Hey there, faithful readers!  Some time ago, author John Skipp started a revolving blog called The Next Big Thing. It involves answering 10 questions about your own writing, then passing the baton to another author whose work you enjoy, but who may not be as well known as they should be…yet.  Last week, author Ben Eads named me as one of his writers to watch, so now it’s my turn.   Here goes…

 

1) What is the title of your next book?

The Legacy of the Gods Book Two: Hades Disciples

2) Where did the idea come from for the book?

The whole Legacy of the Gods series started with a very vivid, very strange dream. Some dreams fade as soon as you open your eyes. Others stick with you for days. This particular dream has been with me for over twenty years. It involved an ancient stone temple, with odd markings etched into its walls, and a very seductive sea-creature. Most people have fantasies about movie stars and musicians; mine get directed by H.P. Lovecraft.

 Go figure.

3) What genre does your book/work fall under?

I don’t think about labels when I write, but the entire series is considered Urban Fantasy.

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Well, there are a lot of characters, but I have always seen Will Smith as Earl Preston Jr., my Coast Guard officer turned monster-hunting Homeland Security agent, and Michael Madsen as his nemesis, Horror Show.

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

After the events of Colonial Bay, Earl Preston finds himself on the front line of a battle for all of humanity.

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

It is part of a multi-book deal with Seventh Star Press.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

I’ve only just started writing it, but a novel normally takes me about six months to complete.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I try to be as original as I can be, but I would probably call it an odd cross between a modern day Lord of the Rings and the Sookie Stackhouse series.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Well, as I said before, it started as a very vivid, very strange dream, but the more I live with these characters, the more I want to explore their world and what makes them tick.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?

This is a series that truly has a little bit of everything: shapeshifters, gangsters, hitmen, massive battles, ancient mysteries, yeti…you name it, it is probably in there, but at its core is an ensemble of very interesting, very believable and likable characters.

Now, here is my pick for a writer to watch: RJ Sullivan

Bio:  R. J. Sullivan’s first novel, Haunting Blue, is an edgy paranormal thriller about punk girl loner Fiona “Blue” Shaefer and her boyfriend Chip Farren. Haunting Obsession, a Rebecca Burton Novella, was released by Seventh Star Press in August.

R.J. is hard at work on the next chapter in Fiona’s story, Virtual Blue, coming from Seventh Star Press in 2013, followed by two more novels over the course of 2013 and 2014. R.J. resides with his family in Heartland Crossing, Indiana. He is Vice-president of the Indiana Horror Writers. Check in regularly to learn the latest about the latest projects by R. J. Sullivan.