Malcolm Dylan Petteway is a senior military analyst, a retired military officer and a twenty-year veteran of the United States Air Force. He flew B-52’s as an Electronic Warfare Officer and has 3,000 flight hours and 300 combat hours. In his distinguished career, Malcolm has used his knowledge in the art of war, military weapons and combat defenses in planning over 400 combat sorties. Besides his Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters and numerous other awards, Malcolm is the recipient of the U.S. Air Force Air Medal and the U.S. Air Force Air Achievement Medal for his actions during Operation Enduring Freedom. Malcolm Petteway is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and California State University.
His latest book is Homecoming – Osguards: Guardians of the Universe (Book 1).
You can visit Malcolm at http://www.ragebooks.net.
Q: Welcome to Beyond the Books, Malcolm. Can we start out by telling us whether you are published for the first time or are you multi-published?
I am an award winning, multi-book, multi-published author. I am the author of the four-book science fiction series, Osguards: Guardians of the Universe. The series can be labeled a military science fiction saga, consisting of the titles Homecoming, Revelations, Armageddon and Revenge.
Q: When you were published for the first time, which route did you go – mainstream, small press, vanity published or self-published and why or how did you choose this route?
One day, in 2000, I had a setback in my Air Force career. At which time, I received some sound advice. Do something to keep your mind busy. So I decided to expand the short stories I wrote in high school into a novel. Every day for three months, after work, I would lock myself in the office and type away at the keyboard. Until one day I emerged from the dark pit of imagination and dropped on the kitchen table a 450 page manuscript. I felt a sense of accomplishment. Then, my wife, Karen looked at me and said, “Now what?” I thought I was finished, but I guess I wasn’t. My wife said, “You’ve sacrificed three months away from me and the kids, you are going to do something with this manuscript.” Well, with Karen’s insistence, we shopped it around for a couple of months. I received many reject letters. Some said nothing important, but a couple indicated that if I changed my main characters, they would reconsider. I thought about doing this for a while, but I grew up with the characters…they were a part of me, and doing so, felt like betrayal. So I rejected the idea and because I am an impatient man, I decided to self-publish the book. Unfortunately, it came out in September of 2001. We all know what happened that month. Being in the Air Force, I was a little bit busy and unable to market like I wanted. But I did go on to write and self-publish two more books in the Osguard series, Revelations and Armageddon. After retiring from the Air Force, I put any thought of writing away. I began work as a military analyst at the Pentagon. There I ran into people who read my books, and one of my workmates at the Pentagon showed a keen interest in my writing. He read the books and we would talk at lunch. It was encouraging to discuss the intricate details of my characters, their lives and the story. That motivated me to republish the books. Then my friend from work, on one of our discussions, planted the idea of starting my own business as an independent publisher of science fiction and fantasy. With the help of friends and family, I launched Rage Books with my first Osguard book, Homecoming in January 2010. Since then, I have printed second editions of the Revelations and Armageddon, and released the fourth book in the series, Revenge.
Q: How long did it take you to get published once you signed the contract?
My first attempt at publishing was to self-publish. This did not take long and unfortunately I did not fully vet my first attempt at publishing Homecoming in 2001. That version of the book is somewhat inferior to the present version that I have published under my own publishing company, Rage Books LLC. I self-published my book without going through a proper critique and evaluation process first. This book, published in 2010, along with the other Osguard books are of superior quality as established by its “Award Winning” status with Hollywood Book Festival and the 5-Star Review garnered by Midwest Book Review. So don’t be fooled, if you want to read the award winning Homecoming, Osguards: Guardians of the Universe book please seek the one with the yellow borders, published by Rage Books LLC.
Q: How did it make you feel to become published for the first time and how did you celebrate?
It was exhilarating and a little bit frightening at the same time. It was great to see my work produced in a book. This was my creation, my story, told from the depths of my imagination. But it was frightening because now people, sometimes total strangers, were going to have the opportunity to delve into my mind and see how it worked. It was my imagination, on display for people to critique and grade. I celebrated by taking the family to dinner.
Q: What was the first thing you did as for as promotion when you were published for the first time?
I searched for reviews in papers and magazines, as well as conducting book signings at local bookstores. The book signings were great. During my first book signing, I sold out of books in the first 90 minutes. I was scheduled for four hours. There were people who came too late to get a book. It was an exciting and promising time. When I published the book under my own publishing company the same thing occurred, I sold out of books at the halfway point of my time. Nothing beats face-to-face time with the public.
Q: Since you’ve been published, how have you grown as a writer and now a published author?
Yes, I’ve grown as a writer. I’ve made decisions and experienced life on so many levels that it changed me. I’ve grown, learned and adapted. My experience as an author is taking shape. I speak my mind more, I’m more assertive, and I’ve learned more about perseverance, patience and diplomacy. These are attributes, which I consider essential to a writer. A writer needs perseverance, because the trade is long, hard and repetitive. When you think you are done, you have to do it again. A writer needs patience, because things don’t happen overnight. Next, a writer needs to practice the art of diplomacy, because not everyone will be kind in critiquing your work.
Q: What has surprised or amazed you about the publishing industry as a whole?
While some traditional publishers truly are guardians of the art, other traditional publishing companies have settled into a rut. They market safe books that follow an aged formula that uses a checklist. This checklist can be rigid and inflexible and often not visionary enough to recognize new voices…different voices, cutting down the ivory pillars holding up the old institutional thought. This adds complexity to an already difficult industry. Today some publishers support authors who write the same story, just with a twist, while other publishers encourage imagination. Homecoming is a book that captures the reader’s imagination, and challenges the publishers stuck in a rut. There is a quiet revolution taking place in the reading world. There is a new generation of readers, touched by advanced technology. Today, technological hunger, personal experience and raw attraction are what define this audience. I believe those publishers that understand this are looking for books like Homecoming. They understand that customers are attracted to books like Homecoming because they are avid readers who relate to the characters using advanced technology as they push through electrifying adventures.
Q: What is the most rewarding thing about being a published author?
The most rewarding feeling I have had so far as an author is stepping up to the podium for the 2011 Hollywood Book Festival at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood CA and giving an acceptance speech for my book, Homecoming. It received an Honorable Mention Award in the contest where less than five percent of the entries were recognized.
Q: Any final words for writers who dream of being published one day?
Never quit. I’ve only quit one thing in my life. That decision has altered my life and maybe even my very soul. Never quit. Fortitude sends a better message of who you are and what kind of character you have. Because once you quit, it becomes easier to quit again. Then all you are doing is quitting every time you are challenged.
Beyond the Books 