Saturday 10 August 2013

K. Robert Campbell, author of The Fifth Category

The Fifth Category by K. Robert Campbell is available for Kindle from Amazon:
US: The Fifth Category (Cameron Scott Adventure series)
UK: The Fifth Category (Cameron Scott Adventure series)

The Fifth Category by K. Robert Campbell
The Fifth Category by K. Robert Campbell

Country lawyer Cameron Scott's week begins with a nightmare and ends in a hornet's nest of betrayal and intrigue. A small group of mid-level bureaucrats has formed a secret alliance to quietly restructure the U.S. government from within but a power-hungry cadre, intent on changing the government through violent revolution, has seized the organization and quickly eliminated its founders. Like weeds in a garden, they have spread through the government. Cameron crosses paths with the shadowy organization, and an equally shadowy FBI agent, trying to find out why his court-appointed client was murdered in the jailhouse, and suddenly finds himself in their crosshairs. When he learns that the treacherous group and a raging category five hurricane may both center their destruction on his coastal home town of Riverport, NC, he is forced to fight time and nature to seek and destroy the organization before it destroys him.

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Author Quiz interviews K. Robert Campbell...

What are you working on now and what projects and ideas do you have lined up next?
Right now, I’m working on the fifth book in my Cameron Scott series, titled First Class.When main character Cameron Scott investigates the early ‘accidental’ demise of several of his law school classmates, he finds that he is next on the list. I have a few ideas rolling around in my head for the next Cameron Scott book, which will be titled "Zero Tolerance."

If you were to write a novel outside your usual genre, which genre would you like to experiment with and why?
I actually have written a literary fiction outside my usual genre, under a different pen-name, and have jotted down the ideas for several others. I’ve also written two stage plays which were produced locally a few years ago, and some short stories in the humor and macabre genres.

If your book, The Fifth Category, was made into a movie and you were asked for input into the soundtrack, are there any songs that would work especially well for any particular scenes?
I concocted a particular scene for The Fifth Category–the scene that led to writing the rest of the book–while listening to a cut from Vengalis’ Blade Runner soundtrack.
 
Are any of your characters based heavily on people you know or have met from real life and if so, would they regard it as a compliment or an insult to discover they were the inspiration for the character in question?
Two characters in First Class, the Cameron Scott book I’m working on now, are responses to two author friends’ complaint that they haven’t made it into any of my books so far. I told them, "Fair enough, you’ll be in the next one. But of course, you’ll both be killed off." I’ve changed their names a bit, but they’ll recognize themselves. Otherwise, most of my characters are composites of people I’ve known over the years, or if none fit, complete fabrications.

What do you think stimulates sales the most; positive reviews or advertising?

I think positive reviews are the best stimulant, especially if they provide pithy quotes to use in advertising.
 
What advice would you give to publishing houses with regard to how to go forward and adapt to the industry over the next few years?
Don’t give up on print. Recently, I was asked if I would be available to teach a live business law class because students were having too much trouble with online classes. E-books and audio books are here to stay, but people sometimes tire of the electron bombardment, preferring to curl up in a corner with a real book in hand, and I think they will do so for some time to come.
 
Would you rather sell 1000 books at $10/£10 each or 2000 books at $1/£1, i.e. what gives you the greater sense of satisfaction; overall earnings or overall sales?
I’d like to be able to make a living from book sales, so that I could devote more time to writing more books, so overall earnings are important, but overall sales give me more satisfaction for two reasons: First, I know that more people are enjoying the books and second, there are more people to spread the word to recruit new readers.
 
What advice would you give to a new author who has just finished writing their first novel and is unsure as to what steps to take next?
Talk to established indie writers and find sources for obtaining good editors and proofreaders, publishing houses, and good marketing systems.

Of all your books, which would you say was the best starting point for a reader to be introduced to your work?
The Fifth Category would be the best starting point. Even though each book in the Cameron Scott series can stand alone, there are a few spoilers in the later books related to the first. I hadn’t intended on doing a series, but once I kept going, the themes of the stories lent themselves to the descending numbers I’ve given the titles–Fifth Category, Fourth Estate, Third Degree, etc..so people sometimes get confused as to where they should start.

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Thanks for your comments, K. Robert, and good luck with your writing.

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K. Robert Campbell,
author of The Fifth Category
Follow K. Robert Campbell on twitter:
@authordrummer

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The Fifth Category by K. Robert Campbell is available for Kindle from Amazon:
US: The Fifth Category (Cameron Scott Adventure series)
UK: The Fifth Category (Cameron Scott Adventure series)


Other books by K. Robert Campbell:
Amazon.com:
The Fourth Estate (The Cameron Scott Suspense Series)
The Third Degree (The Cameron Scott Suspense Series)

Amazon.co.uk:
The Fourth Estate (The Cameron Scott Suspense Series)
The Third Degree: 3 (The Cameron Scott Suspense Series)

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