Three Times A Charm with Scott R. Caseley

Welcome to Three Times A Charm. I love meeting new authors, illustrators, bloggers, agents, editors or promoters from the children’s publishing industry and sharing their careers with my readers.

  

This week’s guest is author, Scott R. Caseley. Scott tell us about yourself, please.

I was born in Nashua, New Hampshire and grew up in the next town over, Hudson. Being raised in a town that grew up around me was very interesting as I evolved to see where it had been and look at where it’s headed with pride. I wrote my first short story in the second grade, and the pen has been glued to my right hand ever since. But, I also made sure to have a full boat of interests besides the written word.

After graduating from Alvirne High School in town, I enrolled in Franklin Pierce University where I majored in Mass Communication and minored in History. While in attendance at the small liberal arts institution, I enlisted the help of some 225 people to put together my first movie that I co-directed with a friend who graduated earlier than me. It won me an award called the Creative Achievement Award for Excellence in Mass Communication.

A few years after I turned my tassel from right to the left, I directed a second film financed through working retail and temp jobs. I also was cast in a few films where I played bit parts including one where I portrayed myself. Sometime later, I directed a documentary short in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. I also directed a talk show for a good stretch of episodes after appearing as a guest on one of the initial episodes. I am also obsessed with healthy living, cooking low-fat, low-calorie recipes, and working out in as many as six different ways in a week.

In January of 2013, my first novel Isosceles was released by MuseItUp Publishing, at the end of a odyssey spanning many years writing and revising the story, which started out as a screenplay. The story reminds me of my hometown, it has grown up, gotten much bigger, but still has the points it’s had from the very beginning. And, this story is only the beginning of my journey as a novelist. . . .

What a fascinating journey you’ve had so far. Scott, can you tell us more about Isosceles?

When he finds his best friend Trey Goodsby dead and almost completely submerged in a bathtub filled with bloody water, Sean McIntyre is determined to find out if it was an accident or suicide. If it was suicide, why did he do it? And, did his death accidental or intentional have anything to do with Madeline Edwards, the woman who came between them constantly through their thirteen-year friendship? Isosceles, a coming-of-age mystery romance begins with the death of Trey Goodsby, and explores his relationships with family, friends, his romances, and which of the circumstances he found himself in that led to the tragic event, and the repercussions for those he left behind.

Now, for the Threes. Share with us your top 3’s to help us know you a little better.

• Top 3 skills to hone for people just starting in your business.

1.      Listening – Much of contemporary writing is dialogue-heavy, and what better way to make sure yours is authentic sounding rather than cliché filled is listening to those around you. Pay attention to their word choices, cadence, the emotion they carry through conversations.

2.      Reading – When you want to write in a certain style, or if you have a genre in mind, you should read all the books, essays, screenplays, poetry that reflect similar themes to see how those who came before you did their works.

3.      One hour of writing every day – Every day, you should spend it with pen or pencil in hand jotting down notes, writing a poem, journaling, blogging, writing a short story, or even as much as thousands of words for your first or next novel. This will help you to strengthen your language, maybe expand your vocabulary. Who knows a poem you write today may inspire a novel down the line. A poem I wrote in high school found its way into my novel, so you never know.

• Top 3 leisure activities.

1.      Yoga – When I like to detach myself from the busyness of a day, and relax, I do some yoga. It’s relaxing for the mind, but it has also led me to be better at the other five types of exericise I like to partake in through flexibility, stamina, and strength.

2.      Cooking – One of the best ways to drop pounds is to eat out less and cook your own meals. Ever since watching Jack Tripper (played by the late John Ritter) on “Three’s Company”, I have loved to cook.  My repoitoire now covers seventy plus recipes I have found online, through friends, family, or in books from five continents. Does anyone reading this know any great Australian or New Zealand recipes?

3.      Exercise of several varieties – Back in early 2011, I started a fitness challenge, and over time I have begun introducing more exercises into my regimen. I love yoga most of all, but I also enjoy walking (either on the treadmill or outdoors), light weight training, hula hooping, and occasionally some jogging.

• Top 3 professions you wanted to be when you grew up.

(Side note: I have attempted all three of these to various degrees of success and failure, but I’m glad that I tried them all.)

1.      Filmmaker – Directed a feature film, a documentary short, and a talk show.

2.      Actor – Acted in a number of films including one where I played myself. Also was trained on how to be a stage actor and finally a voice actor and was trained by the legendary Jordan Rich.

3.      Writer – Before Isosceles, co-wrote a feature length screenplay, followed by a second feature length screenplay by myself, co-wrote a documentary short, interviewed people for an online magazine

Scott, where can our tech-savvy readers go to keep up with you and your writing?

SRCaseley@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/ScottRCaseleyWriter

https://www.amazon.com/author/ScottRCaseley

http://www.scottrcaseleyauthor.com

Twitter: @scottrcaseley

Thanks for charming us on this week’s Three Times A Charm, Scott. Best of luck to you and your brand new book, Isosceles.

THANKS!

OPEN CALL FOR GUESTS!  I am always looking for guests for Three Times A Charm. If you are an author, illustrator or book reviewer, an agent or an editor. If you have something related to children’s publishing that you’d like people to know about, feel free to contact me about a future appearance.