Follow Fest - Powered by the wonderful Melissa Maygrove :)

Aloha,

I’m so late to the party – but then I heard that Melissa Maygrove and her Follow Fest runs through Friday, so you, too, like me, still have time to sign up >> here!

 

Melissa’s goal is to use this cute, little Fest that could as a platform-building opportunity for writers who want to meet and possibly follow like-minded writers – or strange, genre-seeking folk like meJ

She also asked all who signed up for the daily Linky Lists to answer a few simple questions. (I’ve had fun reading all the different responses – we *are* such a varied lot!)

And so, as they say in the Eurovision Song Contest, here then are the results from the Irish judge:

Name: Mark J. Koopmans (I looked into picking “Alex J. Cavanaugh,” but some dude already has that name… can you imagine!)

Fiction or nonfiction: Non-fiction for Book #1 Revival:The Donald Braswell Story.

WIP#2 is currently a WWII historical romance, but who knows what it will be by the end of the final chapter!

What genres do you write? OK, so getting the chance to co-write a memoir and share Donald’s story was an amazing opportunity, but I am also having a lot of fun with my fiction WIP#2… just ‘cos I can warp the scene to fit my imagination.

I think I would love to write a drama next.
Or a thriller?
Maybe a combo?… (A lonely D.I.Y-type dude loses something important and only has six hours to find it… I would make up a new genre and call it a “driller.”)

Are you published? Memoir/novel(s) no, not yet. But I have one magazine credit (1993) and several years as a beat reporter for first a Florida weekly, and then a Texas daily newspaper.

Do you do anything in addition to writing? What? No, don’t be silly! I am a stay-at-home dad to three boys under the age of seven, which is really easy (oh, dear why are my pants on fire?), especially now that our 20-month-old baby just this past weekend broke his leg. The poor, poor little fellow will be in a cast for four-to-six weeks, so I may be (nah, ya) a little busier than normal…. I feel sooo bad for our little guy… especially as he was already so used to running around like a mini-Mark.

Where can people connect with you?

Apart from the local mailbox, my blog is where I normally post.
My Twitter account is @markjkoopmans
My Google+ is Mark Koopmans (but I don't use it very often.)
My LinkedIn account is linkedin.com/markkoopmans (again, not used too much - yet :)

Is there anything else you’d like us to know?

I wish that I realized I wanted to be a writer twenty years ago – but at least I realized my dream job before it was too late J
(PS: If you’re so inclined, please add our son to your prayer list – all prayers gratefully received J

 Thanks for coming up with and organizing such a cool Fest, Melissa.

Remember, Follow Fest runs through Friday and you can find details and sign up here. :)