365 Interviews

Interview 74: ironkite

1. Can you tell me a bit about yourself?

I was born at a very early age. I was dropped on my face, but my mother later told me it made me smarter.

2. What inspired you to write?

Communication... connecting with people. I'm also big into art. Writing and art are really just two different ways of communicating an idea, or feeling.

3.Do you have a specific writing style?

I do enjoy casual first-person storytelling, though I'm not certain you'd call that a style.

4. How did you come up with the titles of your stories?

The Tucat series has titles based on the names of particularly important characters in that story. The others, mostly either obviously titled, or "Hey, that'll be clever, let's call it that."

5. Is there a message in your novels that you want readers to grasp?

There's not one unified message, no. I do try to focus on the unexpected, however... setting up a certain expectation and then twisting it sideways.

6. How much of the books is realistic?

How much is any fantasy book, really?

7. Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

Some experiences are based on events in my life. Especially the really painful ones.

8.Imagine your characters from any book are on survivor.  Who will they vote out of the book?

I'm assuming Survivor is a TV show? If so, I'm fairly certain my characters don't watch TV either, and would be baffled by the question.

9. What job did you want to be as a kid? 

I wanted to be a graphic illustrator. And it's happened. Go me!

10. What is your main goal with writing books?

My primary goal is to write something that someone stays up until 3:00 in the morning reading, despite having school/work the next day. That's always what seemed to happen to me, so that's what I shoot for.

11.Do you ever experience writer’s block?

There's no such thing as writer's block. Sitting at a computer for 10 hours staring at a blank screen, not being able to come up with a single word... that's writing.

12. Do you work with an outline, or just write?

Always an outline. I would die without one.

13. Imagine your main character from any book dies on page one.  Everything else remains the same.  Describe the new plot to your book.

Joe from Revenant slips on an ice cube in his bar and impales himself. Nate the barkeeper shrugs, turns off the lights, and flies back to his native Finland. The world remains largely unchanged. The end.

14.  What do you do when you are not writing?

I'm either re-writing, editing, working, or doing artwork. Sometimes, when the redbull wears off, I sleep.

15.  Do you see writing as a career or a hobby?

It's a hobby that, like any hobby, can become a career. It's also one of the cheapest hobbies you can possibly take up.

16. Will you have a new story coming out soon? If so can you tell us about it?

New story is a YA collaboration I'm going to be doing with a good friend of mine. Of course, I have to finish 2 in-progress stories before I even start that one, so...

17. What is the weirdest thing that has ever been said or done to you by a fan?  (Internet stalkers count)

 To me, not much. However, I routinely receive marriage proposals directed at my character, Vincent. That's a bit odd.

18.Did you learn anything from writing your books and what was it?

The biggest thing I learned from writing a book can only really be taught by writing a book. There are no shortcut answers... you sit down and you find out if you can do it or if you can't. I found out I can.

19.Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Specifically, I'd say "Gah! I'm so sorry... work's been hell, and I've been editing the heck out of AToP before it gets published, but it looks like things are finally settling down and I can actually write again! Huzzah!"

20. Do you have any advice for other writers?

Read your stuff out loud, finish what you start, and keep on writing.