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There are times in an avid reader's life where a good, somewhat out of the genre norm is a refreshing and much needed break. Mr. Ewig's indie release, which is a mystery/suspense with some heavy paranormal, was a nice break from the paranormal romance I've been inhaling lately. The book is a any easy read, breezing through the life and/or (not telling!!) death of Aaron.
We meet Aaron, his three roommates, their love interests, and Aaron's girlfriend, Jessica. As with life, it takes a devastating and unexpected turn when Aaron is stabbed one night by an unknown assailant. Onward from his healing and into his adult life, Aaron suddenly experiences paralyzing blackouts where he loses huge chunks of time. Aaron is suddenly confronted with solving who among his friends committed the ultimate back stabbing (pun intended!)
That's about all I can go into without giving away spoilers. This was a very enjoyable and distracting read. The book wasn't marred down in details and the paranormal side was weird and eyebrow raising (as it should be). The ending could be interpreted in many ways, but I appreciated the author zipping up the story instead of leaving it open ended.
Tell us a bit about yourself
My name is Mark Ewig. I am 32 years old and I reside in Mount Prospect, IL. I was born in Allentown, PA and grew up in Omaha, NE for awhile before relocating to Illinois. Married and currently raising two wonderful kids (3 years old and 9 months old). Corporate America has me busy in an accounting job during the day. My evenings are spent playing with the kiddos.
When did you begin writing?
I started writing back in elementary school. Not writing for assignments, but writing for fun. I wrote short stories at home and shared them with my family and friends. Most of my stories were about medieval adventures (knights, dragons, etc.) In my early days, my mom encouraged me to write her stories by offering five cents a word. It was a nice incentive, but at that age I never wrote anything over a page or two.
What's your favorite thing about writing?
I love the fact that you are sharing something personal with an audience. They get a window into your thoughts.
What is your writing style? Do you like to outline or just write as you go?
I find it best to draft up an outline and then write from there. Having an outline keeps me on track for getting to all the major points I want. After I have an outline, I simply write the story from beginning to end. Very seldom did I have to back track on Wind Down to change something up.
Do you have a favorite spot where you like to write?
Mainly on my laptop at home when I have quiet time to myself. Usually, this is only in short increments of an hour or less per day.
What's the hardest thing about writing for you?
Writing comes natural to me. For my first experience, I think the hardest thing for me was finding the time to do it. Between work and the family, it left me little time. However, when I did write, the words poured out. I did not find myself running into any word blocks. The second hardest thing would be the proofreading. After finishing the book, I re-read it several times to find any errors. It is very hard to find your own errors. Thankfully, my wife read through it a couple times too. She is a teacher, so she found a lot more than me!
What inspires you to write?
The creative nature of expressing your ideas inspires me to write. It is very exciting to think that someone will be reading your words and hopefully enjoy them. I also like the fact that this is a major accomplishment for me. I can share this book with my family and they can pass it down from generations to come.
How many books have you written and which is your favorite?
Wind Down is my first book. So, like parents tell their first born child before another sibling comes along, it is my favorite!
What are some of your favorite books?
I am big into post apocalyptic book such as World War Z and The Walking Dead.
What authors do you like to read?
Stephen King & Dean Kontz are my two favs. I like the eerie stuff.
What inspired you to write Wind Down?
Before I started writing the book, the premise came to me in a dream. Periodically, I have had dreams where I woke up thinking this would make an awesome plot for a book or a movie. So, I grabbed a notebook and sketched an outline. The notebook sat in a drawer for awhile, until I had another dream with a great plot. This motivated me to sit down and write the Wind Down story. I hope to do the same for some of my other ideas.
If you could choose a dream cast for Wind Down, who would you pick?
Oooh, this is a hard one. Here are my initial thoughts:
Bradley Cooper to play Aaron (the main character)
Brit Marling to play Jessica (Aaron’s wife)
Josh Duhamel to play Jason (roommate, suspected murderer)
Wil Wheaton to play Ryan (roommate, suspected murderer)
Kit Harington to play Drew (roommate, suspected murderer)
This or that.
Sweet or Salty? Sweet, although I could do both together. Salty chocolate pretzels are delicious.
Naughty or nice? Nice. When give a path between good or evil, I will always stay on the good side.
Cats or dogs? Dogs, man’s best friend!
Vanilla or chocolate? Chocolate. Mmmmm!
Mark Ewig (1982) was born in Allentown, PA. He graduated from Illinois State University with a degree in Accounting. Wind Down is his first book for the masses. His favorite genres are paranormal & horror.
