Hello. I'm Scott Marlowe. You've no doubt come to this part of my site looking for information about me. The short version is that I'm just a guy devoting what time I can to getting published. The longer version follows...
I'm what I like to call a Texafornia: Born in Texas, grew up in California (San Francisco area), but back in Texas since 1997. I attended the University of California at Davis where I received my BS degree in Computer Science Engineering in 1994. I've been working in the software industry ever since, having brief forays into the arena of software consulting, telecom, and, finally, the tax and accounting business (which, not surprisingly, is the most stable industry of those listed; it's true what they say about death and taxes).
I'm coming into the writing game a little late. At some point after entering college I had a choice to make: major in English (or similar literary subject) and thereafter commit myself to a career in writing, or fulfill my other desire, that of being a software engineer. The decision was not an easy one. Ultimately, it was a consultation with one of my English professors that made up my mind for me. This professor (whose name escapes me now) basically said, "You can always write regardless of what other field you enter." That cemented it for me. I graduated with an engineering degree but had also tacked on a minor in Comparative Literature by the time I was done (I think I was one class away from an English minor, also; I was really ready to graduate by that time, though, so I left it alone).
While writing was always on my mind, after long days toiling away at the keyboard, the last thing I wanted to do was spend my nights doing the same. About fifteen years passed. In that time, I married, bought a house, acquired a couple of four-legged kids, changed jobs a few times, got laid off once (from the telecom industry), sold the first house, built a second in the country, and, finally, decided it was time to write a novel. That novel is The Hall of the Wood.
Now, I'm working on another while doing what I can to promote myself and my writing. I'm selling The Hall of the Wood myself (as well as through various online retailers), but that doesn't mean I've given up on traditional publishing. In fact, I think every writer today should be looking at all avenues of getting one's writing in front of readers. We're lucky in that we have so many ways to connect with readers directly and at such minimal cost (except for our time).
If you'd like to read a sample of my writing, I have shorts that are always free. Also, you can download the first six chapters of The Hall of the Wood from my site (or all of it from Smashwords; it's listed as "you set the price") for free (or you can purchase the whole thing, of course; I offer it in PDF and MOBI/Kindle formats).
Let's see... what else? I own a Kindle and absolutely love it. When given the choice, I'll take an eBook over a traditional one any day of the week. I'm a firm supporter of the Amazon Community boycott on eBooks priced higher than $9.99. The literary world is changing; publishers need to change with it.
As for my life's goals, I'm happy with my career in software, and while I'd rather not give it up, I'm also dedicated to pursuing my writing and making it a success. You'll find posts on this blog mostly centered around that pursuit, though I occasionally dive into how the literary world converges with the digital one. I think I have a unique perspective on it.
That's all for me. Thanks for visiting.
FAQ
In case any of the above didn't answer all your questions about me…
Where else are you on the Web?
Twitter
Flickr
Amazon Author Page
Posterous
LibraryThing
In some of your posts you lean towards electronic/self-publishing. In others, traditional. Which is it?
I think you have to consider both. I wrote up an eight part series about self-publishing online. But I concluded with the different possibilities--traditional and electronic--I see open to new, emerging, and even established writers. The bottom line is that in today's world there is more than just the traditional publishing model available to writers, and I think we need to take advantage of all of them. Traditional publishing is still the most important: it provides the furthest reach. But it's not the beginning, middle, and end of the story anymore. Authors are expected to market themselves and their own work more and more, so taking advantage of selling online, serializing content, and giving away content for free are all ways to bring in more readers. Ultimately, that's really what's most important.
What do you think of podcasts/audio fiction?
I think they're great. I listen to a lot of podcasts. Some are informative about the publishing industry and writing in general. Others are audio fiction. Lots of good stuff here and I love that "regular" people are often the ones creating them.
[ Follow me on Twitter ]