Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Feralis is my first and only book so far, unless you count product manuals!
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
For as long as I can remember, I have loved anything that had wizards, magic, or anything supernatural in the story. Just the idea that a good book can take you out of this world and drop you somewhere exciting has always fascinated me. My book, Feralis, is my attempt to give back to a literary world that has fueled my imagination for over 30 years.
One day, almost a decade ago, I decided that I had to know if I could write half as well as I could read. And in just a few weeks, I had the first draft of what is now an actual novel. Of course those first few weeks were followed by too many edits, a terrible attempt to change the tense of the book, and a 6-8 year period of refusing to edit the story one more time. But here we are!
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to quickly write the first draft, and then take almost a decade to move forward with the process!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Jim Butcher was the one that first inspired me to write something. His ability to build a world and characters that weave and wander through decades of writing is nothing short of amazing! But there are so many other great writers that I’ve followed: Richard Kadrey, Neil Gaimen, Pierce Brown…there are too many great authors. I could spend a week here!
What are you working on now?
I’m just enjoying the publishing process and interested to see how people react to my book. If I get enough interested people, I’ll start writing the second installment here soon.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Well, I’m very new to the process, but so far awesomegang.com as been amazing 🙂
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t let the fear of rejection stop you from always moving forward. Nothing great has ever been accomplished without first taking a risk.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If you’re going to do something, put everything you have into the attempt.
What are you reading now?
This week? I’m finishing the Stormlight trilogy and just diving into Altered Carbon (because the show was sooooo good).
What’s next for you as a writer?
Starting the second installment of The Fall of Marshall Grey
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
First, I would glue a bunch of books together to make it count as one book, but if I had to choose:
Red Rising
Anything by Jim Butcher
Neverwhere
Robinson Crusoe (because he made being stranded on an island look easy)