The Making of Socket Greeny — Tony Bertauski

Socket Greeny is not normal.

His funny name and snow-white hair are the least of his problems. When a devious prank goes bad, Socket and his friends realize they are about to lose everything they've worked for in the alternate reality universe of virtualmode.

But when the data drain encroaches on Socket's subconscious memories, some mysterious force erases the event entirely. Subtle clues suggest there's more to him than he knows and will lead him to discover why his mom is always at work. And just how far from normal he is.

The beginning of Socket Greeny's epic journey to save himself begins with the making. The universe is depending on him.


INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR

When did you start writing?
My first effort started with Socket Greeny. It was a story I started for my son because he hated to read. It didn't work, but this character â€" Socket â€" took root. It was the first time I felt possessed by a character with a story to tell. It took me 5 years and countless rewrites to get it right. I waited by the mailbox after that, but the giant paycheck never arrived.

If you can't make money, why write fiction?
I didn't say you can't make money. There are a lot of people out there with a good book, whether it's romance, dystopia, science fiction or young adult. I'm just a minnow in a crowded pond. It took a good deal of networking and research to realize just how hard it is.

Thanks to epublishing, I can get the book out. That frees me up to write what inspires me. Writing is the true love. There's something deeply satisfying to have characters come to life in your mind and watch their stories unfold. It's a deeper experience than reading someone else's story.

What do you want readers to get from your stories?
I've always been inspired by fearless writing that asked poignant questions; questions like who am I and what is the universe? Things that made me look at life slightly different; books that exposed a layer of reality. Writing in the young adult genre appealed to me most because that's the age I really craved those questions and answers.

I want readers to see the world slightly different.

What is your favorite character?
I love a bad, bad antagonist that you can't entirely hate; there's some smidgeon of redemption you feel inside this demented, sorry character. Heath Ledger's Joker. A despicable character that didn't deserve an ounce of pity, but, for some reason, I didn't hate him as much as I should have. It's that character I find most intriguing. In The Socket Greeny Saga, the character Pike was my Joker.