have done it. I’ve done more than anyone should expect to try to make up for it. Karma got her revenge. Now can we please put this behind us and move on?
If you could be a tree, what kind would you be?
Oops. Spoke too soon.
I’d be a tall redwood, but not too old. Basically, the opposite of what I am as a human.
What is your favorite genre to write?
My specialty is bull pucky. (Is that NSFW? NSFIU? Just NS?)
What’s the best part about writing (or easiest)? What’s the worst, or hardest?
How many times do I have to tell you people, I’m not a writer.
What makes being a part of the IU community important to you?
I have to get serious now, don’t I? As one of two minions who aren’t authors, I think what I get out of it is different from most. I think it’s seeing things from a different point of view. I’ve always been interested in the process of creating books, I daresay more than the average reader (even more than the average avid reader), and this puts me in a position to learn more about that. I like to say that seeing how books are produced is like a visit to the sausage factory for many readers, but I’m an exception to that rule.
Why do you choose to go Indie?
I was an Outtie in High School and didn’t think it was much fun, so I decided to give this a try.
What do you love most about being an indie?
Something, something, the man, something else, blah, blah. Oh yeah. Also, the independence.
What are you working on now?
In addition to the chore of staying on top of the day job and all the various websites I’m involved in on the side, I’m also involved in a new venture called Modern Publishing Global.
In order to give their book the best chance of success, most indie authors need some help with editing, book covers, etc. There are a lot of companies out there providing those services to authors, but too many seem to be out to take advantage of them. So when I was approached by Simon Royle, a successful businessman who is also an indie author, asking me to join him in his new company, I knew his approach would be different. I was right. Our goal is to give indie authors the support services they need at an affordable price, not to bleed them dry. That way they’ll be back when their next book is ready. I think that’s what those how-to-succeed books call a win-win.
Who is your own favorite character, and why?
Me. I’m my only character, so I have to be my favorite.
We would have been pals in high school, for sure!
You were an Outie, too, Theodore? I think a lot of us were. Thanks for stopping in.
Dear BigAL,
Thank you for your time and efforts. I think your quest is a worthy one, but you are too busy to get much of that accomplished each year. Also, I’m sorry you have to wear an empty flour sack for a hat.
E
What I want to know, BigAl, it’s whether you wear your special hat when on your County quest. There would be talk, anticipation, yes? That is the Stuff Legends Are Made Of :’). Inspired. But…do you see that much difference among yon Counties?
LOL. Nope, the hat is only for very special meetings that I better not talk about. 🙂
As for differences among the counties, yes and no. Most places have some unique aspects. What this quest does is forces me to get off the interstates and onto the blue highways (that’s a subtle literary reference). It’s off the beaten path where you discover many of the unique places and things that are out there.
Thanks for the comment, Elizabeth. You’re right, it can be time consuming. I’ve had periods where I’ve been able to make a lot of progress and other periods where I haven’t, depending on a lot of different factors including what else I had going on.
It must be green, Al, cuz that’s the colour you turn when you eat the gruel. I know it’s a sign of – er – extreme pleasure.
LOL. How true, Yvonne. Gruel doesn’t come any better than what they feed us.
*makes note* Less gruel for Al and Yvonne…. *ahem*
I keep telling you guys to quit eating the crunchy bits. But do you listen? No. Nobody does.
Yeah. I didn’t listen. And look what happened to me.
An “outtie in high school,” that’s my favorite! Definitely chartreuse, Al. You make a bright splash wherever you go!
Thanks, Linda. 🙂
Kia Ora, BigAl:
That’s the first time I’ve heard that construction called camel case. How did it get its name?
And what is an ‘outtie’?
Cheers
– Paul Corrigan
Paul, I think it is called camel case because it has a big bump in the middle, kind of like a camel.
Here’s what wikipedia says (in short, I was right):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CamelCase
And when I searched wikipedia for outie, this is where it took me:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navel
Thank you for this great interview. I have been a BigAl fan for years! I had never heard of an Outie, but after researching the word, I realize that it fits. Perfectly.
Donna, did you just call me fat? :/
BigAl:
Thanks, on both counts.
– Paul Corrigan
“Who came up with this question?” Seriously? You’ve never seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail? We have to fix that…
(Good luck with the new venture!)
I think I’ve seen it, Lynne, but it was years ago.
Fascinating. And love the hat. You can hide a lot of gruel up there. Don’t ask me how I know.
*gasp*
*whispers to Laurie, is it leaking out of the hat?*
Someone with the initials LM said it makes me look like a dunce, but I like it.
Well I never said that!!! Fact is I think I want one of my own. And am I detecting a navel fetish I was completely unaware of until now??? WOW!
Not you. Larry … um … Larry Martin.
Great interview, BigAl!
Thanks, MP.
Outies unite!
Oh wait, we’ve already done that.
Carry on. 😀
LOL. Thanks for dropping by, A.C.
Another hilarious and informative romp through the mind and heart of a minion! Thanks for baring your “midriff”, BigAl!
*blush*
Thanks for dropping by, Chad.