Simon Michael De Prior

Simon was currently at the hot seat of spotlight Sunday at ‘We Love Memoirs’; it’s my favorite FaceBook group. He had just launched his first book, “Coconut Wireless.’ We grilled him with questions all about his book, his life, and his travels. I thought that title was so cool; “Wireless Coconut.” I was also drawn to the cover which reminded me of home. Sadly, he hadn’t visited the Philippines yet, at the time. But he assured me, it was on his list! To my surprise, when the session was over, I’d won myself a copy! I must have asked the right questions. Thanks, Simon!

Fast forward a couple of years and 6 books later, I was really happy and jazzed to meet Simon and his family on my home turf, Cebu. As soon as I heard, he was visiting, I took the opportunity to come and meet him and show him a bit of my island of which I’m so very proud. We had a wonderful day together, and more of that in my next blog.

Check out my interview with an international best-selling author, Simon Michael Prior.

Simon Michael Prior

Tell me about yourself.
A travel-loving, fun-loving crazy chap who’s happy to try almost anything. I’ve lived on two boats and sunk one of them; sold houses, street signs, Indian food and paper bags for a living; visited almost fifty countries and lived in three; qualified as a scuba diving instructor; nearly killed myself learning to wakeboard; trained as a search and rescue skipper with the Coast Guard and built my own house without the benefit of an instruction manual. I now live in it by the sea with my wife and twin daughters, where I spend my time regurgitating my experiences on paper before I have so many more that I forget them.

Can you give me a synopsis of your book in one sentence?
My latest book, A Capybara for Christmas, is about a crazy journey my family and I took through nine countries on the trail of a giant rodent.

Is this a series?
Not yet, but I have four books in my South Pacific Shenanigans series about my life in the Southern Hemisphere during the1990s, tracking down the Queen of Tonga, attempting to impress my in-laws by creating havoc on their dairy farm, becoming a terrible stadium rock star and taking an around-the-world trip in a desperate attempt to find Fiona an engagement ring.

What genre (s) do you write in?
All my books so far have been in the fun travel memoir genre, but I’m branching out into cozy mystery. I’ve written two books so far about a female marine rescue volunteer who comes across across murders in the course of her work. For release in 2024, folks! Watch this space.

What inspires you to write your books?
Real-life experience. It’s so much more weird and interesting than fiction. Even my forthcoming fiction books are based on my own experiences as a Coast Guard skipper. The names have been changed to protect the guilty.

What message did you want your readers to take from yourbooks?
Just enjoy them. And spread the word!

What’s the most challenging aspect of writing for you?
Finding somewhere quiet to write. If I’m disturbed in mid-flow, I lose an hour at least. Sometimes I’m then distracted for an entire day. So I’ve converted the kids’ old play house in the garden into a writing den, where hopefully I can bang away undisturbed!

What do you find the most rewarding aspect of writing?
Putting together a complete end-to-end story, and then total strangers enjoying it. And, as I write more books and become better known, people going out of their way to meet me. I’ve had US readers contact me when visiting Australia, inviting me for a coffee and asking me to sign their books. This I do with great pleasure.

Are you currently working on a book at the moment?
I’ve just finished #2 in my forthcoming cozy mystery series and I’m about to start #3. I reckon there’s at least 10 books in the series. I have so many ideas, I need 84 hours in every day to write them all down!

How many hours do you write in a day?
I always try and write 2000 words every day when I’m writing (as opposed to editing, formatting etc). This means I can knock out a first draft of a book in a month, at 2 hours per day.

If you are not writing, what are you doing?
I’m a Coast Guard skipper, and currently the commander of Coast Guard in South East Melbourne, so that takes up a lot of time, especially now in the Australian summer. It’s a very rewarding interest, and I love the expression of relief on people’s faces when my big yellow boat arrives to take them home safely. My family is very important to me, and I spend as much time as possible with them. We all love travel, so when we’re not overseas we’re planning the next trip!

How do you market your books?
Any self-published author is operating a business, and they must think like that, which is hard, as writing is a very left-brained activity and running a business is right-brained. (I may have got the halves of the brain the wrong way around). To start off with, I did any marketing I could at no-cost, such as sharing my book on appropriate social media, or blogs etc. I’m now in a position where paid advertising is profitable for me, and my primary spend is on Facebook ads. But I wouldn’t be spending if it wasn’t making a good return, like any business decision.

What would you advise emerging Indie authors?
Read. Read books in the genre you write, read non-fiction books about how to self-publish, read books not in your genre. In the words of Stephen King, if you don’t have time to read, you don’t have time to write. And write every day. Jodi Picoult said: ‘You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.’ And enjoy it. If writing becomes a chore, it’ll show in your books.

If you were a fruit or a vegetable, what would it be and why?
A Coconut! Because without coconuts, none of my stories would’ve been started.

Speaking of Coconuts, check out my 5 Star review for ‘Coconut Wireless’ as posted in Amazon, GoodReads and BookBub.

I really enjoyed ‘Coconut Wireless.” I loved the cover and the title! “Coconut Wireless” is a sweet romantic travel memoir. Simon is from UK, while Fiona is from New Zealand. When her work visa in UK expired, together, they plotted their way back to New Zealand via Los Angeles, Hawaii and Tonga. Simon had a quest to see the Queen of Tonga. Simon is a gifted storyteller. He reels you in their romance, travel and adventures. He is especially skilled with cliff hangers, ending the chapter, making you lust for more of the story. I could not put it down and devoured this book in a day or two. I can’t wait to read more of Simon’s books. Simon’s Tonga experience reminds me of the remote islands of my country, the Philippines, with its dogs barking, chickens clucking, karaoke, and ongoing water issues. Simon’s writing style is easy to follow and his detailed description of places transports you with them in time. Did he meet the Queen of Tonga? Well, you’ll just have to follow his exploits to find out. I highly recommend this book.