Author Interview with Manuel Fernandez

Welcome to our exclusive author interview with the talented and multifaceted Manuel Fernandez. Born in Havana, Cuba in 1959 and raised in Denver, Colorado, Manuel has captivated readers across various genres with his writing and illustrations. From his heartwarming children’s story “The Little Blue Fish” to his inspiring self-help book “Pick Me Up,” which shares a powerful account of his near-death experience and subsequent recovery, Manuel’s work speaks to readers of all ages and backgrounds.

Manuel has also made his mark in the science fiction realm, penning the popular “Wolf Battle and the Hidden World” series. With two installments already published and a third on the way, fans eagerly await what’s next for this thrilling saga. Currently, Manuel is working on a unique sci-fi/fantasy crossover, “Battle for Paradise,” set to captivate readers with its immersive world and gripping storyline.

Today, we’re honored to have Manuel with us to dive deep into his writing process, explore his creative inspirations, and discuss his approach to the diverse range of genres he has conquered.

This is an excerpt of the full interview that you can listen to here.

J Ware: I am super excited that you’re here, our pregame that we are just talking about. I’m learning about your book. I’m excited about it. I think that this is gonna be an inspiring book. And so for everybody out there that is just tuning in, that you are, you want to hear this podcast, this interview with Manuel. I am super excited about this, and so we’re gonna jump right in. Manuel, how long have you been writing full-time, part-time? When did it start for you?

Manuel Fernandez: I, I started really writing probably about 11 years ago. After, after I, I had a really bad breakup. And the first thing that, that I actually wrote I believe it or not, was a a television pilot. And because at, at the time I was working in security and I was working in a highrise building. And and I saw all these different, funny things that would go on. So I decided to write a pilot like a comedy just because, you know, every day at the job was just comedic. So that’s kinda like the first thing that I wrote. And then, like with The Rocky book it was more, again a bad breakup and I was just, I was just feeling so down and just depressed. And during that time, the Rocky movies really helped me.

J Ware: Well, that’s, that’s great to hear that, that you found help through the movies, and I know that, you know, as artists and people that are creative and writers and maybe a category that I would put you into as long as, as I would put myself into, you can find inspiration from anywhere. And that’s what’s exciting is you can take a Rocky movie and say, well, that was a cool movie, but let’s look a little bit deeper into this and see what we can learn. So, Manuel, tell us about your book. Like walk us through what this book, the Rocky approach to Life is all about.

Manuel Fernandez: Yeah, sure. So so the Rocky approach to life, it’s, it’s it’s about taking all the principles and mostly the trials and tribulations from the Rocky movies and applying them to your, to your own personal life. But for example, you know it, in every single Rocky movie, there’s a villain, right? The first two were a Apollo Cree number three was Clever Lang and then Drago. So I look at that, I look at those opponents as I call em as mountains, you know? And so Rocky achieves that and he climbs that mountain, but then there’s always a tougher mountain. There’s always, you know, and, and it’s the same thing in life, because you’re always gonna get knocked down.

Manuel Fernandez: Always. I don’t care how rich you are or your background, you’re always gonna get knocked down. That’s just life. But it’s how you conform to that, right? You know, because a lot of times people just want to stay down and it’s so easy just to get knocked down and stay there, but it’s hard to get back up. And and the Rocky movie is kind of, you know, it taught me that, taught me well, okay, there’s going to be a, a lot of days where life has just beat me down, whether it’s the people that I’m around or I’m, or my life isn’t going the way that I expected it to, you know? But it’s how you react to those, to those hurdles that that really kind of defines you as a person.

J Ware: Manuel, thank you for sharing that. I’d like to ask you, does writing energize you or exhaust you? And if it exhausts you, how do you recoup

Books Worth Reading:

Manuel Fernandez: Both? I love writing. I absolutely love it. I usually write fiction crime, you know, crime n nor the Rocky, the Rocky book was, was the first book, the first non-fiction book that I’ve written. I usually write, like I said screenplays, short stories novel. The majority of, of the, of the fiction, of the fiction books are short stories are crime. In terms of like screenplays, I’ve written comedic drama science fiction. So my, my writing style is pretty eclectic. But, but you do get you do get tired because, you know, for me, I mean, I could, I could sit here and, you know, and write for three, four hours a day and feel good about it, and then the next day, I’m, I’m starting out in 20 minutes in I’m drained.

Manuel Fernandez: So it’s more of just having a balance. If you feel like you’re just, you know, I don’t have anything today for me, for me, that’s when, you know, it’s weird kind of saying this, but that’s when the ideas start to kind of like come to me and what I’ll do is I won’t write. I’ll just sit there and think, and I’ll write my ideas down freehand, but I’ll just sit there and think about it. And then it usually just comes to me. So it’s a fine line. It’s a fine line between really putting your all into it in, into a project and writing, if you’re a writer and having that, your brain telling you, okay, maybe it’s time that you just, kind of step back and let’s just relax for a little bit and then go back. So it’s just all about balance.

J Ware: Well, the balance is important. And one of the, the, the things I’d like to ask you is, we start to move towards wrapping this up, is describe your perfect writing environment. People like to say that they want to go to a cottage in the rain or a snowstorm, they write at their desk on the couch. What is your perfect writing environment? Is it watching a movie on in the background? Tell us a little bit more about how you get inspired.

Manuel Fernandez: Yeah. For me, it’s different because it could change each writing session. For example, I was writing last night, and I had on the the television, I had on the radio you know, I was pacing back and forth, so I was pretty animated. And then the day before, I felt more in tune and more relaxed when it was just me and there was nobody else around. And I was alone. There was no radio, no noise, nothing. So for me, it’s different. It changes pretty much every writing session.

J Ware: All right. Well, Manuel, it’s, it’s been really good to have you on the interview here. We’re excited about the book. And Manuel, can you tell us where someone can go and get your book?

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Manuel Fernandez: Yeah. On you can get it on amazon.com and also lulu.com.

J Ware: Okay. Yeah, I’m familiar with Lulu as well. The book is called The Rocky Approach to Life, and is what’s really interesting about this, and I hope that people will go out and check this book out because it’s, it sounds really interesting is that y you, from your honesty and your background that you’ve shared with us, it’s almost like you have that rocky story and, you know, you’ve, you’ve kind of pulled yourselves up by the bootstraps. You’ve found something in karate or martial arts, it that that helped you. And you’re conquering mountains that people are still putting are, are, are out there saying that, you know, you might need to move on to something else. You’re talking about reinventing yourself. This is, I, I think one of the best things about authors is when it’s authentic. And I’m sensing that in you, Emmanuel that you’re authentic. I hope people see that. Again, the book is called The Rocky Approach to Life by Manual Fernandez. You can find it on Amazon and Lulu just look up his name, look up the book, the Rocky Approach to Life. And we would love to have you on it sounds like you ha how many other books do you have out there, Manuel?

Manuel Fernandez: Have let’s see. I have a novel and I have about four, five short stories. And they’re all available on Amazon.

J Ware: Great. Well, we wish you all the success and we hope that this interview does good things for you as well. And we’d love to see you, maybe in the future, future come back with another book or another creative process that you’re going through in, in writing. So thank you so much for being with us, Manuel, and we’ll see you soon. Okay.

Manuel Fernandez: Thanks a lot. I appreciate it.

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Find The Rocky Approach To Life on Amazon now.

Wendy Marshall
wendy@toomuchtowrite.com

Wendy Marshall is a publishing agent and the owner of Too Much To Write. She has successfully represented numerous authors, helping them to get their work published and make their dreams come true. Prior to Too Much To Write, Wendy spent a decade working in the publishing industry, first as an editorial assistant and later as an acquisitions editor. She has a deep understanding of the publishing process and a passion for helping writers find success. Wendy specializes in helping authors create books that are both commercially viable and that represent their unique voice and vision. She has a wealth of experience in the industry and loves helping authors navigate the complicated publishing landscape. She believes that every voice deserves to be heard and that every story deserves to be told.