Monday, February 17, 2014

Blog Ring of Power: George Sirois



Today on the Blog Ring of Power, we're hosting George Sirois. You can find the other four parts of his interview at these links:


For now, let's learn about George's creative process.

Do you have a specific writing style? – This is where my editor and I work really well together. I’m constantly focused on telling the story, keeping everything moving, and my editor wants me to take a few moments to look around and describe the scenery. If it weren’t for her, I would barely have much of a description of the planet that Excelsior calls home, Denab IV. So I don’t really dwell too much on describing every little detail, just enough so that the reader has an understanding of where we are and then pushing forward.

How do you deal with writer’s block? – Music is a big help. When I listen to various film scores, I’ll get ideas for new scenes that will motivate me enough to sit down at the desk and write. And the best way to get motivated to sit down for me is to go out and take a long walk with my headphones in my ears. More often than not, the big connection that needed to be made will come to me while I’m at least 10 minutes away from home and I have to turn around and get home before I forget my “eureka” moment.

Are you a “plotter” or a “pantser” (do you plan/outline the story ahead of time or write “by the seat of your pants”)? – A bit of both. In most cases, I know how my story starts and how the story ends. I normally figure out how to get from the beginning to the end as I go. But for the first of two “Excelsior” sequels, I put together a very extensive outline, which was needed since this story’s going to be much more complex than the first one was.

Do you use critique partners or beta readers? Why or why not? – Yes. Beta readers have been absolutely irreplaceable when it comes to spotting errors that I’ve missed. It’s so much better to spot the errors and fix them than to miss them and only see those mistakes glaring at you in the book’s published form.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging to write? – Colors seem to be a problem with me. I have a bit of a color deficiency that keeps me from telling certain colors from each other (not a full-on color blindness, just enough to be annoying to me), and so it’s hard for me to describe characters’ clothing, especially if I want their shirts and pants to match. Not everyone in the world wears either black pants or blue jeans.


George Sirois self-published his first novel “From Parts Unknown” in November of 2002, which he is re-working as a five-part eBook serial and paperback release. When he self-published his Young Adult/Science-Fiction novel “Excelsior” in July of 2010, it was named “Top Pick” by Night Owl Reviews and a quarter-finalist in the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest. George’s writing has also been seen on 411Mania.com and Booktrib.com as a featured columnist. After living in New York City for most of his life, George and his wife and their two dogs now happily call St. Louis, MO their home. In his spare time, George is an avid cinephile, a collector of film scores, a lifelong fan of the New York Giants, and enjoys West Coast Swing dancing.

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Created by high school senior Matthew Peters, Excelsior – savior of faraway planet Denab IV – is becoming an Internet sensation as the main character of a popular online comic strip. But before Matthew can enjoy his burgeoning success, a beautiful older woman arrives at his school and tells him that not only is she from the planet Denab IV, but that Excelsior's lifeforce lives within him.
Now, with Excelsior's old enemies regaining strength, Matthew realizes he is the key to Earth's survival and Denab IV's salvation, and he has an opportunity that he never thought possible, to become his greatest creation. . .

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