Ask the Author: Mark Hazard
Answered Questions (6)
Mark Hazard
Ultimately, my inspiration comes from the day in 2009 when I was reading a Bernard Cornwell book, watching a series come to an end, and the thought dawned on me that there were only so many books in the world, and my favorite authors could only put out so many. I realized Bernard was getting old. Who would write books for the next generation? It was as if someone snapped their fingers and from that moment I knew I had to take up the call to write fiction. Deep down, I think this still inspires me.
The best place to start for the more day-to-day inspiration is to always ask yourself, what book do I want to read, but doesn't yet exist?
The best place to start for the more day-to-day inspiration is to always ask yourself, what book do I want to read, but doesn't yet exist?
Mark Hazard
Learn all the rules of craft. When rules contradict one another, play with both and decide which rule is better for you. Spend every ounce of your energy blending your creativity with the rules of craft, sticking to them with the devotion of a monk. Once you have mastered the rules, you will have blended raw creativity with craft. You now have "Creataftity" or "Craftivity". This higher form of you will have the discernment to know when to begin to break the rules as necessary. And that's where your best work will begin to pour forth. Does this take a long time? Yes, but if you have what it takes, you'll enjoy the hell out of the process.
Mark Hazard
Making people and worlds appear out of the ether and stick in other people's heads using only my fingers and a keyboard.
Mark Hazard
I don't really deal with writer's block. Where I do get hung up, though, is right int the middle of the story, where no matter if I've plotted or planned, I will find myself in a fog, unsure how to bring all the pieces together. Plot block some call it. To deal with this, I pretty much pace around mumbling to myself like a crazy person until the pieces start snapping into place. This can be hours or days. Going for a walk helps, along with the classic advice of stopping thinking about it and letting your brain rest. The answers can bubble up from your subconscious when you least expect it.
Mark Hazard
I am currently editing my next novel MURDER UPSTREAM, the beginning of a new series, starring two new detectives, Kyle Villante and Solomon Aduwo, set in the fictional town of Harding. Villante is coming off a two year undercover stint, which ended in very complicated fashion, and Aduwo is from State CID, helping with an investigation. They're an interesting pair who don't quite get one another, but have to work together to solve the murder of an heiress to a big time housing development company.
Mark Hazard
Corus and the Case of the Corruption (Book 2 in the Corus series) deals with two crimes roughly thirty years apart. The first is described in the opening sequence. The second happens at a Tech company in the months before Corus books pick up the story. I always knew I wanted the crime Corus dealt with in book two to have something to do with computers and technology, but the idea to link that to another historical crime in the 80s probably came from watching the TV show Halt and Catch Fire, which is a very good show about the dawn of personal computing in the 80s and the dastardly efforts competing firms made to be first to market with next gen products. When I was younger the program Pirates of Silicon Valley also fascinated me, and that certainly contributed some too.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more