Interview + Contest!

Today, I'm interviewing author Jon Sprunk who is celebrating the release of his debut novel, Shadow's Son. I especially enjoy doing these interviews when the author is brand new and still has that new author smell and glow around them :)

Many times I'm asked to read a book way before it comes out to provide a cover blurb for the book. The majority of the requests come from people who I've met at conventions or writing groups or even friends. This could be good or bad depending on the book ;> I try and be sensitive, but it can be hard when the book isn't up to my standards.

And I'll admit, I was a little leery when Jon Sprunk asked me to read his debut fantasy novel from Pyr books. We met at the Pennwriter's convention two years ago and I had read his first couple of pages (which had promise) during a read and critique session. I believe my comments were positive.

However, reading Jon's book was a rare pleasure and I had no trouble giving him a great quote for his book, Shadows's Son.

In the holy city of Othir, treachery and corruption lurk at the end of every street, just the place for a freelance assassin with no loyalties and few scruples.

Caim makes his living on the edge of a blade, but when a routine job goes south, he is thrust into the middle of an insidious plot. Pitted against crooked lawmen, rival killers, and sorcery from the Other Side, his only allies are Josephine, the socialite daughter of his last victim, and Kit, a guardian spirit no one else can see. But in this fight for his life, Caim only trusts his knives and his instincts, but they won't be enough when his quest for justice leads him from Othir's hazardous back alleys to its shining corridors of power. To unmask a conspiracy at the heart of the empire, he must claim his birthright as the Shadow's Son . . .

Here is the interview (finally)! Oh and leave a comment to this blog by June 7th for a chance to win a signed copy of Shadow's Son.

1.) Why this book? What made you want to write this story?

I was actually working on another book when the idea for Shadow's Son hit me. It really came out of nowhere, but there was something so compelling about it that I had to write down some ideas. Then, once I started I couldn’t put it away.

2.) Which authors inspire you? Has that changed over time?

Back when I first started to experiment with writing, I was reading a lot of what I consider to be the classics of fantasy: Howard, Moorcock, Leiber, Feist, Lovecraft, Ashton-Smith. Tolkien was in there, too. These authors had a huge impact on what I would later go on to produce in terms of story and theme. During my college years, I gravitated toward writers such as Glen Cook and Robert Heinlein, but I never lost my love for the books that had enthralled me as a younger man.

3.) Why fantasy? Is there something special about fantasy that draws you to write in the field?

I just read something the other day that hit the nail on the head for me. To paraphrase, fantasy allows the writer to externalize those internal forces at work inside all of us. Whereas in a general fiction novel, the personification of raw human emotions might come across as heavy-handed or preachy, in fantasy an Orc can signify hatred and be used to make a point that other genres have to dance around. In other words, because we live and breathe in allegory, fantasy writers can be blunter without taking off their Storyteller hat.

4.) What do you find most interesting about Caim and about Josey?

Josey is my take on fantasy damsels. At the start, she needs saving because she is thrust into a world (an underworld, more accurately) she doesn’t understand. However, she’s smart and she learns quickly. As the story progresses, she becomes more adept at making decisions and dealing with the crises in her life. And her story, like Caim’s, is just beginning.

At first glance, there’s much to like about Caim. He’s an assassin without qualms about his line of work, a thug with a sharp pair of knives and the will to use them. But there are unseen forces at work, both within and around him. And it’s that conflict between the external and the internal that I find most interesting about him.

5.) What else do you enjoy doing besides writing? Interests? Hobbies?

Well, I have a preschooler at home, so I don’t have time for many hobbies anymore. When we get the chance, my wife and I like to go to the movies. I also read, a lot, but I don’t even know if that qualifies as a hobby anymore. I try to stay in shape even as time and gravity conspire against me.

6.) Did you have to do any special research for this book? What did you learn that you didn't know before?

Not really, no. I mean, I started studying martial arts when I was about ten years old, so I am familiar with some of the concepts of hand-to-hand combat, but I’ve never actually killed anyone…

I did draw upon some of the sights and sounds of Italy when I visited a couple years ago. Walking among the ruins of the Roman Forum, Pompeii, the Coliseum–these were tremendously inspiring to me, but in general I try to bypass research whenever possible in favor of creation.

7.) How did you become a writer? Is this what you saw yourself growing up to be? Or did it take you by surprise?

Looking back, it seems like I’ve always been heading along this path even when I wasn’t aware of it. From the time I was a child, I enjoyed making up stories (just ask my parents). Writing started off as a hobby and its importance grew as I got older until it became a part of me, as natural (and necessary) as eating or breathing.

8.) Do you have a writing routine? Talk process for a moment, how do the words get on the page?

Once upon a time, before our son was born, I wrote in the mornings and afternoons, about six hours per day. Now, I watch him during that time, so the writing has been pushed off to the evening. It actually took me a couple months to adjust to this routine. The good news is that now I’m almost as productive in four hours now as I used to be in six.

9.) Office? Closet? Corner of the living room? Do you have a set place to write? A favorite?

I have a den/office with my desk, computer, and a few reference books. Nothing fancy, but it’s really the only place I feel comfortable trying to write anymore.

10.) What are you writing now? What's coming out next?

I’m currently revising the manuscript for the sequel, Shadow’s Lure, which will hit stores sometime in 2011, probably around mid-year. After that comes the third installment of the series. Once that is done, I’ll take a look around and see where I want to go next. I’ve got a few other novels in various states of completion; other irons in the fire, you might say.

Here are links to Jon's website and to Amazon :)

http://www.jonsprunk.com

Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Shadowss-Son-Jo...