RELEASE DAY (BOOK REVIEW & AUTHOR INTERVIEW): "Sunburn" by Darren Dash

When three friends go on holiday to Bulgaria, protecting themselves from sunburn is their only concern. But when they run into a beast unlike any they've ever imagined, it becomes a savage fight for survival. They will burn in the day... but the night holds even darker terrors in store.

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read Darren Dash's alter-ego ever since I was twelve. That's nearly a decade of dedication. When he moved into the adult horror genre and I was privileged to review The Evil And The Pure, I was so excited. When he contacted me to review his next book, Sunburn, I might have fangirled a little bit. Just a little!
I read Sunburn over three days, savoring each word, each scene. Not because I am biased by my longtime fandom, but because it was just that good.
Rarely in a horror novel does the reader get the chance to really get to know the characters like you do in Sunburn. You know every crevice of their souls, what they like and what they hate; what their hopes and dreams are; who they love. Usually, when a horror novel takes almost halfway through to get bloody, I lose interest. But the beginning isn't just fluffy filler, it's important. It's important that you get to know and love (or hate) the three main characters before the "creature" finds them.
Throughout the book, you get short chapters from the "creature's" POV, which is unique and extremely intriguing, making you want to read on and know just what this thing is, what it wants, and what it has to do with Martini, Newt and Curran.
I cannot go on enough about the book, how great it is and how entertaining. This is an author who knows his stuff, knows how to make the readers laugh, cry and scream in terror, whether he's writing for adults or teens.
To call this a must-read is an understatement!

5/5--introspective, interesting horror!





Purchase Sunburn via:

Amazon
Goodreads




My EXCLUSIVE Interview With Darren Dash:

1. What was the inspiration behind Sunburn?

I have pale skin and get sunburnt very easily, and I never seem to learn my lesson! After yet another scorching, I found myself wondering what it would be like to be stranded in the middle of nowhere, with a monster on the prowl, while completely naked, defenseless and terribly sunburnt. And it all grew from there.

2. You spent a good part of the novel taking us through the characters' daily life, letting us get to know them before getting into the action. What made you decide to do that?

Let's be honest here -- this is a schlocky story. I make no apologies for that -- I wanted to write a fun, over the top monster tale, that does what it says on the tin. At the same time, there's no reason why a schlocky story shouldn't be as carefully plotted and peopled as a more realistic, serious tale. The mistake many horror writers and movie people make is in assuming that the characters are unimportant, only there to be terrorised and torn apart by the monsters. I wanted to write a book where readers would grow to know and side with the main characters, where they would be interested in what happened for them, and rooting for them when the worst came to pass. As Stephen King has often proved, it IS possible to tell a throwaway story that manages to be a decent read at the same time, and this was my attempt to do that.

3. The "beast" is introduced to us slowly and vaguely, at the beginning of each section. Was that done to build anticipation for the reader?

Actually, in the first draft I didn't mention the beast at all, but the introduction of it was then too jarring. There needed to be a build-up and a gradual reveal, not least so that readers would know the nature of the story that they were committing to -- I didn't want to trick people into thinking this was going to be a gently-paced character study, only to suddenly drop them into the middle of a hellish man vs beast scenario.

4. How did you decide exactly what kind of creature you were using in the story?

I knew it was going to be some sort of Bigfoot-type creature, but I didn't have the specifics clear in mind when I started. They grew out of the storytelling.

5. Would you like to see this as a film? How would you want a studio to execute it?

It would be lovely to see it adapted, especially as I think it's a story that would lend itself neatly to film, except maybe for the nudity angle -- I suspect he'd keep his boxer shorts on in the movie! I won't be holding my breath, but hopefully it will happen one day...

CREATOR INTERVIEW: Ken Penders at Long Beach Comic Expo 2/28/15

When I was little, my mom got me into Archie Comics titles Archie Digest amd Sabrina the Teenage Witch. After those, when I was seven, I found Sonic the Hedgehog. I became an avid fan and still am till this day. My favorite character is Knuckles the Echidna, and his entire race/backstory was my favorite thing to read about, especially the kick-ass Lara-Su.
I never really noticed who wrote or drew the comics. Back then, I didn't care. But when I accidentally came across Ken Penders' booth at LBCE and realized that he was the one whose stories I'd been reading for fourteen years, I was star-struck! When he agreed to an interview that day, I was over the moon!
Here he talks about his plans for Lara-Su, amd much more!

[Quick note, the patch I photographed is what the Royal Secret Service: Strategic Acorn Ops wore in STH, particularly Geoffrey, their leader.]

1. When/why did you decide to get into comics?

I wanted to do comics ever since I was a little kid. I was influenced by the work of Jack Kirby on Fantastic Four. That just blew me away and I didn't understand it, I didn't know how these things were done or who did it, I just knew I wanted to create comics. I would draw my own comics as a kid, and eventually I found out that yes, there's actual companies that publish this stuff, ans this is what you have to do in order to go to.work for them. It was qa process,.but I always wanted to it all my life.

2. Aside from Fantastic Four, what were your other inspirations?

My favorites back then were Fantastic Four and Batman, especially Carmine Infantino's interpretation of the character. I loved Jim Starlin's Nick Fury Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. stories; I became a huge S.H.I.E.L.D. fan because of those. And Gil Kane, his Green Lantern. Those are main favorites of mine.

3. You did create different characters for the Sonic The Hedgehog and Knuckles The Echidna comic series for Archie Comics. Why did you choose to expand the Lara-Su storyline?

Basically, I don't own Sonic or Knuckles. But I own my characters, I own my stories and I actually had this long arc that was designed to take Knuckles from birth to beyond his lifespan; show his legacy. I never got to do that, so when this whole situation came up with regards--and Archie Comics wasn't at fault for this--but SEGA used my characters in a video game. At that point, for example, my work had not been reproduced or reprinted the way it is now. There had been no reason to go forward with any claims or anything, because what would I be claiming infringement on? You have to be wronged first. So, when the video game came out and everybody was contacting me saying, "Okay, here, they're using your stuff as part of Sonic Chronicles." That's when the whole thing came about, going for my characters and stories, and as I was going through that process, people asked me, "What do you want out of this?" and I said, "I want to be able to continue telling the characters' stories." So then when I really sat down and thought about that, what it meant, it became obvious that Lara-Su, instead of Knuckles, would be the vehicle for continuing to tell the complete story pf what I already had planned to do.

4. Can you tell us a little of what you have planned for Lara-Su?

In a general sense, I am picking up the story where I left her off in Sonic #144, and I have a seven book arc. During the course of that arc, she and the rest of the characters are going to grow and have their own storylines and once you get to the ens of it, that's it: you're going to have a complete story. It's not designed to go on and on, it's okay, here's this big epic. There may be side stories along the way that people may want to see the blanks filled in on, but here's her story. By the time we get to the end, we're going to be looking at the legacy she's creating for the next generation.

5. Do you have any plans for or would you like to see an animated show for your arc?

Definitely have plans for that. If it becomes an animated series, great. If it becomes an animated film, great. But I think with a film like Guardians of the Galaxy out there, I don't why you can't have a mix of live action mixed in with the CGI. To me, that would be the ideal.

6. You've worked for many companies aside from Archie, including Disney and Marvel. What would you like to do next? Any particular company or story you'd like to be a part of?

No. The thing I want to do next, I am already doing, The Lara-Su Chronicles. I am currently working on a film The Republic. We actually have a completed film, it's just a matter of getting all the post-production work done. I finally have a gentleman assisting me with the audio, because that's not my forte. And he's got Academy Award nominations. So we're working on getting that ready for release, on iTunes, Netflix and Amazon Instant Video. I've spoken with the main actors and they're more than agreeable to go forward should we be able to go forward with further installments of that film. Right now, my son is helping me cut the trailer for my creation The Lost Ones, so we can shop that around. So, it's not so much a matter of limiting myself to just comics. I have a whole broad spectrum of things I can persue, and I'm doing it. It's just a matter of everything is time-consuming, everything is dependent on other people doing their parts as well. The only thing I have.complete control in is just getting the Lara-Su story and art done. And then whatever happens beyond that, that's up to what other people get involved.
I don't have this mindset of working for Marvel, DC or Image for example. Or Dark Horse pr whatever company like I did when I was younger. It's totally different now. I'm more into my own stuff than working on Superman or Batman.

7. You have done many different forms of art and media. What haven't you done yet that you'd like to?

Sculpture! 3D modeling. I've dabbled in some 3D modeling, but it's been very basic, very beginner. I really need to learn how to do it better, but I just don't have the time.

8. Is there anyone you'd like to collaborate with?

There are plenty of people I'd love to collaborate with! It's a matter of if we could find a project that interests the both of us, if our schedules come together. For example, my friend and partner Larry Houston approached me about this film project but the problem was what can we fit on this schedule? How do we move it forward? That sort of thing. There's all sorts of questions that need to be asked and resolved. With regards to a comic project, the people I'd want to work with are long past doing any such thing.

9. Thank you for participating in the interview. Can you please leave the readers with three things that may surprise them about you?

[Laughs] You know, that's a really difficult question for me, because I don't know how to answer that without somebody saying it's self-serving. I actually do love Sonic, contrary to popular belief! I actually am not angry or upset with Archie Comics in any way, shape or form; I am actually very proud of the work I've done for Archie and my association with the company's history. I think people would be surprised that I graduated high school at sixteen and went into the military as soon as I turned seventeen.

Find Mr. Penders online via:

Official site
Twitter

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Richard Lange

1. When/why did you decide to become a writer?

I never decided, I just always was. As long as I can remember, I’ve been telling stories and writing them down.

2. What authors inspired you when you were younger? What books do you enjoy reading today?

Early on it was Ernest Hemingway, Jack Kerouac, Raymond Carver, and Charles Bukowski. Some authors I love these days are Richard Price, William Vollmann, Denis Johnson, and Elmore Leonard (RIP). I read mostly old stuff, though, trying to learn from the masters: Faulkner, Zola, Conrad, Dickens – people like that.

3. What was the inspiration behind your various works?

It’s different for each one. My novel Angel Baby, for example, was inspired by an article in the L.A. Times about a white guy who snuck people over the border for a Mexican pollero. That was the genesis of the character of Malone, and the rest of the book came together around him. I can say that I’m always inspired by real life, by things I’ve seen, by people I know, or by great stories people have told me. I start with something like that and figure out how to make it “bigger” in terms of narrative and emotional impact.

4. Living in Southern California seems to affect your work. For those who don't live here, what is it about the area that's so inspiring?

There’s a lot going on here on a lot of levels. People of all stripes come to L.A. to attempt to make their dreams come true, so there’s all this energy in the air. You’ve got smart people, crazy people, bitter people, hopeful people, people from a hundred different cultures and backgrounds trying to get by or get ahead or get something over on someone. It’s a writer’s dream.

5. Sweet Nothing is a collection of short stories. Every author I talk to seems to have a different answer to this question: what is the biggest difference between writing a novel and a short story (aside from the length, of course)?

My short stories are more about taking the reader on an emotional journey rather than building a strong plot. In my novels, I try to give the reader more plot in order to compel them to finish the longer work. This is difficult because plot isn’t my greatest strength or necessarily something I’m that interested in. I’m much more focused on characters, language, and rhythm. The trick is trying to integrate those two things. I’m still trying to master that.

6. Were any of your characters personalities or emotions taken from real life?

All of them are from real life, in one way or another. It’s like acting: You have to become these characters as you create them, even the “bad guys.” It’s fun being a bad guy sometimes.

7. What other genres would you like to try your hand at?

I don’t think in term of genre when I’m writing, I just write what I want to. The people who have to sell it can call it crime or romance or sci fi – whatever they want, as long as they sell it!

8. If you could take the place of any of your characters, which would it be and why?

I’m happy with who I am.

9. Your novel Angel Baby won the Hammett Prize. When you were writing it, did you ever think that it would go on to win awards?

Nah. That would be weird. I just write, put it out there, and move on to the next thing. The awards and stuff are much appreciated though. It’s nice to know people like what I’m doing.

10. Which, if any, of your novels would you like to see as a film? Who do you want to see play your characters?

Angel Baby was optioned by Warner Bros., and I was hired to write the screenplay. The chances of it ever getting made are a million to one, but I live in hope. It’s hard for me to “cast” the book. I don’t picture specific people as I’m writing. I’d be interested to see who Hollywood would choose to play the characters.  

11. Where do you see yourself and your career in the next ten years?

I see myself as rich, famous, and still cranking out good work, whether it be books, films or TV stuff.

12. What would you be doing if you weren't writing?

Before I was a full-time writer, I was a magazine editor. It wasn’t a bad life, so I guess I’d be doing that. I don’t have many other marketable skills. 

13. Can you tell KSR what you're working on next?

A new novel, set in L.A.

14. What authors, dead or alive, would you like to collaborate with?

I’m not a good collaborator. That’s why the film business is so tricky for me. Everything there is collaboration. I like writing books, where I’m in complete control.

15. Thank you for participating in the interview. Can you please leave the readers with three things that may surprise them about you?

1. I’m a big opera fan. 2. I have walked from the Mexican border to Palm Springs (on the Pacific Crest Trail). 3. I used to write dirty letters for Hustler magazine at fifty bucks a pop.

Find Mr. Lange online via:

Official site (has all other links)

If you live in Southern California, you can meet Mr. Lange in person at the Long Beach Comic Expo, at the Long Beach Convention Center on February 28th and March 1st!

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Amanda M. Lyons

1. When/why did you decide to become a writer?

I first decided to become a writer when I was twelve, shortly after writing my first real story. I studied for a long while after and wrote lots of stories to see what I could do. The one gift I really had as a child was my imagination and that remains true now. That first story showed me that I could move people with my words and imagination, it was a powerful feeling and I knew I had found my calling.

2. What authors inspired you when you were younger? What books do you enjoy reading today?

Stephen King, Anne Rice, Clive Barker, Poppy Z. Brite, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Bentley Little, Richard Laymon, Alice Borchardt, there are many, many writers I could list here. I’ve always been enamored with books and what I could find in them. These writers remain valid to me today. I read just about anything I can get my hands on from horror and fantasy to mystery, noir and historical or literary fiction. Story pulls me in and good writing.

3. What was the inspiration behind your novels Eyes Like Blue Fire and Water Like Crimson Sorrow?

Actually, the two books first started life as one book, the first one I had ever finished. It started as a page of freewriting I’d jotted down, not sure what I wanted to do with it, and over time I started a regimen to complete it, writing every day as often as I could. I suppose you could say that Anne Rice had a hand in inspiring me, her and many other gothic vampire writers who were publishing or had been published by the time I was in high school where I originally completed ELBF. I was also a very lonely person then, so the loneliness became something I could draw from when writing it.

4. Will we ever see these characters again?

Yes, actually the third book, Cool Green Waters, should be out in 2015 and there is already a beginning for the fourth, Hollow Black Corners of the Soul. I know there will be at least one more book after that and from there we shall have to see. These two books focus more on Zero, Michael, Mateo and another vampire named Aremia, but also feature Katja and Raven who are trying to deal with the events that happened in the first two books. There is quite a lot to learn about these characters and I cover a good sized chunk of it in these books. There are several surprises in store and, starting with Cool Green Waters, things are going to get a bit more intense in places and in overall tone. I’m hoping that readers enjoy what they find out. 

5. Can you tell the readers a little about your previous work?

ELBF was my first book, most of what came before it were short stories and things that I’m not sure will ever see the light of day being early work and a bit rickety. I do have some short stories in anthologies and a novelette out called Wendy Won’t Go which also comes in a collector’s edition with another of my stories and one by one of my fellow JEA staff members, Mark Woods.

6. Were any of the characters’ personalities or emotions taken from real life?

The whole book features quite a lot of the angst, loneliness and frustration I was feeling when I wrote it and all of the characters have a piece of me in them. Raven and Katja in particular are different facets of me trying to understand themselves. Its overall message of moving on, getting past the awfulness of a sad past and taking on your future with a certain strength seems to have been a message I was trying to tell myself. After the first two books Raven does take on some elements of my fiancé Todd, but most of their traits are still my own or from my own imagination. 

7. What other genres would you like to try your hand at?

Interestingly, I think that’s been a struggle for me, my books and stories can take on elements of several different genres and then become hard to classify and market. ELBF is neither completely horror or pnr, its gothic vampires, so where does it fit in? Fantasy often comes into my stories and, more recently, edges of sci-fi. I’ve also tried my hand at erotica and might try some bizarro down the road. I focus on stories more than anything, stories about people we can imagine and empathize with. 

8. What would you do if you were Katja?

Hopefully, I would be able to find happiness with Raven, become grounded and more secure in myself. As a person, I might not be quite so worried about having the time to do all that I want to do with my life, to write, to learn, to enjoy things more rather than hurry through or dart around trying to make time for things. I think I would miss the daylight though I’m a night owl most of the time. I know I would have killed Marie as Katja did and then continue to try and understand myself and my master’s past. 

9. Along with vampires, you have ghouls and half-bloods. What made you create these monsters in this particular storyline?

With the half-bloods I think it made sense to have a way for Marie to feel cheated and vengeful, what would be worse than feeling like your vampirehood was less than you deserved? It’s also a way to offer Marie underlings and address some of the elements of revenants, renfields and violent vampires we see in other popular vampire legends. In the case of beings like Zero, it also means that we can see what an extended life could offer and how it could wound you. 

10. Would you like to see Katja's story as a film or TV show? If yes, who do you want to see play your characters?

I used to dream of that when I first wrote it, but I wonder if there would be anyone that quite matched my mental images of them. It would also be hard to keep the same tone, I think. I would have to address it when it came up. I had imagined Zero being played by David Duchovny when it was first written and he was young enough to play him, he’s not really suited to the character as he stands now though. I suppose it would have to be unknowns to avoid issues. 

11. Where do you see yourself and your career in the next ten years?

I’m hoping that things keep going strong. I didn’t see myself being published, much less a Lead Editor at J. Ellington Ashton Press, as of April 2013 when ELBF was originally self-published. Now I’m both traditionally published there and have been a part of building it over time. In ten years I’m hoping that JEA is doing even better than we are now and that my books are doing well. I would love to find myself writing more and creating great books. It’s strange to consider that my son would be 19 and my daughter nearly 13 then. Time is always surprising us in many ways, I hope the surprises to come are good ones. Maybe Nikolai and I’s book The Boy Who Slayed Dragons would have some sequels and maybe even more worlds. I think it would be great to see Nikki succeed in many ways. He has such a beautiful imagination and intelligence, I want to see where he goes with it. Feeling grounded and stable, maybe having a house of our own would also be wonderful. 

12. What would you be doing if you weren't writing?

I’m not sure, about the only other thing that ever interested me was forensic pathology, so maybe that, Maybe being a teacher? 

13. Can you tell KSR what you're working on next?

I’m going to be releasing a collection this year or next which contains all of my short stories from anthos and some that have yet to be published, it’s called Apocrypha. I’m also the editor for Inanna Rising: Women Forged by Fire and co-editing both Fearotica (an erotica horror antho) and For Love of Leelah: An Anthology About Souls (a charity anthology to donate to The Trevor Project in honor of Leelah Alcorn)  with Alex S. Johnson from JEA.
One of my early short stories, Jodie, is in the progress of becoming a novel and I hope to see that done by next year. It’s about a teenage girl who has been through a great deal and, when faced with a series of awful events unfolding in her life, begins to exhibit some strange gifts involving her dolls. I also have Other Dangers to complete, an apocalypse novel with horror and dark fantasy themes that I’m hoping people really like, it’s been a work in progress for many years. It may take longer than a year to finish, I don’t know. It’s about an author who writes the end of the world and then watches it happen all around her, its black magic, bad choices and redemption at a heavy price. 

14. What authors, dead or alive, would you like to collaborate with?

I’ve been lucky enough to be involved with two collaborative novels at JEA, it’s quite the experience! Feral Hearts, the vampire one is already out and Lycanthroship should hopefully be out later this year, that one features werewolves. I think it would be interesting to write something with my fiancé Todd Misura and maybe Anne Rice or another author with gothic overtones. 

15. Thank you for participating in the interview. Can you please leave the readers with three things that may surprise them about you?

You’re welcome!
1. I’m a horror author who’s afraid of a lot of things, not on a phobia level, but many things give me the shivers. 
2. I faced death 3 times to have kids, one we lost and the other two are here with me. While it terrified me, in the end I have my kids and I’m still here.
3. I’m an introvert who could write your eyes out of your head once I got to know you or even have great big long conversations, but for most things I have to have a safe ground, a comfort level. I have a limit on how long I can be social and I can be overwhelmed by large crowds. 

Find Amanda M. Lyons online via:

Website: www.amandamlyons.weebly.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Amanda-M-Lyons-Author-and-Editor/357528661024257?ref=hl

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Amanda-M-Lyons/e/B00C8H0V2A

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmandaMLyons

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Richard M. Knittle Jr

1. When/why did you decide to become a writer?

Well 9 months ago my Son Ryder was taken by his birth mother, I let her into my home after she had been living on the streets of Fort Worth, I bailed her out of jail for theft from her own parents.. She took him one day to use him as a peace offering to her parents... I hit Epic Addiction Proportions and had a mental breakdown, The Battle Lost: Ryder's Birth was from when he was born till I invited her to my home, The Battle Lost Friendships Lost is from where book leaves off... That writing was healing for me, I never even imagined that today I am full Fledged and Popular Writer. Let me say this this Ride that has just begun gives me a High better than any drug can imagine!

2. What authors inspired you when you were younger? What books do you enjoy reading today?

I was reading at a college level in 4th Grade I read EVERYTHING I could, J.R.R. Tolkien of course, Mack Maloney of the Wingman Series is awesome.

3. What was the inspiration behind your epic poem The Battle Lost: Ryder's Birth?

My son Ryder of course is a special little boy.. I believe he was born to do do much good.. His smile is magic..I love you Ryder..

4. What can we expect from your next poetry collection?

Next is if you can believe Darker and haunting.. a little secrete I wrote the last verse 6 months ago.. It all came true!

5. Why did you decide to write about your reality?

I am not sure I been told that I have a gift, in fact here I have poem that explains better..

This is called "Hope"

Hope

I was sitting alone in the park one day at lunch and I sat on the same bench where Ryder and I used to play we would sing our song and laugh and play while letting the world go by, those were bright and sunny days of just him and I. Then as I looked up it hit me I was staring right at the tree where I carved out our initials for everyone to see, so I got up and I looked but with all the tears that were now falling it was hard to see then I found it I love Ryder and Ryder loves me. All of sudden a terrible pain began in my chest and I fell hard to the ground it hit me so hard that it knocked me to my knees. I looked around and saw that everyone was watching so I threw my fist up into the air and I lifted my head up to God and I screamed as loud as I could why me? Why would you bring him into my life knowing how much I would care? I gave that little boy everything I had left to give in my heart, in my soul, all my strength that had left don’t you understand he was my reason I am still here my will to live.. I hate you God that wasn't fair at all and now I live with all of these memories that play over and over they are stuck in my head and not like I am in a dream, but now my life is nothing but a living nightmare. I look around with nothing but a blank stare I hear his little voice and I call out to nothing there. Then in a whisper I am sorry God I didn't mean what I said I am finished here I just wish you would take me now because I would rather be dead. I hurt so bad every single day from a heart that's broken and it will never heal and a soul that is dying and can no longer feel.. He is my son no matter what they do he is my little man my little bundle of joy and I miss him so very bad. I am tired of hurting from all this sorrow and regret and feeling so damn lonely and sad and I looked down and I cried. Then I remembered that he once had a son, I felt a hand as he placed it on my head then I felt him as my heart filled with so much love he wanted me to know he was listening from his home high above. He lost his one and only son to pay for all our sins. I smiled and I opened up my heart and I let him back in. I still hurt and I still cry for my son everyday but now I know our lord that is in heaven above is watching and he will let me see Ryder one day because it is fate either here on earth or high above at heaven’s gate and that is what I now Pray every night before I go to sleep... in his name

Amen!

6. What role has addiction taken in your life and what encouraging words do you have for those suffering from it now?

Addiction .. I know it can be beat I walked away from it never looking back, Now I write about it.. Your Heart, Your Mind, Your Creator are all you need to outcast that evil Traitor in fact it is the first verse of the next book.

Preview alert.....

Heart Mind Creator

Your Heart Your Mind and Your Creator
are what you need to outcast, the evil traitor.
Addiction, the evil of darkness unknown
infects your family and will find you alone.
It feeds from your anger, your pain, and your sins
that opens a door that invites it right in.
It changes the way you look at creation
and sets you up to live eternal damnation.
The darkness cares not, if your woman or man
as it spreads its evil throughout this great land.
Turning the rich in to beggars, paupers and thieves
while children become orphans our creator grieves.
He sits high above watching down in disgust
as his creations want nothing more
than money, drugs, and lust
Addiction, the evil of darkness unknown
doesn’t care if you’re poor or a king on a throne.
The darkness it spreads and continues without a fight
while we wait on a hero to help bring the light
that hero is here and is being trained as a fighter
that little boy is strong and his name is Ryder!

I say I understand your pain.. I know you will understand this...

Alone in your darkness with many people around
your demons will find you when you want to be found
it is the comfort they offer while your chaos exist
a persuasive proposal one not so hard to resist
creating a crises of conscience as it fights for your soul
it wreaks havoc in your life while it battles you for control
confusion of your emotions never peace in your head
causing reactions in thoughts that you’re better off dead
the choices you choose are out of desperation and despair
now drowning in guilt you find yourself gasping for air
bringing nothing but destruction with both families and alone
this is mankind’s greatest threat that it has ever known
it spreads like no other through cities and small towns
its name is called addiction and it infects with no cure found
the young and rich even old or poor it doesn’t care who
opens that door it only brings sorrow and heartbreak
and death evermore you can try to outrun it even hide
while you can for it infects every inch of our great land.
your family and neighbors even all of your friends can't
hide from addiction it feeds from our loneliness this evil
must end I know because it had me and my friends like Amy, DeAnna,
Stormie and Blue and many others that we all knew it changes
our thinking while destroying our souls all because we wanted to forget our own lives while we rolled and passed the bowl!

-Richard M Knittle Jr.

7. Would you ever consider writing fiction?

Yes I would, in fact. The Battle Lost goes fictional in book 3.. I just happen to have a preview :)

“He is coming let evil know that they are finished with no place to go”

“I refuse to fail or to give up and I will see my son again. I will not fall or lose my faith because I now lead Gods troops into battle for him. I hear him as he cries out for me he now sees me in his dreams our bond we have it never broke or so it seems.” A father, A solider, and A friend to all, not blood nor distance will keep them apart not even the Mother of Thrall, I have been through hell and beyond and death bygone they should know by now.. They will never break this bond or love of this Father and his Son…

The Man!

I used to be happy once with Ryder but now I'm as sad as I can be
I led my troops through battle and conquered evil as for as you can see
The demons that once roamed this land and over hill and dale
Tried to destroy me and tear us apart and they ended all to an epic fail
My lord and father who art into heaven and hallow be thy name
I know this world that was born to me is dying and going insane
Destroying people by the millions addiction now rules throughout this land
It joins with the Evil Dark Family in Emory as it waits to battle Ryder and The Man
Ryder has grown fast while away from The Man he is sad and feels empty inside
He feels like something is missing from him and the Evil Dark Family has something to hide
At night he dreams about this man who searches for him all throughout the land
He is angry and yet sad as he kills the demons and the darkness with just his bare hands
This man is myth, just a made up tale, his mother says this man he never existed
But Ryder knows that she lies and all that crystal she smokes has made her very twisted
Trading herself for poppy seeds with everyone she comes around
for days and weeks she disappears and hardly to be found
the last few nights when he closed his eyes a vision of this man would start
he could feel each and every emotion from this man in his soul and in his heart
he thought I need to find this man I know he must be real for these emotions that I am feeling are know these are for real

9. What would you be doing if you weren't writing?

IT I've been working with computers over 30 years and enjoy it, and probably haunting someones dreams..
Poets are dreamers right?... We think with our hearts and listen to ours souls. Especially for the ones that touched both.-Richard M Knittle Jr.

10. If you were to write fiction, what authors, dead or alive, would you like to collaborate with?

Wow.. Any Poet from 1600's down lol. I would love to actually work with J.R.R. Tolkien or even Hugh Hefner.. :)

11. Thank you for participating in the interview. Can you please leave the readers with three things that may surprise them about you?

Number 1 would be, you know how you have that one friend that makes everything sexual.. :)
2. would be that I had 5 Bypasses at 41, 5 percent blood flow and no damage to my heart..
3. I want a monkey.. Really I do!

Find Mr. Knittle online via:

Official site (has all other links)

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Russell Brooks

1. When/why did you decide to become a writer?

I caught the writing bug in elementary school but only took it seriously when I was in high school. I was often sidetracked due since I also wanted to be a professional track athlete. I had a very wild imagination, so story ideas constantly came to me to the point I decided to write them down. Eventually I put together the first of several drafts which--after 12 years--would become PANDORA'S SUCCESSION.

2. What authors inspired you when you were younger? What books do you enjoy reading today?

Vince Flynn was the first author to inspire me after I read TERM LIMITS. Until then I thought that action/thrillers only existed in movies and wasn't something that could be found in books. Flynn opened my eyes to that genre, and it eventually led me to read from others such as Barry Eisler, Joseph Finder, and Eric Jerome Dickey.

3. What was the inspiration behind your novel The Demeter Code?

There were several news articles that inspired THE DEMETER CODE. I won't name them because doing so would reveal several spoilers. However, the first one which really sparked the idea was an article I read two years ago about accidentally creating a biological weapon through (spoiler). After I read it, I began reading several others and also watching documentaries about the same (spoiler) subject matter. I kept a list of all 53 articles and news reports which I then referenced at the back of the book.

4. The Demeter Code is a sequel. Will we see more stories featuring these characters?

Most definitely, and I also have thoughts of writing a sequel to my standalone thriller, CHILL RUN. I can't say when, but they're both in the works.

5. What is it about spies that interests you?

It's mostly the mystery. It's a world of secrecy and covert activities. From an entertainment standpoint, there's excitement when you never know who's who. I'm fascinated by how company and government secrets are obtained by their opposition, as well as the personal sacrifices that are made by the operatives who obtain them. 

6. Were any of the characters personalities or emotions taken from real life?

Some of the characters in THE DEMETER CODE were based on real people who have either gone through or who have taken part in similar activities in real life as in the story. For instance, the arms dealer, Monzer Alghafari, in THE DEMETER CODE was based on the Syrian-born arms dealer, Monzer Al Kasser, who's currently in a New York jail after a successful sting operation by the DEA, thanks to the Patriot Act. I read extensively about him because his life read like a thriller novel. All that was left to do was fictionalize certain elements so that they could be incorporated into the story.

7. What other genres would you like to try your hand at?

I once wanted to write a horror story, but I put that on the backburner.

8. What would you do if you were Ridley Fox?

lol. If I were him I wouldn't give up on tracking down the person who murdered my fiancée and see to it that they're brought to justice.

9. I have to ask you about your short story collection, Unsavory Delicacies. In two of the stories, Ridley Fox is featured. In the other, it's about revenge via food. What inspired that?

The inspiration came from a true story out of Sydney, Australia, where a restaurant owner sued a newspaper because their food critic's review destroyed their business. It's funny you asked me this question because out of curiosity, I just googled this report for fun and just learned that last June, the restaurant won a libel suit against the Sydney Herald Times. 

10. Would you like to see The Demeter Code and its predecessor as a film or TV show? If yes, who do you want to have play your characters?

Currently I'm writing the screenplay for PANDORA'S SUCCESSION after my friend talked me into it. As for who I'd like to play Ridley Fox and Nita Parris in the movie, here are my choices if the movie were released today. 

11. Where do you see yourself and your career in the next ten years?

In ten years I hope to have at least five other novels published and PANDORA'S SUCCESSION in cinemas worldwide.

12. What would you be doing if you weren't writing?

I'd still be working in sales.

13. Can you tell KSR what you're working on next?

I'm still unsure whether or not to write the sequel to THE DEMETER CODE or the sequel to CHILL RUN. My ideas aren't solid enough yet as I'm still doing research.

14. What authors, dead or alive, would you like to collaborate with?

I'd love to partner with David Goyer on a Superman/Wonder Woman script. For a long time I had an idea for one. The only reason I never wrote it was because the chances of it being picked up by an unknown author--such as myself--are one in a billion. 

15. Thank you for participating in the interview. Can you please leave the readers with three things that may surprise them about you?

1) ​I was once on the Canadian Track Team in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay at the World University Games in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, 1999.

2) I started back playing the violin after a hiatus of several years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5PTfv65kP8&list=UUGvAga_6rslbyZltozyOYlw&index=2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvTXYesvSng&index=1&list=UUGvAga_6rslbyZltozyOYlw

3) I often like to recite passages from novels and put them on video.

http://youtu.be/qbln3o7Vsgk?list=UUGvAga_6rslbyZltozyOYlw

Find Russell Brooks online via:

Official site (the home page will direct you to all of his social media profiles)

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Maryam Malik

1. When/why did you decide to become a writer?

For me, writing has always been a part of my childhood. I really started writing stories when I was in the sixth grade and never stopped all through middle school and then high school. It was recently in my junior year of college that I decided to reach out to agents and actually get my work published.

2. What authors inspired you when you were younger? What books do you enjoy reading today?

Growing up, my teachers were my biggest inspiration. Upon that, truth be told, my parents were very strict and I wasn’t really allowed to go out as much as the other kids my age. Writing sort of became my escape.

3. What was the inspiration behind your novel Charlotte's Secrets: Demon's Love?

I’ve always rooted for crazy love that defies impossible odds. Charlotte’s Secrets pretty much soaks up that idea. I wanted to write a novel centered around the fact that a man (or woman, had I chosen my protagonist to be a female) would do anything for the one he loves. As one chapter led to another, I had a paranormal romance ready for readers to enjoy.

4. What can we expect from the sequel?

The sequel is equally focused on all the characters as opposed to just Charlotte and Julian. The book is written in third person so readers actually develop an understanding of the emotions and feelings of all the other characters. Old enemies tag along but new problems arise. The readers also get an inside scoop on each character’s individual struggles, feelings, and details on their pasts.

5. How many books do you plan on writing about these characters?

So far, Charlotte’s Secrets: Demon’s Love is meant to be a trilogy. I don’t have any plans to branch out series on each individual character but who knows. An author’s mind is always working so nothing is ever written in stone.

6. Were any of the characters' personalities or emotions taken from real life?

Definitely. Sometimes, the way Cassandra acts reminds me of myself. Watson is witty and sarcastic and we know a personality like that in a group of serious people is an absolute must. I just wanted to even the odds with my characters. Making everyone tough, emotional, and a sucker for love would make the novel boring. I needed to incorporate personalities and emotions I had come across in real life to make it relatable.

7. What other genres would you like to try your hand at?

I actually write across the spectrum of genres and for a variety of age groups. After the trilogy, I plan to take a poke at a women’s fiction novel set in the Middle East.

8. What would you do if you were Julian?

Julian and I share one thing in common: we both are romantics and would do anything for the people we love. I think I based his actions off what I would do myself if presented the scenarios he went through.

9. Why magic in the Dark Ages? What was it about that time period that made you want to set your novel there?

I’ve always had a fascination with the Dark Ages. From the lifestyle of the people, to the art, architecture, grand feasts, festivals…it had always been a time and culture dear to my heart so I decided why not write about it?

10. Would you like to see Charlotte's Secrets as a film? If so, who do you want to see play your characters?

I would be lying if I said I didn’t. I think Charlize Theron would make a grand Charlotte.

11. Where do you see yourself and your career in the next ten years?

Hopefully on the New York Times Bestseller list. Mainly, I hope to win the admiration and respect of readers and have several books under my belt by then.

12. What would you be doing if you weren't writing?

I’d be consumed by school which I still am. Though, writing is my passion, I am going to college to be a Speech Language Pathologist. I also find comfort in cooking and if I wasn’t writing, I think I’d have my own cooking channel on youtube or something.

13. Can you tell KSR what you're working on next (aside from the sequel to Charlotte's Secrets)?

I have plans for so many projects it’s hard to keep up. I keep a binder of ideas and when I’m done with one project, I run my finger down the list and try to figure out what I’m in the mood for next or what’s the best thing to put out there for my readers. I’m undecided between a contemporary women’s fiction novel set in the Middle East and a dystopian novel for young adults about fallen angels.

14. What authors, dead or alive, would you like to collaborate with?

I would say Edgar Allen Poe. He’s known for his poetry but he definitely wrote some dark and twisted stories with deep meaning (that’s why I admire him). Working with him would be a dream.

15. Thank you for participating in the interview. Can you please leave the readers with three things that may surprise them about you?

It was truly an honor, thank you. Three things about me that may surprise readers:
•I’m a black belt in taekwondo.
•I’m very messy and a horrible organizer.
•I’d sell my soul to Sephora.

Find Maryam Malik online via:

Official site

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook LIKE page

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Bryce Allen

1. When/why did you decide to become a writer?

I think I caught the bug back in elementary school; I was a big comic book fan all through grade/middle school and got the itch to tell stories around that time. Throughout high school I wrote short stories and had my own comic strip in the school paper about a deranged stick figure that prompted my art teacher to recommend I see a therapist… That’s probably when I knew I was cursed/blessed with a writer’s life.

2. What authors inspired you when you were younger? What books do you enjoy reading today?

I’d definitely say I was a huge spy fiction junkie when I was in high school/college (Fleming, le Carre, etc.) and I also enjoyed the classic sci-fi writers (Asimov, Verne, etc.) when I was younger. I’m still a fan of those writers but I’ve gotten more into authors like Bukowski, Burroughs and Selby, Jr. in recent years.

3. What was the inspiration behind your novel The Spartak Trigger?

As a big fan of both action thrillers and transgressive fiction, I wanted to write something that effectively fused the two genres, creating something as entertaining as possible with an extra layer of satire that made the work more readable and original while mocking its own shortcomings. In essence, I was wanted to do a self-contained parody of spy fiction with simplistic, straightforward prose that would serve as both a deconstruction of and tribute to genre tropes.

4. Will we ever see any of these characters again?

I am working on a sequel right now actually… It’s a little different structurally/tonally than The Spartak Trigger but retains a lot of the same stylistic elements and overall sensibilities.

5. Why make a lead character as offensive as Shane Bishop is? Was there a particular reason for it?

I’ve always enjoyed anti-heroes in fiction and, particularly in the neo-noir genre, the central characters tend to be naturally unlikeable, which makes their ‘character arcs’ easier to follow/plan out I suppose… I wanted to have Bishop undergo the antithesis of that, becoming even more of a jerk as the story went on, but he ended up being about the same, which I suppose belies the archetype somewhat anyway haha.

6. Were any of the characters personalities or emotions taken from real life?

I’d say certain elements of Bishop’s detached sensibilities come from people I’ve encountered but I definitely don’t know anyone as awful as him in real life thankfully.

7. What other genres would you like to try your hand at?

I recently finished a more straightforward thriller that I’m hoping to find a publisher for in the near future. I wouldn’t mind looking at doing some alternate history down the road as well.

8. What would you do if you were Shane?

Hmmm, that’s a tough one – he’s definitely not a character whose skin I’d like to be in any time soon! I suppose if I were Shane my destiny would be pre-determined by the narrator so I’d just go along for the ride much like he does.

9. Was there any intended symbolism behind the fact that the villains were just as involved in cyber crime as they were in actual, physical crime?

As we’ve seen this year/month, cyber terrorism is most definitely something we’ll be dealing with for quite some time. I didn’t set out to echo what was happening in real life but I originally thought that doing something with hackers/online criminals with grandiose ambitions a la a Bond villain would be unique and, as it turns out, I was completely wrong unfortunately.

10. Would you like to see The Spartak Trigger as a film or TV show? If yes, who do you want to play your characters?

I think Josh Brolin would make a good Bishop; he has that rugged leading man/action hero quality but is also capable of adding depth to seemingly-one-dimensional characters and he conveys a sense of vulnerability in his characters that I think would suit the role well. For Svetlana, I think Milla Jovovich would be great and I’d probably go with Michael Fassbender to play Kirill as I think he could be very funny/effective in a role like that. Luke Edwards would be the obvious choice to play The Wizard haha.

11. Where do you see yourself and your career in the next ten years?

I’d obviously love to be able to write full-time but I’m not sure how realistic that is this day and age… As long as I can continue to put out something every year or two and keep the Bishop series going in one form or another, I’d be cool with that.

12. What would you be doing if you weren't writing?

Part of me wishes I’d stuck with music as a hobby (used to play bass in rock bands) but it’s tough to have a more fulfilling side-gig other than this!

13. Can you tell KSR what you're working on next?

Right now I’m working on the sequel to The Spartak Trigger, which will see Bishop returning to the U.S. and engaging in more bizarro hijinks.

14. What authors, dead or alive, would you like to collaborate with?

I’d actually have to say Alan Moore for this one. His creative process seems so unique and off-the-wall, it’d be extremely interesting to see him develop something firsthand. 

15. Thank you for participating in the interview. Can you please leave the readers with three things that may surprise them about you?

- I was once in a Poison tribute band for almost an entire year
- Even though I’m Canadian, I’m a terrible ice skater
- I still know all the words to the McDonald’s Menu Song from the 80s

Find Bryce Allen online via:

Twitter
Facebook LIKE page

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Ronel van Tonder

1. When/why did you decide to become a writer?

I've been writing since about the age of 10. I think it was the allure of creating imaginery worlds and places. Perhaps being (and still being) an introvert contributed to this in some way. That, and my parents belief that a child should always have their noses buried in a book.

2. What authors inspired you when you were younger? What books do you enjoy reading today?

I read a ton of Terry Pratchett, Stephen King, Robert Jordan, Dean Koontz and James Herbert, to mention but a few. I preferred the fantasy and horror genres. My tastes have remained practially unchanged. However, I'm finding great joy in reading indie authors' books. There are some talented writers out there.

3. What was the inspiration behind your novel Compile:Quest?

The concept of the domes came from Jacques Frescoe's "The Venus Project", which is a societal model that stems from a resource-based economy. From this came the idea of how life in the future could operate. But I knew not everyone would be able to get inside the domes. So I started wondering about the people living outside. From those scraps the story just evolved into the beast it is today.

4. Why futuristic science fiction?

Futuristic sci-fi is like a petri dish for the mind. You can grow the most fantastic things in there. New societies, technologies... the sky's the limit. Or... well... space is the limit. Or is it?
Basically, it allows for a blank canvas that makes painting the world you want your characters to reside in so much easier. You write your own history (depending how far into the future your novel is set), and you can decide which path mankind wanders (or stumbles) down.

5. Will we see these characters again in the future?

Yes. There is a second and a third book on the way. Depending on the interest in the series, I'll consider writing a prequel. But I have tons of other writing projects, so the prequel might take a backseat for now.

6. Were any of your characters' personalities or emotions taken from real life?

I'm sure they were. I lack any kind of cataloguing system in my brain. So when I see the characters in my mind, I do often find they do have their own quirks. I assume some of these might be from people I know, or movies I've watched, or other books I've read, but it's as if they have all been processed and spat out as something completely different.

7. What other genres would you like to try your hand at?

I will be writing a horror novel after this, then switching back to sci-fi. I might ressurect an uncompleted fantasy novel from my youth or start a new one.

8. What would you do if you were in either of your protagonists' positions?

I really don't know. I'm so different from any of them that I probably wouldn't even *get* into those positions were it me. But  if I did? Then I'd probably curl up into a little ball and sing a happy song until all the weird goes away. I'm neither brave nor scrappy.

9. You say on your site that you also write horror. What are your plans on releasing anything horror-based in the future?

Yes, I will be writing a horror after I'm done with the second and third books of the Corrupted SUN Script. I would estimate, if all goes well, that is should be released March/April next year.

10. Would you like to see as Compile:Quest as a film or TV show? Who do you want to play your characters?

Yes please! I think the books are a bit lengthy for a movie, but I can definitely see it as a 8-episode, 3-season television series.

11. Where do you see yourself and your career in the next ten years?

Best-selling author. (Which author doesn't?)

12. What would you be doing if you weren't writing?

Cannot compute. Life without writing is like... Life without life.

13. Can you tell KSR what you're working on next?

Once done with the second and third book in the Corrupted SUN Script trilogy, I'll be writing a horror, "Zealot", and then another sci-fi series.

14. What authors, dead or alive, would you like to collaborate with?

Most definitely Terry Pratchett. I am constantly in awe of his writing skills, and to be able to collaborate with him would be amazing.

15. Thank you for participating in the interview. Can you please leave the readers with three things that may surprise them about you?

1 - I love dancing to dubstep/glitch hop/trance and various other forms of electronica.
2 - I've never riden a train or flown in a plane.
3 - I'm a terrible poet.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ronel is a brand-spanking new indie author. She loves creating fantastical worlds set in the future, the mythical, and the horrific. Translate: She writes science-fiction, fantasy and horror novels.
Her life story is not particularly fascinating, but her love of technology, PC games and writing is. Beside writing, she spends her time slaying rendered baddies in the form of robots, gangsters and aliens - with any weapon that happens to be at hand.
Ronel has published her first science-fiction book, Compile:Quest. She's currently hard at work creating the second book in the Corrupted SUN Script trilogy. When she's not writing, she's gaming, and when she's not gaming she's either sleeping or eating, as these are prerequisites for a continued life on planet Earth.

truth = (trust/ignorance) * propoganda

Website Link:
http://ronelvantonder.co.za

Social Media Links:
http://www.twitter.com/RonelVanTonder
http://www.facebook.com/Ronel.Van.Tonder.Author
http://za.linkedin.com/in/ronelvantonder/
http://www.wattpad.com/user/ronelvantonderza
https://www.google.com/+RonelvantonderCoZa
http://www.pinterest.com/ronel1014/
https://www.goodreads.com/ronelvantonder

SYNOPSIS OF COMPILE:QUEST:

In the year 2036, solar storms batter Earth. The world's electrical infrastructure is crippled. Night falls and the ensuing pandemonium claims millions of lives, catapulting mankind into chaos.
In the midst of this global turmoil a hero emerges. The altruistic SUN Council intercedes. They construct enormous domes on each continent to protect the world’s population from the radioactive CME’s of the incessant solar storms.
But not everyone makes it to the domes. In an attempt to survive the deadly radiation, hundreds of thousands of people burrow into the earth, living in squalor under an oppressive dictatorship.
Now centuries later, the final stage of the SUN Council’s plan to decimate the world’s population approaches. But as victory glimmers on the horizon, two women from discordant halves of this new world start to unravel the conspiracy.

**** Book Links ****

Amazon:
http://amzn.to/1vKiQJU

Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23342596-compile

**** Video Trailer ****

http://bit.ly/1xquBry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItFMeh3hAkU&feature=youtu.be
<iframe width="480" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ItFMeh3hAkU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

BOOK REVIEW & AUTHOR INTERVIEW: "Bound By Blood (A Night Shift novella)" by Margo Bond Collins

Sometimes the monsters in the dark are real.
As a child, Lili Banta ignored her grandmother's cryptic warnings to avoid children outside their Filipino community in Houston. When many of those other children fell ill, Lili ignored the whispers in her community that a vampiric aswang walked among them.
Years later, Lili returns to Houston to work for the Quarantine Station of the Center for Disease Control—but she is plagued by dark, bloody dreams that consume her nights and haunt her days. When a strange illness attacks the city's children, Lili is called in to find its source, and maybe even a cure.
But in order to save the city, she must first acknowledge the sinister truth: A monster stalks the night—closer than she ever expected....

Bound By Blood by Margo Bond Collins is a fast, dark read with both old and new creatures coming to light. It's about legend, life, death and the monsters inside. While the story is very literal about monsters actually being inside the victims, I took it as a way to say that we all have monsters inside of us, and we have to fight them before they take us over.
Lili is a charming abd determined character, willing to do everything to save humanity. Will and Iverson, to me, were little more than set dressings, but the two children are as essential to the book as Lili and the aswang are. They're delightful, bright and brave kids.
The story's main villain reminds me of a vampire mixed with a Strega, the witch that takes human form in the day and at night steals children's life force, leaving them to die slow, painful deaths.
But the aswang and the world they came from are refreshingly new to me, and I think that that, above all, is the main selling point of this story: The fact that there's nothing else like it out there right now.
It's entertaining, different and leaves you wanting more!

5/5--Innovative!

Purchase Bound By Blood via:

Kindle (only $0.99!)
Paperback

INTERVIEW w/ Margo Bond Collins:

1. When/why did you decide to become a writer?

I’ve always known. The first story I remember actually writing down was basically fan-fiction of The Wizard of Oz. I wrote it in long-hand in a yellow legal pad. I’ve been writing ever since.

2. What authors inspired you when you were younger? What books do you enjoy reading today?

I have always read voraciously. When I was very young, long before the internet, I read all the Trixie Belden mystery books; my mother special-ordered them for me through our small-town department store. A little later, I read the Dragonriders of Pern series in its entirety. Our local library had a five-book checkout limit for children, so we had to go three times a week. In junior high, I read Chaucer and Shakespeare. In high school, I read Gothic mysteries. In college, I read everything and anything—high literature for school, genre literature for fun. Eventually, I ended up with a Ph.D. in literature, in part because I never could figure out how to quit wanting to learn more and more about books!

3. What was the inspiration behind your latest release, Bound By Blood?

I knew I wanted to write a spin-off from Sanguinary, and when Janice Ross asked me if I would contribute to a paranormal anthology, I had my chance. I had been reading up on the Filipino monster the aswang and her ability to seem otherwise normal, but attack children at night. Also, I have two brothers who are MDs, and we had been talking about the Ebola epidemic in Africa and how hospitals deal with infectious disease. All of those things swirled together to create this story. And then I finished it the week that Ebola came to Dallas . . .

4. You write mostly paranormal fiction. What is it about the genre that makes you love it?

I think all authors love the "what if?" factor of fiction writing. What I love about paranormal fiction is that "what if" can expand indefinitely. Anything is possible.

5. How many books will we see in the Night Shift series?

A lot! Right now, I've got at least three more novels and four more novellas planned. My plan is for most of the novels to stand alone, but be set in the Night Shift universe. Each book will be richer for readers who have read the others, and all of the stories are building toward a grand finale, but readers can jump into the series anywhere.

6. Were any of your characters' personalities or emotions taken from real life?

Always! I don't take characters wholesale from real life, but every character draws on people I know.

7. What other genres would you like to try your hand at?

Space opera.

8. What character of yours would you want to switch places with for a day and why?

None of them! Conflict and misery makes for fascinating reading, but I much prefer a drama-free life, whenever I can get it.

9. You're a professor as well as a writer. Has teaching helped your writing or vice versa?

Absolutely. I teach literature and writing, so I'm always analyzing how writers do what they do, what works and what doesn't, and how to improve my own fiction writing.

10. What books of yours do you want to see as a film or TV show? Who do you want to play your characters?

Any of them! I think Sanguinary, the first Night Shift novel, would be fun. I'd like to see Jennifer Lawrence as Detective Cami Davis, Josh Holloway as the cowboy/vampire Reese, Matthew McConaughey as the former detective Garrett, and Benicio Del Toro as the leader of the Sanguinary.

11. Where do you see yourself and your career in the next ten years?

New York Times Bestselling Author Margo Bond Collins (it's good to have dreams and goals, right?). Seriously, no matter what happens, I'll still be writing.

12. What would you be doing if you weren't writing?

Curled up in a corner, sobbing? I cannot imagine a life in which I did not write.

13. Can you tell KSR about your previous novels and what you're working on next?

My previous novels are: Sanguinary, Taming the Country Star, Legally Undead, Waking Up Dead, and Fairy, Texas.
I'm currently working on a contemporary romance for Entangled Publishing, entitled Opposing the Cowboy. Watch for it next spring! And then next summer I'll publish Siren's Kiss as part of the Falling in Deep collection with several other authors (and it just might be a Night Shift novel, too). There very well may be some more in there, too.

14. What authors, dead or alive, would you like to collaborate with?

Connie Willis, Neil Gaiman, Robin McKinley.  Or, if not collaborate, maybe trail around behind them, staring adoringly.

15. Thank you for participating in the interview. Can you please leave the readers with three things that may surprise them about you?

Thanks so much for having me!
I never know quite what other people might find surprising. But here goes:
1. I grew up in a small town in Texas that (at the time, at least) had the only college in the country that offered a degree in Rodeo.
2. I am deeply shy. (This would surprise my students, too, because I have a teaching persona that I adopt for the classroom that is anything but shy.)
3. I wrote my dissertation on violent women in eighteenth-century literature. (Okay. That might not be surprising. But it might be at least interesting . . . )

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Jürgen Olschewski

1. When/why did you decide to become a writer?

I began with writing songs in my late twenties, having learned to play the guitar. This moved on to writing poems and stories, attending some evening classes for writing, and joining a local group of writers in my home town. I think the ‘why’ springs out of the enjoyment and consolation I have from reading, and wanting to see if I can make a poem or song or find a story that readers/listeners will care about and enjoy. The freedom of letting one’s imagination go where it may, to experience the lives of the characters that you write about, that is a delightful thing.

2. What authors inspired you when you were younger? What books do you enjoy reading today?

As a child, my reading would have been chiefly comics (Marvel / D.C.). As a young man I gravitated to horror and ghost stories (Pan used to do a fantastic series of anthologies). Edgar Allan Poe and H. P. Lovecraft spring to mind. Then, whilst training as an actor, I read mostly plays and poetry: Shakespeare, Chekhov, Miller, Brecht, Philip Larkin, Brian Patten. As I gradually became interested in writing, writers like Jean Rhys, Raymond Carver, and Chekhov again (for his stories) inspired me greatly, as they do today. Today, I find myself reading quite a lot of independently-published fiction, which might be from any genre. Some books I have recently read and enjoyed very much include: Friendship and Afterwards by Daniel Gothard, Dreamcatcher by Beverley Jones, Gone Fishing With Willie Nelson & Norah Jones by Austin Roarers, and a poetry collection, To the Lions by Claire Meadows. I am currently reading Venetian Cousins (It’s brilliant!) by Stephen Carroll, and am about to start The Syllabus of Errors by Ashley Stokes.

3. What was the inspiration behind your novel The Blue Box?

It started off as a short story really, or at least I had no idea it would become a novel. It just grew, and I followed where it led. A man being woken up late one night by a knock on the door was the only idea in my mind at the time. I’m so glad he opened the door and allowed the story to develop from there.

4. Will we ever see any of these characters again?

That’s a fascinating thing to ponder. I have no definite plans at the moment. I know that some writers, such as Stephen King, have characters that crop up across his different novels. That’s a nice idea, even if they are in just one or two scenes, it would be lovely to meet them again. In The Blue Box, the characters of Daumen and Peter, the truck driver, are strong possibilities for this, but potentially, any of them could make a return.

5. What was the intended symbolism behind the miniatures of the characters?

I am fascinated by the concept of the Doppelgänger. In The Blue Box, these entities start small and grow into the shadow-selves of their counterparts. Miniaturisation is also fascinating, and as with the double, I believe engenders a feeling of the uncanny, or the Unheimlich, as Freud termed it. The uncanny is a quality I find irresistible in fiction, from E. T. A. Hoffmann’s tales to a novel like The Glamour, by Christopher Priest.

6. Were any of the characters personalities or emotions taken from real life?

The characters in The Blue Box are wholly fictional, albeit the quest for purpose and self-actualisation upon which many of the characters embark has clear resonances for me in my life, and hopefully for other people.

7. What other genres would you like to try your hand at?

I would really love to try writing a play, perhaps a radio or stage play in the first instance. Writing a screenplay would also be very exciting. I will definitely make an attempt.

8. What would you do if you were Thomas?

I feel that Thomas did what his underlying nature compelled him to do. The concept of character being revealed under pressure holds true for him. I hope I would have done the same as him, given his circumstances.

9. Why a theater, in the end? What was it about performing that made it such a central point in the book?

Perhaps, for me, writing about the theatre and acting is inevitable in some ways, due to my previous training as an actor, and my subsequent experience of working in the theatre for a number of years. I do feel that the novel deconstructs and explores ideas about character, persona, and performance, both in real life and on stage. The theatre is a very limited space in a physical sense, but it contains worlds. I felt the stage setting acted as a crucible to bring together the major themes of the novel, as well as being a suitable venue for the novel’s denouement.  

10. Would you like to see The Blue Box as a film? If yes, who do you want to see play your characters?

I would absolutely love The Blue Box to be a film. I have started making some moves in this direction, in respect of writing to potential directors. Turning the novel into a screenplay is also a possibility. I have a sense it will be a film one day, by some means or other.
With regard to a possible cast, I love the Austrian actor Bruno Ganz (from Wings of Desire, the Wim Wenders original), and think he would make a fabulous Daumen. I wonder if the younger characters would be better played by as yet ‘unknown’ actors. They are all in their early twenties, so this would seem a good idea. For Reynard, just thinking about this now, I would love a younger John Hurt, or perhaps Javier Bardem.

11. Where do you see yourself and your career in the next ten years?

I hope to have written at least two or three more novels, as well as collections of stories and poems. I have recently published three long stories on Kindle, which are getting some very nice reviews (Sliding, Walking Man, and Is it the Cleaner?), and next year I aim to publish a first collection of stories, and a collection of poems. As per a previous question, I would love to have written a play and seen it produced. Writing songs is something I will always do. I have a few up on Soundcloud at the moment, here: https://soundcloud.com/pumpstreetsongs  and shall be recording more in the new year.

12. What would you be doing if you weren't writing?

Currently, I need to do other work to pay the rent and bills, and I am grateful for that work. I believe writing is my vocation, and it’s taken a long time to feel secure about saying that. I hope one day that I may earn my living wholly by writing. That would be a wonderful position to be in. I think it will happen, eventually.

13. Can you tell KSR what you're working on next?

I’m putting together a first collection of stories, and also a first collection of poems. Many of these have been published in magazines and anthologies, or broadcast on radio, over the years. I am also developing an idea for a novel – incidentally, this began as a short story as well, so you never know where things will lead.  

14. What authors, dead or alive, would you like to collaborate with?

Jean Rhys, Chekhov, Hermann Hesse, Raymond Chandler, Brian Patten, Raymond Carver, to name a few.

15. Thank you for participating in the interview. Can you please leave the readers with three things that may surprise them about you?

· I played a creepy guy who steals underwear in an episode of the TV police drama series, The Bill.
· I’ve probably had over a hundred different jobs over my working life so far. Some didn’t last very long.  
· Dustin Hoffman came to speak to us at RADA while I was a student there. He was appearing as Shylock in The Merchant of Venice in the West End.

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