.
Thanks so much for
doing this interview with me Jason
Thanks
for having me on your Book Corner!
Tell us about
yourself?
Middle-aged,
manifesting my inner 15-year-old in a flurry of writing.
On your bio on your
website (jasontgraves.com) it says you are a scientist, in what field were you
in? and what made you decide to get into writing?
I
was a laboratory technician for several years—pharmacology and cancer
biology—and later earned a Master’s degree in Molecular Genetics.
I
have been writing sporadically for over thirty years, but never really ever
finished anything except some short stories.
Three years ago, I had as near a near-death experience as I ever hope to
suffer through, and it really changed my focus in life. I gave up research science and really focused
on my writing. The iterative process of
drafting and re-drafting my 40,000-word Master’s thesis helped me develop the
discipline to write my first novel, Blood
Roses.
Do you have a day job
besides writing?
I
teach science in community college and high school.
Where did you get the
idea from for your first book - Blood Roses, which was amazing by the way.
Thank
you! I appreciate you telling me that!
My
older daughter and wife and I were reading various young adult books several
years ago, and I had the crazy idea to write a story in which vampirism appears
to be biologically plausible. Of course,
that approach could go tragically dull in so many ways, so I kept the science
light and, with the help of some interesting characters, I ended up writing a
mystery story, seasoned with adventure and romance, and some creepy bad guys
for fun. It’s really unlike any vampire
story you’ve ever read.
As
for creating the characters, they kind of do that themselves. I am very much a pantser when I write (and in
life) and many of my stories are informed by dreams. My characters come alive for me and carry on
conversations in my head. I write these
down and edit them, but I try not to force my characters into too much of a
pre-conceived mold; I find the story is much more interesting if I let them do
their thing. Obviously, my subconscious
is directing the show (otherwise my lovely wife would have had me dragged away
to the loony bin long ago), but the image of people living whole lives in your
head is a romantic one, right?
Who is your favourite
character from the book?
Maelcom,
without a doubt. In a lot of ways he is
the bedrock for the other characters, and yet he gets to do and say some really
zany things. He’s like the big brother
or favorite uncle who always has a witty comment and is there to pull your butt
out of the fire at the last second. He
is especially endearing in that I never anticipated Maelcom—I never planned him—he
just showed up one day while I was writing a scene and he never left.
Who are you most like
from Your book?
Oooh,
tough question to answer… I intentionally try to NOT write myself into my
stories, but some things do leak through.
Psychologically, I am somewhere between Wilhelm and Marissa, with a
little bit of Maelcom thrown in for good measure. I have a dry sense of humor that some love
and others find abrasive, and I am constantly playing with words and making
puns. I’m a bit of an acquired taste, I
guess.
Do you have a
"thing" you to do get into the zone for writing?
Music! I love listening to new (to me) music for
inspiration, and I am incredibly thankful that the internet allows independent
musicians an outlet for their talents. I
listen to most of my music online now and purchase digital downloads from
artist’s websites.
Vacations,
even short ones, are also great for sparking imagination. I recently visited New Orleans for a few
days, and came away with a short story and three ideas for novels, one of which
I will be submitting to lit agents in a few days.
Oh,
and whiskey; it’s great for raw writing, as it lowers your inhibitions and
allows you to write more freely (isn’t that a lovely rationalization for
drinking?). Conversely, I avoid alcohol
when I am editing.
Where do you see
yourself in 5 years?
Sitting
on the stack of books that I will have written!
By then, the entire Noctivagas Chronicle will be complete, as will
several other novels that are—at the moment—partially written. Given the progress that I have made in the
last nine months, I hope to have at least one book being produced by a major
publisher within 5 years. An appearance
or two on the New York Times bestseller list would be nice. And a movie deal.
You
have to aim high and dream big!
The next book to Blood
Roses is coming out soon what can we expect from this book?
The
second book in the Noctivagas Chronicle is titled Morning Stars and it will be released on September 1st by
Second Wind Publishing, a mid-sized press here in North Carolina. Morning Stars is a more active book than
Blood Roses because, being the second book, I could move beyond much of the set
building and exposition of the first. And, frankly, my writing has improved.
In
Morning Stars, you learn more about each of the characters and their
motivations and fears. I do a lot more
showing, instead of telling, and I focus on evocative writing and capturing
emotions in this book, without sacrificing the action and the wicked twists
that people really enjoyed in Blood Roses.
And, there are some substantial upsets in Morning Stars.
As
a teaser: the twins learn something
about their biological parents…
What book are you
reading now?
I
am reading an eARC of Reaper’s Rhythm
the second novel from my friend and fellow author Clare Davidson.
What is your favourite
and worst book you've read?
You
ask dangerous questions! A short answer
is that I have many favorites, but if I had to pick out a pivotal book for me, The Diamond Age by Neil Stephenson
would be it. The worst book… I can’t
answer that on the grounds that it would be hurtful to an indie author. However, the worst mainstream-published book
that comes to mind is Eregon.
What's next after
Morning Stars?
I
am currently editing an anthology of short stories, Off the Beaten Path, which should be available on Amazon by
October; one of the stories is mine. I
am also working on several novels that are unrelated to The Noctivagas
Chronicle series: Sticks and Stones, a horror novel set in the North Carolina
mountains that deals with past slavery and modern-day prejudices… including
paranormal prejudices; Raveled Veil,
a story about a sex-addicted woman who is allegedly a witch, which causes her no
end of trouble with both men and demons; and Tripping, a near-future dystopian novel about an exceptional
computer hacker who has kept his talents hidden out of fear, and when they are
finally revealed, he discovers that the people close to him aren’t exactly as they
appeared to be and others are willing to kill to acquire his skills. Finally, my Blood Roses/Morning Stars characters
won’t hush, so—against my plans for the moment—I’ve already written 6,000 words
of the third book in The Noctivagas Chronicle.
Did you read as a
child? What was your favourite book?
Ravenously!
That
depends on the exact chronology of my childhood, but Go, Dog, Go by P.D. Eastman, Melor,
King Arthur’s Page by C.O. Peare, Watership
Down by Richard Adams, The
Hobbit/LoTR by Tolkien, and 1984
by Orwell.
Fun Questions
Favourite colour?
Purple
Favourite tv show?
Star
Trek (the original series).
Favourite paranormal
creature?
Vampires,
of course J
Do you have a pet
hate?
Lousy
drivers!
Most embarrassing
moment?
Not
for public consumption… way too personal.
Favourite place to go?
The
mountains—doesn’t matter which ones.
Thanks
for hosting me!
Jason, thank you for such an amazing interview, I have to agree with you on so many things, Maecolm is one of my favourites as well, I agree a movie deal is a must, My dad is a huge star trek fan from the first series with William Shatner, One of my favourite colours is Purple, can you tell?
I am so excited about Morning Stars and cant wait for the other books to come out.
