Tyler Hill

I met Tyler Hill through mutual friends, and though we’ve only met each other once, we’ve quickly become friends, thanks to the wonderful thing called social networking!  Before I really knew Tyler, I was drawn to him because he had written a book and had it published.  How cool was that, I thought to myself at the time, though I did nothing with it for quite a while.  I had his book sitting on my bookshelf for a long time, occasionally looking through it, each time becoming more inspired by the fact that he has pages to be turned and a story to be told.

“The Shortest Day” written by Tyler is a wonderful book, one I definitely recommend to anyone who wants to read a heartwarming story.

Here is a short summary about Tyler:

When I was a freshman at SMU, my mom came to visit me one weekend. While eating dinner one evening at Patrizio’s, she asked me if I wanted to accompany her to Sweden. She used to love Volvos and wanted another one. This time they showed their appreciation by offering her two round-trip tickets to Stockholm to pick the car up herself. We would have the chance to drive all over Scandinavia in her new car and then it would be shipped to America a month later. Obviously this didn’t sound like your ordinary vacation and I accepted her invitation on the spot. I’m now glad that I did.

When finishing books growing up, I always wrote several chapters that could be placed at the end. It was always fun imagining what could happen next. I hadn’t planned on writing about my vacation to Scandinavia but there were so many priceless memories and hilarious moments, I just had to get everything on paper. I found that writing the book was the most rewarding thing I had ever done. It was like taking the vacation all over again. I completed it in time to give it to my mom for Christmas. After she read it, I delivered the rest of the copies to other family members. It was a fun project but when it was over I got bored so . . . I started writing. I became addicted.

Does writer’s block ever hit you, and if so, what do you do to make it go away?  Yes I definitely get writer’s block. The middle of the book is always the hardest for me. I tend to plan several endings and once getting to the middle I often am unsure how to get to the ending that’s planned.  I overanalyze everything way too much and am VERY indecisive. This is why I make sure the characters get more sleep than I do so they can make the decisions.

Tell us something about your projects you’re working on right now?  I have been working on a comedy since January of 2006. I probably will never do a comedy again. A writer told me it is not an easy genre. I should have listened. After putting the project on hold for a couple of years I have recently begun reworking it. It nearly complete but it needs so much editing. The book is too long for the genre it’s in and so much needs to be cut. Anyway the story revolves around a psychiatrist practicing in Los Angeles who sees patients from all walks of life. They all need help and they all make the protagonist’s life a living hell. The book takes place during a single day. Readers will meet a girl addicted to internet chat rooms, a couple going through a nasty divorce, a man who is OCD with anger management issues and a woman with a multiple personality disorder who thinks her husband is having an affair because he greets her each morning using her real name.

I’m also working on a love story that takes place in Texas, South Carolina and Florida titled Dreams of Tomorrow. I started it when running into problems with my other book. Brad and Rachel meet on a cruise and have a short romance. The romance is short-lived and he returns to Dallas with his family and she returns to South Carolina with hers. . .

Then there is The Lucky Seven. A madman says he will kill seven celebrities, one for each day of the week. It’s up to the detectives to decide what celebrities are tied to what days using a few vague clues.

What is the best book you’ve ever read, and why?  My favorite book . . . well it doesn’t necessarily deserve any major literary awards. The story is pretty basic but I guarantee it will make you lose sleep. The Winner by David Baldacci. I like it because at the heart of the story is an ordinary single mother living in a trailer who you just have to see come out on top. She is struggling to support her child and is caught up in an abusive relationship. She does come out on top, in the form of the Georgia lottery. She wins a massive nine figure jackpot. It is always fun seeing the good people get their revenge, however with the money comes problems she never could have imagined. It truly is a wonderful book to read and I’m surprised Hollywood hasn’t bought the rights. I have considered asking for permission to work on a screenplay. It’s gotta be a movie. Terrific read!

How did you feel after you had your book published?  I was excited, surprised and nervous at the same time. I was excited because now more people would have the opportunity to read my work. I was surprised because I didn’t think the material was good enough. I was nervous because I worried how readers would react. It feels great being published but it’s scary when your work is no longer private. My book wasn’t a NY Times bestseller but this didn’t exclude it from receiving reviews in forums and on sites like Amazon. Luckily most reviews I read were good but there were a few that really got to me. I was told by family not to read them but I remember doing nothing else during those two months after I was published.

What do you love most about writing?  Excitement is what I love most about writing. The excitement of waking up and learning something about your characters you didn’t know the day before. The excitement of not always knowing where you are going and unable to stop writing until you know what is coming next

What is your lifetime writing goal(s)?  To write books that people will remember long after reading the last page.

What is your writing routine?  I usually write first thing in the morning or late at night. I always have coffee and usually listen have music turned down low but not music I normally listen to in the car. I am a collector of soundtracks and love writing while listening to the title songs to some of my favorite movies. I have found that this really inspires me as silly as it sounds. The songs to Dances with Wolves, Jurassic Park and the 26 minute suite to Indecent Proposal are my favorites. Once I have the music playing and some coffee in me, I’m ready to write.

As far as how I write, I always try to start-up where I stopped the previous day and continue without going back and making corrections. However I usually can’t help it and have to correct the work from the day before moving forward.

How would you spend your perfect day?  A perfect day for me is one where I don’t have to get in my car. I wake up and first take my English bulldog on a walk, enjoying the fall weather. Neither of us like walking in the summer months. I’d then return home, make breakfast and start writing. I would spend the rest of the day either writing or reading. Around 5 I’d have a margarita out on the patio, again enjoying the weather. After dinner I’d either read or catch up on TV shows. A perfect day is a simple day.