Here's the storyHere is the story that appeared in the Sunday Monroe County paper. It had a pic of the bookcover with it. Monroe County Advocate & Democrat — April 13, 2008 Tellico Plains man achieves dream of being an author By MICHAEL THOMASON Staff Writer • TELLICO PLAINS Even though he's suffering from kidney disease, Michael Saunders has not given up the dream of being a writer. A Virginia native who has lived in the Tellico Plains area for the past nine years, Saunders recently saw the publication of his novel "Ghosthunter" in the ebook format. Saunders recently sat down to answer some questions about himself, his writing dream and being a published author. Tell us about yourself. Are you a native of this area? What do you do when you're not writing? I am a mixed blood Native American Indian, Cherokee and Ottawa on my father's side and Irish and German on my mother's side. I grew up, listening to my American Indian grandmother tell stories. Later, I fell in love with reading. By the time I was in fifth grade, I started to write very short stories and poems. I was born and grew up in the mountains of Virginia. I was married right after high school and worked for ten years before deciding to go to college. I moved my family to North Dakota to attend the University of North Dakota. I graduated with a BA in American Indian Studies (AIS) I later taught AIS at the University for four years. While living in North Dakota I became very involved in Indian cultural events and ceremonies. I have also lived and worked on American Indian reservations in North and South Dakota, Minnesota, and New Mexico. I moved to Tellico Plains nine years ago and married my current wife, Darlene. I am disabled, suffering from end stage kidney disease. I undergo dialysis three days a week. What inspired the novel? It was a combination of things. I asked myself some "what if" questions. What if dead men came back to life to set up a kingdom in the land of the living? Then, what if someone was given the power to stop them and send them back to ‘The land of the dead?" With those questions in mind, and with my knowledge of Native culture, I created the concept of a Ghosthunter. What first inspired you to write? While in the fifth grade, I picked up a copy of "War of the Worlds" by H. G Wells. I read the book in one night. I have been reading ever since. I love exploring new worlds and meeting new people through reading and was inspired to write and tell stories. While in college, some of my professors told me that I was a very good writer. After graduating, I began to write more and more fiction, but I never tried to publish any of my writing. How long have you had the dream of being a writer? Since fifth grade I have dreamed of being a writer, but never pushed myself in that direction. After marrying my current wife, things changed. She convinced me that I should try and publish some of my stories. With her support I began to try and publish. How did Internet publishing help you realize that dream? I have published six short stories at Web sites and online magazines (ezines). I have read a few ebooks, electronically published books, and enjoyed them. I submitted my novel in December to the publisher and got the acceptance letter the day before my 54th birthday. It was very exciting. Since then I've had a short story nominated for the best online short story of 2007. Any plans for more books? Yes, I have a second novel ready to send to my publisher and a third one that I am editing right now. What kind of publisher are you working with? Have they been around for a while or are they new to the business? SynergEbooks is an Internet publisher of ebooks and paperbacks. They have been in business for ten years. Tell me about the book. Is any of it based on real life? Will anybody around here recognize themselves in it? "Ghosthunter" is a supernatural Native American western. Ned Vance is a Cherokee Indian whose vision tells him that men from the "land of the dead" are returning to the living and do not belong there. He’s been given the gift to track them down and send them back where they belong. Native American culture is very important to me and plays a role in most of my writing. Even in my stories that have no Native charters, they are always in the background. For those interested in electronic publishing, SynergEbooks was founded in March 1999 in North Carolina by Debra Staples and has recently moved its base of operations to central Florida. Their eBook titles can be found on many other eBookstores such as Fiction Wise, CyberRead, eBookHome, BookBooters, eBooks.com, Blish.com, Mobipocket and more. Their print titles can now be found at the larger bookstore chains, including Wal-Mart, Barnes & Noble and Amazon. michael.thomason@advocate anddemocrat.com I 442-4575. so cool. so it goes... | 
