10 Questions With Paul B. Kohler

Welcome Leighgendaries to the eighteenth edition of 10 Questions With…

Today, our guest is:

Paul B. Kohler

Paul began writing in 1998, shortly after the birth of his daughter. His first short story, Amy, was written in November of that year, but went unpublished until November of 2013. That was when Paul found the courage to publish.

Despite the 15 year lag, Paul has written many unpublished works throughout the years. Linear Shift, Part 1 (September/2013) was his first published story, and was the kick off to his four part serial novel. The completed novel Linear Shift published in April of 2015.

When not writing, Paul is works in the field of architecture. He has been in the profession since 1992, and loves what he does. He lives with his wife and daughter in Littleton, Colorado, where he was born and raised.

It’s time for…

10 Questions With Paul B. Kohler

1.) What is something that many people might not know about you?

Up until a few years ago, I had a huge fear of cooking. I could just barely boil water, and even that was sometimes iffy. Then, something changed. It was early 2011 that I found that I liked to cook. Then, after a few months, I decided that I no longer liked to cook, but I LOVED to cook. I love it so much now that I cook most of my family’s meals now. Since I discovered this passion, we eat out a whole lot less.

2.) What inspired you to write your first book?

It was when I met Hugh Howey that I knew I wanted to write a book. I met him at an author event here in Denver, where he was doing a signing of Wool. At that point, I had only read the first part of Wool, and had only just learned about self-publishing. His motivation at that meeting was just what I needed. I set a goal shortly after meeting High to write and publish Linear Shift, Part 1 by my birthday that year. I hit that goal, and published the book a few days before my self-imposed deadline of September 2013.

3.) Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

That’s a tough one. I like so many authors for many different reasons. If there is one author that I can pick up any book and read it to the end with ease, that would be Stephen King. His writing is certainly not award winning literature, but it’s always a good story. That is key – keeping the reader’s attention.

4.) If you could have dinner with any author, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

I’ve not given this much thought. There are a number of authors that I enjoy reading, but I don’t think I have any great desire to dine with any one author. In life, I’m more of a “Hey, let’s have a beer” kind of guy. The discussion wouldn’t need to be anything profound either. We could talk about anything from the weather to bug bites to who the next top model might be (and I don’t even watch the show). Pretty random, I know…

5.) What book are you reading now?

Right now, I am reading any one of a half dozen books. I have one by my night stand, and I have a zillion on my Kindle. The one that is capturing most of my time right now is called The Wrecker, by Clive Cussler. I’ve also met him, and he’s a great author that I enjoy.

6.) Are there any new authors that have captured your interest?

I’m not sure he’s exactly new, but Earnest Cline truly blew me away with Ready Player One. I am a product of the 80’s, and I could have sworn I could live inside his book. Simply awesome.

7.) If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in any of your books?

Another tough question. I think that everything I write is written perfectly at the time. Sure, I can go back to any of my stories and find ways to better progress through a scene, but once I hit the publish button, I have no regrets. It’s all those rewrites that I go through that drive me batty.

8.) Can you share a little of your current work with us?

I’d love to! I am about to re-release my short story Borrowed Souls under a new title and cover. The new serial/series is will consist of 7 parts, with The Soul Collector: Borrowed Souls: Book 1 releasing tomorrow. Here’s a snippet of book 2 of the serial, titled Regretful Absolution:

The silence of dawn was upon me, and the fear of my regretful choices was blaring. Lost and disoriented, so far astray I could almost hear a voice from the dead body next to me, screaming out instructions for what to do next. The only problem was Wilson could no longer speak. I looked into his hollow eyes and wondered what I had gotten myself into.

While Wilson continued to gaze off into the ether, I peered around at my surroundings. The sun was about to rise, and a faint mist hung low to the ground. It felt like only minutes ago that I had woken up on that fateful bus ride before aimlessly walking through the deserted streets of the city. Now here I was, sitting next to a soulless body, and for all intents and purposes, I was no longer a living and breathing man.

Do I have to breathe now? I wondered. Now that I am a soul collector? Breathing is such an absentminded act that you normally don’t pay much attention to—unless you can’t do it, that is. I straightened my back and focused on the rhythmic action of air moving in and out of my lungs. After a particularly deep breath, I stopped. I just stopped breathing. I wasn’t holding my last breath, I just ceased to take another. As I sat listening to the early morning sounds of the city, I began to feel my lungs burn. They were being starved for air. Beads of sweat formed at my temples, and I felt the womp-womp of my heartbeat in my ears. Finally, when I didn’t think I could take any more, I breathed in sharply. Well, that answered that question.

9.) If you were to get rid of one state in the US, which would it be and why?

I’m a firm believer that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I don’t see anything wrong with any of our states. They are all part of what makes our nation what it is. It’s like asking someone: Which finger on your hand would you get rid of? None, because combined, that make a hand, which is part of our body… and so on.

10.) A penguin walks through that door right now wearing a sombrero. What does he say and why is he here?

“Is this where I go for the casting call for the next cartoon in the Madagascar franchise? I hear it’s called ‘Juan flew over the Coocoo’s nest’. Will it be a problem if I don’t know how to fly?”

Go ahead, pimp whatever book you want:

With the new release of The Soul Collector: Borrowed Souls: Book 1, I would love it if you would click over and take a look. This first part to a 7 part serial is sure to please, and each succeeding episode will publish every three weeks.

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GIVEAWAY:  Paul B. Kohler is going to give away a free signed copy of Linear Shift, the complete novel.  All you need to do is answer the following question in the comment section:
In Linear Shift, Peter Cooper is given the opportunity to go back into time to change a moment that will make Word War II end sooner, but he may not return to the life he has now.  If you were given the opportunity would you do it or not?
This giveaway is only opened to those that live in the United States, due to shipping costs.  The giveaway will end at midnight on Tuesday night, August 18, 2015.

*****

I would like to thank Paul B. Kohler for joining us for this episode of 10 Questions With…

I hope that everyone will check out The Soul Collector: Borrowed Souls: Book 1 when it releases tomorrow, August 18, 2015.  I have been a huge fan of Paul B. Kohler and I am really excited for The Soul Collector series.  Paul is one of the authors that has a permanent spot on the top shelf of my Leighgendarium.  After reading Borrowed Souls I asked Paul if he was going to continue it because if he wasn’t I wanted to write in the world.  The story is great and will leave you wanting more.  This series will not disappoint you, I promise.

Jack Duffy is the exemplification of average. He lives a normal life with a less than desirable job. He’s a distracted husband, living in a ordinary apartment, and is married to an extraordinary wife. That’s how he would explain it. At the end of an unusually bad day, Jack’s life is turned upside down when he witnesses something truly harrowing. The only thing that can catch him from falling is the soul collector. His primary concern: Will he be allowed to keep his soul, or will he have to give it back?

In honor of his new release, Paul B. Kohler is making Linear Shift Part 1 & Linear Shift Part 3 free until Friday, August 21, 2015.  This is another series by Paul that I highly recommend.  This is a very entertaining novel and will grab you from the beginning and not let go until the end.

No one said time travel would be easy.

Peter Cooper, a widowed father of two whose life is crumbling around him—until a bizarre encounter with a desperate Army general launches him on a risky mission: to go back to 1942 and change a moment in time. The repercussions will almost certainly alter the conclusion of World War II. But will the ripple effects stop there? And what kind of life will Peter return to?

Unknown Consequences:

A successful mission may not have the success he had intended.

If you enjoyed this interview you might also enjoy:

10 Questions With Hank Garner
10 Questions With Hugh Howey
Review: Ready Player One
10 Questions With Kevin G. Summers