Michael Balkind

One of the most important things I think an author can do every day is read, that is of course in addition to writing. I think most authors are voracious readers; I know I am. I read constantly: fiction, non-fiction, magazines articles, newspapers, blogs, whatever. I love to read to learn but I really enjoy getting lost in the world of another author’s imagination. I have enjoyed reading for as long as I can remember. The problem is that since I started to write, the way I read has drastically changed. Now, most of my reading is for a purpose, not that enjoyment isn’t a purpose, but now my reading is more about learning than pleasure. I’m not exactly pleased with this new development. I used to love getting involved in a good book and fading into the world of the characters in the book. What better way to spend a few hours? A good book can make your problems go away for a little while, or at least send them to the very back of your mind.

But now, as a writer, I read to learn. Granted, it’s still fun to do but not quite as much as it used to be. When I read now, I’m looking for things. No, not mistakes, even if many books published these days have them. Many authors don’t have the time or funds to have their work copyedited. While often I find typos or grammatical errors or even a run-on sentence, I try to read on without letting those bobbles bother me too much. The things I look for now are the things that make a good book…a good book. I get intrigued by a strong transition from chapter to chapter or from viewpoint to viewpoint. I get dazzled by the use of powerfully descriptive words. I am impressed when an author can keep you guessing until the end with a whodunit, while the culprit has been sitting right in front of you, the reader, all the time. I love it when the author takes control of the reader’s emotions and makes you laugh, then cringe or cry, with the turn of one page. I am awed when an author conveys a message by using subtle hints rather than spelling out the obvious. These are all things that I devour as an author, as I learn and develop my craft. And although I will continue to read as much as time allows me to, I am not happy with this new dilemma I am stuck with as a recently published debut author.

Michael Balkind, the author of Sudden Death, is a graduate of Syracuse University, has a successful career in sales and marketing, and has owned several businesses.

I’m not sure if every novelist has this problem, but I certainly do. Actually, the word “problem” might not be accurate. Maybe it’s more like I just see everyday things differently now that I am a published author. Life used to pass me by, as it probably does for others, with some laughs and cries, some goods and bads, some happys and sads. But now it’s all different, not that I live differently, just that I see things differently.

Everything I see now is a potential scene for a current or future book. For instance, last night my family went out for dinner. With my wife and kids, my mom, my sister and her family, we were a party of nine. We went to an ethnic place in Port Chester, NY. The restaurant was an inexpensive Peruvian family-style place. Lots of great chicken, shrimp, and beef piled high along with rice and pasta on plates big enough to feed a small army. It was one of those places that you know has to be considered good by its country’s standards because almost every table was filled with South Americans. The ambience or lack thereof was part of the charm of the place; babies crying, kids underfoot, people smiling, laughing and just enjoying Saturday night with family and friends after a tough week.

Before my writing career began, a dinner like this would probably be ancient history in my mind after we got in our cars and drove home. But now, as I write this piece, I think of some of the discussions at our table, such as my 15 year old nephew trying to communicate with our cute waitress using whatever Spanish he has managed to learn in school, poco at best. We debated the meaning of "De nada," which technically translates to "of nothing." However, it is the Spanish equivalent of "You're welcome!

The food was very good, the music was fun and we had a wonderful time. The fact that I will definitely use the whole incident in a novel just adds to the experience. I can’t wait to hear my nephew’s response when he reads one of my novels that describes his interaction with the waitress, possibly with a new outcome.
My point with this little offering is that, as an author of fiction, for better or for worse, I now look at life in an entirely different way: Every moment is now potential fodder for fiction.

Michael Balkind, the author of Sudden Death, is a graduate of Syracuse University, has a successful career in sales and marketing, and has owned several businesses.