Today we are chatting with Michael Phillip Cash the author of Witches Protection Program
Tell us something unexpected about yourself!I haven’t eaten bread, rice, pasta or potatoes in 6 years. I haven’t eaten any vegetables or fruit in 3 years. I only eat meat, cheese and butter and I’m in the best health of my life.
What novels affected you the most growing up?
Jurassic Park. I try to re-read it every summer. It was a huge influence on my writing.
Where did the idea for your current book come from?
It may be a bit embarrassing but I was looking at my wife’s trashy gossip magazines – something I never do…I swear. No really, I swear. I turned the page and one caption said ‘Wetless Protection Program’ and I thought it said ‘Witches Protection Program’. I thought to myself, what a great story idea. Months later, Witches is a best-seller on Amazon, and the screenplay is being circulated in the entertainment industry by some big name producers for a possible film deal.
Do you think you could ever run out of ideas for books?
Not ever! They come to me all the time.
What is your routine for writing and has this method changed over the span of your career?
I write a screenplay first with all my books. Screenplay writing has and always will be my first love. I pitched the idea to a major production company at Sony Pictures. They loved the idea and asked me for a first draft. I wrote the first draft in three weeks and submitted it. Then the whole Sony hacking incident occurred and the company could not approach Sony any further. So I took the script and converted it into a novel, which I do with all my books. Writing a screenplay first allows me to fine tune the story and structure. With screenplays I have to hit certain story points by certain pages to keep it moving along. Words also have to mean something in screenplays, you can’t drag on and on about the weather or scenery. Minimalism is the key. In writing novels on the other hand, you can delve deep into the characters psyche, and their surroundings. They are too different mediums, and I love writing both.
How important is marketing and social media for you?
I’m all over the Internet, thanks to my crack team of agents – Team Cash. Brittney Bass is my publicist and fan club pres. My mom is my momager (mom+manager=momager), who never stops bragging about me. It can get quite annoying, but I deal. Ann Gerber is my social networking guru and personality coach, because I have no personality. Second part is not true. And my brother Eric is my critic and cover designer. I would be nothing without these people in my life, just another castle builder in the sky. They have been my foundation.
What advice would you have for other writers?
Write what your heart tells you. Don’t worry about Hollywood, or submitting a manuscript to a big publishing house. Write what you want to write about and everything will fall into place. If you believe in yourself, in your product, and in your brand, you will get everything you want. It just may take some time.
What are you reading now?
I’m in the middle of Joseph Campbell’s ‘The Man with a 1000 Faces'. It discusses the mythology of heroes. This work influenced George Lucas to create Star Wars and Francis Ford Coppola to direct The Godfather. It should be required reading to all storytellers.
What’s your next step?
I’m writing a killer story about warlocks and wizards. Think Terminator 2 with warlocks. I finished a creepy little novella called The History Major that's out now. I was asked to write the Yoda spinoff for an upcoming Star Wars movie. That last line is a lie, but I can dream big, can’t I?
Witches Protection Program is available here
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