Interview with Richard Lutman

Author of Creek Bait

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

Philadelphia, Rhode Island, VT then Myrtle Beach SC.

If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that lead from there to here?

I was as born in Rochester NY where my father did his residency then moved to the Philadelphia area. Spent summers in RI until moving there in 1976. After my mother’s estate was settled I moved to VT where I had received both bachelors and masters degrees.

What made you decide to write and publish your first book?

I had written a novella and wanted to get it published anyway I could. I paid 500.00 and ended up with several boxes of books I was stuck with. I still have a copy of that novella as a reminder.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

A very funny novella, a dogoir, another novella–a Hong Kong love story, a western and most recently a collection of fourteen stories. I don’t like to be pigeon-holed as a writer.

Who do you feel is most likely to connect with the topics you write about?

My hope it that the back cover blurb and reviews of the books will interest a reader into a purchase and learn something from each of the books.

What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?

Do not hurry the process of writing or publishing.

If you could, what advice would you give to your past self before embarking on this journey?

Learn to be patient.

How many people would you ideally like to reach with your books?

Hundreds.

What has been the biggest challenge and frustration during the process to date?

Even though I have published over two dozen stories and five novels the wait for an acceptance has never gotten any easier.

What’s your biggest strengths when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

Understanding a,b, not so much c.

What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

Marketing.

When do you think you will write your next book?

Already have written it–a mature adult novel I’ve put aside for a while. Currently working on a novella and a new short story was recently published. I plan on getting back to the novel after the first of the year.

Are you self published or did you use a hybrid publisher, or a traditional publisher?

Although I have books on amazon and Draft2Digital my last two were published by small presses.