10 questions for fantasy author Steven Vincent.
How would you characterize your writing style?
Very different from what's out there! Most writers grow up with books, but I grew up with video games and movies, which are usually actiony, and lighthearted. I guess you could say my first priority is that from cover to cover, you're having fun or being thrilled. If the mood gets too dark, it's time to rewrite.
What inspired you to become a writer?
I've always wanted to entertain people, and tried everything from comics to movies. The latter was a bit too expensive of an investment, but my sister told me I should try my hand at writing a book. I gave it a shot, and here we are!
How long did it take for you to write your first novel?
For Dawn of the Knight, about a month? But then I reflected on a bit and I wasn't happy with how it turned out. So I set it aside for a year, and when I finally came back to it I had all new ideas. It took me another year to complete it (for real this time!) and I think it turned out great.
Is there a particular genre you prefer to write in, or do you consider yourself a jack-of-all-trades?
Fantasy and science fiction are my strong suits. You just can't get dragons, monsters, lasers, and spaceships from the other genres!
What's your favorite aspect of writing?
Well, I love the ability to break all laws of reality and bring my imagination to life. It's fun to do, and it entertains people at the same time. How cool is that?"
What do you find the most challenging?
Probably the promotion of the book. I mean, writing is fun, editing is sort of a pain but it lets you enjoy the story all over again. Getting the word out can be an overwhelming task, but I'm getting pretty good at it.
Are there any themes you like to explore in your writing?
I like to explore deep concepts and help the reader see them in a different light. For example, the main theme of Dawn of the Knight is change. We see it all around us, for better or for worse, but we often fail to notice just how much a single person affects things. In the story, the Xeltian Invitation causes rulers to lose sight of their ideals, corrupting them from the inside out until even their realms are tainted. So, the story really becomes a struggle to keep sight of who we are.
Are there any books or authors that have influenced you as a writer?
Not so much in the realm of books, but like I mentioned earlier I grew up with video games and movies. Legend of Zelda (especially the first game) was a huge inspiration, as were Star Wars (even for Dawn of the Knight) and Lord of the Rings. I've only recently started watching the Iron Man and Avengers movies, and I find those very inspiring for my science fiction writing!
Do you have any writing habits? Favorite places to write? Snacks you must have nearby?
I write at the same time, same place, every day! Usually no snacks, but I do make sure to have a cup of coffee nearby. Now if you want to know a real challenging habit, I have this tendency to start too many projects at a time. I currently have three books in progress and one for sale! I never have to worry about writer's block, that's for sure.
What was the publishing process like for you?
A very long learning experience I'm glad I was able to have. I went in with no knowledge of how to edit my own book, how to convert it, how to sell it. I found out a lot about myself, but I think I did pretty good.
Dawn of the Knight is available at: Amazon (Kindle e-book)
Connect with Steven:
True Knights Blog: http://trueknights.wordpress.com/
Steven Vincent's Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aka_Hinotae
Steven Vincent's Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/steven.akahinotae
Dawn of the Knight on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DawnOfTheKnightIXeltianInvitation?ref=ts&fref=ts
Dawn of the Knight on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17250780-dawn-of-the-knight-i---xeltian-invitation
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Sunday, January 27, 2013
AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Mike Martin
Mike Martin, author of the Newfoundland-set murder mysery, The Walker on the Cape, talks about his novel and writing process. Visit his website.
The Walker on the Cape is a murder mystery set in a picturesque fishing community. Why did you choose this tiny town as your setting?
I had visited this small community on a number of occasions in recent years and it always had a kind of mysterious feel to it. Maybe it was because it was almost always cloaked in fog or maybe it was because it has a history of smuggling during the Prohibition days. In any case it seemed like a great location and setting for a mystery.
The Walker on the Cape is available at: Mike Martin's Official Website (e-book and paperback, listings on a variety of online and brick-and-mortar retailers)
The Walker on the Cape is a murder mystery set in a picturesque fishing community. Why did you choose this tiny town as your setting?
I had visited this small community on a number of occasions in recent years and it always had a kind of mysterious feel to it. Maybe it was because it was almost always cloaked in fog or maybe it was because it has a history of smuggling during the Prohibition days. In any case it seemed like a great location and setting for a mystery.
The detective figure in The Walker on the Cape is an American
Indian sergeant named Winston Windflower. What inspired his character?
Winston Windflower is literally a figure of my imagination
or at least of the creative process. Once I knew the setting for The Walker on
the Cape he came to me as a character and started telling the story. I have
added some of my own meat to his bones but he is his own person.
Do you have a writing process? Or do you wing it as you go along?
I have been a freelance writer for many years and that
process is one of research and development of an idea. I found that fiction
writing, at least for me, was much more of going with the flow. Once I had the
main characters they told the story and I just wrote what I felt they were
telling me. Also I found that fiction
writing came in spurts of inspiration and when they came I just had to sit and
write, sometimes for weeks at a time.
Were there any parts of The Walker on the Cape that you
particularly enjoyed writing? Any that you’ve found particularly challenging?
I really enjoyed writing the parts about food and eating. I
do like to cook and love to eat, especially fresh seafood, so that was a lot of
fun. If you read the book you will notice that it opens and closes with food.
The challenging parts were certainly those involving police proceedures and the
practices of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. I had to research a lot to get
those parts right, especially those involving the RCMP. You don’t want to get
that wrong, because they always get their man.
Do you have any anecdotes about The Walker on the Cape or the
process of writing it that you can share? Inside jokes hidden the book? Strange
places you found yourself writing?
As I noted earlier once the urge to write came upon me I
literally had no choice to write. So in a few periods of inspiration I found
myself locked in the guest bathroom at a relative’s house with my laptop hoping
I would not be missed, or more importantly interupted. I guess if you gotta go,
you just gotta go!!
How would you characterize your author voice? Do you think of yourself
as writing in a particular style?
I would hope that I have a friendly voice that has a bit of
an Irish lilt like my ancestors and while my style is not for everyone I do
like to think that it is accessible to readers of all ages and inclinations. I
would also describe myself as a story teller first and a writer second because
for me the story is what counts. All of the rest is fluff. Fun to write but
really just window dressing for the real story.
Are there any books or authors that you think inspired or influenced The
Walker on the Cape?
I have long been an admirer of English mystery series on
television like a Touch of Frost or Midsomer Murders and while they have
influenced me I do not pretend to be in their class. I also love Donna Leon who
writes from Venice and features a great detetctive and great Italian food.
What’s next for Sergeant Windflower?
Windflower is coming back and has a new mystery to solve.
This time a body washes up on shore near Grand Bank and soon Windflower and his
sidekick Eddie Tizzard are back on the case. The new book should be out in May,
2013.
The Walker on the Cape is available at: Mike Martin's Official Website (e-book and paperback, listings on a variety of online and brick-and-mortar retailers)
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
REVIEW: The Walker on the Cape / Mike Martin
TITLE: The Walker on the Cape
AUTHOR: Mike Martin
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
AVAILABILITY: Mike Martin's Official Website (e-book and paperback, listings on a variety of online and brick-and-mortar retailers)
APPROXIMATE LENGTH: 240 pages
Recommended for fans of murder mysteries and stories featuring local color.
GENRE
Mystery—Cozy Mystery/Whodunit
The Walker on the Cape follows the form of a
classic whodunit. It opens with a dead body and follows Sergeant
Winston Windflower as he investigates the murder. The story is set in a
small fishing community on the East Coast and contains
a lot of local color.
PACE
The Walker on the Cape is a moderately-paced
murder mystery. The questions of “what happened” and “who’s the killer”
keep the plot moving forward while Windflower’s interactions with the
locals allow the reader to enjoy the setting.
PERSPECTIVE
The majority of this book is written from the third
person perspective of Windflower and rotates to other characters’
points of view. At times, it takes on a more omniscient narrative
distance.
CONTENT REVIEW
The Walker on the Cape opens as every good
murder mystery should: with a dead body. The body is that of Elias
Martin, an elderly man known for taking long strolls along the cape.
Investigating the death is Sergeant Winston Windflower,
who recently moved into town. When Windflower discovers that Elias was
poisoned, he begins an investigation into the old man’s past to find the
killer. Elias led a seemingly quiet life, but as Windflower learns
more, he soon realizes that perhaps the old man’s
life wasn’t so peaceful after all.
Windflower is an amiable and easily likable
detective figure. He’s a classic good guy—determined, kind-hearted, and
tough when he needs to be. Having been born and raised on a remote
Indian reservation, he finds living in the small fishing
community of Grand Bank to be quite a change from what he’s used to.
His interactions with the locals, including a winsome café owner, bring
the setting to life. In fact, it is this local color that makes
The Walker on the Cape memorable.
Martin writes with a charming lilt reminiscent of
classic cozy mysteries. The characters are a quirky bunch, such as the
over-enthusiastic young policeman, Constable Eddie Tizzard, and the
blustering Inspector MacIntosh. Between the investigation
scenes, Windflower discovers his affections for the aforementioned café
owner, a delightful woman name Sheila who introduces Windflower to the
local comforts.
For a taste of Martin’s writing style, here’s the
opening paragraph of the first chapter: “Even in an ordinary life the
most extraordinary things can happen. Every morning for the past eleven
years Elias Martin has had his breakfast of
hot porridge and thick molasses bread smothered in partridgeberry jam.
Then, rain or shine, he began his solitary walk from his small blue
house on Elizabeth Avenue in Grand Bank, Newfoundland, down through the
Cove, and until the winter snow made it impassable,
up over the hills to the Cape.”
Such descriptions and charm are carried out
throughout the novel, which retains a cheery atmosphere despite the
bleakness of Windflower’s job. Like all cozy mysteries, the detective
figure in
The Walker on the Cape is removed from the danger and spends the
majority of the investigation interviewing suspects and witnesses or
stewing in his own thoughts. Things take an interesting turn about
halfway through the book when corruption is unveiled
and an arrest is made.
In terms of the plot, Martin has constructed a well
laid-out web of suspects and motives, and he certainly seems to know
his way around a police procedural. From the forensic reports to the ins
and outs of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police,
he depicts a believable world of crime scenes and investigators.
All in all, I found The Walker in the Cape
to be a fun and lighthearted read. It’s the kind of mystery that lets
one delve into the various possible scenarios, revealing various
backgrounds and stories along the way. The reader gets
to explore the little town of Grand Bank along with Windflower,
experiencing all its delights and hospitality.
THE NITPICKY STUFF
I found a number of small errors such as typos.
Also, and this is really nitpicky, Martin tends to write in long
sentences, often unbroken by commas.
This book is fairly G-rated in terms of sex, violence, language, etc.
AUTHOR INFO
Mike Martin was born in Newfoundland and now lives
in Ottawa, Ontario. He is a longtime freelance writer and a member of
Ottawa Independent Writers, Capital Crime Writers, the Crime Writers of
Canada, and the Newfoundland Writers’ Guild.
The Walker on the Cape is his first full fiction book.
RELATED: An Interview with Mike Martin
Friday, January 18, 2013
AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Pavel Kravchenko
Pavel Kravchenko, author of the sci-fi thriller Project Antichrist, answers questions about his book's inspirations and background.
Where did the idea for Project Antichrist come from?
I started writing it around the beginning of 2006, you know, a few years removed from 9/11, with the neverending war in Iraq and the Mayan 2012 looming and the whole apocalyptic vibe in the air. The world seemed like a pretty messed up place. At the same time, I sort of immediately dismissed the idea of a “natural” catastrophic event, meaning that I was somehow convinced that if the world was actually going to end, it wouldn’t be a solar flare. It would be us. And it would be intentional.
But in terms of writing about it, I wasn’t really interested in writing a “post”-apocalyptic novel; I felt they were everywhere and was kind of sick of them, actually, by then. So I decided to write a novel about the world actually being in the process of ending. I started asking myself: Who could possibly want the world to end? Why? How would they do it? And then Luke came on the scene, and I started writing about him, and suddenly what I had written was actually a “pre”-apocalyptic novel.
I started writing it around the beginning of 2006, you know, a few years removed from 9/11, with the neverending war in Iraq and the Mayan 2012 looming and the whole apocalyptic vibe in the air. The world seemed like a pretty messed up place. At the same time, I sort of immediately dismissed the idea of a “natural” catastrophic event, meaning that I was somehow convinced that if the world was actually going to end, it wouldn’t be a solar flare. It would be us. And it would be intentional.
But in terms of writing about it, I wasn’t really interested in writing a “post”-apocalyptic novel; I felt they were everywhere and was kind of sick of them, actually, by then. So I decided to write a novel about the world actually being in the process of ending. I started asking myself: Who could possibly want the world to end? Why? How would they do it? And then Luke came on the scene, and I started writing about him, and suddenly what I had written was actually a “pre”-apocalyptic novel.
The protagonist, Luke Whales, is a TV star who finds himself in the
middle of a vast conspiracy after he’s framed for murder. What inspired his
character?
Luke was actually inspired by a pretty stock version of the
Antichrist. Arrogant, charismatic, in a position to influence millions, if not
billions, of people, and so on. But of course, since I wasn’t telling a stock
version of the rise of the Antichrist, that was really just a jumping-off
point.
Tell us a bit about the near-future Chicago Project Antichrist
takes place in.
Chicago’s got a few upgrades (and a few downgrades), but on
the whole there aren’t too many changes. People spend more time at home,
getting more and more information about the outside from their screens.
Theaters are gone. Surveillance is everywhere. There’s new gadgetry. But the
cars still drive on the ground. Guns still shoot bullets. Due to the
not-quite-defined disaster happening out west, Chicago has also become a major
broadcasting hub, with a lot of studios and network companies moving inland
from both coasts.
Although Project Antichrist is told mostly from Luke’s point of
view, it rotates between the perspectives of several characters. Do you have
any favorites?
Even though she only gets her own POV once, Iris is probably
my favorite, because I still don’t know everything there’s to know about her.
What was the most challenging aspect of writing Project Antichrist?
Probably the first chapter. I must have written it two dozen
times over the years. And it’s not like there would be times when I said to
myself, Hey, let me just slap something together quickly. No, every time you do
it, you do your best, and you love how it sounds and how it flows and how it
transitions into the rest of the book, and you think this is it, this is the
last time, and then you read it 6 months later and it’s just all over the place
and out of tune. I haven’t gone back to read it since I published :D
One of the central themes of Project Antichrist is the prevalent
use of antidepressants in this futuristic society. What inspired that idea?
The idea is that “government” is the entity whose function
and goal are both control. In a society of evolving beings, control becomes
gradually more challenging to maintain, so in order to stay in power, this
entity must invent new methods of keeping control. One such method described in
Project Antichrist comes down to depressing the population with the world
events, then hooking them on stupefying meds. In The Matrix, it was the plugging everyone into the virtual
simulation of life.
If we were to walk in on you while you were writing, what would we see?
Would you be at a desk? In a café? On the train?
I am a gamer and I only write at my gaming computer, where I
can procrastinate and become distracted whenever I want. The desk is a horrible
mess. I’ve got bookcases on both sides, a painting on one wall, and a marked up
map of the US on the other. If you walked in when I’m writing, then everybody
is probably asleep. And my walls are orange.
Project Antichrist ends with something of a cliffhanger. Are you
working on a sequel?
Yeah, so at first I thought I was writing an apocalyptic
book, but it actually turned out be pre-apocalyptic. As I was finishing it, it
was pretty clear that the Apocalypse itself will have to play out in the
sequel. That is still very much the plan, but right now I’m working on a
different novel: a sci-fi thriller set
at a company that will send you to a paradise of your choice after you die, for
a fee.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
REVIEW: Project Antichrist / Pavel Kravchenko
TITLE: Project Antichrist
AUTHOR: Pavel Kravchenko
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
APPROXIMATE LENGTH: 251 pages
Recommended for fans of conspiracy thrillers and futuristic sci-fi.
GENRE
Science Fiction—Thriller
Project Antichrist takes place in a
futuristic Chicago and has a classic conspiracy thriller opening: the
main character, Luke Whales, discovers a dead body in his apartment and,
finding himself framed for the murder, runs from the
authorities while searching for the truth. As the story moves along,
the sci-fi elements begin trickling in—an evil corporation, mysterious
aliens, higher planes of existence.
Project Antichrist ends with something of a
cliffhanger. While the mysteries are for the most part explained by the
end, the consequences are yet to be dealt with.
PACE
Project Antichrist dives into the mystery early on and keeps up a fairly frenetic pace throughout as each answer leads to more questions.
PERSPECTIVE
This book opens with Luke’s first person past
narrative, then rotates between his point of view and the third person
limited perspectives of several characters, such as the FBI agents
chasing him. Each time a chapter is written in first
person, it’s Luke’s point of view.
CONTENT REVIEW
Luke Whales, a TV show host living in near-future
Chicago, seems to have it all—money, looks, success. But behind the
scenes, things aren’t so rosy. Divorced and still pining for his
ex-wife, he takes antidepressants to make the world seem
like a better place. One day, he comes home to find a dead body in his
apartment and his personal gun missing. Realizing that he’s being set
up, he flees.
From there, his circumstances only become more bizarre. Although
Project Antichrist begins with a seemingly straightforward Fugitive-like
plot—innocent man runs from the authorities while searching for the
real killer—spirals out into a tangle of mysteries involving the
powerful corporation behind the antidepressants
Luke (and a huge chunk of the nation) takes and mysterious aliens with a
sinister agenda.
Luke is an easy protagonist to root for, despite,
or perhaps because of, his many flaws. Years of being a celebrity have
made him arrogant, self-centered, and entitled, but at the center of it
all, he’s still just a guy trying to figure
things out. His bewilderment and considerable cluelessness when it
comes to the whole fugitive situation are rather endearing. After all,
he’s no superhero. He’s not even an everyday hero. And he’s a bit
volatile—one of the first things he does in the book
is march over to his ex-wife’s house and clock her new boyfriend.
As the story unfolds, Kravchenko introduces the
reader to a number of interesting characters. There’s Iris, a
hipster-like young woman with grand ideas and a bit of an attitude, who
helps him flee the FBI simply because he needs her. And
Paul, Luke’s friend from his pre-fame days who may or may not hold a
grudge against him. And FBI agents Brighton and Brome, the latter of
whom begins questioning the seemingly straightforward nature of the
murder case he investigates.
Then there’s Dr. Young, a character who doesn’t
have a lot of “screen time” compared to the other characters, but whose
knowledge and thoughts shape the themes of the novel. Part priest and
part psychiatrist, he knows more about what’s
going on than perhaps he should. He’s the one who introduces Luke to
the idea that there’s more going on than a simple murder. One of the
most interesting sections in the book is the scene in which Dr. Young
philosophizes about the nature of the antidepressants
that have become so prevalent in this futuristic United States, a
passage that serves as a commentary for our real-life increasing
dependence on behavioral drugs.
And then things get apocalyptic. The title of the book is
Project Antichrist, after all. The notion that the ones humans have
thought of as gods are in fact aliens so powerful, they seem divine,
isn’t entirely new to sci-fi, but Kravchenko gives the idea his own
twist. Dr. Young acts almost like a prophet, telling
Luke of things that are and things to come that are not only
unbelievable, but borderline inconceivable. How Luke fits into this
grand concept is slowly revealed throughout the course of the novel.
Along the way, Luke gets himself into plenty of
trouble—chases with the police, an insane plot to rescue his friends
from the clutches of the evil corporation, encounters with frightening,
almost supernatural alien beings. Caught in the
epicenter of conspiracies and puzzles, he struggles to reconcile what
he sees with what he can believe. By the time
Project Antichrist reaches its cliffhanger of a conclusion, normalcy is but a distant memory. In
Project Antichrist, Kravchenko has crafted a thrilling sci-fi
mystery with fascinating concepts and exciting action scenes. I had a
hard time putting this book down because I simply had to know what was
going on, and what would happen next.
THE NITPICKY STUFF
I found a handful of typos and errors while reading, but nothing too distracting.
This book contains violence typical to the thriller
genre—shootings, chases, etc. There’s nothing particularly gruesome or
graphic.
AUTHOR INFO
Pavel Kravchenko grew up in Ukraine and moved to
the United States at the age of twenty. He has held a number of
different occupations and has published several short stories.
Project Antichrist is his first novel. He currently lives in Illinois with his wife and two children.
Friday, January 11, 2013
REVIEW: Tough Girl / Libby Heily
TITLE: Tough Girl
AUTHOR: Libby Heily
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
AVAILABILITY: Smashwords
APPROXIMATE LENGTH: 58,000 words
Recommended for readers seeking gritty stories of harsh reality.
GENRE
Drama—Coming of Age
Tough Girl
is a hard book to shelve. For the most part, it is the harrowing tale of an
impoverished girl who escapes her harsh life by battling aliens in her
imagination. Since the girl, Reggie, spends so much time in her imaginary
world, large sections of this novel are dedicated to fleshing out her
daydreams. In a way, it’s two novels in one—the harsh reality Reggie lives in
and the fantastical sci-fi universe she escapes to. The latter reads like pulp
sci-fi, involving aliens, battles, and warfare.
PACE
Tough Girl
follows Reggie through her hard life in the rundown apartments of an American
city. While it seems straightforward at first, things start unraveling in the
second half. It’s a relatively short book and makes for a quick read.
PERSPECTIVE
Tough Girl
is told from Reggie’s third person limited perspectives. The daydream chapters
are told from the point of view of Reggie’s imaginary alter-ego, Tough Girl.
CONTENT REVIEW
11-year-old Reggie lives a dangerous
life in an ordinary world. A resident of the impoverished Apartments and cared
for only by a mentally ill mother, she faces constant bullying at school as
well as the real-world dangers presented by poverty. She escapes this harsh
reality via her imaginary alter ego, Tough Girl, who battles aliens in a
faraway fanciful land.
Tough Girl
is told from Reggie’s point of view and follows her as she goes about her life.
She never seems to catch a break—the big girl at school picks on her, the
popular boy creeps on her, and then, to top it all off, her mother can’t feed
her. Reggie’s quiet, introverted personality is a direct result of all that
external trauma. She does her best to remain invisible, hiding away in the
safety of her mind.
Tough Girl is what Reggie aspires to
be. Reggie spends much of her time detailing the world Tough Girl occupies, and
the book switches between Reggie’s real world and Tough Girl’s imaginary one.
Tough Girl is something straight out of a pulp sci-fi novel: a tough-as-nails
fighter who doesn’t take crap from anyone.
The contrast between real-world Reggie
and Tough Girl highlights the character’s mental state. Reggie can’t cope with
the harrowing reality she lives in, a reality she can’t defeat by kicking bad
guys. Tough Girl’s world allows her a sense of triumph, even if it’s only in
her own head. The harder Reggie’s life is, the more she relies on Tough Girl. She
even incorporates elements from her life into her fantasies. For instance,
after a distinctive new neighbor moves in, she turns him into a character for
Tough Girl to tangle with.
After Reggie’s mother disappears, she
starts losing control of her fantasies. The imaginary beasts invade her
real-world vision, and she can no longer control how Tough Girl’s story
unravels. Confusion and bewilderment reign until the very end, which throws in
a surprising twist.
Heily’s writing mimics a
child’s simple, innocent thoughts. The basic sentence structure and vocabulary
reflect Reggie’s point of view. Hers is not a very complex mind—she sees things
in a certain way and has a hard time understanding anything else. For instance,
she knows to fear rape, but doesn’t even know what it really is. She doesn’t
understand the advances of a boy at school. She also fears the foster care system,
thinking that she’s better off alone with her mentally ill mother, even though
living with her means starvation.
Reggie is easy to sympathize with and
even admire. Simplistic as her thoughts are, she always keeps her head on
straight and deals with her situation face-on and with honesty. Fiercely
independent, she handles the brutality of her situation with admirable
strength, even though that strength is somewhat misplaced. Heily has done a
superb job in depicting a child’s naiveté in a believable manner, making the
story ring true.
Tough Girl is
a harsh, gritty tale that deals with disturbing themes both in Reggie’s reality
and in Tough Girl’s imagined world. Its unapologetic and uncensored depictions
can be hard to read, but ultimately rewarding.
THE NITPICKY STUFF
I found a handful of errors and typos,
but for the most part, this book is well written and well edited.
Although Tough Girl features a young protagonist, it’s not a story for
children. Many mature themes of violence and rape are touched upon. The actual
depictions are mild, and the use of adult language is minimal.
AUTHOR INFO
Libby Heily lives in North Carolina with her husband and their dog, Daisy. She won the Pushcart Prize for her short story, "Grow Your Own Dad." Tough Girl is her debut novel.
Monday, January 7, 2013
AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Ryan Butcher
Ryan Butcher, author of the psychological thriller Trial #1322, talks about his novel's inspirations.
Why did you choose to write in the thriller genre? Do you consider yourself primarily a thriller writer?
I only wrote the one thriller, so I don't know if that makes me a thriller writer, but I plan more books, thrillers as well as horror. I'm a friendly person, but it's good to vent some anger and have my main characters go through hell and back. In my next books, I'll try to keep the gore at bay, though.
I only wrote the one thriller, so I don't know if that makes me a thriller writer, but I plan more books, thrillers as well as horror. I'm a friendly person, but it's good to vent some anger and have my main characters go through hell and back. In my next books, I'll try to keep the gore at bay, though.
Trial #1322 is about a medical trial that goes horribly wrong for the participants. Why did you choose to write about this topic?
I have a friend who took part in trials and that gave me the idea. Plus it's something that hasn't been done yet. At least not that I remember. I did a bit of research and couldn't find a similar novel. I thought what would happen if a trial
goes wrong?
Were
there
any
aspects of Trial #1322 that you particularly enjoyed writing? Was anything particularly challenging?
I enjoyed developing the characters and how they slowly lost the plot. At the same time, it was a challenge, because I wanted to show early signs, while delivering valid explanations for their behaviour. In fact, the drugs kicked in relatively early; every interaction, the jealousy, etc., is because of the drugs. To keep the suspense wasn't as easy.
Trial #1322 spends a lot of time in the heads of the three main characters—Natalie, Jason, and Laura. What inspired this approach to storytelling?
I found it was important to give all three characters the opportunity to take centre stage. They all fight their own battles, and they all reveal something to the reader, particularly when they are in the same room. I think using
this POV made it more exciting and was the perfect fit for this novel.
Would you ever participate in a medical trial for behavioral drugs?
No, I think I'm messed up enough as it is.
Trial #1322 leaves the ending pretty open. Do you intend to write a sequel? What are you working on now?
Open? Well, in some way, perhaps. I left it open to the reader's imagination what really happened. I can't give more information in case your readers
want to see for themselves. So, no, there won't be a sequel.
I'm working on a paranormal thriller. A bit like paranormal activity, perhaps. Just different. A group of people in a house and it's going to be scary. Not for the faint-hearted.
Trial #1322 is available at: Amazon US (Kindle e-book), Amazon UK (Kindle e-book)
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