to the point

In this week's Midpoint Author Spotlight, we sit down with Bill Bunn from Biting Duck Press.  Though Bill is admittedly balding, he's also admittedly stuck in junior high and high school years. This may be due to significant head injuries, or perhaps an emotional problem (so he says). He lives in the middle of nowhere. And is waiting for a part called a "Connector block" to come from a part supplier in South Georgia.  Bill, obviously, has a healthy sense of humor and is the author of the upcoming YA novel Out on the Drink from Bitingduck Press (December).

Your upcoming novel is releasing in December of this year. What's it about?

The protagonist, Sean Bulger, is a 16-year-old alcoholic from Newfoundland. His life revolves around avoiding his abusive stepfather and sneaking booze. When one of his party crashes goes wrong he ends up, totally wasted, on a condemned Russian cruise ship where he blacks out. The boat gets towed from the harbor and he finds himself adrift with no food, water, navigation tools, or anything that will help him survive.

When rescue finally comes it’s not what he expected, and Sean gets a first-hand look into a world of ship-breaking and piracy. 

Tell us, what’s a guy like you reading right now?

Tattoos on the Heart by Gregory Boyle

And what was your favorite book as a child?

Mini-Bike Hero

Any hobbies other than writing?

Reading. Visiting abandoned places. Fixing an old, beat-up pickup truck. Pursuing the god-shot: the ultimate espresso shot.

What's the best piece of advice you could give to someone considering writing a book?

Finish writing your book. No seriously. Shut up and write.

Any hidden talents? Or something people might be surprised to know about you?

Professional Flaneur. Guitar playing. Cat training. Bacon weaver.

If you could describe your personality using an ice cream flavor, which would it be?

Sneezed-on vanilla.

Favorite thing about writing a book? Least favorite thing about writing a book?

My favorite thing is finding a character or an event that I love, and then trying to capture it in a story. My least favorite thing is editing it for the 10th time.

Are you working on your next book yet? What can you tell us about it?

Yes. I've finished a draft of it. Now I just have to go back and make it better.

In all seriousness, Bill is a professor of English at Mount Royal University and the author of four previous books: a YA historical adventure, Kill Shot (Bitingduck Press, 2015); the teen magical adventure Duck Boy (Bitingduck Press, 2012); Hymns of Home, a collection of essays on family, technology, and the environment that reached Calgary’s bestseller list twice in Summer 2013 (Bitingduck Press, 2013); and an illustrated children’s book, Canoë Lune (Le Canotier, 2001). He is active in the Young Alberta Book Society. 

You can purchase Out on the Drink from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, or Books A Million.

Check out his website and stay connected with him on Twitter and Facebook.