Inside The Indie Author: A Conversation with Mikel Classen

Have you ever considered writing under a pseudonym, and why or why not?

Not. I like to take credit for my own work. Besides the checks cash easier.

What is your “go-to” method for working through or around writer’s block?

Kill a character or blow something up. The repercussions of such violence creates threads through a story that wasn’t there before.

From your perspective, what are the most important elements of good writing? Characters you care about and a good story. This applies for my non-fiction too.

What comes first – the location, the plot, or the characters – and why?

I tend to write fiction by the seat of my pants which means I follow where the writing leads. Usually it’s a character telling a story. In non-fiction it is all laid out for you. There can be no deviation.

What are your least favorite and most favorite things about publishing a book?

I love getting out and selling a book after it has been published. Meeting people at events and booksignings is awesome. The worst part about publishing is putting the book together. For non-fiction there are pictures to obtain, making sure captions are right. Sources are detailed.

What is a significant way your book changed from the first to the final draft?

Mostly by editing. I worked as a journalist so I have very complete rough drafts. I wrote a book on Teddy Roosevelt which had exactly twelve changes in the entire book.

What was the inspiration for your most recent book?

I did a lecture for the Historical Society of Michigan on piracy in the Great Lakes. It was so well attended that I decided it should be a book and now it is. Everybody likes pirates.

What is a “darling” you’ve killed in a book that you’d like to resurrect in a future book?

I haven’t really. I’ve killed off characters but they haven’t come back.

Where are your most productive writing spaces, and what elements are important about that space to keep you focused on writing?

I have my own room. It is filled with things. Lots of things. There is very little space that isn’t used for something. I have Marvel action figures. There are models I’ve painted and put together of Universal Monsters. I have pictures from Frank Frazetta. I have a small blowup of the Beatles Yellow Submarine hanging from my ceiling. I have a Gremlin action figure chewing on the cord of my lamp. I have a few hundred CDs of Classic Rock. There is several hundred books on U.P. history sitting next to Pulp Fiction magazines from the 1920s and 30s. It is a room that feeds my head as Grace Slick once said. Her picture is here too along with Janis Joplin.

What risks have you taken with your writing that made the book better?

Not being afraid to write something that someone might find troubling. Don’t censor yourself for sensibilities.

What’s the best monetary investment you’ve ever made with regard to your writing practice?

Keeping a good size inventory and spending the money to do events to get the books in front of readers. I travel all across Michigan to do events and it pays off in the end in both getting your books and your name out to a broader audience. The internet helps but there is nothing like getting out there and promoting yourself and your work.

When you first began writing, what was a common procrastination trap you encountered, and how did you overcome it?

When I first started writing, I was a journalist. I wrote around five stories a week. There were deadlines and if you missed one your story was dead. There was no procrastination. To this day I like deadlines.

What is your writing software of choice, and what is its best feature?

Word. Simplicity.

Tell us the title of one of your favorite novels, and why this book is a favorite.

Tarzan of the Apes. It is the epitome of an Adventure story. There are many great books out there which I love for many reasons. Most of them are not modern novels.

Think of the title of a hugely popular novel. What is one major thing you would change about the book?

Many of the modern novels are too long winded. Writers like George RR Martin would have better books if they were cut in half. Often they are so convoluted that it is too hard to follow. A lot of them lean into a soap opera storyline that no one wants to follow. Many fall into this soft-core porn realm that as far as I’m concerned could simply be skipped over.

What are you reading right now?

I rarely read for entertainment any more. When I’m not writing, I’m often doing research for my history books. I’m also on the board of directors for the Upper Peninsula Publishers and Authors Association and am chair of a project called the U.P. Notable Books. I spend the year scouring candidates for the 10 best books from and about the U.P. Most of my free reading time is filled up.

If you could take on the identity of a character in one of your favorite books for twenty-four hours and retain the memory of that experience, which character would you choose? Tell us the title, author, character name, and why you would want to be that character.

I’ve read a lot of great books with a lot of great characters, but the one I identify with the most is not from books. It is from the movies, Indiana Jones. The Indy movies takes all of those wonderful pulp fiction stories from the 30’s and mashes them into one great character and storylines that just don’t quit. It’s roller coaster fiction. The pace is relentless. Writing stories like that is a lost art. I personally use that type of style for my own novel the Alexandria Code. The pace is brisk and the action adventure races through every chapter.

If you could save five books from being destroyed in the apocalypse, what books would you choose, and why?

I actually have done that. I have put away a book on

shipbuilding,
blacksmithing,
assaying metals,
edible and medicinal plants, and
Foxfire 1.

Tell us a little something about your current WIP. When do you expect it to be released?

I expect to see a new book on Grand Island this fall. It is written and just needs the layout and cover work. I’m also writing a book that is a volume two to my highly successful True Tales, the Forgotten History of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula book. I’m currently finishing another novel that takes place in the 1600s in the Caribbean called Montezuma’s Gold. It’s about half done with the rest outlined so it should be smooth sailing.

What are the titles and genres of each book you’ve written?

Au Sable Point Lighthouse, Beacon on Lake Superior's Shipwreck Coast; was published in 2014 (non-fiction)
Teddy Roosevelt and the Marquette Libel Trial; was published in 2015 by the History Press. (non-fiction)
Lake Superior Tales, (fiction short stories) which won the 2020 U.P. Notable Book Award.
Points North is a non- fiction travel book published in 2019 which has received the Historical Society of Michigan’s, “Outstanding Michigan History Publication,” along with a 2021 U.P. Notable Book Award.
True Tales, the Forgotten History of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula;
Faces, Places, & Days Gone By, a Pictorial History of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Co-author of the Yooper Ale Trails along with Jon C. Stott all published by Modern History Press.
The Alexandria Code, an Isabella Carter Adventure, published by Modern History Press. (fiction)
Yooper History Hunter Series, the first of which is Old Victoria, a Copper Country Ghost Town
Piracy on the Great Lakes, True Tales of Freshwater Pirates.