What is your writing process?
I am currently writing my third manuscript, and the process has been similar for all three. The characters are the most critical element of my story telling. Once I establish who they are, I build my plot around them. From there, the process is organic. I do not work with a formal outline, as I like to be surprised as to what happens next.
How do you approach cover design?
The cover design needs to express the feel of the story. I like for the reader considering purchasing the book to be intrigued by the cover design and want to examine the book's content.
What book marketing techniques have been most effective for you?
I like to share my books on my Facebook and Goodreads pages, as well as on my website, www.NeilPerryGordon.com. Occasionally, I will do a book signing event at a location in Manhattan.
Describe your desk
I write on my laptop that I rest upon a stand that hold the computer at an angled position. I take this stand with me whenever I travel and it provides an excellent, portable writing aid.
Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up in the suburbs of New York City. This of course influenced me in many ways, but the most significant way was attending the Green Meadow Waldorf School. Here I learned the value of thinking, and acting in all aspects of my life in a creative way.
When did you first start writing?
I have written for many years for my business. The two business books, The Designer's Coach and The Architect's Guide to Engineered Shading Solutions were great marketing tools. A Cobbler's Tale is my first work of fiction. I started the book in July of 2017 and was published in October of 2018.
What's the story behind your latest book?
A Cobbler’s Tale is an adventure story about Pincus Potasznik, a second-generation Jewish cobbler, born in a small shtetl in the province of Galicia, part of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1910, at the historic height of the massive Eastern European immigration wave to the New World, Pincus decides to leave behind his pregnant wife, and three small children, in order to seek a new life for his family in the burgeoning Lower East Side of Manhattan. On his traumatic voyage across the Atlantic Ocean on the SS Amerika steamship, Pincus meets Jakob Adler, a young man running from an accidental murder of a notorious crime boss in Warsaw. The story also explores the challenges of pregnant Clara Potasznik as she does her best to protect her family, while the bloodiest battles of World War I explode within miles of her family home, a small village called Krzywcza. Moshe, the young son of Pincus and Clara Potasznik, discovers his divine ability to foretell dire events, and to offer real comfort those in pain, taking the reader into the wisdom and mystery surrounding the ancient Jewish mysticism, known as Kabbalah. A Cobbler’s Tale is a story of a family’s survival against tremendous odds.
What motivated you to become an indie author?
I wanted to be able to write and get my work to market faster than the traditional route. As an entrepreneur, with a degree in marketing, I have the skills to self-promote my work.
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
The creative process is the most rewarding aspect of writing. I love the process of how ideas flow from my mind and onto the page.
What are you working on next?
My next book is a historical fiction novel titled Moon Flower. It takes place in the late 17th century and is about a boy named Lukas and his spiritual journey with Native Americans.
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
I wake up at four each morning in order to have a few hours to write before my work day begins.