My 3rd Interview With Mike Singleton 2025

Mike Singleton, also known as Mike Singleton -MikeyDred, has self-published nine books since 2021. This year, he has self-published three books. He has written over 3330 stories on Vocal. He has two profile accounts on Vocal, one of which is a backup.

I have interviewed Mike a few times before this interview. He is a fascinating man with much wisdom that he shares with his fellow Vocal creators through his stories.

Mariann: What made you decide to publish three books at the same time?

Mike: When I put together The Glittering Fox, I created a procedure that I thought might work for others, which I had planned to publish. The first was The Book Of Plagiaristic Poetry, which Dharrsheena had suggested, and the second was The Sandman and the Seagirl, a sequence that you and I thought might be nice to gather together in a book. They both worked, so now I can publish books at will from my Vocal stories if I want to.

Mariann: How do you fit your book writing/self-publishing into your daily schedule?

Mike: Usually in the evening or at weekends, when I can devote a few hours to it.

Mariann: How does your daily schedule look?

Mike: I write each day when I have time. I work as a Finance System Administrator five days a week. When I decided to publish a book, I put aside a few hours to put aside a few hours to put together a book and promote it where I can. There will be a second Glittering Fox one, so I am considering the form of that, but it would be another large-format hardback book.

Mariann: Which one of your published books are you most proud of and why?

Mike: The Glittering Fox, because it is a beautiful collection of artwork created by my favorite artist, Angie Livingstone. I never expected to put together so well. I am proud of all my poetry books; four have been poems for very close friends, so I am proud of all of my work.

Mariann: What inspires you to publish a collaboration Art book: The Glittering Fox? There are many artists you could collaborate with and promote. What makes Angie Livingstone's artwork special? When did you start this book project?

Mike: About a year ago, I used one of Angie's paintings in a pro-wildlife poem. I contacted Angie, and she was happy for me to use it. Then I saw more of her art, which included stories and poetry. When I passed twenty stories, I said we could put a book together of words and pictures. Angie was very positive and excited for this, and I started putting the book together, which took about two weeks. We published the book in August and released it as an ebook on the first of September. It is selling well despite being expensive. So we are pleased with the results.

Mariann: What inspires you to write a book on The Sandman and the Seagirl? How did it come about?

Mike: The Sandman And The Seagirl was my first attempt at writing a non-horror/dark fiction piece, inspired by Paul Gallico's "The Snow Goose" and the film Local Hero, first published on 23rd, 2021. The stories then progressed from there, some inspired by Vocal Challenges, others by things I see happening in everyday life.

Mariann: What inspired you to write A Collection of Plagiaristic Poetry? Why in poetry form?

Mike: It was just an idea I had to write poems based on an existing theme, like book, song, and chapter titles, which might be unconnected, but then weave them together as poetry.

Mariann: What do you want your fans to know about you that we don't already know?

Mike: I think most people know everything they need to know about me, but I think I am a nice person who is also there for everyone else.

Mariann: Who is your favorite Character in The Sandman and Sea Girl, and why?

Mike: No favorites, but I identify with the Sandman, and My Muse identifies with the Sea girl.

Mariann: What advice would you give a first-time self-publisher?

Mike: If you have published on Vocal, then you can publish a book. There are many on here who have their publishers. Believe in yourself. We only regret things that we never tried.

Mariann: What do find the most challenging in each of the three books? How did you overcome them?

Mike: Formatting the text correctly, making words fit well on pages, and having replace emojis with standard characters. It is satisfying when completed. Nothing is impossible.

If you are interested in his other books, you can find them here:

Sorry, Mike it took longer for me to complete this interview. I had several computer technical challenges.